Saturday night had rolled around and Kotoko was walking to Satomi's house from her date with Yuzan.

"Are you sure that we need to go?" Kotoko groaned as she held onto Yuzan's arm.

Yuzan chuckled, "The party is in your honor and I know that Haru worked hard on it. We should stop in for a drink and then we can go, okay?"

Kotoko gave Yuzan a smile before he bent his head to place a kiss on her lips.

"Plus, you look beautiful tonight. I want to show you off." Yuzan smiled.

Kotoko blushed as she looked down at the new dress that she was wearing. A silky wrapped emerald dress with a low back paired with silver heels.

"You are blushing so much that now you look like Christmas." Yuzan pointed out.

Kotoko smacked Yuzan on the arm. "Don't make me change my mind about going."

"And don't make me have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you there." Yuzan narrowed his eyes.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me." Yuzan smirked.

Kotoko looked Yuzan up and down and knew deep down that he would carry her there. Kotoko sighed and continued to walk alongside Yuzan.

As the two walked towards Satomi's house, Kotoko thought about what happened at the Irie's house the Monday before. Naoki was saying all of the right things and she just ran out. How dare he play with her feelings like that. She was ready to fall right into his arms but she couldn't do that. She loved Yuzan. Right? Kotoko looked up at Yuzan as his eyes were focused ahead of him. She looked at his sculpted jawline and the way that his mouth slightly curved upwards. She loved the way that he smiled and she melted every time that he flashed his pearly whites. His slender nose would even scrunch up when he smiled. He was encouraging and more than kind to her. She didn't deserve it but she was glad that she had been so lucky.

Kotoko's train of thought was broken when Yuzan turned to look at her.

"What are you looking at?" Yuzan asked as he arched his eyebrow.

Kotoko stopped. "You. I am just still dumbfounded that you are actually with me."

"When are you going to realize that I actually like you?" Yuzan asked.

"Probably never because everyday with you feels like a dream." Kotoko smiled up at Yuzan.

Yuzan grabbed Kotoko's head and bent his down to hers, so that their lips met for a long and deep kiss. Kotoko melted everytime that he kissed her. His lips were soft and his breath always tasted of warm spices, probably from all of the tea and coffee that he drank. His hands ran through her long brown hair and slowly ran down her back.

"Yuzan?" a voice called from behind them.

"Shit." Yuzan cursed under his breath.

Yuzan quickly pulled away from Kotoko and turned to face the source of the voice, his face red.

Kotoko looked over Yuzan's shoulder to see a young woman, her eyes piercing and her face plastered with pure rage. She wore a Tokyo University polo and a black skirt.

"Kira...I..." Yuzan stammered. Kotoko had never heard him stammer.

"Who is this?" Kira asked, stepping closer to where Yuzan and Kotoko were standing.

Kotoko naively spoke up, "Hi, I'm Kotoko."

Kira's glare shot over to Kotoko. "And what are you doing with my boyfriend?"

Kotoko's face went white and once again her heart dropped to her stomach, but not for the usual reason.

"I'm sorry," Kotoko gasped, "boyfriend?"

"Did he not tell you that we were dating?" Kira asked, her gaze returning to Yuzan.

"N...n...no." Kotoko replied. She clutched onto her chest. "H...h...h...how long have you two been together?"

"That does not matter." Kira spat, "What matters is that this lowlife has been cheating on us."

Kotoko turned to Yuzan, "Please tell me that this isn't true."

"Kotoko, I-" Yuzan looked down at Kotoko with regret.

Kotoko's eyes went wide, "So it's true. Did you ever care for me at all?"

"Of course I did!" Yuzan exclaimed.

"Oh really? What about me?" Kira asked as she shoved Yuzan.

"Yes, I-"

The tears began to escape from Kotoko's eyes. She felt her legs go weak and her breath became heavier and heavier.

"I can't breathe." Kotoko gasped, "I am so sorry, Kira."

"What do you have to be sorry about? Yuzan is the one who cheated."

"I'm still so sorry. I...I...I have to get out of here." Kotoko shoved past Yuzan. He quickly grabbed her arm, "Let go of me!" Kotoko spat before she ran down the crowded streets, dodging the people as tears ran down her cheeks. She ignored Yuzan's calls and ran straight to Satomi's house.

She reached the house and could hear the booming music.

"Fuck." Kotoko groaned, momentarily forgetting the party. She wiped her eyes took a few deep breaths. She just had to make it through the door and crowd without drawing too much attention to herself to make it to her room.

