Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ April 1st - The GIFT ❯ Freed ( Chapter 11 )

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PART 11: FREED

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{Outside the beach house}

Hanagata was almost out of breath from carrying the redhead when Rukawa's car came into view, parked just right outside the beach house, much to his relief. Thankful for the driver's help in opening the car door, he was about to slide Sakuragi inside the back seat when Rukawa tapped him from behind and said, "I'll take it from here." Recognizing the determined glint in the raven head's eyes, he nodded his understanding and carefully transferred Sakuragi onto the outstretched arms.

Mindful only of his precious bundle, Rukawa carefully slid into the right side of the back seat. Once comfortably seated, he gently released Sakuragi's lower body and let it stretch out to cover the remainder of the car's back seat, freeing his wounded arm from the burden of supporting the weight while using his right arm to cushion the crimson head that fell comfortably inside the crook of his neck. Closing his eyes, he drew the redhead closer to his chest and whispered, "You're safe now, Hanamichi, and that's how you'll stay." Then, as if hearing the words he just said, he heard his bundle murmur something inaudible and felt rather than see him shift in his arms to snuggle deeper within his embrace. The act, though unconscious, brought a smile that lighted his face and it lingered as he rubbed his face affectionately against Sakuragi's until he heard a loud, "Ahem!" Immediately, his eyes flew open and caught sight of his 'aho's annoying bestfriend grinning like mad. Blushing unconsciously, he gave Mito an icy glare but did not say anything.

Not even flustered by the glare, "I think you better take him home now, Rukawa, before you give smiley over there a jealous attack," Mito pointed, still wearing the goofy grin on his face.

Turning his head, Rukawa regarded his rival, on and off the court, with nonchalance then snorted before looking away since he did not care what the other was feeling anyway. Gently closing the car door, he pushed the button that opened the window and said to Mito, "Don't tell anyone about what happened to Hanamichi just yet." After seeing a nod, he settled back and was about to say something to his driver when he saw Hanagata slid into the front seat. "What are you doing?" He questioned with a frown.

Putting his seatbelt on, "I'm coming with you, what else? If you can't carry him outside then you sure can't carry him inside your house either. So…" Hanagata let it trail since his intentions were obvious anyway and he believed that the raven head was shrewd enough to get the gist of it.

Controlling the urge to vent his growing irritation to the tall mister-know-it-all guy, Rukawa just grunted and barked for the driver to drive slowly back to his home. Ignoring Hanagata's "Thank you," he leaned his cheek against Sakuragi's forehead and cuddled the sleeping boy closer.

Minutes later, Hanagata sneaked a backward glance and smiled when he saw that Rukawa had fallen asleep with arms wrapped loosely around the redhead. "That's one relationship still left intact," he mumbled under his breath and could not help think about Fujima and Maki. [I should not have left them alone but… They have to sort this out by themselves.]

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{Trailing a short distance away}

"Are you following Rukawa's car?" Mito asked in suspicion.

Deep in thought, "No," Sendoh clipped.

"Then why are we tailing them? This is not the way to your house, is it?"

Shaking his head, "I just want to know where Rukawa is taking Hana," Sendoh replied in slight annoyance, his eyes glued to the navy blue sports car not far ahead.

Staring intently at Sendoh's profile, "Does it matter? Wherever it is, Rukawa would take good care of Hanamichi. So why worry?" Mito queried and smiled knowingly when he saw the now familiar and over-used expression of pain painted across smiley's face.

Settling back on his seat, "Cheer up, Sendoh, Hanamichi might not be the one for you, but there are still lots of girls and guys out there. You just have to find somebody that is... er... unattached?" Mito joked but immediately regretted it the minute he heard the other say in a low voice, "Hana is one of a kind."

Now, how was he to react on that one?

However, instead of reacting, Mito asked, "Just out of curiosity, how are you feeling at this moment?" [Aside from that pain plastered on your face,] he mentally added but instead voiced, "I don't think you got the one hour that you requested, right?"

"No. I didn't," Sendoh replied.

"Oh" Mito decided to stay silent after that.

Eyes still glued on the navy sports car, Sendoh could not help but dwell on Mito's question. [What did I get from all of this?] He thought. Bit by bit, images, pictures, words spoken, revelations, and expressions, came floating back in his mind. But after a while of thinking, pondering, and analyzing about all of those, the remaining shroud of pain, jealousy, and anger in his heart suddenly got lifted and he finally had his answer.

