A/N: Just something I wanted to inform the readers; if an entire sentence is bolded, it's actually an imitation of those on screen words that appear at certain times during the show-like for example a heated moment or something romantic. Just letting you know in case you thought I was a weirdo or something for randomly bolding sentences. (Not that I'm not a weirdo, but you know~)

And also, thank you so much to those who have been reading and reviewing this! I can't repay you enough! ;w;

Junjou Flame

Act 1

Part 4

Back Doors are not for Minds

Dinner was a drag. And I'm not just saying that because a squealing and awe-struck Aikawa (which made me feel better since she wasn't ripping off my head) and I were the only ones not making cute and cuddly kissy gestures (minus Sensei growling like a demon whenever Miyagi flirted with him). Rather, it was the outburst at Shinobu that made the wonderfully glazed sukiyaki I prepared look totally unappetizing despite everyone (even Sensei, who was surprised) complimenting me on the dish.

I wanted to slam my hands on the table and scream. So what if I could cook? Big deal. I made him cry and I felt disgusting and unworthy of any praise. And I wondered if anyone sitting at the table could read my ready -to-explode aura. Maybe they knew and tried to make me feel better by telling me I did something right. I mean, that whole thing was pretty loud.

"You're an idiot!"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they didn't miss that bit. Yet they didn't question. Instead they ate sukiyaki, kept their mouths shut and still didn't bother to say anything during dessert.

"Where's that box Shinobu brought in?" asked Sensei. Miyagi got up from his seat.

"I think it's in the fridge. I'll get it," he offered.

"You'll probably need a knife to open that," Takahiro reminded him, then looked at me. "Misaki, can you get one for him?" I obeyed his order and followed Miyagi to the counter. I opened up the drawer and handed him the knife.

"Here you go."

"Thanks," he said, taking it gladly, "I'm sorry you and Shinobu don't get along that well. (Aha! So he did know!) I would have thought for sure you two would have made good friends considering you knew each other."

"W-well…" I was careful with my choice of words. "It's just…complicated, you know? I mean-he's a very complicated person." Miyagi laughed.

"Believe me; he's been with Hiro and me for a good while. Sometimes I don't know what goes through that kid's head. What's even stranger is that despite his untraceable thinking, the kid is very direct. He doesn't beat around the bush." There was no doubt about that. He came right out saying that he had fell in love with me.

"You seem to really care about him, Miyagi-sensei," I said.

"That I do," he nodded, "The kid's the son I never had." And that conversation ended there.

Then I found another way to worm into another one. It was an odd question, but enough to get us going. Staying silent would make me stand out.

"Miyagi-sensei, why is Shinobu living with you if he's your ex-wife's brother?" Takahiro gave me a concerned look from across the room when he heard this.

"Misaki…"

"No, it's okay. I don't blame him for thinking its pretty weird." He took the box and began to open it slowly as he talked. "The reason why he's with me is because I'm a Literature professor and the kid is obsessed with studying it."

"So he's your student in a sense?" I questioned.

"No, I wouldn't say that I let him stay with me as an underling. I let him stay because he doesn't really get along well with his family and they entrusted me with him. Even so his relationship with them got to the point where he attended an academy all the way in Australia. It's unfortunate. They're probably not going to resolve their issues anytime soon it seems." I bowed my head.

'A school in Australia? It was that bad? He never mentioned anything about Australia.' Because I never asked.

Miyagi took a look at my face and laughed. "Now look at what I did. I got you all curious!" I nodded shyly. "Well, let's just say his father wanted him to go one way and Shinobu decided to go his direction."

"I don't w-want to be a lawyer! I want to be a literature professor or just s-something to do with the major. Why should I have to be a l-lawyer just because my Dad tells me to be? That doesn't even interest me, but literature? That's my p-passion!"

My mind found its way back to that memory. That person felt the exact same thing-being torn between two decisions. Did his father accept it? Did he go on doing what he loved best?

"Oh, and Misaki," Miyagi said, interrupting my thoughts, "There's something else you should know."

"What is it?" He gave me a small, lighthearted smile that gave me chills instead of warmth.

"You really saved him that night." I opened my mouth to say something but he stopped me. "It's exactly what you're thinking."

Suddenly everything made sense.

