Chapter 8

Author's Notes: Totally not mine. Hiroyuki Takei-sama's.


It could have stretched to minutes; neither had a clue how long they were holding each other's hands, but it was Chocolove's deliberate cough that interrupted their thoughts, causing the two of them to be shaken out of their reverie and back to reality. To Anna's dismay, the butterflies were still there, silently mocking her as they happily fluttered in her stomach.

Chocolove pulled Yoh away from her. 'Alright, sorry but I'll have to take him away for a moment to introduce him to everyone. Catch ya later, Anna!'

Anna waved goodbye at them as Yoh gave her a small grin and let himself be pulled away by Chocolove. The moment they disappeared from the excited crowd, she released the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Anna stood there for a few seconds in a daze, and the moment she turned to glance over the rest of the crowd, she found Jeanne watching her from a corner.

Anna was taken slightly aback when their eyes met, but she managed to give Jeanne an uneasy smile. The latter seemed to have snapped out of her own reverie and gave Anna a small smile and wave, then walked off into the crowd.


Pirika just left work when she inspected her phone and saw two messages – one from her mother and one from Anna. She read her mother's message first, hoping that they finally received the cash she sent over to Hokkaido.

'Your father is better now. Thank you for sending money over for his medication and hospitalization bills. Your brother is working at the fields and we are hoping to prepare everything before winter comes. We are very sorry for the trouble. Please keep yourself safe and healthy.'

Pirika leaned back against her locker and sighed in relief. She felt tears prickling on the edges of her eyes, but she forced herself to hold them back. She absent-mindedly touched the necklace that she received from the middle-aged businessman a few days ago, and she decided that it was time to let it go.

Pirika was supposed to meet him tonight for dinner; however, he cancelled on her at the last minute. Pirika knew that he had family matters to attend to, just like most of the men she has been with in the past.

Ironically, she preferred married men and did not get involved with single men, afraid to enter into a relationship that may turn too dependent and sour; after all, she found it relatively easier to break off cleanly with a man who already had a family. As much as she was disgusted by it, the arrangement worked better to her advantage.

Pirika has managed to keep her schedule less hectic over the past few weekends since she broke down in front of Anna. She has managed to keep her nightly activities to Friday nights, get some rest and manage to make time for school work over the weekends. Since she was working at a late-night joint, she was able to justify her salary, because it paid very well especially during odd hours. But what she earned after hours was what has sustained her and her family for the past few years.

No one needed to know. But she had to manage herself and her time properly if she wanted to make this arrangement work. Whoever said that leading a double life was easy, she mused to herself bitterly.

Pirika immediately said yes when she saw Anna's message, and immediately got dressed out of her work clothes to her casual clothes.

Had Pirika known the person whom she was going to meet in at the party, she would have simply declined and gone straight home. But Pirika didn't know better.


The Izakaya place was crowded that night.

By twelve, everyone was already half-drunk from the drinking games they played. Anna politely declined to participate and settled for a mild cocktail. She sat in the corner of the noisy Izakaya hoping to get rid of the noise when she was approached by the person she has been watching all night from the corner of her eyes.

Surprisingly, he still looked very sober despite the fact that he has been participating in the drinking games for almost three hours. He walked in with a tall and long-haired young man, who looked like he was about the same age, dressed in a white shirt and sleek black pants. Standing next to Yoh, it looked as if it was he instead of Yoh who performed at the concert.

'Mind if we join? They are getting way too high out there,' Yoh said with a chuckle as he gestured over at the rest of the performers and Club members laughing while having a beer drinking contest.

Anna was thoughtful for a moment. As much as she has tried to avoid being around him the whole night, she found herself being helpless when he finally approached her. 'I can't say I blame them. It looks like they've consumed almost all of the alcohol in this place,' she said with a small chuckle as she motioned for them to sit down.

'Anna, allow me to introduce my buddy, Tao Ren,' Yoh put an arm around Ren and gestured at Anna, 'And this is the composer of the song we played earlier, Kyoyama Anna.'

Ren held out his hand and said politely, 'A pleasure to meet you.'