Without a word, Sendoh made a U-Turn at the next corner, jerking his companion into asking, "Where are we going now?" With his cheery disposition slowly returning, "Back to my place. We're going to continue celebrating Hana-kun's birthday and, of course, April fool's day, for who could be a better fool than me, right?" He jested, and then added, "Well, aside from Fujima that is," cocking his head to the side which, in turn, earned him a laugh from his companion.

"Why the sudden change?"

Taking a deep breath, "Acceptance," Sendoh replied. "I might not have gotten the hour that I was due but after the time I spent inside that bedroom, it was enough to make me see that even a week with Hana would not change the fact that Rukawa is the one for him. I love Hana-kun. I really do. But... He loves Rukawa and I can't change that. So..." Taking another lungful breathe, "Instead of butting into their relationship, I'm stepping down. It's the least I could do to make sure that Hana remains happy," he ended, smiling wistfully.

Nodding, Mito grinned then said, "Hanamichi would have been lucky to have someone like you, Sendoh, but… Rukawa beat you to it, though I'm glad that you did not act as stupid as that Fujima guy."

The departing Ryonan ace had to laugh at that. After which, they shared a companionable silence all throughout the drive to Sendoh's house.

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{Back in the beach house}

Fujima had been fighting the urge to walk out of the bedroom once too many times during the past 30 minutes and if it were not for Maki's plea for him to stay, the living room, or anywhere for that matter, would have been his haven away from his former lover. Hence, as it turned out, he had to endure the agony of waiting for Maki's reaction ever since then and at the same time relieving moments that already made him feel like the lowest scum in the universe.

Sighing, he leaned against the side of the window panel and thought, [I wish this day would just end.] Then, his whole body tensed when the VCR stopped playing. [Now what?] He dared not look back for fear of what he might see in the other's expression thus he remained where he was; standing by the window, staring unseeingly at the scenery outside, hands clenched on his sides, and his heart, in danger of bursting from anxiety.

However, after a terse silence of waiting, Fujima felt familiar arms looping around his shoulder and waist from behind. Staggered, he could only blink stupidly a couple of times and before he could even move or think, he heard Maki whisper, "I love you, Kenji. Regardless of how I feel right now, that fact would never change." The admission, though it made his heart flutter and swell, only added to his confusion and disorientation. After watching the tape, he expected Maki to be either insanely mad with jealousy or disgusted to the point of not wanting to be near him anymore. Yet, the words just uttered, the tone of voice used, the loving embrace enveloping him, and the teasing lips running along his neck, they all proved otherwise. [What the hell just happened?] Short of pinching himself to check if he was dreaming or not, he tried wriggling from the embrace to try and catch any expression on his tanned lover's face, knowing full well that Maki's expression as well as eyes never lies.

Sensing what Fujima intended to do; Maki tightened his arms around the other and said, "Not just yet. I want to savor the feel of you in my arms again." Nuzzling the other's neck, "I missed you so much, so much that it almost drove me crazy." Inhaling his beloved's scent, "I'll never let you leave my side again, Kenji. Wherever you go, I go. If I have to be your shadow, then so be it. I just don't want to feel the emptiness of being without you, ever again."

Bowled over by what Maki just said, Fujima wriggled harder and was successful in being freed this time. Whirling around, he gazed at the face of the one he loved for more than two years and felt tears brimming in his eyes as he saw the love that still shone for him. Guilt stricken, he bowed his head low and thought, [I don't deserve that love, not anymore, not after what I've done.] With that, he sidestepped Maki and walked towards the other side of the room.

"Kenji…?" Maki trailed, following Fujima's movements.

Controlling the tears that threatened to fall, "We can't go back to the way we were before, Shinichi. Many things have happened. I'm hurt. You're hurt. It's just… complicated," Fujima cried, throwing his hands up in the air before sitting on the bed. Seeing the pained look that crossed Maki's face, "I'm sorry but… Why are you even doing this? I mean, I have hurt you, broken up with you, lied to you and to top it off, I cheated on you with these feelings I have for Hana and yet here you are, wanting me back, saying stuff that should be said if we're still together but we're not. It's over, Shin-chan, and we can never go back!"