His emphasis on the wedding. The reason why he looked so cross during the ceremony. The reason why he came on to me out of nowhere. His emphasis on remembering the wedding. The reason why he thought we destined to be together. And most importantly, the wedding.

Because after the wedding, his life changed. And it was because of me.

For the better?

Shinobu got to do what he wanted, but his family resented him for being "rebellious". Yet he seemed to be doing well living with Miyagi, who is looking out for him as best as he can.

Was he happy?

The only thing missing in the picture was me. He wanted me to be a part of it and I wouldn't go along with it because I couldn't understand his motives. And I took out that frustration on him.

Miyagi sliced open the box with the knife I gave him.

"You didn't know? That's a surprise. I honestly would have thought you'd figure it out on your own." I lowered my head and he moved away a little as if expecting an eruption. "Could you…get me a dish?"

I did just that and promptly ran to my room after peering into the box. Takahiro spotted me and said something, but I tuned him out completely. I also think Aikawa might have yelled to me something about how she's into men around her age. Nobody came to knock on my door with questions.

The first thing I did was go on the computer. He wasn't online, so that was useless.

Desperately I dumped my laundry basket onto the floor and picked up any pair of jeans I could find, searching every pocket I could until I found a slip of paper. It was Shinobu's number. Texting I felt was more impersonal than using the actual phone itself in this situation, so I decided to call.

I wasted no time to dial the number and eagerly waited for it to go through.

"Hello. This is Shinobu." My heart jolted.

"Shinobu? This is Misaki. I just wanted to"-

"I am not available right now. Please leave a message after the beep or text me. I will get back to you either way." The tone beeped. 'I really should have stuck to texting.'

"Uh, Shinobu…" I started to lose my voice. "…This is Misaki. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said. Can we talk about this in school? Please call back." And I hung up. I laid in bed, waiting with the phone clutched in my hand. He never called.

Needless to say, I didn't have any watermelon that night.

I woke up the next morning to loud banging on my door.

"Misaki," Usami's gruff voice pounded from the other side, "Are you going to school? It's already 8!" I rolled out of bed and stretched to find I was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday and my phone sitting next to my pillow. That and my eyes were burning from either lack of sleep or crying.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." I grabbed my clothes and took a quick, thorough shower. Breakfast was late, but prepared just a half an hour before Takahiro and I would have to leave.

The moment I got to Mitsuhashi, I started looking around for Shinobu between crowds of people.

Someone touched my shoulder. I jumped, at the same time hoping it was Shinobu who came to say that he had heard his voice mail.

Instead it was Sumi hovering over me far into my personal bubble.

"Why the long face, Misaki? You're not happy to see me?" he asked, nearing his head close to mine. I lightly pushed him away.

"No, Senpai! Of course not! I'm just looking for Shinobu. Have you seen him?" Sumi shook his head.

"I haven't. I'm not even sure if he has classes on Thursdays," Senpai answered, "If you want to talk to him, why don't you just-oh, look over there!"

He pointed to a nearby crowd where a familiar dirty blond was nearing towards us. I ran ahead of Senpai before he could say anything.

As I got closer I noticed that Shinobu wasn't looking ahead of him and rather to a man next to him-a freakishly tall one with sunny hair and purple eyes.

"Oi! Shinobu!" I called to him.

The pair cut a corner away from me, not even sending a glance at me.

And I was left standing with a sharp pang of anger and jealousy. For once Sumi had a confused look on his face.

"That was pretty cold," he commented, "They just like, ignored you. Did something happen?" I took one look back at them.

"No, nothing happened."

When I got back home, I saw Aikawa standing at the doorway with folded arms. What I didn't understand was why she didn't just use her key and head inside the apartment.

"Aikawa-san! Are you waiting for Usami get to home or something?" I asked her.

"No. I was just stopping by. There was something I had to tell you- and I felt it was better to do it in person." Something about her tone made me a little nervous.

"What is it?"

"While I'm flattered that you have a crush on me, calling me your girlfriend is pretty low. The least you could have done was ask me beforehand!" she said, then in a hushed, seductive whisper, "But while I can't take up your offer now, if you still feel the same way when you're twenty five, give me a call." And she walked away.

