Author's Note: I seem to be starting each update with an apology! I really am more sorry than I can say for this horrendously late update. Rest assure that I am trying my best to update as often as I can – I took close to 7 hours off to write this and I made sure that it was very long. Things have been hectic beyond expectations. I won't bore you with details. I am still writing and I will complete this story – don't think it will be longer than another 3 chapters though. Am trying to speed up the events. And a most heartfelt thank you to all my reviewers for your patience and for hanging on in spite of my irregular updates – you are my inspiration and the motivating force behind my resolution to complete this story.

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Rui: Hey stranger.

Sheen: Are you talking to me?

Rui: sarcastically Why no, what made you think that madam? I mean don't you know that most people habitually talk to themselves especially in the presence of other fellow human beings? That's the in thing now.

Sheen: Is it? … … Hang on is he talking to himself or me?

Rui: rolling his eyes and walking off Hopeless, completely hopeless.

Sheen: still pondering He refers to himself in the third person as a woman ???

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Recap of Last Chapter:

There was a meeting between Tsukasa, Shigeru and their parents regarding the announcement of their marriage to the world. To Tsukasa's shock, Shigeru did not seem to be overly enthusiastic to support his suggestion of sticking to the original idea of termination. This partly led to their parents refusing to budge. However, he calmed down somewhat when Shigeru explained her perspective, telling him that she had no expectations of him whatsoever and would be happy for the marriage to remain a fluke.

Tsukushi received the bad news that Susumu needed a transplant and fast. On the bright side, a donor was found. However, the expenses were far beyond her means. To make things worse, Tsukasa misunderstood the nature of her dancing career and she had to deal with his jealousy as well, leading to further misunderstandings between the two. The chapter ended with Tsukasa accidentally walking in on Soujirou and Akira and discovering their secret affair.

Chapter 13 – Surrender

Tskushi wrung her hands together nervously before wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt, as she followed the dirty youth to a corner booth in the smoky bar. After telling her gruffly to sit down and wait for the boss, he stalked off muttering rudely under his breath about troublesome wenches and unwanted additions to his workload. Tsukushi bit back the angry reply that rose immediately to her lips and looked around the disreputable, dingy-looking place. It was a far cry from "The Den" where she worked and the patrons also appeared to be a far rougher lot than the ones she was used to. The doubts and fears that had been constantly plaguing her returned with a vengeance. For the umpteenth time, she found herself contemplating the wisdom of her crazy plan.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, she reminded herself firmly, her steel resolve almost faltering when a small fight suddenly started in the far end of the room. Fortunately, the offenders were thrown out without causing much damage. Just as her pounding heart was starting to slow, a hand landed on her shoulder. With a yelp of fright, she leapt out of her chair and spun around, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the unseen assailant. Her eyes widened when they clashed with familiar brown ones.

"Tsukushi, what on earth are you doing here?" Rui could hardly believe his eyes when the familiar slight female figure huddled in the booth turned out indeed to be Tsukushi.

"Rui?" Her shock paralleled his. Glancing down, Rui noticed that her hands were shaking slightly and his eyes narrowed.

"We're getting you out of here." Before she had time to protest, Tsukushi found herself half-running to keep up with Rui's long strides as he dragged her out of the pub, ignoring the indignant youth's curses as he tried to stop them. He was not exactly gentle as he bundled her into his car and quickly sped off.

"What the … …?" Tsukushi blinked dazedly as her half-paralysed mind finally caught up with the sudden turn of events. "Rui?" She turned to stare at the silent man who was sitting on her right. Her only reply was a muscle twitching in his cheek and his knuckles turning white as his hands tightened over the steering wheel.

"Okay, okay," she hurriedly murmured as she backed off. She knew when not to push someone and it was obvious that Rui was not exactly in a conversational mood at the moment. Sneaking a peek him from the corner of her eye, her throat felt suddenly dry and she swallowed nervously. Darn, did he have to look so hot when he was angry?

Realising the direction of her thoughts, Tsukushi became rather flustered and immediately corrected herself, "no, not hot. I didn't mean hot. Fierce, that's right, fierce … stern … unyielding … forceful … masterful … …"

Tsukushi sighed and gave it up as a bad job. She was startled out of her reverie when her door was opened with a terse "get out", not realising that the car had stopped moving. She stepped out hurriedly and found herself in a small park. Rui was leaning against the side of the car, his long fingers swiftly lighting a cigarette that was dangling from his mouth. His brows were furrowed as he took a quick drag before turning to face her.

