A/N Hey everyone!

Yeah, the basic stuff, it's been awhile, busy, blah blah blah. You don't want to hear this.

I'll just say this one thing; this chapter is comparatively long but it's basically just descriptive fluff. I'm not ready to throw another obstacle at them, they need a little more time to be happy and develop their relationship so that when tragedy strikes, it will be even more. . . tragic. I have stuff planned, so stay tuned!

Enjoy!

"The skies are partly cloudy today, with a small chance of rain later this afternoon. It's a beautiful day for lollygagging in downtown Tokyo, the local shops have offered great, low prices on new shipments, so if you're looking to shop, today is a great day!..." The news on the television sprouted silently in the background. As if on cue, a couple of small patters on the window could be heard from raindrops. The dark clouds that rolled in complimented the vivid colors of the flowers laying around in pots all over the deck of the penthouse. The distant sound of thunder could be heard bellowing miles away. The light and warmth and crackling of the lit fireplace, the subtle tapping of keys, and the light sizzling on the stove in the kitchen also blended into the miss. To say the least, it was rather peaceful. A week had gone by since the talk in the bedroom. Akihiko sat on the couch, his glasses resting on his nose. His tie was lose and his shoes kicked off. There was a cigarette hanging loosely from his focused lips as he silently mouthed the words he typed on his keyboard. Misaki was in the kitchen making dinner, as he insisted on doing every night from now on.

The silver-haired man was thoroughly engrossed with his work until certain words coming from the quiet television caught his attention. He didn't get the full context, but only picked up on certain words like "police," and "kidnappers," and other similar unpleasant things. He reached for the remote and turned the T.V. off before subtly catching a glance at Misaki in the kitchen. The teenager's administrations had not changed, he continued to hum quietly as he was cutting a fish with a knife. Akihiko let out a small breath of relief. He still had a lot on his mind about this whole situation.

Misaki on the other hand felt at peace. The only thing left on his conscience's to-do list was to get Takana's fate off of his chest. He probably should have just cleared the air right away, but he had been exhausted. He just wanted to forget about it, and he hoped now he could. And at times, like tonight, he had. He gingerly scraped the parts of fish off of the cutting board and onto the frying pan, the sizzling noise increasing, but not so much as to silence his beautiful humming. Misaki knew one song and one song only; a lullaby his mother sang to him as a child. What the title was, he wasn't sure. Although he didn't have time to grieve over trivial things like that. Especially not now, now that he has someone to love and somewhere to call home.

He stirred the fish around on the pan, cooking it just right. With all the love, the warmth, and the care that he had recently been given, he also felt like he had been given a purpose. He mattered to someone. Even if it was just this one man, Akihiko, this one man was his whole world. It was the least he could do after everything he had put the author through, and what the author had given up and risked for him. He felt the unmistakable rush of blood flow to his cheeks. When the different cuts of the fish turned just the right shade of dark gray, he knew it was finished. He proceeded to turn off that one burner, then attended to the smaller things like the tea and the rice and the dice-cut vegetables. He took pride and joy in having his hands always moving for Akihiko. When it was all done the flower set the table nice and neat, also noticing the peaceful environment as he did so. It helped that the T.V. had been turned off- not that he had been listening, but it was noticeably more peaceful without it. Despite his dark history, he enjoyed the rain, and envied the flowers that decorated the porch. He giggled to himself, remembering the moment from the day before when Akihiko returned home, nearly drowning in flowers. Apparently, he had insisted on covering the entire interior and exterior with colorful flowers. The rain became more prominent as Misaki turned his attention to the couch with the bunny on it.

Akihiko had once again become lost in his work, completely oblivious to his surroundings. He wasn't sure how long he was in that stationary state of mine before he felt a small, gentle hand on top of his shoulder. Snapping out of his concentrated stance, he turned to the side to catch a glimpse of Misaki towering over him.

"Dinner's ready," Misaki informed him, smiling.

Akihiko returned the smile and added a small nod. He saved the document and closed his laptop, stretching as he stood up from the couch. Misaki was still standing where he was. For some reason, it felt wrong to turn and walk away from that spot without Akihiko. When the older man was finished stretching, he turned to his small lover. "Smells wonderful."

Misaki smiled bashfully and then took his leave, walking back to the table and sitting down in his usual chair. It was the same chair he sat in the night he was brought to this place. He felt wrong sitting in any different one. Once the bunny was settled, they put their hands together, folded their heads and thanked God for the food.

They never ate in completely silence. There was always something to talk about or bring up. It was usually small things, like Akihiko's work, or something more profound like what it meant to be in love. Akihiko knew both he and Misaki had their limit on discussion. Tonight's main subject was about a small accident Misaki had when he was putting some clothes in the washer, how he had used too much soap and was greeted with an exploding bubble bath. Akihiko laughed at the thought. The younger used this story to transition into something he had been thinking about the past few days.

"Usagi-san, how would you feel about me giving you a bath?"

