***Tomoyo P.O.V***

"...Or did you never even have a real job to begin with?" I ask in a low weak voice waiting for the answer to come.

"Don't be sill-"

"Did you have a job!" I yell interrupting him.

"Well not exactly..."

"So you been gone all this time lying about a fake job!"

"I wouldn't say lying I would just say I never told you." He says in guilt.

"So I've been sitting here trying to get money whatever way I can while you're sitting here doing nothing! You left me when you never even had a real job!"

"Well I wouldn't say that either..." He says in a low voice.

"Well what would you say then?" I demand but I see guilt wash all over his face he doesn't say anything. How pathetic is this man, this man I called my father.

"Don't tell me...you didn't come here to see me you came here to pack your stuff to leave me for good." I say my voice sounding weaker and frail.

"...Look Tomoyo just try to understand." My father pleads I couldn't even bring myself to look at him anymore.

"Understand what? That you never wanted to be in my life? That I was just some mistake in your life!"

I didn't let him answer instead I ran out the door in the poring rain. I didn't know where I was going but I didn't care either. All I cared about was getting away from him.

I stopped at a bustop bench and sat there clothes were all soaked and wet. I got up but then I noticed there were no raindrops falling on me as I stood up.

I finally noticed Kanou holding an umbrella above my head. He may not look like it but he is a really caring person actually.

We just stand there in the rain in silence. I finally decide to break the silence by speaking again.

"You were wrong Kanou...my father didn't come here to visit me. He came to leave me forever!" I say there's a hint of anger in my voice that surprises me. I instantly feel remorseful for yelling at Kanou who did nothing wrong.

Kanou doesn't respond instead he makes this sad face, a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry..." Kanou whispers.

At that moment the raindrops sound silent it's like time has stood still. I never heard Kanou apologize before but some how even sad he makes my heart beat faster and faster.

"You don't need to apologize if anything...I need to apologize for saying you were wrong when all you were trying to do was help. I'm sorry." I say sighing.

I then feel a hand on my head that ruffles with my hair. I look up and see Kanou ruffling my hair with his hand. At that moment I want to stay in the rain like this forever.

When he finally stops his cheeks are red and he looks embarrassed. He offers to walk me to my home so I won't get wet. He says all that by stuttering though.

He may still not be comfortable around me but I know one thing I will make sure he will fall for me.

Wait how do I get Kanou to fall in love with me? We walk to my house in silence neither of us saying a word to each other. Kanou keeps his umbrella over my head so I won't get wet.

When we reach my house I turn around to Kanou. The whole walk home Kanou doesn't look me in the eyes and I think something may be wrong.

"Umm...Kanou is everything OK?" I ask puzzled.

"I'm sorry I was just thinking that my story is similar to yours."He says hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" I say with my full attention on him.

"My father...is abusive, he abused my mother and that's why she's-she's gone." He says tears streaming down his face as he speaks. I don't know how to respond but I come up with the best thing I can say.

"Kanou...I'm sorry, I didn't kno-" Kanou doesn't say anything at first but then tears start rolling down his cheeks more rapidly.

"Of course you didn't know, no one knows! Why did my father have to hurt her! My father told me to stay away from girls because they are fragile! That's why I'm afraid of them!" Kanou shouts interupting me, tears practically burst out his eyes.

Without thinking I take my arms and grasp Kanou in a deep hug. I bury my face in his chest. So this is why Kanou is afraid of girls. No, Kanou isn't afraid of girls, he's just afraid of hurting them. He's afraid of making the same mistakes his father did.

"Just stop crying! Kanou just stop, you aren't like your father! You are braver and stronger than he'll ever be. So please just smile because I like you best when you smile." I yell tears were now coming out my eyes.

Kanou finally brings his arms around me and now we are truly hugging.

"T-Thank you Tomoyo." Kanou whispers. We both just stood there in the rain hugging. I can tell I'm getting much closer to Kanou and now that I know his past all I want to do is help him.

Yep, I am in love with this guy.

When I make it inside my house,bI check to see if my father's shoes are there. They aren't, so I walk to the living room and slump on the old couch.

Suddenly flashes of Kanou and I hugging replay in my mind. I quickly shake them away and rush to the bathroom mirror.

It's just as I thought my cheeks are a cherry red! I wonder if Kanou noticed it after our hug moment?

