Chapter Seven

Gently, Jun packed away the food that had already turned cold. Once again, Ryo hadn't come home for dinner. He hadn't taken the lunch she packed for him either. Jun bit her lower lip and sighed. Tears were threatening to fall again. It hurt her beyond measure to know that the cooking that Ryo loved could not help to heal that bleeding heart of his.

Jun leaned against the table, feeling helpless. She hadn't seen Ryo for over two weeks now. Every night, Ryo would come home past midnight, way after she had fallen asleep, and leave for work before Jun woke. Whenever Jun tried to visit Ryo at the hospital, she was always told that he was always either in the middle of surgery or in the middle of a meeting. It was as if he was avoiding her.

Jun smiled mockingly to herself as the thought came to light. Avoiding her? Why would Ryo avoid her when she meant nothing to him? If Ryo avoided her, it was because he knew Jun would interfere with what he saw as his punishment. Something to atone for the sin of not being able to save the person he loved with all of his heart.

In such a low period of her life however, Jun had discovered a caring and warm side to Len that she had not seen before. The person who always distanced himself from everyone and kept his feeling locked tightly within an icy cage was the very person on whom Jun leaned on during this time.

Len did not know the true reason as to why Jun was so upset and depressed, but he didn't ask. He just listened and made comments that were sure to amuse her and lift her gloom. Jun couldn't deny the fact that if it wasn't for Len, she could not have continued on in the house by herself. It would have driven her crazy.

Suddenly, the telephone rang and brought Jun out from her occupied thoughts once more. Although Len had been extremely busy with the concert in Europe, he had made an effort to call Jun whenever he could. Taking a look at her watch and doing a quick calculation in her mind, Jun was a little surprised at the hour Len was calling. It was still morning here, which meant it was quite late in the evening for Len.

"Hello?"

However, to Jun's surprise, it wasn't Len's voice but an unfamiliar woman's which greeted her, "Is Jun available please?"

"Yes, speaking…" Jun replied. She didn't recognise the voice and it had a professional sounding tone to it. However, Jun wasn't given much time to wonder as the tone on the other end changed immediately into something akin to relief, "Jun? It's me Christine. You remember? From Dr Ryo's hospital!"

It took Jun a few seconds to gather her thoughts before she remembered Christine; the nurse that was head over heels in love with Ryo and the same one who mistakenly thought that she was Ryo's childhood sweetheart. Still, it didn't explain why Christine would call her. "Christine? What's the matter?"

Christine didn't bother with any formalities. She cut right to the chase, "There's been a severe flu virus that's hit the city in the past week and we've had several patients come in, knocked out by it. At the beginning, it seemed like it was quite a normal virus… But all the patients who ignored it and continued working developed pneumonia. Most of them had to be sent to emergency…"

"Okay…?" Jun nodded along, still having no idea why Christine called her. It couldn't just be to let her know this.

On the other end, Christine seemed to sense Jun's confusion. Jun could hear the other woman inhale deeply as if trying to calm herself. Suddenly, a deep rooted fear shook Jun. What if… what if Ryo…?

Christine confirmed her fears, "Dr Ryo had told me not to mention it to anyone… But… but he has also been infected with the same virus."

"Wh…what…?" Jun covered slumped into her chair. "Is he okay…?" She could hear her voice shaking with fear.

"He's not, no matter how much he insists he is." Christine's voice wasn't much steadier. "I finally got him to let me do some basic vitals just before. I checked his temperature and he's burning up! The thermometer registered 39.2 degrees. But he refuses to rest and just continues his rounds…"

"Does anyone else at the hospital know about his condition?" Jun asked quickly.

"Not yet, but Dr Yui is starting to get suspicious. No matter how Dr Ryo tries to hide it, he cannot prevent the dizziness and nausea which can strike at anytime. And he really doesn't look good." The poor nurse sounded close to tears, "Dr Ryo looks like he's about to collapse any moment now…"

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Jun asked as she felt her heart aching picturing the pain Ryo was inflicting on himself.

"There is!" Christine sounded somewhat hopeful. "Can you please come in and talk to him? He will not listen to any of us…"

Jun's heart sank as she replied with a bitter smile. "How would I make a difference? If he won't listen to you, there's even less of a chance that he'd listen to me."

