A/N: Yeah, an update… yay. Sorry, again, I really haven't updated for like… three months. I just… haven't been able to write. Some… things have happened and I've been busy and…

Okay, I don't have excuses, huh? Sorry.

Well, here's a Christmas present to all you readers, thank you so much for sticking by me, really. It means a lot to me.

Happy Holidays.

Umeda pulled his things together, forcing his arms through the sleeves of his jacket. He tossed his white coat over the back of his chair and grabbed his bag.

A light knock came at his door as he turned to leave. The doctor slumped his shoulders and sighed. Would he ever be able to leave? His escape had been foiled once again.

"What is it?" He asked, not bothering to keep the edge out of his voice at the late hour. "It's me, Sensei." The familiar voice of Mizuki said from the other side of the door.

Umeda sighed, set his bag down on the floor, and sat down. "Come in…" He mumbled, fighting the urge to just go home and let her fend for herself. The girl tip-toed in and closed the door behind her with a small creak.

"I have a problem, Sensei." She mumbled solemnly, sitting on the edge of an extra chair. The doctor nodded, "I figured as much… don't you always when you come here?" He replied indifferently. He stood up and got the teen a cup of water, handing her the plastic cup and sitting back down, ready to handle whatever she threw at him.

"Alright, what's wrong?" He asked expectantly. Mizuki smiled gratefully around the plastic cup as she took a sip of the water. "Well… my parents want me to come home for a visit this coming week, but Sano has a meet that I promised him I'd go to!"

Umeda rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Well, I'm sure Sano would understand if you left." He offered, closing his eyes against the lights streaming into the room through the hallway windows. "But I promised! And… I don't really want to visit my parents. I mean, I love them, but I already come home for holidays. They'd be okay with me not coming, but they already bought me a ticket and everything. A round trip! It's a lot of money and… ya' know, it's to California so it stops at New York and you board another plane and… and..!"

The doctor almost smiled at the young girl in front of him that was already struggling between boyfriends and family… he could relate, though for him it really wasn't much of a decision. Boyfriends came first. Family always came last… always.

"I guess I can see your problem… but as for me, I'd kill to get out of here. I never get to take days off and the principal owes me one since I'm always here…" He mumbled, half to himself, "but for me there's no question on whether I should see my family or stay with boyfriends." He sneered the word family, and Mizuki halfheartedly glared at the doctor.

Umeda propped his elbows on knees and rested his forehead on his fingertips. Try as he might, nothing was coming to him head on how to solve Mizuki's current dilemma.

A few moments of silence passes before Mizuki let out a gasp. The doctor glanced up at the girl, "What?" He asked, skepticism creeping into his voice. Mizuki smiled, "I have this crazy idea. I'll need your help…a lot… if I'm right, okay?"

The way Mizuki smirked as she asked made Umeda wonder exactly what he was getting himself into, but he couldn't say no- he wasn't so cold hearted as to say no to her with those hopeful eyes. The doctor sighed, "Alright…" He replied almost grimly.

Mizuki's smiled stretched farther across her face. "I knew you were there for me, Sensei!" She cried happily, lunging forward to hug the redhead. The latter cringed on contact, trying to squirm away from the teen.

Ashiya looked up inquisitively before understanding crossed her features. "Oops, that's right," she released Umeda and say back in her chair, "I mean… I knew you'd help me out. 'Cause that's what men do. And… you know, I'm a man!" Mizuki yelled her last sentence, just in case anyone was outside and needed reassurance. To prove her 'machoness' Mizuki slapped Umeda heartily on the back.

"Ouch… everyone already knows you're a girl!" The redhead grumbled, rolling his shoulders. Mizuki paused, and then laughed nervously. "Eh heh… yeah, the do, don't they? Oh well! That was better than a hug, right?"

Umeda shrugged, pushing a few stray strands of hair away from his face. Mizuki grinned mischievously at the other, "Oh, so you prefer the hugs?" She asked devilishly, sliding playfully towards the doctor bursting out in a fit of giggles and doubling over at the look of mock terror on the other's face.

Umeda scoffed, but couldn't keep the small smile pulling at his lips as he gave the girl a playful whack on the head. "What's your crazy idea?" He asked to change the subject, leaning back in his chair.

Mizuki had to pause to catch her breath, but soon regained control and leaned back in her chair as well. "I'll tell you, but I have to figure something out first…" She replied mysteriously. Reaching into her pocked, Mizuki pulled out her cell phone. "This should only take a minute…

Akiha shuffled down the slightly crowded sidewalk, his hands shoved into the coat pockets at his sides. He shivered involuntarily as a crisp breeze whipped his hair out of his face and seeped through his light jacket.

He kept his face down as he made his way to the hotel only about a block away. Traffic rushed on the road in front of him and he came to stop by the light pole, sighing at the delay.

His cell phone rang in his pocket, and the blond jumped slightly before taking the small silver device out of his back pants pocket. It was a text message. He flipped it open and scanned through the message. A small smile formed as he read a message from a huffy Mizuki.

She stresses how upset she was that he had left without saying goodbye and hoped that if he was in California he could stop by her parents' house and relay a message to them. Mizuki, of course, updated him with what was going on in her life after that, taking up almost 5 pages of text. Akiha chuckled at her overdramatic woes and hit the button to reply.

He apologized for not saying goodbye and for not being able to relay her message because he was in New York, not California. The photographer sympathized with her stressful or embarrassing moments. He hit the 'send' button before rushing across the street through traffic.

Akiha walked closer to the buildings along the sidewalk and picked up his pace as his destination appeared in his sight. Akiha's phone rand moments later, and he scanned through the message; he had been forgiven.

He typed in a 'thank you' in response and he suddenly got the urge to ask the girl how Umeda was. Was he any different…? He forbade himself from doing so-he left to try to leave the doctor alone; to get over him. The blond shook his head and sent the response.

Looking up from the small screen, he realized that he had almost made it back to his hotel.

When Mizuki's response came, Akiha sent back his farewells as he entered the vast lobby. The young woman at the desk smiled at him with a pinkish tint to her cheeks and greeted him cheerfully. Unlike he usually would, Akiha ignored the woman and headed straight for the silver elevators in the center of the room.

He jabbed the button with the number of his floor and was relieved to see that he was in the elevator alone. Great, just thinking about him has gotten me in a bad mood… The photographer though.

The elevator lurched to a stop and the doors slid open to reveal a plain, nearly empty hallway. He trudged down to the end of the corridor and, using his card key, shuffled through the door to his room. He slid off his shoes carelessly and set his bag down by the door.

Heaving a heavyhearted sigh, Akiha collapsed on his bed, lying on his side. Drawing his keens to his chest, the blond tried to keep himself together by focusing on the not-so-steady rhythm of his breathing.

Akiha lay there, not having the will to do much of anything; completely unaware of the surprises that would soon be revealed.

Sorry, that was kinda' terrible, but please stick with me? Reviews?

Happy holidays, everyone, thanks for reading!