HIKARU KAWAMOTO just realized that Yuujin Shimasaki, her old-time schoolmate, was also studying at the same university where she did. As far as she could remember, Yuujin was always an honor student then, just like her; and he was also a heartthrob, as she was. But she didn't like him. He was so arrogant and self-centered. And he was rich. She was not.

Then she came to know a guy named Haruo Yamanou, the guy with the cute face. She liked him but not for more than the friendly relationship. She just wanted him to be her friend. He said he also liked her to be his friend ut his eyes said otherwise.

Hikaru's parents died of a plane crash with her step-brother Seisuke Murasaki. So after they died, his uncle took her to his house in Tokyo with his family. She was expecting for a family that was loving, caring, and all, but what was waiting for her was a cold and dark family. So since that day she went to that house, she began to live like hell.

She was just lucky to have Nanami Tamura around as her friend. Nanami was her friend since they were still in Hokkaido when they were still younger. When she left for Tokyo, she also left her. But soon, Nanami followed her to study at the same university.

It all started when Yuujin called her the phone late at night. He was proposing a project, which she would never reject. But then, when his uncle knew that she was always late when going home, he grounded her; she could never participate to that additional project.

One night, his uncle told her to buy some vegetables at the market. She was studying then when he told her that, so she was pissed off. But still, she followed his order for she could never disobey him. He was her only family.

While going back, she saw a drunk man along the way - at the park. He was so drunk and powerful that she could not remove his hands off her when he did so. He was trying to kiss her on her lips but she was still fighting him.

She could feel his dirty lips on her neck and she felt him suck it. It was gross but she couldn't do anything; her mind just wanted to fight him.

She didn't notice the car just close by. She didn't notice the man who came out of the car. She didn't notice that the drunkard had already been knocked out. She didn't notice that she was crying against the man's broad arms. She didn't know that the man was Yuujin until she looked up to him. She was shocked to see him there but she was feeling a little bit numb at the moment. It was the first time she was harassed like that.

She said 'sorry' to him for crying on him just like that but he said it that it was really fine. It was nothing; she could embrace him whenever she wanted. He really didn't care.

She was about to go when he stopped her. She looked up to him and asked him why he did so. He said there was something on her neck and he did see that in spite of the dim light of the lamp post. He told her to come near him so he could see better. When he saw it, he was right to have concluded it: the drunkard left kiss marks on her neck, the part where even collars could not cover.

He told her to come with him to his house because he knew that her uncle might scold her or something. He just wouldn't let her cry in pain again after he saw her did.

So she came with him to his house - actually, his family's house. His mother - his family, rather, gave her a warm welcome when she entered the big house. They were giving her the love she had been longing to have ever since her parent's death...

Yuujin took care of her, gave her the points of the lessons the teacher was teaching, and all. He was like a boyfriend to her. So she thought, he wasn't arrogant after all.

Within the two weeks of being with him, all she could never forget was how she always fixed his necktie when leaving for school. She didn't know what had gotten into her. She was feeling something unearthly with him around. She couldn't understand it all. It was all greek to her.

He gave her an apartment for her to live in. She would never go back to her uncle's ever again.

She was back to school again. But she wasn't her old normal self. She became different after two weeks. Even Nanami noticed it. But she was glad she had gone different. She was now sensitive to people's feelings. She was now aware how beautiful and great she was.

She hadn't been able to talk to Yuujin after that. He was so far to reach...

Then it happened again. But this time, it was Haruo's turn to harass her - at the locker room. It happened during the time of Mr. Sasaki, the time when Yuujin was one of her room mates.

Yuujin noticed that she wasn't around at that time and he was worried. He thought, she just wouldn't skip classes because she wanted to pursue. So he thought again, maybe something happened to her. He excused himself from the class and searched for Hikaru in the campus. He was just lucky he first searched at the locker room of the juniors. And he found Hikaru there - with Haruo. He thought they were already lovers to have gone to that stage when they couldn't wait to have each other but when he heard her crying for help, he did help her. He beat Haruo and told him to stay away from her.