"He will listen to you!" Christine insisted firmly. "Although I was wrong about you being his girlfriend, but my instincts tells me he cares about you quite deeply. You are our only hope!"

At those words and against that conviction, Jun could do nothing but concede, "Alright, I will come over immediately. However, I cannot promise to make a difference…"

"Thank you so much…" The woman at the other end sounded so relieved, "Please come as soon as possible. If Dr. Ryo does not stop to rest soon; he'll end up just like the emergency patients!"

It did not take long for Jun to rush to the hospital. She heard Dr Yui's voice the moment she arrived.

"Ryo, you can not hide it from me anymore! I'm also a doctor and I know you're sick!"

"I'm fine…"

Jun heard Ryo's voice. She felt her heart skip a beat when she heard the voice she had not heard for over two weeks now. How much had she missed this wonderful voice?

"You're not fine! If you don't allow yourself to be treated immediately, soon enough you're not going to be conscious enough to do your job. You are putting the lives of the other patients at risk and I can not allow that!" Dr Yui's voice was as firm as Ryo's conviction.

"Really?" Ryo replied coolly, sounding detached. "Have I made a mistake or caused harm to any patients in the past few days?" he asked.

Yui did not reply immediately showing he could not argue with Ryo on that point. Finally, he sighed and his voice softened a little, "You might not have yet, but soon you will."

By this time Jun had reached the door from where Ryo and Yui's voices were sounding from. As soon as she stepped into the room, both Ryo and Yui turned to her instinctively. Her eyes went straight to Ryo, watching the face that she had missed, and tears once again pooled in her eyes. Jun bit her lip and forced them back, instead, she pasted a smile on her face.

"Jun…?" Ryo was obviously surprised to see her here.

Jun could not answer, she just stood and stared. What had happened to Ryo, the handsome, confident and happy Ryo that she had seen two weeks ago? That mischievous gleam in his eyes was no longer present. Instead, hopelessness and blankness showed in there. At the same time, he also looked as if he had lost weight drastically. Jun doubted that he had been eating nor resting properly. Just as Christine had stated, Ryo was really on the verge of collapsing.

"Ryo…" Her masked cracked and a couple of drops of tears slid down her face. Jun wiped them away resolutely, "Please Ryo. Please stop hurting yourself. Come home…"

"Jun…" Ryo closed his eyes as he turned away in pain. "You should not be here. I have work to do."

Hearing those words from Ryo, Jun wiped the last of her tears away as she watched him. "I know I'm not the person you need; I can't help you feel better nor heal your wounded heart. But… But if Emi knew you're like this, she would definitely be scolding you right now. Where is that handsome, proud and confident Doctor Ryo that she was so proud of? The person that she talked about every time with that special smile in her eyes and every word?"

Ryo's whole body jumped when she heard Jun's words. "I…I…"

Ryo could not continue as he remembered the way Emi would introduce him to her friends and acquaintances. And just like Jun had said, Emi would always have that teasing but proud attitude when she looked at him.

"Ryo, I am so proud to have known you. You are my pride, my ego and my everything because you never allow anything to take that smile away from you…"

"Emi…" Closing his eyes in bitterness, Ryo whispered her name to himself. He had not allowed himself a spare moment to think about Emi since the moment of her death, and yet her smile, her every movement and everything she once said to him flooded his mind. It was also at this time he sensed that sickness overcoming him, the will he had used to stay standing disappeared as extreme drowsiness and pain took over.

"Dr Ryo!" Everyone rushed up as they held onto him.

"Ryo…Ryo…" Jun's eyes were wide with terror as she ran up too.

"It's alright." Dr Yui comforted with a sigh of relief. "He has finally relaxed enough to allow the fever to take over. Because he had not eaten nor slept properly for over two weeks, this flu will probably knock him out for a while but it doesn't look too serious." He checked Ryo's pulse and breathing for a moment longer before nodding, "Definitely not serious enough to be hospitalised."

"So this means he can stay home?" Jun looked to Yui with hope.

With a smile Yui nodded. "Take him home and look after him. As long as he gets sufficient rest and eats properly, he will recover in a few days time and be back at work."

