Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica and its characters.

It was an accident.

Bright lights flashed before his eyes as he involuntarily brings his arms to his face, bracing himself for the impact. Loud noises could be heard everywhere; the gasps and screams coming from the spectators that were in the area, the buzzing noises cars were making at the traffic, and the sound of siren bells mixed into one. But only a second took all those noises away from him as he blacked out from his thoughts.

Chapter 1 – TIMELESS: Fall, present day, 5:37pm.

The brunette sat down on the couch and impatiently tapped his fingers on the couch's leather coating. His face seemed annoyed at the situation which was demonstrated by his eyes rolling frequently to the man standing in front of him, then to the door that leads out of the apartment.

The other man standing before him narrowed his eyes at this reaction which he knew was not the usual character of the brunette. Showing of his emotions bluntly was somehow a little bit of a shock to the older man. Light brown hair which somehow gleamed silver in the light, came falling down the man's face as he looked down at the boy sitting on the couch.

"Hey, Akihiko," The boy looked at him offensively and opened his mouth to speak again, "I'm not having fun so can I leave now?"

Akihiko? Since when did he start calling him by that name? And in such impolite language was not like him at all. He was definitely convinced that this was not the same boy he knew two years back—or at least something… changed during his absence. He opened his mouth to speak but for the first time ever, no words dared to speak as his mind went blank at a loss for words.

The boy eyed him in disappointment as he stood up and dusted himself. He walked for the door without a word of dismissal and was about to open it when the man behind him spoke.

"Misaki," The boy paused but didn't turn around, "did these two years change you… because of me?"

The boy was still for a while when a smirk formed his lips as he turned around to face the lover he used to know and respect.

"The Misaki you know is dead," He made sure venom seeped through the older man as he said this slowly and clearly. His right hand brushed his long bangs to one side so the man could see the true emotion hidden deep within his emerald eyes, when the man did he stood the on the spot frozen and could not deny that a shiver might have run through his spine. The boy glared at him—a glare the older man never knew the boy was capable of: intense hatred.

"M-Misaki…"

The brunette turned away and opened the door leaving the man with his cold eyes and final words which would haunt him everywhere he went.

"And he's never coming back."

Usami Akihiko was left to ponder about the whole situation by himself in the darkness of his apartment. Misaki's words definitely rang over and over within his head.

"The Misaki you know is dead…"

His eyes narrowed. Could this be the karma he deserved for his choice two years ago? He would have never imagined things to turn out this way; on the contrary, he thought his choice would benefit Misaki.

"And he's never coming back."

He balled his hands into fists and bowed his head down. The situation he thought he could fix just tripled over into something much worse than he had thought. Only the light of his cigarette was seen in the room which did not help him calm down like it used to. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the phone rang to his right which may, most likely, be Aikawa. She was the only one who ever calls him at this hour. Thinking he could get his mind away from the situation he's in now, he does a rare motion by actually answering the phone without it having to ring twice.

"Yes." He says in monotone as he brings his cigarette away by his left hand and smoked exhaled from his mouth in one blow.

"Usami-san? That's weird, I thought I'd have to barge in your place again to get your attention…" definitely Aikawa and her brash nature. He silently laughed at that response but when he remembered that she and Misaki used to get along, the words from a while ago returned to his head as they repeated again and again.

"Sensei?" she asked breaking a minute of silence, wanting to confirm if it were really him.

"The Kafka Awards, right?" he asks, still in monotone voice.

"Uh… yes."

"Give me ten minutes." He says with a sigh from his cigarette as he pushed the tip on the cigarette plate.

"Huh? Um, right!" surprised by that response, she did not know what to say, "Should we get a limo—" but he already hung up, massaging his temples, thinking that this was better than brooding in the dark.

He stood up and walked over to his room's closet upstairs. He didn't bother to open the light, the night lights outside provided that much. Since he did not do this very often, he would usually ask his favorite brunette to pick something for him to wear, teasing him as he stuttered for an answer. His small smile at the memory twisted to that of a frown. Everything in the room smelled of the boy that it seemed like only yesterday he would make him yell at him for the man's constant advances and sometimes, if the Akihiko were successful, cry out of pleasure.

He shook his head. Those thoughts no longer mattered now. Not since it would have no effect on the boy like it did before. He made his choice and convinced his self long ago that the price would be what he truly deserved—he even prepared for the worst and it did happen, but he just could not believe it.

He grabbed a random tux in the closet and prepared himself for tonight's event. Later, he would receive his thirteenth award as best writer and composition for a book he had published two years ago entitled "TIMELESS". He was proud of that piece and was actually very excited to receive it on this very day. Except now, he no longer wanted it so much. He was aching for something else but was not sure what it was. Misaki? Forgiveness? Or both? He was not even sure if he even deserved any of the two.

He could see a bright light enter the neighborhood, and after a while, stop at his doorstep. The doorbell rang twice before he decides to take his first step out of the room that grounded him to the floor. Aikawa was there to greet him outside his apartment. Bright and bubbly like usual, Aikawa talked to him nonstop ever since he saw the man's face standing in front of the apartment. She was no mind reader, but she could tell if there was a problem. Knowing everything that happened two years ago and the plan of Akihiko's return just a while back both pointed to the same thing; Misaki.

