Disclaimer: I do not own Hana-Kimi, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

-=Chapter Four=-

Umeda sat at the bar, his boots held off the ground by the classic metal circle around he base of the stool. "Why do I keep showing up?…" He muttered into his glass. "He never keeps his appointments, especially when Masato is visiting." He sighed and sipped on his Roy Rodgers, pushing the ice and cherries around the bottom of the glass with his straw.

"Sir, would you like another?" Asked the barkeep politely from his side of the counter while arranging the glasses to his liking.

"No, thank you. I have had quite enough." Umeda replied, meaning both the drink and his absent partner. "I'm done with this, what is the tab this time?" He asked while taking out his wallet.

"1500 yen sir." The man replied, pulling a piece of paper off of a metal clip on the back wall.

The good doctor pulled out 2000 yen and handed it to the man before taking one last sip and getting up. "What time is it?"

"It's 21:08, and thank you sir."

Umeda nodded, slipping on his jacket. "Could you please call me a taxi?"

"Yes sir, right away."

Again Umeda nodded, then went outside to wait in the cool twilight of the street lamps. He hated the musty, alcohol smell of bars and wanted fresh air. 'I didn't intend on waiting over an hour...' He thought sourly to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets. 'But I guess I was hoping just this once that he would actually show up.'

Several minutes passed by, and the thoughts flashing through his head became less and less to his liking. Finally, the taxi pulled up and he got in, rattling off his address while sliding onto the seat. The driver nodded and started the meter before darting off into the night, one very annoyed doctor in the backseat.

After about twenty-five minutes of darting through traffic to get across town and then another ten or so of paying the driver and getting his mail then sorting it, Umeda was finally able to collapse onto his couch. With a sigh he toed off his shoes, ignoring the thump they made as they bounced on the floor. "Toki would kill me if she found out I didn't take my shoes off at the door…" He said aloud, thinking briefly of his cleaning lady before drifting off to sleep. Normally he didn't fall asleep this early; but work and emotions had gotten the better of him, depleting all of his energy stores.

He awoke about an hour later to the sound of some ungodly beeping next to his ear. It took him a moment to realize that it was his cell phone, ringing in his jacket pocket which he was currently sprawled over. "Someone better be bleeding, dying, or both…" He mumbled, groping around in his pocket for the phone. He finally found it and looked at the I.D. Then did a double take: "What the hell? Akiha?" He blinked a few times and then the letters cleared up more, revealing "22:51 Taka" He couldn't for the life of him figure out how he had gotten the two confused, but decided it didn't matter: He didn't really want to talk to either one of them at the moment. Hitting the "mute" button on the side of the phone, he set it down on the table and let it go to voice mail silently.

Blinking up at the ceiling for a little while didn't really accomplish anything, but at the moment it seemed like the most productive thing he felt like trying. "What am I doing?" He whispered to himself, finding it easier to think if he could actually hear the thoughts. "He's selfish, conceited, sadistic, manipulative, and a whole lot of other things that I don't even feel like listing off. But yet, I still love him….why?" He rolled over, sticking his face between the couch cushions. "I don't know!" He groaned the answer into the couch, it coming out muffled and distorted because of the fabric.

"Don't know what?" Asked a curious voice from the doorway.

Umeda jumped up and swung around, grabbing the remote as the first weapon to come to hand.

"What are you going to do, click me to death?" Just then the voice registered, making it so that a light didn't need to be turned on to see who it was. Umeda voided the thought of turning on a light, liking the advantage of being on his home turf with the room only partially lit by moonlight.

"No, I'm going to mute you. Now what do you want Akiha?"

Akiha stepped into the light with a smile. "You're not a very nice host."

"You're not a very welcome guest." Was the tart reply as Umeda sat down the remote and picked up a coaster, flicking it at the man. It spun through the air before hitting him in the chest and bouncing off harmlessly, the thin, bamboo disk making a slight "thud" as it hit the carpet.

"Ouch!" Akiha exclaimed in mock pain, pretending to clutch his chest as he toed off his shoes. "You could have killed me with that thing!"

"Oh get over it already." Umeda muttered, throwing another.

This time Akiha caught it, then stooped down and retrieved the first from the floor. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to throw things?"

"No, she told me throw where it counts. You should feel lucky I didn't take her advice…"

Akiha just laughed and began to walk towards him. When he was a few feet away one of Umeda's shoes found its way under his foot and he went down, taking the doctor with him as he fell onto the couch with a "Oof!"

"You simpleton, get off me!" Umeda demanded, trying to shove the man off of him.

Akiha blushed, but was saved from being discovered by the inadequate lighting. He regained his composure quickly however, challenging him: "I'm the simpleton? You're the one that left your shoes in the middle of the floor in the dark!"

Umeda glared up at him, still trying to push him off while the man above ignored the efforts. "Well if you hadn't been breaking-and-entering then we wouldn't have a problem now would we?"

Akiha just lay still, enjoying the doctor struggling beneath him. "I'm not breaking-and-entering, I'm visiting an old friend. There's a big difference you know; and besides, you left your door open. I was worried."

Just then Umeda realized just how much the other man was enjoying his efforts to get free, the evidence plainly evident by his firm reaction. He already knew, but was praying he was wrong: "What's that?" He asked, looking down between them.

"Deprived…" Was the only answer as Akiha rolled his hips slowly against him.

Umeda's breath hitched, and his neck involuntarily arched back into the couch cushions slightly. 'Damn it! It's been way too long since I've felt something like that…' He thought desperately to himself. "Get off of me!" He demanded grumpily, hating the fact that his own body started to respond to the stimulation.

"I will....as soon as I get my 'Hello' kiss."

Umeda blinked up at him, not sure if he should even feel shocked anymore with all the things Akiha had pulled in the name of "love." After what seemed like an eternity to the man on top he flatly stated, "No. Now get off of me."

"Nope, I want my kiss. I came all the way over here to see you and I just want an innocent little kiss for my efforts." Was the reply, delivered in all seriousness and backed up by the tensing of his muscles to keep the doctor where he wanted him.

Umeda measured his options, staring up at the man with more than a little annoyance now. 'Fine, but I'm gonna give you more than you bargained for.' With that thought in mind, he slipped his arms around Akiha's neck and pulled his head down, meeting him half way. Then, he opened his mouth slightly, tongue darting out to gently trace Akiha's lips.

The other man gasped faintly, not expecting Umeda to give in so easily, and when his lips opened with that tiny sound the doctor saw his chance and took it, entering his mouth and caressing him languidly from the inside out. His mouth was hot and slick, and the tongue that met his made him half wish that Akiha had demanded more than a kiss.

The photographer's body slowly relaxed against his, his mind preoccupied with the kiss and not the tensing of his partner preparing to strike. For when Akiha was relaxed enough and distracted enough, Umeda twisted his body and threw the other man off and onto the floor before standing up calmly and brushing off his shirt. "There's your kiss, now get out…"

Akiha lay there on the floor and blinked for a few seconds, trying to shake the lustful thoughts out of his head before he braced himself on his elbows and eyed the doctor. "You're a cruel man…"

"I have never claimed to be other wise." Umeda retorted, walking over to the door and opening it with a wave of good-bye.

The man on the floor grinned and got up, walking over to the door with a careful side step for the shoes. "You need to stop by some time; I always keep a key on the top off my doorjamb…" With that he stepped out and pulled the door closed behind him before Umeda could, not wanting him to have the satisfaction.