The Man Without a Name, Chapter 6
Work Title: The Man Without a Name
Authors:
kokiden and
alexandragun
Chapter Title: Exciting Story in 32 Pages! Staying in his Friend’s Apartment Unbeknownst!
Rating: PG
Genre: Runs the gamut: angst, humor, romance
Status: 6 out of 20
Pairing: All the regular ones, plus much, much more
Warnings: This story departs from canon.
DIsclaimer: These characters belong to the lovely Shungiku Nakamura, long may she prosper!
This chapter is another short one, so I'll post the next one in two days, on Tuesday.
In addition to
alexandragun's unflagging work on this chapter, I have to thank
faye_naruse, who offered to read it over and made some helpful suggestions about keeping the guys in character! Thank you so much, my dear!
Chapter 6
Exciting Story in 32 Pages! Staying in his Friend’s Apartment Unbeknownst!
Aikawa sat between the two men in the cab, though Lord knew why, as sliding along a car seat in a short skirt is no girl’s idea of fun. The things she did for this man, she thought, glancing over at him under long eyelashes, whose seductive beauty was completely lost on him. But Aikawa didn’t mind at all. She was going to be present at a real-life drama, one that might even fit well into one of Usami-sensei’s more colorful type of novels, by which, of course, she meant his Boys Love novels. She almost clapped her hands in delight, but she remembered her dignity as an editor and restrained herself.
Of course, Aikawa knew this was a serious matter and couldn’t be treated as if it were one of sensei’s sensational stories. Misaki was a real person with real problems: she mustn’t enjoy this drama with complete detachment as if there were no real feelings involved. Actual, real medical problems that had caused a complete loss of memory! No knowledge of who he was, where he came from, or who his real friends were! A boy ripe for exploitation! Calm down, Aikawa! She told herself. She glanced to her other side at the young man who was sensei’s childhood friend. He seemed very high strung for someone who wasn’t directly involved in the crisis. Though of course, Misaki had been staying at his apartment, unbeknownst to Usami-sensei! Yes! Completely unbeknownst! Aikawa once more repressed an urge to clasp her hands under her chin and make the sound that is known as a “squee.”
The cab had arrived at an unimposing, pinkish apartment building. The contents of the cab disgorged on the pavement; Akihiko and Aikawa followed Kamijou up the stairs and into the living room of his apartment.
“I’m home,” he announced, moving back to the bedroom, gesturing for Aikawa and Akihiko to stay where they were. Nowaki was in the bedroom, shrugging into a turtleneck.
“Hiro-san. You’re home so early. Did you bring someone home? What’s happened?”
“Did you just get up? Where’s Noboru?”
At the mention of Noboru’s name, his eyes glanced over to their bed and then back to Kamijou. Then, with his face tinged red, he said, “He’s gone. He was gone when I woke up.”
“What are you saying? You mean he went out for errands?”
“No, I mean he’s left. There was a note in the kitchen.” Nowaki pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to Kamijou. But Kamijou heard a footstep behind him, and a long, slender hand reached around him and snatched the note out of his hand.
“Dear Kusama-sensei,” Akihiko read. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. It’s time for me to be on my own. Tell Kamijou-sensei thank you for me. Noboru.”
“Usami-san, what are you doing here?”
Kamijou’s eyes were full of anger when he lifted his face to Nowaki. “You idiot. Why did you let him leave? Noboru is Misaki Takahashi.”
“Who?”
“Misaki Takahashi. Akihiko’s boyfriend. The one who lives with him.”
“Oh.” Nowaki looked so stupid just standing there. Then, “Usami-san? Are you okay?” Kamijou turned. Akihiko was staring at the note and looking very pale.
“Who is Noboru?” he asked.
“That’s the name that Misaki used. He still doesn’t have any idea of who he is,” Kamijou answered, guiding Akihiko back out to the living room and making him sit down. Nowaki came behind them. He clearly was in trouble for not preventing Noboru from leaving, so he went into the kitchen to make tea.
As for Aikawa, she was disappointed not to see Misaki come out with the two men, but when she realized that he had vanished again, her eyes lit up with excitement. “Where could he be?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I never kept track of his movements,” Kamijou said, regretting for the first time having ignored the man he had thought of as Noboru so completely. “Nowaki!” he spoke sharply.
