"Who is he, Miru?"

"No one, Nee-chan. He-"

"Don't lie to me, little sister. I've known you long enough to know when you're distracted. You've never been like this at one of these parties before. It's why Father had always favored you when it came to mingling with them."

The sisters were dressed in their finest for the SME Tokyo Charity Ball that Hanazawa Jin had dragged them to. Hosted by an online business tycoon who worked closely with Hanazawa's company, Riyo has been asked to keep the man's son company. Luckily for her, said son was only ten, and needed more of a babysitter then a companion. Miru, on the other hand, had been told to get Akamine Shoichi on her good side. The son of the gold company owner had always been pompous and arrogant, and Miru had breathed a sigh of relief when he had wandered off to get some drinks. Although with the looks her father was shooting her, she knew she should get back to him soon.

Miru should've known her sister was more observant then she showed. When she had stepped next to Riyo to join her in helping the young Toshiaki play with his smartphone, her sister had lost no time in questioning.

But could you really blame Miru? The room had hushed when Tora had stepped in, only picking up again as he blended in to the crowd to speak to others, but Miru had found it hard to drag her eyes away from him. In his gray suit, black shirt and cobalt blue tie, it merely served to make Tora look more dashing. Her chest clenched as she saw young girls her age all over him, yet she knew it would be a death wish both for her and her mother should she act upon her jealousy. Jealous? Why yes, Miru was definitely jealous, but acting upon it was a different story entirely. Lucky thing that Akamine Shoichi had been so full of himself, he barely noticed how Miru only absentmindedly nodded at his proclamations of his excellence. The few times his eyes had met hers through the gentle crowd of people, it was like electricity shot right through her spine. She was reminded of the past week where they had stole into the campus grounds, finding hidden spots to get into each other's arms. But with the long study week just beginning yesterday before their end-of-term tests, Miru found it hard to make a plausible excuse to escape her house and see him. Not that he was making it easy, with the amount of texts he sends her.

'It can't be that hard. Isn't your father at work?'

'I'll send a messenger requiring your presence at Igarashi Corporation, he can't refuse that.'

'I don't give a damn if he uses you to get to me. You can't expect me to go a whole week not seeing you!'

He was as nonsensical as he was clingy, Miru was beginning to realize. Yet as sweet and amusing as she found it, she knew she couldn't risk seeing him. While he may not mind, the idea that her father would use her and their relationship as a leverage to grow his company and to earn more money made her sick in the stomach, and she refused to become that cliche couple. So she had rebuffed his requests multiple times over. Yet through none of their conversations had either of them brought up the fact that they would both be attending this ball, so his entrance had come as a surprise.

"Miru-san? Looks like the band is starting up. Would you care for a dance?"

She internally cursed as she recognized the self-praising, too confident tone of Shoichi, but swallowed her scowl, and instead pasted a smile on her face as she turned, to place her hand in his offered, upturn palm. His touch was unlike Tora's, in so many way. It was clammy to his warm, insincere to his passionate, and so many other things that was wrong. When had she started comparing all the other guys she met to the standard of Igarashi Tora?

The string quartet struck up a waltz, and Miru cringed internally as he placed a palm on her waist, taking up the other in his hands. How could one's hold feel so insincere, mocking even?

"Not much is known about you, Hanazawa Miru. Is there a reason why your father keeps you such a secret?"

She shivered at the slime in his tone. Miru was used to this by now. She was a mystery by their standards, and there was something about mysteries that these arrogant asses of the corporate step-ladder liked to unravel. As if once they could figure out the enigma that she was, they would be able to have an insight of how her father works, or have a leverage to somehow ruin her family. While Miru had no qualms on ruining her stepfather, she also knew Riyo was held closely to the family name in the eyes of the tabloids, press and society, and she didn't want her sister to face that sort of scrutiny. It was why she had kept her mouth so wisely shut the whole time, ever since the first time Hanazawa Jin had brought him with Riyo to a society function, yet never saw fit to explain her appearance in the ten years she had been with them.

