AN:

Just in case anyone doesn't get the timing, this happened before chapter one

But i wanted to add a lot of the character's POV. so i rewatched the whole episode, and planning to re-watch the whole series to get as accurate as i can get .

This is just my own interpretation of the characters, enjoy!

Noriko's POV

Irie Noriko stared off blankly , she had never felt so devastated in her whole life as a mother,

She knew her son wouldn't joke around. If he brought a girl home, then it was serious.

This was just starting to wake her up from reality, that maybe her fantasy of having kotoko as

Her daughter in law might stay a fantasy forever. She watched as her husband headed to the stairs to get ready for bed, he was probably exhausted as well , she then walked to the kitchen to see kotoko cleaning up, washing the dishes she left on the sink to resume washing tomorrow , besides from being tired, she was depressed and refused to clean up, however she didn't expect kotoko to be finishing up the job she saved for the morning.

"Kotoko chan, why don't you do that tomorrow ? you must be tired" she suggested

Kotoko smiled "i feel wide awake. I'll just wash the dishes, you had a busy day today, you must be tired, please get some rest."

"But it's not fair to you" noriko protested,

After all, you shouldn't be cleaning up after that girl, i should've made naoki wash the dishes ! she told herself

"It's alright, I'm almost done" kotoko said, as she continued to wash the dishes, trying to keep up the fake smile . the mask she had been wearing all day.

Noriko just watched her, feeling regret.

This is all my fault, i kept encouraging her and she's been trying so hard for naoki, for me , for herself, and now my foolish son has decided on marrying someone else, it hurts me as his mother,

But i guess the person that is hurting most is kotoko… i should've tried harder, maybe left them alone at home more often, or something, or i should've just stopped.. For kotoko's sake…

"Kotoko-chan" noriko rushed to her side..

I'm sorry, i'm so sorry !

Kotoko froze

Noriko bowed her head low feeling nothing but regret

"All this time, i've been talking about marrying you into our family, and now this happened,

I thought i was cheering the two of you on, but it only ended up hurting you instead, i feel so terrible"

"Its not your fault oba-sama.." kotoko replied

"I still can't give up on you kotoko-chan"

"Thank you" kotoko then smiled and she looked at the ground, she then looked into noriko's eyes with a sincere smile on her face, no mask, a real genuine smile,

"Knowing you care so much about me, makes me very happy. I think of you as my real mother

I always have, and i always will…. No matter who irie-kun marries"

Noriko felt so many emotions, she was happy but sad, proud but devastated, this was her daughter, she knew and loved kotoko as if she was her actual daughter, what a blessing you are she thought

"Kotoko-chan… i'm so-"

I'm sorry mama has let you down… i can't , i can't anymore

She starts crying, feelings were over flowing, this was too much for one night. She ran up to look for her husband, she needed to cry it out, she needed to somehow let her feelings out.

Naoki's POV

Sahoko hasn't said a word since we left the house…maybe i should say something….but what ? he then thought about if he was with kotoko, how she wouldn't stop smiling like an idiot, she would be talking nonstop about her day, and would talk so fast she would forget to breath. He smiled at this , laughing to himself

"Naoki… Irie naoki"

He snapped back to reality

"Are you okay? What are you thinking about ? " Sahoko asked, looked both curious and concerned..

"Ah nothing" he lied

"You were just staring at mid-air smiling to yourself, thinking of a funny memory?" she smiled

As expected, she's intelligent as well… not bad i guess naoki was impressed

"It's nothing" he lied again hoping she would just drop it

Sahoko took this as an opportunity to ask something "Naoki, can i ask you something?"

Naoki looked at her and smiled , he gave her that charming smile he would give to his teachers and classmates , the mask he always wore. "Anything"

"Are you and kotoko-san close ? " she asked, she looked flustered , embarrassed to ask thinking he might judge her for questioning their relationship

" you can say that" he answered, "but it's not like that with her though, were good friends i guess you could say that. why did you ask ?"

I knew it, kotoko probably told her something that would give her the wrong idea, or wait, the right idea in this case, wait...what am i even saying… naoki was so confused now.

