A/N: My heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I hope you like the chapter. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.

Chapter 11

The next day found just Akihito and Dave in the Asami manor. The college break had ended, so Renji, Seiko and Mizuki went to attend the college. Ryuichi went to his business and Ryuutarou san and his wife went to visit an old family friend. Akihito was working on his laptop at the dining table while Dave was making brunch for both of them.

"So, what's your prognosis, doctor?" Dave asked as he put down the dishes in front of Akihito. The man in question looked up from the laptop screen, grinning at the statement.

Dave had always teased him about his doctor title. 'Well, time to play it on him.' He thought.

"Well, the body is showing symptoms of pulmonary embolism, seeing that there is shortage of breath rapid heart rate and low blood oxygen levels. We're gonna have to use warfarin treatment and if that is not appropriate, a vena cava filter. It is also showing signs of GPS, so we'll have to perform the plasmapheresis procedure and give a dose of cyclophosphamide, prednisone, rituximab to prevent further damage and a small dose of azathioprine to maintain remission."

Dave looks in bafflement as Akihito rattles off on diseases and stuff. When he finished, he opens his mouth to ask something, then shakes his head and closes it again. This is repeated a few more times before he is able to speak coherently again.

"What the hell was that?" he asks.

"You're the one who asked my prognosis. Go look it up. i'm sure the all knowing internet will provide you with the answers." He replies with a smirk.

"Jerk. Remind me why I'm with you again?"

"Coz you love me and cannot live without me." Aki says with a simple smile. "Though it seems someone else is soon to tie with me for that place in your heart." He teased and Dave blushed, knowing his growing attraction towards Mizuki had been caught. He'd liked her since he laid his eyes on her, and now that he's gotten to know her, well… It made him a little scared at the rate this was escalating, but it was also thrilling. He's always been a speed lover anyway.

Noticing the sly grin on his best friends face, he decided to take a swipe of his own.

"Well, it feels like I'm going to hear wedding bells soon in your family, and not just for Seiko chan." He watched amusedly as Aki's face reddened and chuckled. He wasn't the only one with an attraction towards a member of the Asami family.

"It's good." Aki mumbled around his spoon as he ate.

Dave chuckled as he watched his best friend behave like a teenager with a crush. He'd known him for a long time and he'd never seen his friend have such a reaction to anyone, man or woman. And from what he'd seen, the feeling was mutual. They both always gravitated towards each other when they were in the same room, and there was a smile on their face and a spark in their eyes reserved only for each other.

He was happy for his friend. He deserved to be happy. 'But he doesn't know his dark side.' He thought as his face darkened. 'He has a dark side himself, but would he be able to handle Aki's?' There were too many ways things could go south, but for now, he will keep a positive attitude and a prayer that this Ryuichi guy would have the strength to shoulder the bundle of surprise that is Aki.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the devious grin forming on the other man's face.

"Hey David~!" Takaba called him in a sing song voice. "I have a wonderful idea!"

Dave startles at the use of his first name, not the short version. He only calls him that when he is planning something silly, or something dangerous. He is instantly on alert and looks at the excited face of his friend.

"What are you planning?" he asks.

"Don't you think our lovers would be getting hungry soon?" he asks and with a hesitant nod from the other man, he continues. "How about we go deliver some food to them?"

"And what's the catch?" There's nothing simple when Aki's involved.

"We don't let them know we're gonna do that until we get the food right in front of them." He exclaims, eyes shining in mischief. "So what say you, partner?" he asks.

Now it was Dave's turn to grin deviously. It's been way too much time since they pulled something prank-like on anyone. So he easily agrees.

"I'm in, partner." He affirms.

They finish their brunch quickly and wash the dishes. They had time before they had to start preparing lunch, so they decided to discuss the strategy they were gonna use. The plan was to ditch the bodyguards they had been assigned since the Yamazaki incidence and get to their lovers, without alerting the guards of their presence.

Ditching their security detail would be easy; they were told to follow them without them noticing, and only outside, but tricking their lover's guards would be difficult. Dave's job would be relatively easier. He just has to enter the college, find out where Mizuki is and get the food to her. Aki's would be much more difficult, as he'll have to get into a building with air tight security and hundreds of employees (carrying guns!) and get into Ryuichi's office without anyone noticing. This was going to be one hell of a game, but they both loved a good challenge and the adrenaline junkie in them loved this one.

They got off the couch and started preparing the lunch. It didn't take a long time for them to finish and now they were looking at it, neatly packed in the beautiful bentou boxes they had found in one of the kitchen cupboards.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's get ready!" Aki whisper yelled, throwing his arms up in the air.

Dave nodded and they both got ready, wearing clothes that were inconspicuous so as to not gather attention to themselves. Dave was wearing a T shirt and jeans, paired with sneakers, as he had to mingle with the college crowd. Akihito, on the other hand, was wearing a smart suit, paired with formal shoes. Both of them carried a back pack for the bentou box and a hoodie, in case they were found out and had to hide themselves in the crowd.

