Tales from Junjou Romantica

The Stroll

Misaki sat flushed on the green park bench after a long day at school, staring vacantly into the blossoming cheery trees. A true historical drama lover, Misaki couldn't help but think of himself sitting in the same spot during the days of the samurai. He laughed, picturing himself in the traditional kimono, the jade fabric draping over his body regally. Closing his eyes, he took in the syrupy smell of the trees surrounding him and the sound of the birds' sweet melody, chirped from their high roosts. Laughter emanated from the grove ahead. Misaki opened his eyes to see a boy and girl running through the trees; the girl bobbed and weaved between the branches and low shrubs that hugged the lines of trees as the boy chased behind. Finally catching up to her in a small clearing, the boy pulled her down into the soft meadow grass, rolling atop her, staring intently into her eyes. Unexpectedly, she grabbed the sides of his face, and pressed her lips to his, locking him in a deep kiss.

Misaki wondered what his own romance would be like, had he been born in the era of the Shogun. Shutting out the distant clatter of the city, he envisioned the tranquil trill of a stream of water rushing over the smooth pebbles of the creek bed. Above the rose-tinted tree line, a puff of silvery snow drifted in the wind off the top of Mount Fuji. Misaki felt a slight warmness encompass him, and the cool touch of someone's hand against his own sent a shockwave through his body. Turning to face the person, Misaki's heart jumped in his chest. 'It's her, I can't control myself. She's probably as beautiful as the princess, Kazunomiya.'

"Misaki?" Usagi-san interrupted.

Misaki's eyes went wide, "What're you doing here? Where'd she go?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The girl! She was just here, holding my hand!" Misaki's eyes darted to his hand, snug in Usagi's. "What the hell?"

"Misaki, there was no woman here, it's just us," Usagi-san brought Misaki's hand to his lips, brushing them delicately on the younger boy's soft skin. Misaki's cheeks reddened, his body becoming warm and heavy; he swayed nearly undiscernibly.

"Stop that," Misaki ordered, shying away.

"What, this?" Usagi-san wrapped his arms around Misaki's waist, pulling him swiftly into his own body, kissing the boy relentlessly, and for the first time, Misaki didn't resist in the slightest; his knees buckled under the intensity of the kiss, and he welcomed it in all its entirety.

"-ki... -saki... Misaki!" Usagi-san shook Misaki by the shoulders, "Misaki, what the hell are you doing?"

Misaki opened his eyes, realizing he'd been snapped out of a day-dream, "Huh? Oh, sorry, I was a little lost in thought, haha."

"Wow, imagine that, you can follow a train of thought," Usagi-san ran his fingers through Misaki's silky brown hair, thoroughly ruffling it.

Misaki slapped away Usagi-san's hand, and rose from his seat on the bench, "How long have you been here Usagi-san?" Noticing they were alone, Misaki relaxed partially, still wary of any "tricks" he felt Usagi-san might pull.

"Long enough for everyone to leave."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What do you think I was doing?" Usagi-san turned, beginning to walk down the path ahead; a sign to the right of the path notified its visitors to its name, Lover's Grove. Misaki trailed one step behind, skipping a step every so often to keep up with Usagi's longer strides. "I called out to you, but when you ignored me, I figured you were upset with me again, so I just sat. You had your eyes closed, and you looked so peaceful. It was quite adorable." Usagi-san smiled over his shoulder at Misaki causing him to blush once more. "But then you started making this strange face," squishing his cheeks together, Usagi-san acted as though he were a fish taking in water.

A look of dismay spread across Misaki's face as he remembered his dream. He felt like a school girl caught in a childish stupor, drifting into space in the middle of class. This is so embarrassing. 'I can't believe Usagi-san witnessed that. Misaki stopped in his tracks while Usagi-san pressed forward. Wait, why do I care what Usagi-san thinks of me?' "Why didn't you stop me?"

"I keep telling you. I tried but you kept doing that. What were you thinking about anyway? It looked like you were drowning," Usagi-san chuckled, walking back to face Misaki.

"Nothing," visibly blushing, Misaki attempted to hide his obvious embarrassment.

Usagi-san shrugged it off, and continued their stroll down the footpath. As the two walked, Usagi and Misaki inched slowly closer to one another, until a single sheet of paper could not fit through the gap in their bodies. The warmth radiating from Misaki's body excited Usagi-san, and although Misaki did not know, Usagi's heart pounded in his chest, and he fell further for the boy, realizing just how much Misaki meant to him. Limp at his side, Usagi-san's hand nudged Misaki's purely by accident, but much to his surprise, Misaki's hand nudged back.

'What's this feeling in the pit of my stomach, I get whenever Usagi-san touches me?' Like the spear of a hunter piercing the heart of its prey, a deep ache penetrated Misaki's seemingly calm exterior, and without warning, he leaned into Usagi-san, looping his arm through the other man's, seeking stability, "Usagi-san, I'm tired."

"Would you like to go home, Misaki?"

"Yeah, but let's finish our walk first."

'I think I've figured it out. I know I can always depend on Usagi-san, and although I don't want to cause him any trouble, I'm starting to feel like, maybe, just this once, it might be okay to be a little selfish. I never want to lose any of this -- the smell of his cigarettes, the sound of his deep voice whenever he calls my name, the warmth of his large hands. I guess this is what you might call... love.'