The man was taken aback by the question, blinking in silence. It was far from strange, or wrong- his heart warmed at the idea. It was just unexpected. Akihiko had always thought of himself as a strong, independent, high and mighty man. He never let anyone step above him in his pride. But of course, that was not the case here. Misaki was aware of the author's superiority status among society. At the same time, the man was full of quirks. What other man in their late 20s has a room full of little children's toys, or would rather have their pancakes specifically in the shape of a bear head? Because of this, Misaki absolutely reveled in the thought of pampering the rabbit. It was incredibly endearing. Akihiko had promised to look out for and take care of Misaki regarding financial and medical troubles, his education, safety, and stability as a human being in general. Misaki wanted to take care of Akihiko, too, in the smaller ways.

"That sounds rather enticing, actually," Akihiko answered, wiping a small amount of grease off the corner of his lip. He noticed Misaki's eyes light up across the table.

"Really?"

"Yes," the author assured him, picking up his glass and taking a small sip. It was normal in Japanese culture for one person to cleanse another. But this was very special to Akihiko. "Would you bathe as well?"

"I took a shower this morning," Misaki admitted. "I want to give you a bath."

The man hummed happily as his heart fluttered in his chest. "Alright."

When dinner was done and the dishes tended to, the two made their way upstairs. Akihiko came to find out Misaki had prepared the bath beforehand. He assumed the author would agree to it, and if not, it could always be disregarded and returned back to normal. Light steam could be seen emitting from the water that somehow managed to stay warm while they ate dinner. The overhead light was dimmed to its lowest setting, barely even on. There was some light glowing from the sink top, however, from two vanilla-smelling candles whose flames had been gracefully dancing in the current of the air. There were some variously-colored flower petals floating in the water.

"Misaki.." Akihiko stated aloud in awe.

"Do you like it?" Misaki asked hopefully, hands tangled behind his back.

"I love it," the author could not contain the urge to hug the flower, which he did. Misaki gladly returned the hug before pulling back and looking up into the velvet eyes of his lover.

"You can settle in. I'm going to move those flowers on the porch inside. The rain is starting to get pretty bad. I don't want them to get ruined."

"Alright," Akihiko agreed, placing a gentle kiss on Misaki's forehead, who smiled happily before going back downstairs. Akihiko stripped himself down to completely au naturel. Nudity was also not something too overlooked in their culture as it symbolized purity- in almost anywhere but a rape situation, of course. The water was steamy enough to where only what was above the surface was visible, anyway. At the same time, it was not intolerably hot. It was just right. Akihiko hummed as the cool air on his skin was suddenly replaced by the warm water. He eased himself in slowly and allowed himself to adjust. He chuckled at the flower petals that decorated the water. The sparkle of the candles on the counter was reflected, too. He could still hear the rain falling.

Misaki came back a minute later, a little wet from being outside.

Akihiko humored him, "did you save the flowers?"

A nod.

"Good job." The author chuckled and reached out to ruffle Misaki's fluffy hair. The flower instinctively nuzzled his head into the affectionate touch. He was still transitioning from violent blows to the head to gentle-like strokes and rubs. It was far from bad. He loved and writhed in every second of affection he got. He was becoming addicted to it. Of course this was supposedly normal among lovey-dovey couples, not that he would know, but he was happy about it.

There was a stool behind the bathtub that Misaki sat on. He rolled up his long, droopy sleeves up to his forearms. Even though he was uncivilized, he didn't seem to mind Akihiko being naked. In fact he felt a little bashful. Part of him wanted to do this because anyone with a brain could see that Akihiko was drop dead gorgeous- Misaki felt unworthy, even now. But the ex-slave had a secret desire to get the full package. It was even better eye candy then he originally anticipated. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

Not wanting to keep his bunny waiting, he dipped a soft cloth into the water and pulled it out, wringing it a little. Akihiko's back was flushed with Misaki's front as the boy leaned forward, wrapping an arm around his neck for support, not so tightly as to choke him, but more for comfort. Misaki swallowed, feeling a little nervous about somehow doing it wrong. But as soon as the cloth made contact with the silver haired man's chest, the man flinched and had to bite back a moan. He seriously couldn't believe how wonderfully nice that one basic touch felt, a small touch that didn't even have that much pressure being applied. Misaki was unsure of how to interpret the reaction.

"Are you okay? Is it uncomfortable?" He asked worriedly.

The question snapped Akihiko out of his pleasurable stance when he realized he gave off the wrong impression. "No, sweetheart, it's wonderful," he assured him. The man tilted his head back to meet the jade green eyes of his smaller lover. "Sorry- I was surprised at how good that one simple touch felt."

Misaki smiled, nodding in understanding before Akihiko tilted his head back forward. Feeling slightly more confident, the teen continued his administrations. He ran the cloth down Akihiko's strong chest, said man humming happily all the while. Misaki poured some liquid soap into the water, splashing it with his hand a little to create bubbles. The man couldn't help but chuckle. The flower washed the man's entire body within appropriate measure. He also washed his beautiful silver hair, and he loved doing it.

