Disclaimer: I do not own POT

Chapter 44: Uninvited Guest

Sakuno had been caught by surprise when she saw him standing by her window, but he did not sneak. In fact, he had cleared his throat when he tried to get the attention and it was his eyes which she recognized and her mind calmed itself down. Last night, they talked a lot about whether they were seeing someone at the moment that could cause potential problems, but she was relieved that she wasn't taking his happiness away from him… she wasn't taking any woman's man from them… then again, he was the nation's man… so perhaps she did and all the women will cry. Kunimitsu had said that they were to be married in a very small wedding ceremony and paperwork… But this morning caught everyone by complete surprise.

Sakuno came down to the lobby to see a beautiful silver haired young woman. Her eyes were violet and she looked much like a doll and such a lovely doll at that. She seemed to stare straight at Sakuno for a moment and she seemed shocked about something as she headed towards Sakuno, her bags in tow with her long silver hair swishing behind her.

"I heard about some strange news… is it true that Kunimitsu is marrying you? It's a lie right?"

Sakuno had no idea how to respond. First of all, who was she? Was she a rabid fan? Was she a person that Kunimitsu dated? Who was she determined if she had to lie or she had to tell the truth, but then… thankfully she didn't have to.

"Kotone… Is that you?"

Kunimitsu appeared in the lobby with good timing and Akihiko was once again attached to Kunimitsu like glue. Sakuno guessed Kunimitsu went to check up on her to find her son awake. Tomoka was looking after him as she went to figure out breakfast for Akihiko.

"Kunimitsu!"

The lady seemed to recognize him and dashed up to him, her arms naturally went around him… Sakuno recognized that there was no recoil or dislike so she must be either a girlfriend or family… but since Kunimitsu has explicitly expressed he wasn't dating, then… she must be family.

"I heard that you were marrying Ms. Ryuuzaki! Is that true?"

Kunimitsu was caught off guard to be seeing Kotone here of all places. It seems that she had gotten wind of his engagement and had flown over to check up on him. He looked at her and nodded

"Yes. I am. Kotone, meet my fiancée Ryuuzaki Sakuno. Sakuno, this is my distant cousin Tezuka Kotone."

Sakuno had figured she was a cousin but they are really distant because none of Kunimitsu's features really came out in Kotone. Not even down to her eyes. She simply look like a girl just leaping out of a girl's magazine. Cute and petite yet so gorgeous at the same time. She smiled and held out her hand to shake Kotone's hand.

"Nice to meet you Kotone."

"Likewise…. But Kunimitsu! You can't possibly still be taking responsibility for what he did! It was his fault not yours…"

That was surefire a stab right into Sakuno's sore spot and Kunimitsu seemed highly uncomfortable in the situation and Akihiko seemed to dislike Kotone at this point because she was too close to his father. Kunimitsu handed Akihiko to Sakuno as he said

"Kotone and I have to talk. I'll meet you guys at the hotel restaurant okay?"

Sakuno nodded and carried Akihiko off to breakfast with those words ringing in her ears. Kotone knew about her situation and despite being cousins, Kotone seemed awfully attached to him.

"Kotone, I understand that you are concerned…"

"But isn't it the truth? You are marrying her to protect her from Orochi! What about what you want? When will you free yourself from Orochi's mistake?"

Why does everyone in the world keep asking him what he wants? Kunimitsu honestly thought that he had made his intentions clear about the whole situation with Sakuno.

"I want to. Even if the whole world seems to think that I am obligated… I am simply want to do it. That is just that."

Kotone seemed to watch him for a minute biting her own lip as she asked

"Is this forever? Or is this a temporary solution? What happens when Sakuno finds someone she loves? As much as you say that you are obliged, it is no difference to saying that you two would marry for convenience because right now it is the only solution to the both of you. What happens when everything returns back to normal? You can't undo that. You can't just undo a marriage! There will be divorce! Even if you two can explain the situation you two will be considered divorcees! This is not some game where two people play it out and there are no consequences."

"Kotone…"

Kunimitsu felt exhausted already so early in the morning, but there are just times when talking to Kotone requires a sacrifice of all your energy. He merely placed a hand on her shoulder as he said

"Sakuno and I have discussed this… we understand the things that we are about to do… and say Sakuno finds someone she wants to marry or when the entire incident blows over… then we will divorce. For now, I just need her safe at all costs and it doesn't matter what I have to do to make it happen. I don't want to talk about it anymore, can we just try and get through this with you being supportive?"

"…I will do anything to support you… but at the moment, I just can't condone this. Because I don't see you two marrying for love… marriage should be for love… not like this."

