So I'm an idiot. I truly thought that I uploaded this the beginning of last week and I just found out today that I didn't. Oops! So sorry! Here it is, for real this time! Sorry it's kind of on the short side. The next one should be longer!

Song: Second Chance - Shinedown

Chapter 36: Second Chance (Part 1)

For the first time in over a month, I wasn't plagued with the same hellish nightmare that haunted me for 11 years. In fact, I honestly felt like the whole thing was over… almost. There were still a few loose ends that I needed to tie up before I could actually move on and leave everything behind for good.

It felt amazing waking up like almost a completely new person. What made it even better was that Misaki was still curled up on my chest. It was a total shock that he came to bed with me in the first place. The fact that he stayed with me all night and into the late morning was astounding. This boy surprised me every day.

I did not at all expect him to take the news about my past so well. It filled me with such joy last night when he accepted all of me. As the memories came flooding back into my sleepy mind, the same sense of happiness overwhelmed my heart. This boy was more than I ever could have asked for and more. I honestly didn't know what I would do without him by my side.

"I love you, Usagi-san."

He had finally confessed his true feelings to me last night. My heart swelled and skipped a beat as I replayed his words in my mind. A small smile tugged at my lips. When he said that, I honestly thought that I could die happy right then.

The bed was too comfortable with Misaki snuggled against my chest, so I didn't bother moving to get up for a long time. I waited until he began to stir himself awake. As he shuffled around and his eyes fluttered, I continued to hold him close to me. It took him a few moments to fully wake up and realize his surroundings. Once he saw that he was curled up to me in my bed, a dark blush appeared on his cheeks. He squirmed out of my grasp and sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Ahh, g-good morning, Usagi-san!" he stuttered without turning around to face me. "S-Sorry I fell asleep in here last night!"

I smiled, remembering how he explained to me last night that he still found it embarrassing to be intimate with me. I knew that his feisty nature and embarrassment couldn't change overnight, but deep down I had been hoping that what happened last night would change his attitude toward me completely. It was kind of a letdown to see that he was still pretty much the same as before, but I had to be patient. It was extremely cute though how he tried to act differently afterwards by climbing into bed with me. The fact that he was simply making the effort to make me feel better meant more to me than anything else.

"Misaki… Thank you."

"Huh? What?"

Rather than answer, I pulled myself up and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, resting my head on top of his. He tensed up a bit, but didn't pull away. My heart was racing in my chest and I thought for sure he could feel the thumping of the beats on his back.

"I d-didn't do anything," he said softly.

"You came to bed to comfort me. You accepted me last night. Do you still accept me now?"
"I-Idiot. I have to go take a shower."

With that, he wiggled out of my grasp again and quickly walked out of the room. Was he just embarrassed again? Or maybe he didn't really accept me? Had he lied last night for some reason? Or did he think about it and realize that I really was a monster?

Now that I thought about it… he did accept me without any hesitation. He came back to me immediately even though I had abruptly left him a month ago. Didn't that hurt him? It certainly had, considered how upset he was and what Takahiro told me. He even slapped me when I found him on the bridge last night. He was upset and angry. So why did he come back without putting up a fight?

I didn't have any time to think about. There was a lot I had to do today and I couldn't spend the whole day moping around in bed. It was going to be a long, and most likely super emotional, day. However, I knew that everything had to be done in order for Misaki and myself to move on from everything that had happened.

The very first thing I did was go downstairs and call Isaka-san. He wasn't very happy that I was calling him on his day off, but I didn't care. All I needed was the phone number to the family house so I could speak with my father and possibly my brother. Luckily, he gave it to me without any questioning… after scolding me for not knowing my own phone number.

My hand was shaking a tad as I dialed the number and waited for Tanaka-san to pick up the phone. I wasn't sure why I was already so nervous. There was a slim chance that my father would even be home. Most likely, he'd be busy with the company. My breath caught in my throat when I heard the ringing stop and the phone pick up.

"Hello, Usami residence," the butler answered.

"Tanaka-san, it's Akihiko." I tried to keep my voice as steady as possible, not wanting him to notice my anxiousness. There was no way I could let my father notice it either.

"A-Ah! Master Akihiko!" He was obviously surprised and didn't try to hide it. "I hope you are doing well."

"Yes, thank you. Same to you." I had to gulp before I could continue. "Is my father home? I wish to speak with him."

"Ah, y-yes. Give me just a minute. I'll have the maid put him on."

I felt my heart lurch in my chest. "Thank you, Tanaka-san."