I then walk to the kitchen to see if there was anything for me to eat. Before I get to the fridge I noticed a note on the table.

I can tell it was from my dad but I didn't feel like reading it. Right when I was going to throw it away in the trash a small picture falls from it and hits the floor.

I pick up the picture and see it's a picture of mom, me and my father all together smiling. I missed those times dearly and tears began to stream down my cheeks just at the thought of it.

A long time ago when I was only five my mom and I used to play together. We had tea parties and dress up days. One day my mother got very sick.

My father convinced her to visit a hospital but she insisted she would feel better after some next morning I went to wake her up for our morning tea party but she wouldn't get up.

I thought she was just asleep but when I saw doctors all over her I knew what had happened. I cried my eyes out screaming, mommy mommy, but she never answered until this day.

I wipe the tears from my eyes and began to read the note my father left.

Dear Tomoyo,

I know if you're reading this you probably hate me. I just wanted to say one last thing. I really was suppose to go on a plane my flight just got delayed which is where I am now. The point is, I'm sorry Tomoyo for putting you through this I knew you would need the truth sooner or later. The truth is a long time ago I was hanging around bad people when I was your age and now I have a big debt to pay. These people are ruthless killers and will hurt anyone close to me. I only left to protect you. If they found out where I live they will probably want to hurt you. I'm sorry I was gone all this time I was just running away from them and also you. I was running away from telling you the truth so now I'm flying to those bad guys to settle this once and for all. I gave you a picture of all of us together. I took it on every flight I went on. I'm giving it to you so you will never forget that your mother and I will always love you no matter where we are.

Love, your Dad

So my dad only left because he wanted to protect me? I feel so bad for snapping at him. I was so selfish, I didn't even say goodbye to him.

I took the picture and kissed two of my fingers and placed those fingers on my fathers forehead in the picture.

"Be safe dad." I whisper before heading off to bed.

The next day I decide to stay home from school just to get a break from everything that just happened here.

I was tired from everything. Not to mention what to think now that Kanou shared his deepest secret with me. Wait why out of all people did he share it with me?

Maybe I'm just thinking to deep into this. Suddenly there was a knock on my front door. I was hoping it wasn't my father but another part of me hoped it was.

When I opened the door immediately shock filled my stood Yukimura and Kanou who still wouldn't look at me straight in the eyes.

"Umm...Hi." I said not really knowing what to say.

"Hello I just need to ask you a little favor if that's OK with you." Yukimura says grinning at me.

"Oh sure, what is it?" I ask.

"Well tomorrow is my little sister's birthday and since you're a girl I thought you might know what she would like." He states.

"I would love to help Yukimura but isn't school still going on?"

"Yes it is but today I called school to tell them I wouldn't be there today."

"Oh I see well let me just put on my shoes and grab my purse first." I said putting my shoes on.

All three of us walked to the store with none of us talking to eachother. I kept taking small glances at Kanou but he never looked at me.

To be honest he seemed to be very fidgety and uncomfortable around me but maybe that was my imagination.

When we arrived at the store Yukimura seemed so excited and eagarly looked around, while Kanou just stood quietly against a wall.

I wanted to go over and talk to him but I knew that the purpose of coming here was to help Yukimura not Kanou.

Instead I decided to just go to the kid section. There were books, coloring materials, clothes and toys of course.

Well if I was shopping for Yukimura's little sister I would have to figure out what a little girl would want. An idea then pops into my mind.

Dolls of course! I went to the doll section to see what I could find but I didn't see anything. To be honest these dolls were a little creepy.

Well that idea blew so then I thought up another idea, stuffed animals. Every kid loved stuffed animals right?

I walked to the stuffed animal section and I finally see something, I see what I've been looking for.

I spot a little stuffed duck with a big pink bow wrapped around its neck.

"It's perfect!" I accidently shout and everyone looks at me. I look over to see if Kanou saw me but to my surprise he wasn't by the wall anymore.

I wonder where he went off to?

Suddenly I feel a small tug by my feet and I look down and see a little girl staring at me all wide-eyed.

I bend down so I can be more her height.

"Oh hello." I say grinning at the cute little girl.

"Can you um reach me a stuffed bear please?" She asks pointing to a high shelf full of bears.