"I simply choose to, Shoichi-san. I'm not one who likes to speak or be on a public stage." her reply was smooth, a staged one she had practiced many times before. It was why she was always so tired after one of these functions. Putting up a facade to protect her sister and her mother was tiring, mentally and physically.

He cocked a smirk that made Miru feel like introducing his cheek to her palm in the fastest manner possible. "Ah, but that can't be true. Afterall, the lives of us, the offspring of the socialites in Tokyo, makes it difficult." he paused, and then leered. "Unless its a secret that no one should ever find out. Is that so, Miru-san? Your blue eyes are an enigma. They are beautiful. Makes every guy in this room want a chance with you."

Usually, that was where Miru snapped. When they got ridiculously invasive and completely disregarded the feelings and privacy of others, especially when she knew without a doubt that he had no innocence behind the meaning of his last sentence. Her blue eyes flashed with her anger, and her whole body tightened, ready to step back with a haughty glare, had someone not cut in, swiftly plucking her hand out of his hold, and nudging so the palm that lay on her waist dropped back to his side. When she looked up, her chest constricted when she saw the imposing figure of Tora, a smile on his lips, but a dangerous look that Miru knew meant harm, directed at Akamine Shoichi's baffled look.

"I believe this dance is mine. I had asked Miru-san, long before the dance began."

Without waiting for a reply, Tora wrapped an arm around her waist, picked up the limp hand and resumed the steps, completely ignoring how baffled her previous partner was as he focused his attention solely on her. The hard look in his eyes softened when he saw her round lips, large blue eyes, and Tora chuckled. "I have missed you, Miru-chan. Did you think I wouldn't come and save you? It was obvious he was bothering you."

His words had an instantaneous effect on Miru. It was beginning to get ridiculous, how easily he could soften her heart, after she's spent years on making sure that nothing that happened within the high standards of upper-class society in Tokyo, yet it took him so little to get under her skin. Her icy blue eyes warmed at his words, and Miru finally relented with a smile, forgetting the rest of the ballroom existed as they sunk back into the bubble he had created around them. "We did agree to stay out of the spotlight, Tora."

"Ah, but this is a public setting. There is nothing wrong with the Igarashi heir dancing with Hanazawa Jin's daughter. Your father would be delighted, I'm sure." he murmured in return, only to receive a glare from Miru. "Sorry, I know you don't like it, but I really don't see what's wrong with it."

Without realizing it, Miru had allowed Tora to lead her to a hidden alcove, with an opened window that led to a deserted balcony, and that was where Tora stopped. He never let go of her hand however, instead tightening his grip around her, pulling her through the opened window to step on to the silent space in the dark. Once there, as the sounds of laughter, clinking glass and soft string music faded into the background, Tora pulled Miru against him, and wrapped him in his embrace, breathing a sigh of relief when she hesitated before wrapping her own arms around his waist.

"I... It's a pet peeve I have, Tora." she murmured against where her head was nestled in the crook of his neck. "I... I don't want to be someone, just another one who uses you for their own benefit."

With her ear nestled near his chest, she heard the rumble of his chest as Tora chuckled, his fingers caressing her back. "If it's you, I don't think I'll mind, sweetheart."

Miru scowled, shaking her head. "No. I... genuinely do like you, Tora-san." she could feel herself flush, and kept her head bent even as Tora leaned back to stare down at her in delighted surprise.

"Do you think you could repeat that?"

"Sorry, my offer only goes once." she muttered, still keeping her head bent downwards so her dark hair formed a curtain around her face. Tora chuckled again, and used his hands to dredge it through her hair, holding it back. "Besides," she muttered beneath her breathe. "It isn't as if you're very forthcoming in your own feelings anyway."