The wait was excruciating, but it gave me a chance to build up my confidence. I thought about all the things my father did to me after I moved out: how he resented me for not continuing on with his company, how aggravated he was that he had to hide what I had done from the public, and how he and my brother tried to force me away from Misaki. It seemed like they were even planning to blackmail me as well.

Now I finally understand why he did all those things. He wanted to keep me safe of course, but I felt that it was suffocating. It was a little much, but now I realize that he didn't want the past to repeat itself. At first, I truly thought that I had repeated my mistakes, but Misaki had reassured me that I didn't. Hopefully just the fact that I had told him everything about my past would be enough to convince my father that everything would be okay.

I heard the phone pick up again. "Akihiko?" my father answered with shock in his voice.

For a few seconds I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. It felt like my heart had completely stopped and like my mouth was full of cotton. Would he even care what I was about to tell him? Maybe he wanted me to leave Misaki for good and just the fact that I was no longer hiding my past wasn't good enough for him. What if he wanted me to tell all of my fans? There was no way I could do either of those things.

"Father," I choked out and then froze up again, unable to speak another word.

From the other side of the phone came a chuckle. "So, he found out, huh? Did Sumi-san's kid finally tell him?" My eyes widened. "What a brat. It's been almost a year. I was sure he was never going to tell him. That's why I pushed Haruhiko into trying to get close to the kid. He got a little too absorbed into his mission."

I had to hold back a growl deep in my throat. I had assumed all along that my father and brother were blackmailing me, I just didn't know how. It was shocking that they went so far into planning to sabotage my relationship.

"So since the kid has left you, are you ready to come back home and work for me now? If either of the brats leak out any information, I will definitely protect you."

"No," I said firmly.

"Akihiko, you can't keep making childish mistakes like this. Just come home and I'll protect you from everything."

"You're wrong about everything." I realized that I had a death grip on the phone and loosened it a little. "It was me; I told him." He was silent for a few moments so I continued. "I was afraid that you were right and I was only going to hurt Misaki just as I had hurt Ryuto. I was certain that I was just controlling him and forcing him against his will. In order to protect him, I pushed him away and left."

"Y-You left him?"

"Yes, I did. I thought it would be for the best."

"Ah, I see." He sighed in relief. "Then why won't you come home so I can protect you? He might wish to seek revenge on you and start telling the press about your past."

"No. He found me after a month and made me talk to him. So I told him everything then. I thought for sure he'd be horrified and want to stay away from me, but I was dead wrong. He doesn't blame me at all for what happened. He isn't letting the past cloud his vision of the man I am today. He's not judging me for my mistakes. And he certainly doesn't believe that he was just another victim. He is completely capable of voicing his opinions to me and saying no. So he came back and he's staying with me out of his own free will. Together, we're going to let go of the past and work on the present and future." I paused to take a long breath. "That's why I'm not coming back."

The silence on the other end lasted so long this time that I thought he had hung up. I was about to give up and hang up as well, when I heard another sigh. My nerves were on fire and I needed to a cigarette immediately. I wasn't exactly ready for whatever my father had to say to me.

"Are you absolutely sure about this kid, Akihiko?"

"Yes. I love him and I trust him completely."

There was another pause, but much shorter this time. "I see… but remember that the path you choose will be a harsh one to follow. There may come a time when you will be forced to part with him and I'm not sure you could handle that. However, for now, I'll try taking your word for it."

I felt an intense wave of relief wash over me and I let out a huge breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. My lips pulled up into a small smile. My father's acceptance may be small and it may not last long, but it was a start.

All I had ever wanted since Ryuto's death was relief from the guilt and shame. For the first time in 11 years I felt completely at ease. I left home to get a second chance at life and move on from what had happened. However, the nightmares still haunted me and I still needed a second chance at love as well.

And then I got Misaki.

And yet my insecurities, and my father, convinced me that I had screwed everything up again. Luckily Misaki was able to convey his love and forgiveness to me or else I'd still believe that I had forced him into everything.

"Thank you, father." My voice was raw with emotion.

"I'll make sure that Haruhiko knows he needs to leave Takahashi alone and that Sumi-sensei's son takes our secret to his grave. I'll keep doing my best to protect you."

"Th-Thank you."

I could barely choke out anymore words so we hung up shortly after that. There was nothing more to say at that point anyways. Things would go back to being normal with my family, better than normal actually, and I couldn't have been happier.

The only thing left to do was to gain Misaki and Takahiro's trust back. It might take a while, but I was prepared to do so. I was confident that I could get Misaki to trust me and be comfortable with me again. He had already forgiven me but I just had to make sure that things went back to normal between us. I was certain that he would come around for me. After all, everyone deserves a second chance.