"What exactly were you doing there, Tsukushi?" He asked in an even tone.

"Oh darn, I completely forgot about my meeting!" She started knocking her forehead against the nearest tree in genuine distress. "How could I forgot something so important? And Susumu … …"

"Stop it, Tsukushi," Rui dropped his cigarette and caught hold of both her arms. "What meeting? You're not making sense."

"I was going to take out a loan … …" Her explanation was cut short by an explosive expletive from Rui that made her stare at him incredulously. And this was Rui whose manners had always been impeccable … …

"Do you even know what you are doing, Tsukushi?" He ignored the startled eyes that were fixed upon his face and continued heatedly, "that guy you were about to see is a loan shark who reports to the head of the largest mob in Japan – the Shingoku." Tsukushi paled.

"My … my friend's cousin told me that … that he knew someone who would be able to loan me the amount I would need for my brother's operation … …" She stuttered.

"Why are you such an idiot?" He raised his voice almost to a shout. "Do you know the exorbitantly high interest rates that they charge? Do you know what will happen to you if you aren't able to pay back the money? What if I wasn't there? Are you really so gullible or simply stupid … …" He abruptly stopped his tirade when he saw the hurt expression on her face, the quivering lip and the tears that were shimmering in those wide brown eyes. As he paused, the tears finally spilled over as her mouth trembled. Heaving a sigh, Rui pulled her unresisting form into his arms.

"God, Tsukushi, I never meant to make you cry … … Please don't cry … … Don't cry sweetheart … …" His arms tightened around the shaking girl protectively as she only cried harder.

" … … didn't have a choice … … Susumu … … operation … … need the money … can't get … banks … … " The meaning of her broken phrases were clear. Of course he only knew too well how the victims of loan sharks fell into their traps. He waited patiently until Tsukushi's sobs subsided. He tilted up her face with one hand and gently wiped away the remnants of the tears with a white handkerchief.

"How much do you need?" He asked quietly. However, Tsukushi immediately shook her head vehemently as she struggled out of his embrace.

"I don't want money from you or any of my friends, Rui." She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders as she faced him, "that was why I attempted to get a loan." The pride emanating from the frail figure made his throat tighten with an unfamiliar emotion as a lump came into his throat.

"Don't be stubborn, Tsukushi. Look, at least tell me how much. I have a few contacts." She frowned but quickly answered his question, hiding the distaste she felt when she thought about the potential nature of his sources. Rui's brows furrowed when the huge sum of money was mentioned.

"I'll try anyway, but please promise me that you won't go to a loan shark." His face darkened, "any other way would be preferable. Anyway at all." A bitter smile graced his lips. "You see the type of existence that I lead? It's definitely not by choice. This is the result of a bad business decision made by my father." His next statement shocked her to the core, "the mob owns me."

He paused as he lit another cigarette with a none-too-steady hand and inhaled deeply. For once, Tsukushi did not make any move to stop him as she stared wordlessly at him after hearing his unexpected confession. Rui's features were schooled into an emotionless mask and his voice was toneless as he finally revealed the truth that he had kept buried for the past decade.

"You know of the economic recession several years ago when many companies went bust," he stated as she nodded dumbly. "My father owned several large companies. However, his business had not been doing well and he had foolishly taken out a few loans from the loan sharks. His business finally failed along with several other businessmen and they all became bankrupt over night."

Rui took another puff and exhaled slowly as he gazed unseeingly into the distance, "he committed suicide. I was the one who found him collapsed over his papers in the study with half his head blown away. My mother had a nervous breakdown and had to be institutionalised. Then the loan sharks came knocking and I was the only person left to account for the debts of my father. My life was in their hands and they knew that only too well. I had to submit to their choice of career for me when they finally decided that I would generate most profit for them in this degrading manner. In the beginning, they threatened me with my mother's life. After her death a few years later, I was already numb and no longer suicidal."

Tsukushi's breath caught as Rui gave a short, bitter laugh, "human beings are extremely adaptable. One can get use to almost anything … … I have sold them my soul for almost a decade. I'm still paying off my father's debts until this very day. Thanks to my popularity," an ironical smile curled his lips, "I should be clear in another 5 years' time … …" He jerked in surprise when a pair of arms wound themselves tightly around his middle and a head burrowed into his back with a sound like a muffed sob.

