[Ongoing] Finish the Fight (Jun X OC) -- Restricted / Mature (Chap 72) 02/08

Eri - Thanks!! I didn't know you were reading this ^^ Am glad you like it :)



Chapter LXIII

The bathroom was a mess. There was a wet towel on the floor, make-up occupied almost all the space on the sink and a blow-dryer was on the toilet seat cover. Michiko sprayed some curling gel on her hair before using a curling iron to create big waves and ringlets. Her make-up was set and she was already wearing her gown. Some would argue - Momiji especially - that what she wore did not qualify as a gown. But she didn’t care what her ex-stylist or anybody else thought. As long as she didn’t look out of place at the Gala, she was fine. And she was sure that the black backless dress she wore was good enough for the occasion. It hugged her figure in the right places and flared slightly at the bottom. The only problem with the dress was that she had to wear heels with them and not her favorite knee high boots. She had forgotten to buy new shoes so she had no choice but to wear the 4 ¼ inch heels that Momiji lent her. Michiko couldn’t even walk properly in 2 inch heels, how was she going to accomplish walking on 4 ¼ ones?

“It makes you ass stick out and you have such a nice ass, Michiko. Show it off.”

She almost strangled that woman after she handed her the shoes. “If I trip and fall flat on my face, there will be hell to pay. She better believe it.” Michiko muttered under her breath. Just then, the doorbell rang. It was time to go. The Gala was to start at 8PM tonight and it was already 7:30PM. She was supposed to arrive earlier but she woke up only a couple of hours ago. If Ken hadn’t called her, she would still be sleeping.

Michiko checked her appearance one last time then went to open the door. A very handsome Shun in a stunning black tux greeted her.

“You look fucking good.” She exclaimed and he shyly smiled. “You…” His eyes swept over her and by the time his gaze fell on her face, he was speechless. “I know it’s technically not a gown. I’ve been told. Several times.” That was certainly not what he was thinking. “I’m going to be escorting the most beautiful woman to the ball. No joke. You look absolutely gorgeous.” She grinned and flashed a peace sign. “Thanks. I guess we better go, ne? Oh, my shoes.” Shun chuckled at her forgetfulness. “We can’t have you walking barefooted now.”

She dreaded putting them on but it had to be done. “Yosh. I’m ready.” Standing on 4 ¼ heels was quite hard. Michiko wobbled and had to reach out and hold on to Shun’s arm. “Can you walk in those?” He peered worriedly at the really high heels. “Daijobu, I have no intention of walking around much and dancing, for that matter.”

“I can carry you to the car…”
“That’s ok. Let’s test it out, shall we?”

She took a step forward and almost tripped. Shun quickly steadied her by grabbing on to her waist.

“Michiko. Should we stop at a shoe store and buy you new shoes?”
“We don’t have time. Okay, just carry me.”

He picked her up with ease and carried her towards the elevator, down to the garage and to his car in the parking lot.

“This really makes you a princess.”
“Shut up.”

The Gala was held at the Peninsula, a five star luxury hotel in Tokyo. When they arrived at the front lobby, a lot of guests were already there. Shun kept his hand on Michiko’s waist while he slowly led her into the hotel. She almost stumbled a couple of times but he was able to steady her. “We should have stopped somewhere to buy new shoes.” She gritted her teeth, still smiling though as photographers were everywhere taking pictures of them. “I told you so.” A sharp elbow jabbed his side and he pinched her waist in retaliation.

“Yoku-san! Oguri-san! Look this way, please.”

They both pasted a smile on their faces and posed.

When they finally stepped into the ceremony hall, they were late by ten minutes. Ken just finished giving the opening speech and was now introducing the sponsors for the Gala.

“Michiko!”

She turned and saw Momiji gaping at her and Shun. When she got closer to them, she leaned towards her and whispered. “Are you sure you’re not dating him?” Michiko rolled her eyes at her. “For the millionth time, yes.”

“Yes, you’re sure you’re not or yes, you are.”
“We’re not.”

Shun replied and Momiji straightened up then smiled at him sweetly.

“Are you single then?”
“Momiji!”
“What?”
“I’m telling Soujirou about this.”
“Psshhaw. It’s not like I’m asking him out, Michiko. It’s an innocent question.”
“It’s fine. Yes, I’m available.”
“Satisfied? Now shoo-shoo.”

Momiji glared at her.

“Michiko, if didn’t know better, I’d say you’re jealous.”
“She has nothing to be jealous about. Tonight, she’s the only woman I’m paying attention to.”

Warmth blanketed Michiko’s body and she looked up at Shun, wondering why he would say something like that. It would give people ideas. And she could tell that Momiji’s thoughts were now filled with different speculations but she left without a smart response. The opening ceremony was over after half an hour and they were ushered towards the banquet hall. It was dinner time finally. As much as she wanted to hurry to their seats, Shun advised her to wait until the hallway cleared.

“I’m hungry.”
“Just a few more minutes.”
“I’m huuuungry.”
“Fine. Do you want me to carry you? It’s the only way you’re getting there if we go now.”

She grumbled but decided to wait. Shun smiled at her then tucked a curl behind her ear. Michiko felt herself blush at his gesture.

“Shun… what…”
“You said I’m your prince for tonight, ne?”

She did say that, she just didn’t think he would take it so seriously. Was he role-playing?

“Saa, Hime-sama.”
“Shun…”
“Just for tonight. I know I promised Jun…”

He held out his arm so she hooked hers on his then they slowly walked down the hall.

Dinner went by fast much to Michiko’s dismay. She was enjoying her time sitting down without her heels on. It was announced that the ballroom was ready for them but she was most definitely not ready for the ballroom. People around her were excited while she had a frown on her face.

“Do we have to go?”
“Yes.”

Ken’s voice came from behind her. Michiko craned her neck and found him grinning from ear to ear.

“You will dance.”
“I’m not intoxicated enough for dancing.”
“Shun, you better get her drunk.”
“I’ll get her to dance without the alcohol.”

Both Michiko and Ken replied with a loud, “Eh?!” She indignantly stood up and had taken a few steps forward when Shun called to her.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

She turned, prepared to yell at him when she saw her heels dangling from his fingers. No wonder she was able to walk perfectly well. He was stifling a laugh when he closed the gap between them then knelt in front of her. Michiko lifted one foot at a time and allowed Shun to slip each shoe on. His hand lingered on her ankle a few seconds longer after he slipped on the second one. Ken glanced at the pair with a strange expression on his face then shrugged and passed by them.

“I’ll be expecting you two in the ballroom. No excuses.”
“You know this Gala is such a bore. Where are the game stations?”
“You really thought there’d be games for you to play?”
“It’s for the gaming industry ne? Damn right I expected games.”
“Then just pretend you’re playing Dance Dance Revolution when you’re on the dance floor.”

Michiko stuck her tongue out at him while Shun stood up and chuckled at her behavior. He rarely saw 28 year old women sticking their tongue out in rebuttal. But she wouldn’t be Michiko if she was like the other women. That was part of the attraction ne?

There was no escaping it. They had to go to the ballroom and interact and so they did. But after a few minutes of staring at the couples dancing, Shun left Michiko in a safe corner to go to the men’s restroom. And by safe, it meant that there were several places and objects that she could hold on to if she ended up losing her balance. She wished she could just take off her shoes but it would be embarrassing if photos of her barefooted showed up in the cover of magazines the next day. Although, those would be better than photos of her flat on the floor. She waited impatiently for Shun to return, she needed his frame to lean on. Her feet felt like they were about to cramp up and there were no chairs in sight. They really wanted to encourage people to dance, ne? No rest for the weary. She stared at the dancers and envied the women who were skilled enough to dance gracefully with heels as high as hers. Momiji was one of them. She was dancing really well with Soujirou as her partner. The younger woman’s eyes found hers and she waved at her. Michiko was about to wave back when she felt something graze pass her behind. She twisted her upper body to look but before she fully turned, a squeeze made her jump forward. Her arm reached out and she grabbed unto the drapes nearby. Thank God she didn’t end up pulling them down. When she recovered her balance, she slowly turned around and faced the pervert who touched her.

“Michiko-chan.”

Leering at her was a hefty, middle-aged man who she didn’t recognize. She felt disgusted, he was rubbing her pudgy hands together and ogling her so openly. Who the fuck was he? Was he a guest?

“Do I know you?”

He licked her lips and ignored her question.

“Your backside’s so smooth, Michiko-chan. By the way, are you wearing thongs tonight? Or maybe…” His gaze lowered. “… nothing at all… down… there.”

She clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists. Fucking pervert. With every intention to commit a crime, Michiko took a step forward but was blocked by Shun’s body. The man complained about Shun’s rudeness and Michiko wanted to punch the lights out of him but she was held back. Shun’s hands were on her shoulders and they were squeezing her tightly. She looked up and met his angry expression. His right eye was twitching and he was grinding his teeth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting go of her and turning around to face the pervert.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your hands and your fantasies to yourself. Preferably in the confines of your home. And you’d do me a great favor if you could simply leave Michiko alone.”

The man pushed his black rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose and glowered at Shun.

“I don’t see why I should listen to you. I am a guest here like everyone else. I am free to talk to whoever I wish. And it happens that I’d prefer the company of the lovely Michiko-chan.”

He made an attempt to go around Shun but Shun didn’t let him pass. He shook his head at the whining, intolerable pervert of a man then pointed at the nearest exit.

“If you value your life, I suggest you leave now.”
“Are you threatening me?!”
“Yes.”

The man chucked his chin up and crossed his arms across his chest. It didn’t seem like he was scared at all. Michiko didn’t want a fight to break between the two of them and tugged on Shun’s arm.

“Shun, let’s just leave.”
“Iya. He’s leaving, not us.”

He was quite stubborn, wasn’t he?

“Michiko-chan. May I have this dance?”

His ham of an arm reached out for her but Shun made sure he didn’t touch her.

“I will call security if you keep insisting on accosting my woman.”
“YOUR woman?! I know for a fact that my Michiko-chan is single.”

This was going nowhere. The pervert had obviously no intention of backing down and Shun was being too protective of her to let the whole thing go. Michiko didn’t want any trouble even though she almost caused one. If it wasn’t for Shun, she probably sacked the guy already. What a commotion that would have caused. Great, what was she supposed to do?

“Shun, dance with me.”
“Not right now, Hime.”
“Shun. Please.”

She pulled on his arm and started walking back. Her feet wobbled and Shun quickly turned to grab her waist.

“Here.”

He bent down and placed her arms around his neck.

“Hold on.”

Shun lifted her up and took her to the dance floor. Michiko’s feet dangled, she felt light and slightly dizzy. They left the man scowling behind them and he eventually exited the ballroom after a he downed a glass of wine.

“See, he left.”
“You want me to put you down now?”
“Well, you can’t keep doing this for the whole song. I will get heavy.”
“Hmm.”

He set her down then dropped to his knees.

“What are you doing?”

She hissed at him. People who were dancing around them stopped and stared.

“Just give me your shoes.”

She slipped them off her feet and Shun took them.

“I’ll be back.”

He left her for just a minute then came back.

“I can’t dance with no shoes on!”

Shun lifted her up again.

“Your feet on my shoes.”
“Oh.”
“Now just hold on tight and sway.”

Michiko giggled. She could feel everybody’s eyes on them.

“You’re not a bad dancer, Shun.”
“Thank you.”
“After this dance, take me home.”
“Okay.”

The Gala ended when people stopped dancing but Michiko and Shun left way before that happened. He arrived at her apartment around 12 midnight. She almost fell asleep on the way there but she tried her best to stay awake.

“Thanks again for taking me.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face Shun.

“Anytime, Hime.”
“That’s the last time… Ouji.”

He took his seatbelt off and leaned forward to kiss her forehead but when he got close, Michiko placed a hand on his chest, stopping him. A stabbing pain passed through his heart, making him flinch unexpectedly.

“Gomen, I…”

Her soft lips on his forehead made him forget the rest of what he was about to say.

“Oyasumi.”

She smiled then stepped out of his car. Shun watched her wave then walk away, carrying her shoes.

“Gomen ne, Jun. But I can’t help it. I’m in love with her.”

End of Chapter LXIII

A/N - Aaahh gomen ne. There's no Jun in this chapter. Next chapter, hopefully ne? ^_^ What a disappointing Gala for Michiko. She thought it was going to look like an arcade methinks LOL. But I think Shun had a good time cept for that part with the perv. Demo ne... all those photographers... tsk tsk tsk. And when is this lil surprise for Jun gonna happen? Hmm?!

Thanks for reading!!! I know everybody's busy during the holidays so I'm purty happy to see that there are still a good amount of views and also, thanks so much for those who commented ^_^ Love ya all!

Here's a short chapter ^_^

Chapter LXIV

Shun was suddenly busy. Extremely busy. Among the several projects that he was about to undertake were a new movie, a stage play, and another lead role in a mini drama series. Aside from those, there were also commercials, magazine photo shoots and a new photo album to be published before the end of the year. It was starting to look like last year when his schedule was swamped with work. When he had no time for anything but work. When he had to listen to music whenever he could just to keep his emotions in check. When he had to break up with his girlfriend because she was starting to nag and whine too much about his job. It was when he chose work over love and there were a lot days when he regretted his decision. This time around, he wholeheartedly welcomed the distraction. Yes. Work was the distraction this time. It distracted him from thinking about, dreaming about, longing, wanting… needing Michiko. Maybe he could finally get her out of his mind and eventually, his life. Since there was no room in hers for him. Lately, she had been busy as well. A couple of movie offers came but she rejected them. He wondered why when she had expressed her interest in acting before. It could be that she didn’t want to be as busy as Jun? That was very possible. She was the type of woman who would value her relationship a tad more than her job. She had proven it before. Somehow she managed to keep seeing Jun even when his schedule wouldn’t allow it. Although this past couple of weeks and the weeks to come were giving her a hard time. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was just work that was keeping her occupied but she hadn’t called him or seen him since the night of the Gala. Which was fine, he thought. It gave him the opportunity to slowly ease her out of his system. The problem was, smoking crept back in and before he knew it, he was finishing a pack a day. He basically jumped from one addiction to another.

His phone rang while he was about to light up another cigarette. It was Mao.

“What do you want?”

The character he was playing in the latest film was rude, obnoxious, and was an all around jerk. It was well known among his fans and colleagues how he ends up taking his role seriously and unconsciously adapting their attitude in real life. So if he was currently playing a really nice guy, he became really nice even after the shooting was over. Obviously, this kind of behavior became a problem when he portrayed nasty characters. It was very unfortunate of Mao to call especially when he just finished filming a scene.

“Ne Shun. Are you avoiding me?”
“Why would I avoid you?”
“Then why haven’t you returned any of my calls until now?”
“Am I obligated to return your calls?”
“I just need some answers.”
“Fine. I have a few minutes. Hurry up and ask away.”
“Are you seriously dating this Yoku Michiko woman?”
“No.”
“But you’re always with her.”
“That’s not a question and it’s none of your business.”
“The photos…”
“They’re the same shit that you and Jun are famous for, ne.”
“You should have told me if it bothered you before…”
“Like that would’ve changed anything.”
“Shun, can’t we start over?”
“No.”
“Are you in love with her?”

Yes.

“No. Is that it?”
“I guess so.”
“Ja.”
“Matte!”
“Nani?”
“I know we can make it work.”
“Arienai tsuno.”

He hung up then flicked the cigarette butt out the window.



They were everywhere. They were talked about in variety shows, in the news, in the break room… He’d overhear conversations about them while he waited for his food at the cafeteria, while he rested on the sofa in the hotel lobby, and even while he was relieving himself in the men’s restroom. To top all of that, their pictures were plastered in every possible magazine and newspaper printed. All this fuss and excitement over what happened the night of his birthday. Shun and Michiko happened. The public and the media confirmed all the rumors and officially proclaimed the two a couple. There wasn’t a single statement from either of them and still, everyone was so sure of their relationship.

“After seeing them together at the Gala, there was no doubt in my mind that those two are deeply involved with each other.” -- Kanegawa Riko (GTV-N)

“They couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Watching them made me blush.” -- Tendou Kyoko (Game Designer)

“As soon as you laid your eyes on them, it was apparent that ‘just friends’ was out of the question.” -- Masatoshi Hamada (Hey! Hey! Hey!)

“Michiko was wearing these ridiculously high heels and I knew that she didn’t have any plans on dancing but I was surprised when I saw her on the dance floor. What was funny was… Oguri-san took her shoes off and made her stand on his feet. Then they just sorta swayed together. Somehow, that was really sweet. Ne?” -- Anonymous Guest

“That Oguri-san. He threatened me for harassing his woman. When he said that, I didn’t believe him. I thought Michiko-chan was single. But I wasn’t harassing her at all. All I did was compliment her figure.” Anonymous Guest

He couldn’t take it anymore. Jun crumpled the article, stood up and threw it in the garbage can. He took a step away then turned and kicked the can hard. Trash spilled and covered the surrounding floor. His head was throbbing and his hands were shaking from the bottled up rage. He wanted to scream and punch the wall. If he imagined it was Shun, he could really do some damage but he couldn’t very well injure himself. Director-san would not appreciate it if he came to work with a broken hand. So he dropped to the floor and tried to steady his breathing. It was not Shun’s fault. He had told Michiko to ask Shun. He was okay with it. They were just enjoying the party. But people were interpreting everything wrong. Ne? Shun wouldn’t try anything and even if he did, Michiko wouldn’t let him… ne? But she didn’t mind when he called her hime. Or when he kissed her forehead…

“MAJI KA?!”

What was he thinking? Michiko loved him. She hadn’t said it but she did love him, ne? It wasn’t long ago when she fell asleep in a box in front of his apartment just so she could wish him a happy birthday. If that wasn’t love… it was ne?

“Calm down. Just fucking calm down.”

Michiko was very easy to get along with. She was comfortable around guys especially. Her bold personality, her humor, her warmth… everything about her pulled everyone towards her. That was why all his friends loved her. A lot of guys would love the fact that their friends accepted their girlfriend and actually enjoyed being with her. But damnit, he wished she had her own set of friends that she could hang out with. Preferably women. Not preferably… only women would be better. From the outside, Jun didn’t appear to be the possessive type but he had always been like that since he was kid. In 6th grade, he remembered confessing to a girl who had mutual feelings for him. But upon seeing that same girl playing with some other guy two days later, he got angry. They were just playing. That was normal for their age. What was she supposed to do? Stop playing with everyone except for him? Come to think of it, that was also when he decided not to carelessly say “I like you” again. So young and spoiled. Now, he was not so young anymore and surely he was not as spoiled but he still had that strong desire to monopolize the person he liked. But it wasn’t much of a problem before. It never got this serious where he ended up being violent. It scared him. Was there any way for him to control it? So far he was doing a fairly good job but he didn’t trust himself.

“Babe, I know it’s you. I’m sorry. I’ve been busy, too. I’ll try call you when I can, okay? Just leave me a message. I miss you… umm… if you’re not this babe I’m referring to… ano… you can leave me a message, too. Gomen.”

He smiled at her recorded voice mail message. If anybody else heard it, they’d clearly know that she was dating someone. She didn’t try to hide that fact. It was almost like she wanted people to know. Jun hung up without leaving a message. She understood him when he was busy so he decided to extend the same courtesy. Even though he really wanted… no, he really needed to talk to her right now. Hearing her voice was all he needed to reassure himself that there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

Two days passed without so much as a peep from Michiko. But Jun had been hopping from one location to another and staying up late every night that there was really no time for him to call her either. He was tired and only got three hours of sleep every day. If he did call, he was afraid he would end up sleeping on the phone. Thankfully, tonight they finished up early and he couldn’t wait to go home. He had called Michiko before he left Osaka and although she didn’t pick up, he left a message about his early arrival in Tokyo. Halfway to his apartment, he got a call from his manager.