Anna shook his hand gently. 'The pleasure's all mine. Thank you for watching us tonight…Mr Tao,' Anna added awkwardly.

Ren smiled – or smirked, rather - for the first time that night. 'Just call me Ren. And it was a real treat. Besides, it's the first time this guy played for a live audience here in Japan.'

Anna raised her eyebrows.

'Is that true, Yoh?'

Yoh smiled and gestured for the waiter to come over and ordered two beers and one more cocktail for Anna.

'Yes,' he said after the waiter left. 'My parents have not always been supportive of my musical interests, so I made sure that I took full advantage of it when I went to America.'

A pity, Anna thought. He had so much talent.

'Well, how about you Ren?' Anna asked, turning to Ren.

'I don't really have a talent for music or anything. I am basically a hopeless case when it comes to music,' Ren replied with a small shrug.

Yoh merely chuckled. 'That's okay, Ren. I think your talent lies more on the Business side.'

'Are you from the Business faculty, Ren?' Anna asked as she started feeling less awkward around the two of them.

'Yes, I am,' Ren replied sourly. 'Let's just say I am doomed to run the family business one day.'

Yoh laughed and leaned close to Anna.

'He has no choice. His family owns the Tao Hotel chain, and his sister decided to venture on her own. I'm sure you know the brand Chou Chou.'

Anna's eyes widened. Tao. Sister. Chou Chou.

Why didn't she notice it sooner? Anna's throat suddenly felt dry.

Ren nudged Yoh with his elbow.

'Hey, for the record, you shouldn't talk,' he said in mock irritation. 'You will share the same fate with me because your brother was smart enough in deciding to open his own business with my sister.'

Before anyone could say anything, the beers and her drink arrived.

Anna wanted to excuse herself to go to the toilet to catch her breath as she digested the fact that she just met the brothers of the two people she wished to never hear about again – in just one night.

How cruel can fate get. Just as she was learning to accept the fact that she will have to be around her ex-lover's brother who looked so much like the former, she also had to be around the brother of the woman that her ex-lover is now engaged with.

Anna was about to stand up, but her temporary escape got cut off by the voice of her best friend.

'Anna, there you are!'

The three of them turned their heads towards the direction of the newcomer, who walked towards them.

Anna noticed how Pirika visibly stiffened at the sight of the new people in front of them, but shook it off as Pirika walked slowly and took a seat next to Anna.

At that moment, Anna wished she could have at least pre-empted Pirika that the Hao Asakura look-a-like actually existed. And he was sitting there oppositePirika, in the flesh.

'This is my friend, Pirika,' Anna said, trying to break the ice, and then gestured to the other two, 'This is Ren, and this is Yoh.'

Yoh extended his arms first and introduced himself. Pirika shook his hands briefly.

When Ren reached out to shake her hand, Pirika gave him a quick handshake, and then immediately ordered a beer for herself.

'So…how was the concert? And where is Jeanne?' Pirika asked suddenly, with an obvious attempt to create conversation.

Anna could feel Pirika looking at her from the corner of her eyes.

'The concert was great. Everyone was phenomenal,' Anna replied gesturing over at Yoh who simply gave a shy smile. 'And speaking of Jeanne, I tried to call her but she wouldn't pick up. She said she had to go home after the concert because she was having a headache.'

'Jeanne…you mean the dancer?' Yoh piped in.

'Yes, she's our friend. She was brilliant wasn't she?' Anna said, as she sipped on her drink.

'I'd have to agree. Quite a sensational performer,' Yoh said with a small chuckle.

The table became unusually quiet for a moment. Anna caught Yoh's eyes on her, and when she looked down at her drink pretending to sip, she attempted to think of something else to say. She glanced over at Pirika who seemed to be pre-occupied with something else, and Ren who suddenly turned possibly more quiet than usual. Finally, she saw how Yoh looked equally desperate as she was to break the growing silence.

'So….what do you and Pirika do, Anna?' Yoh asked, making Anna inwardly sigh in relief.

'Well, I do Law, and Pirika does Architecture.'

'That is cool,' Yoh smiled.

Pirika's eyes turned to Anna and kicked her underneath the table. Anna, however, acted as if she did not feel anything and looked as calm as ever.