Kotone seemed upset as she stormed off and Fuji saw Kotone and raised his hand out to greet her.

"yo…?"

Fuji noticed she stormed right past him and headed towards the elevator as Fuji joined a rather exhausted Kunimitsu.

"Let me guess… Kotone is sulking."

"…Let's just say the situation is temporarily on standstill."

"You never win a conversation with Kotone, you just can't. I'm sorry."

Fuji patted his shoulder sympathetically as they marched off to breakfast together.

In Sakuno's mind it was simply echoing… He was sacrificing himself as though he was the one who made the grave mistake… was he taking responsibility for what Orochi did? But Kunimitsu has done so much as it is, she really didn't need more… so why was she in this marriage agreement in the first place? Perhaps she was afraid to be without him while Orochi was on the loose… perhaps it was selfishness which drew her in to take his hand… was she the one dragging him through this?

"Sakuno you alright?"

Tomoka asked worriedly as she noticed that Sakuno had been acting a little strange. Before Tomoka could lean forward, a warm hand pressed itself onto Sakuno's shoulder and Sakuno instinctively looked up to see Kunimitsu staring down at her. For a moment, she could see concern and then his eyes softened and he nodded down at her as though he was telling her about what happened earlier… Sakuno had forgotten at some point that Kunimitsu had asked her to marry him… she had resisted a little… but somewhere deep inside her, she knew she was going to accept no matter if she gave any excuses to him. Somehow she knew that she felt bad for it and she remained silent about it.

"We are hungry!"

Fuji burst the silence and he sat down and started forking over some of the breakfast into his plate.

"Um yeah you guys should eat!"

Ann reacted after Fuji and simply continued to shovel food into her own plate and Akihiko tugged on Kunimitsu's clothes to sit down and so Kunimitsu did so. Breakfast was a nice affair as everyone felt at ease with each other and began to chatter. Tomoka was excited about picking out the wedding dress and the other items. The guys were relieved to be selecting locations and also sorting out paper work, Oishi agreed that everyone needed some time to do some work since they had all decided spontaneously to take a holiday.

Tomoka decided to take Akihiko back down to the beach especially since Ann and Tomoka agreed that Sakuno needed to be talked to. Sakuno found herself looking out the window as Ann stood there watching Sakuno.

"Tell me what's up?"

Ann torn between begging and asking nicely, but Sakuno seemed quite quiet for a moment.

"Sakuno…is this about Orochi?"

Sakuno let out a sharp gasp, as the name still prickled her senses and she felt a sense of fear. She still falls into panic… until she remembered a warm hand wrapping itself around her own hand… Sakuno looked to see Kunimitsu holding her hand, staring at her… Sakuno shut her eyes as his hand brushed her cheek gently and weaved into her hair. It slowed her heart back down just as Ann pressed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry… I was careless…"

Sakuno's eyes flickered open and he was no longer there… just the lingering warmth and safety around her. She looked up to Ann and smiled shakily

"No… it's alright. I need to face him someday. But it isn't about him."

Sakuno felt ashamed if there was a more appropriate word. She felt ashamed that the only warmth that could calm her down was that of a person… she is dragging into this mess. Sakuno had forgotten that she had unwittingly got everyone around her involved with this situation. Her friends sacrificed their life in Tokyo for her… The guys are taking sudden holidays to make her happy and she is grateful… but Kunimitsu's sacrifice to her… was painful… why was it painful?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Ann asked cautiously as Sakuno blurted out

"Why does this hurt?"

Ann looked confused for a moment at that question, in Ann's mind there is one hundred thousand reasons as to why something hurts. First of all, if she knew what was hurting she may be able to narrow down what the reasons could be?

"What hurts?"

Sakuno instinctively pressed her fist into her chest as she asked

"Why does this hurt?"

"I don't know why sweetheart. I need more than that…"

Sakuno suddenly stood up and started to walk back and forth as her eyes shimmered with tears.

"You all sacrificed a lot to try and help me through this ordeal… I am so thankful… At times I do feel guilty… I feel sad or sorry… same with the seigaku team but with Kunimitsu… it hurts. It hurts me a lot to see him take these steps to protect me. He is throwing his happiness in the bin so that I can have a safe life… but I don't feel grateful…I do however feel sorry… pain… selfishness… guilt more than anything else. I am taking his whole life away from him… not just because of Orochi… ever since grandmother told him… that I am his responsibility… that hurts and so does everything he does…"

"…it feels rather bittersweet?"

Sakuno turned to look at Ann, her eyes looked serious as she muttered more

"Like everything he does makes you happy and yet so bitter because that isn't what you need… but what you really want?"