They discreetly got out of the mansion and moved silently towards the gates. They knew the guards have gone to have lunch, but some of them may still be there. They scowled when they noticed two of them guarding the gates. They backtracked and moved to the opposite end of the house. Seeing no guards there, they scaled the walls and fell silently onto the grass on the other side. As they got to the main road, they looked at one another and grinned, then nodded and parted their ways. Each of them had a different destination.

-x-o-x-o-x-

At the Tokyo university

Dave was standing in the almost silent corridors of the university. He had reached inside the campus with relatively no difficulty with just one incidence. He had failed to notice one guard and almost ran into him while he was entering the uni. Thankfully he recognized the guard and caught himself at the very last moment, murmuring his apologies and escaping the scene.

He looked around himself, noting his surroundings. Students were walking in the corridors, some with teachers, probably clearing their doubts. A pair of couples was walking while holding hands. He suddenly wished he was in their place, walking side by side with Mizuki, holding hands and exchanging jokes, sometimes even kisses.

He is knocked out of his reverie as a bell chimes, signaling the start of the lunch break. He remembers her telling him that she always has her lunch in the cafeteria, so he walked towards a group of girls standing nearby and smiled at them, asking if they could tell him where it is. He inwardly smirks as the girls blushed and stared at him. One girl recovered quickly though and directed him to the mess, albeit stammering. He thanked them and gave them another winning smile, then turned and walked away, leaving the swooning girls behind.

After the short walk to the cafeteria, he finds it just beginning to fill. He scans the room and finds that Mizuki is not there. So he decides to wait for her at her favorite table. She had told him about it in so much detail that it was easy to recognize it. It was right by the window and provided the view of the botanical gardens. So he sat on the chair and waited for his love, watching the scenic view from the window, facing away from everyone else.

Mizuki enters the cafeteria and heads towards her favorite table but stops short when she sees someone else is sitting there. She can't see his face as he had put on a hoodie, but she can't help but feel a sense of familiarity. She decided to put it in the back of her mind and ask the person if he would like to shift to the other empty tables around her favorite table. There's no harm in asking, right?

"Um, excuse me? Would you mind moving to the table next to this, please?" she asked politely.

"Now why would I do that?" the guy asked. Mizuki was confused. She felt like she knew that voice, but couldn't place it. The guy was still facing the window, not turning to look at her.

"It's just that it's my favorite place to eat, and I always sit here. I'd really like to not break the tradition if I can." She explains.

The guy hummed, thinking over her request.

"I have a better idea. Why don't you join me at the table? I surely wouldn't mind sharing with such a pretty lady. You could even sit on my lap if you want."

Mizuki was furious! 'The cheek of this guy!' She's about to slap him for his insolence when he turns around and looks at her.

"Dave?" she squeaks, not believing her eyes. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Now she was totally confused.

Dave got up, getting the bentou box out of his bag. He caressed her face and pulled her chin up, allowing him to gaze into those beautiful light brown orbs.

"I came to bring you your lunch, mi bella dama." He spoke softly, without breaking eye contact with her. Then he held up the bentou box so she could see what he was referring to. Her eyes sparkled at the sight and she excitedly took it from him. She hugged him tightly as she whispered her thanks into his ears, her breath causing shivers to run down his spine. But before he could return the favor, she was off of him and sitting on the chair, opening the box with an excitement a child would show while opening his presents.

She squealed at the sight of the food inside that had been decorated with hearts (Aki's doing, not his). As he watches Mizuki fussing over it and taking photos of it, he's glad to have listened to his friend about the decorations. He certainly wouldn't have thought of it by himself.

Mizuki joins her hand and utters "Itadakimasu!" and digs in. When the first bite touches her taste buds, she moans in delight. 'This is so delicious!' she thinks as she goes in for more. After a few bites and subsequent moans, she points her chopsticks at Dave as declares; "you are gonna be a wonderful wife, Dave!" she nods, as if to affirm her statement and goes back to eating.

Dave smirks at her and decided to take a swipe of his own.

"Oh, so I'm the one who's going to be pottering around in our kitchen, fully pregnant and bare feet while you earn the bread for our family?"

Mizuki choked on the food she was eating, sputtering and coughing at the same time. Dave brought a bottle of water to her lips, patting her back to soothe her distress. After she had stopped coughing and calmed down, she points her finger at him in accusation.

"Are you trying to kill me? Seriously, I could have choked on my food and died right now!" she almost yells at him, but he could see that it was not in anger, but in embarrassment.

Dave smiles at her as she continues her rant, wondering in the back of his mind how his friend was faring on his challenge.

-x-o-x-o-x-

A/N: And that's it for now, folks! All the medical stuff I've written is all referenced from Wikipedia. I'm not a medical student, so please forgive me if I got something wrong. You are welcome to tell me any mistakes.

Hope you guys like the chapter! J