Taking one last deep breath, she opened the door and the smell of sweat and alcohol assaulted her nose. The music was loud and there were more people than she would have ever wanted at the party. Was the whole school here?

"Kotoko!" Satomi ran up to her. Kotoko screamed internally, she just wanted to get to her room. "Where is Yuzan?"

Kotoko didn't want to spoil the night so she put on a smile and lied, "He fell ill. We went to that one sushi place."

"Say no more." Satomi giggled. Kotoko let out a small laugh.

"I think I am just going to go to bed." Kotoko sighed.

"Oh no you don't. This is your party!" Satomi smirked as she handed Kotoko a shot glass filled with vodka.

"Satomi..."

"Drink it." Satomi ordered before filling up a shot glass herself and quickly throwing the clear liquid down her throat.

Kotoko groaned before gulping down the vodka, her throat burning the whole way down. If Kotoko couldn't be alone, she was going to certainly drink until she could have some sort of fun.

"Hand me that bottle." Kotoko held out her hand, Satomi quickly handing Kotoko the large bottle of vodka.

Kotoko unscrewed the cap and brought the opening to her mouth. She tightly closed her eyes and began to chug.

"Kotoko, stop!" Satomi exclaimed, snatching the bottle away from Kotoko. "As much as I love the fact you are loosening up, I am not in the mood to spend the night with you at the hospital."

Kotoko glared at Satomi and grabbed the small bottle of whiskey on the kitchen counter before walking away. Kotoko took a swig of the whiskey as she charged onto the dance floor. She looked around and saw a boy standing in the corner. She recognized him as someone from the B class. He had short black hair and stood at almost six feet tall. He would do.

"You." She pointed.

The boy looked around, "Me?" he pointed to himself.

"Yes you," she walked over and snatched the boy with her free hand, "dance with me."

The boy set down his drink and followed Kotoko onto the dance floor. Kotoko placed her back against his chest and put his hands on her hips. They danced to the thumping beat, her mind becoming clouded. She took another pull from the whiskey and wiped her mouth. She felt the boy's hands wrap around her waist and pull her closer. His lips made their way down to her neck and she enjoyed the warmth. Her head was becoming heavier and heavier with every movement that she threw her head back on the boy's shoulder. She turned her face and soon her lips met his, the taste of alcohol on his breath. Or was that her?

The boy turned her around and soon, Kotoko and the random boy that she picked out were making out on the dance floor. Their bodies were becoming wet with sweat and her senses were starting to fail her. She could only focus on the boy in front of her and the music filling her ears. She felt good. She pulled away only to take another gulp of the whiskey. The bottle was empty and she dropped the bottle to the ground. She turned back to place her lips onto the boy's mouth when suddenly she felt something, or someone, pull her away.

Kotoko could barely make out what was going on but she was pissed. She saw the blurry faces of the people that she passed at the party and saw that the boy she was dancing with was quickly "dancing" with someone else, not that Kotoko cared.

Kotoko soon found herself in her room, a place that she was trying to get before she had even entered the party. She was thrown onto her bed and she heard the door slam behind her, the loud music becoming muffled.

"What the hell?" Kotoko slurred into her bed. She sat up to realize that she was pulled away from the last person that she wanted to see. Well, second to last.

Naoki stood at the edge of the bed, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" Naoki exclaimed. "Care to explain yourself?"

"No." Kotoko shortly replied. "Now if you will excuse me, I have some-" Kotoko was shortly cutoff when she tried to stand and found herself falling into Naoki's arms.

Naoki took a whiff of Kotoko and smelled the fiery smell of whiskey mixed with sweat.

"How much have you had to drink?" Naoki asked.

"Not a lot." Kotoko lied.

"Don't lie to me." Naoki looked down at Kotoko as he placed her back onto the bed.

"Fine, I had a lot." Kotoko huffed.

"Do you not realize how small you are?" Naoki let out a soft chuckled.

Kotoko kicked off her shoes and crawled down the bed towards the headboard. Naoki did his best to avoid watching her slink her way up the bed. Kotoko wrestled with the blankets to cover herself up.

"Why is the room spinning?" Kotoko groaned.

"Because you are drunk." Naoki scoffed. He walked around to the head of the bed and sighed.

"What is Yuzan going to think?" Naoki chuckled.

"Fuck him," Kotoko sneered.

"Excuse me?" Naoki chuckled.