Jun's eyes looked at Ryo's sleeping form as her fingers brushed across his handsome face with care and love. "I will look after him. I promise…"

Seeing how Jun's face softened and the gaze that she directed at the sleeping man, Yui's eyebrow lifted a little as he realised something. Sighing internally, Yui took another look at Ryo.

"Ryo, maybe it's about time you wake up and notice the person who truly cares about you like Emi once did…" he murmured to his sleeping colleague as he passed on his way out.

Gently, Jun wiped Ryo's face with a cool wet towel as she gave a sigh. Finally after two torturous weeks, Ryo had finally returned home and now lay in his own bed. Like Yui had explained, since Ryo's body had not had sufficient rest and nutrients, the virus had hit him rather hard. The high fever remained for another two days after his collapse at the hospital and it hadn't gone down at all. Jun had been staying up every night to make sure Ryo was well looked and in case he woke up but he hadn't.

"I see…" Dr Yui's voice came from the other side of the phone as Jun made her twice daily call to update him of Ryo's situation. "It may take longer than we expected. It's almost as if he has no will to recover…"

Jun remained silent at Yui's words. She had suspected as much. He had withdrawn himself from all hope, and she knew that a sick person would not recover if he psychologically refused to let his body recover.

"Just continue to give him the medication I prescribed. I'm just hoping it doesn't worsen into pneumonia." Yui gave a sigh and Jun could almost see him shake his head. "Meanwhile, you should take some rest yourself. You must not tire yourself out looking after Ryo."

Jun was quick to reassure him, "I'm fine, I will rest once I am sure Ryo is recovering."

Hearing what Jun said, Yui let a small chuckle escape. "You're just as stubborn as Ryo. But remember, once you feel tired, you must take a rest. That way your immune system will be able to ward off the virus and prevent you from getting it too. It's a nasty thing to get and you won't be able to help Ryo if you're sick yourself."

"Sure, I will." Jun nodded as her eyes roamed pass the window casually before coming back and resting at the sight with shock. A sharp intake of breath signalled her surprise as she saw the pouring rain outside. "It's raining! I have to go and bring in the washing!"

"You sure occupy yourself with endless chores." Yui teased gently. "Alright, let me know immediately if Ryo gets better, or else I'll see you tonight when I drop by to have a look at Ryo."

After saying her goodbyes, Jun slammed the phone down and grabbed the laundry basket as she ran outside quickly. She wanted to rescue as much washing as possible before it became soaking wet again. Jun gave a sigh as she gave the dark sky a baleful look. If she had known the weather was going to change this fast, she wouldn't have hung out the laundry today.

Unfortunately by the time she returned with the laundry, due to the amount of rain majority of it was quite wet again. Looking through it, Jun knew she had to wash them most of them again. She shook her head and sighed again, picking the slightly less wet ones from the soaking ones. As she was putting the laundry back into the washing machine, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Ryo…?" Jun called out cautiously as there were only the two of them at home. But her brow furrowed at that. Wasn't Ryo still sleeping in bed since he still had such high fever? However her doubts disappeared when she saw Ryo's tall figure exiting the front door.

With shock, since she hadn't realised he had woken, Jun dropped the laundry onto the floor and ran out quickly into the garden, following the way Ryo had went. Jun felt her heart rate increase when she saw Ryo's figure standing there still, in the middle of the garden as he allowed the icy cold rain to smash down on him.

"Ryo! What are you doing?!" Jun yelled at him in horror as she ran up to him.

"Just cooling myself down…" Ryo replied with a mocking smile, he tipped his head up and faced the rain fully.

"Cooling down…?" Jun didn't know how to react. She knew immediately that wasn't Ryo's true intentions. As a doctor himself he should know that this was going to worsen his fever considerably.

"You shouldn't be here with me, Jun. It is pouring here, you might catch a cold." Ryo said tonelessly without looking at her.

Hearing the tone of hopelessness and seeing that he was avoiding her gaze, Jun felt her entire being fall into despair as Ryo shut her out, not willing to accept any more help from her.

