Chapter 7 – Grasping the Truth

Miraculously, the first night at Misaki's new master's house had passed peacefully. When he opened his eyes, there was no sight of a man on top of him. He had been able to sleep well too, despite all the hassle from the previous day. Akihiko had given him some space, which turned out to have a positive effect.

It was only seven in the morning, yet Misaki felt as though he had slept him. As a housekeeper, he was supposed to wake up early to get all the work done. Throwing off the duvet, he swung his legs to the side and put his feet on the ground to get out of the bed. It wasn't a problem to get up early, but Misaki did feel a bit lightheaded, although he didn't know why. Fortunately, the feeling disappeared after a few more seconds and Misaki felt ready for the new day.

The brunet's good mood died a little when he noticed the maid costume that had fallen off the bed and was lying on the ground. Narrowing his eyes at the outfit, he started to remember what happened the last time he tried to put it on. It wasn't a pleasant thought, so Misaki didn't want to make it happen again. He hesitantly grabbed his normal clothes, looking at them emptily.

'Should I take the risk and put on my own clothes? I've already told master that I don't want to wear his stupid uniform, but will he complain about it?' Holding the garments tighter, Misaki shook his head. 'I'll just try it,' he thought to himself, 'As long as he doesn't say anything about it, I can wear whatever I want.'

Taking off his pajamas, Misaki quickly got dressed and left his bedroom. He found his way to the kitchen, where he started preparing breakfast for his master. There was no sign of Akihiko yet, so he assumed the man was still asleep. It was a good thing as Misaki was able to make breakfast without being disturbed. Although he had calmed down a little, he still felt tense around Akihiko.

While he made breakfast, the teen listened closely to make sure his master wouldn't appear out of nowhere and pounce on him. It was important to be cautious in this new environment. However, even when breakfast was almost ready, Akihiko still hadn't come out of his room, and Misaki began to feel a bit…concerned.

"Why am I even worried about him?" he asked himself, irritation lacing his voice.

Disregarding his worries, he set the table for one person. Once that was done, Misaki climbed the stairs and walked to one of the doors on his right, not knowing which one was the door to his master's bedroom. He knocked softly, but no response came.

"Master?" he questioned in a soft voice, "Are you there?"

"What in the world are you doing?"

Startled, Misaki turned around to see Akihiko. There were bags under the man's eyes and his lips were forming a thin line. Not only did he look as though he hadn't slept at all, but he also seemed very displeased.

The housekeeper took a step back and bowed slightly. "Good morning, master! Breakfast is ready, so I—"

"You shouldn't call me so early," Akihiko cut him off, "I don't like being rudely awakened."

"I-I'm sorry, master."

Akihiko sighed and looked away. "Whatever, there's no point in punishing you for something you didn't know. I'll be right there; let me get dressed first."

"Are you sure you're ready for breakfast?" Misaki asked, looking at the author's tired face, "You look like you haven't slept very well. Wouldn't it be better to get a few more hours of sleep first?"

"No, it wouldn't. It's not like I'll be able to sleep anyways." With that, Akihiko turned around and walked back to his bedroom. Misaki's eyes followed his movements while the teen made a mental note of where the man's bedroom was. Once Akihiko had disappeared out of sight, Misaki returned to the kitchen.

Misaki still wasn't sure what to think of his new master. Although he didn't seem like the friendliest man in the world, he had offered him a job. Furthermore, Akihiko hadn't taken advantage of him yet. That could change, of course, but it did leave Misaki with a lot of unidentified feelings.

As Akihiko came down for breakfast, he silently walked to the dining table and sat down. Lavender eyes glanced at Misaki, who was standing motionlessly in the kitchen. Akihiko furrowed his brows and beckoned the boy closer.

"Come here," he ordered in a weary voice, "You should eat too."

"I can't do that; housekeepers aren't allowed to eat with their master."

"What kind of nonsense is that? Besides, I want you to come sit here with me, so you've got nothing to worry about." Akihiko looked confident as he said this, obviously meaning every word. This left Misaki stammering, but he couldn't think of any reason why he shouldn't listen to his master's wishes. Taking his share of the food from the counter, he took a seat across from Akihiko.