'How about you guys?' Anna enquired back.

'Ren and I are in our final semester. I do Law and he does Business.'

The waitress came and brought over Pirika's drink. The latter immediately took one full swig of the drink, while Anna watched with both brows raised. Ren and Yoh merely blinked in surprise.

'That sounds great. So are we. Right, Pirika?' Anna asked, trying to ignore the fact that her best friend was acting strangely.

Pirika nodded. She took another drink of her beer and gestured for the waitress to bring a new mug.

'Please excuse us for a second, I just need to catch some fresh air,' Anna said as politely as she could while she lightly tugged at Pirika. Anna turned to the two guys and said softly, 'We'll be back.'

The two of them made a beeline for the Ladies' room.

When Anna managed to lock the door, she immediately spun to face Pirika who was standing against the tiled walls.

'What is happening to you?'

But Pirika changed the subject.

'No, you are telling me what's going on. Why was that Hao Asakura doppelganger in there? I mean… what? He really freakin' exists!'

Anna opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. She found herself leaning back against the sink.

'It's a long story, Pirika. I'll explain when we're both more sober and calm, okay?'

Pirika didn't say anything.

'Okay…okay…soooo, who the heck is that guy with him?' Pirika asked as casually as possible.

Anna gave her a confused look.

'Ren is Yoh's friend. Why?'

'Nothing.'

Anna raised her brow. But before she could say anything, Pirika interrupted.

'Anna, do you know what can happen? They're in their final semester as well. This means that you and that Yoh guy will be in the same lectures, almost same classes.'

When Anna didn't say anything, Pirika continued impatiently, 'That means you and he are most likely going to hang out or see each other around. How do you expect to move on when someone who looks exactly like Hao will be around you most of the time? Do you know what I'm saying?'

Anna was slightly taken aback.

'Pirika, whatever happened to you telling me about facing the problem instead of running away from it?'

Pirika fell silent for a moment. Then she crossed her arms.

'I was wrong,' Pirika immediately replied. 'Anna, if you want to move on from Hao, you'll need to stay away from this guy. Trust me.'

'But….'

Pirika grabbed Anna's hands and shook her head. 'I've seen you hurt before Anna. If you intend to continue being around this guy, I just hope that you know what you're doing this time.' Anna stared at her best friend for a few seconds, before she spoke again.

'I can't promise you anything, Pirika. Yoh seems…different from Hao.'

Pirika looked at Anna disbelievingly.

'You can't be serious, Anna. How long have you known this person anyway?'

Anna was beginning to feel worried about Pirika's rising tone.

'Pirika, is this conversation still about me, because I am starting to get confused.'

Anna felt Pirika shudder slightly, and fell silent again.

After a few seconds, she whispered weakly, 'I think I'll be going ahead, Anna.'

'What? Why? You just got here.'

'I'm…not feeling well. It's been a long and tiring day.'

Before Anna could reply, Pirika opened the door and went back to their table to grab her bag and coat. Anna followed her to the table.

'Hey, sorry guys, but I'll have to go ahead. I am having a massive headache right now. I'll catch you both next time, okay?'

Yoh immediately stood up. 'Oh, then let us at least offer you a ride home.'

'Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. You can both take Anna home though.'

Anna looked at Pirika disbelievingly, and immediately took her bag and coat as well. 'It's fine I'll leave with Pirika. Thank you anyway.'

But Yoh and Ren stubbornly followed them out. Yoh, being the polite one, ran towards the drunk crowd and told them that they were going to take their leave.

Once they stepped out into the cool night air, Pirika and Anna found themselves shivering and covered themselves with their coats. Behind them, Ren and Yoh emerged from the door.

'We really insist. You can't both go and take a cab at this time of night. It's dangerous,' Yoh called out.

'My car is parked just right down the road. Just ride back with us,' Ren offered.

'We're both cool, guys. Please go back to the party and have fun,' Pirika waved at them as she continued walking, being followed in a rush by a half-irritated and half-confused Anna.

Pirika and Anna suddenly stopped on their tracks when they saw a group of drunk delinquents standing at the side of the road.