"You…you are so selfish…" Jun clenched her fists and realised that the voice she could hear yelling was her own. "All you care about is how hurt you are after losing Emi, the person you love. Have you ever considered anyone else? Thought about how by hurting yourself you are hurting someone who cares about you as much as Emi did?!"

Jun could not believe she was saying this out loud, pouring her heart into her words. However, she was unable to stop herself, "How…how am I going to be able to cope if anything happened to you? How…how could I live on…?"

"Jun…?" Ryo's eyes dropped to meet Jun's in astonishment. What…what did she mean?

Seeing the shocked and stunned look on Ryo's face, her common sense and logic finally returned as she covered her mouth with both hands and shivered.

Could…could Ryo have found out her true feelings for him?! Feeling her ears and cheeks burning hot, Jun turned away quickly as she tried to flee. However, to her shock, Ryo grabbed onto her arm and stopped her.

"Jun…"

Jun heard Ryo said as he turned her to face him. However Jun's face remained facing the ground as she dared not look into his eyes, how could she have said that to him? Hadn't she made up her mind to never let Ryo know how she felt?!

"I'm sorry Jun…"

Jun's whole body jumped when she heard Ryo's apology.

"I did not know how much I had hurt you. You're right… I was selfish…"

Finally Jun took courage as she lifted her head and looked at Ryo. For an instant she felt that she could see all the life returning to Ryo's eyes again, along with the hope of living again.

However it was only for a short while before Ryo closed his eyes and collapsed once more, this time in Jun's arms. With a shaking hand, Jun felt Ryo's forehead and suppressed a curse. It was burning hot. It looked like this rain had really made his fever worse.

In a panic, Jun managed to drag Ryo back to his bedroom. However her heartbeat raced faster when she noticed Ryo didn't respond in anyway. Not only so, his lips were turning blue and his breath was short and uneven. Almost in tears, Jun rang Yui immediately and told him the situation.

"Sounds like it really turned into pneumonia, what was that idiot thinking?!" Yui sounded resigned and not a little disappointed. "Alright, an ambulance is on its way there. He needs to be hospitalised immediately!"

"Is…is Ryo going to be alright?" Jun's hands were white from how hard she had clenched them. Her mind shied away from the thought of Ryo's death.

"Don't' worry Jun, he's a big boy." Yui comforted and patted her shoulder. "As long as he doesn't run out into the rain again whilst sick, we should be able to treat him. Meanwhile you should return home and take a rest too. We'll look after him for you."

Jun's eyes continued at look to Ryo who now lay on a hospital bed. Slowly she shook her head, "I said something to hurt him more… I have to be responsible for his full recovery."

With a small smile of understanding, Yui nodded at her, "Alright, you can stay." His gaze turned stern, "However, since he'll be knocked out for a few hours with the medication, at least take a nap, they've set up a spare cot over there for you." Yui pointed at the small bed in the corner, a meter or so away.

Jun nodded once but sat down next to Ryo as her eyes only watched him. Seeing this, Yui gave a sigh as he left Jun to Ryo. He believed this entire time Jun was the one who hurt the most knowing how much in love she was with Ryo.

Seeing the pale but still striking face of Ryo, Jun held his hand in hers as she whispered softly, "I'm sorry Ryo, I didn't mean to hurt you. You were truly upset but I didn't sympathise."

Droplets of tears fell onto Jun and Ryo's joined hands like pearls as Jun pleaded with small sobs. "I'm willing to do anything… Anything… But please recover… Please…"

The first thing that came into sight was the white ceiling that Ryo was been rather familiar with. Not only so, the smell of disinfectants and the feel of the bed he lay in were all familiar. A grimace crossed Ryo's face as the terrible ache all over the joints of his body hit all at the same time. Looking over to his hand, he saw a drip attached to it and knew immediately his fever must have worsened to pneumonia. Sitting up slowly Ryo felt his forehead and realised that the fever seemed to have gone.

With a sigh Ryo closed his eyes and leaned back. The memory he had when he was last conscious remained inside his head so clearly. He could not forget the look on Jun's face and the last words she spoke to him. He had known Jun to be a very thoughtful caring person, and not once had she shown such heart broken and hurt expressions. She had been completely right about him, he was self-centred and he did not consider how hurt Jun was seeing him like this. Most of all, he was supposed to have promised to look after and protect her while the rest of the family are away, how could he have left her so alone and helpless?