"Because, i had a private talk with her… "

"Oh man, i knew it, did she tell sahoko what she felt about m-"

"And i really like her, somehow talking to her gave me more confidence… she seems like a really nice person, i hope to be her friend someday as well" she smiled

"Wait. what"

"I guess she's okay, i'm sure she feels the same way" naoki looked away, he couldn't help but wonder "so is she cheering sahoko on now? Is she going crazy? Did she give up already? Or she's just faking it, no. kotoko's not like that"

"Next time, let's go out. Maybe i can set her up with one of my friends and we can have a double date" sahoko suggested

"Ha. she wouldn't even know what a double date is" naoki thought, "yes, of course, that would be fun"

Sahoko looked innocently at naoki, pushing the strand of hair away from her face behind her ears,

She flashed him a charming smile, delighted that naoki was willing to open his family to her, and now his friends, she was one lucky girl she thought.

"What does she like though? Maybe she would enjoy the upcoming auction? Or the next piano concert that's this week" she suggested.

Naoki couldn't hold it in, he let out a chuckle. "What? Kotoko? In a auction? In a piano concert?"

"I don't think she would, being honest with you" he stated, this was the truth.

"What's so funny? Do you think she would hate it ?" sahoko was so confused

"No, it's not that. She's just… different, well if you really want to go hang out with her, she likes to eat, maybe we can have dinner or something " naoki was trying his best not to laugh too loud, people were probably already asleep.

"That's great! I'll let my friend know! When i find out his availability, i'll call you" she was so excited now. Her first double date with naoki.

"You seem to get along so well, it puts me at ease that she likes me," she added

Naoki looked out into the open, the stars were out.. "And why is that? "

"Well , she seems to really care about you, and you seem to care for her as well… it's like your siblings, it's kinda cute" she felt the breeze in her neck, feeling chills and regretting her choice of outfit

"Are you cold ? here," he took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders

"Thank you" she nodded…

"Siblings huh, it's not like that with her… but she's right, kotoko does care about me, and i do love her as well...but it's way too late for that now i guess, i have to get her off my mind, this should be fine. Sahoko should be fine, she's…. Perfectly fit for me right ? "

After their walk, naoki quietly headed home on his own,

Reflecting on his life, his decisions recently… his actions and how it's been affecting his mom, yuki and kotoko and their fathers, "im sure they get it now, it's hopeless for me and kotoko "

Naoki finally gets to their house, since he took a different route, he came from behind the house and managed to hear kotoko's voice, she was talking to his mother, and she could hear his Noriko sobbing…

"Mom, just give it up already, you're only hurting her , hurting me, and yourself" he wanted to tell her that, what he heard from kotoko's mouth made him pause for a second holding that thought

"Knowing you care so much about me, makes me very happy. I think of you as my real mother

I always have, and i always will…. No matter who irie-kun marries"

So pure, so sincere. Thats kotoko for you he let out a small grin

He knew kotoko and his mom had a bond, but he wasn't aware that it was this deep, that they both loved each other like they were really mother and daughter.

He sat outside the porch , waiting for kotoko to finish up… he didn't want to face his mom

Or kotoko, because he knew deep down inside, that his mother was right

She was always right, that kotoko and him would make a great pair, despite them being different, he thought about all those times she was watching him, supporting him… she loved him unconditionally, patiently , with all her heart, and if that wasn't enough, she even loved his family, his dad, his mom… even yuuki, who always insulted her everyday, he felt like someone just stabbed him , and ripped his insides… naoki has never before felt so defeated by the truth of the "what if's" he kept, but he reminded himself… a flashback of his dad in the hospital, everything his father worked for… gone...no. i won't let that happen, i haven't been the greatest son...a flashback again, this time, it was when he confronted his parents about not wanting to take over the company and marry kotoko, he remembered how much he hurt them , he didn't mean to say the hurtful things, at that time he just felt trapped..

By doing this, it will save dad's company, it will bring happiness,it's the right thing to do. they will learn to love sahoko, as much as they love kotoko, even I WILL learn to love her… instead of kotoko... i know this is the right way., i know it for sure.

He looks up unto the sky. No shooting stars…

It's not like that works anyway, what am i even thinking….

AN:

Yeah yeah yeah, i know he wasn't wearing a jacket in this episode ! but it's a cliche and i'm a hopeless romantic. Also, thank you for the reviews ! keep them going ! it's so motivating i feel so hyped up to keep writing more and more chapters! Thank you !