When they froze in their spots, Yoh immediately strode over to them and grabbed them back towards the Izakaya. He shook his head warningly.

Ren stood there coolly and dangled his keys in front of them. 'So…shall we?'


Anna and Pirika did not know how it happened, but next thing they knew, they were being driven back to their apartment.

Pirika had her head down the entire time while she fidgeted on her phone. Anna, on the other hand, felt relieved and simply grateful that Yoh and Ren were there.

As Ren turned a corner towards the main road, he said quietly, 'It's not a good idea to be walking around at night, especially for ladies. You never know what these assholes are capable of doing.'

Anna and Pirika shuddered. When they looked at Ren and gave him their full attention, Yoh looked at them through the front mirror.

'Ren and I went to America to study for a few years. One of our female friends almost got raped one night,' He said, then his voice dropped as he added, 'She was quite traumatized after that.'

Anna noticed Ren's grip on the steering wheel tighten as he drove through the expressway.

No one else spoke after that, until they turned towards the neighbourhood where Anna and Pirika lived.

'You both live around here? We stay just a couple of blocks away,' Yoh suddenly said cheerfully, melting the somber atmosphere.

Anna's heart seemed to have skipped a beat.

'Oh really? That's great.' Anna prayed hard that the excitement his revelation stirred in her was not apparent from her tone.

'Maybe we can all hang out sometime. I mean, we'll all be neighbours and all. And you and I will most likely be classmates, Anna.'

Anna found herself chuckling despite herself. Fate was indeed playing a cruel joke on her.

A few minutes later, she saw her apartment building coming into view, and she finally got shaken out of her reverie.

'Oh, you can pull over around here. Our apartment building is just up ahead,' Anna told Ren.

Ren slowed down slightly and pulled over in front of the café next to the apartment building. The road was a one-way lane and it was impossible to drive in without his car getting stuck in between the pavements.

'We're fine here,' Anna said as the car came to a stop.

She was surprised when Pirika finally spoke out. 'Thank you… And I'm sorry for ruining the mood earlier.'

Yoh gave a small smile. 'That's all cool. I bet you're tired too. Right, Ren?'

Ren turned slowly towards them, and nodded. 'Don't worry about it.'

Anna gave both Yoh and Ren a small smile as she opened the car door. 'We'll be off now. Good night, and thank you.'

'Good night.' Ren uttered, as Anna closed the door.

As Anna and Pirika waved slowly at them and turned to walk towards the apartment building, they heard the soft sound of the car window being wound down. They had to turn back when they heard Yoh's voice calling out, 'Hey, we'll hang out again, right?'

Anna and Pirika looked at each other without a word. Anna suddenly found herself caught in an internal dilemma. If she responded now, what she said or what she failed to say may be something she would regret eventually.

Suddenly, as if making a snap decision, Anna spun around and said, 'We'll see you both in school!'

When Anna saw Yoh's big smile as he and Ren started to drive off, she could not explain exactly why, but she felt as if she has just made one of the best decisions in the longest time. She hoped that her heartbeat was not too loud for Pirika to hear. And she hoped that she could at least stop smiling to herself as she tried desperately to not turn around and watch them drive off. If Pirika even noticed anything, she simply remained quiet as they finally made it back to their apartment.


As soon as they entered their living room, Pirika asked quietly, 'Are you sure about what you are getting yourself into, Anna?'

Anna sunk into the couch weakly as the weight of her decision dawned on her.

'What could possibly go wrong with making friends with him?' Anna asked defensively.

Pirika raised her brows and looked at her incredulously.

'You and I both know that you and that Hao Asakura doppelganger cannot be friends. Trust me on this.' Pirika knew she had proven her point when she saw Anna's brow slightly twitch upon mentioning Hao's name. 'You're going to set yourself up for another heartbreak.'

Those words hit a nerve, and Anna's eyebrow twitched slightly.

'Pirika I just met this guy,' Anna rolled her eyes in mild irritation. 'Can you please just drop it? What exactly could happen in one semester?'

Pirika shrugged, pointedly feigning ignorance, as if mocking Anna and saying, 'Well I don't know, you tell me.'