Nowaki came out carrying a tray with tea and cups and set it on the low table. “Never mind that! Where did Noboru hang out? Where do you think he could have gone?”
Aikawa felt a little bad for Nowaki bearing the brunt of Kamijou’s temper. She took charge of pouring the tea. She fixed Usami-sensei’s first and pressed it into his hands.
“Well, he said that the social services were going to pay for an apartment for him while he took the cooking course,” he said, “But he didn’t mention actually having a place yet. We could probably find him at the culinary institute, but his course doesn’t start for another two weeks.”
“Two weeks? Where else might he go?”
“I don’t know!” Nowaki raised his voice, and Akihiko jerked his head to look at him. “Why is he important to you now, Hiro-san? You ignored him completely before! You made him feel unwelcome, and now he’s gone!”
Nowaki saw that Aikawa and Akihiko were both staring at him now; Aikawa looked uncomfortable, but Akihiko looked angry.
“I don’t know. So far as I am aware, the only one he really knows is me.” Nowaki felt a pang as he faced the fact that, even though Nowaki was his only friend, Noboru had left so suddenly and without any word of how to contact him.
He was interrupted by Aikawa asking him if he wanted any cream or sugar. He shook his head, and she placed a warm cup in his hands. He sipped his cup and felt the heat flood him along with the chagrin of losing Noboru. His throat swelled with sorrow.
“Excuse me, everyone, but I have to leave for work,” he said, abruptly. He put the tea down, took his jacket off its hook and left.
Akihiko slipped out the door and followed him down the stairs. “Kusama-sensei.”
Nowaki turned around, startled.
“I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of Misaki.”
“I did it for his sake, you understand,” he said with reserve. “He was suddenly without anyone, without even memories of happy times. I wanted to provide him with a refuge. Hiro-san doesn’t understand that. People who suffer a sudden loss need a refuge. ” Nowaki blushed, realizing he’d said too much.
“What else did you do for him that I don’t know about, Kusama-sensei?” Akihiko fixed Nowaki with a piercing stare.
Nowaki flinched, but only said, “I hope you find him, Usami-san.”
Akihiko had already taken his cell phone from his pocket when he reentered the apartment and was dialing information to get the number for social services and for the culinary institute. “I’ll go out there and browbeat his address from them if I have to,” he said.
“Oh no, you don’t! You’re going home to rest!” chimed in Aikawa. “Leave the legwork to me. You know you can rely on me, sensei!” She took the phone from his hand and closed it. “Now sit down again. Kamijou-san, would you please call us a cab?” She fluttered her eyelashes before she remembered that he, too, was gay.
Ten minutes later, the cab dropped Kamijou off at the university and whisked Aikawa and her charge off for research and recuperation. Akihiko looked as if he had something more to discuss with him, but he hadn’t voiced it, perhaps because of Aikawa. Kamijou cursed to himself, realizing he had sacrificed his morning classes for a miserable debacle. He had failed to achieve what he’d hoped, and then there had been Nowaki. Nowaki had acted strange in the bedroom. What had he done? Looked at the bed when Kamijou had asked about Noboru. Kamijou shook his head as if trying to rid it of the image and walked up the path toward his building.
******
Aikawa had gotten sensei settled and comfortable on the couch with a hot cup of tea, a book and a notepad, you know, she said, in case he got any ideas while he was resting.
She got on the phone and using her super-powerful executive editor persona, discovered that neither the man at social services nor the woman at the culinary institute had Misaki’s address. She was sure if they had had it, it would have been hers.
“Don’t worry, sensei,” she said to a sensei who very clearly was not only worried but at the edge of his endurance, “I’ll find him. Just leave it to Aikawa.”
He turned hollow eyes up to her and was about to speak, when she took his hands and forced the cup up to his lips. “Drink!” she said.
Amaterasu Aikawa had been raised the only child of proud parents with high expectations. She had never permitted herself to learn the true meaning of failure. This was what made her such a good match for Akihiko Usami. She matched his stubborn self-centeredness with an iron will and fearlessness that spelled his defeat about half the time they went toe to toe. In this case, she was happy to put the same qualities at his service. She felt sure that working side by side they could do almost anything that involved getting something out of someone.
Therefore she had not one single doubt that Misaki Takahashi’s phone number would be in her hand and in her cell phone before two days had passed.