"Is it true that Ryo is recovering…?"

Ryo heard Jun's voice just outside the room. There were obvious tones of joy with the good news.

"Yes, we just checked his temperature this morning, the fever had left him." Yui replied as he entered through the door followed by Jun.

The moment Jun saw Ryo sitting up looking at them, her face brightened up immediately with happiness as she came up in haste.

"Ryo! How are you feeling now?"

Seeing that look of genuine care and joy, Ryo felt warmth fluctuated inside him. He couldn't believe he could feel that warmth again after Emi had left his world.

"I feel much better now, thank you." Ryo replied with a smile of gratefulness. "How long have I been unconscious for?"

"Four days," Yui answered. "What were you thinking Ryo? You really scared us this time, especially Jun."

Ryo did not reply Yui as his eyes looked towards Jun and gave her a smile of apology. "Sorry, Jun. I'm fine now, I won't hurt myself any more."

Jun blushed with Ryo's words knowing Ryo obviously remembered her careless words before he fainted. "Are…are you hungry? I can go and prepare something for you if you like…"

To Jun's surprise, smile once again returned to Ryo's face as he replied. "Sure, I guess I really missed your cooking."

With extreme joy Jun nodded quickly knowing finally Ryo was willing to accept her help again. "Sure! I will go prepare something for you straight away!"

After watching Jun left quickly skipping in happiness, Yui gave a sigh as he looked at Ryo. "You should really thank Jun, without her, you wouldn't have made it through this time."

"I know…" Ryo gave a sad smile. During the times when he felt he had no more hope, and no more will to live, Jun's saddened face would appear. How she wept so bitterly pleading him to not hurt himself any more for she then wouldn't cope any more on her own.

"I don't want to see her look so sad and hurt again. Now it's my turn to do something for her. I owe her too much." Ryo concluded whole heartedly.

A little surprised with Ryo's words, Yui nodded and said finally. "I do hope you keep to your word."

"I have almost forgotten what a wonderful cook you are." Ryo smiled after he took a sip of the delicious porridge Jun had brought him.

Jun felt her cheeks burning hot with embarrassment, but at the same time felt her heart so light. She was easily satisfied and had totally forgotten all her labours in the past few weeks looking after Ryo just because he smiled at her once again. She knew from deep inside, that was all she wanted. Just to be able to help Ryo a little and make his life a bit more interesting.

Although Ryo had finally come through with his high fever, Yui demanded that he remain in hospital for a few more days to be sure. Of course the entire time Jun had continued to look after Ryo. Like Ryo had promised, he obediently rested and worked hard to recover, now other than normal coughs, Ryo was all healthy again.

"I have recovered already; you should allow yourself more rest." Ryo said warmly to Jun.

"It's alright; I prefer to be here since I will be home by myself anyway." Jun replied as she picked up an apple from the fruit basket. "Want some apple?"

"I have done nothing except lying in bed and eating all your wonderful cooking. Hopefully I am not going to become so fat after this." Ryo joked.

Jun chuckled too at Ryo's words; it felt so wonderful to be able to talk so comfortably with Ryo again. "Don't worry, apples are healthy and won't make you fat." She gave him a sideways look and grinned, "However, you should know that already… Doctor Ryo."

Ryo continued to smile warmly as he watched Jun peeled and cut up the apple nicely for him. From the bottom of his heart Ryo made up his mind; once he recovered he would willingly do anything for Jun. He would protect her, make sure no one harmed her, and that no one could make her sad again.

With a frown Len hung up the phone. For four days now he was unable to reach Jun. No one answered the phone at home and when he tried Jun's mobile it always went directly to her voicemail. His whole mind was restless and all he could think about were the bad things that could have possibly happened to Jun. What if something really happened to her? What if she was hurt?

Len frowned even more with the thought. Something must have happened to Jun, she didn't sound okay when he talked to her on the phone. She sounded hurt, distant, and helpless. Len wasn't stupid and he knew right from the beginning Jun was not upset because of her thesis. He knew it must have related to Ryo for only Ryo could control Jun's emotions like that. With the thought, Len felt his heart ache. Why should he have feelings for Jun when he knew all along history was just going to repeat itself?

