Disclaimed.

Setting: Somewhere in Tokyo, a few years after they graduated from the academy. Their age for the first part? You decide. :D

It hurts the worst when the person that made you special yesterday, makes you feel so unwanted today.

Like a lone tear in the ocean… like a soft whisper muffled by the loud voices of the crowd around him… his feelings for her were suddenly gone. He didn't want it to happen, he didn't mean to hurt her. He hated it when pain suddenly flashed on her beautiful face when he told her… I don't love you anymore. I'm so sorry, Hotaru.

He saw anger and pain in her eyes. She was broken, he could see that, and yet she stood her ground. She masked her current vulnerability with pride and dignity… of what was still left in her.

Ruka saw both the corner of her lips curved upward into a bittersweet smile.

"So that was the reason why you seemed so bothered these past few days," she said while searching for his eyes, making him see how hurt she was. Well, you couldn't blame her. After all she'd done for him, after all that she'd given up just to be with him… This was the least that she could do. Make him feel so guilty for hurting her.

The blonde looked into her eyes and bowed his head afterwards. He couldn't help it. He couldn't look straight into her eyes anymore. "Y-yes," he replied.

He heard her laugh. Hotaru Imai just laughed. The Animal Pheromone user lifted his head to look at her. She was laughing alright, and he thought that that certain moment was so… ironic. Ironic in sense that, it was the first time he ever saw her laugh… and cry. All at the same time.

The inventor wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "Who?"

Ruka's forehead knotted… what?

"Who is she? Tell me, Nogi."

He almost winced when he heard her say his last name. "What do you mean, Hotaru?"

It took her a long time before she could even reply. "Do you… love someone else?"

No! his mind immediately replied. There's nobody but you, Hotaru.

His eyes widened at the realization. He still loved her. He still does. And yet, the pain in her eyes made him unable to move to the point that he couldn't feel his own body. Ruka Nogi stood there, in front of the woman he loves, pondering if he could tell her that he had been wrong. That he still loved her. That he would still want to marry her and live the rest of his life with her.

But he decided against it. It wasn't just simple anymore, he decided. He couldn't just take back all the words he said and undo the pain he had caused her.

He wanted to tell her again how much he loved her, how sorry he was that he had hurt her when he promised that he wouldn't even try. But then, he knew deep inside him that it wasn't that easy. It was not that simple anymore.

He gently shook his head. He was being redundant now.

Ruka tried to search for words in which he could tell her how he truly felt about her… then and now. And yet, he couldn't even utter a single word to her.

The raven-head took his silence as a confirmation. She sighed as she motioned to touch his face. "You don't have to tell me who," she said. "You have hurt me enough."

She smiled a little when he saw the expression on his face. "Just joking. I understand you, Ruka. Believe or not. Feelings may fade, and I believe that yours already has."

"Hotaru, you're wrong. I still-"

"So this is goodbye now?" she asked, not bothering to let him finish his sentence.

"Hotaru-"

"How funny. I was just about to tell you something… important. Oh well. So this is it?" She stretched her hand out to him. "Ruka Nogi, thanks for the memories. And for the wonderful gift you've left me. Goodbye?"

He gently took her small calloused hand into his bigger ones before shaking it. He was dumbfounded when she just turned around and walked away from him, after smiling at him. Why did he feel like she hadn't told her something important? Something that he ought to know? Well, she did tell him earlier that she was supposed to tell him something a while ago. Before that. Before his idiocy happened.

The blonde hit himself with his handheld device after reading a message from it. The text was from Hotaru and it said… I'll just get my things from your place tomorrow. Thanks.

And that was it. He never saw her again.

A thirty-two year old blonde took off his eyeglasses before massaging his temples to somehow relieve his headache. He then got a medicine from his drawer and drank it.

He had a very busy day today. He had just finished operating a dog which was accidentally shot by a gun on its hind leg. It was not a hard operation to perform, considering that the bullet didn't damage any organs, but still, he just felt so tired.

Ruka turned to look at the door of his office when it opened. Kaori, his business partner and also a veterinarian like him, came in.

"Kaori, is there anything wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Ruka. I just thought that… maybe you need a vacation."

His eyes widened. A vacation? That was the last thing that he needed for now.

The man in front of him sense his disapproval and gently shook his head.

"Ruka, I appreciate your dedication and compassion to our work, but I need my business partner to be healthy in order to make this business to be more… successful."

The blonde knotted his forehead. "What do you mean?"

"When was the last time you went out for a date, Ruka? When was the last time that you enjoyed your whole day with someone-"

"Hold on," Ruka said, his hand was outstretched in front of him, stopping Kaori from continuing. "Is this conversation about my non-existent love life? Again?"

The man in front of him smiled sheepishly. Hah. He knew it.

"Kaori, I consider you as my second best friend and all, but please don't pry into my personal life. Please. I'm begging you."

"Well-"

He smirked. "Hey, you getting yourself a girlfriend doesn't mean that you can dictate me now, Akimoto."

"Well… I just got myself engaged, Ruka," he said, a wide smile was on his face.

"Wow. Congratulations, Kaori. Who would have thought that someone would say yes to you?"

The man put both his hands inside the pockets of his white robe. "Well, Hotaru Imai did."

"That's good then. So when's the wedding- wait. Who is it again?"

"Hotaru Imai," Kaori replied, before shaking his head. "I know right? I couldn't even believe it either, man. She finally said yes."

The blonde sat there massaging both his temples again. A brand new headache was beginning to form.

A/N: About the title (it means What Remained anyway)... HAHA. Sweetest Revenge and I almost fought over it. We've talked about it for hours with nothing but internet thesaurus and Google Translate on our side OTL XDD

So... I'm back. Hoho~ Review? :D