Hello. Yes...I'm late.

But I'm so sorry.

And here it is.

(Sorrrrry)

Kanou POV

Kanou opened his eyes when sunlight first broke through. He turned his head to the side slightly to see the clock. 8:00. He wasn't planning on going to work anyway. He rarely took days off, mainly because the idiots at the building couldn't seem to bothered to fix a thing by themselves. But today was special. Ayase...wasn't going to leave him. About the baby, he could...he could support a baby. He was so sure of it. But, would Ayase let him try to raise it with him? Was he even a good enough father? Ayase deserved so much better, yet...he stayed with him. That fact was what got him through every day, knowing that he had an angel at home, taking care of him, one that he could hold for his own. One he loved dearly with all his heart.

And now he felt he could admit it.

I need to tell him now, or I might explode.

Kanou excitedly leaned over Ayase's side of the bed, expecting to see the boy's eyes closed and his little mouth open as he snored lightly. But as he pulled back the covers all he was greeted with was-

the sheets.

Immediately, his mind jumped to the worst conclusions. Was he kidnapped? Drugged? Killed? He was out of bed in a flurry, and dressed in under a minute.

"Ayase?" He called. No answer relieved his mind of it's worry. "Ayase, please answer." He hurriedly looked into the bathroom, the other bedrooms, and anywhere he could see.

No, no, no, this can't be happening! Not after last night, after...

He ran both hands through his black hair, looking up to the clock. It wasn't even 8:05. He could catch them. The ones that took him.

As he barreled out of the front of the apartment building, he failed to notice the blond head hurrying towards the door with arms full of brown paper bags.

Ayase POV

Kanou-san will love this, for sure!

Ayase pushed the door open with his back, and half-stumbled into the kitchen, dumping the groceries on the table. He sighed, wiped his brow and turned to the clock happily, then toward the room. Kanou-san still wasn't awake.

That's so unlike Kanou-san. He thought, gloomily pulling his vegetables and reaching to the drawer for a knife.

I wonder...he would've left a note for me if he'd left. Out of curiosity, he glanced over to the coffee table, where he'd left his note. (One that was very loving, if he did say so himself.) That's when Ayase froze.

The note was still there, untouched, still folded and obvious as he'd left it. He slowly walked over to the table, still stiff, and picked up the white piece of paper. His hand trembled as he looked to the bedroom.

"K-Kanou-san?..." He called tentatively, pushing open the door at the end of the hallway. The bed was empty, the sheets thrown carelessly onto the floor. He saw Kanou's clothes from yesterday in a messy pile and his mind immediately jumped to hyper drive.

Ayase wasted no time. He grabbed the phone and practically destroyed the phone buttons(1) dialing Kanou-san's cell phone number. He was greeted with the incessant beeping showing that Kanou was speaking to someone at the time. He dialed again, and again, and again, until the poor boys fingers hurt from pressing the buttons so many times. He tossed his phone onto the couch cushion beside him and fell over onto his side. His eyes stung with unshed tears.

"Kanou-san...where are you?"

Kanou's POV

He was at his wit's end. He flew through town, stopping anywhere he could think of toe find his cherub*. Kanou finally stepped out of his car and sighed again the door, lighting his 67th cigarette that day. He felt his throat closing up. How could this be happening to day...Today, of all days? He swallowed the lump in his throat and stood up straight as he felt his work(2) cell phone vibrate. Kanou opened it in 2.5 seconds.

"Hello?"

"We found him."

Ayase POV

Ayase felt himself being lifted gently and held tightly in strong arms.

So warm...he thought. His eyes drifted open.

"Kanou-san...you came back. Where were you, I thought-" Ayase stopped and turned his head up slightly. He gasped. "Kanou-san..."

The man had his face buried in Ayase's hair, and from the way his scalp was actually watery, he was crying. Crying much too hard.

"Kanou, what-what-"

The grip tightened. "I thought I'd lost you, Ayase. I thought you left, or you were stolen away again, or..." Ayase pushed back slightly to look at the older man. His face was red, and his hair covered his eyes, but Ayase could see that they were red as well. Ayase reached up to hold the man's face in his palm. He could feel him tense, then relax into this hand.

He leaned forward until their lips were almost touching.

"I told you I wouldn't disappear without word, didn't I?" He whispered. Kanou sniffed and his eyes glazed over.

"Anything could have happened to you. I had no idea where you were." Ayase shuffled nervously on Kanou's lap.

"Kanou-san..."

"I won't let that happen again, Ayase."

Ayase's head shot up. "What are you saying..."

Kanou looked away from the younger one. "I can't let you be free, Ayase."

Ayase's hands flew to his mouth and his eyes watered. He let his tears fall as he pushed himself away from Kanou and sank into the corner cushion of the couch. "You said...you-you promised..."

Kanou reached out to touch him, but he moved nimbly out of the way. "You-you lied to me...Kanou-san, you lied to me! Again!"

Kanou felt himself getting hot with anger. Didn't Ayase see that he loved him, that's why he was doing this? "I'm protecting you from whomever might be out there, don't you care?"

Ayase sobbed into his hands. He felt Kanou's arms wrap around him, but he let his body melt to the floor and dart away. "You don't care, you only want me to yourself, I'm just sex to you, all you want is sex, you don't care about me, or my baby, or-or-or-" Kanou reached for him again, his eyes sad- "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME, YOU BASTARD!"

That was the last straw. Kanou pinned Ayase down onto the couch and roughly caught the boy's lips in his. But he wasn't expecting Ayase to bite him.

Hard.

Hard enough to bruise.

Hard enough to make him stop.

Kanou sat up right away, and lunged for Ayase, but he was in vain. His love darted down the hall, still sobbing, still holding his stomach, and locked the bedroom door.

Kanou sat numbly on his knees until he really couldn't feel anything. He then pulled himself up, and looked over to the kitchen. The milk sat there, alone, spoiled now. The vegetables and fruits were a bit yellow from the heat of the house. Kanou looked back down to the folded white note on the table. Sluggishly, he picked it up.

Kanou-san!

I went to get groceries! I have a special breakfast planned for you! Coffee has been made already.

XOXO, Aya-chan

That's when Kanou really cried.

Well. That was suffieciently depressing. I'm sorry about the wait. Really, I have no excuse. At all. And, well, here you are. This is Cerberus's story, check it out, I'm tired.

(1) I think there's a specific name...no idea what it is.

(2) In this, he has two phones. One is the one that Ayase would call him on, the other is for business.

There should be a new chapter as soon as I can get one made, I promise.

Oh, and I Promise You is on Hiatus until further notice. I'm thinking about just scrapping the story and just starting over again. I think that's the best way to go.

Please review, hit me up with a PM if you don't want to review, and...yeah.

Have a good day, I guess.

Estelle J