"Len," Sei called as he entered the room. "I've been thinking, we've been in Munich now for four days already, isn't there someone you should pay a visit to?"

Seeing the look on Len's face, Sei asked with a sigh, "Still no news from Jun?"

Len did not reply but his silence told Sei the answer. Putting away his mobile phone, Len picked up his coat and said to Sei. "If we do not have anything else scheduled for today, I guess I better pay him a visit."

"Good idea," Sei nodded. "After all, he was your violin teacher, the man who helped you get to where you are now."

Pausing, Sei asked softly, "Are you going to see 'her' too?"

Frown once again appeared on Len's face with Sei's question. Coldly he replied. "I am just paying my violin teacher a visit, nothing more."

Len gave a small sigh as he followed the maid who led the way into a huge classic lounge room. Seeing the grand piano and delicate hand crafted violins, Len realised nothing has changed much. After he graduated from music school, he came to this place to seek further training in his violin skills from a world-known musician himself, Maestro Hans Dresner. Through an opportunity Dresner heard Len's performance and offered to train him further. Maestro Dresner said Len was like an original diamond stone, and he could shine him up and make him into a world-class musician like himself.

After spending three years with Maestro Dresner, as he had promised, Len is now the world known Len Tsukimori who shares the same status as his own violin teacher. So to Len, he had everything he has now because of Maestro Dresner, and like Sei had mentioned, he should have paid his teacher a visit the moment he arrived Munich.

"Len, it's so heart warming to have you visit us." An elderly man with class and nobility greeted.

"Maestro Dresner," Len greeted too, in politeness, "My apologies for not being able to visit you earlier."

With an understanding smile Dresner replied, "I understand what it is like to have concerts, especially with your status now I do feel rather privileged to have you visit me during such a busy time."

"I have all I have now because of you Maestro, not a day I have not forgotten that." Len replied wholeheartedly, although a cold closed person, Len's respect for Dresner was sincere.

With a sigh Dresner offered Len a seat as he also seated himself down. "Let's be honest about it Len, we both know the reason why you didn't come earlier."

Len remained quiet and did not continue for he knows too well what Dresner was referring to.

"Mia has waited so long for your return, she already went to all your past four concerts here in Munich…" While Dresner was still speaking, both Len and Dresner heard someone's rapid footsteps in the corridor coming towards them.

It did not take long for the person to quickly push open the door and came before Len. When her eyes saw Len joy and excitement cannot be hidden as she placed her hand before her chest to try to catch her breath. "Len, I heard you have arrived so…"

"Good afternoon, Mia." Len greeted calmly totally unexcited unlike the lady before him.

Standing in front of Len was a most astonishing and stunningly beautiful lady. Adding to her beauty, there was this elegance about her that proved her fine noble up bringing.

Mia Dresner, Maestro Hans Dresner's daughter, also a world-class violinist herself. When Len first arrived Munich to be trained by Dresner, Mia knew she was captured and spell-bound to Len for life, both to music and person. Although Len had always remained distant and closed, Mia still loved him. Seeing the face of the man she loves once again, Mia felt her heart ached with the discovery. Still Len treated her nothing more than his teacher's daughter, a co-worker.

"Len, can you please join me for a walk?" Mia asked quickly when Len was ready to leave.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Len declined however. He knew Mia's feelings for him had not decreased over time but became stronger. It is better for the both of them if he made it clear to her, he could never respond to her love.

Mia bit her lower lip in sadness with Len's unyielding attitude. Looking up at Len once again with pleading eyes, Mia asked again, "Please, Len, just for old time's sake."

With a sigh, Len said finally. "Alright."

"I have been to your last four concerts here in Munich." Mia said quickly as both her and Len walked along the stone path. "I know, your father told me." Len replied as usual short and uninterested.

"Your music has changed; Len." Mia said softly, "Was there a reason?" Len frowned with Mia's sharp observant question. "What do you mean changed?"

Mia's beautiful eyes looked to Len as she smiled. "It was like you no longer performed out of obligation, you now enjoy what you do."