"We should do this a lot," Misaki commented.

"Mm," Akihiko agreed. "You should join me next time. Or let me give you one. Because this is actually very nice." It was true. Nobody had ever done this to him before and he never expected anyone to want to do this to him before. He couldn't even picture anyone doing this; except Misaki. Misaki made it feel like heaven on earth. He made sure to convey his thoughts to the boy, making him flush in happiness. Misaki took pride in being able to please his bunny in any way that he could, even if he only could offer small house keeping responsibilities. His thoughts were interrupted when a bubble popped in his face.

Misaki flinched away, shaking his head a little before blinking his eyes open. The author was snickering cockily, and Misaki didn't need an explanation. In return, he took a handful of bubbles and put them on the author's head.

"Now you look like I did when I put too much soap in the washing machine," he giggled.

Usami pretended to be offended. "How dare you!" He chided, dramatically brushing the bubbles out of his hair, Misaki laughing all the while. He only took a moment to consider whether or not what he was about to do would end up being a good or a bad thing, but he wanted to do it; Akihiko turned around and yanked Misaki's large sweater up over his head and threw it aside, leaving Misaki only in his shorts. He blushed like mad. "Usagi!"

Akihiko didn't give him much time to be surprised when he lifted the boy up and plopped him in the bath with him.

"Hey!" Misaki whined, sitting up in the water, his lip pouting in the man's direction. "I didn't want to get wet."

"You were already wet," Akihiko reminded him.

"I said I already took a shower this morning." Misaki argued playfully.

"No such thing as too clean," the man chuckled in his victory over the small "fight" that had just pursued. Even though he was probably wrong. Misaki ran out of words and simply snuggled against the man's now clean chest. Akihiko gladly cradled his flower in return. They sat in warm silence for awhile, simply enjoying each other's company. They could have fallen asleep like this, it was strangely comfortable, until the peace was disturbed by the sound of the phone ringing.

A/N ...*drool*

So who do you think is on the phone?

Questions will be asked and answered!

Anonymous568- I do have plans for Takahiro, though I'm not sure anyone will be able to guess what they are. *Evil laughter* Thank you for reading, and thank you for your interest and feedback dear!

ili777- Thank you, I've had a few people tell me my writing style improved. I love hearing that because I try really hard to improve it a lot, I think it has a little too. If I ever go back and read the first chapter of this story, I cringe at my writing. It's just so. . . last year. XD And yes I do owe it to Misaki, big time. I'm not even done torturing him, poor little guy. Unfortunately for him, I'm a big angst and fix-it person. So he's gonna have to be my guinea pig. As for a happy ending, I can tell you it will. The ending of this story is pretty neutral and I've already got the sequel planned, so we'll see how it goes!

Soulhearts- Thank you, I'm happy you liked it! I hope you liked this one too. It's basically dripping with gooey substances all over the floor. Anyway, I have plans for what the "criminal" situation will be. I'm glad you're staying interested and asking questions! Thanks for your continued love and feedback!

Ino Death- Maybe, maybe not! But it lets me know that my story is open-ended enough to get people wondering, and that makes me happy, so thank you very much! nwn We'll see what happens!

SuzukiChiyeko- Yeah, for obvious reasons, I myself couldn't allow Misaki to promise that he wasn't going to try it again at least one more time. But hey, you and I both know that life ensues! Sorry for making you nervous dear! I like that you read my responses, though. Thanks for doing that! Helps me to know that my readers aren't just interested in the story but also interested in what I have to say about it so I feel special. nwn Thanks for being so patient with me. XD

guestis- You're welcome! This goes for everyone, sorry for my delays! Busy.. life.. blah blah blah. Here's another update, I hope you enjoy it dear! nwn

Lovestruck Devil- Thank you so much! Seriously, it means a lot to me. There's a lot of good writers out there and it's an honor to be favorited by someone. Thanks for staying with me through this journey!

sexyshewolf- Thank you! The anime is depressingly short- but the manga extends way past it, if you want to read the manga. That's what I did. I also read somewhere that they're in the process of making new episodes for the anime. I don't know when, but I'm super thrilled about it!

TechSavvy123014- Thank you, I hope you found this chapter cute as well! I've reached the point where I've read so much fanfiction, I rarely prefer reading fluff over smut. X/D You're right, it's very difficult for me to wait. But while I do, I can just read other people's smuts. x3

Nicole13-1991- I'm glad you like my story, thank you dear! Here's your update!

angellovsyaoi- Well, you seem intrigued. XD Everyone has their preferences, I understand. I appreciate your feedback. I hope you end up enjoying it, though! Because I'm pretty much done with the sex slavery- I have new traumas to introduce.

artistreilly421- I'm sorry, I didn't really understand your question. Want to try asking again? I'd be happy to answer any questions you have, dear!

Thank you all,

TBC

-Tiny