'Don't make me tell you 'I told you so.' Pirika added almost inaudibly as she turned her back on Anna. She opened her bedroom door and closed it shut before Anna could even manage a retort.


The boardroom was silent, except for the sounds of excited scribbling from Jun and the sound of the documents being pushed over to Hao's side.

Opacho stood opposite them, her eyes scanning the room surreptitiously, finally resting on the two individuals who were sitting calmly at the other end of the long table.

One was a towering man in his early thirties, with a very stern look on his face. He had very strong Middle Eastern features that complimented his aloof and businesslike demeanour.

Jun and Hao's new business partner, however, was a young lady in her early twenties. She was someone that Opacho only knew previously through the media, until one day, she and the man beside her showed up at the Asakura Towers and requested for a meeting with Hao, Jun and Opacho.

The young lady wore a crisp dark blue business suit and sipped her tea with a small smile on her face. Her lawyer stood next to her and whispered something to her ears, to which she nodded silently.

Hao gave the document one last long look and read, before he finally signed and pushed his personal seal into the sheet of paper.

The deal is finally sealed and done.

In Opacho's personal opinion, as much as she had her reservations regarding his boss's choice of a partner, the latter seemed to be the best choice among all of the rest of the potential partnerships they have had in years. And it was not every day that one came across such a golden opportunity.

Still, Opacho could not shake off that uncomfortable feeling. She had met the young lady twice and though the latter was too young for her age, to underestimate her knowledge about business was foolish. She knew her way around and carefully chose her words. How else would she win over a high-stake deal with people such as Hao and Jun if she did not possess and display the necessary quick wit, business knowledge and skills?

Hao closed the Agreement file and handed it to Opacho. Hao and Jun stood up, as well as their new business partner. Hao took a few strides across the room to shake the hands of the young lady who looked visibly smaller standing next to his and Jun's taller frames. But there was something about the way the young lady carried herself that spoke volumes. She was undoubtedly from a very reputable family in France, who had made their mark in the leather industry for the past five generations.

Opacho was well aware of their family business and how successful it was until her father passed away and left the business under her name when she was only sixteen. She had officially inherited and rebuilt the company at the tender age of twenty-one. She had also explained since the beginning of their meeting that she was currently in Japan to find new business partners in Asia, and that she was interested in having a partnership with Chou Chou. It was apparent from the first meeting that Hao and Jun immediately developed respect and admiration for the young lady.

'Your father was a great businessman. I am sure that he will be proud knowing that you have continued the family legacy.'

'It would be a pity to have the business end with him, wouldn't it?' She replied simply with a distant look in her eyes. 'He taught me the ropes from a very young age He has always brought me to meetings, to trips, and he has always told me about how the business was ran until it became second nature to me. But then, he never stopped me from doing what I really loved. I have him to thank for that. Furthermore, I am quite fortunate to have had excellent mentors over the years,' She smiled at Hao and Jun, as she gestured at her lawyer who stood next to her quietly.

'There is something I should have asked you since the beginning. Your family business had quite a reputation in Europe. You could have chosen other bigger and more established brands. Why did you choose to produce for Chou Chou?' Hao inquired genuinely.

The lady gave them a small and perhaps a slightly bittersweet smile.

'When my father passed away, the leadership was passed on to his subordinates. Little by little, everything started to fall part when everyone else left one by one and moved on. Europe has equally moved on, and the competition moved in for the kill,' She said in a quiet voice as she studied the red liquid in her glass swirl slowly. 'So when I finally had the opportunityto legally manage the company, I was fortunate enough to realize that some people who had faith in my father and what I was capable of doing were still around. That was when I decided to start anew – for my father, for them. And I would like to start with people I have faith in, and have faith in what I can do.'

'You flatter us,' Jun smiled.

But the young lady shook her head humbly.

'I believe that the one who should be flattered is me. Such esteemed and respected entrepreneurs such as yourselves have both given me the chance to start again and revive my father's legacy,' She said as she sipped on the bittersweet wine, savouring the taste.

