Only a few chapters remaining...but don't worry, I've got another storyline in my mind. Sorry it's not as long as my other chapters...Hope you enjoy. Please don't mind any spelling or grammatical errors as I never feel like rereading my stories after I write them, and I'm too impatient to wait while someone else proofreads it before posting. And besides that...blame Microsoft Word for errors you find :P

Acceptance

Chapter 11

"I'd rather be home in bed with you." I blushed, yet chose to ignore her as I moved my bow over my violin strings. The thought of her fingers caressing my naked skin. Her mouth wrapped around my nipples, she laughed as a shrill sound left the violin. "See, you can't concentrate either."

"Your fault." I shot back, a smile on my face. "We need to keep working on this song though. It has to be perfect."

"Can I just have a kiss first." Her voice was soft, I barely heard it. "Just to get me through to lunch."

I gave in. There was nothing that I wanted do to more. I loved the taste of her lips. A taste that was solely Haruka's. I leaned down to press my lips briefly to hers. "Now you have to wait until our break for more smooches."

I lifted my instrument to my chin again. "What the fuck is this!?" I jumped. He caught us. No...wait...he's waiving a newspaper around.

"Michiru Kaiou's Partner Really A Woman." I listened to her read the headline aloud. All the emotion fell from my face. Below the headline was a close up shot of Haruka.

"How the hell did this happen?" Hiroshi slammed his hand on the top of the piano. I couldn't put my finger on it. I couldn't tell if he was yelling at me, Haruka, or the newspaper.

"Naomi Tenou." Haruka angrily ran her fingers through her own hair as she leaned against the piano.

"And who is that!?"

"Would you stop yelling at her!" I snapped at him. I almost laughed at the scared look on his face. "Naomi is her ex wife."

"She must have been jealous..." I turned to look at her, my eyes were wide, pleading with her not to say anything more.

"I don't care. Yamamoto won't like this one bit." He yanked the paper from my hands as I tried to read the article. "Take the rest of the day off. I don't think Yamamoto will want to see you two around when he hears the news."

I stood there for a moment before turning to Haruka as she spoke. "She's jealous of the fact that I'm happy with you."

I smiled at her. "Someone so much younger. Now come on old man it's my turn to buy lunch."

Hiroshi was pushing my last button. I had just about had enough of his attitude. "Old man huh?"

"Ah!" I squealed when she grabbed me from behind and lifted me off the floor. "That's not fair, put me down!" I smacked her shoulder until she returned my feet to the ground.

I never thought one person could make me as happy as she was. We walked side by side down to the parking garage and climbed into her car. I couldn't take my eyes off of her as she drove across town to a small cafe we had been frequenting. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just thinking is all." I never pulled my eyes from her.

"And what are we thinking about this time?"

You. "Thinking the worst..."

"Like what?" She kept pushing the subject.

"About what they'll do about this press release."

"Honestly, I don't care what they do."

Her statement brought a smile to my face. I was so tired of hiding who I was from my fans. If they were true fans then it won't matter to them whether I'm straight, gay, or purple...I made myself laugh. "If..." I shook my head. Why won't my words work with me? "Will you stand beside me...if I come out?"

"Of course I will Michi. Are you sure you're ready for the reaction you'll get? Not all of it will be positive and supportive." She rested her hand on mine after putting the car in park.

"I know." I lowered my eyes to my lap. "I don't want to hide what I feel for you anymore. I can't hide it anymore. It's tearing me apart each time we're out and I have to keep my distance from you. I just want to hold your hand or steal a kiss from you in the shops." I lifted my head when she touched my cheek with her hand. "It hurts so much Ruka..." I could barely hold back my building tears.

"You're not alone in this anymore Michi."

I reached up to tightly grip the hand on my cheek. I didn't care anymore who saw us. I forced my head away from her hand as the tears broke free from my eyes. "I don't know if I'm ready. What if it ruins my career? What if nobody will book us because we're gay? What if..." She stopped my barrage of questions with a warm, loving kiss. It wiped my mind clear of my negative thoughts. It always had that affect on me. She knew just how to cheer me up.

"It won't ruin your career, or my career. And I'm sure there's gay charity events we could be a part of."

I smiled at her before opening up my car door. "Let's go get lunch handsome... to go..." I winked at her before stepping from the vehicle.