The night was cool and the sky overhead clear as the trio of men walked out of the building of Nanno Group towards the Mercedes Benz waiting for them outside. Two of them, one an attractive young man with light sandy brown hair and the other an older man in his early thirties, chatted amiably with one another while the third, another young man just coming out of his teens, kept quiet as he thought of the two people who have been occupying his mind since that morning.

"Why don't we celebrate this contract with dinner?" suggested the older man, who was Odagiri Shinji's manager. "My treat."

"That'll be great," smiled the brown-haired young man, before turning towards the brunette walking with them. "What do you think, Kanagawa-san?"

Kaede shrugged. Dinner with his companions might help rid his mind of Akira and Hanamichi and it could also improve his public relations image a little, though he held staunchly to the believe that being friendly with people does not make him a better person, whatever his brother might have said.


~~~~~~~~~~

In the car, on their way to the restaurant, the actor twisted around from his seat at the front and said happily, "Thank you for giving me this part, Kanagawa-san. I've always liked the shows Nanno Group produces."

Kaede nodded. "With your popularity among the women, the show is sure to be a hit."

The actor chuckled in embrassement. "You're being too generous, Kanagawa-san. If Sendoh Akira should take my part, he would have the rating hitting the roof."

At that, the actor's manager sighed. "He's just being modest, Kanagawa-san. He idolises Sendoh Akira since he started acting."

Shinji laughed and was about to say something more when suddenly the car swerved to the left, slamming the actor against the car door and knocking him nearly breathless.

Shinji gasped. "What-"

"Something is wrong with the rem!"
That was all Kaede heard from either of them before panic hit him with full force. Suddenly, scenes from the accident where his parents were killed when he was a child took control of his mind. He felt the hurt, pain and fear all over again. He felt, heard or saw nothing of his surroundings as the past held him hostage.


~~~~

Ring, Ring
Ring, Ring
Ring-

"Moshi, moshi."
The redhead blinked. "Hisashi-kun?"
After a few moments, he gave a gasp. "What?! I'll come over right away!"

Without waiting for a reply, Hanamichi put the phone down and ran out of the house, just barely remembering to lock the door and bring his set of keys and wallet.


~~~~

It was about five minutes later when Hanamichi reached the Kanagawa residence and he instantly rushed in after the maid wisely stepped back as she opened the door for him quickly. When the redhead saw Hisashi walking down the steps towards him, his instantly demanded, "Is he okay?"

"He's upstairs," Hisashi said, alleviating a little of Hanamichi's worries. At least Kaede was not in some intensive care unit somewhere.

"What happened?" Hanamichi asked as climbed the stairs hurriedly with Hisashi beside him.

"Odagiri Shinji, his manager and Kaede were driving to a restaurant for dinner when they met with an accident. The rem wasn't working."

Hanamichi's heart stopped a beat. "Sabotage?"

"It might be," Hisashi answered, "Odagiri and his manager were injured but they're okay now. Kaede was sitting at the back seat so he only got some minor bruises."

"So he's safe." Hanamichi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah.... but he's in shock," the scarred face man told him slowly. "The doctor already gave him a check up and there was no brain damage or any sort of injuries on him. The doctor said that Kaede might be in a confused state at the moment. Kaede's not talking and he's barely moved from his bed. I don't know what to do. I think... I think he's remembering that day of that accident with his parents."


~~~~

Hanamichi slowly opened the door and his normally loud geeting was hushed by the stillness in the room. There, on the bed, in the middle of the room lay a prone figure on the sheets, as still as death. When the redhead came closer he was relieved to see the assuring shallow rise of Kaede's chest even after the fact that Hisashi told him that Kaede was alive.

"Kaede," Hanamichi called out softly as he carefully sat himself down on the side of the bed. "Hey, it's me."

Slowly the blue eyes opened and the tears that were carefully restrained under closed lids slipped out, past the lush lower lashes and across the soft pale cheek. Hanamichi wiped the track of the lone tear with his thumb and murmured, "Kaede."

Kaede sat up and suddenly Hanamichi found himself locked in a tight embrace. Hesitantly, but then with equal passion, Hanamichi hugged him back, surprised to feel the shivers wracking the brunette's body. The redhead did not know what to do except to hold Kaede tighter and whispering promises while rubbing Kaede's back in a soothing manner.
"It'll be alright, Kaede. I'm here. I'll always be here."

In a minute the shivers stopped but Hanamichi continued to hold onto the brunette, not wanting to let go just yet. The one who broke the embrace was Kaede, who suddenly went stiff as a rod before pushing the redhead away from him.
"I don't need you."