"Tsukushi," there was a trace of wonder in his voice when he felt her body shaking as she clung to him desperately and wept. "Shush, please don't cry. Don't cry for me, darling, I'm not worth your tears," Rui muttered, his voice thick with emotion as he turned and gathered her into his arms. He cradled her face in gentle hands as he tried to stop the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. Tsukushi closed her eyes as his lips followed the path of his thumbs, bestowing butterfly kisses on her wet cheeks and eyelids. When her trembling finally stopped and her eyes opened, the emotion that Rui saw in their depths rocked his soul and his last defences crumbled.

"Tsukushi," he breathed as he tilted her face up towards his. He felt her shudder when his lips brushed against hers gently, and then returned for an encore. Soon she was responding shyly, sliding her arms around his neck. He gave an encouraging groan at her actions and drew her more tightly against his body as he deepened their kiss and coaxed her lips to part. She submitted so sweetly that he was lost.

The danger signs did not start flashing until his fingers came into contact with smooth, silky flesh. As his clouded mind cleared, Rui realised that his hand was splayed against Tsukushi's lower back, bringing her lower body into intimate contact with a certain hardened body part of his. Her blouse was hanging open and he was in the process of unfastening her bra. With a gasp, he broke away from their heady kisses and started to button up her blouse with unsteady hands. He kept his head lowered, ignoring the befuddled expression in Tsukushi's passion-glazed eyes and the temptation of her kiss-swollen lips.

"Rui … …" Tsukushi's embarrassment and distress was palpable as Rui's abrupt withdrawal brought her back from the sensual haze that had descended on them.

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I got carried away." Rui's apology was heavy with regret as he stepped away. "This should never have happened. Not with you. I promised myself, never with you." Tsukushi bent her head, trying to hide the tears that had sprung into her eyes.

Realising the reason for her distress, Rui said gently, "Tsukushi, I regret what happened only because you deserve better." His jaw clenched for an instance before he allowed his customary expressionless mask to fall in place, "also, you should save yourself in case you need it as a last resort." Tsukushi's head flew up and she started at him incredulously, the recent "incident" completely driven out of her head by his last comment.

He continued looking at her steadily, "I hope it never ever comes to that because I fear that it will destroy you. However, it is preferable to becoming a puppet under the control of the mob." His words and matter of fact manner sent a chill down her spine.

"Come, I'll send you home. Let's discuss possible alternatives along the way." Seeing that Rui had regained his usual cool façade, Tsukushi realised that their brief moment of closeness was over. Suppressing a sigh, she accepted his outstretched hand and got into his car.

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"Time is running out."

"I know, I know."

"The announcement will be made tomorrow. You really need to decide soon."

"I am fully aware of the timing of our parent's schemes. Sheesh, lay off woman! You're such a nag." Tsukasa slammed his fist on the mahogany tabletop in frustration as he clicked his handphone shut. Calming himself down, he tried running though his options again. Perhaps he should give in to his parents. It was not as if he had any real choice unless he and Shigeru really obtained a divorce on the sly. They had discussed the latter and concluded that it would only be used as their last attempt to dissolve the marriage should Tsukasa remain adamant and all else fail.

In spite of Tsukasa's reluctance to bow to their parents' wishes, he did understand their reasoning and he had to admit that he could do worse than be tied down to Shigeru. Although they did not have feelings for each other, Shigeru understood the latter and did not make unreasonable demands of him. On contrary, she was just as anxious as he was to lead separate lives. Moreover, they worked well together. Yet, the idea of being married left a bad taste in his mouth. Perhaps his reaction would be different if the bride was someone else … …

"Mr Domyouji? Mr Doumyouji? Are you alright?" The vision in front of his eyes did not fade away and instead seemed to be trying to talk to him. He blinked again. No, it was not his imagination as he had thought. Tsukushi was waving a contract and a pen under his noise with a somewhat irate expression on her face. He had been so lost in his dreams that he had not been aware of the instance when they had been replaced by reality.

With a grunt, Tsukasa snatched the items from her and hurried checked through the contract before signing it. He thrust the document back in her direction and dismissed her without a glance. A few moments later, the door was shut with a bit more force than necessary. Tsukuasa lifted his head at the sound and sighed heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. He was aware of his deplorable behaviour to Tsukushi. However, that was his way of keeping her at a distance in order to combat his attraction to her.

