A special thanks to my beta ayrangel1221!

Chapter One-Chance Encounters

"There are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane; sometimes they barely fan one's cheek. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do a future that is impossible to ignore. -Nicholas Sparks

3rd March, 2014

"What is your name?" She asked, affection lacing her voice.

The girl blinked."Kokoro."

"Kokoro." Kyouko tested the name on her lips. Her eyes were shining, as if she has finally found the person she should be living for. "Heart. Soul. That's what it means."

Kokoro nodded. Her chestnut coloured hair swayed, which were tied up in two pig tails as she did so, wide green eyes regarding Kyouko with curiosity -a smile playing on her lips but controlling it, as if she was scared it will be wiped off from her face by force if she dared do so. Kyouko's heart tugged for Kokoro. She knew that look, often she being the one adorning it.

Kokoro shoved a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. "And who is Oba-san?" They were sitting in that very ice cream parlour as Kyouko decided it would relieve Kokoro of her fright of the accident that very nearly happened.

"Kyouko Mogami. You can call me Kyouko auntie if you want."

Kokoro nodded enthusiastically.

"And who is this little one?" Kyouko pointed to the puppy sleeping on Kokoro's lap.

Before Kokoro could answer, they heard someone shouting Kokoro's name.

"Kokoro-chan. Kokoro-chan!," An women came running up to them, shouting Kokoro's name.

They got up from where they were perched on their respective chair and Kyouko looked at the forty something women in front of her.

"Kokoro-chan!" She exclaimed," I have been looking for you all over the place."

Then, she turned her attention towards Kyouko. "I'm sorry. Did something happen?" The woman was obviously confused as to what Kokoro was doing with Kyouko.

Kyouko explained the situation to her. The women's eyes widened in fear when she heard what was about to happen. She thanked kyouko profusely, berated her own self for being so callous.

At first she thought the women was Kokoro's relative but after listening to her and especially when she was showing concern over how her employ would be mad at her over the incident, she realized the women was only her nanny.

She was overcome with sadness at the thought of parting with the little girl, and one look at Kokoro's face revealed she felt the same-which strangely made Kyouko feel better.

Releasing Kokoro from her clutches, she handed her over to the women-who introduced herself as Nanako-san.

Kyouko eyes followed Kokoro's retreating back- Kokoro glancing back at her every now and then- and hoping against hope Kyouko wondered if they would ever meet again.

Have you ever felt alone in a crowded room? Like you are there but really not there? Have you ever lived as if every day you spend are a means to end, going through life for the sake of going through it?

You are taught you are born to live, so you continue to do so.

And then, one day, when you have lost all hope- you find the reason, of your life.

All of a sudden everything appears brighter, livelier. And suddenly you know why you were born, why you were still surviving your mundane, unremarkable, painful life.

For Kyouko, that revelation came in the name of one tiny little girl. Kokoro.

Every tragedy, every painful experiences suddenly made sense. It was as if every event were predestined, for that one moment.

For the day Kyouko Mogami rescues Kokoro-chan and puts her out of harm's way, in turn opening a chain of saving and being rescued by the little girl over and over again.

Those people, who would become testament to their story, would argue Kyouko was the one who saved Kokoro from an unhappy life.

Kyouko knew better.

Kokoro was the one who saved her.

14th May, 2014

The proposal came so unexpectedly and was presented at such an inopportune moment, that the only response Kyouko could form was to choke on her coffee.

Proposal was a grand word for what was said. An order would be a better word.

"Marry me," He said.

"Why?" She asked, still reeling from the shock of it all.

He smiled and for the first time since their meeting, it wasn't a smirk or a fake smile. It was genuine, albeit a sad one. "Because I have what you want the most in the world."

In that moment, Kyouko knew she was going to say yes, even as she continued place counter arguments against the match.

Of course, he had Kokoro.

7th March, 2014

It has been a while since she has moved onto her new residence, still trying to settle herself there.

Her floor had only one other apartment and for sometime she had entertained the idea of going over and introducing herself to her new neighbour- being the polite thing to do- but then thought better of it.

Her run ins with terribly rich people hadn't always been the best. There were people out there who were extremely kind and polite, but there were also some rude and snobbish persons in their society too. Well, why speak of rich people only? Humanity itself was filled with all sorts of people, some good, some bad, and some a mixture of both.

It was hard to tell which side her neighbours would be on and she hated not knowing.

Whoever she expected her neighbors to be, it certainly wasn't her.

Kokoro-chan.

Kyouko was surprised- pleasantly so-to say the least, but her happiness overrode any other emotion.

She was unlocking her door, exhausted beyond measure when she heard the sound of ball bouncing on the long hallway.

She brushed a lock of hair behind her year, looking up from her task;momentarily distracted and searching for the source of the sound.

Her breathe caught when she saw her-Kokoro- walking from the opposite direction as she continued to bounce a basketball.

"Kokoro-chan!" She called out.

The girl stopped in her tracks, her gaze traveling towards Kyouko. She granted Kyouko with a bright smile when she saw who it was, and ran towards her.