“Eh? Nande?!”
“I’m almost home. Can’t it wait?”
“You’re really working me to death.”
“Hai hai. I’ll be there.”

Change of plan. Manager-san wanted him to stop by at Jimusho so instead of going home, he headed that way. Hopefully the meeting would not take too long. He had a feeling that he was going to see Michiko tonight.

Jun was on the elevator when his phone rang again.

“I’m already here.”
“That’s what I said.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m on the elevator.”
“Eh? Nishikado Ryo?”
“Sou ka.”
“Alright. I’ll pass by and see if he’s there.”
“Take him with me?”
“Hai.”

He let out a sigh when he got off the elevator and headed towards studio three. From a distance, he saw that the door was open. They must have finished the recording already. When he got closer, his brows furrowed. He recognized the two voices that came from the room.

“Michiko?”

Couldn’t be. Why would she be here? For some reason, his legs got heavy and he slowed down. He heard the woman laugh and he knew that it was definitely her. That was when he quickened his steps but when he was at the front of the door, he didn’t go in. Instead, he peered through the opening and his suspicions were correct. Michiko was hunched behind someone, her back was facing him so he couldn’t tell who it was that was in front of her. He had an idea but he was perplexed as to why she was with him in a studio.

“It’s almost done?!”

She asked anxiously, her hands squeezed the guy’s shoulders.

“AH! It’s done! That’s it?! YAY!”

She jumped up and down, clapping. The person sitting down stood up and faced her. He had a huge smile on his face when he handed a disc to her. After she took it, she excitedly leapt forward, almost knocking him off balance. His arms went around her and she threw her head back laughing.

“I’m really glad you’re happy.”

She lowered her head down then gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Arigato na, Kazu.”

The door slammed open. Michiko and Nino faced the door - still locked in an embrace - and found Jun at the entrance. They both froze.

“KAZU?!”

End of Chapter LXIV

A/N - Eh? EH?! EEHHHH?!! Everybody was worried about Shun X Michiko ne? But Nino sneaked in there. LOL. What's going to happen next? Dun dun dun dun!!! The trouble officially begins.

Thanks for reading!!! I love you all, as always, hehe. And comments are
I appreciate all the views. To the readers who don't comment, thanks for supporting this fic ^_^ For those who do comment, fudge brownies!!!! XP

Information regarding Jun's 6th grade memory - Read it on a translation. So it's real. He did recall that happening. He mentioned the desire to monopolize as well.

Shun was actually swamped this year. I just changed the year to last year's to fit the flow of his fic. Info on that can be found in a subbed video from A4S Fansub and Taiji Project fansubs. Ano, he mentioned the lil tidbit about how he becomes his character in real life in Oshareism.

If you have any questions, just lemme know ^^

Chapter LXV

Why was Jun here? Why at this very moment did he choose to manifest himself in front of her? Why of all the places, of all the time that he could’ve met her… why did it have to be now when she was in another man’s arms? Did he see her jump into his arms? Did he see her kiss him? He definitely heard her call Nino by his first name. She shouldn’t feel guilty. She had done nothing wrong. Michiko was simply expressing her gratitude towards Nino. He had done so much for her. Him and the rest of Arashi. But Jun didn’t know anything about it because it was supposed to be a surprise for him. Well right now, he was not only surprised, actually, perhaps surprise was not the word to describe his expression. He was livid. His body was stiff… it almost look like he was going to break if someone so as much as tapped him. And his face was red, his eyes burned, the right one twitched every now and then. She could tell that he was grinding his teeth, she could almost hear it. Oh God, this was definitely not good.

“NANI KORE?!”

Nino’s arms loosened their hold on her and she slipped down. Her heart was beating so fast against her chest.

“WHAT. THE. FUCK. IS. THIS?!”

She quickly ran towards him.

“Jun. Tanomu kara hanashi-o kiite.” (Please listen to me/Let me explain.)
“Why are you here?! With him?!”

Nino moved forward.

“Jun-kun, it’s not what--.”
“DAMARE YO!” (Shut up!)

He stopped in his tracks and cringed. Michiko reached out for Jun when she neared him but he swatted her arm away. He glanced at the disc that she was holding with her other hand.

“What the fuck is that?!”

He grabbed and pulled the disc away from her grasp.

“Iya, Jun!”

There was no label on it when he examined the cover.

“What is it? Some special game that he made for you? Huh?! Did this make you that happy that you had to fucking hug and kiss him?!”

Jun held the disc with both his hands then broke it in half.

“NO! Why did you do that?!”

She screamed at him. All the hard work, all the hours they put into making it… it was all for him. But he didn’t wait for her explanation.

“Nande?! Why couldn’t you hear me out first?!”

Tears brimmed her eyes but Jun didn’t notice. The past few days had been hard on him. Beneath the cool exterior, behind the confident - bordering to arrogance - front was an insecure man who always needed reassurance and he craved hers the most. But he had left her alone assuming that she was busy with her job. Even during the times when the rumors about her and Shun were running wild. All the worrying, the anxiety added to exhaustion and lack of sleep had taken a toll on his body and mind. He had closed his ears to her and only believed what he saw. It made him vulnerable and when he felt weak, he tended to not think straight and simply acted on his feelings. No matter how absurd his accusations were, they made sense to him.

“I knew it. This was eventually going to happen. If not Shun, then Nino. If not Nino then Aiba or Sho or even Ohno. He doesn’t even have to be one of my friends. Any guy who you become friends with is a possible suspect. I finally figured it out.”

Michiko rubbed her eyes then stared at him.

“What are you talking about?”

He sneered at her.

“I’m talking about you and why you prefer having guys as your friends. It’s not because you can’t relate to other women.”

She looked at him incredulously.

“You say that you’re more comfortable with men. Stop lying! It’s because they always give you the attention that you want. And why wouldn’t they? You’re always parading your body around them. You act all innocent when you know exactly what you’re doing. That’s what we call flirting, Michiko. Or should I say, manipulating?”

Michiko couldn’t believe her ears. Why was he saying these horrible things to her? What was he accusing her of?!

“Didn’t you fucking know how I was feeling when I saw all those photos and the articles about you and Shun? Everybody at the party thought you two were going out. They said that you couldn’t take your eyes off him. I called you after I read the article but you didn’t pick up. I just figured you were busy with work. But what have you been doing all these time?! I left you a message a couple of hours ago. Have you even checked your phone? Or did you simply ignore the message?! And for what? So you can flirt some more with him?!”

Nino clenched his teeth. He was going too far.

“Matsumoto!!! Don’t talk to her like--.”
“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!”

Michiko was shocked at how angry Jun was. His outburst silenced Nino. When he was sure that Nino wasn’t going to interrupt again, he turned his attention back to her.

“I was so fucking excited to come home tonight. I thought, finally, I have some time to spend with you. I got worried when you didn’t return my call right away. And you couldn’t even send me a message. NANDE?! WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU COULDN’T FUCKING PICK UP YOUR PHONE?! What were you doing 2 hours ago?! WELL?! You were here?! With your KAZU?!”

Jun put a lot of stress on the name. Michiko winced. She was with Nino and she probably didn’t hear her phone ring because they had the volume on loud when they were reviewing the surprise for him.

“I was here with him but--.”
“And you decided to ignore my call. I see.”
“No, Jun. I didn’t hear it.”
“How convenient ne? That you didn’t hear it.”
“It’s the truth!”

Her voice was pleading and her lips started to quiver. She didn’t want to hurt him and she knew he was hurt. That was why he was saying all those things, ne? He didn’t really mean them, right? He couldn’t possibly think that she would actually cheat on him… she would never.

“Jun, please.”

The tears fell down her cheeks when she begged him to believe her.

“I don’t believe you.”

Michiko bowed her head low and bit her lip. What did he want from her? His accusations were already making her heart break. How could he think of her like that? Had she not endured a lot for him already?

“Feeling guilty? You should be. I can’t believe I fucking worried about you. I’m so fucking stupid. I was getting all giddy thinking about the possibility of seeing you tonight while you were too busy getting close to Nino.”

A sob escaped her lips.

“CHIGAU YO!”

She met his eyes then wiped the tears off her cheeks.

“You wouldn’t even listen to my explanation!”

She had enough of this. If he didn’t want to listen to her then be it. If he didn’t want to believe her then fine!

“What’s there to--.”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Michiko cried out. Jun’s eyes widened. It was about time, Nino thought. He hated seeing her silently taking all of Jun’s garbage.

“I’VE HAD IT! You want to believe that I’m cheating on you then FINE!!! You think that I’m flirting and that I secretly want to date all your friends then OKAY!! GODDAMNIT JUN! Is that what you really think of me?!! MAJI DESU KA? Do I look like a fucking slut to you?!”

Jun was taken aback by her question.

“You can’t expect me to--.”
“To trust me?! Because that’s what this is about you know. TRUST. You don’t trust me, ne? You said you did but that’s a lie, ne? But how can you trust someone who just wants attention from other guys, right? How can you trust someone who parades her body in front of your friends, RIGHT?! I thought I made it clear in Nagoya. I thought I made it even clearer when I moved here. But I guess I was wrong. I left my family and friends in New York so that I can flirt with your friends. Right. That’s the reason. That’s what you believe. So you know what? Go ahead, Jun. I don’t fucking care anymore.”

She passed him then started stuffing her belongings into her bag.

“MATTE! What are you doing?!”

Michiko turned around, she looked like she was about to cry again.

“I’m leaving you, Jun.”

She quickly slung her bag over her shoulders then walked out of the room, several drops fell off her eyes.

Jun stood frozen on the spot.

“Ma--”

Before he could take a step, Nino - who was now standing in front of him - stopped him.

“She’s not happy anymore.”

Jun glared at him but he had already turned his back and left him alone in the room.

“I’m leaving you, Jun.”

What the hell happened? She… she left. He didn’t fully understand what just occurred between them. He was throwing several hurtful accusations at her… she tried to explain but he wouldn’t listen. Why didn’t he listen? Seeing her with Nino… catching her kiss him… hearing her call him by his name so casually… it was too much. But that didn’t excuse him for hurting her. She was crying, wasn’t she? When she tried to defend herself, when she wanted him to believe in her… she cried. And yet he wouldn’t hear any of it. So fucking stubborn.

“Fuck.”

She was gone. He just lost her, didn’t he?

Why was the room suddenly spinning? His vision was blurry, he blinked a few times but he still couldn’t see clear. Then he felt his body started to tremble and a wave of nausea went over him. He took a step forward but all of the sudden, his chest tightened. His breath came in short gasps and he was feeling hot and cold flashes. Jun grabbed the front of his shirt. It felt like there was no air in his lungs. He couldn’t breathe.

“Mi…”

Everything turned black around him, his knees gave out, and his body fell forward.


“Michiko! MATTE!”

Nino ran after her but she had a fairly good start. He lost her when she got on the elevator. He was waiting for the next one to come when Aiba came sprinting towards him.

“Nino! Did you finish it? I wanna see!”
“Aiba, go to the studio. Jun’s there.”

Even though he was angry at him, he also worried about him. Jun was, after all, an emotional person.

“Oh. But what about the surprise? Did he find out?”
“AIBA. Just go there now.”
“Uwa! Kowai. Okay, okay.”
“And hurry.”
“Hai hai.”

Aiba muttered something about why should someone younger than him boss him around while he ran towards the studio. Nino smirked and jumped into the elevator when the doors opened. When he got out to the lobby, he looked around but couldn’t find a trace of Michiko. He was about to walk out of the building when he received a message from Aiba. His eyes widened while he read it. Nino turned around immediately.

“Call for an ambulance NOW!”

He yelled at the receptionist before hopping back on the elevator.


The streets of Tokyo were bustling that night. Michiko walked briskly on the sidewalk, one hand clutched on her bag tightly while the other kept wiping her tears away. They kept falling faster and she couldn’t stop them. Some people stared at her while she passed by them but she didn’t care. She tripped a few times and the last time she did, it took awhile before she could get up. Her body slouched and all she wanted to do was to sob while people passed her but she had to stand up and keep moving. So she did but she didn’t know how long she could keep it up. Her legs felt weak and it was hard to see when the tears blurred her vision. She took out her phone and called Shun.

“Shun…”
“Can… you. Can you pick me up?”
“I… I’m…”

Talking and sobbing at the same time was quite difficult to do. She sounded like she was gasping for air.

“I’m… near… Johnny’s…”
“Dai. Dai. Daijou…bu.”
“Onegai.”

When light turned green, she crossed the street. She took a deep breath and tried to give him directions.

“I’ll stay at the bus stop near--.”

An alert rang signaling a message was received.

“Matte, Shun.”

She checked her inbox and saw that it was from Nino. Michiko hesitated before opening the message. But as soon as she read it, her body swiftly turned around and she ran back out unto the crosswalk.

“Gomen, Shun… forget what I --.”

Unto oncoming traffic.

A loud and long honk greeted her ears. Several screams were heard. And then a blind flashing light met her eyes when she turned her face to the right. Her body was hit and it slammed on the cement, the force knocked her phone off her hand. Blood trickled down her forehead while the scent of burnt rubber surrounded the air.

End of Chapter LXV

A/N - O_O

Thanks for reading everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. Here's to an awesome New Year to you all and especially to Arashi and Jun.

Do you have a resolution? ^_^

Comments are always loved!!!!

Chapter LXVI

Several distinct noises worried Shun. The continuous beep of a horn in the background, the panic-stricken shouting from an elderly lady, and the loud foot steps from someone who didn’t stay put for even a second. But what worried him the most was the non-existent reply from Michiko when he yelled out for her.

“Michiko?! MICHIKO! OI!”

A terrible feeling crept up his spine and he felt completely helpless. He didn’t know if he should hang up or continue to wait.

“Moshi moshi?”

An agitated voice spoke from the other line.

“WHO’S THIS?! Where’s Michiko?! What have you done with her?!”
“GOMENASAI! The owner of this phone got into an accident.”
“WHAT?!”

Shun ran out of his apartment with nothing but a pair of pants on. He didn’t even bother locking the door when he left.

“Someone already called the paramedics. They should be arriving soon.”
“WHERE IS SHE NOW?! Who’s looking after her?! Is she breathing? Is she conscious?!”

He tried his best to ask calmly, wanting to make sure that he gets the right information.

“I… there’s a few people around her. I don’t know if she’s… I’m sorry! I don’t know if she’s alive.”
“FUCK! FUCK!”
“I’m so sorry!”
“CAN’T YOU LOOK?! Please, I’m sorry. Can you please check for me?”

Shun pleaded. He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. When he pressed the brake pedal, only then did he notice that he didn’t have socks or shoes on.

“I can try. Hold on.”

About five minutes passed before he heard the other person’s voice again. He was already out of the garage and heading towards that area.

“She breathing! But she’s unconscious. But the ambulance is here!”
“What hospital?!”
“Hiroo. They should be taking her there. I’m sorry but what should I do with her phone?”

Shun quickly made an illegal U-turn.

“Give it to one of the paramedics. Tell them it’s hers.”
“Okay.”
“And thank you. Thank you for everything.”

No other thoughts entered his mind. His concentration was set on driving and getting to the hospital as fast as he could.


At Hiroo Metropolitan Hospital…

Four men gathered around a doctor outside a private room. A couple of security officers were manning the elevators for that floor. That section of the hospital was now off limits to the public.

“How is he?”

The calmest out of the four spoke. His eyes belied the stress that he was going through. Next to him, a red-eyed and sniffling Aiba held on to his arm.

“He’s going to be fine.”

A shaky breath escaped from their leader’s lips then he rested his forehead on Nino’s shoulder. The younger man gave him a hug and rubbed his back.

“He suffered a panic attack. This type of episode is usually abrupt and sometimes may have no obvious triggers. It is usually caused by sudden intense anxiety. Experiencing one is intensely frightening. Has this ever happened before?”

All four shook their heads no.

“If he had recently suffered a significant personal loss or any kind of change then it would be best to address it. Withdrawal from stimulants like caffeine or drugs can act as triggers as well.”

Aiba stared at Nino openly, his eyes begging for an answer. Nino looked away, a hint of guilt in his expression.

“Is it okay for us to go in? And when can he leave?”

Sho squeezed Aiba’s hand while he asked.

“You may go in now. He’s sleeping. And he can leave when he wakes up. Also, the nurse left his personal belongings on the table in the room.”

The four expressed their gratitude to the doctor then went in.


At the same hospital…

Shun sat with his head between his knees on one of the chairs outside the emergency room that Michiko was rushed in. He had just gotten there in time when nurses were rolling her in. Seeing her unresponsive and with blood on her forehead almost gave him a heart attack. And it still felt like he was going to have one. He was experiencing an uncomfortable pressure in the center of his chest and he was having trouble breathing. If he didn’t calm down, he might end up being admitted as well. So he tried his best not to think of the worse. He squeezed Michiko’s phone then straightened up and looked at it. She was definitely crying when she called him. And he remembered her telling him that she was near Johnny’s. Did she get into a fight with Jun? It would’ve explained how she absentmindedly crossed the street. When he heard the account from one of the paramedics, he got so pissed off at the driver who hit her even though it was Michiko’s fault, he should have paid more attention to the road in front of him. Anger was taking hold of him again and his fingers accidentally pressed one of the keys on the phone. The screen lit up and he saw the reason why she had ignored the traffic lights and simply ran out without any regards to her safety.

“JUN’S ON THE FLOOR UNCONCIOUS!!!!!!!!! WHAT DO I DO?!!!!!”

It was a forward from Nino. THAT IDIOT! Why couldn’t he have re-phrased the message?! It was obvious that he wasn’t the one who typed it. Whoever found Jun was the one who sent that message.

“GODDAMNIT!”

No wonder Michiko reacted rashly. He would’ve done the same thing if he had gotten the news in such a horrible manner. Shun was thinking of ways to disfigure Nino’s face when the ER doors opened and the attending doctor approached him.

“Are you the husband?”

To avoid further questions, Shun didn’t bother saying no and just nodded so he would tell him the results already.

“She suffered a concussion or MTBI, mild traumatic brain injury. Treatment involves monitoring and rest. The signs and symptoms may not appear immediately which is why she will need constant monitoring. And the symptoms can last for days, three weeks at most.”

If Jun’s in the hospital as well, who was going to take care of her?

“What kind of symptoms should I look out for?”
“The two most common concussion symptoms are confusion and amnesia. Other immediate signs and symptoms may include headache, dizziness, ringing in the ears, and nausea. Some symptoms that don’t appear until days later are mood swings, sensitivity to light and noise and sleep disturbances.”

She was definitely going to need constant supervision.

“What are the treatments available for her? And when can I take her home?”
“She’ll have to stay for at least a day. We want to make sure that her concussion level is not severe. As for treatments, rest is the best recovery technique. For headaches, she can take any painkillers except for aspirin.”
“Is that all?”
“She’s very lucky. No broken ribs or fractures. Aside from the head trauma, just a few cuts and bruises. Once she’s in her room, you can go see her.”
“Thank you.”

The doctor was about to leave when he turned back and noted Shun’s appearance.

“It would be best if you stay in tip-top shape so you can take care of your wife. So go home and put some clothes on. You don’t want to get sick, do you?”

Embarrassed, Shun rubbed the back of his head and bowed low. The doctor smiled and stopped a passing attendant.

“Nurse, give the man some slippers.”

Shun curled his toes and bowed again then muttered his thanks to the nurse. Once he got the free slippers, he went directly to his car and hurriedly drove home.

cont...

Aiba held Jun’s hand while he slept. He would occasionally release a
sob to which Sho would respond to by squeezing his shoulders. Ohno was
staring out the window while Nino sat on the couch with his head back,
wondering why Michiko hadn’t replied to the message or called him yet.
Was she that hurt and mad that she couldn’t show her concern for Jun?

