Okay... either second or longest chapter now so far... wow...

Well... this chapter is MORE than just meeting Kasanoda, as Kazumi's condition seems to be a little worse than thought.

Haha, I know the NEXT chapter though is one of the most dramatic, considering it's a confrontation between Kazumi and Mori's father, who doesn't approve of her and her relationship with his son at ALL. Bad news for her, huh?

Thanks to ~MrsPattinsonDiggoryCullen for her awesome review for the last chapter, as well as her offer for assistance. I hope I improved from the last chapter. I read it over before posting it.

Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and PLEASE REVIEW!

Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club (c) Bisco Hatori
Claimer: everything else (c) me

Chapter Ten: Meet Ritsu Kasanoda

"It's nice to meet you, Kasanoda," she said, smiling warmly.

He blushed. "I-uh-I-It nice to meet you too," he stammered, "D-Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," she stated, and the redhead sat down next to her, his eyes averted to the grass as if he suddenly found it interesting.

W-Wow, t-this girl is a third-year student? S-She looks like she's older? What happened to her? Why does she have all sorts of bandages and bruises? D-Did she get into a f-fight or something? He wondered. "S-So," he began, "Do you know Takashi Morinozuka-senpai and Mitsukuni Haninozuka-senpai?"

She nodded. "I know everyone in the host club," she responded, "But I'm most close to Mori."

"Y-You also know Haruhi Fujioka then?" he inquired. I wonder whether she knows Fujioka's secret.

"Yes," Kazumi answered, "and I know a little about you too, Kasanoda. Mori told me that you wanted to be his apprentice. I think that's pretty cool."

The first-year blushed deeper. "Y-You think so?"

She grinned. "Yeah, Mori's a pretty cool guy. We all could learn a lot from him. His kindness knows practically no bounds, well, except for his enemies, which I daresay, there aren't a lot of," she elaborated.

"H-How close are you two?" he implored, feeling a little worried for some reason.

She looked up at the blue sky, observing passing birds. "Well… I guess we're know each other so well that you could say that we were brother and sister almost," she started, "However, his female fans seem to think otherwise, which I daresay, I agree. We seem a little close, as in… very close."

Kasanoda sighed in relief, though he hadn't figured out why yet. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to you? Why are you covered in bandages and bruises?" he pried.

"You could say that I got into a fight," she responded, "there were these guys that I ran into last night, and well… they attacked me. I managed to defend myself well enough until I could retaliate. I got away okay and well… I guess I'm fine, aside from a few fainting spells. So, why are you still hanging around here, Kasanoda?"

"Oh, yeah, uh, I was planning on heading over to the host club," he admitted.

"Um… are you planning on becoming a host or something?" Kazumi implored curiously.

"Nah, I'm going to go see Fujioka," Kasanoda said, looking away.

She blinked chocolate eyes. "Eh… isn't it kinda odd that a guy is going to the host club to request a guy?" she queried, pretending that Haruhi was still a guy.

"Well… I-I guess I'll just talk to him afterward they close," he said, cheeks red.

"Ah! No! No!" she exclaimed, a little frantic, "That's not what I meant! I-It's okay to request Haruhi! I-I mean, it's normal for male bonding, right?"

He laughed shakily, "It's no problem, senpai. If you don't mind, I'd just like to wait here and talk to you."

She smiled. "I don't mind at all. I myself was planning on going to see the host club after they've closed," she said.

"So, senpai, how come I haven't seen you around here until just a couple of days ago?" Kasanoda questioned.

"I've been in a coma for a year," she answered, sadness entering her voice, "About a year and a week ago, I nearly gave up my life to save Takashi's. A few days after the doctors managed to stabilize me, I had already fallen into a deep coma, with little chance of waking up. Fortunately, though I was rendered unable to move and whatnot, somewhere in my mind, I could still hear whoever was in the room, whether they were talking to me or not. And then just a few days ago, I woke from my year-long sleep."

He blinked. "W-Wow…" he breathed, nearly speechless, "B-But why did you need to save Morinozuka-senpai's life? Was someone after him?"