Tora's eyes widened, and in a sudden streak of posessiveness, he dragged her against his body, so close that a slip of paper couldn't even be passed through them. With the sudden jerk, Miru squeaked when she lost her balance, the only way of keeping upright being to place her palms flush on Tora's chest, her chin now jerked upwards so she was looking up at him. "What did you say, my precious?" he drawled, brushing a finger under her chin. Miru flushed, scowling.

"That you are too obvious that you had a thing for Usui-san's fiancee." Miru retorted sharply.

Tora grinned, brushing a finger softly across her lips, delicate and pink as they were. "Is that jealousy I detect in your voice, sweetheart?"

"It's a fact."

"I did say you're mine." he replied.

"That's what people called possessiveness, Igarashi-kaichou." Miru replied confidently giving him a swaggering smile. Tora raised his brows.

"Oh, is that how you want to play it now?" he replied. Before Miru could reply, she was pressed against the balcony railing reaching to the middle of her back, and found herself with Tora's lips moulded over hers. His tongue teased and licked, his teeth nibbled first at the bottom of her lip, and then trailing down to her earlobe. As much as Miru wanted to deny him the pleasure, she found her muscles weakening, her bones melting the more he teased and nibbled. Her arms instinctively went around his neck, and she squeaked when she felt him carry her upwards, his hands under her thighs to lift her up to sit on the railing, before it held her firmly against him around her waist. The lips trailed downwards to her neck, where Miru felt a shiver travel down her spine as he slowly paid attention to the sensitive skin there between her collarbones.

"Then what do you call this, my precious?" he huskily whispered, when Miru had whimpered against his ministrations. When she opened her eyes to meet his, she saw flames making his golden eyes look molten, as if he was holding back a great deal more. For once, Miru found herself wordless, not a clue of how to answer him. "I like you, if you have to hear it. I like you a whole lot more then what's safe. And I'm... terrified that I won't have you with me. Misaki-chan was an enigma, but you... you're home, and I'm begging you to let me come back home."

Something within Miru finally gave in, and she bit her lip, tightening her hold around his neck to drag his lips back to hers, kissing him as if he was air and she wouldn't survive without him.

"What makes you think that I wouldn't have you?" Miru asked, a sad smile on her lips. Because if you knew where I was from, and what secret is hidden in the Hanazawa mansion, maybe you'll be the one that won't want to have anything to do with me.

"Because you're perfect." Miru scoffed, about to rebuff that statement, but Tora pressed his finger against her lip, shushing her as he continued. "You're kind, caring, and a surprise at every turn I take. You're what I need to remain human in this world of money, faux friendships and cheats and lies. You keep me sane, Miru-chan. Please let me stay."

Staring at him as he spoke in earnest, his fingers cradling her cheek, thumb caressing her skin, Miru choked a sob, watching him earnestly press a kiss to her forehead and then her eyes. "I'll stay if you'll stay too, Tora."

He chuckled, but the relief was palpable radiating from him, as he collected her back in his arms, and pressed a deep, searing kiss on her lips. "I'll never leave, sweetheart, never."


They had ended the party late last night, and had only gotten home and into bed around three in the morning. So when her door crashed open and some body jumped on her bed early the next morning, Miru groaned and rolled over, grumbling. The body was insistent however, until she finally cracked her sleep-crusted eyes open to find the worried face of her elder sister, so similar to hers except for the blue eyes.

"What do you want, Riyo?" she asked in a grumble. She had never been much of a morning person, more so if she was rudely awakened from her sleep. Riyo knew that, but it seemed that she did not care for today, as she tossed the paper with the front page folded up at Miru, who blearily picked it up and stared at it, trying to make sense of the swimming words through her sleepy gaze.

"Wha-"

"Papa wants to see you. What have you done, Miru-chan?"

And that was when the words finally made sense to her, in bold, large black printed letters across the Tokyo Shimbun.

Headlines: Igarashi heir seen with Hanazawa mysterious daughter. Sparks of love starting at the SME Tokyo Charity Ball?