"Sure I reach up and grab a little bear and bend down to hand it to her again."

"T-Thank you." she says and she walks off. I swear I heard her laugh a little bit but I think she only laughed because of how happy she was.

After that I decide to show Yukimura and Kanou the stuffed duck I found and Yukimura goes to the checkout line.

"You guys can go ahead and head outside, I'll meet you there." Yukimura says heading to the checkout area.

Me and Kanou begin to head outside when suddenly a beeping noise sounds off. I finally figure out that the beeping noise was for people who tried to steal things.

I didn't steal anything though! I can tell Kanou looks at me like he doesn't believe I would do something like this eitherp.

"Stop right there miss!" A security guard says running up to me.

The next thing I knew we were now in a room while they searched my purse. Yukimura probably is outside by now worried about us.

"Can you tell us what you stole?" A guard asks me.

"That's just it, I didn't steal anything!" I yell irritated. Kanou doesn't say anything at all.

"Hey guys check this out." the guard that was checking my purse yells. The guard then pulls out this shiny gold ring with a little tiny tag on it.

OK if you didn't steal then you need a witness to back up how this ring ended up in your purse. The evidence isn't really looking good for you though." The security guard states.

Thank you captain obvious, I still can't figure out how that ring got in my purse either. I began to think hard of what must've happened.

Then it hit me...That little girl! Or should I say brat. That little girl must of dropped it in my purse on purpose when I bent down to hand her a teddy bear. Well that would explain why she was laughing at me.

"Look this little girl put it in my purse when I helped her reach a teddy bear!" I say.

"Do you honestly think we believe that? Why would a little girl commit a crime like this?" A guard asks me.

"I don't know but I'm telling the truth!" I plead. They still don't look like they believe me. I look out the small window in the room we were in and see the little girl from earlier holding her mom's hand.

They were heading out the store doors. Before they left the little girl turns around and sticks her tongue out at me. That little brat!

"It's true I was shopping with her and we did not steal a ring." I look up and see that it was Kanou who just said that. Kanou is sticking up for me?

"That may be true but you need proof that you were there too." The guard says.

Kanou begins to make his thinking face again. Man him and his cute thinking face.

"Perhaps if you check some of the security footage you can see what really happened." Kanou finally says.

"That's right why could I think of that?" The guard then excused himself to go check the footage. When he gets back sorrow fills his face.

"They're telling the truth the footage doesn't show them near the ring display and there really was a little girl.

"So are we free to go?" I ask.

"Yes but my advice, be careful." The security guard says as we head out the door.

Outside Yukimura is pacing back and forth with the bag in his hand. He looks so worried.

"Sorry Yukimura there was just a slight misunderstanding." I say and he looks relieved.

"Oh that's good I thought something really bad may have happened to you guys. Like a kidnapping." Yukimura says as we all walk back to my house. He does know we're not kids anymore right?

"Hey, I've also been meaning to ask, what is going on between you guys?" Yukimura asks Kanou and I as we walk. We both stopped dead in our tracks.

"W-What do you mean?" Kanou asks between stutters.

"Well I can help but notice you guys won't look or talk to each other? Are you guys in a fight or something?"

Phew, I thought Yukimura was suspecting I liked Kanou. He just thinks we were mad at each other.

"No, no we're not mad at eachother." I reassure him.

"Oh that's good." Yukimura says relieved.

When we make it to my house I tell them both goodbye but before I can go in Kanou says something.

"Can you wait out here Yukimura? I think I forgot something." Kanou says to him.

"Ok." Yukimura says.

We both head in but I don't remember Kanou ever bringing something in here. Why would he lie like that?

"I um, wanted to give you this as a thank you for yesterday. You k-know when you learned my um secret." He says handing me a small bag but he doesn't look me in the eyes.

I open the bag to find a small bracelet with a T charm on it. I unclasped it to put it on my wrist but I had trouble clasping it closed.

"Can you well...help me put the bracelet on?" I ask Kanou embarrassed I couldn't get it on. He then takes my bracelet and clasps it close for me.

"Thank you..." I say I looked at it for a second it looked beautiful on me. So that's where Kanou went in the store. He went to buy me a thank you bracelet.

To think that I used to think this boy was strange. No I stand corrected he is strange but now I think he's just a...

strangely adorable boy.