Chapter . . . I'm actually not sure. But whatever. You guys can keep track of that. But I'm pretty sure it's 16 (?). Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Junjou Romantica.

-JR—JR—JR-

Akihiko's POV

I was sitting at my computer, about to start working on the book that was a couple of days over the deadline when I heard the door slam. I became alarmed. Had Misaki gone out? I went to his room and only found his phone lying on the ground. Worry clawed at me.

I left the apartment after grabbing my coat, keys, and shoes, not bothering to lock my door, and ran to the car park. I easily spotted my red sports car in its usual spot and flew to it, sliding into the front seat and turning it on, then screeching out of the car park.

I scoured Misaki's usual places that he would take a walk and found him running down the street. I kept calm, slowing down so that I wasn't too far ahead of him and ignoring the honking cars behind me. When Misaki finally stopped, he sat on a bench and hunched over.

I stared with wide-eyes as I realized he was crying. I pulled the car over across the street and went to the other side, crossing in front of cars that honked at me repeatedly. I went over to him and sat down on the other side of the bench.

After a few minutes of silence, I said, "Are you okay?" Misaki's shoulders stopped shaking, and he wiped the tears away, but he kept his face in his hands. As badly as I wanted to see his beautiful face, I knew that it would be a bad idea to try to remove his hands.

"No," came his clipped reply. "Rae is dead." Misaki's voice broke on the last word. I gasped, shocked. Noticing that Misaki was beginning to cry again, I pulled him into my arms.

"You love him," I whispered, my breath blowing on his hair.

"Maybe," Misaki responded. "I loved him as a brother. And now he's dead." Misaki started crying again, sobbing silently into my chest. I carded a hand through his hair and whispered sweet-nothings and reassurances to him. Eventually Misaki relaxed in my arms and his sobs stopped, and I realized he had fallen asleep.

I smiled softly at the peaceful look on his face and picked him up bridal style. I walked back across the street, ignoring all the weird looks I got, and slid him into the passengers' side of the car. I got into the car myself and drove back to the apartment. I carried the brunette up to the apartment and laid him in my bed.

I then got on the bed myself and pulled him to me again, reveling in how warm and comfortable and right it felt. I fell asleep smiling.

-JR—JR—JR-

Misaki's POV ('cause we all need a little bit of Misaki in our lives)

My dreams were strange. None of them seemed to make sense, and when I tried to make sense of them I could hardly remember what happened. It was hot. Too hot. My head hurt. My body was sore. I couldn't move to save my life. It all felt too real to be a dream.

A cool hand touched my forehead and I leaned into the touch, letting out a small sigh of temporary relief. Soon, and quite unfortunately, the cool hand pulled away and the heat overwhelmed me again. I thanked every god I knew of for the wet cloth placed on my forehead seconds later.

"It'll be fine, Misaki," a velvety voice whispered to me, carding a hand through my damp hair. I couldn't place who the voice belonged to, but I knew that they would never lie to me, so I trusted their word. I soon drifted back into a deep sleep.

-JR—JR—JR-

I woke with a groan and a hoarse cough. There was a headache pounding in my right temple, refusing to let up even a little. "Misaki?" a familiar voice called, concern clear in his tone.

I squinted my eyes open and saw a very worried looking Akihiko sitting on the bed next to me. I noted the bowl of water and the wet rag in Akihiko's hand. I sat up slowly, or tried to, but a wave of dizziness hit me like a ton of rocks and I fell back onto the bed. Akihiko helped me to sit up.

"What happened?" I asked. "And why am I in your bed?"

The silverette fidgeted nervously. "After you . . . fell asleep on the bench, I brought you back here to sleep. I thought you might be more comfortable in my bed. Later I woke up and you had a high fever. I called my family doctor and he told me what to do. He also came over to check you out, just in case something was wrong."

I nodded, taking the information in. "Thanks," was all I said.

I was suddenly pulled into a gentle hug. "You had me worried," Akihiko whispered. I shoved him away as hard as I could, which was admittedly weak in the state I was in, and he got the message and let go.

"Minami brought some food over," the author offered, though his voice turned slightly bitter when he said Minami's name.

I grimaced. "I don't think I could eat anything right now." It was true. My stomach felt like acid was rolling around in it. I heard Akihiko sigh, as if he had been expecting that answer.

Without any words spoken, he picked a glass of water up off of the bedside table and handed it to me. I drunk slowly, though I was parched, then put the glass back down. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, staring blankly at the wall in front of me.

"What's wrong, Misaki?" the silverette asked, looking at me with curiosity and concern.

"The person that I loved for years in jail is dead, and Haitani is in your house right now. What do you think is wrong?!" I asked harshly.

A shocked gasp was drawn from Akihiko. "Haitani? As in the criminal? Why would he be in my house?"

"Because in jail I was his toy. His favorite one. He always loved to play with me and see how far he could take me until I broke. And that's what he's doing right now in your house. Playing his game." I could feel the anger coming off of Akihiko as he stood up, but I grabbed his wrist in an iron grip before he could get out of reach.

"Don't," I said, begging. "He'll kill you. And I wouldn't be able to stand you dying too. So for my sake, don't go."

Akihiko's eyes softened when he heard those words. "How touching," a playful voice called from the shadows. "But you're mine, Mi-sa-ki~."

And Haitani walked out of the corner, a sadistic grin on his face. "Let's see how your Akihiko fairs after this." Then he pulled a gun out and shot Akihiko.

-JR—JR—JR-

I'm just gonna leave that cliffhanger there. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter (even though I'm really not feeling it.). Follow, favorite, review, and PM! Until next time . . .

~O'Malley out!