CHAPTER TWO :: CRUEL TO BE KIND

Turning her back on the pained blonde, Hikari Hanazono felt the guilt well up inside her as well. This was not the Takashima that she wanted to see, he was sad and empty and that heartbroken expression on his face wasn't going away. From trying to save him it had seemed that she had hurt him even more. With a deep breath those words played in her head again.

"Why would you do that to him?" the sixteen year old girl spoke up, "Takashima is your grandson and I know that you care a lot about him so why? I can't be---"

"I..." the man who once had dressed like a bunny, started gazing down at Hikari. One look up would tell you that he had failed to change even after seeing the effort the girl was making, she was still far too low class for the Takashima family and especially for the promising future that lay inside his grandson. "I have given Kei too many chances of which he only refuses. If you do not stop immediately then I'm going to have to change the company roles to exclude him."

Hikari sat very still not understanding what this man was saying. If she continued to be with Takashima then he would have to be cut off from the family, was it that bad? More than that the Takashima name was so powerful that by cutting him off that would draw away from all his chances of success in the future. No one wanted someone banned from the elite, banned by their own relative as well. "Why not ask Takashima what he wants?"

"I think doing something like this without Kei finding out would be best. Of course, if you are unwilling to go along with it I have a few calls to---"

"You wouldn't cut him off," Hikari whispered trying very hard to not fall into this man's trap and be manipulated but it was hard. She wasn't even smiling anymore, there was no reason to smile. "You say that Takashima is the hopeful future for your company and he's trying hard to prove that he is. You couldn't risk losing him right, and he's family as---"

"Do you think that I have not thought this over?" the president asked taking a sip of the wine in front of him, "Kei has shown me that he is disloyal to the company and disloyal to my orders in the way he continues to date you. I own the media Hanazono, I can make it so that unless my grandson plays to my rules that he will never get an opportunity for something more than a convenience store sales position for as long as he lives, unless..."

"Unless I "save him"?" Hikari whispered trying to think through all the work that Takashima had done and all the times they had spent together. In order to save his future, to save him wasn't it best to sacrifice everything she had? Was that selfish of her? She blinked trying very hard to keep in control, it wasn't the time to prove anything or to compete, he had found a weak point in her and she had no way of going against it. "My parents..." she whispered keeping her head bowed.

"Will be in on our game, your friends however must not be," the man allowed himself to smile knowing that he had won over her with these half-empty threats. "Do we have a deal?"

"And Takashima....Kei-kun," the girl whispered again, "please keep him safe. With that said," she looked down at her lap and for the first time realized just how young she was, how much she really didn't matter and she nodded; agreeing to do the hardest thing in her life. Hurting the one she loved so that she could save him.

As soon as she knew she had escaped him Hikari leaned against a brick wall of a store, relatively close to the station, and struggled to breathe. She had wanted to go up to him and get him to smile. See the smile that she loved the most. Stupid, that would have made the past two and a half years pointless. She had to keep running, she had to withstand the pain inside that came from knowing that she could never be with him again.

After she had made that deal, Kei's grandfather had made arrangements for her to study in California, somewhere he never expected Kei to go. Compared to the cost of Kei's frivolous adventures with her and the vast wealth of the Takashima family, her expenses didn't cost much at all. That was her thanks for doing this, being able to live a semi-comfortable life and attend a university whilst "saving" her ex-boyfriend.

She had lived that life to the best of her abilities, only catching Yahiro's eye once as he visited there but he could use jet-lag or just plain distractions to make sense of her being there. Everyone believed she was dead anyway and she didn't know who she could trust anymore, she wanted to see someone but everyone who had had connections with her had connections with Kei, she didn't even know where they all lived.

As she paced along the street she decided to catch the train only to find the blonde pretty close to her and attempted to shrug this off. They had been in the same place, walked pretty much at the same speed and both needed to catch a train in order to go somewhere else. That was all true apart from the fact that Kei Takashima was one of the wealthiest nineteen year olds in the country and could have gone back in anything from a limosine to a helicopter so he would have no need to catch the train.

"You were watching me weren't you?" he asked her in a somewhat cold manner, unable to see her face. "Did my grandfather send you to make sure I didn't go back there? How long have you been following me?"

Hikari took an awkward breath in, he had actually noticed her there? Well, of course he had, he wasn't the average person, he was special. She refused to say anything knowing that the sound of her voice would be enough for him to see through her disguise and waited for her train to come. Would he continue to be beside her?

"So...you have no answer to give me then?" he asked coldly, part of the Takashima demon being brought up from inside him, "Is there a reason that I'm not supposed to go back there? Ask my grandfather that for me, ask him if I'm banned from everything even slightly reminiscent of Hikari."

Stuffing her gloved hands into her pocket Hikari pulled out a notebook and pen before writing, I do work for your grandfather and I won't tell him. I haven't been following you but I did see you there. As she finished writing she looked at the letters to make sure he couldn't detect her hand writing through them and passed it to him. Kei took a look at it before blinking and read over the last part again.