In spite of his attempts to stay away, Tsukasa still found himself returning to "The Den" on a few occasions to watch Tsukushi perform secretly. It was painful to see her flitting amongst different customers each night with the rest of the dancers in the troupe. However, except for that one time, he had not seen her leaving with any customers since. He was torn between wanting to believe that the real Tsukushi was his hardworking, stubborn, loud but kind personal assistant, and fearing that the latter was simply a façade to hide her other persona. To add to his confusion, he found himself almost wishing at times that she was an amoral, consummate liar and seductress so that he could simply banish all thoughts of her from his mind … …

Tsukasa groaned as he repeatedly knocked his forehead on the desk. It was simply all too perplexing for a simple guy like him … …

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Tsukushi's smile was strained as she tried to pay attention to the conversation. However, with the exhaustion from working and dancing and her troubles weighing heavily on her mind, she was aware that she was probably not the best company available. In addition, she was uncomfortably aware that Mr Yamda's eyes had been on her the entire night. He had visited the club a few times, but tonight was the first time that he was paying her such close attention. When the opportunity arose, she excused herself and went to the ladies.

Splashing her face with water, Tsukushi heaved a sigh of relief, glad to be away from the noise and prying eyes. The quiet moment gave her some precious thinking time. Needless to say with the deadline for the operation looming up, and with making little headway in obtaining the full sum required, she was starting to panic. She found herself seriously considering Rui's offer of contacts that she had vehemently refused during their car ride. However, he had persisted and reminded her before she left to call him if she had any problems.

She made up her mind that she would at least give him a call the next day to discuss matters further. Thinking of Rui, she couldn't help but recall their last soul-shaking kiss. Brushing her fingers over her lips absentmindedly, Tsukushi wondered if that was what every single kiss felt like or whether it was because of Rui. She had a sneaky suspicion that it was the latter. Regardless, she knew there was no point dwelling over the kiss when Rui had made it clear that there could be nothing between them except friendship. Heaving a sigh, she straightened and walked out of the toilet, ready to take on the world again. To her dismay, she bumped into Yamada san who was standing outside the toilet.

"Makino san, may I have a word with you?" He asked politely. Trying to shake off a sense of foreboding, Tsukushi politely returned his smile and followed him into one of the rooms. She felt better for an instance when he left the door open. However, the feeling returned more strongly than ever when he simply stood there with a smirk on his face, his eyes blatantly roaming over her skimpy costume that revealed every contour of her slim body.

Clenching her hands into fists to prevent herself from folding her arms protectively over her chest, Tsukushi asked with forced civility, "what did you want to talk to me about, Yamada sama?" His lips twisted into a sneer as he walked towards her slowly like a hunter stalking his prey. Tsukushi instinctively backed away until her body collided with the wall. Immediately, he placed his hands on the wall at either side of her body with a triumphant grin, imprisoning her between his arms.

"I have a business proposition for you." His hot breath brushed her ear, making her flinch.

"I'm not interested … …" She began but he placed a finger on her lips.

"Hear me out," he insisted and she kept quiet, hoping that he would remove his hand. "How much for one night?" He asked as he removed the offensive finger, ignoring her outraged gasp when his hand moved boldly to her arm and started stroking the bare flesh.

"I … …"

He interrupted her rudely before she could form a proper refusal, "$5,000? $10,000? That's the highest I have ever offered, most of your colleagues were happy with less."

"Why don't you look for them, then?" She hissed as she tried to pull her arm away. Immediately, his fingers closed around her wrist like bands of iron.

"I've already had them all except for you. Now, stop playing hard to get." She twisted her face away when he tried to kiss her and kicked him in the shin. "Bitch," he growled and drew back his hand. Pain exploded behind her eyes when her head crashed into the wall with the force of his blow. Her head was still spinning when she heard him mutter, "be nice to me and I'll be nice to you. $20,000 - that's my final offer." He bent his head and she felt a wet suction on her neck. In a daze, she tried to protest as one of his hands slid under her skirt and the other moved daringly to one of her breasts. Just as she readied her vocals to scream, his weight on her suddenly vanished and she found herself staring into a pair of familiar, enraged eyes … …

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Cliff-hanger!

Nah, I figured I'll be dismembered if I pulled a stun like that after taking so long to update.

So here goes … …

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"Tsukasa," Tsukushi gasped and winced as her wrist was captured in a bruising, bone-crushing grip. It was all she could do to stop the cry of pain from escaping her lips when she was sent half-way across the room with one strong tug.

"Hey, stop! What do you think you're doing?" There was a yell from the opposite end of the room. Tsukushi nearly crashed into Tsukasa when he stopped in mid-stride and spun around to glare at the fallen figure that was struggling to his feet. The anger on Mr Yamada's face all but vanished when he saw Tsukasa's murderous expression. However, unwilling to back down from his claim, he tried another tactic.