Kyouko scooped Kokoro up in her arns.

"You live here?" She asked, smiling heavily.

"Yes, right opposite your flat." She pointed towards the apartment door opposite Kyouko's.

"Oh. Umm...would Kokoro like to come and play with auntie for a while?"

Kokoro's grin was all the answer Kyouko needed.

Days passed into months and Kyouko's bond with Kokoro continue to grow stronger.

Kokoro would come back from school, change into regular clothes and rush over to Kyouko's place where Kyouko would already be prepared with food for her.

Kokoro refused to eat the food her own housekeeper made, preferring Kyouko's instead.

The girl hardly stayed at her own home and when Kyouko wondered if her own family was fine with Kokoro's absence, she assured her it was fine. There were only three members in Kokoro's family. Her grandmother, grandfather and her Dad.

"They know about your visits here?" Kyouko had asked, worried.

Kokoro had nodded. "Grandma and Grandpa knows- they are in America right now. I told them all about auntie and they were very happy that auntie is taking care of me."

"And Dad?" Kyouko asked the question, sensing even before it was finished that she might have stepped on a landmine.

Kokoro's face had gone from cheerful and carefree to sad and desolate in the blink of an eye. "He isn't home often, so I hadn't the chance to tell him."

Kyouko had dropped the subject then.

Kokoro's father was none other than the great Hizuri Kuon, a business tycoon in his late twenties, precisely twenty nine year old. Not much was known about his personal life and even though people were aware he had a daughter, no one really knows who she was or her face.

Kyouko only remembered him from the times Sho has mentioned him. Sho, being jealous of Kuon's title of The Sexiest Man Alive in Japan; even though their professions were completely different. Sho was a singer and there really was not point in being jealous of someone who was better looking than you. Kyouko rolled her eyes as she recalled this. Who would explain such a simple concept to Sho, who was childish beyond measure?

It occurred to Kyouko; Kokoro's circumstances appeared similar to her own. Her only mother abhorred the very site of her and could care less where she went off to. Kyouko's heart constricted at the thought of such a sweet child being neglected the same way by her father.

"It would have been great if Kyouko Auntie could have been my mama," She had volunteered on her own one day, lying on her stomach on the bed, her books and pencil all over the place as she drew a Dog.

Kyouko's heart had clenched , both from happiness and pain.

Kokoro-chan wanted her to be her mother.

Too bad, she couldn't ever be a mother.

9th March, 2014

Their first meeting, it wasn't anything dramatic or special or anything really.

It was just two strangers bumping into each other.

Nothing about it indicated their fates are to be sealed together.

She was running late for her work and was speaking with her subordinate about a new recipe.

He was coming home after spending the whole night at the office- working- and was now barking orders at one of his employs on the phone.

Kyouko cut off her call and all of a sudden, she collided with a wall. Only, when she looked up did she notice it wasn't a wall but Kuon Hizuri.

She blinked and stepped away from him, who had trailed off in the midst of his conversation when he found a girl crashing onto him out of nowhere.

"You should be more careful," He told her, giving her his best gentlemanly smile, tilting his head.

She scowled at him. What the hell? This was as much his fault as it was hers. Does he think he could get away with anything he wants just by giving that creepy smile?

"Excuse me, but as far as I recall, weren't you distracted too? So, shouldn't you be a more careful too, Mr-whoever you are?" She knew who he was of course, everyone did. She just said it to annoy him- people like him, the prestigious member of the society; it was funny how easily there ego were wounded.

He stared at her for a moment, his important call temporarily forgotten. He hadn't been expecting that, for her to talk back to him. It has been a long time since someone other than Lory had chastised him for anything.

"You are right. I apologize."

Kyouko nodded and stalked past him, all most as if she couldn't stand to be in his presence. She couldn't, to think he was the man who treated Kokoro as if she did not even exist.

Kuon frowned, then placed his phone back to his ear and resumed his conversation, though the girl lingered at the back of his mind. It might sound terribly conceited and self-centered of him but the truth was, it was after a long time someone had seen right through him. Not to mention she hadn't fainted, fan girled or even blush at the mere sight of him. She had treated him like a normal human being, which was quite refreshing.

But the reason the girl invaded his thoughts the most was, her long black hair and those pair of golden brown eyes.

She looked so much like the older version of his Kyouko, especially those eyes- he didn't think anyone else had those eyes, quite that colour.

That woman couldn't be her though. Her attitude was so different.

"And what if she is? Your Kyouko?" His overactive imagination whispered.

''Then she has changed as much as I have, " He answered back, ruefully.

He had forgotten, how much fate preferred to play games with him.

5th April, 2014

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He said rubbing his head.

"Exactly why I am mad at you." Kuu shouted from the other end of the line. Being the baka parent that he was, he rarely interfered in Kuon's life or saw anything wrong with the way he conducted himself. This was, however, one of those rare times that he got mad. "A woman, precisely your neighbor has been so close to Kokoro for nearly a month, that your daughters barely stays at home and you don't even know who the woman is?"