She nodded. "A couple of guys wanted to get back at him for saving me just about 2 and a half months prior to the incident. I'm not sure why they thought killing him was the best revenge. Anyway, I figured something was up, and ran to the designated location nearly last minute, as I wasn't told Mori was to go there until the near last moment. I pushed him out of the way as this strange huge titanium alloy box rose from the ground and trapped me instead of him. A thick sheet of glass was on the side I was facing, and sheets of pure titanium alloy surrounded my other sides. Moments later, I found myself inhaling some weird gas, and I could no longer breathe. I felt something else pierce into me as well, which I found to be a bullet shot from an automatic silencer somehow built into the machine box."

Kasanoda found himself to be trapped within her sad story, listening silently with his gaze securely fixed on her.

"Mori tried to break through the glass, but to no avail. I tried a few times on my side, but I was losing strength quickly. Very soon, I collapsed and lost consciousness, even though I tried my hardest. Then, I began to hear voices soon after I had fallen into my coma," Kazumi finished, "I had been patiently waiting until I could regain control of my body and awaken from my coma, and after a full year, the waiting had paid off. So here I am, just a few days later, and let me tell you, it hasn't been easy readjusting."

Unbeknownst to him, tears streamed from Kasanoda's eyes and down his cheeks. Kazumi looked at him, a somewhat confused expression on her face. "Why are you crying?" she asked, and he was suddenly aware that the salty drops of water were staining his face and quickly wiped them away.

"I-It's just… such a sad story," he said, stammering slightly as if to find the right words so he wouldn't offend her.

She smiled. "Don't worry about it. Thank you, though, for crying on my account. It's nice to know that you care," she offered, "especially knowing that we really just met."

His blush deepened. "Um… y-you're welcome?" He made it sound more like a question than a reply, though it was completely unintentional.

Kazumi chuckled gently. "You're a good person, Ritsu Kasanoda, and I can see that. I think we'll get along quite nicely," she somewhat complimented.

He blinked, his blush darkening even more. "U-Uh…yeah…" he trailed off, averting his crimson gaze.

"So… what's your story?" she asked, "How did you meet the members of the host club?"

He flushed in embarrassment as he remembered how they had forced him to dress oddly for the sake of looking 'not-so-scary' with a 'lovely item' and all that. "Um…well… I was jealous and envied how someone as scary-looking as Morinozuka-senpai could have so many friends and be so respected," he explained.

She burst into laughter. "Mori isn't that scary-looking," she corrected, "only except when he's angry, which, I daresay, isn't too often."

"Huh…" the redhead pondered.

Both turned towards the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. A light-brown haired guy ran up to them. He had an umbrella in his hand.

"Tetsuya, what are you doing here?" Kasanoda inquired.

"I heard it might rain later today, so I brought it for you," he retorted, handing his master the umbrella. He spotted the girl beside him and bowed. "Hello, I'm Tetsuya Sendo, a servant to the young lord here."

Kasanoda seemed slightly disappointed. "Aw, come on Tetsuya, you and the guys are like, my best buds."

Kazumi giggled in amusement. "I'm Kazumi Shirozaki, a third-year here at Ouran Academy," she greeted, offering him her hand, "it's nice to meet you."

Tetsuya accepted the hand and shook it warmly, a little surprised by the bandages and bruises all over her body. Hmm… I wonder if the master likes her. He thought, his face is unnaturally red. Well, she's quite the charming young woman, so I wouldn't blame him if he did have a crush on her. Hmm… I wonder if he has a chance.

"So… what happened to you?" he asked curiously and as casually as he could.

"Ah… in the shortest of terms, I got into a fight," she summarized, "Nothing to worry about now though." Then she yawned, "I think I'll just take a quick nap." She laid back down on the grass and closed her eyes, exhaling deeply as her muscles loosened and relaxed.

Tetsuya looked at Kasanoda. "C-Can I talk to you for a moment?" he inquired.

"Sure," he replied, putting a hand gently on Kazumi's arm, "I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?"

"Mmhmm," she mumbled, "Take your time."

Then the two guys went quite a distance away but still within view of the third-year female's resting body.

"What's up?" Kasanoda asked casually.

Tetsuya decided to play it cool. "Is there a reason why your face is so red?" he asked, making his voice sound clueless.

He looked surprise. "HUH?! I-It is?!" he exclaimed, trying to cover up his face with his hands.

Tetsuya blinked. "Hmm, sir, do you think you may like Kazumi-chan?" he implored.

"I-I don't know," he stammered, "S-She's just so cute when she smiles, and she just, she's so kind-hearted. I-I just, argh! I don't know! I just met her and all though, so I don't know!"

