To Be or To Pretend To Be

Chapter 4

Cross My Heart

A/N: Thank you guys. Thank you. The story is being Reviewed and Read. It makes me happy.

Also I will keep the characters secrets until you guys and I feel some attachment on this Karin and Kazune I created ;) But I am sure Karin's secret will come up first.

Also Pardon for any errors that I might have missed in this story, I have had little time to proofread.


Have you lost your mind or has she taken all of yours too.

Karin felt a blush creep on her cheeks. Meanwhile Kazune was realizing what his words made seem.

"I-I didn't mean it that way!" He said nervously as he saw Karin's face.

"Your weird." She simply said trying to not show how flustered she felt. She just didn't quite understand him and that bugged. She wanted to trust him but how could she if she doesn't understand him. "Can you show me how to get out of this place?" she asked the air around them was too uncomfortable to just stay standing.

Kazune nodded. He was never good at expressing his feelings. He didn't like her, in the like-like kind of way. But he didn't want to look stupid in front of her. He should be a positive role model to her, he is her adoptive father although he knew they would never feel like a dad and daugther.

"Why were you here anyways?" She asked as they were on their way out.

"I sometimes can't sleep so I take a walk in the garden." He said. It was much more complex to say why he couldn't sleep.

"Oh." She replied.

As soon as they got out of the garden they went to their separate rooms, not saying a word.

Karin closed her bedroom door and went into the bed. It was already 3:26. And she actually felt tried. But she still couldn't go to sleep. She wondered if Kazune felt the same and soon enough she fell asleep.

But the sun came up to early as the sunlight hit Karin tried face. Karin groan, she did not wanted to wake up at all. But the sun was heating her face too fast.

But with Kazune it was a different story. Kazune many nights had sleepless nights, specially when he didn't take his sleeping pills his doctor gave him. He was used to not sleeping so at 9 am he was already finishing his morning exercises. He knew Karin would be still sleeping so he dared not to wake her up.

As he entered the house his phone started to ring and of course he picked it up.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hey! Kazune! My man!" Kazune sighed, it was Micchi.

"What do you want?"

"I want to meet your daughter." Kazune could sense his smirk over the phone.

"I don't even know her myself and you want to hit on her." Kazune said disappointed.

"I don't want to hit on her... yet. I just want to see how she looks like you know. Who knows what kind of beautiful girl you have in there."

"Micchi, stuff it. Your not meeting Karin any time soon." And Kazune hung up the phone. He truly didn't know why he was friends with that guy.

"Who wants to meet me?" Karin asked standing from the top of the staircase. She wasn't able to go back to sleep after she felt the heat the sun was producing. So she changed into a pink cream dress she found lying around her room and decided to go to the kitchen to make something to eat. But then she found Kazune on the phone talking about her.

"My friend, Micchi, he likes to hit on girls so your not meeting him anytime soon." He said sighing it was embarrassing to have a pervert as a friend.

"Oh." Karin said and started to go down the stairs.

"I see your ready." Kazune said with a smile.

"For what?" Karin said confused

"Remember I told you we would go get you clothes."

"No. I am fine..." Karin was a modest person she didn't want Kazune to waste money on her because it felt she owed him something.

Kazune grinned "Pretty girls need pretty dresses like the one your wearing. I'll be back down in a minute." Kazune said and went up the stairs leaving Karin and her blushing face.

Again she felt flustered by Kazune's words. He just did too much for her in so little time it was starting to hit Karin. Maybe there was good guys in the world she thought while taking a seat on one of the stairs. She never had friends but Kazune was quickly becoming a person of trust for her. Did that mean he could be consider as a friend? A time went by and soon Kazune was back down.

"Let's go." Kazune said. He was going to win Karin's trust today.

/-_-_-/

"Kazune this store is expensive!" Karin said as Kazune dragged her in.

"No its not." Kazine was used to expensive stores. He then looked through a rack of clothes. "See this is nice." Kazune said pulling out a light purple silk wink dress cut wrapped dress. Karin fell in love with the dress but then looked at the price

"300 for a dress? No lets go to Wal-mart instead." She demanded. Kazune chucked.