Then she looked up at Jun and Hao and smiled confidently, 'On another note, we are all alike, Mr Asakura and Ms Tao. We all want to prove what we are capable of doing. Our egos are too big to be discouraged by the reality of the business world. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, but our drive to succeed far outweighs the fear of what is to come, isn't it?'

Jun smirked and raised her glass. 'I'll drink to that.'

'Welcome to the partnership,' Hao raised his glass as the three of them made a toast. 'Jeanne.'


Pirika was having another bad evening.

Her family needed money – again, in such a short time. She fought the urge to scream and smash mirror in front of her.

To make things worse, the smell of smoke was giving her a mild headache on top of the Tequila shots. But she needed both, even just to forget. She sat on a quiet and dark corner silently as she hoped that she would not bump into Ren tonight.

Now she understood what being 'at the wrong place, at the wrong time' meant, more than ever.

Pirika also felt terrible about what happened between her and Anna after the concert. They have not spoken yet because she rushed out for work the next day before Anna woke up for breakfast.

Pirika genuinely felt angry at herself for what she said to Anna, who was practically clueless about the reason for her strange behaviour. But Pirika knew that despite her own true intentions as to why she wanted Anna to avoid Yoh, the former was better off not being too close to the latter.

On the other hand, Pirika mostly feared the repercussions of Ren realizing that Pirika was the same person who bumped into him the last time. The same person who was having an affair with a married man, who was a good friend of the Tao family.

Being around Ren because of Anna getting closer to Yoh would be flirting with disaster, and Pirika did not want to take part of it. It would create a domino effect and open a proverbial can of worms that may potentially ruin her reputation and friendship with Anna.

Though Ren did not seem to show any signs of familiarity or recognition when they met, Pirika still needed to exercise due caution. The former looked like a no-nonsense person who will eventually realize who she was, especially if the four of them kept being around each other. Pirika needed prevention, not a cure.

Pirika's partner for the night had offered to take her on his yacht, but she refused in her sickly sweet way. In retrospect, Pirika wished that she should have just taken his offer. Now she was sitting at the bar of the same Hotel she swore she would never step into again.

When her partner, a Corporate lawyer, stood up to make urgent calls, she decided to order another Tequila and looked out the window, trying to calm her nerves down.

It wasn't until a few minutes later when she heard a familiar icy voice ask, 'May I join you?"

Pirika looked up amidst the haze of the cigarette smoke and alcoholic effects, and almost dropped her glass when she saw Ren Tao standing in front of her. If the room wasn't dimly lit, he would have immediately noticed how pale Pirika's face turned into.

Despite the nervous beating of her heart, she tried to sit up straight and tried to take control of the situation. She took a long drag from her cigarette and motioned for Ren to sit down.

'You seem to be having a great night. You're becoming quite a regular customer here,' Ren said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

'You may own this Hotel, but it's none of your business,' Pirika said. She was silently praying that her beanie hid her hair, and the amount of heavy makeup she put had managed to make her unrecognizable to a certain degree.

But Ren's reaction surprised her. He merely blinked twice without saying a word. He sighed slowly and took out a pack of cigarettes. He took out his own lighter, and Pirika watched in silence without breaking eye contact with him as he lit up his cigarette expertly.

Ren blew out a cloud of smoke. 'Liberating, isn't it?' He asked in a vague tone.

Pirika merely raised her eyebrows.

'The power of disguise,' Ren continued casually. He smirked slightly as Pirika began to lose her composure.

'I'm afraid I don't know what you mean,' Pirika managed to retort.

But Ren merely laughed. He leaned closer to Pirika and whispered, 'You and I both know that you know exactly what I mean.'

Then he leaned back and took a drag of his cigarette.

'Tell me, because I am interested to know straight from the horse's mouth. Why you do the things you do.'

Pirika wanted to slap him so badly, but she held back. This person, after all, kept her from getting sued for battery charges against that woman she had a catfight with last time.

'You do not know me. And I do not know you at all. So buzz off.'

Ren smirked and finally pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray as slowly as he could. Before he walked off, however, he leaned so dangerously close to her that she could smell his expensive musky perfume. He whispered, 'You know me. And I know you.'