"You like her," he stated, "well… I don't blame you. She's very cute, though I think she might be a little violent perhaps, but I'm not sure. That may be just me."

For 20 minutes, Kasanoda argued how he didn't think he was crushing on Kazumi as the young woman slept. Tetsuya continued to retort that there was no other reason why he would blush like that if he didn't.

"Hey, Tetsuya, I'll talk to you later okay, I think the host club will be closing soon," Kasanoda concluded, "Thanks for bring the umbrella."

The servant laughed. "Sure, no problem," he said, "I'll see you later."

The redhead walked back over to Kazumi and kneeled next to her, shaking her gently. "Hey, senpai? Wake up, I think the host club is going to close soon, so we can head over there now."

But the third-year didn't respond nor awaken from his calls. Her body remained motionless and still.

"Hey, Shirozaki-senpai?" he inquired, a little worried now. He took her hand and felt her pulse, it was still there beating strong and steady, but her skin was rather cold. He held his hand over her face to check her breathing. "Senpai?" he asked, his expression just as worried. Her breathing hadn't changed. It was like… she had fallen into a deep sleep or something.

Concerned and becoming a little panicky, he ran inside to the host club, where the last customer had just left. He burst in through the double doors, making all eyes fall on him, and he exclaimed breathlessly, "K-K-Kazumi-senpai isn't-isn't waking up!"

"Where is she?!" Mori demanded, his voice threatening enough to scare Kasanoda.

"O-Outside," he stammered, "Under the tree." What the hell was she talking about? He's got a scary face and voice, he thought.

Immediately, he disappeared out the door and the rest of the club (and Kasanoda) followed. Mori ran over to the seemingly-sleeping third-year, kneeling down to her and pulling her into his arms. "Kazumi, Kazumi, Kazumi!" he shouted, shaking her, "Wake up!"

Her head rolled limply on his arm, her body motionless. He clutched her tightly against him, trying to figure out what was wrong. Then he noticed that her skin was cold, and immediately pulled off his uniform coat, putting it over her shoulders and rubbing her arms furiously. "Come on, Kazumi, warm up, warm up," he muttered.

"I-Is she okay?" Tamaki inquired as Kyoya called for a doctor through his cell.

Hurriedly, Honey ran back to the club room as Mori didn't reply, continuing to warm Kazumi's body up. Hikaru and Kaoru ran after the boy-Lolita host. "Come on, Kazumi, come on," Mori begged.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up into a now-hazy grey sky, before noticing the eyes of her boyfriend. "Mori?" she whispered, "What are you doing here? Wait… where am I?"

Kasanoda sighed in relief. "Thank goodness you're okay. You weren't responding nor moving, so I got the host club."

"It was good of you to come get us, Kasanoda," Haruhi said.

Suddenly, Honey, Hikaru and Kaoru came running back with several blankets, quickly tossing them to Mori, who wrapped them around her still-cold body.

`Kazumi, are you okay?" the kendo national champion demanded from her, staring her deep in the eyes.

"Y-Yeah," she responded, a little taken aback by his question and the worry set in his dark eyes, "Why do you ask?"

"You wouldn't wake up when I tried to wake you so we could head over to the host club," Kasanoda explained, "So I ran to get the host club."

"Oh…" she trailed off, sitting up with a hand on her forehead. She rubbed her bare arms and bandages and asked, "why do I feel so cold?"

Mori wrapped the thick blankets around her and pulled her taut against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. "I was so worried," he mumbled into her ear, his arms tightening around her.

"Oh, Bossanova?" Hikaru began, getting his name wrong…again, "Kazumi-senpai also knows about Haruhi's secret."

"So you don't need to worry about that," Kaoru continued.

Kazumi winced gently in Mori's rock-hard grip. "M-Mori," she winced, her breaths sharp, "y-you're hurting me. I-I c-can't b-breathe."

He loosened his hold on her, and whispered, "Sorry."

Kasanoda leaned towards Kaoru and Hikaru. "What is their relationship?" he asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"They're very close, as in, very, very close," Hikaru said.

"Why, Bossanova? Are you jealous?" Kaoru teased.

He blushed. "No!" he hissed, just low enough that Mori and Kazumi couldn't hear.