Eyes didn't meet as the two began to eat, because Misaki felt too uneasy to look at his master. He looked around nervously, not sure where to look, until he caught sight of a large teddy bear on the sofa. It was strange he hadn't noticed it before, but perhaps Akihiko had carried it downstairs while he was focusing on other matters.

Akihiko discovered what Misaki was looking at. "That's Suzuki-san," he explained, talking as though it was normal to give a huge teddy bear a name, "I guess I should have introduced you to him sooner, but I couldn't find the right moment to do so."

The seriousness in Akihiko's voice made Misaki cock an eyebrow. What the hell was wrong with this guy? Never before had Misaki met any grown man who owned a large stuffed animal. The fact that his master was treating it like a living thing was even weirder. Misaki already knew that Akihiko wasn't exactly an ordinary person, but he hadn't seen this coming.

However, instead of giving the man some witty reply, Misaki simply smiled at him.

"What's the matter?" Akihiko asked.

Misaki blinked a couple of times as he stared at him. "There's nothing, master. Why do you ask?"

"I haven't seen you smile since you arrived, so it's a bit odd to see you so happy now. Are you hiding something from me, perhaps? Also, you aren't wearing the uniform I bought yesterday."

"Wearing something so feminine isn't exactly a hobby of mine."

"Well, I want you to wear it either way," Akihiko replied, taking a bite of his food, "If you can wear it for someone else, why wouldn't you be able to do it again? The dress isn't actually too revealing and—"

"Like hell it isn't!"

"Don't raise your voice at me like that." Folding his arms, Akihiko looked sternly at the young housekeeper. "If you want to keep this job, you should at least treat me with a little respect. I'm not a patient man, Misaki."

It was hard not to yell at the other, so Misaki decided to keep his mouth shut before he said something stupid again. Takahiro would be disappointed in him if he got fired by his best friend and it wouldn't solve any of the brunet's financial problems. Even while Akihiko was pissing him off, Misaki knew he shouldn't get mad so easily. His emotions were also sharpened by everything that happened at the Honda Estate.

Akihiko didn't seem to mind Misaki's silent response and continued to eat. No longer was he paying attention to the other; he appeared to be too fixed on the delicious taste of his meal to care. Misaki watched him, smirking proudly as the man gorged himself. A compliment followed once Akihiko had finished his food and Misaki couldn't stop the blush dusting his cheeks. Flattery wasn't something he could get used to, even though his amazing cooking skills had been pointed out multiple times already. His own behavior was irritating him, so Misaki quickly cleared the table and brought the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

While the housekeeper tried to get all of the tableware clean, Akihiko took Suzuki-san in his arms and moved to the staircase. Before returning to the upper floor, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Misaki, you should take a shower when you're done," he commanded rather than suggested, "I'm expecting visitors today, so make sure you freshen up and change into your uniform."

"I will, master," Misaki said without looking up. He listened to the sound of footsteps that grew softer gradually, until it could no longer be heard.

A frustrated sigh fell from his lips at the realization that he was going to have to embarrass himself in front of strangers once again. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to obey Akihiko, he wouldn't even touch that damned costume.

"This sucks…" he muttered, putting a clean plate in the dish rack. All of the tableware was clean, so Misaki began to put everything back in the kitchen cabinets and emptied the dishpan. Feeling the unpleasant throbbing in his head return, he groaned and carefully walked back to his bedroom to get the maid uniform. Taking a shower did sound like a good idea; he could use a bit of refreshment. Misaki left the room and searched for the bathroom, finding it sooner than he expected.

While Misaki enjoyed the warm and relaxing shower, Akihiko was working on his small plan secretively. Truth be told, there wasn't anyone coming over that day yet, but that was about to change. As an intelligent man, Akihiko had conjured up some ideas to find out what Misaki was keeping from him.

Akihiko took his cell phone in hand and dialed the number of one of his contacts. Although he was confident about his plan, some sort of anxiety kept gnawing at him He tried to ignore it and greeted his acquaintance in the most natural way as they answered. A short, straight to the point conversation followed in which the author invited them over to have a chat about whatever happened during the past few days.