Previous Chapter
Next Chapter
Authors:
kokiden and
alexandragun
Chapter Title: Exciting Story in 32 Pages! Staying in his Friend’s Apartment Unbeknownst!
Rating: PG
Genre: Runs the gamut: angst, humor, romance
Status: 6 out of 20
Pairing: All the regular ones, plus much, much more
Warnings: This story departs from canon.
DIsclaimer: These characters belong to the lovely Shungiku Nakamura, long may she prosper!
This chapter is another short one, so I'll post the next one in two days, on Tuesday.
In addition to
alexandragun's unflagging work on this chapter, I have to thank
faye_naruse, who offered to read it over and made some helpful suggestions about keeping the guys in character! Thank you so much, my dear!
Chapter 6
Exciting Story in 32 Pages! Staying in his Friend’s Apartment Unbeknownst!
Aikawa sat between the two men in the cab, though Lord knew why, as sliding along a car seat in a short skirt is no girl’s idea of fun. The things she did for this man, she thought, glancing over at him under long eyelashes, whose seductive beauty was completely lost on him. But Aikawa didn’t mind at all. She was going to be present at a real-life drama, one that might even fit well into one of Usami-sensei’s more colorful type of novels, by which, of course, she meant his Boys Love novels. She almost clapped her hands in delight, but she remembered her dignity as an editor and restrained herself.
Of course, Aikawa knew this was a serious matter and couldn’t be treated as if it were one of sensei’s sensational stories. Misaki was a real person with real problems: she mustn’t enjoy this drama with complete detachment as if there were no real feelings involved. Actual, real medical problems that had caused a complete loss of memory! No knowledge of who he was, where he came from, or who his real friends were! A boy ripe for exploitation! Calm down, Aikawa! She told herself. She glanced to her other side at the young man who was sensei’s childhood friend. He seemed very high strung for someone who wasn’t directly involved in the crisis. Though of course, Misaki had been staying at his apartment, unbeknownst to Usami-sensei! Yes! Completely unbeknownst! Aikawa once more repressed an urge to clasp her hands under her chin and make the sound that is known as a “squee.”
The cab had arrived at an unimposing, pinkish apartment building. The contents of the cab disgorged on the pavement; Akihiko and Aikawa followed Kamijou up the stairs and into the living room of his apartment.
“I’m home,” he announced, moving back to the bedroom, gesturing for Aikawa and Akihiko to stay where they were. Nowaki was in the bedroom, shrugging into a turtleneck.
“Hiro-san. You’re home so early. Did you bring someone home? What’s happened?”
“Did you just get up? Where’s Noboru?”
At the mention of Noboru’s name, his eyes glanced over to their bed and then back to Kamijou. Then, with his face tinged red, he said, “He’s gone. He was gone when I woke up.”
“What are you saying? You mean he went out for errands?”
“No, I mean he’s left. There was a note in the kitchen.” Nowaki pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to Kamijou. But Kamijou heard a footstep behind him, and a long, slender hand reached around him and snatched the note out of his hand.
“Dear Kusama-sensei,” Akihiko read. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. It’s time for me to be on my own. Tell Kamijou-sensei thank you for me. Noboru.”
“Usami-san, what are you doing here?”
Kamijou’s eyes were full of anger when he lifted his face to Nowaki. “You idiot. Why did you let him leave? Noboru is Misaki Takahashi.”
“Who?”
“Misaki Takahashi. Akihiko’s boyfriend. The one who lives with him.”
“Oh.” Nowaki looked so stupid just standing there. Then, “Usami-san? Are you okay?” Kamijou turned. Akihiko was staring at the note and looking very pale.
“Who is Noboru?” he asked.
“That’s the name that Misaki used. He still doesn’t have any idea of who he is,” Kamijou answered, guiding Akihiko back out to the living room and making him sit down. Nowaki came behind them. He clearly was in trouble for not preventing Noboru from leaving, so he went into the kitchen to make tea.
As for Aikawa, she was disappointed not to see Misaki come out with the two men, but when she realized that he had vanished again, her eyes lit up with excitement. “Where could he be?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I never kept track of his movements,” Kamijou said, regretting for the first time having ignored the man he had thought of as Noboru so completely. “Nowaki!” he spoke sharply.
