Author's Note: Okay, so the name Dawn is really stupid for a woman with a daughter who has a Japanese name, but I couldn't think of anything else, and the online Japanese translator wasn't working well, so I had to pick an English name. Nevertheless, I hope this still appeals to you in some aspect. Enjoy! Update:: Before you read this, you should try reading the prequel, Prêt with me! It says on the summary that there is a prequel, but this will be hard to follow if one has never read Prêt with me! So before you complain that you don't understand, read the prequel, please!
Dawn held Himeno's body in her arms, signaling for help. A few people had come over to help, the few who were in that area at the time. When it was confirmed nothing could be done, a young man walked over and suggested they take Himeno to his house so the ambulance could be called. Reluctantly, Dawn agreed, and she walked with this man to his house, trying to ignore the fact that he was very handsome, trying to remind herself that she had Kaoru. Which, by the way-where was he? Did he not care about the condition of his daughter? Or didn't he know?
Dawn had no idea that she had been dead, or that her daughter sacrificed her life to bring her back. She didn't know Kaoru had been remarried, or that Himeno was the Pretear, that she had met the handsome Leafe Knights. She thought she had only been unconscious for a time. And now she knew that her daughter was dead, for some unknown reason. Would she find out why? Could this amethyst eyed man help her figure out why Himeno was gone?
They arrived at the house, and it was there that Dawn finally collapsed from angst. The mysterious man took Himeno's unmoving body from Dawn's arms and laid her down on the couch. Then Dawn began to spill out what she thought had happened, and he listened intently, focused on her face, his eyes never straying elsewhere.
"I'm Dawn." She said finally, feeling sorry she hadn't introduced her self at the beginning. She walked to Himeno and kneeled down next to the body, stroking its hair softly.
"Onkan." He said quietly, his lovely purple eyes focused now on the ground.
"Do you know where I can get a hold of Awayuki Kaoru?" Dawn asked finally. "He is my husband."
"Shouldn't we call for an ambulance first?" he objected.
"There's nothing they could do, Onkan-sama. It's best to let Himeno's father know." Dawn wiped the tears from her eyes with a tissue Onkan handed to her.
"Yes…" he handed her the phone, his eyes narrowed in understanding. She smiled at him slightly, taking it and dialing her apartment number.
Her face twisted with confusion as a strange man answered and told her Awayuki Kaoru was married to the widow Natsue. She thanked him and hung up, turning to Onkan.
"Do you…know where to find Awayuki Natsue?" she asked him, her eyes tearing again.
"Yes." He nodded gravely, and picked up Himeno's body from the sofa, leading Dawn outside.
It had never occurred to Dawn that this man might be trying to hurt her, or that he was going to seduce her. She felt a calmness about him, a serenity that assured her he understood what she felt, like he had lost a daughter as well. She somehow knew that he was tranquil and kind, perhaps because he had invited her to set Himeno down at his house, and perhaps because when she had entered his home, there had been a lingering calm inside her body. She remembered that she had stopped crying then, that she thought there might be a thread of hope for Himeno yet.
"Awayuki Natsue is the owner of Awayuki town. She married an author who was famous for his romance novels. I'm sorry, I should have known sooner that the famous author was your husband." Onkan explained as they walked.
"But…I feel like I was just married to him yesterday…I mean, I was. How did he get married to Natsue so quickly?" Dawn was in shock.
"I heard…" Onkan shook his head, cutting off his sentence.
"What? What did you hear?"
"That his wife died. I don't remember of what, but…she died. Her grave is at the cemetery in Kaoru-sama's backyard of his old apartment. Do you suppose he had another wife before you?"
"No…there was no one else. Was it a fake? Do you remember her name?"
"No…it was an American name, that's all I know." He lowered his head.
"I am American…" Dawn felt tears to her eyes. How could this be? Kaoru was her husband…and Natsue was his wife. How could Dawn be dead? Here she was, conversing with this handsome and kind gentleman, and she was supposedly dead? This couldn't be!
"Is there another Awayuki anywhere?" Onkan asked.
"Huh?" Dawn looked up into the purple eyes.
"Is there another Awayuki anywhere?" he repeated.
"Uh…no. Not that I know of." She began to feel sick. This couldn't be happening! Not to her!
But when she glanced at Himeno's lifeless face, she knew it was real and not a dream. More tears fell down her face, and she began to sob. She wanted to fly into Kaoru's arms, but…he was married. And now she had no one…
"This is the Awayuki mansion." Onkan told her softly, apparently trying to lighten the blow. When Dawn looked up, a mansion is exactly what she saw. She tried to stop tears from flowing even more prominently, but her efforts were useless. Onkan saw this and went in, taking Dawn after him.