When they were already alone at the locker room, he just had this need to look at her exposed skin. She was beautiful to look at but then, bruises and marks were all over. It was the sign of harshness. He cursed himself for looking at her but he should help her. She was vulnerable and so fragile.

He thought that if ayone would see the marks left on her face and neck, people would start thinking that she just had made love to a mate. So he thought that if...

He came near her and knelt down to look at her closely. He wasn't in his right mind that he didn't know what he was doing. He started to kiss the part where there was a kiss mark on it, then the other, and so on. He wanted her to know that he was doing that to protect her, that he was doing that to pretend that he was the one who left the marks...

He couldn't kiss her on her lips because he knew he wouldn't be able to stop.

Then he heard her saying the words that could kill him inside. She told him to stop, and that she would just skip classes for that day.

Upon going home, Hikaru couldn't believe to see Seisuke alive. He said he survived the plae crash and that he had a partial memory loss. He was searching for her all the time and when the time came, he asked her if she could live with him with his new family in Nagasaki. Of course, she decided to go with him. She quitted her studies at the university and continued to another.

Six years later, she went back to Tokyo. She was now rich. She wasn't the old poor Hikaru who was abused by her uncle. She was now the Hikaru who was loved and taken care of.

At a coffee chop where she was reviewing the data of the company of her adoptive father, she saw a man sitting at a near table and he was alone. He was kind of reading the newspaper while he was drinking his coffee.

He was really familiar to her that she even cried for the longingness she felt.

"Hikaru!" Nanami called her upon seeing her. She was by the door and almost all people looked at her. Then Nanami saw Yuujin just a table away from her.

"Oh, Yuujin! You're here! Come and join us. Hikaru just arrived from Nagasaki..." she said and forced him to join them at their table.

Yuujin wasn't saying anything. He was just staring at Hikaru.

They talked and talked but Yuujin wasn't saying that much. He was silent most of the time, just staring at her.

"And, Hikaru, did you know that Yuujin said something shocking at the acquaintance party. It was too bad you were not there..." Nanami said.

She was curious. What was that thing he said? He looked at Yuujin.

"And now, I will leave the two of you alone and talk about everything you failed to talk about six years ago..." then Nanami left.

After a long term of silence, Yuujin decided to bring her to a private place. He chose to go to his pad.

He lifted the cork of the wine bottle and poured some into a wine glass. He asked her if she wanted to have some but she told him not.

He sat beside her on the couch and took a sip. Then, after a while, he spoke.

"You know what, on the day of the acquaintance party, it sure took all my powers to come on stage to say something. It was crazy but what can I do? I was a fool. I had always been a fool - eversince twenty years ago. I was six then... At the party, everybody heard what I said. Of course they all heard me, I used the vocalist's microphone... Do you want to know what I said?"

She remained silent, silently telling him to go on.

"I said, "Good evening, everyone. I am very sorry to interrupt but I can't take it any longer. I swallowed every bit of me just to do this... You see, I, Yuujin Shimasaki, wanted to tell something to a person. And if anyone of you knows where she is, kindly tell her that I am looking for her... And that I love her... Nanami, where are you? If you know where Hikaru is, please tell her that I love her..."" He paused for some seconds and then said again, "I love you, Hikaru..." But this time, he was looking at her with tenderness in his eyes.

"I don't know what to say..." she said but it was just the same. She had been loving him for some years now and it never failed to leave her system. Then, she felt him kiss her...

"My Hikaru, why did you have to make me suffer? Didn't you ever notice that I love you? Ever since the day when I saw you alone at the park twenty years ago, you made me care for you. I told myself that I would never let anyone hurt you... That time I started to love you..."

No more talk. She wanted to have him right here, right now. So she kissed him.

Then they shared secrets. Yuujin told her that the project he proposed to her six years ago was just a hoax. He invented it to be close to her...

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