Piece by piece

"Thank you... You really are an angel..." It didn't take long for him to fall asleep in his arms... and he stayed still through most of the night and well into the morning... He'd hardly slept at all during those two weeks, now that he was clean it was all the more easier to see any and all damage that had been done. And for once... Miku didn't care if he was up on time... He was safe here, safe with Kanon.

Kanon didn't wake up till he heard his mother ranting in chinese. It was funny to hear since she knew the language so well but bad at teh same time since she only used chinese when she was angry.

"You boys couldn't wait until they made sure he was alright?! 愚蠢的激素男孩! Come on get up. You two have to take a shower, separtely. At least until we get custody of you. Oi...horny boys. Light some incense too." She walked back out shaking her head.

"Opps...mom isn't too happy about us having sex. At least this soon...it might complicate things a little but she should still be able to get you."

Miku jumped when he heard a slightly angry tone, he didn't speak though, living with his father had taught him not to even try... But his mom walked back out and he looked down at his hands. He felt bad now... He didn't want to complicate things or give anyone a hard time, he never did.

He moved to grab the towel from earlier and looked up shyly at Kanon, "Guess I'll go first... light those incense?" A small smile and kiss and he wrapped the towel around him and walked to the bathroom to shower like the woman had asked. After his shower he'd be going down there to apologize to her...

A quick shower and then he was back in Kanon's room and taking his time with getting dressed so that he wouldn't be going down there alone to speak with his mother... And once Kanon was back and dressed he followed him down to the kitchen and saw his mother still fussing a bit over the stove...

"M-Mrs. Sano? 我抱歉… 不要責備Kanon… 我不意味是障礙…" His mother had been a language teacher before she passed away, and she'd been teaching him several languages while growing up... Chinese being his strongest second language.

"它行是。 我就是不想要有可能性的您能停留。 我們不想要您被拿走。 I'm not mad...well yes, I am. I'm more worried than anything though. We can't give them any reason to take you away and with your father doing what he did...there's no way they won't think that Kanon forced you to...it just...going to be a little more tricky. Nothing I can't handle. Don't worry about it my dear. I'm sorry I yelled." She kissed his head and went back to making breakfast.

"Mom? I'm sorry we just-it wasn't something planned..."

"I know...it'll just be something me and your father will have to get used to."

A motherly touch was definitely something he wasn't used to... she was very nice, he hoped he could stay... But there was no way that they could say Kanon forced him into anything. His word plus that of their teachers would be enough to prove that Kanon would never... But he knew his dad... he would try and destroy Miku anyway he could before he was locked away for good.

"I'm willing to help you any way I can... I know how my dad can be..." He'd twist any story he could get, and get a hold of any contact he could think of... just to snoop things out for his own gain.

Another tall man that looked a lot like an older Kanon walked into the room and hugged his wife, giving both boys a soft look, "You must be Miku. We've heard so much about you... before this of course, welcome to the family." He gripped Miku's shoulder firmly, causing him to wince a bit... "Looks like we might wanna get him checked out by a doctor soon though..."

"Doctor?" Miku feared doctors...

Kanon smiled at his father but Miku gave away his bruises to his father. "Dad's a social worker and has a soft grip...you winced. He has a lot of cuts and bruises, but nothing that shouldn't heal in a few days."

"Oh wanting to be a doctor now?" His mother was teasing.

"Nope. Still a photographer." He moved toward Miku and put his arms around him.

"We have to be at the courthouse in an hour so you guys best sit down for breakfast."

Miku was nervous... with Kanon it was fine, but more people made him nervous. But he was trying his best to get over it... He wanted to be a normal teenager... That didn't stop him from nuzzling close to Kanon though. Miku smiled slightly at his boyfriend before moving to sit down with him. Courthouse? But... he'd just gotten here early this morning.

"What are we doing at the courthouse...?" He had an idea... but he hoped it had nothing to do with his father yet.

Kanon's mother brought out the food and set it down for everyone to eat. They each got their own plate and sat down to eat.

"Well first we have to go to your scum of a father's hearing to know his sentence. We have to be present since Ichigo is the prosecuting lawyer against him...then we scheduled a custody hearing for you. By the end of the day your father will be in jail for a very long time adn you will be here for as long as you like. We do have a guest room but if you want you can share Kanon's room with him. I know teenage boys and if last was any indicator then...well the guest bed won't see you much anyway."