Kotoko looked up at Naoki, tears welling up in her eyes. Naoki's smile fell and he became even more confused. He slowly sat down on the bed and looked down at Kotoko, her face flushed and doing her best not to cry.

"What happened?" Naoki asked.

"I don't want to talk about it. Especially not to you."

Tears began to escape from Kotoko's eyes. Naoki's heart broke to see Kotoko this way.

"Please?" Naoki asked as he crawled closer to Kotoko.

"You are just going to rub it in my face." Kotoko looked up at Naoki.

Naoki saw the hurt in Kotoko's eyes and the way that she looked so...defeated.

"Kotoko, I promise I won't." Naoki sighed as he slid under the blankets to lay next to Kotoko.

"Yes you are," Kotoko yelled, "you are just going to tell me how stupid I was. That I was an idiot to think that somebody like Yuzan could possibly like someone like me."

Kotoko erupted into a full sob. Tears ran down her face and her breathing quickened.

"Kotoko, please tell me what happened." Naoki pleaded.

"He...he...he was cheating on me. With some other girl named Kira. She is beautiful and she goes to TU. Of course he would cheat on me with her. I can't compare."

"Wait, what?" Naoki asked.

"Please don't make me repeat myself." Kotoko said between tears.

"He cheated on you?!" Naoki exclaimed.

Kotoko cried harder at Naoki's outburst.

"I know, I am stupid to think that he could have ever liked me."

Kotoko gasped when she suddenly felt Naoki pull her closer to him.

"What makes you think that you can grab me like that?" Kotoko squirmed but to no success.

"Can we just put our fight on a hold? I can't fight with you when you are like this. Plus, you should never kick a dog when she is down." Naoki sighed.

"You are lucky that I am too drunk to put up a fight." Kotoko groaned.

Naoki moved closer to Kotoko in the bed and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her close and stroked her hair. He thought about finishing telling her what he was going to tell her the Monday before. He thought about pulling her in and kissing every tear away from her cheeks. He wouldn't. She wasn't in the mood nor was she ready. He needed to be here for her, not for his own interest.

Naoki held Kotoko, her face buried in his chest. Her crying ceased but the stain on his grey shirt remained. They laid in silence until he heard a small noise coming from below. It sounded like singing. He listened to the soft melodic sound that escaped Kotoko's lips. It was soothing, like a lullaby. The notes weren't perfect, but they sounded perfect coming from her.

"What are you singing?" Naoki asked as he stroked her hair.

"Hmmm?" Kotoko looked up at Naoki.

"I just don't recognize it."

"It's just something that my mother would sing to me when I was young. My dad would try to sing it to me as well. It makes me feel better."

"I like it." Naoki smiled.

"You are so lucky to have a mom." Kotoko drunkenly sighed. Her hands began fiddling with the fabric of Naoki's shirt.

"You do know she loves you more than me." Naoki chuckled.

"No, she just wants me to have your children." Kotoko replied. "I've always wanted to."

Naoki's eyes went wide and a lump formed in his throat.

"You're just saying things because you are drunk, Kotoko."

"I am, aren't I?" Kotoko laughed as she scooted closer to Naoki. She threw her arms and legs around him, treating him as a large and warm body pillow.

Naoki moved the leg draped over him. As much as he loved it, he didn't want to put Kotoko in an awkward situation should she sober up.

"Would you like me to have your children?"

"What?!" Naoki exclaimed.

"I suppose you wouldn't want my idiot DNA interfering with your genius DNA." Kotoko sighed.

"I...I...I don't know how to respond to that. I am not, um, thinking about children right now." Naoki stammered.

"Don't worry," Kotoko looked up at Naoki, "you will go to TU and you will find a woman who is smart and beautiful. A perfect mother for your children. They will be 100 percent genius. Hey, Kira is available."

"Kotoko," Naoki placed a finger on her pink lips, "I told you I am not thinking about any of that right now. I will marry somebody I love."

"You love me. That's what you say. Will you marry me?"

"I don't know." Naoki replied as calmly as he could.

"I hope you do because I love you too."

Naoki's heart started racing. Did he hear her correctly?

"You are only saying that because things didn't work out with Yuzan." Naoki chuckled.

"No," Kotoko's hands went under Naoki's shirt and now she was absent mindedly running her hands down his abdomen. "I have always loved you but Yuzan was nicer to me and liked me for me. Well, I thought he did. But I wasn't enough. I am still not enough. You only like me for what I have become."

