DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THIS ANIME NOR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

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Illumi dropped a big, white rose on the white tombstone caressed by the gentle rays of the afternoon sun. Kumiko... His poor fiancée. What a sad fate. She resented the marriage arrangement so much that she killed herself. Poor woman.. He should have listened to her on the first place. Maybe if he just did, she could have been alive till now...

"Ah, you know very well that I want to remain a virgin in my entire life. You can tell your parents that you don't like me Lumi-kun... They would listen. They would understand, unlike my stubborn father," she said so gently but with a hint of persuasiveness and strong conviction.

Illimi stared at the lady. She was pretty. No. Beautiful. Very beautiful. Her wide, coffee-brown eyes looked so warm and gentle with those thick, curving lashes and medium thick eyebrows. Her nose was small yet well formed and lovely to look at above her soft pinkish lips. She was not tall—approximately five feet and two inches in height. But his eyes saw a hint that a gorgeous body was well-hidden behind that long, blue, Victorian gown.

She was a typical princess—graceful, tender, lovely. She had everything a man could ever desire for. It won't be a loss to marry her. But the problem lies in their feelings: he didn't love her...and vice versa.

"Lumi-kun?" Her voice sounded so certain, so determined like one skilled risk-taker. "You can tell them that you don't like me, ne?" She smiled combing her knee-length, brown, wavy hair with her fingers. "Then perhaps—"

"I apologize , Kumiko-san, but I have already agreed to the arrangement. I have made my escape, you know. You should have used that ample time to do yours," he said.

The smile on her lips faded. "Ah, you never understood.. I thought... ah... You never understood me at all..."

He sighed remembering the sad look on her face that fateful day when he left her on that chamber... Poor Kumiko. Ah! It was all his fault. He should have listened. Had he helped her out, maybe she couldn't have thought of hanging herself.

"Lumi-kun?"

He was startled upon hearing that gentle whisper. Could it be Kumiko's soul haunting him?

"Lumi-kun, ne?"

Well, it wasn't a ghost at all! He turned his head to the figure standing beside him. "Kumiko-san? Is that really you?" It could be an apparition. Or a dream maybe?

The princess laughed so tenderly, just the way she used to, as whenever she hears a corny joke. The wind played with the ruffled edges of her gown.

"What happened?" he asked. There wasn't any confused look on his face of course, but his insides went shaking with desire for enlightenment.

"I followed your advice. I escaped," she replied with a smile. "I finally liberated myself by pretending to everybody that I killed myself. But the truth is that I created a doppel ganger and killed her. I'm a nen-user, remember?" Her eyes blinked three times. "Well, seems my bluff did well. Even your family was deceived. Including you." And she laughed naughtily.

He blinked in astonishment. For seven days, he carried an unexplainable guilt for letting the poor lady die. But this one in front of him... Is this a joke or a dream?

"Ne! Don't be so shocked! I'm not used seeing you like that." She grinned. At times like this, he can't help but think that she resembled a female Hisoka. "Your friend Hisoka told me that you have left some unfinished business in the outside world..." She winked. "Ne, you need to finish it Lumi-kun or you're gonna be guilty again.. Bye, bye." And she jumped upwards like a ninja...then she's gone.

Illumi shook his head. He isn't dreaming at all. Well, Kumiko herself said that he needed to finish the business he had left many days ago.. It's time to resume reaching for his goal with a capital G. That cute little fellow who became the sole object of his desires...

Hey! Ah! How could he be so stupid?! How could he waste his much-needed time? He needed to get back to SGR as early as possible or Kuroro might fill in his vacant position! That's what he must do right away!

:D

Kuroro opened his eyes. It was morning again..no...afternoon.. The bloodied rays of the setting sun was painting the face of the sky, caressing the clouds in a pink embrace.

Where is he? The last thing he remembered was the car...the bridge..the darkness...and—and

He shook his head. His eyes caught sight of a rotting corpse a few meters away from the very bed where he was lying. He sat up examining every corner of the area as he tried to scan his memory. How on earth did he get in here? And where is he by the way? He tried to squeeze his brain for a little bit of information but found none.

The door creaked open. "Danchou. Finally you're awake. I guess you're feeling alright now."

He nodded looking at the dainty figure standing by the doorway clad in the usual black attire. "Yes, I am." He noticed Feitan's eyes sharply glaring at him. "Did anything happen?"

Those golden eyes looked intently on him. "Ask the moon about it."

He blinked in confusion. "Moon? The moon?" His comrade nodded. Well, if it was some kind of joke, it wasn't funny. "Do you know it too?" he asked albeit in a childlike manner.

"No I don't. Only the moon knows."

He smiled in surrender. "Well I must say thank you for taking care of me. I owe you my life, Fei," he said shifting the topic.

"Just don't ever think of killing yourself again or I'll kill you more," Feitan replied as coldly as ever. Kuroro was surprised by such sharp words. This fellow respected him. Not at all times, of course, but—well, maybe this tiny guy's having a bad day. "You had been sleeping like shit for ten days and I can't get out of here. Now that you're finally awake, we could resume the things we used to do. I'm going, Danchou." Then he turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Kuroro managed to blurt out. "Did you say ten days? I had been sleeping for ten days?"

"Yeah. What now?" Feitan's brows knitted impatiently.

"I was just very much tensed, you know. I'm getting married." Kuroro heard that soft voice of that beautiful face which broke his heart to pieces.

"Getting married? You ran away, didn't you?" he heard his own voice echoing from his memory.

"Yes I did. But you know my family. They will do everything to keep our name clean and dignified. And I can't just disobey them for my own selfish motives."

"Selfish motives? It is your life they are risking, Illumi!"

"Nah. If what you said is true, so be it. But I can't escape from them. I can't also bear to see our name insulted because of me. I can't bear to see myself regarded as a disgrace of the Zaoldyeck. That wedding is an important business transaction to our clan. My fiancée is a princess of the Maraspura Empire of the Western Continent. She didn't like me though, but her father Emperor Yuan wanted protection from the assassination plot threatening his very life. He never had a son though and noble women like his daughter can only serve as regents. Such situation is bad for their clan. They needed a male heir that's why a marriage arrangement between our families was done instead of paying cash. In turn we could have a very powerful connection in the Western Hemisphere."

"When will the wedding take place?"

"Three days from now."

Three days! Three days! And he just slept during these past ten days?! How could he?! Ah! Illumi could have been married by now. Honeymooning to be exact! Argh! His chest went pounding again with much pain. Oh, skies! When would this misery end?

"Danchou." Feitan's brows ceased knitting but his eyes narrowed like the fiery irises of an angry dragon. "You promised me that you won't get yourself crazy again," he said in a reminding tone. But then, Kuroro never remembered.

"I never said anything," he uttered so calmly.

"Yeah right. What's the use saying it? I need to go. And I just want to tell you that this forest is just three miles away southwest of the bridge you cracked." Then he went away leaving a very confused Kuroro.

What happened to that guy? He looked so angry. But then, he doesn't care. Feitan hated taking care of him that's all. Now he must go back to his office. He had been away for ten days AWOL(absence without leave). He's the boss alright but it just meant greater turbulence. His employees might have been looking for him.

Ah! Illumi was, is and will always be unreachable. And now that he is married and would never return, there's no use reminiscing their moments.

Moments? They never had moments! They just worked in the same firm, that's all. Nothing more, nothing less. He sighed. He walked out of the corpse-filled hut.