They
had been waiting for him to wake up for almost three hours now and the
doctor had come to check on him a couple of times. Aiba had fallen
asleep next to Jun’s arm while Sho sat on the chair next to him,
reading the paper. Ohno was on the couch next to Nino and he was
holding his hand. None of them said a word within those three hours
that they waited, even Aiba who kept glancing at Nino. But there was
really nothing to say. There was only a lot of thinking to do. Why did
Jun suddenly experience a panic attack? What was the trigger? How come
Michiko wasn’t there with them? The last question bothered Nino a lot
more than the others. And yet he knew that even if she wanted to be
there, she couldn’t just slip in through the security. They wouldn’t be
able to sneak her in either. But she could’ve called to let him know
that she knew and that she was waiting for news about his condition.
What was keeping her from contacting him? What could be more important
than knowing what had happened to Jun? Before Nino could contemplate on
the possible answers to his questions, his thoughts were interrupted by
the sound of Sho’s newspaper falling to the floor. When he looked at
the bed, he found Jun sitting up and staring at the sleeping Aiba. Sho
stood up and he went around the other side of the bed.

Jun
tore his gaze away from Aiba and scanned the room. He had a confused
look on his face until his eyes met Nino’s. His expression changed and
it was bitterness that replaced confusion. Nino couldn’t help but feel
a twinge of remorse even when he had no reason to feel like he did
something wrong.

“Jun? Daijobu?”

Sho asked, not noticing the tension between Jun and Nino.

“Where are my clothes?”

He didn’t bother reassuring Sho and simply wanted to leave. Michiko was hurt and he needed to talk to her.

“Maybe you should stay here for a couple more days. Just to make sure everything’s okay.”

His eyes narrowed.

“I don’t want to waste any more time here.”
“You just recovered from a panic attack. Take it easy.”
“If don’t go now, I will end up getting another one so please, just give me my clothes.”

Ohno
let go of Nino’s hand as if he knew what was transpiring between the
two. Nino got up and took Jun’s clothes from the table then placed them
on the foot of the bed.

“Nino! What are you doing?!”

Sho protested and his loud voice woke up Aiba.

“JUN!”

He climbed on the bed and gave the youngest member a tight hug. Jun’s face softened and he hugged him back.

“Daijobu. I’m sorry I worried you.”

He looked at Sho then Ohno.

“Gomen. But I’m okay now and I need to take care of something.”
“Is it Michiko? What happened?! She was supposed to be at the studio, too! Where did she go?”

Aiba’s
concern was etched on his face while he frantically asked the group.
The recollection of what had happened that led to his current state
made Jun jump out of bed. He grabbed his clothes and went to the
bathroom to change. In the room, everybody’s eyes were on Nino.

“It was all a big misunderstanding. He walked in on me and Michiko.”
“That’s it?”

Sho
knew about Nino’s feelings for her but he had seen how they interacted
with each other and nothing showed any hint of inappropriate behavior.
Nino didn’t flirt, he may joke around a bit but all of his jokes were
taken lightly by Michiko.

“What were you two doing?”

The question came from Ohno.

“We had just finished the project and Michiko… well, she was really happy.”
“I can imagine.”

She
always expressed her emotions freely and sometimes they were
interpreted incorrectly by other people who didn’t know her. Sho
thought that Jun wouldn’t be one of those people who would misconstrued
her actions.

“All she did was hug me and kiss my cheek.”

Aiba opened his mouth to speak but Sho threw him a glare that silenced him.

“This is not the time to count points.”

Nino
couldn’t help but smirk. From the day they started the project, Aiba
had somehow included him in his crazy competition against Shun to gain
the most Michiko points. He had asked him if there was an ending date
or a total number of points that they had to reach but he just laughed
and bragged about how he could never beat him. Nino was about to
wittingly reply when the Halo 3 theme song played on Jun’s phone.
Before he could reach it, the bathroom door flew open and Jun hurriedly
took the call.

“Babe?”

There was anguish on his face,
Ohno noticed. It was a rare expression for him, he thought. Unlike him
with his usual blank look, Jun displayed a lot of emotions even when he
tried to suppress them. It was the reason why him and the other members
- although not so visibly shown - were protective of their youngest.

Aiba
was troubled by the way Jun was gripping on his phone. He absently
reached out his hand. Sho sighed and took it. Of all of them, he was
sure that Aiba was affected more by the recent events. It was in his
nature to worry and be sensitive to everybody’s feelings.

“What is she saying?”

Sho asked finally but Jun’s eyes suddenly widened.

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME, SHUN! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”

His
outburst caused a stir. Aiba fell out of the bed and Sho had to help
him up. Ohno and Nino walked briskly towards him, wanting to know what
was going on but were afraid to ask.

“I’ll be right there!”

No explanation was given. He sped out of the room.

“Jun, your shoes!!!”

Aiba yelled out.

“What’s going on?!”

Sho had his hands on his hips, distraught at the fact that he was clueless.

“I’ll call you guys when I find out anything.”

Nino ran out and followed Jun.


There
were a few cuts and scratches on the left side of her face where the
cement scraped her when she fell. A small spot of blood soaked the
gauze that was on her forehead where the hard ground hit her. Her body
was starting to ache, the painkillers must be wearing off. And the
concussion she suffered had caused something terrible. She only found
out an hour ago and had yet to tell anybody about it. Maybe it would
resolve itself before anybody had a chance to find out, she thought. It
could be temporary. She didn’t really want to dwell on it because there
was something more important to her than her own condition. Was Jun
okay? She needed to know badly and had asked Shun to call Nino about
it. He left the room to make the call and it was an agonizing wait for
him to come back. What was taking him so long? Unless Nino wasn’t
picking up his phone. OH GOD! What if Jun was in a critical state?!
What if…

“Michiko?”

She heard footsteps and she turned her face to the direction of the sound but was afraid to open her eyes.

“Shun…”
“I…”
“Kazu? Did you call Kazu?”

Jun
clenched his teeth. He was right behind Shun when they both entered the
room. How could she ask about him?! It was a mistake for him to come
here. Why did Shun call him when she was asking for Nino?! He turned
around with the full intention to leave.

“No, I didn’t but…”
“NANDE?!! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO JUN?!”

Her
cry stopped him in his tracks and when he turned to look at her, she
was on her side with tears falling from her closed lids.

“Michiko, calm down. Jun’s okay. I called him.”
“Why did you do that?! Shun, you didn’t tell him that I’m here, did you?!”
“Well… I thought you’d want him to know… and shouldn’t he know?”
“No. NO. I can’t… see him.”

Jun
cringed at her reply. There was a sudden ache in his heart and for a
moment, he thought he was going to suffer another panic attack. He
moved closer to the bed, he wanted to crawl in next to her and pretend
that everything was okay. That nothing happened between the time he
arrived in Tokyo to now. When he neared the bed, she sat up, laughing
quietly. What was funny?

Her eyes opened and she looked straight
at him but… something was wrong. Jun waved his hand in front of her and
she didn’t even blink.

“I can’t see.”

End of Chapter LXVI

A/N - Jun has recovered. Michiko hasn't. What will Shun and Nino's role be in the next chapter? And is it over for Jun and Michiko?

Thank
you for reading!!! WOW, it's a New Year!!!! 2009!!! 14000 views! Thank
you all!!! I love all the comments. 2008 has been wonderful because of
you all. Arashi fandom is awesome!!! I hope that 2009 will treat us all
kindly ^_^ And I'm sure it will be an awesome year for our Arashi and
most especially Jun.

One of my resolutions is to try and finish
a chapter within 2 hours O_O That's not happening... LOL. I shouldn't
procrastinate. Hmm, be more healthy. Work out often. Take risks. See
the brighter things in life. Just be more active.... LIVE!!! ^_^ Oh I
should update My Beloved... soon XP

Chapter LXVII

This was another prank, ne? Her and Shun were messing with him again, ne? It couldn’t be true. She was joking. She had to be. But the glassy look on her eyes told him different. This was reality. Jun took a step forward then reached out and touched her face. Her eyes closed and he brushed his thumbs over her lids. Now that he was this close, he noticed the scratches, the cuts, and the bruises on one side of her face. He winced at the sight of blood that stained the bandage on her forehead. He was about to lean down and kiss the top of her head when her hands went on top of his. Did she know it was he who was in front of her?

Michiko was comforted by the mere touch of his hands. His gentleness oddly surprised her and something inside her stirred when she heard the sound of his breathing. It seemed like he was trying to control it. She traced his fingers with hers and noted how they curved and felt the smooth surface.

Wait. It can’t be. It’s not Shun.

Jun watched her stop and slightly back off before she let one finger slide down his right middle finger.

Her suspicions were confirmed. She felt the cold metal ridges that she expected to be there. A sigh of relief escaped her lips without her knowing. She didn’t want to see him but at the same time, she was so relieved to find him there.

“Yokatta.”

He was well enough to stand and walk. He was okay. Now she that didn’t have to worry about him, she can concentrate on worrying about herself.

“Michiko…”
“Hontou ni yokatta… but please… leave me.”
“I can’t do that.”

She took his hands off her then scooted back.

“I don’t want to see… you.”

She smirked at how ridiculous that sounded.

“Michiko, please.”

Couldn’t he just hold her?

“I don’t want you near me.”
“You don’t mean that…”

He knew he deserved it but he couldn’t accept it.

“Do you?”

It was so easy to give in and let him comfort her but she couldn’t forget all the things that he had said to her. The accusations were fresh in her mind and they stung. After all that they had been through, how could he have thought of her in the most despicable way? She never intended for him to feel betrayed but somehow her actions had done just that. Was it her fault then? No, she shouldn’t think that but what was she supposed to think? And why was he here now? She wasn’t sure if she should be happy that he still worried about her. In any case, she didn’t want to think about that problem at the moment. Now that she knew that he was fine, she should find out if she was going to be blind forever.

“I mean it, Jun. I don’t have the strength to argue with you so just leave me alone.”

She didn’t see the pained expression, the regret for his actions and words, or the need to make everything right again. Shun did and he was speechless. Jun must have done something awful for Michiko to turn him away like that.

“I’m not going to argue with you.”
“You’re the last person I’d want to comfort me.”

He flinched at the harshness of her words.

“Can’t you give me a chance to explain?”
“I wanted the same chance before, remember? But you didn’t want to hear it. Well, I don’t want to hear your explanation either. Get. Out.”
“I am NOT--.”

Shun grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

“You don’t want to aggravate her. She needs her rest.”
“Don’t interfere, Shun.”
“I’m only looking out for what’s best for her. Right now, it’s not you.”

When Shun knew he was right, he made sure everyone knew and Jun could only stare back at him, not wanting to relent but knowing fully well that he should.

“What’s going on?! God, I hate this!”

Both men turned to look at Michiko. She was distressed and on the verge of tears. Shun pulled on Jun’s arm again. He shook his body away from his grasp and walked towards the exit, pausing to look back once before leaving the room.

“I asked what’s going on!!!”
“He’s gone.”

A numbing ache took hold of her and she wished the accident had taken away her memories instead of her eyesight because remembering his smile was not the same as seeing it. And with how things were developing between them, with how the bad times were suddenly outweighing the good times… it was only normal for her to feel scared. She was afraid that she had reached the point where a sacrifice was needed and it was time for this chapter in her life to end.

It didn’t take long before Nino finally found Jun slumped against the wall, sitting down with his knees up and staring at the door across from him. Nothing could have prepared him for the desolation that shrouded his body and the helpless look that he gave him when he looked down and met his eyes. There were no more bitterness, no accusing glare… in their place, a pleading request.

“Tasukete.” (Help.)

That one word tugged at his heart and almost brought him to tears. Nino rarely cried. Even the most heart wrenching RPG endings didn’t move him but seeing Jun like that was enough to make him blink back the waterworks that threatened to spill. He looked powerless and so unsure of himself. That was not the Matsumoto Jun that he grew up knowing and admired. It made him angry.

“Get your sorry self up. You brought this upon yourself so you better find a way to fix it.”

He lowered his head down and his shoulders started to shake.

“Why didn’t I listen to her?”

Nino sighed. He wanted to yell at him for being so pathetic but couldn’t do it.

“There’s no use in asking why and thinking of what ifs. What’s done is done.”

He knelt in front of him.

“Get yourself together. Are you not the Matsumoto Jun that Michiko fell in love with and moved to Japan for? Are you not the same person she stuck with through all the scandals and rumors and unreasonable fake relationship?”
“You don’t understand. She made up her mind. She doesn’t want to be near me.”
“And why should she after what you accused her of?!”
“Are you trying to help me or make me feel worse?”
“I’m doing both.”
“She doesn’t want to see me. She can’t see me!”
“What are you talking about?”
“She’s… blind.”
“WHAT?!”
“She’s fucking blind, okay?!”

Michiko was blind?! It took several minutes for him to fully comprehend what Jun said.

“I’m waiting for Shun for the news. The doctor just went in.”

Nino stood up and stared at the closed door, anxiously wondering what the doctor could be telling her right at that moment.


“This rarely happens.”

The low timbre of the physician bounced off the white, sanitized walls of Michiko’s room. She was lying down while Shun stood next to the bed and held her left hand.

“Blindness was never one of the symptoms or results of a concussion. Even the worst head traumas don’t usually cause this unless the actual eyeball was knocked out of the socket. To which reconstructive surgery was the solution. But that didn’t happen in your case. Both eyes are intact and positioned correctly. Which is why it baffled me.”

Michiko squeezed Shun’s hand. Surely, it was a very bad sign when a doctor was baffled.

“Bafflement aside, doctor. What were the results of the tests?”
“Ah.”

She decided then that she needed a new doctor.

“We did an MRI, MRA, and several ophthalmic scans as well. After taking a look at the results, it seems like the possibility of optic neuritis is high for you.”

Shun was getting impatient.

“And what is that exactly?”
“Inflammation of the optic nerve. The most common etiology is multiple sclerosis but rest assured, you don’t have MS. Other causes include viral-bacterial infections. So you see why I am baffled. Although your optic nerve could have been inflamed during the head trauma… certainly, nothing like that has happened before in my entire medical career.”

She definitely needed a new doctor.

“Am I permanently blind?”
“Oh no, no.”

WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?!!!

Michiko wanted to cry out and beat the living shit out of him.

“Optic neuritis causes blindness for over one to four days and in most cases, resolves, that is, your visual functions return to normal within three to six weeks.”

Three to six weeks?

“Did you say three to six weeks?”

Shun asked what Michiko was thinking.

“Yes.”
“Is there any type of treatment?”

She was still in shock, both from the relief of it being temporary and the notion of living without her eyesight for at least three weeks.

“I can’t prescribe you with corticosteriods because of your concussion. Although it’s supposed to quicken the healing of the optic nerve, there weren’t really any significant effect when it was compared to a placebo.”

Which meant there was no fast remedy. She would have to inform Ken right away. And then, she needed to figure out where or who she was going to stay with for more than a month. Traveling to New York was not an option. She didn’t even want to tell her parents about it. Jun… he was leaving for Hawaii in two days. But even if he didn’t have to go, she couldn’t stay with him after what happened between them. And because of what happened, it would be awkward to stay with one of his friends. Maybe Momiji then?

“Can you leave me and wife alone to talk?”

Wife?!

“Sure.”
“Oh and where’s the attending physician who took care of her in the emergency room?”
“Dr. Hamasaki? I’m not exactly sure. Would you like to speak to him? I can page him for you.”
“That would be great, thank you.”

When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she quickly turned her head to where she imagined Shun’s face would be.

“I don’t remember a wedding, much less a proposal.”
“They assumed and I didn’t really want to complicate things.”
“Being married to your friend’s girlfriend doesn’t sound complicated to you?”
“They don’t know that. Anyway, why are we talking about this? You’re leaving the hospital tomorrow…”
“I think I’ll--.”
“You’re staying with me.”

A blind woman was glaring at him. It was sort of disconcerting.

“You need monitoring not only because you can’t see but also because of your concussion. Dr. Hamasaki already explained the signs and symptoms to me in detail.”
“How are you going to take care of me when you’re busy as hell?”
“Don’t worry about that. I already have a plan.”


The next day, Michiko stood in the middle of Shun’s living room while Shun, Aiba, and Sho moved in and out of the apartment. They brought in her luggage and other personal items inside the bedroom and bathroom. Shun’s plan involved four babysitters. Aiba, Sho, Ohno, and after a lot of arguing, Nino. Jun didn’t particularly like the plan because he was not a part of it but he couldn’t do anything about it either since he was leaving the next day and wouldn’t be back until a week or two later. He wanted to help her move as well but Shun advised him not to come. Knowing Michiko, she would somehow sense that he was there. Jun sulking was not a pretty sight. Ohno volunteered to keep him company while Nino devised a plan to cheer him up. That proved to be difficult since every idea he came up with always called for Michiko’s presence.

“Are you guys done yet?”

She tapped her foot impatiently on the hardwood floor and crossed her arms. Was his plan really going to work? Shun had read to her everybody’s schedule while they were in the hospital. Aiba was in charge on Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings while Sho got Thursdays. Ohno was available on Fridays while Nino was to take care of her during Saturdays. And even though Shun was basically swamped, he made Mondays and Sundays available for her. Obviously, he was also going to be home every night if he could, if work permitted.

“Mi-chan, do you want to lie down on the bed?”
“It’s okay, Ki-kun. I’ve been lying all day at the hospital.”
“But what if you get dizzy? Shun said that’s one of the symptoms.”

Shun made sure everyone knew what they needed to watch out for and Aiba was the most worried. He wasn’t sure if he could do a good job taking care of her and used the example of his pet hermit crab that died on him after only two days with him. She had laughed and reassured him that unlike the crab, she would complain if anything he did bothered her.

“If I start getting dizzy, I’ll let you know, okay?”
“I’m over here, Mi-chan.”
“Even if you say that, I still don’t know where ‘over here’ is.”
“Oh.”

He flicked a finger on her forehead.

“OI! That’s not fair! I can’t retaliate!”

She stretched her arms in front of her but Aiba pulled back, grinning. Sho passed by and smacked him on his head.

“Don’t provoke the handicapped.”
“It’s the only time I can!”

Aiba complained.

“It still doesn’t make it right. Michiko, do you want to sit down?”
“Sure. Can you get me a glass of wine?”

Shun heard and gently smacked her head when he neared her.

“Who did that?! Ki-kun!!”
“IYA, that was Shun! He gets a demerit for that! NE?! Minus 1 point!”
“Shun?!”
“Yeah, it was me.”
“How can you hit a person who is suffering a concussion?! Seriously!”
“Then don’t ask for liquor again.”
“The doctor didn’t say anything about prohibiting alcohol.”
“Well you’re still not having any unless you get a written consent from him.”
“How am I suppose to get it?!”
“Beats me.”

That glare was supposed to be for him again but she was looking directly at Sho. It was possible for her to look like she posed a threat even when he knew she was as dangerous as a fly. The most she could do was annoy the hell out of him.

By the end of the day, the men were able to move any type of hazardous objects around the apartment and organize all her belongings. Aiba and Sho left for the night. Shun had convinced Michiko to sleep early and she was now in his bed. That was when he let Jun in.

“She’s in the bedroom. Remember, she’s blind, not deaf.”

He nodded and quietly entered the room. Jun took a seat on the chair that Shun had left for him next to the bed. He was not content at just watching her but it was not possible for him to touch her. She slept, her body facing his direction. He sat there memorizing her features, aching to kiss her and hold her in his arms. Regretting everything that he did and said that hurt her. Wishing he could turn back time. Hoping that she would eventually forgive him and wanting her to take him back. Tonight of all nights, he desperately wanted to tell her how much he loved her. If only he had told her already before. If only he hadn’t waited. Maybe it could have made a difference.

End of Chapter LXVII

A/N - It's temporary of course ^_^ I'm not really good with drama so I don't want to go overboard with something that I'm not good at LOL.