After the friendly exchange of words, the phone call was brought to an end. The second step of Akihiko's plan had been successful, but it was too early to celebrate his victory as he hadn't gotten to the hardest part yet. Plenty of mistakes could be made; he had to proceed with caution.

Moments later, a clean and fresh-smelling Misaki got out of the shower and reached for a silky soft, blue towel. In order to guarantee his own privacy, Misaki had locked the bathroom door before stepping into the shower. He didn't want to be caught naked again—or barely clothed, for that matter. It had also made it easier for him to enjoy the shower to the fullest, because he had no reason to worry.

Misaki ran the towel over his body, catching droplets on their way down while he hummed to himself. Showers always made things better for him; they put him in a positive mood, relieving him of any bad feelings. There was no more irritation boiling up inside of him, even when he put on the maid outfit. His eyes darted to the mirror to catch a glimpse of his own reflection, but he looked away just as quickly, blushing at the sight of himself wearing the dress. Misaki put the towel in the washing machine and got out of the bathroom.

On his way back to the lower floor of the penthouse, Misaki passed Akihiko's office, where the author appeared to be typing something on his laptop. Standing by the door, Misaki jolted as his master suddenly looked away from the screen, fixing his eyes on him.

"Come in here, will you?"

Obediently, Misaki shuffled closer. When he was at arm's distance, Akihiko studied him from head to toe and nodded.

"It's a perfect fit," he said, smiling faintly, "I was hoping it would be the right size for you."

All of a sudden, a shiver ran down Misaki's spine and his hands balled into fists, trembling visibly. The way Akihiko had spoken to him irked him. However, Misaki didn't want to let it show and pretended not to care.

What he didn't know was that Akihiko couldn't be fooled so easily.

"You're acting strange again," he noted, making direct eye contact with his housekeeper, "Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"There's nothing, really. I simply don't want your guests to see me in this embarrassing outfit." Misaki tried to keep a straight face while he lied to his master, trying not to convey his true feelings, hoping Akihiko would leave him alone. As Akihiko turned away and continued to type, Misaki held back a sigh of relief and slipped away quietly.

The doorbell rang as Misaki descended the stairs. Hurriedly, the brunet rushed to the door and tried to smile as sweetly as possible as he opened the door to welcome his master's guest, but his smile faded when he looked into familiar pools of crystal blue. Face growing pale, he stood completely paralyzed as a devilish smirk played on the visitor's lips.

"Well, if it isn't Takahashi-kun."

Still standing as though he was nailed to the floor, Misaki stared wide-eyed at the man before him. Many unfinished responses popped up in his head, but he could say nothing to the other. Wondering what his old master was doing there, he glanced over his shoulder to see if Akihiko was anywhere in sight, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" Jeff asked suddenly, forcing Misaki's attention back to him, "It would be rude to let a guest wait, don't you think?"

Misaki stepped aside and his eyes followed Jeff's movements closely as he entered the penthouse. Jeff looked around in awe before his gaze returned to meet Misaki's.

"It's surprisingly clean in here," he pointed out, a smile plastered on his face, "I assume that's your doing, given that Akihiko hardly ever does any housework himself."

"Yes, I cleaned the house yesterday," Misaki replied nervously.

As he took a seat on the sofa, Jeff glanced at Misaki and beckoned him. "You seem so tense around me, Takahashi-kun," he said, noticing the look of disbelief in the other's eyes as he said this. Obviously, he was trying to tease Misaki and the poor teen was falling for it.

"I wonder why."

Both Jeff and Misaki turned their heads to see Akihiko, whose attention was kept on Jeff.

"Ah, Akihiko, I was hoping you'd show up. It would have been rather strange if you had invited me and leave me here to talk to your housekeeper instead." Blue eyes darted to Misaki, who shivered uncontrollably as he met Jeff's stare.

"I'm really not that kind of person…and I doubt Misaki would appreciate it."

Jeff's eyes narrowed, as though he was offended, but he didn't say anything in response. Misaki noticed the change in his expression and cocked his head, not quite sure what Akihiko meant. As far as he was concerned, the two men were good friends and enjoyed each other's company. Yet, there was no happiness to be found in Akihiko's eyes. Instead, the look on the author's face was very serious.