Miku really didn't want to go... especially if he had to see his father. It gave him chills to even think about... and then it made him miss his mom. Why she had to die and not him as well was always going to be a mystery. But he nodded anyways, "Alright... Thank you." He gave them a genuine smile, a rare sight indeed.

Breakfast went well and so did the ride to the court, it was when they were once there that everything just went down hill it seemed. His father saw him walking down a hall with Kanon and his parents and decided to take another stab at him, "You'll never change Miku, you're always gonna be that filthy whore! You might pull it of now but you'll go crawling back, just like you did every night after school! Begging those men and women for more. You. Are. Trash! That's all you'll ever amount to!" His voice was taunting and laced with hate, guards finally got him pushed into a room and silenced, but everything he said hit Miku hard... This wouldn't be the end of his insults... He was allowed his own say so in the courtroom...

Things went better than Kanon thought they would. His father was actually more civil than Kanon thought he would be. Given, he wasn't nice at all...but more civil than thought.

"Don't listen to him. You are better than him...you won't have to listen to that ever again. I swear." Miku's father was put away for 25-life. No probation. Then came the custody hearing. They didn't even ask about Miku limping. They figured it was just another part of what his father had forced him into. Custody was granted with no trouble. Miku was theirs.

Miku kept his head against Kanon's shoulder as much as he could, doing his best to listen to his boyfriend and just ignore it. When the judge announced his decision Miku sighed in relief and let his head fall back. One more trial, one where he would have to participate in partially... But it went smoothly and Miku was allowed to stay with thee Sano's. That finally made him cry, he turned and hugged Kanon tightly. He was crying, laugh a wet laugh made its way out as well... "I get to stay...! I get to stay with you!"

Kanon's parents smiled at the two, his father came up and pat Miku's back gently with any damages in mind, "We'll have to go by your house so you can get your things, but after that you'll never have to go there again." The man was surprised to find Miku hugging him and thanking him as well... How could such a good kid come from an evil man?

"Kanon... Come with me?" He wanted Kanon to help him burn those tapes his dad made...

Kanon nodded to his father and followed him. Miku and Kanon's mother went to get his things while Kanon and his father went to destroy the tapes.

"This man has hundreds of tapes...how long was he doing this to that poor kid?"

"A long time...dad. Could we not talk about it...I don't want to think about what the man forced him to do all this time...he's mine. That's all there is."

It wasn't hard to pack Miku's things, he didn't have much, just some clothes and his school stuff. Kanon's mother was honestly more shocked than what she thought she would be, "You poor dear... You need some spoiling..." Miku just shook his head, "You got me away from my dad... That's all I could ask for."

He drug his duffel bag through the house, at a glance you wouldn't know this place was used for pornography... Leaving his bag at the door, he walked into the room where his father taped everything, the room Kanon found out what really kept him busy after school... Kanon's dad hit a button that turned all the camera's on, letting them watch what Miku was doing in the room. There was only one thing in here Miku wanted, and that was his pictures his mom had taken that were hidden under the bed. He wouldn't leave her mot memories in this hell hole.

The camera ran out of film and started to rewind, finishing when Miku opened the door where Kanon and his father were trashing the tapes... "I've got everything."

Kanon and his father were pulling the film out of every tape and putting all of it in a bag to be burned. "So are we...just have these last few tapes to destroy and we'll be good. I hate what he did. Hundreds of tapes..."

"You didn't want to think about it Kanon. So don't. Bag this up and we'll take it to be burned."

"I want this...do you think it would be bad if I took it? It would help with my photography." He held up a video camera that was hooked up to a lot of things. He wanted the camera though.

Miku looked at the camera and all the cables running from it, "Go for it, better it actually be put to good use..." Kanon would use it for art, beautiful art. He helped to unhook the cables, giving him all the cables he'd need for him to get full use out of it.

The film was all bagged and everything of any value to Miku had been packed, now they were back home and Miku had fallen asleep in Kanon's bed after unpacking everything. Last thing he saw was Kanon reading over the book for the camera... it was cute to see him having a dork moment with his new gadget...

Kanon woke Miku up a little while later. He had found something. "Miku...Miku wake up. I found something. That tape your father was making? Well this is the last one. It has me and you on it...and him trying to...-but at the beginning, look. I think this might have been the last home video you guys had." He was surprised. At least it was something for Miku. At least he had something of his mother now...

They had missed one...? He was frowning until Kanon mentioned the family video... Before his parents separated? Curious he looked at the scren with Kanon... His mom... There she was smiling and laughing while his father recorded them at the local park...