"So," Kyoya said with an interested tone, "you have a crush on Kazumi-senpai, huh?" Blackmail… he thought darkly with glee.

His blush deepened as Kazumi said, "I'm sorry. I guess I must have passed out while I was resting. And its getting a little chilly out here. I think Tetsuya was right, it's going to rain. I'm not too sure how I got so cold so soon, so maybe I might be catching a cold or something."

"Come on, let's take you to the club room," Mori announced, sweeping her up into his arms. Her arms were loosely wrapped around her neck, her head leaning against his shoulder.

"Yeah!" Honey exclaimed cheerfully, "We'll get you some tea to warm you up!"

Haruhi turned to her redhead friend. "You also wanted to see us today, didn't you?" she asked.

Tamaki turned to look at Kyoya. "I do believe that we still have that cold medicine in the first aid kit in the prep room," he half-asked, "it hasn't expired, has it?"

"No, I don't believe it has," the vice-president answered.

"I-I think my body weakens when I'm really cold," Kazumi whispered, her eyes fluttering, "I-I-I-f-feel-" Her body dropped limp in his arms, her arms falling from around his neck.

"No!" Mori hissed, pressing her tighter against him, "We've got to get her inside now!"

"Let's hurry!" Kaoru exclaimed, and they all ran back towards the club room.

The tallest host club member set her down onto the couch, letting her head settle on the pillow. He kneeled down next to her side, taking her cold hand in his.

They heard a knock at the door and Kyoya announced, "The doctor's here." Then he shouted towards the door, "Come in."

The door opened and the same doctor that tended to Kazumi the night before walked in, his familiar green eyes searching for the patient, his medical kit in hand. "Ah, you called, sir?" he asked.

"Dr. Kenji Hitsumori, it's good to see you again," Kyoya retorted.

"I take it you two have met recently?" Tamaki guessed.

"Yes, that's correct," the shadow king agreed, "Dr. Hitsumori tended to Kazumi-senpai's wounds last night when she was injured." He turned to the doctor. "I'm afraid your patient is the same. She's on the couch."

He grimaced, "What happened?" he demanded, rushing over to his patient's side. He snatched her hand from Mori's and quickly checked her pulse, followed by him checking her breathing and her temperature.

"Her name is Kazumi Shirozaki," Honey told, "She's been in a coma for a year, and just came out of the hospital 2 days ago. Last night she was-"

"Attacked by a group of men, yes I know," Dr. Hitsumori finished, opening his medical kit and taking out a syringe and a vial of a clear liquid, "I tended to her last night after Mr. Ootori called."

Kazumi's eyes fluttered half-open. "W-Where am I?" she rasped.

"You're in the club room," Hikaru said quietly.

"Are you okay, senpai?" Kaoru inquired worriedly.

Kenji forced a brief smile. "It's good to see you're awake, Kazumi-chan," he said, "How are you feeling right now?"

"I-Incredibly tired," she sighed, "I-I just… wanna sleep or something." Her eyes began to slip shut.

"It's best you not," the doctor instructed, and she forced her eyes to stay open, "Your heartbeat is slowing. I'm afraid that is the reason why you feel tired. Not to scare you and the rest of your friends, but your heart looks like it's about to give out."

Mori tensed, afraid he was about to lose her.

"I-Isn't there anything you can do?" Tamaki asked, his voice somewhat desperate.

The doctor rolled up her sleeve and disinfected a spot on her arm before filling up the syringe. "Yep," he said, injecting it into her. Then he looked at Mori. "Can you help me hold her down? She'll react to the adrenaline any moment now." He held down her legs and Mori held down her shoulders.

Suddenly her body bucked, her limbs shaking violently before she fell motionless.

Dr. Hitsumori checked her pulse once more and smiled. "Good. Now, just give her three more shots of adrenaline. One before dinner, one in the morning, and one in the early evening or late afternoon," he instructed the club, taking out three one-use syringes wrapped inside a tight packaging, and three small vials. He set them on the table. "So, just those three more shots and she'll be right as rain in two days time. Just make sure you don't give her all of it at once, or else it will kill her."

Kazumi's eyes opened, and she slowly sat up. "Ugh…" she groaned, "I feel a little dizzy."

The doctor laughed, "That's probably because of the feel of the anaesthetic that's in with this vial of adrenaline. Don't worry though, the other vials of adrenaline won't make you feel like this."

