Hey guys, I meant to post this earlier but I had something unexpected happen...in the form of someone blatantly plagiarizing one of my stories. It was the first time it had happened to me so it took me awhile to get back on my writing feet (though sending a report of abuse certainly did help to quell my fury).
Anyways, I'm so glad everyone had fun with the crossovers XD
And, it's time to inform you all that the next chapter I post will be the epilogue, meaning "Always" is almost complete :)
But though the story will end, the cult of Yuuism will ALWAYS (lol) continue to thrive! ^_^
Though we could really use a cheer...got any ideas people?
Also, I did two more Yuu x Hisashi fanart pics XD so here is the linky to my deviant so you all can enjoy! ^_^
Enjoy the chapter and thank you all for the reviews and support! Huggles!
The Always Flamingo 101
theblackflamingo101 dotdeviantartdotcom/
Always
Chapter Twenty: Lights
After retrieving Renaka's selection of wine (and dawdling for a few minutes listening to the ramblings of the egotistical man and his giant), Yuu and Hisashi made their way back to the mangaka, who was still chatting with the Usami novelist.
"Thank you Yuu-kun," Renaka smiled as Yuu handed her a drink. The ebony haired author turned back to the other literary giant, bowing slightly with a knowing glint in her eye.
"I look forward to the work, Usami-sensei," She smiled.
"I as well, Rurouri-sensei." The novelist bowed back, his opaque eyes also twinged with interest. The silver haired man turned back to his editor.
"Aikawa, where is Misaki?"
The strawberry blonde glanced around.
"I think he went to the restroom, Sensei." She replied.
"I need to go find him." Usami muttered, looking a bit frantic. "That kid has a bad habit of running into people I don't want him to know exist—"
"WELL, WELL, WELL! Look what the welcoming cat drug in!"
Everyone in the group turned as an obnoxiously loud banter cut through the room in the form of the executive company director, Isaka Ryuichiro. The sly brunette sauntered over with the air of an over inflated dirigible, his somber-eyed assistant following at his heel.
"Oh my! Take a gander at this. The renowned mangaka Rurouri Renaka sharing a lovely glass of wine with my favorite awarding winning Usami Akihiko! If this isn't a photo op I don't know what is!"
Renaka's lips spread in a slow, calculated smile at the chuckling director.
"Isaka-san, you simply delightful toad. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"What indeed…" Coughed the novelist.
"Nothing too big," The brunette smirked. "Just checking up on my precious authors…and their assistants." The wily eyes circled around the group till they came to Yuu and Hisashi.
"Always a pleasure Yanase-kun, Araki-kun." Isaka smiled.
"Thank you." The two replied.
"And now Rurouri-sensei, you must tell me." Isaka grinned at the lady mangaka. "I'm dying to know why you are so taken with Ijuuin's assistant. You know the one, the anorexic half-breed who draws very nice hands?"
Renaka's face stayed still at the director's less than playful slight, but her eyes darkened.
"Ryuichiro-kun, what an incredibly foolish question," She replied coolly. "Don't you see the resemblance? Hisashi is my son."
Yuu inwardly laughed at Renaka's quick response, and felt his chest warm as he saw the thrilled sparkle in the blonde's eyes.
"Ah, I see." Isaka smiled, laughing under his breath before turning to the silver-haired author. "So Akihiko, have you and Chibi-tan seen your brother lately?"
The author cleared his throat, looking much less composed than the mangaka had been against Isaka's jabs.
"Are you drunk or fucking stupid?" Akihiko replied abrasively, his eyes narrowed and fierce.
"Hey now," Isaka snickered back (Akihiko had been right by the way. The director had downed six shots of scotch in the past hour). "Is that any way to treat your old friend? Especially when I have oh so many stories I could spill…"
It quickly became obvious to the non-murdersome members of the group that if peace was not achieved post haste, the company of Marukawa would be short one execute director (and an award winning author as he would most likely be in jail for the next two hundred years).
But thankfully, an equally armed mangaka came to bat.
"If you ask me Isaka-san, out of all of us you have the most delightful stories," Renaka cut in, her smile both pleasant and cunning. She glanced at the director's silent secretary.
"Asahina-kun, do you remember the Isaka family Christmas party of 96' when he got drunk on wine coolers, got up on the table, and started doing an impression of Gackt?"