Michiko's staying with Shun and has Arashi taking care of her while Jun will be in Hawaii with Mao. What happened to the surprise? I guess we'll never find out what it was? Will Jun ever know about it? When will Michiko get her eyesight back? And will she forgive Jun? Or is this the end for our couple?

Thanks for reading!!!! Comments are always loved.

BTW, gomen ne for not updating as ofen as I used to. Real Life is taking it's toll on me. Those who are on my F-List on LJ should know what's up. Thank you for your continued support.

Chapter LXVIII

It was Friday morning around 8AM when Michiko opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above that she couldn’t see. She imagined the navy blue paint but even picturing it out was difficult. Today it didn’t matter whether she woke up early or late because everything around her was black. The sun’s rays could be streaming through the draperies, the wind could be blowing the fabric back and forth and she wouldn’t know but did it matter anyway? Did it matter that nothing around her had changed? Nature was behaving the same way. People were going about their business. Jun was on a plane to Hawaii. Life continued while she lay still… awake… alone… in the dark, with only her thoughts and dreams to accompany her. And she dreamt last night. She dreamt of him. It was so vivid… it felt so real. Jun was beside her in bed, he was hugging her from behind. His lips were on the back of her neck and he kept whispering to her how much he loved her. In her dream, she was happy but too scared to turn around to face him. Afraid because if she opened her eyes, she would not find him there. Much like now, there was just a big space of nothing in front of her. Her hand flew towards her chest and she felt her heart beating steadily. She was still breathing… alive… and not nailed shut inside a coffin. But it felt like she was trapped. Michiko regretted lying and turning Jun away. Deep down she knew that he was the only person who could’ve comforted her. It was too late now.

“Michiko? How long have you been awake?”

Shun’s voice came from her left side.

“I just woke up.”
“Sou ka. I’m leaving in a bit. Just stay in bed until Ohno-san gets here.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it, Michiko. Don’t attempt to feel your way around. He should be here soon. I already gave each of them duplicate keys so don’t be alarmed when you hear the door open.”
“They have copies?”
“Of course. It’s impossible to share one key. And I can’t wait for them to arrive before I can leave for work.”
“That makes sense.”
“Don’t stress. Take it easy.”

She felt his lips on her forehead. He was supposed to stop doing that.

“I promised Jun I’d take care of you.”
“Thanks, Shun. Don’t forget to eat breakfast.”

He smiled and ruffled her hair.

“I’ll pick something up on the way. Ja.”

A couple of minutes later, there was complete silence. Michiko prayed for Ohno to arrive soon but after less than five minutes of waiting, she was going crazy. Pushing the blanket off her, she sat up and combed back her long hair. She badly needed a haircut. Her layers had grown out and Jun had teasingly complained about them strangling him at night.

“Fuck.”

He crept into her thoughts again. Even when he was not around, he was being sneaky. Michiko shook her head and swung her legs towards the edge of the bed.

“Gomen ne, Shun.”

She carefully got up; her hand searching for the dresser that she knew was to her right. When her fingers touched the wood, she held on to it and slowly walked forward. If she kept going straight, she would eventually reach the wall but soon, she would have to walk without the support of the dresser. It happened sooner than she expected. Her arms shot up and she moved one inch at a time.

“This is ridiculous.”

She was going nowhere at that speed.

“Don’t be a fucking pussy, Michiko!”

She took a deep breath then strode forward, still with her arms up. Four long strides later, her fingers bumped into the wall. She flattened her back and splayed her palms on it and then, like a ninja, she stealthily sidled. It would’ve been quite a hilarious sight to behold, unfortunately, there was nobody around to laugh. That thought urged Michiko to keep at it until she found the door.

“Of course he closed it.”

She grumbled at Shun’s safety measures.

“Where’s the damn knob!”

All of the sudden, the door opened without even a knock as warning. It hit her forehead and she stumbled back. Her butt hit the floor hard.

“THE FUCK!”

Ohno’s eyes slightly… very, very slightly widened at the spectacle in front of him. Michiko was rubbing her forehead and glowering up at him as if she could see him but it wasn’t her expression that caught his eye. It was the fact that her legs were spread apart and she was wearing loose shorts. He felt like he just committed a crime. Maybe he should call Jun later and apologize.

“TOSHI! Is that you?!”
“No?”
“What are you doing?! Help me up! Can’t you see I’m blind?!”

Blind and irritable, he thought while he stretched out his arm and pulled her up to her feet.

“Ano, what should we do now?”
“My butt hurts.”

She didn’t expect him to do something about that, did she? Ohno peered behind her and hesitantly reached out then quickly pulled his hand back.

“Toshi?”
“Umm…”
“Just take me to the bathroom for now.”
“Okay.”

He held on to her elbow and guided her to the bathroom. Michiko tried to remember where everything was located.

“So where’s the toilet? Is the seat down?”
“The seat is down.”
“Alright. I guess you can wait for me outside. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done so you can show me where my toothbrush is.”
“Be careful.”
“What’s the worse that could happen?”

And that set the theme for the weeks to come.

The peeing IN the toilet on her first try was not a success. It would’ve helped if Ohno mentioned that not only was the seat down, so was the cover. The fact that Michiko didn’t actually place her ass ON the seat and simply hovered on top, would explain the puddle on the tiled floor. She only discovered the spilling mishap when the warm liquid made contact with her foot. Panicking at the humiliating situation she was in, she scrambled to find the toilet paper and quickly wiped herself then dropped a whole bunch of sheets on the floor where she hoped her pancake-smelling urine was. If one were to ask her about the smell, she’d simply blame it on the IV at the hospital.

“This can’t be happening.”

She grudgingly dipped her toe on the area where she dropped the sheets on and felt the absorbency factor. Sighing, she took off her shirt and placed it on top of the sheets. With her foot, she mopped. When she was satisfied with the dryness of the floor, she pondered on how she was going to face Ohno when she was half-naked.

“Michi, daijobu?”
“HAI. Chotto matte.”

There should be towels hanging somewhere. She groped around until she felt one then wrapped it around her.

“K, Toshi.”

The door opened and a bewildered expression fell over Ohno’s face.

“What happened to your shirt?”

Michiko pretended not to hear. He looked around and found it on the floor then he noticed something else.

“Why is the seat cover wet?”
“I have no idea. It wasn’t wet before?”

Her face was turning red.

“Maybe there’s a leak somewhere… ANYWAY… Can you get me a shirt from the bedroom? Thank you.”

She was obviously dismissing him so he did what he was asked of and left her. Seconds later, he was back.

“I don’t know where your clothes are.”
“I don’t know where they put them.”
“The closet?” / “Closet maybe?”

Ohno left again and came back, still empty handed.

“Not in there.”
“You would think that’s where they’d put them, ne? If they had any common sense.”
“Ah-hai…”
“Well, give me one of Shun’s shirts. Then we’ll call Aiba or Sho for the location of mine.”

For the third time, Ohno went to the bedroom. This time, he carried back a black shirt and handed it to Michiko.

“I’ll be done in a sec.”

She closed the door and hurriedly changed then dropped the towel on top of the toilet seat cover.

“K, I’m done.”

The door opened and Ohno stared at the towel on the seat cover and Michiko’s shirt on the floor.

“Umm. Can you put the towel and my shirt in the hamper? It should be in here, ne?”
“Okay.”

He gave both cloths a peculiar look then gingerly picked each one up with the tips of his fingers then dropped them both in the hamper nearby. A weird scent wafted by his nostrils when they flopped inside.

“Pancake?”

Michiko squirmed uncomfortably at his great sense of smell.

“Is that what we’re having for breakfast?”

She tried to stir the conversation away from her embarrassing secret as she hoped it would remain a secret for the rest of her life.

“Huh? Oh. Iya. I should start cooking, ne?”
“Hai. I’m starving.”

Stirring of conversation was a success. Ohno led her down the hallway and towards the living room.

“You can sit on the couch while I cook.”

Michiko stopped.

“I don’t want to sit down and wait. I can help somehow, ne?”
“I don’t know…”
“Just give me something easy to do. I’m sure there’s something.”
“Shun specifically told us to not let you lift a finger.”
“Oh come on! I need something to do. Everything else on my body works!”
“Yeah but you can’t even see anything on your body.”
“Pleeeeeeeeeeease?”
“I don’t know…”
“I’ll give you a massage later.”

His muscles had been stiff lately.

“We’ll watch the fishing channel together, that is, if Shun has it. If not, I’ll order it myself.”

Everybody knew of his passion for fishing that it was constantly used as a bribe. And he never complained about it.

“Okay.”

Michiko was led to the kitchen counter. He positioned her away from the stove and next to the refrigerator. Ohno then moved the knives block to his side and made sure there weren’t anything else around that was sharp. He then took a bowl from the cupboards and placed it in front of her.

“Here’s a bowl.”

He put her hands on the bowl then opened the fridge and took out the ingredients he needed.

“What am I doing with the bowl?”
“Beat some eggs.”
“Oohh. Omelette?”
“Just scrambled eggs.”
“Okay! Where’s the eggs?”
“I’ll crack them for you.”
“No, no, no. I’ll do it.”
“I’ll put them in another bowl then.”

Ohno placed the second bowl right above the first then showed Michiko where it was. She looked down and explored the inside of the second bowl. Her fingers bumped into the eggs and she carefully picked one up. Then, she searched for the top outside edge and used it to crack the egg on then poured the contents inside the first bowl. Ohno watched as she repeated the steps three more times. When she was done, he cleaned up the discarded shells then handed her chopsticks. He seasoned the eggs with salt, pepper, and poured a little bit of milk before she started beating them.

“Go ahead with what you need to do, I’m fine over here.”

He took that as his cue to turn the stove on low and place a skillet on it. After which, he started chopping the other ingredients for the egg.

“What are you doing there, Toshi?”
“Jun says you like onions and tomatoes in your scrambled eggs so I’m chopping those.”

Memories of Jun cooking for her at the cabin flooded her head causing her to stop what she was doing.

“He showed me how to cook spaghetti so that’s what we’re having for dinner.”

A bittersweet smile tugged the corners of her mouth.

“Did you know that he puts pepperoni in his spaghetti? Okashii ne?”

When Ohno didn’t hear any reply from Michiko, he turned and found her hand poised in mid-air. Some of the beaten egg coated the chopsticks and slowly slid down to its tip unto the counter top. The expression on her face was troubling. The only way he could explain how it looked was through his odd analogy. It was a cross between feeling a bite on the fishing pole and letting a big one escape.

“Doushita no, Michi? Daijoubu?”

She bit hard on her lower lip to stop it from trembling. It didn’t seem like Ohno knew what happened between her and Jun. Or maybe he was just tactless…

“Daijoubu.”
“Ah, yabai!”

A lot more of the egg dripped on the counter. He took the chopsticks away from her then wiped the mess with a paper towel.

“Yappari, it’s better if you just sit and wait.”

Thinking of Jun was exhausting so Michiko nodded and allowed him to take her to the couch where she leaned back and rested her head. It amazed her how the simplest action like closing her eyelids made a big difference now that she was blind. It used to give her the comfort of shutting out the world. But everyday was going to be like that now. Everyday was going to feel like she was not part of the life around her.

“Ne, Michi. Do you want me to put the eggs on top of your rice and in a bowl? It’ll be easier for you to pick on it.”
“Sounds good.”
“And Jun said, you should use a spoon.”

cont..

Him again. She pulled her feet up and sat cross-legged. It sounded like
Jun made sure Ohno knew exactly what she liked and what was good for
her. Sure enough, it made her miss him. That stupid, ignorant,
possessive, over-jealous bastard was making her miss him. She wondered
what other devious ploys he had prepared for her and exacted via his
little minions.

“Here you go.”

Here was one of them now.

“What else did your Master tell you?”

Ohno blankly stared at Michiko. After three long seconds, his lips parted a centimeter and he replied.

“Huh?”
“I meant Jun. What else did Jun tell you?”
“Oh.”

She heard him blow air on - she presumed - the food before emitting a lazy, “Aaahhh.”

“Satoshi-kun, I can feed myself.”
“Jun said it’s better if I did. Just imagine that it’s him doing it.”
“Did he say that as well?”
“No, but I figured you’d want to do that.”
“Well, if you want to do it correctly… Jun doesn’t say ‘Aaahh.’”
“The ‘Aaahhh’ is to let you know it’s coming since… you can’t see it coming.”

That made perfect sense. But she didn’t want to imagine Jun nor did she want to be fed like an infant.

“Give me the bowl.”
“Yes Ma’am.”

That one line brought back naughty flashbacks.

“Did he… never mind.”

Breakfast was good. Ohno though, after a discovery, was feeling down.

“Gomen ne, Toshi. I’ll get Shun to order the channel so that by next Friday, it’ll be available. Okay?”

She could only imagine what his face looked like.

Pure disappointment.

Probably.

No.

Most likely.

No.

Most definitely.

“I can still give you a massage?”

But
he didn’t want it anymore. He didn’t want to do anything at all. So
they both sat on the couch the whole day staring straight ahead… seeing
nothing - literally for her and for him… well, it wouldn’t surprise her
if he felt the same way. Michiko didn’t mind too much, it allowed her
time to think of the recent events even though it would better for her
if she avoided thinking about them, mainly because it stressed her out.
There were so many questions that needed to be answered but the most
important one was… could she forgive and forget?

One would think
that hours of doing nothing would be boring. Though her legs would
suddenly feel numb once in a while, a few stretches took care of it.
And aside from that, nothing else bothered her. Ohno didn’t speak. She
wondered what he was thinking about. It seemed like daydreaming came
naturally for him and he could probably go on till next the morning
like that. It wouldn’t surprise her either if he had fallen asleep next
to her.

“What happened, Michi? Jun and Nino are keeping quiet.
All I know is that Jun found you and Nino in the studio together. There
was a misunderstanding and you left. Then Jun had a panic attack.”
“A panic attack?”
“That’s what the doctor said.”

Then she was the reason.

“It happened right after you left…”
“Then it was my fault.”
“Iya, I’m not implying that.”
“It’s okay. It’s the truth.”

An awkward silence befell them.

“He’s the reason you got into an accident.”
“No. That was my fault, too.”
“Stop thinking like that.”
“Satoshi-kun… can I ask you a question?”
“What is it?”
“Have you ever felt like… like I was coming on to you?”
“Eh?”

Maybe he was not the right person to ask. He could be a bit clueless at times.

“What do you mean?”
“In all the times that we’ve… interacted with each other… did I appear to flirt or hint that I liked you more than a friend?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Just answer the question, Toshi.”

Ohno’s
brows furrowed as he thought about it. Flirting… that would be like
talking and acting in a romantic or sexual manner, ne?

“Well?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.”
“Did Jun say something?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t help but worry, Michi. Contrary to what people believe, I don’t think about fishing the whole day.”

Michiko’s hand flew to her mouth and acted like she was shocked at his revelation.

“Very funny, Michi.”
“Then what else do you think about?”
“A
lot of things. But lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Jun.
Sometimes he acts older than he is, than I am. He’s a person who knows
what he wants and he goes for it. He rarely shows his insecurities but
we know that he is constantly trying to make himself better. Which is
why Jun performs his best when he is encouraged and complimented. He
craves the attention to a fault sometimes. When he is reassured, he is
happy. It is when he feels like he doesn’t have control over something
that stresses him out.”

She knew what Ohno was trying to say.
She had been too busy preparing the surprise for him that she had
forgotten to call and see how he was. His reaction to that first
article about Shun and her should have alerted her of how he was going
to take the other articles written up after the Gala. She just assumed
that he wouldn’t have access to them since he was out filming all the
time. Still… his words were too harsh that night. But at least now she
knew what had pushed him to say them.

“I was really happy when you planned out the surprise for him, Michi.”

But
the disc was gone. And they weren’t able to make a copy for him to take
to Hawaii. Burning another one was far from their minds after what
happened anyway.

“About that… he doesn’t have it.”
“Eh?”
“Nino only burned one copy and Jun… he broke it in half.”
“I see.”
“Toshi…”
“I’m going to start dinner.”
“Can I help?”
“What’s the worse that could happen, ne?”

Shun
was greeted by the sounds of squealing and laughing from Michiko while
a reprimanding Ohno lectured her about how cleanliness was next to
godliness. Curious, he immediately went to the kitchen where he found
cooked and uncooked pasta on the floor, on the counter and some
dangling on Michiko’s hair. She also had some spaghetti sauce splatter
on her face and clothes. When he got closer, he saw one pepperoni stuck
on her left temple. Her and Ohno appeared to be fencing with his
kitchen utensils. She was holding a metal thong while Ohno defended
himself with a ladle and used a pot’s cover as his shield.

“Once I defeat you, I shall lay waste to your kingdom of cleanliness.”
“HA! Threats from someone as blind as bat doesn’t scare me.”
“You underestimate my other senses. They are enhanced because of my lack of vision.”
“You overestimate yourself. You’ve only been blind for two days.”
“Ignorant fool. I assure you that two days are enough.”
“Pompous
bastard. If you could see yourself right now, you’d know that you’re
facing the wrong direction and that if I were not merciful, I could’ve
struck your heart already.”
“You lie! Your voice is clearly coming from in front of me.”
“That’s
what you think! I am using a device that is deflecting the sound of my
voice to the direction that I wish you to think I am at.”

Shun stifled a laugh before interrupting their little medieval stage play.

“By device, are you talking about that pot cover, Ohno-san?”

Ohno swiftly turned around.

“Oguri-san!” / “SHUN!”
“The kitchen’s a mess and so are you, Michiko.”

He
walked over to her, passing an embarrassed Ohno who placed the ladle
and cover down before making a beeline for the bathroom.

“Satoshi-kun
is really good in stage plays. I’ve never seen any of them but when I
get my sight back, I’m going to make sure I attend one if he has any…”
“I’m in one. You don’t want to come and see me?”
“Uh. Of course I’ll go.”

Shun
took the thong away from her then contemplated on licking the sauce of
her face. Ohno wasn’t around but he wasn’t sure if Michiko would mind.
What was he thinking? Of course she’d mind. That was not an action a
friend would do. So instead, he wiped her face clean with the hem of
his shirt.

“You weren’t supposed to be cooking. Look what you’ve done to yourself.”

He plucked the pasta off her hair and picked up the pepperoni stuck on her then popped it in his mouth.

“Don’t tell me you ate it?!”
“Umai.”
“Ew! It’s been stuck on me for awhile!”
“Michiko flavoring… mmm.”
“If you were hungry, you should have said so. We are having spaghetti for dinner.”
“That would explain the pasta on the floor and the sauce on you.”
“Well, I’m sure Toshi set aside the actual meal.”
“Good, because I’m not going floor diving for food. And you don’t have enough sauce on you to cover a single pasta.”
“I should change…”
“Need any help?”

Michiko felt strange. There was something about Shun that was bothering her but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Michiko?”
“Oh, just umm take me to the room so I can get my clothes. And I can change in there.”

Dinner
went by smoothly. The spaghetti was delicious but Jun’s was
exceptionally better. He must have known that Ohno couldn’t duplicate
his cooking and that inevitably made her aware of the difference in
taste and caused her to miss him yet again.

After dinner, Ohno
left. Shun took a shower while she stayed in bed pondering what the
next day would bring. It was Nino’s turn and he was the perfect person
to ask about whether what Jun accused her of held water. But there was
also Shun to ask and yet she was hesitant.

“Would it bother you if I told you that I’m walking around naked right now?”
“SHUN! Seriously!”
“I’m just kidding.”
“You better be.”
“So it would bother you.”
“If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t it bother you as well?”

Certainly not. It would frustrate him though, knowing that she was naked and he couldn’t see.

Ever
since the accident and realizing the state of Jun and Michiko’s
relationship, Shun had let his thoughts about her run wild. He freely
acknowledged his feelings for her and if he wasn’t careful, it might
dangerously leak out in conversation.

