Chapter 6 - Invincible

It was hard to go back inside the apartment and face Takahiro. Both Misaki and I had forgotten about getting some alcohol, so I told Takahiro that the closest liquor store didn't have what we wanted. That man is so dense that he'll believe anything. He didn't even notice the redness in our eyes from crying. I wouldn't even know how to explain myself if he did notice.

The night went on like nothing ever happened. I finally got to meet Manami-san and talk with her. She seemed like a nice woman, actually. And pretty. I could see why Takahiro wanted to marry her.

Misaki also would not look me in the eyes the rest of the night. He talked only when he was spoken too, by anyone, and he kept twiddling his thumbs in his lap. His brother didn't notice his odd behavior at all.

When Takahiro announced he was taking Manami-san home, I volunteered to stay with Misaki until he got back. He beamed at us.

"Thank you, Usagi! I'm so glad you two have become such good friends."

Suddenly I realized that Misaki hadn't shown his brother his grades yet. "Oi, Misaki!" She didn't look up at me. "Show Takahiro your scores."

He got up and handed Takahiro the sheet of paper. His face was still flushed and he purposely avoided making eye contact with me. I watched the older Takahashi's eyes light up and his mouth open into a wide grin.

"Wow, Misaki! This is so great!" I then turned to Misaki and watched him smile in return. His face blushed a bit more. "You'll get into Mitsuhashi for sure! I'm so proud of you!"

His eyes widened as tears of joy pooled in them. His mouth opened wider as he smiled even more. If I could see into his soul right now, it would be full of love for his brother. Just hearing those words from him made Misaki the happiest person in the world. It was beautiful. It made me smile as well, even though I was just crying not too long ago.

Takahiro stepped forward and wrapped the boy up in his arms. He held him close, squeezing him tightly and ruffling his hair with his fingers. I wondered if he was happy just because he knew Misaki was happy, or if he was happy because he knew Misaki had done all of this for him.

When they pulled away, Takahiro held out his hand to me. I shook it firmly and smiled wide. "Thank you, Usagi. This means so much to us."

Me too, Takahiro.

He promised he would return soon and left to take his girlfriend home, leaving me alone with Misaki. The boy wiped his eyes and turned towards me. His eyes still did not meet mine as he stared at our feet.

"Th-thank you, Usagi-san," he said quietly. "Nii-chan was happy."

"Aren't you happy?"

He finally looked up a little. His hair covered the tops of his eyes. "Yes, but you got to see Nii-chan's face when he saw how well I did."

I did say that I wanted to see that. However, I spent most of the time watching Misaki's face instead. I wanted to see how happy he was when he realized that all of his hard work was paying off and that his brother was so proud of him. Takahiro was important too, but Misaki's happiness… That's all I care about.

He suddenly turned around. "W-well, g-goodnight!" He started to walk towards another room. "You don't have to stay to keep me company, Usagi-san. I'm fine all by myself."

I wasn't quick enough to catch him before he disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door behind him. There was no way I could tell him that I actually wanted to stay there with him. I decided to just let it go and wait in the living room until Takahiro returned. I just figured that Misaki had a rough day. A lot did happen to him: getting good test results, finding out his brother was getting married, me kissing him.

Me kissing him… I almost forgot about that. He must not have returned my feelings since he was avoiding talking to me or even looking at me. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he really just does have that much empathy for people. He doesn't really like me like that.

But then what about my feelings?

Before I could think about it anymore, Takahiro came back in. "Usagi! Thank you so much for preparing this for me today."

I smiled at him. "Not a problem, Takahiro! A lot of it was Misaki's idea."

"Oh and thank you so much for everything you've done for him! It's so great that he'll be able to get into M university after all. I knew you could do it. So what did you think of Manami-san?"

"She's great, Takahiro. Smart, funny, and pretty! It's about time you settle down with somebody."

For the past 10 years, I have dreamt of being with the man that stood before me. Those dreams were completely crushed just a few hours ago. I should still be heartbroken. In truth, it does hurt a little bit knowing that I'll never be able to get that close to Takahiro. Still, in my heart I don't feel so much pain.

He smiled wide at me. "Thank you, Usagi! You really should think about finding yourself a nice girl to settle down with too. You must be really lonely in that big house of yours all the time."

"I know," was all I could say.

We said goodnight and I walked back outside into the cold air. The snow had stopped falling, but a sheet of it covered the ground. It crunched beneath my shoes as I walked. As I made my way back to my penthouse, I couldn't help but think about how I have never felt lonely all by myself in my house. I've always been used to being alone. Always…

Misaki only had one tutoring session left after that. We barely talked for that hour and a half, even though I wanted to talk to him so badly about what had happened between us just a few days prior. I wanted to know how he felt about what I did and how he felt about me in general. However, I didn't want to pressure the kid.