From there I wasn't sure whether to be utterly disgusted or charmed by her. Not that I ever really pictured myself with her, but she was really pretty…

When I stepped inside I habitually checked my phone again. Despite the sound being on and there being no ring, I made sure there was no missed call.

I went back online after being disappointed and frustrated once again. He still wasn't online.

Something had to be done about this, I realized, and fast. If I didn't I was sure that my stability would diminish to nothing.

'At least I see him in Literature,' I thought, 'Maybe I can talk to him then.' Another thought hit me like a bearalanche. 'Wait… Crap! Sensei's paper is due tomorrow! I better work on that!'

So I was then kept busy with that for another few hours.

Just as I typed the last key on the paper and saved it, the front door slammed hard enough for me to feel the vibrations of it from the kitchen. And then Usami shouted.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that, Takahiro? My God!" Curiously, I opened the door and peeked at them through the hallway.

"Usagi, you act like I'm going to leave you the moment someone shows me affection!" Takahiro lifted his ring finger. "You see this diamond? It means that we're one step closer to marriage and when we get married, we're staying together forever!"

"And you do know that a majority of all marriages end in divorce, right? Part of the reason is because of spouses running off with other people!" Never had I seen Takahiro's face turn red in anger.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're saying shit like that now? Last time I checked, you're the one who proposed to me!" Nor had I ever heard him swear in my life. "Why can't you just trust me? If you love me why don't you trust me?"

"I trust you but just"- He stopped talking and walked away. "I'm going to bed."

"Usagi!"

"I'm going to bed."

"But it's not even five yet!" And their bedroom door was loudly shut as well. I watched as Takahiro rubbed his temples furiously and exhale slowly until he spotted me. "Don't even ask, Misaki. Sometimes his mind… It's so… Just go back to your room. We'll just use the left-overs from yesterday for dinner, so don't make anything."

As much as I wanted to help, I realized it was none of my own business. I had my own problems to deal with and currently it was attempting to properly apologize to Shinobu.

Friday came before I realized it after a night of being indulged in thoughts and listening to a certain couple "make up".

I handed in my assignment to Sensei. He nodded slightly, glancing over the page once and then asked me to come closer.

"Is something wrong with the paper, Kamijou-sensei?"

"No," he said, then lowly, almost in a growl, "But I just wanted to say that you better not open your mouth about Miyagi. Got it?"

"Y-yeah." I had no choice to agree since I valued my own life.

He then sent me back to my seat next to where Sumi was. We both saw Shinobu some rows ahead of us, which I knew was odd considering he usually sat behind us.

"Shinobu," Sumi called, patting a spot next to him, "Come sit with us!"

"That's okay," he declined, "I need to pay attention today." Sumi rolled his eyes.

"My ass," he muttered, "Unless the kid lied to me when he said he was one of the top students of his school."

"He was?" I asked.

"Misaki, I think you're the one who needs to sit in front. I thought you talk to Shinobu as well," he said, and then added quickly, "Oh yeah. You two are still fighting, aren't you? Maybe it has something to do with that after all." How he unexpectedly hit the mark gave me a less than pleasant feeling, remembering the incident a couple of days ago.

Class began shortly after that.

Sometime during the lesson, I stared down at Shinobu. He was writing notes diligently and constantly kept his focus on Sensei. Not once did he look back at me.

'Did he forget me?' No, that was nonsense. You can't exactly push memories to the back of your brain so easily. 'Unless he's trying'-

"ACK!"

Everyone in the room stared at me as the sound escaped my lips and yet another spiral notebook fell with a smack to extended desk. Sumi laughed quietly.

"Takahashi, don't slack. Keep your eyes on me," Sensei grumbled. I flushed with embarrassment. It had been the only time I was actually caught day dreaming in his class.

"S-sorry Sensei…" And class resumed.

When it was over, I stood up and rubbed my face. It was still sore from the impact. And it felt warm too.

"That looks like it hurts, Mr. Economics Major."

"Sh-shut up…"

From above, I noticed Shinobu ready to leave. "Uh, Senpai I'm gonna go. See you!" This time, I was able to corner him successfully.

"There you are, Shinobu! Listen, Shinobu," I started, trying not to be intimidated by his irritated stare, "We need to…uh… talk."

"Maybe later."