“Why should it bother me? Not like I could see you naked.”
“But the thought of it…”

The thought of it would drive him crazy. Is that how she would feel?

“You’re thinking too much.”
“There’s nothing much I could do but think.”
“What are you talking about? You cooked today.”
“Do you know what we did before that?”
“I can’t imagine.”
“We--.”

Jun’s ring tone filled the room.

“Are you answering that?”
“No.”

Shun felt sorry for Jun and picked up the call.

“Gomen ne, Jun.”
“You answered it?!”

Michiko yelled out after hearing Shun.

“He wants to talk to you.”
“DUH! That’s why he called. I don’t want to talk to him.”
“She said she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

She frowned and pulled the covers over her head.

“Michiko, he said you don’t have to talk. He just wants you to listen to him.”
“I don’t want to hear his voice!”

It was a lie.

Shun lifted the blanket and looked at her thoughtfully.

“You can’t keep avoiding him.”
“Give me the phone.”

He handed it to her.

“Jun, I’ll talk to you when you come back. Until then, leave me alone.”

She ended the call right away.


“Michiko, I need--.”

Jun
stared at the screen of his phone. Call ended. It might as well have
replaced ‘call’ with ‘life’ because that was what it felt like.

“OUJI!”

Three loud knocks came from outside the hotel room’s door.

“Filming starts in a few minutes!”
“HAI! I’m coming…”

Determined
to cut his stay in Hawaii short, Jun purposely strode out of the room
with the full intention of making every take perfect. That way, they
could finish the shooting sooner than expected and he could fly back to
Japan… back to Michiko.

End of Chapter LXVIII

A/N -
It's the start of the babysitting chapters! I'll try to incorporate Jun
in there but don't expect too much of him. When will Michiko get her
sight back? What was it about Shun that was beginning to bother her?
Will Shun end up confessing while Jun is gone? Will Jun be able to wrap
up the filming in less than 2 weeks?

Thank you all for reading
and continuing to support this fanfic. Updates might be once a week for
now. My Beloved might not get updated as often. But I will try my best.


As always, I love reading your comments It keeps me
motivated (^_^)V I appreciate the time you guys put in in typing them.
Arigato gozaimasu!

I am..... well you know how I feel since I've been yelling at you for the last 7 chapters!

I am so not ever ever ever going to be behind with any of your updates!

YOU HEAR?!

*picks up hockey stick*

but i still love you and your fic.
but i really miss Jun =(

Underlined words = English.

Chapter LXIX

I wanted to hear his voice…

“Of course you did, you fucking dildo! But no, you had to fucking lie. And for what? To show that you didn’t care?”

But I do care.

“You didn’t act like it for sure. What if he wanted to explain himself… if he wanted to apologize… why didn’t you just let him?!”

Because I’m an idiot.

“You had to be a drama queen, huh? You just had to prolong the misery.”

I may really be a DoM.

“And now, he might not call you again! You have no choice but to wait till he gets back from Hawaii!”

Unless I call him.

“Maybe I should call him…”

Michiko sighed. No, she shouldn’t call him. If she did then he’d think it was that easy for her to forgive him. But maybe that was the truth. Maybe it was easy for her to forgive him. It had only been three days but she couldn’t stand being mad at him for that long. Even when he really, really, really hurt her feelings. Even then… It was not fair, she thought. She was entitled to be mad. She should be allowed to make him feel bad. He should suffer.

But I miss him so much.

“I know. Believe me, I know.”

Today it wasn’t the waiting that was making her go crazy. It was the inner voice in her head that was making her feel guilty and making her realize that Jun meant way too much to her to simply cast aside. The antagonizing arguments with herself lasted for at least two hours. Michiko finally stopped when she heard the front door open.

“Oh Thank God! Kazu?!”

Michiko stood up and quickly turned to where the door was. She had taken three steps forward before she remembered that her eyes weren’t working.

“What are you doing walking around?!”

He looked at her incredulously before setting his backpack down and pulling her back to the couch. Ohno had warned him about her restlessness and need to be active but he didn’t think she would actually try to roam around the room without supervision.

“How did you get here?”

To the visually-equipped, the distance between the living room and the bedroom was not far but for someone lacking vision, it was.

“I am blind not crippled.”
“Why couldn’t you stay in bed and wait for me?”
“Because I was bored out of my mind.”
“I’m telling Shun.”
“I don’t care.”

Stubborn as heck. Nino sighed then grabbed his backpack.

“Did you bring your DS?”
“No, I left it at home.”
“You did not!”
“If you weren’t going to believe me, why’d you ask the question?”

She folded her arms across her chest and frowned at him.

“It’s a valid question.”
“You already knew the answer.”
“So?”
“So why ask?”

She started tapping her foot impatiently as if she was waiting for him to do something.

“Michiko, sit down and relax. Did you have breakfast yet?”

Nino pulled out a laptop and set it down the coffee table.

“Give me your DS.”

He turned the laptop on then stared at her.

“You’re kidding me right?”

Her face showed that she was serious.

“Are you going to let me help you cook breakfast?”
“No.”
“Then hand me your DS.”
“No.”
“Then hand me something sharp that I can kill myself with.”
“No.”

He was really annoying her.

“Fine. I’m not having breakfast. I’ll be in bed contemplating the mystery of life and why I’m stuck with an asshole today.”

She turned to her right and started walking. Nino quickly grabbed her arm then pushed her down. Michiko reached out and clutched unto his shirt, pulling him down with her as her butt landed on the couch. Nino’s arms stretched out and his palms hit the back of the couch to prevent himself from body slamming into her.

“Listen to me. I am part of the reason why you ended up like this. So just fucking behave and let me make it up to you.”
“Kazu…”
“I don’t know what I was thinking when I forwarded you Aiba’s message. Shun was right. It was my fault.”
“No, it’s not. I walked into oncoming traffic.”
“Right after you read the message.”

It was hard to convince people who have already made up their mind. It was best to not argue with him, for now. But she still wanted the DS.

“Okay. I’m not going to bug you about cooking but please, can I borrow your DS?”
“You are unrelenting. How are you going to play?”
“Do you have any fighting games? I’ll just button smash.”
“You are not button smashing on my DS.”
“Oh come on. I’m not going to break it.”

She deserved to have some kind of fun, right?

“Alright.”
“Thank you. And umm, I wanna play in the kitchen while you’re cooking.”
“Of course you are. What made you think I was going to leave you alone with my DS?”
“Don’t be jealous. It’s not going to like me better.”

While Nino prepared breakfast, Michiko sat on a stool playing Jump Ultimate Stars. She was being quiet and that allowed him to think of a way to get her and Jun speaking again. He thought it would be easy seeing as Jun already admitted his mistake and was willing to do whatever it takes to be forgiven. But the problem was Michiko. She refused to talk to Jun until he came back to Japan. That would be more than a week from now and it was not even definite. By then, it might be too late. What if she decided that the relationship was not worth the pain? That maybe she didn’t really have a future with him. That his insecurities were too hard to handle. What if she gave up on them? He couldn’t let that happen. He was not going to let that happen. But first things first, even though Jun realized that what he did was wrong, he had yet to fully admit his feelings for her… at least, not vocally. It would be a tremendous accomplishment on their side if he made it known to her. And he knew exactly how to coax him into a confession.

“Kazu! Kazu! Am I winning?! I think I’m winning! Look, look!”
“Can’t you see…”
“I can’t! That’s why I’m asking you to look for me!”
“No, I was going to say, can’t you see I’m busy…”
“Well, I still can’t! Come on! It’ll only take a second. Whatever you’re cooking is not going to burn! You’re cooking pancakes, right?”
“Oh-chan said you wanted some?”
“Not… really but that’s fine AND PLEASE COME AND LOOK!”

Nino rolled his eyes upward then walked over to her.

“Why are you using Tezuka from Prince of Tennis?”
“What part of -I can’t fucking see- don’t you understand?”
“Point taken.”
“I would chose Kenshin but I doubt you’ve unlocked him yet.”
“I was too busy trying to unlock Kyuubi Naruto.”
“Excuses excuses. ANYWAY, am I winning or what?”
“You were dead the minute I came over.”
“USO!”
“Give it up, Michiko. You weren’t good when you had your vision, what makes you think you’d improve without it?”
“It’s called faith.”

Blind faith. He stifled his laughter.

“Just admit that you suck.”
“One more word and I’m dropping your precious.”
“You wouldn’t.”

She would and he knew it. That was how she was and that was why he needed to act fast. If Michiko ended up sticking to her decision of leaving Jun then there was a big possibility that not a single soul on this planet could change her mind. He just hoped that she hadn’t thought about it as much as he had.

It didn’t take long for Nino to finish cooking and soon they were seated in the living room enjoying their pancakes.

“Bananas…”

He heard her speak softly, her lips curling into a small smile. It looked like his other plan was working. He would’ve known yesterday but Ohno’s observational skills were dull so he failed at noticing the subtle changes in Michiko’s expression whenever something he did or said made her think of Jun. It was during the day that she moved into the apartment when he had proposed the plan to Jun. It was simple really. Trigger the memories that would make her miss him. Very simple, ne? He interrogated Jun all day long then wrote down every gesture, word, experience… anything that they could use to make her remember. Jun was wary at first and also shy about telling him all those stories about them. But the more he talked about her, the more animated he got and eventually, he was totally comfortable with sharing all the information that he needed. Hearing Jun reminisce made him all the more determined to save the relationship. There were couples who had been together for years that couldn’t compare to what existed between those two.

“What did you say, Michiko?”
“Nothing. These are good pancakes…”
“I’m glad you like them.”

That was an understatement. When she tasted the bananas, she almost cried. She had cooked the same recipe for Jun once. It was the day she learned about his “weakness” to her sitting on his lap. It was also the same day he had punched Shun for trying to kiss her forehead. And the same day he took her on their first official date. Michiko stuffed her mouth with some more pancakes, praying that her chipmunk cheeks masked the look of longing on her face when she remembered the night they came home from the date. Little did she know that Nino had already caught a glimpse of it and he was very pleased with himself.

“So. What did you want to do?”

Breakfast was over and they had the whole day in front of them.

“Go out.”
“Hmm, let’s see… No.”
“Why not?”
“You have a concussion, Michiko.”
“I am not experiencing any of the symptoms.”
“What if it happens while we’re out?”
“That’s why I have you.”
“I’m telling you now that I’m not very good at running away from paparazzis and carrying a blind woman at the same time.”
“We don’t have to go out OUT in public.”
“Where do you propose we go?”
“The lobby.”
“Eh?”
“I need fresh air.”
“I’ll open a window.”
“Kazu.”
“Michiko. It’s too risky.”

She didn’t want to sit and stare at nothing again.

“Okay, okay.”

He couldn’t stand the sad expression on her face.

“There’s a park near here.”

She squealed happily.

“But once we’re there, we’re sitting down on a bench and that’s it. No walking.”

That meant she was still going to end up sitting and staring at nothing but at least it was a change of environment. There would be new sounds, scents, and fresh air.

“I need to change clothes and brush my teeth and umm, pee.”
“Not all at the same time I hope.”

She shot him a look that could’ve killed an average unsuspecting target but good for him, he was neither.

“To the toilet,” she commanded. It was like de ja vu.

After Michiko made sure that the seat cover was up, she planted her ass on the toilet. Forget hovering. It was a disaster last time. She learned her lesson and was glad that Ohno didn’t ask further questions about the shirt, the towel, and the smell.

“On the subject of smell…”

She took a sniff of herself. Hmm, not bad. Not stinky but she should take a shower soon. The last time she had one was before she met up with Nino at the studio. As soon as she thought of that night, Jun’s face surfaced in her mind.

“NO!”

She stood up and flushed. He was not going to invade her thoughts like that. Wasn’t it enough that his minions were reminding her of him constantly?

“Michiko, are you okay in there?”
“HAI.”
“Then what’s taking so long?”
“Shut it, Kazu! You try peeing in the dark!”
“My aim would be perfect. Kan-pe-ki. (Perfect)”

The door swung open and Michiko’s annoyance was shining brightly in her eyes. It still bothered him how they look normal even when they weren’t functioning.

“Um, did you brush your teeth?”
“Not yet.”

She held out her hand and so he steered her towards the sink then scanned the area for her toothbrush. There was no way he could miss it. Shun had written her name on the handle with a red marker. Next to her name was a little heart. Nino frowned at it.

“Toothbrush?”

Shaking the suspicious thoughts that crept to his mind, he took the toothbrush and generously spread toothpaste on it before handing it to her. He watched her brush her teeth and resisted the urge to pull her hair back so as that they wouldn’t get in her way.

“Jun called me the other day.”

Her brushing movement stopped for a split second when she heard what he said.

“He misses you a lot.”

She continued without looking back or stopping again.

“He’s working really hard so that they could finish the filming earlier.”

Her heart started pounding erratically.

“He still wants to call you, Michiko. He wants to hear your voice.”

She fumbled for the faucet. Water gushed out and when she lowered her head to rinse her mouth, tears fell from her eyes.

“Can’t you forgive him?”

Michiko straightened her back but didn’t make a move to face him, instead, she asked…

“Can you leave me alone for a few minutes?”
“Michiko, if you need--.”
“Just for a few minutes, Kazu. Please.”

Her voice was pleading and it came out as a whisper. He barely heard her.

“Okay. I’ll be outside.”

Nino closed the door behind him and regretted opening his mouth. He felt bad even though he thought that in the long run, it would help her deal with the problem. She needed to know what Jun felt and what he was doing to rectify the situation between them.

Michiko couldn’t breathe. The pounding in her chest was beginning to hurt. She knelt down and splayed her palms on the tiled floor. With her head down, she took long, deep breaths. Why were they doing this her? Why were they on his side? Well, of course they were supporting him. He was their friend. Then who was there to understand her? If Jun was miserable, well, so was she. She was more than miserable. She was downright devastated. How would they feel if the person they loved accused them of cheating and flirting with other people? The worse thing about that was HE WAS WRONG and he refused to listen to her. Over and over again she tried to find an excuse to forgive him. The one that continuously hammered her consciousness was the simple fact that she missed him. It was a good reason to just forget everything. But the more she missed him, the more she blamed herself for what he had done. If only she was less comfortable with his friends. If only she had girl friends who she could hang out with instead of guy friends. If only she had reassured him enough. Maybe if she was more like Mao-chan, this wouldn’t have happened. If only this, if only that. Still, when the day was over… it boiled down to… it was not her fault. And then she was mad at him again. But there would always be something that would remind her of him and again, she would start missing him. So the whole process would repeat itself. If that wasn’t torture, she didn’t know what was.

I should just forgive him and get this over with.

“Like heck you will.”

He misses me. I miss him. What’s complicated about that?

“You’re right.”

Of course I’m right.

“But… how could he?!”

Woops. Self-blame was skipped and she jumped right into anger.

“Michiko?”
“WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

She quickly stood up, turned, and opened the door.

“I…”

Dizziness came over her and she collapsed into Nino’s arms.

“OI! Michiko?! KUSO!”

She was unconscious.

End of Chapter LXIX

A/N - I couldn't end Nino's part in just one chapter for some reason. He is really giving me a hard time LOL. Typical Nino. Anyway. A bit of inner turmoil for Michiko. No Jun in the chapter. Gomen! GAAHH, I wish I can write a chapter in just one day. Seriously.

Thanks for reading!!! Comments are You guys are awesome!

Thanks for waiting and still supporting this fanfic. Enjoy!


Chapter LXX

It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was slowly dipping lower as it prepared to make way for dusk. The waves were crashing into the shore. It used to have a soothing effect on him but today, it didn’t bring him any comfort. As Jun sat on the beach, in the island of Hilo, he thought of her. Did she like the ocean? Would she rather frolic on the shore, take a swim or surf? Maybe she didn’t even like the water and would rather sit and play with the sand while she watched him ride the waves. She’d jump up and down to catch his attention then flash him one of her warm infectious smiles when their eyes meet. Did she have any beach fantasies that they could try? It wouldn’t surprise him if she did. A small smile formed on his lips. He’d bring her to the beach someday and find out himself.

“Matsumoto.”

Hopefully her vision was back when he returned to Japan.

“Jun?”

He looked up to find Mao was standing right in front of him.

“You were staring right through me.”
“Was I?”
“You were.”

She moved away from his line of vision and sat down next to him.

“What were you thinking?”
“I can’t wait to go back home.”
“Me, too.”

Taking a break from thinking about Michiko, Jun turned to face Mao.

“You miss Shun?”
“It’s true what they say, ne… You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone…”

He looked away and stared at the horizon.

“Yeah.”
“But you know what else they say?”
“What?”
“Giving up is for losers!”
“Eh? Who said that?”
“I did. Just now.”

She grinned at him. Jun couldn’t help but grin back. Her face then became serious.

“Starting today, I’m not calling you ‘Ouji’ anymore.”
“Sou ka.”
“Sou.”

Michiko would be happy to hear that. At least, he hoped she would be. He wasn’t supposed to talk to her until he got back but he wanted to call her now and let her know.

“Gomen, Mao-chan. I need to call someone.”
“Your girl?”

He nodded and she stood up, smiling.

“Will I ever get the chance the meet her?”
“Maybe.”

Her face crumpled into a frown.

“Why are you being so secretive?”

Jun pulled out his phone and showed it to her.

“Fine. I’ll leave you alone.”


If it wasn’t Jun, it was Michiko who was stressing him out. Nino took one last peek at her sleeping then shut the bedroom door behind him. When she fainted earlier, he panicked. The first thought that entered his mind was he’d be so dead if Jun found out that she ran into complications while he was on the watch. After he got over that, he quickly called her doctor. He walked him through what to do and was very helpful that it calmed him down. He had instructed him to check her breathing and her pulse, if any of them were irregular. In the end, the doctor let out a small chuckle and informed him that she simply fainted. Simply, he said. That sort of irritated Nino. But he didn’t express his displeasure and instead, asked what he should do. The doctor had told him that Shun should have the smelling salts that he gave him. He rummaged through the medicine cabinet and found them. It roused Michiko and she was a bit disconcerted when she found herself on the bed. Nino explained to her what happened and they both agreed that she should rest. The park would have to wait.

Michiko’s phone rang. Nino picked it up right away, assuming it was Shun returning his call.

“She’s okay, Shun. She got dizzy and fainted. The doctor said that I don’t need to take her to the hospital. She’s sleeping right now. I’m sorry I bothered you at work.”

“Michiko fainted?!”

That was not Shun’s voice.

“NINO!”
“Jun?”

Nino mentally cursed at himself for not checking the caller ID.

“What happened?!”
“It’s nothing bad. She simply fainted.”

He copied what the doctor had said; hoping that it would reassure Jun. Big mistake.

“SIMPLY FAINTED?”
“Yes. Don’t overreact. She’s fine.”
“SIMPLY FAINTED?!!”
“She’s okay. She’s sleeping right now.”
“Shouldn’t you take her to the hospital?!”
“No. The doctor said it was not necessary.”
“How would he know?!”
“Jun, HE’S THE DOCTOR!”

Nino yelled out his reply, exasperated with his attitude.

“Check on her again.”
“Jun. I said she--.”
“Have you gone deaf?! I said, check on her again!”

Damn! Jun was overbearing. Nino walked briskly towards the room then slowed down when he reached for the knob. He gently opened the door then approached the bed. Michiko was lying on her back with her arms up and her face angled to the right side. Her expression was peaceful. And she seemed to breathing evenly.

“Nino?!” An impatient Jun asked. “I told you she was sleeping,” he replied to him. He heard a loud sigh on the other line before Jun spoke again. “Do you know why she fainted?”

“No. But dizziness is one of the signs of a concussion.”
“How is she?”
“Hold on. I’ll talk to you once I’m in the living room. I don’t want to wake her up.”