Since the incident, all I thought about was him. He appeared in my dreams, which was definitely a refreshing break from my reoccurring nightmare. I began to wonder what he thought about things and what his past was like. I wanted to get to know him, aside from what Takahiro always said about him. I wanted to know the real him, not who Takahiro described him as.

During that last session, things were normal between us, at least on the outside. Inside, I was feeling uneasy. I knew what I did wasn't nearly as bad as what I did to him when he first starting coming for tutoring. Still, the kiss we shared was full of love and passion, at least on my part. I wonder if those feelings got across to him. They probably didn't, since he was acting so normal. I felt defeated, so I didn't bother to bring it up.

The next few weeks were a mess for me. I tried to write and be productive, but I just couldn't. It was impossible to write any of my boy's love novels. They all included Takahiro. I couldn't use him in my writing anymore since I knew he was getting married. I tried to write about other couples that I had dabbled in before, but my mind kept getting clouded with thoughts of Misaki.

Misaki…

I held onto my one-sided love for Takahiro for 10 long years. How could I possibly love someone else already? Especially someone I had only known for a few months. They're brothers, so of course they're similar, but is it really possible for me to love someone else?

Takahiro's wedding came and went. It was a small ceremony, but beautiful nonetheless. Neither Takahashi brother spent very much time with me. They were both too caught up in visiting their family and Manami-san's family.

A few days before the wedding, Takahiro called me and told me that Misaki had gotten into Mitsuhashi University. He was put on the wait-list, but he was still going to be a student there. I was so proud of him. I had wanted so badly to see his face when he got the letter saying he was accepted. If only I had been there…

The day after the wedding, Takahiro called me again. He sounded worried, yet excited at the same time. I hoped that it wasn't about Misaki not being able to go to Mitsuhashi after all. It would crush my heart for him not to chase after his dream of making Takahiro proud.

"Usagi, I'm being transferred to Osaka for work."

"Osaka? Takahiro, that's a great opportunity! You have to take it."

"I don't have a choice. If I don't go, I'll have to find another job. I really do want to go, but I don't want Misaki to give up on M university."

"Why can't he stay here in Tokyo?"

"I don't have the money to pay for two places. He'll have to get a part-time job, but I don't want him to get so caught up in working to pay rent that his grades suffer."

"I'm sure he can find some place cheap enough, Takahiro."

I was really excited that Takahiro was moving up in his company. On the other hand, I was upset that he was moving away. That would mean I wouldn't get to see him as often. I was also a little worried about Misaki and what he was going to do about staying in Tokyo.

The next couple days seemed to drag on forever. I felt miserable in my house. All I could think about was Misaki, living all alone in a small apartment. He would go to school in the morning and afternoon and work at night. He'd come home, study till midnight, fall asleep, and wake up and do it all over again the next day. He'd have no free time to be a college student. What kind of life is that?

I suddenly felt very small in my big penthouse. I was so used to having Misaki over almost every day that it was too lonely being all by myself each day. I really missed him… I missed his company, his feisty personality, his cuteness, his compassion for everyone around him… I missed him dearly.

The idea came to me out of nowhere. I didn't want to follow through with it at first, but I knew it really was a brilliant idea. Misaki could come live with me, rent free. He would be close to campus. He wouldn't have to get a job and worry about money. He could be a normal college student. And as for me, I could see his smiling face every day and have some company. He could even help me cook and clean.

Usagi the Loner… Takahiro always called me that. Looks like he's wrong. I'm not a loner. I want to have his brother by my side.

I called Takahiro the night I thought of the plan to run it by him. I wasn't sure how he would react to it. He would be shocked, considering how I don't let people in my life like that. Would he allow me to look after his brother? Did he trust me that much?

Whoever picked up the phone sneezed loudly before speaking in a nasally voice. "Hello?"

"Eh? Takahiro? Is that you?"

"No, it's Misaki," he said, sniffing afterwards. "Nii-chan and Manami-san went to Osaka to look at houses." He suddenly began to cough violently. I had to hold the phone away from my ear. "Sorry," he continued when he was done. "I have a fever."

"That sounds like more than a fever. You better get some rest. I'll call back in a few days to see if Takahiro's back."

"Okay, Usagi-san." He sniffed again. "Bye."

"Bye," I said back and hung up, realizing that I forgotten to ask him if he would like to try living in my penthouse.

He sounded so miserable over the phone. How could Takahiro abandon him when he was so ill? I felt awful about the poor kid being all alone when he was sick.

That was when I realized how much I cared for Misaki.

The next day, I went straight to the market and picked up a fruit basket. Misaki would need plenty of vitamin C to get better. I also picked up some medicines from the pharmacy. I wanted to visit him so badly, but I couldn't come empty handed. Maybe when I was over there I would also tell him that I would happy to be his landlord.