Mori sat next to her and pulled her against him, his purple uniform jacket already slipped back on. "Thank you, Doctor," he thanked gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks, Dr. Hitsumori," Kazumi chimed quietly.

He grinned. "It's no problem, Miss Shirozaki. How are your other injuries feeling?"

"Better since you bandaged them," she responded, "thanks again."

"As I said before, it's no problem," he said again, handing her his card, "give me a call if there's any other concerns."

She chuckled. "Yeah, it will save Kyoya the trouble of calling you," she agreed, her skin warming up to her normal temperature.

The doctor closed his medical kit, bowed to the couple, then proceeded to walk towards Kyoya. "Sir, she'll be better in two days."

"Thank you, Kenji," the youngest Ootori said, nodding his head as the doctor left.

"I'm glad you're okay, Kazumi-senpai," Kasanoda informed.

She smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad I'm okay too," she retorted.

Mori kissed her on the forehead. "I was so worried," he whispered, just low enough so that only she could hear, "I love you."

She closed her eyes, leaning closer against him. "I love you too," she mumbled, her body barely shaking from the trauma, "I'm not the luckiest person in the world, am I…"

He chuckled gently, a low rumble in his throat. "No, you're not. When it comes to getting into trouble and getting hurt, you're very lucky. However, that is not a good thing. I'm constantly worried about you. But I know I'm lucky, because I have you in my life," he elaborated, "I don't want you to get hurt, so don't ever leave my sight again."

"Mori-senpai, it's best if you take Kazumi-senpai home now," Hikaru suggested.

"She looks tired," Kaoru added, "Or at least, somewhat tired."

"Well… the car will be coming around soon to pick us up, therefore, there's not much we can do until then," he replied as Honey brought over a cup of tea and saucer, handing it to Kazumi.

"Here you go, Kazu-chan!" he exclaimed.

She accepted it, inhaling its warm and comforting aroma. "Thanks Mitsukuni," she thanked quietly, slowly sipping at the tea.

Mori wrapped an arm carefully around her waist, very conscious about not spilling the tea. He kissed her on the cheek gently, causing a pang of jealousy in Kasanoda.

"Can you keep another secret, Bossanova?" Tamaki implored.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he responded.

"Well… Kasanoda's kept my secret so far," Haruhi said.

"For over a year now," Kaoru and Hikaru began.

Honey smiled, hugging his plush bunny tightly. "Kazu-chan and Takashi have been secretly dating. They love each other very much."

Kasanoda felt a hard sinking feeling in his chest at that comment.

Mori suddenly noticed that his hand felt a little damp, and when he looked at it, it was covered in blood. Then he peered carefully from behind the blanket around her and noticed that Kazumi's side was bleeding, and that the side of her white shirt was soaked in blood. "Kazumi!" he exclaimed, "You're bleeding!"

"Huh?" she inquired, calmly setting down her teacup before sliding off the blanket, wincing as she felt a spark of pain in her side before spotting the rose of blood continuing to bloom on her shirt, "Oh, I am. Last night's wound must have reopened again, I guess."

"Are you alright?!" Haruhi demanded.

She sighed, looking up at the first year. "I'm fine, Haruhi, don't worry about me."

"But you're hurt," Hikaru said.

"Calm down guys, stop worrying. It's only a reopened wound. I'm not gonna die or anything," she tried to reassure.

Kyoya sighed, leaving the room only to return with a medical kit of his own. "This is one of my family's medical kits. You may find some items that may prove useful," he explained, handing it to Mori.

The older student immediately opened it, taking out some bandages as well as some wads of cloth and disinfectant. He kneeled down next to Kazumi's injured side, and slightly pulled up her blouse, revealing the bloodied and reddened bandages. Very cautiously, he removed the bandages and set them aside, while dabbing at the wound with the disinfecting alcohol.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, her face twisting in pain. Slowly, she laid down on her good side, her wound clearly exposed now to Mori.

"Senpai!" Kasanoda exclaimed, his voice filled with worry.

"I-I'm okay," she breathed, "I was just taken by surprise, that's all. Alcohol stings on exposed flesh, remember?"

Takashi kneeled closer to her face, gently allowing his lips to rest on hers before looking deeply into her eyes. "Kazumi, I'm sorry, but this may hurt a little," he warned.

"I know," she told him, giving him a small smile before allowing her eyes to close.