Suddenly, Hanamichi was unceremoniously hauled out, the door shutting behind him with a bang. The redhead blinked in confusion. One minute he was holding Kaede in his arms and the next, he was thrown out with a cold (and outwardly rude) dismissal.

"Bakayaro! How could he say that to the Tensai?!" Hanamichi roared once he got his sense back.

"Bakayaro! How could he hold Hanamichi like that and not want to talk to me?!" someone growled beside him. The redhead turned around to see the forgotten older Kanagawa looking peeved to the core.

"Bwahahahaha!" laughed the redhead, giving Hisashi a V sign.
"I win!"

"K'so!"

While the redhead was still busy laughing, Hisashi pulled out his packet of cigarettes and shook one out before placing it between his lips.
"Whether I like it or not, he needs you," Hisashi grumbled as he lit his cigarette, "That's why I called you here."

"But he's still being such an asshole," Hanamichi muttered, shoving his hands in his pocket angrily.

"It's what has been happening lately that's been sending him on edge," Hisashi said, "He doesn't want you to get hurt like what happened to Odagiri and the manager. Whereas I wouldn't mind if you get hurt at all."

Hanamichi scowled and was about to hurl the scarred-face man a dirty word when a thought suddenly occured to him.
"Hontou? Then I have a proposition that you can't refuse."


~~~~

The early morning rays of light felt heavenly on him as they caressed his beautiful face which was tilted upwards to the sky. It was the perfect time to be out on the wide balcony for the wind was not too chilly to keep him inside. His leftover breakfast in front of him was slowly becoming stale and the tea in the pot becoming cold. He had thought that his brother would join him outside for breakfast but looking at the time it looked as if his brother had decided to skip the meal or have already taken one before he did.

Suddenly the door seperating the balcony and the inner rooms opened and Hisashi appeared, smiling at his younger brother in affection.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Hai," Kaede sighed.
"But the matter of the Hakuba resort promotion is troubling me. I need to find a replacement for Odagiri or there will be no show to differentiate us with other resorts."

Instead of joining his brother at the table, Hisashi continued to lean against the open door his smile slowly turning into something too innocent for it to be real. Even the tone his brother was using gave Kaede the suspicion that Hisashi was up to something.

"What if, instead of thinking about a replacement for Odagiri, we think about a replacement for Sakuragi first?"

"What?"

"You having a boyfriend gave us good publicity in the tolerance issue."

"But-"

"You don't have to answer right away," said Hisashi quickly, "If he's suitable, then it's a good idea to continue the boyfriend plan."
Then, without waiting for any protest that his brother might have wanted to say, Hisashi stepped aside to let a person through. A person that made Kaede sit up in surprise.

"Kaede, I'd like you to meet your boyfriend-to-be."

"Yo."

"Hanamichi?!" Kaede stared at the redhead for a moment but then quickly got up from his chair to demand,
"Aniki! What is the meaning of this?"

"I think he'd be perfect for the part," Hisashi replied in a big smile. If Kaede didn't know any better, he would've sworn his brother was lying through his teeth while trying to keep up his pretense of sincerity.

"The Sakuragi's debt is already cleared. They don't owe us anything anymore," Kaede stated.

"That's why Sakuragi accepts my offer of a real job." Hisashi grinned. "He's going to receive monthly wages for helping us promote the Hakuba resort."

"It's a good offer for a 17 year old, don'tcha think?" Hanamichi said, matching Hisashi's grin with his own.

"Have you forgotten about yesterday's accident? And about what happened to us at the resort?!" Kaede snapped angrily, "Anyone who comes near me will be in danger!"

"I know that-"

"No, you don't!" growled Kaede, "I do. But I'll be damned if they scare me out of this project. I won't run away! I am no coward!"

"Neither am I!" snapped Hanamichi, "So don't treat me like a weakling! You want to be treated like a man, so treat me like one as well. Let me make my own decisions."

Kaede went silent, looking at the stubborn redhead in front of him. Hanamichi made such a beautiful vision with his brown eyes blazing with indignant anger and coupled with the argument Hanamichi posed to him, Kaede found himself reluctantly agreeing.

"I'm no hypocrite," Kaede finally spoke, sitting back down on his seat, "You're hired."

"Yatta!" cheered Hanamichi, before thumping the surprised Hisashi on the back, hard. Before the scarred-face man could retaliate with a hard shove, the redhead twisted away and gave Kaede a grin.
"We're gonna beat this, kitsune! Ore wa Tensai!"


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