"No! I mean…" I took a deep breath. "Usami isn't going to pick me up for another little while. In the meantime how about we… go to a coffee shop?" I expected Shinobu to turn away once again, but it seemed I had hooked him.

"But I thought you hate coffee," he said.

"I do, but I like their pastries." So we went from there on the way to the same coffee shop we hit just days before. And I didn't fail to see the first, yet small smile on his face before we started walking together.

Pound cake for me, strawberry short cake for him. This time I paid for the both of us despite his protests. We chose a table next to the window. I folded my hands.

"Listen, Shinobu I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for what I said. It was totally unfair that I kept throwing your emotions right back at you even after what you were trying to tell me," I apologized, "I mean, I was caught off guard by the things you kept telling me, but I guess that's because it's just something I'm not used to, I don't know. Believe it or not I'm not a homophobe. I accept my brother for his…decisions-and yes I admit that he's in a relationship with his 'roommate', but the past couple of years my life has totally changed because they're living together. I've never known anyone that was gay until they started dating and for a while I honestly thought that the relationship was forced upon Takahiro, but he truly loves him. I thought you were trying to do same thing and… I'm just not very good with changes in the first place. It takes me a while to adjust."

"I wasn't trying to enforce anything on you," said Shinobu.

"But it was your persistence that kept telling me otherwise. I barely know you other than what I've learned from that night at the reception. And just… Shinobu, you have to understand. I'm sorry, but I just can't be your lover or boyfriend or whatever you call it."

"I understand," he muttered, sinking a little bit in his seat.

"But I can be your friend! I would actually like to know you better, so…" The second smile was a little bigger.

"Okay. I can deal with that. And, Misaki?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry." He pointed to the red half of my face. I didn't understand what he was getting at for another few seconds and we laughed together.

"My house isn't too far from here. How about we walk there?" I offered.

"Isn't Usami-sensei picking you up?"

"I'll just tell him I decided to come home myself when we get home." We finished our cake and threw out the trash.

"Oh, and Shinobu, I have a question."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Who was that guy you were with yesterday?"

"You stalked me?" Shinobu questioned dryly.

"No!" I yelled, "I was following you. And it was only because you were avoiding me with that guy!"

"That guy is a friend of mine from Australia. His name is Hunter Keegan. He was visiting Japan for the time being. In fact, he's going to study in Mitsuhashi starting next semester," Shinobu explained.

Back home, as I reached for my key, I noticed a bouquet of flowers sitting at the door. It was finely wrapped with baby romantic roses.

"Is that from your 'girlfriend', Misaki?" he asked, "Eri-chan, right?"

"… We broke up again," I said, "…For good."

"Meanwhile she's actually Usami-sensei's editor."

Ignoring him, I picked up the bouquet and read the tag. Shinobu looked over my shoulder and arched an eyebrow.

"Usami Haruhiko? Is that a relative of Usami-sensei's?"

"I-it should be. At least I think." But the main mystery that boggled my mind was why they were sent to my brother. Something told me it had to do with what they were screaming about yesterday afternoon.

"Anyway, Shinobu, let's go inside. I have creampuffs. There might even be some of that watermelon you brought over." I opened the door and we stepped in. The bouquet of flowers was also carefully disposed of.

The rest of the day went smoothly-especially for hanging out with someone like Shinobu. Neither my brother nor Usami found a rose petal lying around. What they did find however was my face still swollen from being hurled at by Sensei's notebook with a thorough and embarrassing lecture on why to stay focused.

Life for once promised to hit for me a steady pace. The only new additions I had to worry about to it was a to be wedding, a potential stalker of my brother, facing more abuse from Sensei and most of all, a friend that came out of nowhere who mind you, is in love with me. It would be a matter of time before everything would have dissolved into an easy cycle.

Boy was I wrong about that. And so Misaki's nineteenth year went…

A/N: Well, that's the end of this act. Thank you again for reading! I'm really going to try and make the updates quicker from this point on.

Now, I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask you guys. First of all, Junjou Flame, like Junjou Romantica, is the title name for a series and under that title there are multiple pairings. Secondly, I'm debating whether to put the other pairings I have in mind inside Junjou Flame or have them as separate fics. What should I do? Do you guys even want me to create acts for other pairings (for example UsamixTakahiro and MiyagixHiroki etc) or should I just solely stick to MisakixShinobu?