He didn’t want to keep whispering to him so he left the bedroom and took a seat on the couch.

“She seems the same. But I think she’s trying hard to appear normal so that we don’t worry. She keeps insisting on helping out and pretends like her condition isn’t a big deal. She still gets on my nerves sometimes.”

Jun listened quietly.

“When I got here, I found her in the living room. And I knew Shun had left her in the bedroom. She also played with my DS and she actually convinced me to take her out to the park but she fainted before we could go.”

“You shouldn’t take her out.”

“I know. I felt bad though. She probably feels trapped in the apartment.”

“I can’t imagine what she’s going through…”

“She needs you here, Jun.”

“Did she ask for me?”

“No, but… I know she misses you. She’s just too stubborn to admit it to anybody.”

“Does she really? Miss me, that is…”

“It’s obvious, Jun.”

“That…”

Really made him happy. Jun rubbed his eyes, an overpowering swell was making him teary-eyed.

“Jun?”

“I’m here. I wanted to tell her something but it can wait. But tell her I called and…”

Nino heard him draw in a shaky breath.

“And that I… Tell her I… I…”

“You can tell her yourself when you get back.”

“I’m such an idiot.”

“That you are. Why aren’t you done filming yet? Hurry the #*$% up.”

“You don’t have to remind me.”

“I feel better when I do. Oh, expect a package from me.”

A package? Jun wondered what could possibly be that important that he had to send it to Hawaii instead of just giving it to him when he returned to Japan.

“Matsumoto!”

Mao waved for him to come over.

“Break’s over! We’re shooting the next scene while the sun is about to set! HAYAKU!”


Director-san watched carefully as both actors started the scene. He was very impressed with Matsumoto-kun’s delivery and overall performance. Every since they arrived in Hawaii, he had been determined and he put so much effort and heart into every take. He couldn’t help but notice how Inoue-san responded in kind. Both of them were amazing. It just showed how one’s attitude could influence the people around them.

“CUT!”

The director motioned for the two.

“That was perfect. Again, we’re done in one take. You two are saving us quite a lot of money.”

Both accepted the praise modestly.

“Matsumoto-kun. Whatever it is that is driving you… don’t let it go. I want to see more superb acting in the following days. Really, if you two keep this up, we could be done before Friday next week.”

That was six days from today. Six long days. But that was better than two or more weeks.

“Saa…”

Director-san’s voice cut through Jun’s thoughts.

“Let’s do the next scene.”
“Hai.”


A loud cry startled Nino out of his nap. It came from the bedroom. And there it was again. It was high-pitched and panic-ridden. He bolted off the couch and ran, all the while checking his watch. It was close to seven at night. He must have fallen asleep after talking to Jun.

“Michiko?”

She was sitting up, her hands covering her face.

“Michiko? What’s wrong?”

He got on the bed and touched her arm. She flung herself forward and unto his chest.

“Kazu, I can’t see! I can’t see anything! What’s wrong with me? Where am I?!”

What was wrong with her? She had forgotten that she was blind? Nino put his arms around her and rubbed her back.

“It’s okay, Michiko. It’s temporary.”
“What do you mean it’s temporary?!”
“Don’t you remember? You got hit and you lost your eyesight. But you’ll get it back.”
“Where’s Jun?!”

This was bad. She appeared confused or did she lose her memory? But wait, that was another symptom of a concussion.

“He’s in Hawaii, remember?”
“Oh…”

A few minutes later, Michiko let go of him.

“Oh.”
“Do you remember now?”
“Yes.”

And how she wished she didn’t.

“Are you okay?”
“I… I’m fine. Thank you.”
“What do you want for dinner? Sorry, I fell asleep as well and didn’t get to cook.”
“Anything’s good.”
“I can order for delivery? Is that okay?”
“Sure. That’s fine.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, Kazu. I’m okay.”

He didn’t quite believe her but he let it go.

“Just stay in bed then. I’ll be back after I order the food. Do you want the DS?”
“No. I’ll be fine. Just go and order already. It sounds like there’s an ongoing dogfight in my tummy.”

Nino got off the bed and headed out to look for a menu. But when he reached the door, he made a quick turn to face Michiko.

“By the way, Jun called.”

Her head snapped up and she looked towards his direction.

“He wanted me to tell you…”
“I don’t want to know.”
“He misses you.”
“Get the #*$% out.”

She grabbed the closest thing next to her and threw it straight his way. Lucky for him, it was a pillow. After dodging it, Nino shrugged and left. So Jun didn’t ask him to tell her that but he thought a little improvisation wouldn’t hurt. Apparently, he was wrong.


“What’s for dinner?”

Came the question when he led her to the living room after the food was delivered.

“Thai.”
“Sounds yummy.”

She took a whiff of the surrounding air.

“Smells yummy.”
“We’re having grilled pork and dumplings.”
“Oh, that…”

Reminded her of Jun.

Now she knew for sure. Nothing was a coincidence. Everything was planned from the very beginning.

“Smart plan. Was it Jun who thought of it? Or was it you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her pride told her not to eat but her stomach begged to be filled.

“Fine. Whatever. Give me my food.”

It wasn’t like missing Jun was going to kill her. She refused to be persuaded to forgiving by evil and unfair ploys.

“Why don’t you just admit it?”
“Admit what?”
“You miss your ‘babe’”
“I will do nothing of the sort.”
“Stop being stubborn.”
“I have principles.”
“Your principles’ not going make you happy.”
“Who said Jun will?”
“Me and everybody else who know you.”
“Pffft.”
“Watch it. You’re spitting out rice.”
“That was my intention.”
“How does Jun put up with you?”
“It’s not called putting up, it’s…”

Michiko stopped, aware that what she was about to say was going to prove him right.

Nino smirked. He smelled victory.

“It’s what?”

He pressured her to continue.

“Forget it.”

He snickered and stuffed a delicious dumpling into his mouth.

Damn that Kazu. Damn him to heck!

The rest of her sentence would’ve included the L word. She was thinking it and it should have remained in her thoughts because she was not in the right mind to engage in a battle of wits with him. Knowing she was beaten, Michiko growled at him while she chewed on a piece of pork. What else did that little devil plot against her?

“Mi-chi-ko.”

His voice gleefully dripped of purpose. Purpose to get on her nerves.

“What?”

Hers was coated with suspicion.

“I sent Jun a disc.”
“A disc?”

It took a full three seconds for her to realize what disc he was talking about.

“WHAT?!”

Nino thought he was safe from her wrath since she was blind after all.

A bowl came flying towards his chest.

For the second time today, Nino was wrong.

End of Chapter LXX

A/N - Whew, finally got to update again. This once a week updates is really annoying me LOL. Coz I want to update more than once! UGH! Anyhoo, will we finally find out what's in that disc? Next chapter: a worried Michiko, a worried Shun, and Aiba's turn. What of Jun? Not sure LOL.

Hilo - is a coastal town in the state of Hawaii.

Thanks for reading and as always, comments make me go OOOHHH! XP

YAY JUN! how i've missed him.

awee Michiko, i realize that he hurt you, but you miss him, and and and.... well I miss him so just tell him you love him and bring back the ecchi! *or H... which is always on my mind*

but i liked this chappie, i guess i shouldn't have worried about the whole Nino's turn part.

I'm happy that Mao-chan is going to try and get Shun back... now she'll stay away from my... i mean Michiko's Jun XP

...speaking of Shun... should I be worried about his turn?

WOW, an update!!! SERIOUSLY?! I got busy this morning HAHAHA.

Enjoy!

underlined words = English

Chapter LXXI

His body would be mangled beyond recognition and that was being merciful. But mercy was not in her vocabulary. So after she was done rearranging his body parts, she was going to douse him with gasoline then light him up like a bonfire. Then she was going to toast marshmallows over his burning flesh. Ah, the smell of a dead Ninomiya Kazunari. Michiko rubbed her palms together and snickered evilly while Nino looked on with dread. He borrowed one of Shun’s shirts after the bowl of rice hit him square on the chest. The impact was so hard that it created a crescent indent. There was no way he could’ve dodged it, he thought. Tonight, a lesson was learned. Never underestimate a blind, angry woman especially when that woman was Michiko.

“I don’t see why you’re so mad about it. It was your idea in the first place.”

Lately, she had been glaring a lot even when she couldn’t direct the glare at the right direction. It was oddly surprising how she could aim rather well when she was throwing stuff but miss when it was a simple glower. For the object that was feeling her stare was the wall and not the person sitting next to her.

“The plan was to give him the disc before he left Hawaii but due to recent events…”
“He broke the fucking disc, Kazu.”
“Which was why I had to make another one.”
“You shouldn’t have. After what happened, I don’t want him to see…”
“How you feel?”

What was in the disc revealed everything that she felt. She had allowed herself to be vulnerable and it was a risk she wanted to take because she knew that he needed to know.

“I don’t believe that what Jun did that night completely changed how you feel.”
“Sometimes all it takes is one small change.”

Doubt and mistrust. Many a relationship ended because of those two.

“Michiko, after he watches the disc…”
“He’ll what? It’s not like I don’t know that he’s sorry. Even if he hasn’t said it--.”
“That’s because you won’t give him a chance to say it.”
“An apology is not going to make me forget.”
“Who said you have to forget? All you need to do is forgive.”
“I still don’t understand why you sent the damn disc. It’s not going to change anything.”
“Trust me on this one, Michiko.”

Jun needed a little push in the right direction and Nino was sure that the disc was going to shove him to where he needed to go.

The front door opened around 10PM. Shun found Michiko and Nino staring each other down. He was beginning to regret his decision of putting Arashi in charge for one whole day. If only he could take her with him to work but he couldn’t take care of her when he was working. Nino got up quickly and left without saying goodbye to her. That was strange, he thought, but he didn’t ask what was wrong. Tomorrow was Sunday and he was off. There was plenty of time to talk then and on Monday as well.

“You already ate?” She asked after feeling his weight on the space next to her.

“Yeah. You?”
“Dinner was smashing.”
“Good to hear. You’re feeling better then?”
“He told you about that, huh?”
“Sorry I couldn’t be here.”
“Don’t be sorry.”
“Do you want to go to bed?”
“Actually… I need to shower.”

It would’ve been a lot easier if Jun was here. He could simply shower with her and she needn’t worry about where the shampoo was or the body wash or how to add more hot or cold water. But he wasn’t here. Shun was. Besides, even if Jun was here, she wouldn’t ask for his help.

“I’ll have to stay in the bathroom with you.”
“Okay.”

Shun pushed the frosted sliding glass to the side and turned the shower on. He adjusted the temperature until the water was warm to the touch. Then he placed her shampoo, body wash and scrub next to the sink. Michiko waited behind him, clutching the towel to her chest. She had already stripped off her clothes in the bedroom and wrapped herself with the towel that Shun gave her. After he was done preparing, he took her elbow and guided her to the shower.

“Stick out your arm.”

When she did, she felt the water streaming from above.

“Is it warm enough? More hot or cold?”
“It’s good.”
“Okay.”

The sight of Michiko in only a towel was making his blood rush into one specific area. While he tried to control himself, he picked her up and placed her inside the tub. She was about to take the towel off her when he realized that he hadn’t closed the glass yet.

“Matte.”

His heart was pounding fast when he slid the glass close.

“Ano, where should I put the towel?”
“Umm, hand it over.”

He faced the other way when he opened the glass again. Michiko stuck her arm out and he took the towel from her. Shun sat on the toilet seat with the fabric on his lap.

“Ahh. This feels good.”

He swallowed hard.

“Can you hand me the shampoo?”
“Hai.”

Shun left a small opening on the sliding glass so he could easily hand her what she needed. Before he turned around, he caught a glimpse of her silhouette and he had to suppress a groan.

“So do you have an update for me?”

Michiko asked while she shampooed her hair.

“An update on what?”

He was glad they were making conversation. It would distract him from fantasizing over her.

“On your unrequited love.”
“Oh.”

But he didn’t like the topic she chose.

“Well? Have you at least told her?”
“I can’t.”
“You’d feel a lot better if you did. And she will have a chance to reject or accept it.”
“I already know her answer.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I just--.”
“Body wash and scrub please.”

Shun grabbed them then turned to find her smiling face behind the opening. After she took them from him, he slid the glass close.

“What were you saying before I interrupted you?”
“Uh.”

He couldn’t think straight.

“Have you been seeing her lately?”
“Everyday.”
“So you two are close.”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Then her boyfriend is a friend of yours, too?”
“Yes.”
“I see your problem. Are you afraid that if you told her how you felt, things would change between the two of you?”
“Yes.”
“It’s inevitable.”
“Which is why I will never tell her.”
“But what if she can deal with it?”
“How would you react?”

Michiko paused mid-scrubbing and thought about it. If she found out that a friend of Jun was in love with her, how would she take it? Would she feel awkward and not want to see that person again? Or would she try to work something out between them where they could still be friends and not be uncomfortable towards each other? If Jun found out, he was definitely not going to like it. But she wouldn’t want their friendship to end because of her.

“If I were… if you were the woman I’m talking about…”

If she was the woman he was in love with? If it was Shun who confessed to her… Michiko prayed that she was wrong but it felt like he was giving her hints. He couldn’t possibly be talking about her all this time, right? Even when he shared it reluctantly, he still told her about it. One would think that she’d be the last person he would confide in about it. So, it was definitely not possible, ne? She must be imagining things.

“Michiko?”

But she had been noticing subtle gestures from him. Sometimes the way he reacted to certain situations didn’t fit within the boundaries of friendship.

“Forget I asked. You should finish up soon or you’ll turn into a prune.”

She should be glad that he was trying to change the subject but it made her all the more suspicious.

“Shun…”

She owed him an answer.

“If it was me, you’d already know what I’d say. There can never be an us. Even though right now, the future is a bit blurry for me and Jun, you of all people should know how I really feel because you’re the only one who I really confide in. And that’s why I don’t want to lose you.”

He was grateful that she was completely honest with him. Regardless of how his heart was breaking at that moment, he was thankful.

“Ahhhh. If only you were her, Michiko. I wouldn’t have to worry too much.”

That sounded very convincing or maybe she chose to be gullible.

“That’s too bad, eh?”
“Yeah but hey, I’m rather happy it’s not you. I don’t think Jun would let me live if he found out.”

He heard her chuckle softly.

“Are you done?”
“Yeah. My skin is probably all wrinkled by now.”
“Then it’s a good thing you can’t see.”

Sunday and Monday flew by fast and without a problem. Shun managed to keep his emotions in check and acted like nothing had changed between them. Michiko was able to persuade him to add the fishing channel and they ended up watching it together. Well, he watched and described what he was watching while she listened. Fishing seemed fun and they both agreed to go out and fish with Ohno when she got her sight back. There were so many things that she wanted to do and see when she was back to normal. But it disheartened her that Jun might not be with her for all of them. The reason being was not that they’d break up but that he’d be too busy like always. That, she could at least admit to herself. But Nino was right about her missing him and not wanting to admit it anybody. So a few times she tried to open up to Shun but she ended up chickening out every single time. By Tuesday morning, she was emotionally exhausted. Not only from intensely missing Jun but also from keeping it to herself. Aside from that, the talk she had with Shun last Saturday, remained simmering in the back of her mind. Hopefully, Aiba could cheer her up today.

He truly didn’t disappoint her.

It was mid afternoon when Aiba cleared the bedroom of any hazardous objects then stood in the middle of the room, grinning from ear to ear.

“Shiodome Aibaland! Or in short?!”

He waited for Michiko’s response.

“Umm… AiLand?”
“More enthusiasm please.”
“AiLand…” She said in the exact same tone.
“Maa, that’s fine.”
“What exactly is the game?”
“Slow motion tag!”
“Umm, Ki-kun. I can’t play that game.”
“Nande?”
“Hellooooo, I’m blind.”
“Hellooooo, Aiba Masaki desu!”

Michiko burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, nothing. Okay. What are the rules?”
“I brought some props for the game.”

Aiba put on a helmet on Michiko. On top of the helmet was a paper plate with a ping pong ball balancing on it. He explained to her that she could not let the ball fall off the plate. After he put his own helmet on, he announced that they should janken to see who was “It.”

“Don’t cheat, Ki-kun!”
“I would never!”

She picked rock while Aiba chose scissors.

“Ah!”
“Did I win?”
“I won. Paper.”

He obviously lied.

“So then?”
“So now Mi-chan, you have to catch me!”
“This is really unfair, you know.”
“I thought you’d say that so I came prepared.”

Aiba hummed while he took out a black handkerchief from his back pocket.

“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to blindfold myself.”
“EH?!”
“OKAY, I am ready. Are you ready? Catch me if you can.”

He backed away and turned around then started walking away. His arms shot up and he flailed them around.

“UWAAH! I can’t see!”
“BAKA!”
“UWAAH, Mi-chan! How do you do it?”
“Ki-kun, where are you?!”
“I don’t know! It’s dark!”

Michiko was headed the opposite way of where Aiba was. She bumped into the bed after a few strides.

“Oh no! What if the ball fell? How would I know? How would you know?!”
“Forget the ball. Just catch me!”

Once the “keeping the ball in place” was discarded, she quickened her steps and roamed around the room.

“UWAH! UWAH!”

He was constantly bumping into furniture and the wall.

“Being blind is scary, Mi-chan!”
“Tell me about it. And tell me where you are!”
“NO WAY! I don’t know where I am anyway.”
“Just keep talking then.”
“AHHH, I know your strategy now.”

cont...

Aiba kept quiet but once in awhile he’d cry out when his fingers or
knees or toes end up touching something solid. Michiko laughed every
time she heard him cry or gasp out when he was startled. Eventually,
she caught him. She heard his feet shuffle pass her and so she
immediately reached out and grabbed him.

“KYAAA!”
“Got you!”

He took off the blindfold.

“Wow. How long did it take you to find me?”
“Seemed like hours, ne?”
“Ne! Okay, my turn?”

Michiko
grinned. He’d never catch her and she was right. Aiba admitted defeat
after a few minutes passed. They both flopped on the bed, tired from
laughing and walking and flailing their arms about. In a matter of
seconds, both fell asleep.

Shun arrived that night and found them in bed together. He felt a twinge of jealousy and woke Aiba up right away.

“Can’t I stay here tonight? I’m in charge again tomorrow anyway.”
“Only till 4PM, right?”
“Yeah, I have an interview at night.”
“I guess it’s better if you stayed.”

Before Aiba could snuggle next to Michiko, Shun pulled him up.

“We’re sleeping outside.”
“But, but…”
“Do you want me to tell Jun?”
“No.”

He grumbled but stood up and left the bedroom. Shun leaned forward and kissed Michiko’s forehead before following Aiba out.


No one could have predicted what happened the next day.

It was heck.

Shun
left the same time like always and Aiba prepared breakfast. He was in
the middle of cooking an omelet rice when Michiko showed up in the
kitchen, one hand on her forehead.

“How did you get here?!”
“I have a headache.”

He lowered the stove’s setting then checked on her.

“Your eyes are red. You didn’t sleep well last night?”
“I keep waking up every few minutes for some reason.”

She
was having nightmares. All of them involved Jun. Either he got into an
accident or he ended up cheating on her. Also, she dreamt of him
repeating his accusations to her. It was horrible.

“Why don’t you sit down here.”

He pulled a chair out and sat her down.

“I’ll be done with the food soon. Then you can take a pill for your headache.”
“Can’t I take it now?”
“No, you need to eat first.”
“How about milk? Can’t I drink that and then take a pill?”
“Hmm. Okay.”
“Thanks.”
“But after breakfast, you’re going back to bed. No Aibaland today.”
“Aww.”