A musing smile spread over the secretary's face, while the distinguished director's eyes began to widen.
"I remember. His nickname was 'Vanilla' for the next year."
"Well now, I have other authors to greet so I really must be going—Asahina get your ass over here NOW—so I will see you all later!" The director smiled, grabbing Asahina and prancing off before Renaka could reek more damage on his image (or lack thereof…). And after he had left, the mangaka gave both Hisashi and Yuu a sly wink.
"If he ever gives you any trouble boys, give me a call. I have enough dirt on the company director to keep you two set for life."
The two smiled back, secretly grateful that the manga goddess was on THEIR side.
"Sensei!" Aikawa called as Usami pivoted sharply on his heel.
"I'm leaving, where's Misaki?"
"You can't leave yet Sensei!" Aikawa barked in a high voice.
"CAN and AM." The author replied tersely. "Oh there he is. MISAKI!"
"Usagi-san?" A lighter, younger voice called.
Yuu glanced in the direction of the voice, and was surprised as he saw a short, pale boy with green eyes address the author.
"Hey, I know him," Yuu spoke. "He's a part timer in the shounen department. He's the one Ijuuin raves about."
At the mention of the wildly popular author of "The Kan," Usami's eyes grew even darker.
"He works with us?" Hisashi asked. "I don't think I've ever met him—"
"Usagi-san!" The teen cut in as he approached. "What's the matter?"
Hisashi turned around and the two wide-eyed young men looked at each other face-to-face. But almost immediately, both sets of doe eyes went wide…with horror.
"Ummm…excuse me…" Misaki murmured, his face still set in shock. "B—But…have we…have we met before?"
Hisashi swallowed, clearing his throat.
"Uhh…I…I don't know…wh—what's your name again?"
"Misaki…Takahashi Misaki."
Yuu and Renaka exchanged a quick glance as Hisashi's mouth dropped, fear rushing into his stony eyes.
"T—Takahashi?" He stuttered. Misaki nodded.
"And…and yours?"
"Hi—Hisashi…Araki Hisashi."
Misaki's lips parted, trembling the tinniest bit, but enough that Usami was able to catch it.
"Misaki," His clear voice cut in, gaining the attention of both fluttered young men. "What's wrong?"
"Uhh…umm," Misaki mumbled incoherently. "Usagi-san…uh…"
"Um, could—could you excuse us for just a minute?" Hisashi finished, pressing his lips together. Yuu and Renaka stared worriedly at the blonde as he and Misaki walked away from the group and into a deserted corner of the room, and Usami's sharp eyes watched Misaki like the hawk. The brunette and the blonde stood face to face for a couple of minutes, speaking but barely looking at each other. After a brief conversation, the two awkwardly shook hands and bowed before separating. Misaki started shuffling his way back to the group while Hisashi darted out the nearest door. His eyes wide with concern, Yuu wordlessly handed Renaka his wine glass and bolted after the blonde, walking as quickly as he could without breaking into a run. Pushing past his editor, Usami also stormed away from the group and grabbed Misaki's shoulder, pulling him aside.
"Usagi-san, what are you doing?" Misaki asked bewilderedly as Akihiko stared at him with intense eyes.
"What was that all about?" The author demanded. "Did he say something to you!"
"No—No…it was nothing," Misaki mumbled in reply, his eyes darting towards the ground.
"It wasn't 'nothing' Misaki! Where do you know him from?" Usami snapped, taking the smaller boy's shoulders tightly in his large hands. At the author's fearsome touch, Misaki glanced up, and felt terrible at the amount of pain and concern that had welled up in Akihiko's eyes.
"All—All right," Misaki finally murmured. "…You—Do you remember how my parents died when I was eight?"
Akihiko's eyes widened and he gave a single nod.
"Well… when my brother and I were going over the funeral arrangements…we found out that someone else had died in that accident. When my parent's car spun out of control, they hit another car and the driver was killed in the collision. Nii-chan and I ran into the other family…and their name was Araki. A—Araki-san's…his stepbrother was killed that night…"
The author's lip parted in shock, and the grip he had on Misaki's shoulders softened into a caress.
"Misaki," He murmured tenderly. "I am so sorry."