Before Pirika could utter a retort, he whispered quietly, 'I guess I'll see you in school' and disappeared into the crowd.

The oxygen seemed to have left Pirika's body as she tried to breathe normally. She knew that she had made the right decision when she did not respond or react to his words. He was obviously taunting and setting up a trap on her, trying his luck in getting her to reveal who she is. Pirika was thankful that she was smart enough to not let herself fall into his trap.

'Try harder, asshole,' she uttered quietly. Pirika silently mused at the stark contrast of the Ren Tao she met at the Izakaya, and the Ren Tao she has been bumping into around the Hotel. Even if he had a feeling that the person he met at the Izakaya and at his family's Hotel was one and the same, the guy sure knew how to hide it. But Pirika resented this Ren Tao that she had recently encountered. Just like her, it was as if he turned into a completely different person when he is at the Hotel, or maybe only when he was around her disguised personality.

Ren Tao seemed to have developed an unexplainable hate for her that he clearly showed with his verbal jabs at her. She wondered what he was capable of doing to her if he found out that she was indeed Pirika.

Pirika immediately threw her finished cigarette but into the ashtray and cursed. Without thinking, she grabbed her purse and stormed out of the bar. Her partner for the night was completely forgotten.


Anna stepped out into the autumn morning and basked under the little sunshine that the day could offer. She munched silently on her riceball as she studied her timetable.

Her first lecture will be in forty-five minutes, and she was ahead of time. She decided to drop by the Club room before she went for class. She walked straight to school, trying to get her thoughts off the fact that she and Pirika have not been speaking or seen each other at all over the weekend.

Anna knew that Pirika still came home but her best friend seemed to be intentionally avoiding her. Anna decided to let her do what she wanted until things cooled off because she herself wanted to scream at Pirika for being unexplainably unreasonable.

Anna pushed the negative thoughts away and looked forward to seeing everyone after their successful concert. They have managed to raise a few hundred thousand Yen, and Machiko could not be happier and more proud of everyone.

As she made her way to the Club Room, she noticed a few people outside the corridor whispering excitedly. As Anna walked closer, she heard a familiar voice and the soft music of a guitar being played. It was an English ballad song she heard last time on the radio, from an American band.

Anna found herself standing by the door in silence as she watched the performer playing it as everyone listened. It was Asakura Yoh. He slowly strummed and harmonized as Chocolove sang the lyrics.

As soon as the song was over, everyone broke into a loud applause. Chocolove gave him a high-five.

When the crowd dispersed to run for their classes, Anna finally entered the room.

'Great performance, as always,' She said with three slow claps.

'Thank you, Anna. Glad you liked it,' Yoh replied as he smiled warmly at her.

'Anna, I have good news for you,' Chocolove interrupted, and gestured at Yoh 'You are looking at the new member of our Club.'

Anna raised her brows in surprise.

'Don't tell me…'

Yoh smiled widely. 'Yes, I guess I am the new recruit.'

Anna reached out her hand to him. 'Great choice of a Club and hobby. Welcome.'

Yoh took her hand and shook it softly. 'It's an honour.'

Anna enjoyed the warmth of Yoh's hands wrapping her colder ones. But the moment ended briefly when a new voice interrupted. 'Yoh, there you are! You're late for class.'

Everyone turned to see a pretty girl with shoulder-length pink hair, wearing baggy pants and a tight black top. She looked meek and reserved, but there was something about the way she looked at Yoh that made Anna slightly uncomfortable.

'Oh, hey Tamao. Sorry, I'll be right there,' Yoh replied as he quickly jumped off the table and put the guitar back against the wall. Then he walked over to the corner table and slung his bag on his shoulders. He stopped briefly and gestured towards Anna and Chocolove. 'By the way, this is Anna, and this is Chocolove. Guys, this is Tamao.'

'Nice to meet ya,' Chocolove waved.

'Nice to meet you, Tamao,' Anna said politely.

Tamao bowed slightly in a very lady-like way. 'It is a pleasure meeting both of you.'

Yoh clapped his hands. 'Great, now we gotta run for class. See ya later, guys!'