Nowaki came out carrying a tray with tea and cups and set it on the low table. “Never mind that! Where did Noboru hang out? Where do you think he could have gone?”
Aikawa felt a little bad for Nowaki bearing the brunt of Kamijou’s temper. She took charge of pouring the tea. She fixed Usami-sensei’s first and pressed it into his hands.
“Well, he said that the social services were going to pay for an apartment for him while he took the cooking course,” he said, “But he didn’t mention actually having a place yet. We could probably find him at the culinary institute, but his course doesn’t start for another two weeks.”
“Two weeks? Where else might he go?”
“I don’t know!” Nowaki raised his voice, and Akihiko jerked his head to look at him. “Why is he important to you now, Hiro-san? You ignored him completely before! You made him feel unwelcome, and now he’s gone!”
Nowaki saw that Aikawa and Akihiko were both staring at him now; Aikawa looked uncomfortable, but Akihiko looked angry.
“I don’t know. So far as I am aware, the only one he really knows is me.” Nowaki felt a pang as he faced the fact that, even though Nowaki was his only friend, Noboru had left so suddenly and without any word of how to contact him.
He was interrupted by Aikawa asking him if he wanted any cream or sugar. He shook his head, and she placed a warm cup in his hands. He sipped his cup and felt the heat flood him along with the chagrin of losing Noboru. His throat swelled with sorrow.
“Excuse me, everyone, but I have to leave for work,” he said, abruptly. He put the tea down, took his jacket off its hook and left.
Akihiko slipped out the door and followed him down the stairs. “Kusama-sensei.”
Nowaki turned around, startled.
“I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of Misaki.”
“I did it for his sake, you understand,” he said with reserve. “He was suddenly without anyone, without even memories of happy times. I wanted to provide him with a refuge. Hiro-san doesn’t understand that. People who suffer a sudden loss need a refuge. ” Nowaki blushed, realizing he’d said too much.
“What else did you do for him that I don’t know about, Kusama-sensei?” Akihiko fixed Nowaki with a piercing stare.
Nowaki flinched, but only said, “I hope you find him, Usami-san.”
Akihiko had already taken his cell phone from his pocket when he reentered the apartment and was dialing information to get the number for social services and for the culinary institute. “I’ll go out there and browbeat his address from them if I have to,” he said.
“Oh no, you don’t! You’re going home to rest!” chimed in Aikawa. “Leave the legwork to me. You know you can rely on me, sensei!” She took the phone from his hand and closed it. “Now sit down again. Kamijou-san, would you please call us a cab?” She fluttered her eyelashes before she remembered that he, too, was gay.
Ten minutes later, the cab dropped Kamijou off at the university and whisked Aikawa and her charge off for research and recuperation. Akihiko looked as if he had something more to discuss with him, but he hadn’t voiced it, perhaps because of Aikawa. Kamijou cursed to himself, realizing he had sacrificed his morning classes for a miserable debacle. He had failed to achieve what he’d hoped, and then there had been Nowaki. Nowaki had acted strange in the bedroom. What had he done? Looked at the bed when Kamijou had asked about Noboru. Kamijou shook his head as if trying to rid it of the image and walked up the path toward his building.
******
Aikawa had gotten sensei settled and comfortable on the couch with a hot cup of tea, a book and a notepad, you know, she said, in case he got any ideas while he was resting.
She got on the phone and using her super-powerful executive editor persona, discovered that neither the man at social services nor the woman at the culinary institute had Misaki’s address. She was sure if they had had it, it would have been hers.
“Don’t worry, sensei,” she said to a sensei who very clearly was not only worried but at the edge of his endurance, “I’ll find him. Just leave it to Aikawa.”
He turned hollow eyes up to her and was about to speak, when she took his hands and forced the cup up to his lips. “Drink!” she said.
Amaterasu Aikawa had been raised the only child of proud parents with high expectations. She had never permitted herself to learn the true meaning of failure. This was what made her such a good match for Akihiko Usami. She matched his stubborn self-centeredness with an iron will and fearlessness that spelled his defeat about half the time they went toe to toe. In this case, she was happy to put the same qualities at his service. She felt sure that working side by side they could do almost anything that involved getting something out of someone.
Therefore she had not one single doubt that Misaki Takahashi’s phone number would be in her hand and in her cell phone before two days had passed.
Previous Chapter
Next Chapter