Not quite sure what he was supposed to do, Misaki began to walk away. Surprise struck him as someone took hold of his wrist and pulled him back, making it impossible to flee. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Jeff behind him, but saw Akihiko instead. Without another word, his master dragged him to the second sofa and gestured, ordering him to take a seat on the left. Misaki did as he was told, although not willingly, and folded his hands in his lap.

Once everyone was seated, Akihiko took the initiative to continue the conversation.

"There is a very important reason for me to invite you over today," he said to Jeff, "I don't just want to talk to you about casual matters; this is about Misaki."

Upon hearing his own name, Misaki's head snapped up and he instantly looked at Akihiko. Just what was that man plotting anyway? First, he invites Jeff over without giving Misaki a proper warning and then he wants to talk about him? What the heck was going on?

Jeff was almost as surprised as the young housekeeper, but he didn't let this show.

"I'm all ears," he said plainly.

"Yesterday, I visited Takahiro and discovered that Misaki either quit his job or got fired, so I offered him a job as my housekeeper. He was acting really weird, especially compared with how he behaved when I met him at your place. Furthermore, he was completely terrified when I touched him, even though I wasn't trying to hurt him in any way."

"Y-you were touching me while I was practically naked!" Misaki protested furiously. His voice weakened as he realized Jeff was listening and he bowed his head down, his face growing beet red.

"Akihiko, I hate to disappoint you, but I don't understand where you're coming from."

"Don't you remember that you forced Misaki to orally satisfy you? I was there, you know, and I saw it with my own eyes."

"Ah, that," Jeff trailed off, "Yes, I do remember, very clearly."

By then, Misaki's face was even redder than it had been before, yet neither of the other males got to see this as the brunet looked at the floor in horrification. He wasn't sure if Akihiko was trying to embarrass him or if he had something else in mind, but Misaki didn't like where this was going. Aside from feeling terribly uncomfortable with the humiliating events they were discussing, Misaki was also suffering from the memories of being raped by Jeff.

Although he tried to block everything out, the poor housekeeper was on the verge of tears as the conversation continued. He carefully tugged at Akihiko's sleeve and his master responded by looking at him, but Misaki didn't meet his gaze.

"Master, I can't…" he whispered, not knowing what to say, "Please, can I leave?"

Recognizing the desperate tone of Misaki's voice, Akihiko studied him worriedly.

"Please, master."

The housekeeper kept pleading and clutching the fabric tighter, while his voice almost caused Akihiko's heart to break. Misaki was acting the same as the previous day, which didn't seem like a good sign to Akihiko. He already felt guilty for being careless last time, but the fact that he invited Jeff over made him feel even worse.

Lifting his hand, Akihiko gently patted Misaki's head. Wet eyes finally looked at him and he tried to smile as kindly as possible.

"You can go now," he spoke softly.

Misaki bowed hastily to show his gratitude and dashed to the staircase, not even trying to hide his discomfort at that point. Eyes were on him until he had disappeared from sight, and the two males sitting in the living room looked at one another again.

"Jeff, you can't make me believe that Misaki's reactions are normal," Akihiko continued, "I can easily tell that Misaki is afraid of you. Now, I want to know what you did to Misaki when he was still working for you."

"Just what are you accusing me of?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out and you aren't getting away without telling me the truth."

A displeased look crossed Jeff's features, yet he remained calm and sat back. Not liking the response of his so-called 'friend', Akihiko tried to search his eyes for clues. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to get the information he wanted, but there was no other way. Given that Misaki had no intention of telling him, Akihiko was left with no other option.

"Answer me honestly," Akihiko ordered, "Did you do anything else to Misaki, something I do not know of?"

"You need to be more specific."

"All right, I will rephrase my question. Have you, either before or after my visit, done anything sexual to him?"

"Yes, I have."

"Was it consensual?"

There was no answer, only silence. To Akihiko, however, this was evidence to the case he was investigating, or at least he considered himself a detective of some sort. It felt as though he had just cornered a mouse, but he didn't stop there. He needed to know more.

"Did you rape him?" The question was blunt and Akihiko knew this, but if Jeff wanted him to be specific, then he would be. It also made it impossible for the blond-haired male to avoid the question. If he didn't answer, Akihiko would immediately assume that he had indeed raped Misaki, so all he could do was confirm or deny it.