Anger replaced the pain on Maki's face but it was a different sort of anger, not the kind that Fujima was expecting. 'No! We're over when I say we're over and not before. I know that you still love me. I can see it in your eyes so don't even deny it," Maki fumed. Raking his hand through his hair, "I admit that I was mad and hurt when you have broken up with me and I was insanely jealous when I learned about your feelings for Sakuragi from Hanagata but… I don't know, seeing you again changed all that." Walking towards the bed, he squatted and took Fujima's hands into his. "There were many incidences in that video that almost made me want to get up and just leave, never to return, because it hurt like hell. But, the need to understand and know everything that happened before I arrived pushed me into watching the rest of it."

"But why? It didn't change anything and you just got hurt in the process."

Smiling sadly, "I know that. But, believe it or not, I was looking for something to cling onto, something that would help me decide on what to do," Maki explained.

Holding his breath, Fujima stared intently onto Maki's deep expressive brown eyes and said, "Did you find what you're looking for?"

Nodding, "Yes, I have." Standing up, he hauled Fujima to his feet and cupped his face then said, "A relationship has to be a two-way street if we need it to be success and I found out that ours had been a one-way street." Tracing the contour of Fujima's face with one finger, "I'm sorry if I have neglected you and I guess that I had a hand in pushing you to fall for Sakuragi and I couldn't blame you entirely for that. But now that I'm here, now that I promise to never take you for granted again, you won't need Sakuragi to comfort you anymore."

Placing his hands over the ones holding his face, "But it still won't change the fact that I love him. Can you live with that? Can you accept that?" Fujima queried in a low voice. His heart beating furiously in his chest at the thought of being with Maki again but he could not just ignore his feelings for Sakuragi.

Maki's eyes clouded after hearing that. Being reminded of that particular fact hurt him more than any mental image of Fujima with Sakuragi could ever achieve. Shaking his head, "I don't know. I can't answer that one right now," he honestly replied, dropping his hand. Taking a deep breath, he combed his fingers through his hair and said, "I'm not saying that I understand everything, because I don't, and I can't promise that everything will return to what they were before because it will definitely be different. But I will promise you this…" Cupping Fujima's face once again, he gazed deep into his eyes then softly said, "… If… If you're still willing, I want to give it or us another try." Seeing the uncertainty that still lingered in his beloved's eyes, "Things will be rocky, I know. But if both of us are willing then I know we could do it."

Twisting his face away, Fujima bent his head and said, "It's not that simple."

"I know that but…" Placing a finger beneath Fujima's chin, "Just answer me that one question, do you… Do you want to get back together?" He queried, leveling their gazes.

As Maki was holding his breath, Fujima took in the sincerity and earnest in Maki's brown eyes and felt his last qualms crumble. Without words, he nodded his head and allowed his blurry eyes convey what his lips failed to say.

Happiness flowed within Maki's entire being and it showed on his face, as he said, "God, you don't know how happy you just made me, Kenji." Clasping both of his beloved's hands onto his, "I promise that I would never make the same mistake twice and if it means laying low on basketball then… so be it." Seeing the shocked look on his blue-eyed angel's face, he smiled and said, "It's okay. Basketball won't have meaning if it means loosing you, anyway." Enveloping Fujima into his embrace once again, "You're my life, Kenji. What good would my dreams and aspirations be if you're not there to share it with me?"

"Shinichi…" was all that Fujima was able to say before lips came down to claim his in a searing kiss, drowning him with emotions that only his dark and tanned lover could invoke in him.

Lost in the bliss of having to feel Maki's love for him again, it was some time before the shrill ringing of the telephone penetrated Fujima's hearing. Breaking apart, he hurriedly went downstairs, with Maki following suit, and was it time to hear Hanagata's voice sailing across the room when the answering machine took the call.

Picking up the receiver…

"Toru, it's me."

"Kenji? I thought something happened to you."

Brows furrowed, "Why would you think that?"

Hearing a snort in the background...

"Because this is the third time that I called, that's why."

"…"

"So… Everything okay between you and Maki?"

Sneaking a glance at the tanned player who was tenderly looking at him, he absently nodded his head and said through the receiver, "We're still working things out but… We're okay."

Hearing a sigh from the other line…

"I'm glad. Well, I'll be on my way home then and since I know that you'll be going with Maki... Call me when you get there, ok?"

"Yes. I will." In the act of hanging up, "Wait! Where are you anyway?"

"At Rukawa's. I carried Sakuragi to Rukawa's bedroom."

Playing with the phone's cord, "Er… could you give me the address?"

"Why?"

Sighing, "Just spill it, Toru. I need to give Ha… Sakuragi something."

"Are you crazy? Rukawa will kill you as soon as you step in his driveway."