I arrived at his apartment, basket in hand, and rang the doorbell. I could hear footsteps and he yelled out that was he was coming. When he opened the door and saw me, he looked confused.

"What do you want?" He didn't say it in a mean way, but a surprised way instead. "I told you, Nii-chan isn't here."

I held out the basket of fruit to him. "I know. I'm here to visit the sick."

He sighed and let me in. His face was already flushed from the fever, but I'm sure he was blushing.

"You sounded like you were about to die last night over the phone," I told him as we walked in. "How are you feeling now?"

"It was terrible when I woke up!" He stopped walking when looked up at me. I looked down at him contently. "What?"

"Nothing…" He did look sick, but he was still walking around like normal. "Fever-dimmed eyes, rapid uneven breathing, and limp drooping limbs: I was expecting all that, but how come you still look so strong? And kinda dirty?"

"Get out of here!" he yelled at me angrily.

He went to the next room and lay down on his makeshift bed. I sat down beside the bed with the basket of fruit. I felt like I needed to take care of him.

"Did you eat anything?" He shook his head. "Nothing? How about an apple then?"

I ripped open the plastic and took out an apple. I got back up and went to the kitchen to get a peeler and a bowl. When I sat back down, Misaki looked at me with condescending eyes.

"Usagi-san, do you even known how to peel apples?"

I almost smirked. "Hey now! Even I can do that kinda measly thing!"

I started to slice the fruit but I soon realized that I was slicing too much of the apple off along with the skin. Before long, I was left holding the core and all the chunks of apple were on my lap. I guess I couldn't do anything commoners do after all.

"Give me that!" Misaki shouted as he bolted up.

He took another apple out of the basket and peeled it himself. The work made him pant and struggle to breathe. I felt bad for making him move while he was sick, but I knew I could do something else for him. I got up and started to empty the bag of medicines onto the kitchen table.

"Misaki, does your throat hurt?" I asked him. "If you stick this stuff on your chest, it works really well!" I pulled out another bottle. "If you want to get rid of the fever, better use some of this!" Then I pulled out an icepack. "Oh, and I got an icepack. Better use that too!"

I sounded really overprotective just now. What am I doing? I don't know anything about taking care of someone else. Besides, he doesn't seem to want me here anyways. I'll just go…

Before I could announce I was leaving, I noticed several magazines on the table. They were all housing ads. Many pages had been tabbed. Several of them were open and some of the ads were circled. They were all for one bedroom apartments in Tokyo. Misaki was planning on moving out on his own now. Does he really want to be alone?

"Well, taking care of the sick is kinda boring," I said.

"Then get out!" he yelled at me in between bites of apple.

I sighed and grabbed my things. "Why don't you sleep for a while?" I picked up a key on the stand by the door. "Is this your house key? I'll lock the door then stick the key in the mailbox. Take care!"

Just as I was about to leave, I felt guilty. I couldn't let Misaki live on his own and not experience living as a true college student. He would be so lonely without his brother around too…

"Hey," I said as I turned back around to him. "I was wondering… When Takahiro moves to Osaka, are you gonna rent your own place?" He nodded. "Got one already?"

"Not yet…" he said quietly. I couldn't tell if he was upset or just too weak.

"Then, how about coming to stay with me?" He didn't answer for a few moments. "My house is close to the school too."

"B-but rent… It's too expensive there."

"Never mind that! I don't need the money. Why don't you just save it up?"

"But…"

How could I possibly tell him that I want him there?

"I don't want to force an answer, and you don't have to answer me yet. Just think about it first. And if you don't want to talk to Takahiro about it then I will."

He sighed. "But, Usagi-san, you obviously hate people invading your personal space, don't you?"

So caring… "Yes, but… It's okay if it's you, Misaki. If I didn't want to I wouldn't have asked you. Just think about it."

I put the key back on the stand and went back over to where he lay. He looked at me, confused.

"Aren't you going back?"

"I changed my mind. How can I just leave a sick person like that?" I leaned over and tousled his hair. "You must feel really anxious when you're sick. Until Takahiro gets back, I'll sit here with you."

He stared up at me with water filling his eyes. "What kind of nursing game is this?! Besides, you'll just get bored if I fall asleep. And you better not try anything when I'm asleep or I'll kill you!"

I grinned at his feisty personality and ran my fingers through his hair. I could actually get used to this every day.

Song: Invincible - Crossfade

A/N: Hello dear readers! Are you enjoying the story so far?

I'm curious as to know what people think of Akihiko. I feel like I've made him a bit OOC. He was going to be anyways later in the story, but in a darker way, when more of his past comes into play. I'd love to hear your thoughts and any constructive criticism you have! So please review! :D