Anna walked towards the door as her eyes secretly followed Yoh and Tamao who were now rushing through the corridor. She felt an unusual urge to slam the door when she saw Yoh put his arms around Tamao's shoulder and mess up her hair playfully, as he tried to pacify her irritating tantrums due to him forgetting the time.

At that very moment, Pirika's words echoed in her head.

'You're going to set yourself up for another heartbreak.'

It was going to happen again. Last time was Hao and Jun. Now it is going to be Yoh and Tamao.

Why did her luck, or the lack thereof, make her cross paths with the people she least needed to meet? Now that Jun's younger brother Ren is part of the equation, it is going to get more uncomfortable and perhaps even inappropriate.

Anna prayed for peace of mind. Instead, she has always been plagued by getting involved with people who made a mess of her life one way or another. Indeed, she did not need another heartbreak. She did not need another person to hurt her again. She decided that since she will be in an inevitable situation with regards to Yoh and probably Ren, she needed to take control of the circumstances as much as she could.

But something tugged at her curiosity when the guitar caught her eye. She walked towards it and touched the strings as delicately as she could, her mind drifting to Yoh's short performance a while ago.

'Hey Chocolove,' Anna asked tentatively.

'Yes?'

'The song he was singing, I've heard it before on the radio. Do you know what the song means?'

Anna could have sworn that she heard Chocolove chuckle though his face was hidden behind the instrument cabinet.

'Well, if you're that curious,' He began slowly, as if teasing her. He managed to pull out a pair of drumsticks and emerged with a playful smile on his face. He grabbed his backpack and tapped Anna's shoulder, 'It's about love at first sight.'

When Anna turned, she opened her mouth as if to say something, but decided to not say anything. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

'By the way, Anna, don't you have lecture in five minutes?' Chocolove laughed as he closed the door, leaving a flustered Anna to stuff her textbooks into her bag quickly and dash out the door for her first lecture of the day. She had her Law classes in the afternoon, and she was well aware that he was going to be attending the same lectures.

It was going to be a very long and cold day. But for the first time, she felt an unexplainablre warm feeling surge within her, from the erratic beating of her heart up to the smile that tugged slowly on her lips.


Author's Notes:

I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone's comments over the last few chapters. I do apologize for the long wait, and I hope that my readers are still here.

It's been a year since I began writing Blur, and it's been my favourite story to write so far that it's hard to abandon it.

It was a struggle to write this chapter because I had to mesh different scenes and characters together. I have been trying to get this plot together for the longest time, and this is what it turned out to be.

Enjoy, everyone! :) Please look forward to the upcoming chapters.

DisneyGirl01 - I am so sorry for not being able to update quickly. But I do enjoy reading your messages and they keep me going :)

complicatedmind21 - I do hope you enjoyed this longer chapter ;)

yehey - Ren and Jeanne will cross paths soon. Please wait for it. We will get there :) Once again, thank you for the support.

Stupiak Kitty - Thank you thank you for the love. I will definitely see this story through till the end, and I will make each chapter as exciting as I can. :)

Anna Haruno - Thank you for the kind words. I feel as if I've set up the story very slowly but thank you for making me feel that the approach was effective for the readers. Now that everything is up to speed, I hope that it doesn't disappoint people or miss out on some important elements. In any case, I look forward to your next review. :)

BlackFish29 - There are so many questions coming out, and they will be answered within the next few chapters. Thank you again for the support!

Geneu - Fate is such a playful thing. Sometimes I feel sorry for Anna and Pirika. :P

Jade Destiny - Can I say how much I love your review? I will do my best to develop the relationship between Yoh and Anna in a more realistic way, so please take each interaction with a pinch of salt. After all, given the situation, who would expect things to go smoothly between them? But I'll try to keep the angst to a minimum as much as I can. Also, high five for being a fan of this couple. I absolutely adore them and I am happy to know that there are many other Yoh/Anna fans like us.

Laudi14 - Thank you dear! I hope that the wait will be worth it for this chapter. :)

chashkieh - Hello there! Thank you for the kind review. I hope that this chapter does not disappoint.

Circa91 - Thank you so much! I do apologize for the long wait, but I hope that this chapter makes up for it. Enjoy dear!