"Don't worry. Shinichi will be with me and I'll make sure to make him understand that I am not about to steal his boyfriend again."

Silence…

"Okay, but… Don't do anything stupid again, Kenji."

Fujima rolled his eyes but did not say anything. After taking down Rukawa's address, he bid his bestfriend goodbye, said his thanks for helping him out and then hang up. He was still checking the address that he had written when he suddenly heard Maki moved.

Lifting his head from the piece of paper, "Where are you going?" Fujima asked.

Turning his head to the side, "To Rukawa's. I believe that that's where we're headed, right?" Maki questioned. Seeing a hesitant nod, "Well then, I'll just have to see to your bruises and then I suggest we make a move on if we want to catch that plane for Tokyo which is leaving in…" Checking his watch, "… about three hours from now."

Fujima hesitated, slightly apprehensive by his boyfriend's abrupt attitude. However…

"I'm not mad, Kenji. It's okay. I understand that you want Sakuragi to have the tape, though you might give him and Rukawa nightmares after that but… I'm all for it. Besides, after we drop it off, you'll be coming back to Tokyo with me, right?"

Fujima nodded his head and with gratitude and happiness showing on his face, he threw himself in Maki's arms and said, "Thank you."

Wrapping his arms around his blue-eyed angel, "This is the last time that I am letting you think about him, Kenji. After this, I will make sure that Hanamichi Sakuragi will be no more in your heart," Maki whispered and then added, "Are you okay with that?"

Leaning back, Fujima's expression turned thoughtful as he said, "Forgetting him will not be easy." Seeing the pained look that appeared in Maki's eyes, he gave him the sweetest smile of understanding and apology as he said, "But… I love you more and I want to love only you… forever. So... I guess you'll just have to help me with the forgetting part. A lot of help." He stressed before leaning down to kiss his already smiling lover.

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{Some time later that night - Inside Rukawa Manor}

Rukawa had just finished talking with Mito on the phone, telling him that Sakuragi was all right when the butler came walking in the library and was carrying a package.

"Young master Kaede, there was someone at the door who left this for Mr. Sakuragi," the butler said, handing over the package.

Brows furrowed, "Who was it?" Rukawa asked.

"He did not leave his name, Sir, but he said that there's a letter for Mr. Sakuragi inside."

[A letter?]

Giving the butler a curt nod, he was about to dismiss him when he remembered something. "Ask chef to prepare a special dinner for two."

"Yes, Sir," the butler replied then bowed and left when his young master gave him leave.

Left alone, Rukawa was undecided which to do first, check up on his boyfriend or open the package that was not even meant for him. [But anything about Hanamichi concerns me. And this letter...] opening the package and finding the white envelope, [I wonder whose it from.] With his curiosity getting the best of him, he unconsciously chose the second choice seeing that he had already torn the letter open and saw red when he read the name at the bottom.

Hana-chan,

Before anything else, I want to say that I'm sorry. Sorry for drugging you, sorry for making you miss your own birthday party, sorry for taking you away from your friends and most of all, I'm sorry for taking you away from Rukawa.

By knowing all this, I know that you must hate me by now, not that I blame you but, please, don't hate me so much just yet. I don't know if my reasons could justify my actions but everything that you need to know is recorded in the tape enclosed with this letter and after watching it, I pray that you understand why I did it and what made me do it.

Hana, I can't say sorry enough for everything and though I want so badly to see you once again, even for just a moment, fate decided for me to let you decide on that one. As you are reading this letter, I'm already on my way to Tokyo with Shinichi, or Maki to you, to try and work things out between the two of us and whatever the outcome may be, rest assured that I would not bother you again.

Goodbye, Hana, be happy and, I love you,

Kenji Fujima.

P.S. If you ever feel the need to contact me, ask Kogure, Akagi, or Hanagata. They'll know where to find me.

Rukawa read the letter twice before dropping onto the nearest chair, clutching the piece of paper in his hand while glaring at the videotape lying on top of the table. A part of him knew that the redhead had a right to know about what went on for the past couple of hours, but the other part was apprehensive to let Sakuragi watch the tape. Torn and undecided, he figured that the best way to know what to do was to view the contents of the videotape himself, seeing that he too wanted to know what happened before he arrived.

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{Upstairs - Rukawa Manor - Rukawa's bedroom}

A prone figure, lying on a king sized bed, stirred then languidly stretched like a cat before the closed lids lifted to show a pair of chocolate colored eyes still glazed by sleep.