The air in the room grew thick from the unbearable tension. The blue eyes that usually seemed confident and fearless were no longer focused on Akihiko, but had cast their gaze on the coffee table. Irritation was visible, but Jeff just stared soundlessly. On the other side, Akihiko had figured out what had really happened and felt anger boil up inside. The urge to punch the other in the face was very strong, yet he managed to control himself and remain seated.

"I never thought you'd stoop so low," Akihiko said in disappointment.

"This was a special case, if you must know. It has never been a problem for me to charm others and get them to sleep with me. Takahashi-kun, however, showed that he had no interest in me, so I knew that seducing him wouldn't work."

"So you think it's okay to force him?"

"You should listen to your heart, right? Well, it told me that I needed to take Takahashi-kun and that's exactly what I did."

Akihiko was even more disgusted after hearing that answer. The fact that Jeff had done such an immoral thing to Misaki and didn't even regret it in the slightest was absolutely revolting. Didn't he even care one bit about scarring the poor teen for life?

"Jeff, I have never really stopped you from doing what you desired. Now I realize that I should have, because you've gone way too far this time."

"Come on, Akihiko. You know Takahashi-kun is adorable; you're even making him wear a maid costume like I did. Aren't we the same?"

"No, we're not," the other replied angrily, "I would never hire someone so I could rape them. That's a terrible thing to do, but apparently you haven't realized that yet."

"I don't regret my decision," Jeff said confidently.

An idea came to mind as Akihiko stared at the other in disgust. It wasn't a very good idea and he knew that. On the other hand, he couldn't stand looking at that smug grin plastered on Jeff's any longer.

"Since you have no regrets, I'm sure you wouldn't mind facing the consequences of your actions and going to jail," he stated sternly, folding his arms, "I can't pretend that what happened between you and Misaki is just a lie, and I'm sure my conscience wouldn't let me either. In order to prevent you from doing the same to other innocent people, I will call the police and tell them what you've done."

Jeff gritted his teeth. "You can't be serious! Didn't you say you're my friend? Besides, there's no way they'll believe you."

"Actually, I think Misaki will be able to convince the police."

Akihiko stopped speaking, noticing the fire in the other's eyes. Before he could react, Jeff had rushed over to his side, grabbed his collar and smashed him into the wooden floor. He held Akihiko down, his hands clenching around the latter's neck.

This wasn't what Akihiko expected. Jeff had never reacted violently to anyone, so he was taken aback by the man's actions and his strength. Desperately, Akihiko tried to pry the hands away from his neck. When he managed to free himself from Jeff's grip, he glared at him and pushed him off.

"I think it's time for you to leave," he said, his voice sounding suspiciously calm.

"If you dare to call the police, I'll kill you." Jeff got up, shooting daggers at Akihiko, and marched to the exit without turning around. He didn't utter a single word before slamming the door shut.

Barely three seconds later, Misaki came out of his bedroom and rushed down the stairs, his eyes filled with shock as he spotted Akihiko lying on the ground. He ran to him and kneeled down, staring at him worriedly.

"Are you all right? What happened?"

"Jeff didn't like it when I threatened to call the police after hearing what he's done to you," Akihiko replied with a dark chuckle, "I'm fine now. Truth be told, I'm still more concerned about you." He sat up carefully, feeling his back ache. "Now that I know the truth, I finally understand why you freaked out when I touched you yesterday. From now on, I'll be more careful."

Misaki's expression didn't change. "Why are you so nice to me? I've only been mean to you up until now."

"Well, I figured there must be a reason for your behavior. You were much friendlier when I met you at the Honda Estate. That kind of friendliness doesn't just disappear into nothingness."

"I…I suppose…"

Noticing that Misaki was shuddering, Akihiko gently ruffled his hair. "You need some time to relax. I'll be in my office, so if you need anything you know where to find me." Getting up from the wooden floor, he walked to the staircase and made his way to his office. He knew Misaki still hadn't gotten used to his presence, but he was glad the boy didn't act as hateful as before.

Misaki hadn't moved from his spot and was staring blankly at the door to Akihiko's office, the question from before haunting his mind.

'Why are you so nice to me?'