She
thought she was going to feel better after she ate but she was wrong.
As soon as her head touched the pillow, she felt nauseated. Good thing,
they made it in time into the bathroom. Michiko vomited her breakfast
and Aiba was saddened to see the food he cooked flushed down the
toilet. She could’ve camped right in there because she kept vomiting
for hours, on and off. Finally around noon, it stopped. But her head
was still aching and it was irritating her. It was not a migraine
though because if it was, it should have stopped when she stopped
puking. The pain relievers didn’t work and by 2PM, Michiko was in very,
VERY bad mood. She ordered poor Aiba around non-stop and he was too
nice to complain.

“I need to brush my teeth.”
“It’s too hot in here.”
“Now it’s too cold.”
“You’re supposed to prop a pillow under my feet.”
“You call that a massage?”
“Sing, damnit, SING!”

She finally realized what she was doing to him when she heard him sniffle. Why was she taking it out on him?

“Gomen ne, Ki-kun.”
“Iya. Daijobu.”
“I’m being an ass to you. I don’t know why I feel so annoyed.”
“You’re having mood swings probably. A concussion can do that.”
“Eh?”
“It’s on the list of symptoms that Shun handed to us.”
“Oh.”
“So don’t worry about it. It’ll pass.”
“It’s almost time for you to go.”
“2 more hours.”
“I just have one favor to ask then.”
“Okay.”


The phone rang but Jun was in the bathroom.

“Moshi moshi.”

Michiko frowned at the woman’s voice on the other line.

“Is Jun there?”
“Who’s calling?”

She was tempted to reply with, “his girlfriend.”

“Just tell him it’s Michiko.”
“Michiko?”
“Hai.”
“Yoku Michiko?”

Eh? How did she know her full name? Wait… was it…

“Why are you calling him?! Aren’t you happy with Shun?!”

It was Mao.

“Where’s Jun? Can you just please give him the phone?”
“I can’t do that.”

Her gripped on the phone tightened and she replied with a hiss.

“Why not?!”
“He’s taking a shower.”

She was in his room?

“Then I’ll wait till he finishes.”
“Sorry but we’ll be busy when he’s done.”
“What?!”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said--.”

Michiko hung up.

Mao stared at the phone. “Eh?”

Fifteen minutes later, Jun came out of the bathroom, dressed.

“God, you take longer than I do to get ready.”
“Did Director-san call?”

Jun lifted his eyebrow at Mao holding his phone.

“Ah-hai. We better go.”


It
was a bad idea. The worse she came up with to battle her headache,
irritability, and jealousy. Aiba refused to give in at first but she
was persistent and eventually, he broke down and gave in. And after he
did, that was the last she saw of him.

Shun hurried home. He received two strange messages from Aiba.

I’m so sorry. Please don’t tell Jun.

And.

Where are you? I can’t take it anymore.

Did
he leave Michiko alone? Granted, he was late. Actually, he was
extremely late. It was close to 8PM. That meant, he was four hours late
and Aiba had an interview to go to. He must have left for sure. But
what did he want him to keep from Jun? And what couldn’t he take
anymore? He hoped that nothing bad happened to Michiko while they were
both gone.

Shun turned the key to unlock the door to his apartment. The door swung open before he could turn the knob.

“Sakurai-kun.”

Sho looked back behind him then sighed heavily.

“It was too late when I got here. I managed to keep them away from her but she had already drank too much.”

He
stepped aside and let Shun through. Michiko was slumped on the floor,
her head resting on the couch while she held a half empty bottle of
Everclear.

“How did she get that?!”

He had hidden that particular brand because of its high alcohol content and that one was the 190 proof.

“I don’t know. And you’d think I could easily pry it away from her… but…”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re home. Better you than me. Gomen.”
“What happened to Aiba?”
“He wouldn’t tell me but he looked traumatized when I got here.”
“Thanks for coming over.”
“Good thing my CM shoot got cancelled.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Alright. Good luck.”

Why
did she suddenly have the urge to drink? Something must have triggered
it. Shun took his shoes off then walked over to her. He tried prying
the bottle away from her but was unsuccessful.

“Michiko.”

He shook her shoulders gently.

“Hmmm?”
“Michiko. Let go of the bottle.”

Her eyes opened and it looked as if she was peering at him.

“Are the lights off?”

She slurred the question.

“Give me the bottle.”

He asked for it again.

“Jun?”
“The sooner you give me the bottle, Michiko, the sooner I can take you to bed.”

She
smiled sleepily at him and loosened her grip. Shun quickly took the
Everclear away and placed it on the table. He then slipped one arm
under her legs and the other behind her back. Michiko leaned forward
and tangled her arms around his neck. He stood up and headed towards
the bedroom. His body froze midway when she nuzzled his neck.

“You smell different. Did you change your cologne?”
“Umm, no.”

Shun
started walking again and was relieved when he finally reached the bed.
He got on it and laid her down but when he was about to straighten up,
she pulled him down while she lifted her upper body up. Her lips softly
touched his. The kiss knocked the air out of his lungs and his mouth
opened slightly when he inhaled sharply. Her tongue slid in and
scorched his. He groaned at the intense heat that shot through him. She
kissed him feverishly and before he knew it, she was on her back while
he had unknowingly climbed on top of her. His hands explored her body
while she slipped hers under his shirt. She splayed her palms on his
back and pushed him down so she could press her body closer to him.
Shun tore his lips away from her mouth and left a trail of kisses from
her neck down. He bent his head lower while he lifted her shirt up.
Michiko moaned when she felt his tongue licking the swell of her
breasts.

“Juuuun.”

Shun was reeled back to reality. He
lifted his head and stared at the woman under him. She… thought he was
Jun. Of course she did. She wouldn’t have done any of this if she
thought otherwise. She was not only drunk, she was confused and not to
mention, blind and probably missing Jun so much, she was going out of
her mind. He pulled back but she wouldn’t let him go.

“Michiko, I’m not--.”
“Where are you going?”

No,
he couldn’t. He shouldn’t take advantage of her. Shun took her hands
off him and sat up, raking his hair back. Michiko took that opportunity
to strip her shirt and shorts off.

“Babe, come back.”

Shun
quickly grabbed her shirt and tried to put it on her again but she
swatted it away then sat up. She reached for him and when she found
him, she hopped on his lap. Shocked, Shun tried to push her off him but
she held on tight.

“Jun, please.”

She moved her hips and rubbed herself on the bulge that formed between his thighs.

“Fuck!”

Michiko
found his lips again and when their tongues touched, everything that
held him back was cut loose and he lost control. He pushed her back
down then molded his body on top of her. Her hands slid in between them
and fumbled to unbuckle his pants. He swiftly unzipped then shed it off
then hurriedly took his shirt off and relished the feel of his skin on
hers. Michiko’s legs suddenly wrapped themselves around him, his hand
grasped her thigh.

“Oh God, Jun. Please, please.”
“I’m not Jun.”

She
didn’t seem to comprehend what he said because she reacted by arching
her back. A loud groan escaped his lips and his fingers coiled around
the string of her panties.

“I’m sorry, Jun. I’m so sorry,” was the last thought in his mind before he slipped her panties down.

End of Chapter LXXI

A/N - O_O

Thanks for reading!!! Comments are loved, especially for this chapter LOL.

OMG! NOOOOOO~

I KNEW I SHOULD'VE BEEN WORRIED!

BAKA MAO!!!!!!

GAHHHH!!!!! Jun! This is all your fault! I blame you for all this! If you get mad at Shun so help me i wil....

.... update..... sooon...... please!!!!

WOW EJE is censoring me!!! I was about to post and noticed the &%$# instead of the curse word LOL.

Finally, an update. And it's a long one. So Enjoy!

Chapter LXXII

Freezing cold water hit his body, snapping him out of his trance and awakening him from his lust-induced stupor. It wasn’t long ago when he was undressing Michiko of her last piece of clothing. Her slim frame writhed underneath him and as soon as the flimsy fabric was off her, she parted her legs. “Jun,” she pleaded. And he ignored the fact that, that wasn’t his name. If she hadn’t said what she had said next, he would’ve undeniably plunged into her. But she had cried out, “Jun, aishiteru.” And that saved both of them from making the biggest mistake of their lives. He jumped off the bed, leaving a bewildered Michiko behind. She kept calling, “Babe! Babe!” But he shut his ears off and slammed the bathroom door close. The cold shower was doing its job. It knocked some sense into him and a decision was made.

When Shun finally came back into the bedroom, it was four in the morning. He couldn’t sleep. How could he after what almost happened last night? He blamed himself for being so weak. Now he had to make sure Michiko never finds out about what they had almost done. Making sure he moved quietly, Shun carefully searched for her clothes. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to dress her but he had to try. If she woke up and found herself naked, she’d definitely know something was wrong. When he found all her clothing, he hesitantly lifted the blanket that was covering her and flipped it over to the side. Nothing could have prepared him from the sight of her stark naked body. His pulse quickened and he had to turn away to compose himself before he gently got on the bed. He opted to slip her panties on first, lifting her legs one at a time then slowly sliding the undergarment up. His hands paused when he reached her thighs, his eyes darting to her face. It didn’t seem like she felt a thing so he continued. But as soon as her panties were in place, she stirred. Startled, his knees buckled and he almost fell on top of her. He breathed a sigh of relief after he succeeded on keeping his balance. Shun waited a few seconds before proceeding. With her shirt in hand, he reached towards her head. Suddenly, Michiko shivered. Her arm swung to his side and hit his leg.

“Uhnn.”

Yabe. He should probably leave before she wakes up.

Michiko shivered again. Why was it so cold this morning? Did Shun open a window? She moved around and looked for the covers. During her search, her hand brushed past her thighs. What the #*$%? She let hand travel up to her stomach and it ultimately found her breasts. Shun stared openly at the way she was feeling herself up. This was not the time to blank out, he thought to himself. He needed to leave. But before he could get up, Michiko sat up, her eyes alarmed.

“Why am I naked?!”
“Shit!”

Ah, shimatta! He yelled that out loud.

“Shun?!”
“Fuck!”
“SHUN!! WHY AM I NAKED?!”

Realizing that Shun was indeed on the bed with her, she quickly covered her chest with her arms. A blanket fell on top of her and she clutched unto it. Shun massaged his temples after covering her up.

“Oh God no. No no no no no.”

Did they?

“I don’t remember anything… #*$%!”

She was dreaming of Jun… and it was quite a naughty dream but that was it. She had no recollection of what happened before she fell asleep. Michiko remembered how she bullied Aiba into finding the liquor for her. She also remembered getting drunk on the couch while he locked himself in the bathroom. That was the furthest that she could recall though. When did Aiba leave? Was it Shun who took her to bed? And what happened then? Did she seduce him? #*$%! Maybe she did. Everything that Jun accused her off was beginning to deafeningly ring true. Was he right after all? Was it just a matter of time before she eventually cheated on him? Every part of her being refused to accept it. But she was in bed with nothing on but her underwear. Ah, she was not completely naked. Still, panties had never stopped her from getting laid before.

“Did… did something happen last night?”

Shun didn’t know what to tell her. Should he lie and tell her that absolutely nothing happened? Or should he be honest with her?

“Did we… you and I… did we…”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Then why am I…”
“You were drunk.”

Of course she was. She made sure of that.

“And? Why am I naked?!”
“We…”
“WE?!”

‘We’ was not a good word to start off with. ‘You’ would have been better.

“As… as far as I’m concerned, nothing happened.”
“But something DID happen! What did I do?!”
“Michiko, it wasn’t your fault.”
“WHAT WASN’T MY FAULT?”

Something happened. If nothing happened, he wouldn’t be acting like that. It was like he was protecting her from the truth, from the details that transpired last night. There was no other way to go about this but be blunt.

“Did we #*$%?”
“NO!”

Her worst fear was gone. Bottled emotions broke free and the tears started pouring. Oh God! Thank God! She would never have forgiven herself if they did. Even if it was because of the alcohol… she knew how she acted when she was under the influence and she still went ahead and drank. Even if she trusted Shun and everybody else who happened to be around her when she was drunk, she was still the one who willingly put herself in that situation where she could be taken advantage of. If anything ever happened to her, it would’ve been entirely her fault.

Shun didn’t know how to react to the sight of her crying. On one hand, it hurt him that she was incredibly relieved but on the other hand, he was glad that she wasn’t overwhelmingly worried anymore. He let her cry and didn’t make a move to comfort her. A couple of minutes later, she wiped her face. Shun dropped her shirt on her hands when she was done and she used it to blow her nose.

“Let me get you a new shirt.”

She nodded quietly.

After handing her the shirt, he faced the other side of the room.

“I have my back turned.”

It only took her a few seconds to put on the shirt.

“It’s safe.”

Safe. She would be safer somewhere else, he thought.

“Shun…”
“Hai.”

Even though it was just confirmed that they didn’t have sex, Michiko was still worried. His behavior was suspicious plus her nakedness was yet to be explained.

“Did we kiss?”
“Yes.”
“Did we do more than kiss?”

Silence met her question. Silence meant yes.

“Answer me.”

Shun swallowed hard. She was going to hate him and that would be unbearable.

“I need to know, Shun.”
“Yes.”
“How… how much more?”

Why wasn’t she angry yet? Why wasn’t she blaming him for everything? Why wasn’t she asking WHY he didn’t stop kissing her?

“Michiko, please. I don’t want to remember.”
“I need to remember.”

He didn’t want to recall how he was so close to being inside her. So fucking close to making her, his. The decision to stop after she confessed her feelings for Jun tormented him because a part of him regretted it.

“Shun, I need to--.”
“You woke up naked, didn’t you?”

It was a slap to the face. The answer was obvious all along but she was in denial. She hoped that there was a different explanation for that.

“I have panties on…”

What a stupid reply. But if there was a thin, flimsy chance that they had stopped before penetration was considered, she’d take it.

“I put it on you before you woke up.”

He put it on her… That meant… that she was completely naked last night. But was he?

“And yes, I was naked as well.”

He had read her mind.

“Michiko…”
“I am that woman.”

That statement held a lot of meaning. Much more than she could handle. It was her who Shun pined for. She was the one who caused him sleepless, drunken nights. She was also the woman who had unknowingly hurt Jun. Who drove him to accuse her of things that she thought were simply untrue. But now, she understood. He had every right to be jealous and be worried. And yet he regretted what he had done and had been trying to apologize when she should be the one apologizing. What of now though?

Shun sighed. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so direct with her.

“You thought I was Jun.”
“I what?”
“From the moment I got home, you thought I was him. It’s not your fault. I took advantage of you.”
“Who kissed who?”
“That’s not the point. I should have stopped you. I should have left the room.”
“I know how I am, Shun. I didn’t let you go.”
“I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED!”
“But you did…”
“If it wasn’t for what you said… if you hadn’t cried out for him again… I would’ve…”
“But you didn’t…”
“WHY AREN’T YOU MAD AT ME? Blame me! Don’t blame yourself.”

Emotions could cloud one’s judgment. It could alter one’s decision. It could blur the obvious and altogether hide the truth. From that day on, changes were bound to happen. As unsure the future was already then, it was more hazy now.


Jun sat on the edge of the bed holding a small package in his hands. Nino mentioned it was coming and here it was, finally. Still, he had no idea what it was. It had arrived a little after 10AM while he was out filming and they finished all the scenes needed around 11PM. And by all, he meant everything that was needed for the film. That also meant that they were leaving Hawaii earlier than expected. On Friday. It would be Saturday in Japan when he arrived. He already told his manager to clear his schedule for that day and on Sunday. First thing he was going to do was pick up Michiko at Shun’s and take her home with him even if he had to drag her kicking and screaming. Jun cleared his head after he thought of that and returned his attention to the package.

“Saa, let’s see what we have here.”

He peeled off the tape then tore open the box then reached inside and pulled out an envelope wrapped in layers upon layers of bubble wrap.

“Paranoid much, Nino?”

Unwrapping took more than 5 seconds but eventually, he got it all off and was able to open the envelope. There was a DVD disc inside and a letter. Putting the disc aside, he unfolded the letter and read.

Remember that disc you broke? Here’s a replacement. It was for you after all. Michiko was going to give it to you before you left for Hawaii. It’s not the exact copy though. I added a few things in the beginning and the end.

This will clear everything.

Enjoy.

He signed it, “Her Kazu.”

“What the #*$%?!”

Jun picked up the disc and stared at it.

“You’ll clear everything up, huh? What needs to be cleared?”

Better get this over with and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow was Thursday and Director-san wanted him to watch the footage they have before they leave on Friday.

He turned the TV and DVD player on then popped in the disc. When he turned around to head back to the bed, he heard Michiko’s voice coming out from the speakers. Jun quickly turned and saw her smiling at him.

“Michiko desu!”
“I’m sure Jun knows who you are.”
“Kazu! Are you recording already?!”
“Hai hai.”
“Nandayo?! We’re not ready yet!”
“Don’t you want to make this a documentary? So Jun can see all the hard work you put into it?”
“NOOOOOO!”
“Well, I think it’s a good idea.”
“Shut up and turn it off!”
“Why don’t we skip all the other stuff and just record you telling him that you--.”
“SHUT IT!”

She reached for the camera but Nino moved away stealthily.

“It’s easy, Michiko. AI--.”
“Shut up!”

Michiko was chasing after Nino who was somehow running away backwards with no problem.

“SHITE--.”
“I SAID SHUT THE #*$% UP NINOMIYA!”

Nino had to turn away from her and the camera focused on Aiba laughing in front of him.

“RUUUUU!”
“YOU’RE SO DEAD!”

The scene cut to Michiko sitting on a stool tuning a guitar. Nino was on the piano just a little to her left. Aiba’s voice came out clear. He was the one holding the video camera now. It looked like they were on a small stage.

“Are you almost ready, Mi-chan?”

She looked up, worry etched on her face.

“I don’t know. What if I mess up?”
“Just yell out ‘CUT!’ and we’ll start over. Ne?”

She smiled and nodded.

“Mi-chan’s been practicing non-stop for 3 weeks, ne?”
“Hai…”

Three weeks? She had been busy doing what for three weeks?

The scene faded to black then Michiko was back on the same spot but now there was a microphone in front of her. Nino was still seated, his fingers lightly on top of the piano keys. To Michiko’s right were Aiba, Sho, and Ohno. The trio stood in front of their own respective mics. Jun didn’t have enough time to wonder who was manning the camcorder because suddenly, music filled the room. Both Michiko and Nino had started playing their instruments. Ten seconds into the song, she sang…

cont...

(If you want to listen to the song playing while you read... Click here.)

Michiko:
Dakishimete hoshii yo honto wa nee ima sugu ni
(I really want to hold you, really, right now)
Sunao ni nareru nara subete ga kimi ni...
(If I could be honest, I’d tell you everything)

Itsudatte hontou wa zutto I wanna say I love you
(Always the whole time I wanna say I love you)
Demo tomadou bakari de sugite iku ne jikan dake
(But while I was perplexed the time had already passed)
Kimi no subete ni naritakute
(I want to become your everything)
Shinjitetai no
(Would you believe it?)

The camera panned to the trio.

Aiba, Ohno & Sho:
Boku no koe kikoeteru nara
(If you can hear my voice)


Then it went back to Michiko for a close up. She looked straight at it while she sang.

Tsuyogatte egao de kakusu fuan wa
(The uneasiness concealed by my forced smile)
Kimi ni wa mou kizukareteru kana?
(Are you able to notice it?)
Ki ni natte ienakute
(I can't say what I'm thinking)
I want you by my side
Every moment in my life

Kitsuku koto ga kowai kara
(Because I'm afraid of getting hurt)
Tsugi no yakusoku mo dekinai mama
(I am still unable to make another promise)
Mata ne tte, te wo furu to
('Bye' you said, waving your hand)
Nakitai kurai setsunaku naru no wa naze?
(I almost wanted to cry, that word is so painful)


Instead
of sitting down on the bed, Jun moved closer to the TV. She had started
singing the chorus again when he reached out and touched the screen,
tracing the contour of her face and then the fullness of her lips.