"I was fifteen here... This was before my parents separated and... before the accident." He brushed away a stray tear, he'd done enough crying today. It was frustrating though... he knew that they had the accident, but after that was blurry... His dad had said his mom died and that he'd been in a coma through the funeral... but after that day everything went down hill.

"Thank you Kanon... You're the best." He kissed him and nuzzled his shoulder. He was still tired, but he wanted to spend time with Kanon...

--

Several months later Kanon and his parents had got him settled in to a fairly average life. His grades improved, people didn't bother him nearly as much, he got more outspoken, and even managed to get back to playing soccer. Best of all he still had his best friend and boyfriend, but life always did seem to like pulling a curve ball on him. Before they got home one day a woman was wheeled up on the porch, and rang the door bell, "Hello... I'm told I can find Akiharu Tsukiyama here...?"

Kanon opened the door to find a woman there. She wanted Miku? "Uh...yes you did. He's on his way home from soccer practice...can I help you?"

"Yes...I'm looking for my son. You said he was coming back from soccer? So he still plays? That's good...do you know when he'll be home? I need to talk to him about a moving date. Thank you for everything but he's coming with me...it's just taken me this long to get to him."

"M-moving? To where?"

"Kyoto."

"But that's...over 300 miles from here..." Kanon looked up to see Miku coming up the porch. His mother was alive and there to take him home...a home that was very far away from him.

Practice had gone well, but the fields were still muddy from last nights rain, so he was very dirty... a nice hot shower with Kanon sounded great at this moment. A woman in a wheelchair was blocking the doorway though... "Kanon? Are you okay...?"

"Haru..." The woman turned to look at her muddy son... His mom? But she was... "Mom...? But you--"

"I've... been in the hospital. In and out of a coma and therapy... When I heard the news about your father... and that you could be dead... I investigated it, found you here. And now I want to take you home. We'll go back to Kyoto with my family, forget what your dad did. I just want you back Haru..." Her eyes were sparkling, but Miku was feeling dread... "No."

"What--" "I'm not leaving."

Miku wasn't leaving? He was staying with him? "But Miku...I've been wanting you home...a-and now that I found you...you want to stay? Miku I'm your mother."

"And I'm his best friend. His boyfriend...don't take him away from me..." He moved to hold onto Miku as he looked at the woman in the wheelchair. He hoped she wouldn't go against him...he couldn't handle Miku being taken away.

"Young man... Can I ask that you please not interrupt... Haru... Go get cleaned up, then meet me at the park? Just to talk..." Her eyes pleaded to her son... And he sighed and nodded. Watching her as another woman wheeled her down to a waiting car... then turned into Kanon's shoulder. He clung to him despite being covered in dirt, "What am I going to do Kanon, what am I gonna do...?"

"I don't know...she doesn't really seem to like me much though..." He didn't know what to do. "Get a quick shower I guess and go see her...she's your mom. You should at least talk to her..." He just hoped the woman didn't convince him to leave him. Kanon didn't think he could take that.

But Miku got his shower and went to the park. Kanon just sat down waiting for Miku to come back and tell him he was leaving. He was praying he didn't...but...he couldn't be sure.

Some talk. Miku stormed into the house, completely bypassing Kanon's parents and running upstairs and into Kanon's waiting arms. The tears poured as soon as he was held securely in his arms, "I don't have a choice! I have to... She... There's no reason for me to remain in your parents care with my mom out of the hospital.... But I don't want to leave you! I want to stay here and finish school with you, sign up for college, all of it! How am I gonna do that while I'm over 300 miles away?!"

Miku was sobbing into his chest by this point... What was he going to do? He had to have Kanon to survive...

Kanon was sitting on his bed when Miku came in. She was taking him. Miku was leaving...the tears came faster than he thought he would. "We'll...we'll write each other, talk to eachother...everything we can. I won't lose you. 300 miles is not enough space to keep us apart. I won't lose you baby...I love you too much to let you go." Kanon held onto Miku like there was no tomorrow. He wasn't going to lose him.

"I-I'll write you... all the time, call... anything. I don't want to lose you... You're everything to me... Everything... I love you, I love you so much!" Miku was clinging to him. Had he known that this was going to be the last he'd hold him... Miku would have held on longer... stashed him away in his bag... Anything. Because after that he hardly if ever got a letter from him... Never got a call... and no visits were ever made or even planned... What happened to him?

Two years later in their first year of college, Miku found his answer... Kanon had moved on... He was... dating another guy, living his dream of becoming a photographer.

His fine art books were clutched in his arms when their eyes met... "Kanon..."