An oily smile spread over his face as he spread his hands in a placating way, "now, now there's no need to be hasty. There are so many beautiful women here and more beautiful than this whore. She's mine for tonight. Why don't you choose another or wait another night for your turn?" He heard Tsukushi's outraged gasp, and then the last thing he saw was the terrifying sight of Tsukasa's eyes as they blazed with fury.

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gurl: I do so apologise for the late updates. Thanks for your patience. I know how terrible it is to check everyday for updates – I have done that before, so I really hope this chapter has made up for the waiting time.

bobo-32: A new reader! Yesssss! Thanks for your encouragement and I hope you will continue to enjoy the subsequent chapters :).

karashacket: Welcome! I definitely won't end it here. As for the pairing, I'm kinda letting the story write itself out. I probably won't really know until the last chapter what the actual pairing will be ;).

rysse: Another new reader! Thanks, I'm glad you like it :).

jinx19 : Wow, this is my lucky … er month … … it seems that quite a few new readers have found this story? And I do so apologise for the late update again. Thanks for reading!

X-Zai: Yet another new reader! Yay! Rui is actually an escort in this story. As such Ray is the name he uses when he is "working". I kinda use switch between the 2 to reflect the persona he is adopting at the moment. I hope it isn't too confusing.

.:: Stacey ::. ) : Hi hi! Good to see a familiar name. Trust me, I can imagine how busy you must be – I just have to look into the mirror for a similar scenario! Soooo goooood to read your perspective as always. Yes, I think that Tsukasa would be a lot more amendable to Shigeru without Tsukushi's presence (I was trying to highlight that in this chapter – hopefully I've succeeded). I will keep my answers short this time so as not to delay this update any further. However, thanks so much as always for your support and encouragement!

Kensingtonkid: Hi hi hi! Thanks so much for your understanding! Really made my day when I read the first part of your review … … And hey, don't worry about writing such long reviews (much as I love to read them) if you're busy ok? Even a short one would make me happy! I don't want you to waste your time as I know how crazy things can get !!!!

Really like your insight about misunderstanding arising from assumptions – that's just soooooooooo true. If only everyone would have a little more trust about others then less than 1 of the misunderstandings would arise. Yes, it's 15! Sorry, don't know why the formatting didn't come up! I hope you have a great week and that you're feeling less tired. Thanks for being my motivation ;)!

Tenary ) : Another new reader !!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome !!! Thanks so much for your encouragement. Don't worry about reading my responses to other reviewers – I usually only read author's reviews to my response if I leave any. I know the general opinion of the readers is that Tsukasa is that he is too "tame" in this story. I have a few reasons for it which I will slowly reveal in this story. For fear of accidentally giving the plot away, I will state the "safe" one first. The Tsukasa I'm writing about is an adult and no longer a teenager. I believe that when one steps into the working world, the trials and tribulations will take the rough edges of one's character and adds maturity to one's character. After being exposed to the commercial world for so many years, I thought Tsukasa would be more "tame" or have better control over himself. There is another main reason which will probably be provided in the next chapter.

sweetpeakit: Hi hi! Good to hear from you and please don't apologise! Thanks so much for your kind and encouraging comments !!! I do feel rather apologetic towards the true romantics that read my stories, however, because I think there are too many harsh realities revealed and my stories aren't exactly the sweet, fluffy type.

polabear: So glad you like the last chapter. I hope things are snowballing in this chapter as well ;)! Yes, Tsukasa was rather tame in his reaction – partly because he was in shock as well! I hope this chapter is up to expectations as well … …

vickii: Hi hi !! I guess we are dealing with a more mature Tsukasa here and there were a couple of reasons (please see my response to Tenary). You're right about him not recognising Akira. The reason being that they were teenagers when they studied together. Also, he wasn't exactly looking at Akira being too flustered by what he walked in on.

thefrustratedwriter: Wow thanks so much for your information! Definitely helps A LOT !!! Will definitely incorporate some of the info in future chapters. Thanks again – really appreciate it!

just a reader: I'm so glad that you found the chapter humorous. Love it when I make my readers laugh or cry ;)! And I do so apologise for the late update!!!

electrohisa: Sorry about making Rui miserable. I think you'll find he's even more miserable in this chapter! I blame it on my masochistic tendencies.

Frozenyogurt: Yes, I know Tsukasa's reaction seems pretty tame. So sorry I'm really a lazy git so would you please read my response to Tenary where I wrote the explanation for his tameness? /turning red/ So sorry again! ;) And I don't know if I really qualify as being a Rui fan, but I like his character more than Tsukasa's in HYD so that's probably a … yes?