Hi, people! You must be feeling lucky if you were waiting for this chapter since I update it I would say faster than I'd expected but by the end, you might be cursing me for the freakingly slow updates. XD I managed this in the holiday we had recently, so the next would be in, err, another month or so? Hopefully I feel up to it and write another chapter yeah!

Chey dear had been such a great help to useless me, beta-ing for me even though she's super busy with her side. Wuv you! *cower behind blanket* Don't kick me! I'll fix this mess, I promise!

Look at Me, Only Me chapter 8

Sweet Bitterness

'That word rang so melodiously through your mouth… But, you were just a second too late. A second too late…'

….

He was tiring quickly as he half ran, half dragged his legs through the darkness of the sickly smelling corridors. The green, glowing exit signs were like beacons of hope, guiding him to the outside world. When the first wave of fresh air hit his face, it was like he could finally breathe again. He dashed out into the night, careful to stay at the side walk where a sturdy wall was so he used as a support.

Misaki was tired, so tired but he struggled to stay conscious through the blurriness. The drugs that were already in his system were still there, pulling him down like a heavy stone. He tottered along the road like a drunk until when he could not feel his body any longer. He saw the ground in front of him approach him at an alarming speed.

'Oh… I'm falling…' he realized. But he could do anything to prevent himself from pitching forward as he had no control over his own self. However, when he hit ground, which he expected to be rock hard, it was soft and warm. A gentle scent wafted to his nose, clearing his blurred mind a little.

"Hey, are you alright?" his savior asked. Misaki couldn't help noticing that the deep voice sounded somewhat similar to a certain someone… though the voice he was used to was very much lower. He felt his body floating upwards.

"It's alright, Tanaka-san. The hospital is just right there," the man said to another. When the man turned with Misaki in his arms, he could see a rather elderly man dressed in suit bowing at his direction. Behind him was a luxurious car, gleaming under the street light. But the thought was quickly discarded when Misaki realized the man carrying him was heading back in the direction which he'd escaped from.

"N-No! I don't want to go back!" He managed to muster whatever strength he had left and gripped the coat of the man tightly. He saw that the man's eyes were grey, a calming cool grey in contrast with the amethyst he was captured in. The grey eyes betrayed no emotions, neither did their owner's face. However, the man did stop in his steps for what seemed like a very long minute. While waiting to see what the man would do with him, Misaki slowly fell into a daze again. When the man finally turned away from the hospital, the young man released a sigh of relief before succumbing to darkness once again.

….

There was a really soft, gentle pressure on his forehead. It was stroking his head like ripples on the water. It was comforting. The temperature of that hand was just right, not too warm and not too cold. He remembered he used to be loved like this, laying on his father's sturdy thighs, his mother hovering over him, humming a lullaby and soothing him when he had a nightmare or was sick. When his parents were gone, all these things were done by his dear brother. He never imagined he could feel this sensation again, this warm, loving touch, like he was going to break if he was touched in the wrong way.

Misaki wanted to continue floating in this peacefulness but there was a soft nudging in his mind. This wasn't them, his mind warned him. There was a different scent, cologne which his father and brother had never used and that waxed leather smell, which was rather new, something he had never really came across before. He reluctantly willed his eyes to open.

"You're awake?" that low voice asked. As Misaki's eyes fluttered open, they met the grey eyes again. He tried to sit up but strong hands were holding him down. The young man's mind then registered that he was in a car, on the backseat with his head on the stranger's lap. The car was rolling on with a supposedly slow speed but the passing street lamps' light were making his head spin again. He closed his eyes. Noticing how the boy was cringing, the unknown man turned Misaki's head towards his body, blocking the lights.

"Tanaka-san, home," he instructed but the boy tensed immediately. He shyly tugged on the sleeve of the man's, all the while with his face buried in his savior's coat.

"Is there somewhere else you want to go, err…" he hesitated, unsure of what to call the boy. The grey eyes quickly swept over the boy, scanning for anything that might help. Lucky for him, the nametag band around the young man's wrist was facing upwards.

"Misaki-kun?" A jolt ran down the small body. The grip on the stranger's hand tightened.

"Yanaka Reien…" Misaki whispered. If both the stranger and the driver were surprised by that weird request, their face betrayed none of those emotions. When Misaki peeked up at the man, he saw his head dip a little, signaling to the driver. The man looked down, catching Misaki peeking, and smiled softly. Touched by the weird stranger that did not ask anything, Misaki let himself relax and doze off lightly again. A tear of gladness and relief slid through his closed eyelids.

….

"We're here…" The man patted Misaki's cheek gently. The boy woke up quickly, much more alert than he seemed before but there was a disturbing look in his eyes. The man began to regret the action of bringing the fragile looking boy here. Misaki struggled to sit up, his head spinning a little. The man steadied him with strong arms. When the door of the car was opened, Misaki placed his feet firmly on the ground and stood slowly. The man quickly exited from the other side and rushed over to Misaki. He held Misaki's upper arm in case Misaki wavered and fall but the kind deed was softly brushed off.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Misaki said, though both his eyes and his voice said otherwise. He half tottered, half tumbled his way through the rows of dark graves. The man followed silently, up the stairs, then to the left. The boy finally stopped at a grave carved with the words that were shiny red, even in the dark night only lit by the moon.

Takahashi Takahiro.

The boy knelt in front of the grave and emitted a series of rough coughs. The man dashed forward but Misaki held up a hand, stopping him from proceeding, while another was on the cold tablet, supporting him. He coughed another few times into his hand, sounding worse with every one.

"Misaki-kun!" The man was shocked when he saw what was on the boy's hand, liquid of the same color as the words on the tombstone. Unexpectedly, the boy laughed softly. It was a very lonely sound. Two clear streams were flowing from his emerald eyes as he turned to face the stone. Lifting his bloodied hand, Misaki wrote beside his brother's name with a shivering, red finger.

As Misaki wrote the last word, they heard loud footsteps approaching them quickly, running up the stairs. The kind stranger turned immediately to see who was coming but the boy calmly continued his calligraphy, finishing the last stroke of the word. When the approaching man reached the level they were at, the boy turned and emerald met amethyst.

"Misaki!" Akihiko yelled.

"Misaki-kun!" The stranger called at the same time when he saw the boy's eyes softened with love and yet were filled with disappointment and regret so deep, they seemed to bleed. But instead of red, they were colorless streams that shone like silver.

The boy smiled ever so sweetly before pitching forward. As he crumbled against the cold stone, his fingers slashed across his brother's name, as if that stone carver had carved the wrong name and he was there to mend it.

Glowing wetly next to his brother's name was the word Akihiko just called out a second too late, something he had been yearning to hear, something he had nearly forgotten yet could never do.

….

*hide behind Aominecchi* Don't kill me! XD I know I'm a sadist for leaving you guys here. I promise I'll update…. Soon….

For your info, though I guess you might already realized, 'Yanaka Reien' means 'Yanaka Cemetery'. It's a true place, and if you're wondering where Misaki's family has the money to be buried there, let's just assume it's a family plot. XP

And I see lots of response on Haru-chan, so yeah, there he is. Though, I made him remain unnamed so far but I'm sure you guess can already guess. Muahahaha…. So next will be the showdown between two brothers! Hahaha… Sounds like a match. I've been watching Kuroko no Basuke so I'm feeling real pumped up when two groups compete. And I'm so itching to write a short one shot for Ao and Tetsu but I'll restrain myself until I really have the time.

Enough of my blabbing, now it's your turn!

Twilight Cherry (I lately have been slowly changing my usernames around to AoiSakura, thanks to Rain-chan)