"May I help you guys?" A young lady working at the store asked.

"Yes." Kazune said "I would like to take this dress. And any clothing you think fits good for this girl here." He said putting his arm around Karin's shoulder.

"Kazune your crazy!" Karin said turning her head to him, Kazune just chucked again.

"You guys make a cute couple." The lady said taking the dress, she then smiled and started to get the clothes for Karin before they could say anything. Kazune quickly took his arm off Karin and Karin just blushed.

"Kazune you don't have to buy me all this stuff." She said as she saw all the clothes the lady was getting her.

"But I want too." Kazune smiled "You deserve this." Karin felt a rush of emotions. She wanted to hug him and cry and thank him badly. No one ever gave her anything and now she met Kazune who gives her everything, she didn't know how to express her gratitude. Karin was holding back her tears. But Kazune noticed. "Karin don't start crying.." He said tenderly and took a hold of Karin's hand. "Smile, I am your family now."

Kazune tried what he could to understand Karin's feeling. He knew no one ever gave her anything so she must feel overwhelmed. He looked at her shocked eyes and smiled reassuringly at Karin. This girl was changing him fast and quick and he was not refusing it.

/-_-_-/

Karin's room was no longer empty. It's big windows had blue and white clear curtains. Her bed fame was one that made for a princess, with its big wood poles covered by blue curtains that matched her bed sheets. Karin also had one black marble bedside table on both sides of her bed, one had her old fashion clock and lamp and the other had a giant vase filled with flowers she got at the garden and a phone. Her closet was filled by clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories many girls her age would envy and her vanity was huge and had a chair bought all the way from England. And to top it off she had a beautiful big ball shaped chandelier that was made out of blue and while glass pieces.

Karin was taken back by Kazune's kindness. She had her dream room in a dream house that had the most special person she has ever met, Kazune.

It was already two weeks she had been with him. And she feels attached to him more and more each day. She thought men were the most hideous creatures in the world, but how can she say that now when Kazune has done too much for her. He gave he what she most wanted, safety and a family.

"Karin?" She heard say from the other side of the door. It was Kazune. It was the weekend and it was already a ritual that he would awake her up every weekend.

"Come in." She said as she quickly patted her messy hair neat.

Kazune opened the door with a giant pile of books. "I am going to home school you." he said with a giant smile in his face. Kazune thought of this last night, he knew Karin had little schooling and in a poor environment, she probably also got poor schooling too.

"I don't want too." Karin said. She never liked school she thought it was useless.

"You want to get out of the life you had right? The way you can do that is by learning and going to college" Kazune explained.

"No, I just need to work hard at my job." Karin insisted.

Kazune sighed, Karin wasn't going to make it easy for him was she?

"Fine I'll do it." Karin then thought. Kazune did do a lot for her so she should at least fulfill his wishes.

/-_-_-/

A day of learnig past by. Kazune taught her her multiplication tables and how to read and write simple sentences. But Karin could not help but to blush. She would get distracted by Kazune's closeness to her, he would get too close, invading Karin's person space.

"C-Can we stop for today." She said nervously. Kazune looked her and the then closed the book.

"Yeah we should." He said the calmest way possible he also took a notice how comfortable he would get around her. But is was a unconscience act and he would take notice after he felt her face near his, and so he would quickly retreat. Karin quickly left the room with her feelings in a mess. She didn't know why, but she felt her heart skipped a beat when Kazune was near.

Kazune felt a huge attachment for Karin. He wanted to give her the best of the best to see her smiling face. Two weeks was enough for Kazune to know everything about Karin, or almost everything. He studied her habits and listened to the stories when they had dinner together. He thought as her as a fallen angel. Every Wednesday according to Miyon, Karin would go to the orphanage, where she took the stole milk to and with the money Kazune gives her, she would buy food for the kids. He saw how innocent she was by the way cried once because he killed a passing fly last Friday. One would say he had some kind of romantic feelings for her but he would brush it off and simply say:

"Your her father, You just take care of her."