The dark-haired 18-year-old sadly tended to her wound as the others silently watched, and as Mori applied on the new bandages, he fixed up her blouse, covering over the bandages and setting aside the medical kit. He touched her cheek gently, and she opened her eyes, giving him a tired smile.

"Okay, I'm taking you home right now," he announced, turning her onto her back before picking her up in his arms.

"I agree," Tamaki sighed, "Kazumi-senpai has been through a lot of pain today, and deserves a lot of rest."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Morinozuka-senpai, Shirozaki-senpai," Kasanoda said, as Mori briefly grabbed both their schoolbags and the medication and began to leave.

"See you guys tomorrow," he stated bluntly.

"Bye… you… guys…" Kazumi whispered, her eyes closing.

"Take good care of her Takashi," Honey ordered.

His cousin nodded. "Don't worry, I will, Mitsukuni," he assured, carrying his girlfriend out. Outside it has already began to rain. As they exited the building, raindrops began to pelt them, drenching both them and their clothes. Mori leaned protectively over Kazumi, trying to shield her from the oncoming downpour of rain. Wet strands of hair clung onto his forehead as he stared down at her as they walked towards the entrance of the academy. As they approached the limo, the driver ran over to them, an umbrella already in hand and opened. He held it above their heads, preventing the rain from touching them further.

"Master Morinozuka, Lady Shirozaki," he greeted, bowing before they returned to the limo, Mori resting Kazumi against him as they sat together in the limo.

"M-Mori?" Kazumi whispered gently, her eyes barely open as her wet hair clung onto her. She weakly glanced up at him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him.

He looked down at her with dark worried eyes. "Kazumi, are you okay?" he queried quietly, taking her other hand and entwining his fingers with hers.

"Yes," she answered, "I'm afraid I'll be skipping dinner and heading straight off to bed, after I take the dose of adrenaline, of course."

He tilted her head up to look at him before gently kissing her, letting his lips linger on hers for a moment before pulling back and kissing her on the forehead. Then, he gently tilted her head so that it exposed her neck, and kissed her neck, his lips gently caressing her soft skin. She let out a soft moan in pleasure, and he wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He stopped when she tensed at a spark of pain in her side. The kendo champion pulled away from her, worried.

"Are you okay?" he inquired quietly.

"Yes," she replied, "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Very gently, he closed his eyes and kissed her again, allowing his lips to linger longer on hers. One of his hands rested on her cheek, while the other carefully wrapped around her waist. Her hand was on his arm, while the other was tangled in his short hair. She tensed once more as the limo hit a small bump, a small cry of pain erupting from her.

"Kazumi!" Mori hissed, "Are you hurt?"

She leaned back against the seat, sighing, "Maybe we should save this until we get home, or until I get a little better."

He pulled her against him so her head rested against his shoulder. "I love you so much," he whispered as she exhaled deeply.

"I love you too, Takashi," she breathed as they arrived.

They were escorted back into the mansion, where Kazumi left to go take a shower and change while Mori himself went to go get washed and changed before beginning to start on his homework in their room before dinner. When Kazumi got out, she was wearing a female yukata, her hair neatly dried and down as he was wearing a male yukata himself.

"Hey," she greeted tiredly, walking over to him with the syringe and vial, "Do you mind helping me with the injection?"

"Hey," he answered, "Not at all." He took the syringe and filled it up with adrenaline from the vial.

Kazumi pulled up her sleeve to her shoulder, and he injected it into her arm in the same spot where the doctor did it earlier. When he was done he disposed of the syringe and vial as she fixed her sleeve, covering over most of her bandages.

"Well… I'll probably get some sleep for a bit," she sighed, "then I'll see if I can come down during dinner. I haven't talked with your parents in a while...though… I don't believe your father likes me very much… More like at all…"

He stood up from his desk, taking her with him to the bed, tucking her in before kissing her briefly on the forehead. "You just need to focus on resting, don't worry about my parents. They'll understand," he replied, "My mother and brother really care for you, you know. My father… not so much…"

She smiled, closing her eyes. "I know…" she trailed off, easily easing to sleep.

A small smile graced Takashi's handsome face as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips before returning back to his desk and finishing his homework quietly.

PLEASE REVIEW! (then I'll post up the next dramatic chapter, in my opinion anyways. haha)