"Yes…"

Sakuno let out a rather breathless answer as she looked perplexed at Ann as Ann shrugged and smiled

"Because that was how I felt about Momoshiro. On days when I really thought that I had enough of all this, he would show up and bring me the things I never knew I would desire and then he would whisk me away on a wonderful adventure… it used to make my heart race with joy until he vanishes again… Reminding me what a fool I had been… that we weren't lovers… I wasn't his girlfriend… I was someone to whisk away on wonderful journeys and then left to rot in my own love of him."

Sakuno's eyes softened to pity as she placed an arm around her best friend Ann as Ann wiped a tear from her face as she shook her head and looked at Sakuno.

"I am not telling this story because I am sad… but because I know why you feel pain. You feel this pain because Tezuka isn't doing this because he loves you but because it is duty… because you love him and want him to do this because of love… it hurts. Because reality doesn't work with your desire. Torn between a good decision and hurting… or a bad decision but being true to yourself. That is the choice that lies before you."

Ann watched as realization sinks in and her eyes widened as her mouth hung open. She let out a gasp of air and then the hand automatically raised to run itself through her hair. Sakuno gaped at herself…

"I'm in love with Kunimitsu? How can that be?"

Ann helped Sakuno sit down on the bed and wrapped her arm around her best friend in comfort as she said

"Sakuno, if you ask me when or how I can't tell you how but I can tell you when I started to notice… I noticed it in high school. When you stood up for him all those years back. You had such a spark in you, you talked like you were talking about the man of your dreams or your hero… and we know for a fact that Tezuka has been your hero for decades. I just think it is time you reconcile the reason why you feel the way you do."

Sakuno could not talk, she was shocked into silence because she had no idea what to say… she had a crush on him when she was younger? When they were young and he was her hero? How long?

A young girl with pigtails and a group of older boys tugging on her pigtails and chanting

"Pig pig… pigtailed girl! Pig girl!"

The girl looked like she was about to cry when a boy came out of nowhere and punched the leader in the face. The leader landed a few feet away and in front of her stood a boy with dirt on his hands and feet, and his cheek was smudged with soot. His hair was brown and sticking out in weird ends as his eyes sharp piercing brown as he said

"Get away from her."

"Or what you are going to do?"

One of the more fearless boys asked the young boy. He was their age and he glared them down as he said

"I'll break your bones."

The guys freaked out by his aura and ran away and he turned to look at her. He sniffed a little and asked

"Can't get up?'

The girl was speechless as she stared at him with the halo behind him… he was her hero.

"Geez! Do you really need so much help?"

He groaned annoyed as he shot out his hand and then the young girl looked up at him for a moment and then she broke into a radiant smile.

"Are you my guardian angel?"

The boy turned crimson and snorted a little as he helped her up. He responded

"Don't get smart on me. Flattery means nothing to me... I am covered in soot and dirt and you think I am an angel pfft please…"

The girl looked rather annoyed as she said determinedly

"Angels don't have to come clean and beautiful… Mommy says the true angels are the ones covered in dirt and blood because they willingly fight and smear their own selves in sacrifice than to have you go through that."

"… Just be on your guard!"

Just as he said that, he stopped the girl from tripping and rolled his eyes.

"Okay! I'll be your guardian angel if you promise to try and protect yourself!"

"Thank you! My name is Ryuuzaki Sakuno! What is your name?"

"Tezuka Kunimitsu. Come on! Let's walk you home before you run into any more trouble!"

That was memory flashback. Sakuno remembered the first time she met Kunimitsu. She knew him way longer than she knew anyone else. Because right after he took her back to her house, he ended up falling for tennis and her grandmother taught him everything. No more snotty potty mouth… but he never stopped protecting her. He was still harsh but as they grow older, his harsh tones adjusted into stern sharp words… but by then… they knew each other so well that there were a lot more tenderness she can detect in his voice.

"I need some time alone."

Sakuno muttered finally and Ann sighed as she decided that she delivered a huge bomb onto Sakuno, she conceded and headed out as she said

"You know where to find me."

Sakuno nodded and waved a little as Ann disappeared out of the door. Sakuno merely sighed… Ann was probably right that she loved Kunimitsu. No idea when it started but it made sense. Sakuno often sought out his touch and even when she couldn't… she wanted to see him. She always wanted to see him and be with him… so all this…

KNOCK KNOCK!

Sakuno looked at the room door for a moment and checked the peep hole to see that it was Kotone. Kunimitsu's darling cousin. Sakuno somehow don't feel comfortable with Kotone. Kotone was everything she wasn't. Smart and she was willing to speak her mind. Sakuno reluctantly opened the door and Kotone looked seriously at her and said

"We need to talk."

TBC