"You know that isn't true." Naoki leaned his forehead onto Kotoko's, "I just didn't realize that I loved you until it was too late."

"Naoki," Kotoko looked up into his eyes, her brown ones filled with desperation, "promise me you won't marry anyone else."

"You know I cannot promise that."

"Please?"

Naoki looked down at Kotoko. He knew that she was drunk and would probably forget this whole conversation in the morning. She would go back to hating him and he would go back to being alone. He wanted so badly to appease her and move on from the subject but he couldn't lie to her. Not after everything that has happened.

Kotoko's eyes trailed down Naoki's face and to his lips. She leaned closer and softly placed her lips onto his. The kiss was soft and fleeting, like a whisper. Her breath lingered on his lips and the spices of the liquor began to mix with the natural taste of her breath.

"Promise me." Kotoko demanded again.

Naoki couldn't help it any longer. He was not one for making promises but he could show her how much he hoped that they could be together.

Naoki brought his hands up to Kotoko's face and took in the beauty of her tear stained face. Her big brown eyes, her petite nose, and the way that her mouth turned down ever so slightly when her face was relaxed. He brushed the hair away from her face and brought his lips down to meet hers.

Kotoko leaned into the kiss and pressed her body against Naoki's. Her back arched as Naoki's hands slowly made their way down her slender frame. She lifted her arms and snaked them around Naoki's neck, bringing him closer and intensifying the kiss. Naoki gripped tighter so that not even air could get through the space between them.

Kotoko moaned into the kiss and her tongue ran across Naoki's lips. Naoki wasted no time in opening up for Kotoko. Naoki had thought about this moment for quite some time and could not believe that it was happening.

The bass of the music thumped in the background and muffled voices could be heard from beyond the room that Naoki and Kotoko were sharing such an intimate moment. The noises and the smells were drowned out as Kotoko and Naoki focused only on each other.

Kotoko's hands moved from Naoki's neck and ran down his chest, feeling the curve of his muscles over his grey shirt. Her hands began to tug at the shirt, begging for it to be removed.

"Kotoko," Naoki moaned as he pulled away, "stop."

"What?" Kotoko panted, "Why?"

"What are we doing?" Naoki looked down at Kotoko, a look of sadness and disappointment in her eyes. "When you sober up, you are going to remember how awful I have been to you. Plus, I don't want to be used."

Kotoko sat up in the bed and pulled the blankets up to her chest, "I can't believe you would think I would do that."

Naoki slid up to join her, "I don't but I just don't want to fall more in love with you if Yuzan comes crawling back and you take him back."

"Why would I ever do that?" Kotoko chuckled.

"I don't know, the heart is fickle sometimes. Trust me," Naoki looked at Kotoko, "I should know. One minute I can't stand you and the next I would take a bullet for you."

"And how do you feel now?" Kotoko asked.

"You know how I feel. How do you feel?"

"No I don't know how you feel. How can I really be sure that you won't insult me again when I say something stupid? Are you going to be embarrassed when I don't make it in to TU? This is just high school and you may find someone better in college. I might too." Kotoko sadly replied.

Naoki's heart sank because she was right. There was no guarantee what the future would hold for them but something inside told him that with her is where he was meant to be.

"I have spent my whole life planning for the future, making sure that everything was perfect. I wanted to have the perfect grades and the perfect friends. All so I could have a perfect job, the perfect wife, and the perfect family. But I have learned so much from you in the past few months, life isn't perfect. I will never be perfect and neither will anyone else. You are not perfect, but you are perfect for me. I had never felt rage, jealousy, heartache, empathy, or love until I met you. You have shown me the complexities of life and I am so glad that you came into it. I..."

Naoki stopped as he heard the faint sound of heavy breathing. He looked down to see Kotoko nestled in his arms asleep. He wondered if she had heard anything that he said and if she did, would she remember any of it by the morning?

He marvelled at her relaxed face and the way her lips were parted, letting her breath escape her small mouth. He never noticed how petite it was but laughed to himself wondering how she could be so loud and her smile so big.

Naoki leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Kotoko's head. He pulled away but Kotoko held onto him tighter, a soft whine escaping her lips. Should he stay? Did he want to deal with the questions that she would have tomorrow about what happened? They were dressed and he could rationally and calmly explain what happened.

Naoki rolled to his side to turn off the lamp that was on the bedside table. With the room dark and Kotoko close to him, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He could definitely get used to this.