The teen tried to shrug casually, but his eyes stayed on the ground.
"It's okay, Usagi-san. I'm sorry for causing inconvenience. We only met once and I— I didn't even think he would recognize me, I mean, I remember him because of his blonde hair but…I guess he must have remembered me too…"
Renaka's sharp eyes watched the entrance to the party intently, her mind only focused on the welfare of her surrogate son. She didn't know why the blonde had run out like he did, but she could certainly guess. And knowing all too well how prone Hisashi was to panic attacks, her concern was rampant. She was worried, both for Hisashi and for Yuu. While she had been thrilled about the blonde finding a doting, intelligent boyfriend, she also knew that past ghosts weren't something that disappeared with the arrival of a new face. Even though his demeanor had certainly improved, Hisashi still had loads and loads of emotional baggage from his life, and not everyone was equipped to deal with that kind of instability. In a way, Renaka was waiting to see if this new relationship was strong enough to weather more than a few choppy waves.
But for one of the few times in her life, the mangaka found herself surprised when the two re-entered the room about ten minutes later. Yuu walked closely beside the blonde, whispering quiet words into his ear. Hisashi's face was still somber, but at the same time…calm, no traces of panic or fear in his eyes.
Renaka breathed a sigh of relief, her lips curling into a smile.
"Sashi-chan?" She called as they approached. "Is everything all right?"
"Y—yeah. Just startled is all." The blonde murmured back.
The mangaka nodded understandingly.
"Well boys, it's been fun but I have a few authors I have to meet with. Why don't you and Yuu go and enjoy the party?"
Yuu returned the nod, catching her suggestion that the two spend some time together.
Renaka left in short order, leaving the two assistants still standing by the beverage tables. Hisashi took another glass of wine and sipped it, strangely quiet.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Yuu asked. The blonde nodded.
"I'm fine Yuu…but, do you think we could find somewhere less crowded? I'm kind of worn out."
"Sure," Yuu smiled. "I know just the place."
The reddish brunette subtly placed his hand on the blonde's elbow and led him to the south side of the room, where two glass doors stood ajar, letting in the cool night breeze and a pinch of the moonlight.
The marble balcony was completely deserted, all of the invitees choosing to remain where it was slightly warmer. But Hisashi found the outdoor air a welcome change from the packed, heated room. The cold air soothed his flushed cheeks and opened his lungs as he leaned on stone railing, the breeze fluttering his fair hair. Yuu stood beside him, placing his warm palm on the small of the blonde's back. Hisashi smiled at the touch and moved closer to Yuu, resting his head on the taller brunette's shoulder.
The couple gazed at the city together, the bruised sky clashing with the bright lights of the buildings. In the distance they could see the white prism of Tokyo tower, and the multicolored gleam of the amusement park Ferris wheel.
"Yuu…"
"Yeah?" The brunette murmured.
"Thanks…for the help. I'm sorry…really didn't expect to see him here."
Yuu rubbed his cheek softly against the blonde curls.
"Hisashi, there's no need to apologize. I'm here for you, and I'm happy that I could help you…especially since you helped me so much…"
Hisashi lifted his head back up, his lips parting in silent awe.
Yuu smiled, wrapping his arm around Hisashi's waist.
"Hey," He murmured. "We're still at a party. Why don't we dance…"
Blonde eyebrows furrowed.
"Dance? Are you serious?"
Yuu chuckled, his arm turning Hisashi's body.
"Of course."
Once Hisashi was face to face with him, Yuu snaked his arms around the uke's waist, his feet shoulder width apart. The blonde instinctively wrapped his arms around Yuu's neck as the brunette began to sway, his arms steadily steering Hisashi with him.
The two move slowly and rhythmically in the dark corridor of the balcony, their faces bathed in the transcendent light of the moon. The music and chatter inside could faintly be heard, but the stillness of the night prevailed. In fact, the only sounds the two could really hear were each other's quiet breaths, making the moment tenderly intimate. The gentle but steady rocking of the two bodies was calming to Hisashi, and soon he was resting his head on Yuu's shoulder once again, their warm bodies pressed tightly together.
"Yuu…I love you…" Hisashi murmured, closing his eyes.
"I love you too Sashi," Yuu replied, planting a kiss in the nest of the flaxen curls. "And I always will."