The trip was not too long and fortunately for Aikawa, Akihiko started to respond to her every now and then. VIPs from all over Japan and even some from abroad all gathered inside Teito Hotel where the paparazzi were armed with the best types of media in the world. From flashes of the photographers, video for tonight's news feature, and interviews conducted for tomorrow's newspaper were all the same to Akihiko. Everyone knows that the VIPs have an act of their own, Akihiko was no different. He put up the best face in front of interviews and pictures, but today he postponed most of them for this time he knew the front would not last long tonight.

Inside, were people dressed in proper and elegant clothing for an event that does not happen everyday. Small talk can be heard from almost anyone within the Teito Hotel's grand hall and the sound of laughter echoed through the area. Waiters were ready to serve them as immediate as a command, which most would consider a striking skill. But in that room Akihiko did not find his peace.

The voice of one overlapped the rest of the sounds that were there. He was growing restless as the time passed which was—to him—excruciatingly slow. When he was finally called for his speech he thanked the gods that the event was close to the end.

"Now let me present to you the person who made it to his thirteenth award for best writer and composition. Tonight's honorary guest, ladies and gentlemen, Usami Akihiko-sensei."

An applause showered Akihiko as he took the stand in front of them. He smiled—or at least convinced them that he did, "Good evening. I am honored to accept this award for I consider it as one of the best I have written so far." He looked at the audience and saw them listen in anticipation, each of their faces were the same and he cared of nothing but ending the night—that was, until he saw the brunette at the far back of the room with his back against the wall and his arms crossed, dressed formally and whose eyes labored the same glint of annoyance from this morning.

"The story was inspired by someone whom I cherished long ago," He said looking strait at the brunette's eyes, "but the one who gave me determination and drive to finish it was someone I'd least expected to barge into my life."

The brunette's eyes narrowed.

"At first, I wasn't even sure it would be published since I'd fail to meet my deadlines and refuse to work," the audience laughed at that, still the two seemed as if they were having a private conversation just by looking at each other, "but he'd scold me countless times that I'd get back to it, and when I think that I should just stop… he'd always cheer me up."

The brunette closed his eyes and turn to the direction of the exit, when at the end, the person standing there shocked him the most. Haruhiko, his half-brother was waiting for the brunette. When Akihiko's speech stopped, the host assumed that was it, since most of Akihiko's speeches were kept short and quick.

"Thank you Usami-sensei. Such touching friendship… now for…"

Friendship? If only that were so, and the two of them could simple make up. Things become difficult when two people become…intimate. Distracted, Akihiko walked over to the exit and ignored those who wanted to congratulate him. So many questions ran over in his head, but the bottom line was that he needed answers.

When Haruhiko came into view he did not think twice as he pulled the man by the collar and pushed him out the door, barely making anyone notice the scene. He tightened his grip on him and cornered him on a corridor which no one was in.

"A-Aki-hi…ko…" the dark haired man was able to gasp, but the grip on him only tightened as he mustered all his strength into his hands and tried to pry himself free from the Akihiko's hold.

Akihiko's eyes narrowed, "Where is he? Where is Misaki?!"

"L-Let… go…" the elder of the two struggled to keep his breathing in tact.

Akihiko refused to hear his rational side but failed. He would not be able to find answers if he would kill the man on-the-spot. His grip loosened as Haruhiko gasped for air. Akihiko spoke slowly and clearly, enough that it would be considered as a threat, "Where. Is. Misaki?"

Haruhiko straitened his glasses on the bridge of his nose and spoke, "You just missed him. He has work."

"Tell me where he is!" Akihiko started to become irritated, that side of him most people were afraid of—the side which he did not want to show anyone else ever since he met Misaki.

"Akihiko stop this now. Aren't you deceiving yourself? Wasn't it you who decided to let him go?" He said while fixing his collar and tie. Akihiko's eyes widened.

"You know something, don't you?" He said, "Tell me what happened; why he's changed, why he decided to leave—"

"Weren't you the one who left?" Haruhiko cut him mid-sentence as the light gleamed on his glasses, his eyes dead-serious. "You shouldn't bother yourself with him now, the Takahashi Misaki you know died two years ago."

"Why is everyone telling me that he died? He's right there isn't he? What could two years do to anyone that would make someone suddenly change?"

Haruhiko did not answer immediately but when he spoke, he intended it to be dismissive. "You're asking the wrong person. If you really wanted to know then you would have just saved him before it became worse. You're two years too late."

Akihiko blocked the older man from leaving his sight, "I won't let you go until you tell me."

"Move it."

"Not until I get my answers."

Akihiko's eyes were deadly serious, as if he would stop at nothing to get him to speak even if he had to follow him around. Seeing as though there was no way out, the man sighs, "So annoyingly persistent. Fine, but let me warn you, you won't like what you will hear."

"I know that." Akihiko simply stated as his eyes eased a bit. He was not about to let the only clue he had to Misaki's strange behavior slip right out of his hands.

"Well then, this isn't the place. Come with me."

Chapter end

Author Notes: A very serious chapter. Don't worry, the next one won't be so serious. But keep in mind the genre I picked. I hope you liked the first chapter of my very first Junjou Romantica fan fiction. The next update will be posted on my profile. Thanks for reading.

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