The duo embraced each other with all of their strength, and all of their love. Misaki wept into Akihiko's shoulder as they held onto each other, as if all hell would break lose if they let go. It still didn't feel as though Misaki completely believed that his rabbit was there, alive and well, but even so, a glimpse of the man was enough to drive him wild. The whole time he spent at Takana's, he spent regretting numerous things. One of the biggest things was never getting across to Akihiko that the boy loved him dearly. He had missed his chance in the past. Knowing this, he blurted out whatever came to his mind above his tears.
"Usagi-san. . . I love you!" He cried bitterly, his sense not where it should be. Mirage or not, he wanted to tell the man that he loved him. He felt no shame and no remorse about their current standings. He simply cried out whatever he felt as though he needed to say. Akihiko, not once letting go of the boy, hugged him a little tighter, if that was even possible.
"Misaki. . ."
"I love you. . . I love you!" Misaki repeated again and again, the tears not ceasing to fall. Akihiko breathed a big, shaky sigh of relief and joy before reaching up a hand to stroke his flower's hair.
"Oh, Misaki. . . I have always loved you."
The two sat in the back of Yumi's police cruiser (on account of Akihiko's car being towed to God knows where as a result of parking it unaccordingly.) Yumi assured him he would get it back, though Akihiko didn't seem to be bothered by it. He would trade everything he owned and then some for Misaki. He continued to pet the boy's hair as they were snuggled together in the back of the car.
Misaki had fallen fast asleep once more, resting his head on the man's strong chest, his small frame being supported by Akihiko's strong arms. It was a quiet, peaceful ride for the most part. Nothing but the sound of rain tapping the window and other cars zooming by occasionally. The silence, however, was interrupted by a certain disturbed police officer.
"Usami-san?"
Akihiko broke out of his haze to look at her eye to eye in the mirror. "Yes?"
"Is that boy asleep?"
Akihiko ran his hand soothingly up and down Misaki's arm and leaned down to gaze upon the boy's features. Misaki was sound asleep, his eyes closed and his mouth just open enough for him to breathe through it. He showed no signs of waking up any time soon.
"I believe so." Akihiko chuckled.
"Well, before I drop you back off at your home, there's a couple of things I think you should know."
Akihiko suddenly felt his heart drop in uncertainty. What had it come to? Accommodation matters? The man found himself swallowing hard. He was afraid of this, which was the real reason he hadn't come to the police in the first place. Akihiko was no legal guardian of Misaki's, nor was he blood-related, and had no moral right to keep him. He was aware of this. Was Yumi aware of this?
At first, his goal was to find Misaki and get him back. After failed searches, he decided that the most important thing wasn't having Misaki back for himself, but just to get him away from that monster Takana. He was anxious about how the police would decide to finalize the locational status of the both of them.
"It's about Misaki," Yumi continued.
Akihiko looked back to her. "Misaki?"
"Yes," she said, taking a deep breath. "Well, you see. . . it wasn't a pretty sight when we found him."
Akihiko's features winced in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean he. . . well, he had a gun."
"Did he try to fire at you or something?" Akihiko asked, in a slight state of shock.
"No. . . he had it to his head, and was perpetually pulling at the trigger."
Akihiko's heart stopped. Flashes of the night on the beach came rushing back to his mind. Horrible images of his beloved Misaki just seconds away from self-inflicted death, as a result of unbearable pain. Akihiko found himself tilting his head back down to gaze upon the boy once more. He was still sleeping peacefully, and the man hadn't noticed until now, but. . . the flower's baby skin had been bruised, cut, and marked in several places. He felt the urge to cry an umpteenth time that week.
"What do you suppose could have possibly happened to that boy to force him to resort to that?" Yumi asked, but not out of ignorance.
The author had been too busy rejoicing his and Misaki's reunion to think about what must have happened while the two had been apart. It was obvious Misaki had been beaten several times. Probably forced into labor and scolded, as well. And he didn't want to believe it, but there was just no denying it. . . Misaki had been raped.
Akihiko pulled the boy closer out of sympathy. How he desperately wished he could take all the pain away. Tears streamed down his handsome face upon thinking about how horrible it must have been for his precious angel. He nuzzled his face into the boy's hair, inhaling the naturally pleasant scent. He embraced Misaki vigorously, but not too hard as to wake him up or hurt him any further. It was as though he feared for the boy's life as he never once released his grip on him.
Oh, Misaki. . .
"I know it's a lot to take in but I have one other thing to tell you," Yumi said.
"What is it?" Akihiko asked breathlessly.
"I got a call from a field officer on the other search team. We all traced that man's license plate number back to an apartment building, but there was obvious evidence your Misaki was no longer present in that building."
Akihiko began to sweat a little. "And?"
"My team never went in before we decided to follow the kid's trail, but the other officers got a pretty nice glimpse of how he got away. Boy. . . oh man, that must have been a sight for squeamish eyes."
"What do you mean?" The rabbit asked.
"I mean. . . agh. . . you know, I'll let you two talk that out. We're here."
The woman pulled her cruiser into the parking of the penthouse. Shutting the car off, she turned in her seat to face the man, reaching her arm to rest it around the empty passenger's seat.
"Any further questions or requests?" Yumi asked.
"N-No. . . we'll be fine from here. Thank you so much for everything you've done. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me. . . us."
Yumi simply smiled. "It's my job, Usami-san. Now get out of my car."
Akihiko, with the wallowed blossom securely in his hold, withdrew the both of them from the car and proceeded to enter the penthouse. He shifted their positions to reach into his pocket and pull out his keys as soon as they reached his door. Before he got the key into the hole, he remembered upon seeing it that it had been broken. He shrugged it off, and entered his apartment, closing the door behind him.
Feeling exhausted, he once more toted Misaki up the stairs and into the bedroom. He laid Misaki down on the bed gently, smiling warmly at the sight of him curling up into the softness of the bed. With a large yawn, he kicked off his shoes and threw his coat somewhere to be forgotten. He flicked the lamp off with two fingers before crawling into the bed with Misaki, spooning him.
He kissed the back of the boy's head.
"Sweet dreams, dear Misaki. . . I love you." He whispered into the small ear.
Misaki let out a small noise before he scooted himself closer to the author. "I love you, too," he mumbled back.
A/N Well it's not much but it serves as an informant apology. TvT
I've been fairly busy doing.. other things lately. This is just a short submission to let you all know that I am alive and haven't forgotten about my beloved story. XD
Soulhearts: I feel bad for wanting to make my readers feel anxious. XD But I cannot tell a lie, it is something I myself enjoy in a story. I've read several where I've basically been on the edge of my seat, and I can feel the angst squeeze my heart in my chest. Sometimes it's too intense but other times I love it, you know, knowing things will turn out okay ^^
ClaryJace777: Thank you! I'm happy you're planning on sticking with me! :3 Because, while this story is far from over, I've already started planning the sequel to it. XD So hopefully I won't drive you or anyone else away before then.
SuzukiChiyeko: Mmm, I can't really say everything will be fine, but I don't intend to have anything too heartackingly horrible happen for awhile. XD I'll let them be happy for awhile. I'm glad I made you happy! c:
TechSavvy123014: I agree completely. One chapter AT LEAST. This other story I read, ZaDr Orange, couldn't even go one chapter without some bullshit happening. XD I'm like oh come on, really?
TBC!
-Tiny