Yawning, the very first thing that Sakuragi's still drowsy mind could make out was that, he was definitely not in his room; the wall was different, the scent, the color, the posters, everything about the room was different from his.

[Where am I?]

Confused and alarmed, he hastily got up into a sitting position only to groan aloud when the suddenness of his action made his head spin and the room went blurred for a moment. Cursing silently, he clutched his head then slowly surveyed his surroundings and instantly knew where he was the moment his eyes fell on the picture frame atop the bedside table. Watchful now of his movements, he edged closer to that side of the bed and picked up the picture frame. A small smile tugged on his lips as he fingered the picture lovingly. It was a picture of the two of them, of him hugging a smiling Rukawa from behind, taken during the latter's 17th birthday as well as New Year's celebration on the Rukawa's chateau in the Caribbean.

Smiling, he placed the picture back atop the bedside table and roamed his eyes in his surroundings again. Thankful that his head seemed to have regained its equilibrium, he slipped from underneath the covers, got up from the bed, and walked barefooted towards what seemed to be Rukawa's study table where a large table clock showed the date as well as the time.

< April 1 - 9:30 p.m.>

"It's that late?" He exclaimed then stared at an opened window and found that it was, indeed, nighttime. For a while, he tried to recall what happened to him. But… All he could remember was that, he was with Fujima, they were picking up his birthday cake from a bakery, he felt drunk and then... all went black after that. [That's weird,] scratching his head, [How did I end up in Kaede's room?] Sitting on the chair, he continued, [If I remember correctly, Fujima and I left Sendoh's house around mid-afternoon and Kaede was not even there yet. Then, how come…]

Hearing the bedroom door opening and closing, his pondering was cut off when the butler came inside the room.

"Ahh… Mr. Sakuragi, I'm glad that you're awake. This will surely make the young master happy. I'll just go and inform him that you're already up."

[What? What did he mean by that?] Perplexed, the redhead called out, "No wait!" Getting up, he walked closer towards the butler and asked, "Where's Kaede?"

"He's in the library, Sir."

Smiling broadly, "Great. I'll just go and see him myself." The madly grinning birthday boy slipped into a pair of fluffy slippers and was almost by the door when the butler's amused voice halted him.

"Don't you want to change into something more suitable for dinner, Sir?"

Whirling around, "What?" Sakuragi stammered and only then did he notice the clothes he was wearing. "What the..." He gasped, unable to hold back his surprise when he saw that he was wearing blue colored silk pajamas. [Whoa… Definitely Kaede's,] he mentally commented and then his cheeks went crimson as his hair when something suddenly struck him. "Who... Who did...?"

The redhead's stammering made the butler smile in silent understanding. "The young master had changed your clothing while you were asleep, Sir."

"He WHAT?" Sakuragi exclaimed and was now sure that his cheeks were on fire.

Still stunned to even move a muscle, Sakuragi leaned his head back a little when a change of clothes was thrust in front of him. Dumbly, he took the offered clothing but asked, "Would somebody else be coming for dinner?"

Shaking his head, "No, Sir. You and the young master would be the only ones dining tonight."

Upon hearing the response, the grin returned on the redhead's face as he tossed the clothing back to the puzzled butler and said, "I'll be surprising your 'young master' by wearing only these." [Besides, I like the feel of silk on my skin,] he mentally added. With that, he immediately stepped out of the bedroom and went in search for his boyfriend.

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{Inside the library}

Rukawa thought that he would no longer feel the excruciating pain he felt when he earlier saw Sakuragi with Fujima, but he was wrong, dead wrong. As his darkened blue orbs gazed at the blank TV screen, his mind kept replaying the images of what Fujima did to Hanamichi. His innocent and naive Hanamichi.

[But not too innocent anymore,] his mind corrected.

Anguished by the reminder, [Damn you, Fujima!] He cursed, closing his eyes as he gripped the remote, angered and hurt at the same time. Yet, distraught as he may be, he knew that he had to finish the tape, if only to finally find an answer as to why his beloved acted the way he did because not knowing otherwise might eventually tear him and Hanamichi apart. He could not afford that and he definitely would not allow that. Thus with his determination set on that point, he controlled the turmoil inside of him and turned the TV back on. However, once he did, unadulterated pain marred his features once again, for there, suspended in video animation, was his Hanamichi; head thrown back, hands clutched on Fujima's hair, his manhood... buried deep within Fujima's mouth.