"I did see you there?" he repeated in a doubtful manner before becoming angry again, "Did my grandfather send you to do something to the Hanazono family? Is that why you were there because if it is I'm warning you that I don't take their pain light-heartedly. You force any more sadness upon that family and I promise you that you will regret it. Who are you anyway or will I have to remove your hood to gather that information?"

Hikari froze now struggling to break free from his tight hold, this was more aggressive than he had ever held her before and she flinched noticing the demon inside him again. She tried to reach for the notebook but as he restrained one of her arms she couldn't. The plan was going to be ruined, she couldn't pull away from him and he would see her face and realize what had happened. He'd hate her for lying to him, for bringing on this pain and his future in the company would get put in jeopardy. It would all be ruined.

"Stop it!" she yelled at him, her voice unrecognizable due part to the slightly Americanized accent and part due to the fear. Kei didn't budge.

"Then stop following me, at least let me have the information from you that you already have from me." He looked at her, putting his fingers around the hood, tearing the material a little from her trying to get away before---

"HEY KEI!!" a familiar voice sounded from the other side of the station catching the blonde's attention enough for Hikari to struggle but not so much for him to release her. As the two of them stood there, the blonde attempting to figure out who had called him and the black haired girl struggling to get away, the very happy face of Karino Tadashi popped up from out of nowhere.

"What are you doing here!?" the extremely happy boy seemed to sing. "I was going exploring and then I met up with Akira and she wanted to go visit Hikari's family so..." as he reached that name he saw the depression on Kei's face again. Hikari struggled away from Kei able to escape for a second before he latched onto her again. From looking back at the black haired boy Hikari noticed the change, his hair had gotten even longer and he had tied it back, what more he had grown taller as well. Next to him was a very beautiful, wavy-haired girl. Akira! She had let her hair grow longer and wore more makeup but it was still Akira nonetheless.

Hikari finally found her relief, perhaps there was one person who she could tell but then again no. There was the possibility of Akira being mad enough at her to tell Kei and with that it would be ruined again. She could always silence the girl but that would break their friendship forever.

"So Kei, umm..." Tadashi spoke with a tilt of his head before directing a finger at Hikari, "That..person is?"

"I was just about to find that information out myself," the blonde replied now looking back at her at which Hikari tensed up and grabbed to Akira's arm. Leaning in Akira's direction Hikari felt the words leave her again.

"I want to talk to you," she struggled which made the shorter haired girl confused but also handed her the ammunition to stop Kei's persistent need to force an explanation from this girl.

"Kei, I have a few questions of my own to ask before you reveal their identity. I've seen this person following me more than you probably have and I'm...going to do it so...there," she tried to improvise after all this person sounded like a girl and who could deny the wish of a poor damsel in distress?

The blonde delivered a rather disgusted look towards Hikari before dropping her wrist. "Just make sure to either report the details to me or bring that...person back with you." As he watched Akira walk away with the hooded figure his stomach clenched again, this was weird. He shouldn't have left the two of them alone but he didn't want any more pressure on him. Was it dangerous to leave the two of them together? Giving an anxious looking Tadashi another glance he whispered to him, "Couldn't hurt to check what's going on."

After Hikari and Akira had found a safe spot outside where they could speak, the hooded girl took a deep breath. "Whether you're angry at me or not Akira-chan, please understand that I had my reasons for doing this. I had to protect someone precious to me..." Akira blinked, not quite getting what was being said before Hikari put one hand over the girl's mouth to stop her from yelling and with the other pulled off the hood exposing herself.

The bear-girl blinked rather hard at this. Tears streamed down her face and she launched into a powerful glomp. Without knowing what else to say she just cried onto the taller girl's chest. Seeing her put the hood on again Akira nodded with a smile. "I'm...I'm not mad at you, just confused but I'm sure you did have a reason. I'm...I'm just so happy to see you again and Kei..."

"Takashima can not find out about this. I'm asking you to guard this secret with your life, you're the only person outside of my family and Takashima's grandfather to know about me. Just don't tell Takashima, it would only bother him more than anything else could if he were to find out. Promise me that he won't ever know." Hikari spoke desperately grabbing hold of her friend's arms.

"I won't tell him even though I think he should know. Even though he hasn't been happy since that day and knowing this would take all his pain away I won't say a word. I promise however," she took another deep breath, "I want to talk to you about this soon to figure out what's going out. I'm just so happy to see you again," she blubbered before both girls looked to the side at where a very wide-eyed Tadashi stood.

From just looking at him, Hikari realized the painful truth. He had found out as well and that only lowered the chances of this secret being kept from the depressed blonde.

I'm really overjoyed by the amount of reviews I have already received on this fic as well as the Alerts and Favorites. I'm very happy that everyone seems to like it so much.

This time there will be Mochi for all reviewers ^_-

~Myst

Thank you Reviewers CH:1

icy, John, kimiri-chan, Peace Heaven