He continued, "I immediately did a background check on Kyouko Mogami after Kokoro told me about her and asked Lory about her, who told me that she was a chef at his hotel- so I was assured that she was a good person."

"Then what is the problem?" Kuon frowned, running a hand through his messy blond hair.

"That you don't know who she is. What if she was some sort of kidnapper or something?" Kuu bellowed.

"I thought kidnapping was only Lory's job?" Kuon heard Julie's voice from the other side.

"You are never going to let that go, are you?" He heard his father sigh, speaking to his mom.

Kuon decided to drag them back to the original discussion

"I will go and personally get acquainted with her, first thing tomorrow." It was a sunday, so he didn't have to worry about work.

"You better." Kuu's voice returned to normal.

Kuon supposed it was justified his father got angry.

How could he have missed this? Kokoro was clearly home a lot less and yet he had been so busy with his job that he had barely noticed it.

Kokoro was a little different these days. She looked a lot more... happy.

The girl did not know what motherly affection felt like, and no wonder she was so happy she have finally found someone who treated her like that.

Still, Kuon had to go and see what kind of a women she was.

It hadn't been that long since another person showed or tried to shower Kokoro with motherly affection- you can never win a child's heart if your affection are fake, children would know, they always do- and that hadn't gone well.

Kuon turned his attention back to the call.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"What was her name again?"

"Kuon!" Kuu resumed screaming all over again.

6th April, 2014

Kyouko rushed towards the door at the sound of incessant ringing of the doorbell. She opened the door, expecting Kokoro, only to be greeted with the site of Kuon Hizuri -business man extraordinaire slash the most eligible bachelor in town- smiling that hundred watt creepy smile of his.

Kyouko blinked.

His eyes widened a little, taking her in before they returned to normal and as he opened to say something- Kyouko promptly shut the door in his face.

There is no way in hell that Hizuri Kuon was standing right outside her door. No way!

Why would he be here? Except... Kyouko was horrified at her imagined reason of his visit.

He couldn't have possibly been here to discuss about that day, was he? She has been doing her best to not run into him since that day, but it seems it was all for naught.

She sighed and once again turned towards the door and opened it. She supposed she has been out of line the previous day and he indeed deserved an apology from her.

6th April, 2014

He tried hard no to laugh as he surreptitiously watched the women before him. Who would have thought his accidental bumping companion was the same woman Kokoro was so attached to? Her words that day made more sense now.

She looked so uncomfortable, her eyes darting back and forth all over the room looking for something.

Kuon suspected she was either trying to think of a possible excuse to bolt from there, or to hit him with something and render him unconscious and then, bolt from there.

Finally realising she was trying to fruitlessly delay the inevitable, she decided to go forth and ask him his reason for gracing her with his arrogant, rude presence. "So, what are you here for?"

"To talk about my daughter."

27th March, 2014

"Missy, you should not be crying on the stairs. I am sure there are better place to go and cry like a baby, better places where you will get more...sympathy, " He said as he sat on the steps beside her.

Kyouko, who was sitting on one corner of the steps, her knees drawn upwards touching her chest and her face on her knees with both her hands over her shoulder as they formed a circle along her legs- shot him her best glare. God knows what was his problem.

Right from the day she had bumped with him on the parking lot, he had been accidentally showing up at all the place whenever she was in the apartment area. Each and every time he would go out of his way to taunt her and yet, there were also rare times he had helped her.

Just the other day her car had not been working and he had come and helped her like a true gentlemen, only to disappear before she even got a chance to thank him.

Puzzling man!

"Now, now, glaring at me won't help you solve your problem, would it? Nor would crying."

"I don't remember asking for your advice," She retorted, her voice trembling a little as fresh onslaught of tear threatens to burst out from her eyes.

"No, you didn't, but I am offering it anyway. But crying about one's problems never solves anything. I know that very well." He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if remembering something unpleasant.

Then he rose, resigned to the fact that his presence was not appreciated. When he had first saw her crying, he has chosen to avoid her but it seems his feet have mind of their own. It wasn't the first time they had started walking in her direction without his permission, and then there was his mouth- which seemed to be either taunting or speaking nonsense around her, all on their own accord. It was just something about her, reminded him of someone he once knew. His Kyouko.

What was funny was even after clashing with each other so many times, he still didn't know her name.

"You think you known about problems ?" Her voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around. "You, who neglects his own child even though she loves you so much. "

She got up and strode towards him, stopping inches away from him. "How would someone like you know the pain of a person who could never have children?" She hissed, then glaring at him on last time, she left the place; almost running.

He stood there in stunned silence.

A/N:Guess, even though I should be studying instead of writing, this fic won't leave me alone. So, where is an update and probably would be the only one in a while. Also, please feel free to tell me if Kuon or Kyouko appears OOC- my biggest fear. Though do note, Kyouko isn't revenge focused here and doesn't hate live, but more like she has sort of gave up on it existing in her life- a little bit of which attitude is also present in the manga Kyoko.

Please read and review. That's what making me update fast you know? ;) Also, a big thanks to everyone who fav/followed the fic.