Clamping his eyes shut, he debated whether to turn the TV off again or endure the agony of seeing Hanamichi with Fujima. Choosing the latter, he clicked the play button and resumed watching, turning the volume high enough for him to hear this time. But, seconds later, he wished that he had kept the audio mute because hearing Sakuragi's cry of release broke his control and broke his heart into thousand pieces, leaving him devastated and crushed.

Unable to hold back his emotions anymore, he let his head drop between his hands and allowed tears to flow freely down his face. "Hana..." He sobbed then sunk his fingers deep within the roots of his hair and moaned, "Why?" Gripping his hair tight, ""It hurts..." Clutching his heart, "It hurts so much..."

Caught once again in the realm of pain and suffering, he fleetingly got spared of being given more reason to be immersed deeper into despair by not hearing the drones of pants, moans, and kisses coming from the TV. However, once the sounds managed to permeate his hearing, he hastily groped for the remote by his side. In the motion of turning the darn thing off, his fingers stopped on top of the button when he heard the sound of Hanamichi's voice calling out his name. Baffled, he reluctantly lifted his tear-stained face to stare at the screen and flinched when he saw the pair now locked in each other's embrace. Forcing himself to ignore that part, he then tried to focus his attention on hearing what Fujima and Sakuragi were saying.

"It's not Kaede but Kenji, Hana."He heard Fujima say and then in response, he heard his boyfriend moaned, "Kaede..."

[What?] Still unsure of what he heard, he sat upright and pushed the rewind button, stopping to that part where his heart shattered, but this time, he forced himself to not think of anything as he waited for that part where he first heard his name called.

"Kaede, please stop… I… I can't. It hurts so much."

There it was. Though Sakuragi's voice was somewhat muffled and though every fiber of his being wanted to kill Fujima for even delving that deep, he actually heard the former begged HIM, called HIM, not Fujima, but HIM. To really make it sure, he rewound it three times and after each confirmation that it was, indeed, his name that the redhead called, his heart began beating with renewed life in his chest.

[My name. He called my name. He thought that Fujima was... Me,] and then,[so that's why...]

That bit of revelation was just the thing that he was unknowingly looking for and certain events were slowly becoming clearer to him. Hanamichi's wanton acceptance and responses to Fujima… Hanamichi's cry for him to let Fujima go after he had pried the latter off of him… Hanamichi's heart wrenching cry for him not to leave his side… Hanamichi's love that he felt when the former embraced him, which eventually lulled him to sleep… Everything, everything that Fujima made possible to happen and led HIM to believe happened in that room was all because Hanamichi thought of him, Kaede, while drugged.

However, before he could allow himself to feel anything akin to relief, there was still one question left, one burning question that could still break him.

Holding his breath, he continued watching the video without further interruption and his huge sigh of relief dispelled any demons left in his mind and heart when the TV showed his arrival at the scene, timely thwarting Fujima's ultimate intent on his beloved.

[Nothing happened… Nothing happened… Hana's still… … God, thank you!]

Rukawa's heartfelt thanks brought a huge smile on his face and he felt like running up to his sleeping beloved in his bedroom, yank the guy off the bed then hugged him for all that he's worth but… Before he could even begin acting on those inclinations, a loud clutter of noise from outside caught his attention. Looking back in alarm, he was relieved to see no one in sight. Nevertheless, he got up from the chair, turned both the VCR and TV off, wiped his face dry of any remnant of tears, composed himself, then stepped out of his father's office and out of the library to check on the commotion.

Once outside, he saw the butler picking up broken glasswares on the floor, just near the doorsill of the library. "What happened?"

The butler stood up and looked apologetic as he said, "It's my fault, Sir. I startled Mr. Sakuragi when I came up from behind him."

"What?" Rukawa cried. "Hana's awake? Where is he? Why didn't you tell me?" He asked in rapid succession, fearful that the redhead had seen the video.

Though perplexed with his young master's reaction, the butler knows enough not to ask stupid questions thus he answered, "He wanted to tell you himself and I was just about to serve you tea when he ran away as soon as he saw me."

[That means… Oh my God…] Rukawa mentally groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. "I've got to find him," he mumbled but before he set out to chase after the redhead… "Tell the guards to not let Hanamichi pass without my permission," he instructed then ran in the direction where the butler pointed his 'aho went.

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To be continued.....

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One last chapter to go... yeah.. it's the truth this time grins....

As usual... Comments, reviews, crits are most welcome...