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Satomika's notes: without further ado…

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CHORUS II: SHATTERED DAWN'S ECLIPSE

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"Feelings and emotions change. It doesn't mean that if you don't feel something for each other anymore, the love is gone…

If love is only feelings, then, there's no such thing as lasting.

Love can sometimes turn numb or even be boring. You just have to be patient because love itself is life.

Not all the time you are in for all its happiness. Sometimes, you also have to give in to its bitterness. But no matter what, as long as you choose and decide to continue… it will be more beautiful."

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A candle-lit dinner under the moonlight in Paris, the famous Eiffel tower in the background… A band of men playing the violin, viola, and cello, creating beautiful and harmonious music that seemed to serenade someone… A man, strikingly handsome and familiar, looking like a god from Olympus, dressed in majestic white like a knight in shining armor… A lady, pale yet beautiful, her skin glowing under the Parisian moonlight…

"I admit that in my life, there were women before you; just as I am sure that in your life, there were men before me. But I know that you're the one for me.

"Like you, I'm also human; nothing with a life so short that we ought to enjoy every minute of it while it lasts. Because of what you said, it made me think of what I am doing with my life that I came to a sudden realization – to keep fighting for my happiness – and that is to love one person and be loved by that same person~ the same wish you wished during that night of the shooting stars, the same wish I wished when you had asked mine.

"You said that love is beautiful and I hope that you keep on believing that it is; for you were the one who taught me that despite unrequited love, we are able to see past that, move forward and love again.

"I know that there will always be a spot for him in you heart; and I won't deny that there will always be a special place in my heart for those women who I came to love before. But you should know that I'm willing to lay my life for you and I'm ready to give you my everything. But I'm also ready to fight and live for you - with you. If you would let me, from this day on and to the rest of the days of our lives, I want to be your only man just as I want you to be my only woman.

"You might also think that I'm only doing this out of convenience or full of pity~ but it's not… I'm not.

"I'm doing this because I have come to love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you while loving you. I want to make your dream come true of a marriage full of love and happy endings. Even if fate intervenes and cut our time short, I will always love you and cherish the moments we shared and will share in the future.

"I want to be the one to share your pain and grief; happiness and joy. I want to be the man whom you deserve and are looking for. I want to be the person who will make you smile and bring happiness to your eyes.

"I'm Hanazawa Rui – F4's Prince Charming, and considered by many a White Knight; you're Matsuoka Yuki – Tsukushi's best friend and considered by me a lucky charm.

"A knight like me would need a damsel like you to save you from loneliness, protect you from harm, and serve you with no fail. And like a prince, I will treat you with utmost respect; guarantee you my loyalty and love and adore you like a princess should be treated.

"There won't be a day… a minute… a second… that will pass without me thinking of you. I love you, Yuki. Will you marry me…?" As he dropped the question on her, he was also dropped on bended knees, a 110.3-carat Sun-Drop diamond was propped on a red velvet box on his hands offering it to her as his eyes searched for an answer; a sweet and specific "yes".

With tears flowing from her eyes, and lips quivering as she smiled, the lady, Yuki as she was called, nodded her head in affirmation, all the while mumbling her sweet yes.

She wrapped her arms tightly around the person who had just proposed to her and whispered something in his ear.

And this person, this man who had just bared his all for her to witness, held a small smile in his lips as he caressed her back gently to console her.

-SNIFF-SNIFF-

Soujiro suddenly snapped his head in realization as he directed his gaze momentarily at Tsukushi's direction, who, he was now noticing, was crying, and at the same time, choking herself in-between strangled hiccups; though a ghost of a smile can be definitely traced on her face. He then went back to look at the screen everyone in the room was so engrossed watching.

That's right.

He was watching what could have been the lamest, cheesiest, corniest proposal that he had ever experienced witnessing – except for the fact that he knows deep inside his heart that the proposal was just as perfect as any as he imagined himself replacing the man on the screen proposing to the same woman.

At first, despite the dim background and the distracting music, as he was realizing who the people in the screen were and what was supposed to occur, he was adamant against the idea of watching it. It felt like it was going to break his heart and crush it into a million unsalvageable pieces. But then his mind reasoned that all was just a ploy against him to make him realize what could have been another mistake in his life after Sara. That, or both Yuki and Rui were conspiring with each other to surprise the newlyweds, and the rest of the F4 – like they would be some kind of April fools… even if that was hard to believe… or well… whatever his mind can conjure up and fool him.

Although other than that, there was something at the back of his mind that kept nagging at him – that there was definitely something wrong with the picture and the whole scenario that made his soma senses make him stay and glued on his spot to witness the scene.

He kept on repeating in his head, like a mantra, that all of this was just a fluke – a huge ridiculous joke – that Yuki and Rui will come barging inside the room with silly faces and everything will feel alright again.

Except for the longest moment in his life, his latest thought never happened.

And as this sudden realization hit him like a boulder in his face, he felt his whole world shrinking on him, and his heart clenching painfully against his chest like an iron grip and metal chain links were around it. He also felt suffocated that he really had to gasp for his breath. And his stomach… Oh, his stomach! It didn't have those proverbial butterflies you get when you're feeling anxious about something. NO. What he felt in his stomach were a mixture of rodents and insects and whatever disgusting specie one could think of, playing football and somersaulting in his stomach that he could already feel the bile rising up his throat.

Out. He need an out, he had to get out of the room where every element in the world was trying to lock him up and threaten to destroy him, never to see the bright side again.

And that was just exactly what he did.

Just up and left.