Tameratteru ima kono shunkan ni mo
(Hesitating now, at this moment too)
Kimi wa nani wo omotte iru no?
(What are you thinking about?)

I miss you so much.

Shiritakute kikenakute
(I want to know but I can't hear it)
Boy you make me lose control
Every time you touch my soul


The next verse started and he noticed that her eyes were watery but she was trying her best to stop herself from crying.

Chakushin no tabi ni SUKURIIN no naka
(When a message arrives, in the screen)
Sagashiteru no wa kimi dake de
(I am only looking for you)
"Aitai" no hitokoto ga
('I want to meet you' this one sentence)
Itai kurai ni watashi wo midashiteku
(Is almost painful, it throws me into a mess)


His
eyes were beginning to glass over while he continued to watch and
listen to her sing the chorus again. Always, the whole time… she wanted
to say she loved him. But she probably thought too much about how to
say it… much like how he would find an excuse to not say it either
because it was not the right time or they weren’t at the right place or
the setting and mood wasn’t right. And when they both finally had the
courage to say it, the time had passed and they were no longer in each
other’s company. He wanted to be her everything but that night, when
she tried to explain… he didn’t believe her.

Aiba:
Boku no koe kikoeteru nara
(If you can hear my voice)

Hanareteru to sabishikute soba ni iru to kurushikute
(Being separated and lonely, being together but in pain)

Sho: (Rap)
Doko ni itatte nani wo shitetatte
(No matter where I am, no matter what I do)
Tada tsunotteku yo kimi e no omoi dake
(I need your help, I keep thinking of you)
Korae you no nai kimochi afuredashite iku
(I can't help it, my feelings are overflowing)

Ohno:
I wanna give it all to you

Michiko:
Kimi no koe wo kiku dake de futto mitsumerareru dake de
(To just be able to hear your voice, to just gaze at you)

Aiba:
Itsumade mo nani ga atte mo hanashitakunai kara
(Because I don't want to leave you no matter when or what)

Michiko:
Lovin' you…

Ohno & Michiko:
Kimi e hashiri dasu
( I run towards you)


By this time, Jun had already memorized the chorus and he softly sang along with her.

Itsudatte hontou wa zutto I wanna say I love you
(Always the whole time I wanna say I love you)
Demo tomadou bakari de sugite iku ne jikan dake
(But while I was perplexed the time had already passed)
Kimi no subete ni naritakute
v(I want to become your everything)[/size]
Shinjitetai no
(Would you believe it?)

YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING


The
chorus repeated again and the tears that she held for so long flowed
freely from her eyes. Jun brushed his thumb across her eye… his own
tears had dried but now an ache pinched his chest.

ALL MY LIFE I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED TO BE WITH YOU
ALL MY HEART DESIRES FILLED WITH LOVE SO TRUE

Michiko…

Jun rested his forehead and flattened his palms on the screen. All he could hear now was the piano… and then…

Dakishimete hoshii yo honto wa nee ima sugu ni
(I really want to hold you, really, right now)
Sunao ni nareru nara subete wo kimi ni...
(If I could be honest, I’d tell you everything)

The
music faded but didn’t stop and instead a few notes of another song was
played by Nino alone. He recognized it right away. Jun stood back and
stared at her looking at him through the camera…

Nidoto soba wo Hanarenai… Aishiteru
(I'll never leave your side again, I love you)


The
last few notes of the song faded out then the scene cut to Michiko in a
studio at Johnny’s. She had her hair up in clamp and was sitting down,
writing on a piece of paper.

“Michiko.”

She looked up and smiled.

“Nani ga, Sho-kun?”
“When did you realize that you liked Jun?”
“When?”
“Un.”
“Hmmm.”
“You don’t remember?”
“I do.”
“So? When was it?”

She lowered her eyes.

“It was right after he dressed the wound on my thigh. In the tent.”


Jun
looked surprised. “Eh?” That was when he thought she was going to kiss
him but ended up wiggling her ass in front of his face. She sure had a
strange way of expressing her feelings.

“What was your first impression of him?”

Aiba sat down next to her and waited for her reply. Michiko blushed and covered her face with her hands.

“Ah! You were thinking hentai thoughts already?!”
“Iya iya iya!”

She waved her hand frantically in front of his face.

“Then what?”
“When I first saw him… I thought…”

She bit her lip.

“Come on, Mi-chan.”
“I thought he was pretty good-looking.”

She stood up quickly and ran out of the door. Aiba and Sho started laughing.

The screen went black then Nino appeared in front of it.

“You probably don’t want to see my face at the end of this video…”

He was right.

“But
I’d like to say a few things. First, if I were you, I would also be
insanely jealous. Second, Michiko can really be clueless sometimes when
it comes to her appeal to men. I don’t think she fully knows how
attractive she is. And it doesn’t help that when she starts treating
them as a friend, she totally disregards the fact that they might not
necessarily treat her the same way. That’s something she needs to
learn. Third, I know it’s frustrating for you. That night… you were fed
up with the rumors and then you saw us. Jun, it’s okay to be jealous.
Don’t bottle it up. That’s how you end up hurting her. If you had
calmed down for a bit, maybe you could’ve talked to her about your
concerns in a better way. And lastly, Michiko may like hanging out with
us and other guys but never for a second did you ever leave her
thoughts. All she talked about was you. It gets annoying, you know.”

A smirk playfully tugged the corners of Jun’s lips.

“Oh and don’t worry, my face is not the last one you’ll see in this video.”

The camera shook. Sho’s face came into view.

“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Mi-chan was practicing the song in the studio then Riida saw her run towards Jun’s dressing room.”
“Where’s Nino?”
“I don’t know. But Riida went after her.”
“Should we go after them?”
“We should. But should I turn the cam off?”
“No, just keep it on. Nino would want this recorded.”
“Okay.”

Aiba
and Sho went out and headed towards his dressing room. The door was
left open but they didn’t go in. Michiko had her head resting on Ohno’s
shoulder while he leaned back on the couch. Aiba zoomed in on Michiko.
Her cheeks were stained with her tears.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Ohno asked softly.

“Un.”
“You miss him a lot, ne?”
“Un.”
“I miss him, too.”

Uncertainty flickered across her face and then suddenly, she looked vulnerable.

“Toshi… doushiyo? That dildo, I love him so much.”


That night that led to unfortunate events tested trust, faith, and love. Changes were bound to happen after tonight. But the future was not hazy in his eyes. It was clear. And Michiko was in it.

End of Chapter LXXII

A/N -
Song is called Sunao ni Naretara by JUJU feat. Spontania (This is
currently my favorite non-Arashi song.) The last line Michiko sang was
from Sirius by Arashi (This is currently my favorite Arashi song.)

What will happen next? Both seem to have made up their minds somehow...

If you liked Sunao ni Naretara, I've uploaded the MP3 for ya'll. Here's the MU link.

Thank you for reading and comments are loved!!!! As always LOL.

Quote :

But she had cried out, “Jun, aishiteru.” And that saved both of them from making the biggest mistake of their lives.

THATS ALL I NEEDED TO SEE!
im disappearing for awhile because I need to focus on my school XD
I missed all of last week cuz i was sick.
will read later though, but i'm glad they ddnt do the laundry.
...but i have a feeling once i read this chapter later.... i will be... idk XD
love the fic <3

02/14/09 Edit: WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Quote :

That night that led to unfortunate events tested trust, faith, and love. Changes were bound to happen after tonight. But the future was not hazy in his eyes. It was clear. And Michiko was in it.

Jun you Dildo you oh so sexxi dildo , you better not mess up again because i will die of dehydration XP

LOVE IT MISHI~

GOMENASAI! I think 2 weeks has passed without an update from me. I was in procrastination heck and couldn't get out. Thankfully, last night I was intoxicated. So this morning, I banged out and wrote. Mwahahaha. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. And I'm scheduled to write again on Saturday morning.

Chapter LXXIII

One word described the atmosphere between the two women who sat silently across from each other in the dining room of a two bedroom house in Meguro and that word was, “awkward.” They’ve known each other for a little over four months now but their relationship was mostly professional more than anything else. Friendly, they were. Got along great, they did. But for the most part, there was no bonding that could classify them as “friends.” Michiko regretted not taking the time to get to know her ex-stylist better outside of work. There were plenty of opportunities presented but she chose to ignore them simply because Momiji was a woman. She wasn’t like this when she was growing up. Michiko enjoyed the company of both girls and boys when she was young. It was only when she started to show more interest in “masculine” hobbies that alienated her from the girls. And it got worse when she hit puberty. Being comfortable with her body during those years made her exude confidence and in turn, earned the jealousy of other girls her age. In the beginning, she still tried to socialize with the lot but she ended up experiencing one too many hurtful confrontations with them that she eventually stopped making an effort. That led to an unconscious decision to avoid building friendships with them and only associating herself with those who readily showed her affection and gave her attention. The opposite sex did that. Years of interacting with men, she thought she had them figured out. In truth, she was shielded from what they were fully capable of because much like women, men tend to react differently sometimes when they were with their friends. Another side was lost to her when they were with their girlfriends. With that in consideration, it was only normal for her to end up a bit fucked up in the head. Men were men. It was not possible for her to label them all friends and expect them to see her the same way. For one, the breasts always got in the way.

“You’re not wearing a bra, you know.”

Momiji stared at the woman in front of her. If she wasn’t secure of her looks and her relationship with Soujirou, she wouldn’t have said yes when Michiko asked if she could stay with them for one night. Women like Michiko were easily hated by other women and yet they were also the ones that were fun to be with.

“Sorry. I was in a hurry. I can put one on now if it bothers you.”

This was exactly one of the reasons why Jun thought she was knowingly flaunting her body around. It never really occurred to her that people would be uncomfortable when she was being comfortable.

“Can you lead me to the bathroom?”
“You can do that later. Soujirou’s not home anyway.”
“Okay.”

There was an obvious reason as to why she asked to stay at Momiji’s.

“Momiji… can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Am I flirt?”
“Eh?”
“From the way I interact with the guys at work, does it look like I’m flirting?”
“Sometimes.”
“How do I do it?”

The younger woman laughed and that confused Michiko.

“What’s funny?”
“I’m sorry but that’s a funny question.”
“I guess it is…”
“But seriously? Umm. You don’t flirt normally.”
“EH? What does that mean? I flirt abnormally?!”

Momiji threw her head back and laughed again.

“Momiji!”
“Sorry, sorry!”

Michiko sighed. This was going nowhere.

“Unlike other women who toss their hair and pout their lips. Or accidentally brush their boobs against a shoulder…”
“Accidentally brush their boobs…”
“It happens.”
“Maji de?!”
“Just ask Soujirou.”
“So then… how do I…”
“That’s the thing. You don’t intend to flirt, it just… sorta… looks that way when the guy you’re with is interested in you.”
“But that could be anybody!”
“Unfortunately for you.”
“Then how am I supposed to know when I am starting to flirt?!”
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“This majorly sucks.”
“Why don’t you just avoid men?”
“Seriously…”
“Michiko. You need to be conscious of your actions. You have to think of the consequences.”
“But that means I have to constantly question what I’m about to do before I do it.”
“It’s not really that hard.”
“How do you women do it?!”

“You’re a woman, too.” Momiji replied softly. “You shouldn’t forget that.”

Michiko smiled sheepishly and nodded.

“Did something happen between you and Oguri-san?”

Nothing happened. NOTHING HAPPENED. If she kept repeating it herself, eventually, maybe she’d believe it. But, nothing really happened. That is, if nothing meant sex.

“Nothing happened.”
“You’re still denying your relationship with him.”
“Friend-ship.”
“Uh-huh.”

It was unfortunate that Momiji and the public interpreted her relationship with Shun wrong. The misinterpretation caused Jun a lot of worry and insecurities. On top of that, she hadn’t been consistent with reassuring him. It would be so much easier if they didn’t have to hide their relationship. She was afraid that in time, they would both tire from it. Although, that was the least of her worries at the moment. How was she supposed to face Jun when he returned to Japan? Especially after realizing her own mistakes and finding out what Shun and her almost did. She told him that she’d talk to him when he got back but she wasn’t sure if that was a good idea.

“Can you be honest with me, Michiko?”
“I am honest with you.”
“It’s just that… the way you two behave around each other…”
“It really looks like we’re together?”
“Well, now that I think of it. I can put some random guy next to you and you can make it look like you’re with him.”
“Give me a break!”
“Okay, maybe not ALL the time.”
“That’s just…”

The memory of her hugging and kissing Nino in front of Jun flashed before her eyes.

“…not true.”

She sighed. What was she supposed to do?

As soon as the plane landed, Jun was up from his seat and taking his luggage out of the compartment.

“Matsumoto! The plane is still moving!”

He ignored Mao’s concerned plea for him to sit his ass back down and continued to secure his belongings next to him. Once they reached the airport, he hoped to head straight to Shun’s. He had called the night before to let him know but only managed to reach his voice mail. Michiko didn’t pick up her phone either. Jun also tried calling Nino and the rest of his friends but it seemed like everyone was busy. So nobody was meeting him at Narita. That was fine. He welcomed the absence of distraction from his ultimate goal. Which was to find Michiko and take her home with him.

As planned, Jun zoomed past everybody and quickly got out of the airport to hail a cab. His flight arrived late in the afternoon, around 4PM. The ride to his apartment took almost two hours because of the traffic. He was so close to losing his patience when the cab finally parked at his apartment complex. Jun threw more than the amount he owed at the driver and got out.

“Don’t forget your luggage.”
“Ah.”

The trunk popped open and he hurriedly took the bag out. He was about to leave when the driver yelled at him.

“Can’t you close the trunk for me?”
“Gomen. I’m in a hurry.”

Jun heard the driver grumble about ‘kids these days’ but didn’t turn back.


Nobody was answering the door.

“Where the #*$% are they?!”

He knocked again and again. AND again.

“SHUN! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!”

“I will if you get out of my way.”

Jun turned on his heel and found Shun behind him. And behind Shun, was Mao. The first thing he wanted to ask was, ‘Where’s Michiko?’ But he couldn’t.

“EH? What are you doing out here? And why is Mao with you?”

He stepped aside when Shun showed him the key and let him unlock the door.

“Mao called me last night--.”
“So you picked up her call but ignored mine.”
“She called me EARLIER last night and asked if I could pick her up.”
“And you brought her here?”

The inquiry was meant to hint the reason as to why HE was there.

“It’s safe.”

Mao looked at the exchange between the two men with bewildered eyes. “What’s safe,” she asked. “Go inside.” Shun commanded to her as if she was a little lost girl. She was lost as to what was going on but she was hardly a little girl. “You two are hiding something from me.” With her arms crossed, she waited to uncover the truth.

“I don’t want to waste valuable time, Shun.” His gaze temporarily found Mao’s face then flitted back to Shun’s. “Where?!”

“I can’t tell you.”

He slammed his body against the door, causing it to swing back and both their bodies to almost drop to the floor. Shun grabbed Jun’s shoulders to balance himself and turned to look at a shocked Mao with her mouth agape.

“Jun, listen to me.”
“Where. Is. She?!”
“Even if I tell you, you can’t go there.”
“She said she’ll talk to me when I get back and I am back so WHERE IS SHE?!”

He told Michiko that this was going to happen. Jun was not going to sit idly by when he found out that she was not at his place.

Mao, having recovered from the shock, started to ask… “Who--.”
“Shut it.” Both Jun and Shun replied.
“Fine, I’m going inside.” She angrily stomped her way into the living room, wondering how she managed to fall for two overbearing idiots.

Once Mao was out of earshot…

“Are you going to tell me or do I have to beat the information out of you?”

He was serious. He would literally beat it out of him if he had to.

“Can’t you give her some space? She has a lot to think about…”
“She can think about them at my place.”
“But that’s not giving her space, Jun.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Jun. She’ll go to you when she’s ready.”
“No. I can’t wait.”
“Well, you’ll have to. I have no intention of gi--.”
“Is this the address you need?”

Mao passed by Shun, dangling a piece of paper between her fingers. Shun yelled out, “Give me that!” Jun let go of him and snatched the paper from her before Shun could get to it.

“Meguro…”

He looked up and saw Shun’s panicked expression. This was the address.

“Jun, don’t.”
“I’ll pick up my luggage later.”

Jun turned to Mao.

“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Iye. We’re even.”

He didn’t ask how that was so and instead, started to walk away, determined to follow through his plan.

“Jun.”

When he turned, keys came flying his way. He caught them right before they hit his chest.

“It’d be faster if you drove there.”

If he couldn’t stop him, might as well help him, Shun thought. Jun smiled at his friend.

“Thanks.”

When he rounded and disappeared at the corner, Mao turned to face Shun.

“When were you guys going to tell me?”
“Huh?”
“Never?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Yoku Michiko.”
“What about her?”
“She’s Jun’s girlfriend.”
“How…”

She held up Arashi’s babysitting schedule that had a list of Michiko’s food preference, allergies, and her doctor’s number.

“If I had known earlier, it could’ve prevented me from speaking harshly to her.”

Mao remembered the phone call she answered when they were in Hawaii while Jun was in the shower. What if that caused some problems between the couple? She did hung up on her. She might’ve thought that she was “with” Jun that day.

“Is that why you gave him the address?”
“It was the right one, ne?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”


What did she hope to accomplish by staying away from Shun for one measly night? She wanted to reorganize her thoughts, think about the problem thoroughly, and hopefully go back to him, clear-minded and ready for some kind of resolution. Shun had proposed to keep the incident a secret and never tell Jun about it. The reasoning behind his decision was he didn’t want to hurt Jun when they have both realized their mistake and would do anything to prevent something like that from happening again. There was no reason to tell because the something that almost happened, didn’t and he pointed out that…

“Almost doesn’t count.”

However, Michiko didn’t want to keep secrets from Jun. But revealing this secret would prove detrimental to their relationship. And she didn’t want it to end. Even though she was afraid that they weren’t really meant to be with each other, she was more scared of losing him. She had once thought that a sacrifice was needed. That maybe if she ended it, he would be better off without her. That he would find someone else more suited for him. Someone who he didn’t have to worry about as often as he worried about her being unfaithful. Someone who could hang out with his friends and not cause him to be so jealous. It was really only after her talk with Momiji, did she realize that she could still be that someone. It would take time and a lot of effort from her and encouragement from him but it was possible. What did Momiji say? She needed to be conscious of her actions? It was weird how when she was playing Halo, she was always aware of the consequences of each choice that she made. And yet in real life, she was clueless. It was mostly bothersome. It was easier to tell people to take her for who she was and not worry about the difficult situations that could arise because of it than actually figuring out what it was about her that could cause problems in the future and if there was a way to change it.

“Michiko. Dinner is ready.”

Momiji led her out of the guest bedroom and they both walked towards the dining area when Soujirou’s voice rang from the front door.

“OI!!! DON’T BARGE INTO MY HOUSE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!!”

Michiko turned to look at the direction where the voice came from. All of the sudden, Momiji gasped and she tightened her hold on Michiko’s wrist.

“Doushitano?!”
“Why…”

She looked at Michiko then at the intruder who stopped right in front of them.

“USO!”
“Ne, Momiji. What’s going on?”

Her right wrist was released but then her left was seized by someone else.

“I’m taking you home.”

She turned to her left, her eyes widening.

“Jun.”

His lips touched hers for a brief kiss then she was pulled away towards the exit.

End of Chapter LXXIII

A/N - Again, sorry for not updating last week. Hope ya'll had a nice Valentine's Day whether you are single or taken ^_^ Lessee. Jun is back in Japan!!!!! YAY!!! So now... are they going to make up or break up? Or muddle around in between? Hmm. What's going to happen between Shun and Michiko? Should they keep the secret or does Jun need to know?

Thanks for reading and comments are always LOOOOOOVED! BTW, I've updated "My Beloved" as well. I might actually end up finishing that one first before finishing this fight LOL.