Len knew Mia was correct with her interpretation. He became a musician because Ryo wanted to become a doctor. Len wanted to prove he could make a total different choice to what Ryo had made and still be more successful. However after he met Jun, she made him realise how content it could be to do what he was doing. He never realised his music could have been interpreted the way Jun had seen it. It could touch and even rescue Jun from her lowest time.

"Len," Mia called softly. "Was there really nothing I could do to touch your heart? For the three years we were together, not once have you felt anything for me?"

"Mia..." Len stopped walking and gave a sigh. "Let's not get into this."

"I know already," Mia smiled bitterly to herself. "The reason you courted me was because you were fulfilling a request that came from my father. Deep inside you never felt anything toward me."

Len's eyes looked to the beautiful soft elegant lady before him. He knew Mia is a wonderful person, caring, meek and most of all beautiful. She always stood by him the years he was here in Munich. When Maestro Dresner had come to Len to ask him to go out with Mia, Len did not decline for he felt that was what he could do for his respected teacher. However Len discovered that he could not respond to Mia's love. Love is a strange thing, it just cannot be compromised. Len decided to be honest with Mia out of respect, it is best to let her know that his heart now belongs to Jun.

"I am sorry, Mia." Len said finally. "My heart has been touched, but not by you."

Mia's whole body jumped with the Len's statement. So her fears came true, Len had finally found someone and that someone is not she. "No wonder your music changed," Mia squeezed out a smile and said quickly. "I am truly happy for you Len."

"Mia..."

"Look, a hand-crafted jewellery shop!" Mia pointed to a shop beside them and changed the topic quickly. "Let's look inside."

Len watched Mia entered the store, with a sigh Len finally followed her into the store.

Although not his interest to be in the store in the first place, but the delicacy and fine work of the items in' the store surprised Len. Immediately his eyes landed on a wooden piano jewellery music box. Unnoticed a smile came onto Len's face when he knew Jun would love it.

"I see you have eyes for the finest things." The shop assistant approached Len noticing Len's interest in the object. "This was designed according to a real Steinway grand piano by Steinway themselves." Explaining the shop assistant opened the jewellery box as music started playing on the tiny little keyboards as if it was a real piano! "As you can see the inside structure was also a miniature to the real thing, there is a programmed chip inside to make it play the song you wish."

"Any song?" Len asked.

"Yes, you give us the music, we will have it custom made for you." The shop assistant replied.

Nodding Len said, "In that case, I will deliver the manuscript to you tomorrow, I want the jewellery box to play this particular song."

"Not a problem sir," The shop assistant smiled politely happy the deal was done so quickly.

"You must have bought it for her," Mia said softly after they both left the store. "Your face showed a tenderness and warmth I have never seen when you thought about her. She must be very special"

"I don't know if she is," Len disagreed although accompanied with a smile. "But she was just so helpless and clueless; you just can not stop worrying about her."

"She must be so happy to have you care about her like this. She is a very lucky girl." Mia said sincerely.

"Is she?" Len asked with a mocking smile. "Her eyes never looked to me that way."

Mia was unable to hide the shock on her face with Len's statement. "What... what do you mean?"

"She is in love with another, so it would be best that I do not let her know how I feel." Len replied. Knowing how hard it was not able to respond to Mia's love for him, he did not want to place the same burden on Jun. It would be best if she never found out his true feelings.

"Len," Mia's eyes looked straight at Len in all sincerity. "I do think you need to let her know your feelings. It is unfair to her if she never knew."

"Unfair?" Len had not expected Mia to say that.

­

"For a girl to be able to warm and touch your heart like this, she must have cared for you too. Maybe she never looked to you the way you had hoped because she never realise the need to."

Len looked to Mia in surprise as he dwelt into her words. Could it have been true that both times the two girls he loved chose Ryo because he had never showed them his feelings for them? Just like Mia said, it was because they did not realise the need to look to him in a different way?

"You must let her know your feeling, Len." Mia persuaded. "Or else you will regret for the rest of your life because she truly is someone special for you." Pausing with a smile Mia concluded. "It is also time for her to know what a wonderful person you could be, Len."