Rukawa looked at the time, it is 10 pass 12 already. Nanao and Machi were still playing tag in the living rom. Keisuke didn't join them, he said he need to study. Well, he usually abandon his homeworks and assignments just to play with his family. Perhaps it is because his geography teacher, Kaana- san threatened him to get his work done or else he'll have to stay another year to repeat grade 8.

Rukawa : Chizu's not home yet?

Nanao : No, Oni-chan… Well, you know she's always been like that…

Rukawa : Hmm… It's just quite not nice for a girl at her age to wonder around the streets this late…

Machi : *snorts* Ni-chan, she's probably with her boyfriend right now…

Rukawa : (in his head) So she already gotten herself a boyfriend, huh? No wonder, a beautiful girl like her could easily find a guy. Maybe guys just throws himself to her.

The kids started running upstairs, ran into rooms, and bumped into a few objects. After they left, there were total mess.

Rukawa : *let out a heavy sigh* Don't they ever get tired of running?

He walked upstairs to fix the bizzare. Most of the rooms were messed up, even his. Lazily, he stepped into each room and cleaned the scattered items on the floor back to its original place.

Rukawa : *sweatdrop* Oh my god… *looks at Ka-san's underwears and bras that were filling up the floors of her bedroom* Annoying kids… *starts picking up one by one and stick 'em in the drawer*

He then exit Sendoh's mom bedroom and walked over to the next room beside it. He then noticed, it was Chizu's bedroom, and it was messy too. Thank god it was only books that were all around, not panties or other underwears. He hesitated to enter. Will Chizu be mad if he cleans up her room? Then he started to think. Well, he guessed she'll be more pissed if she saw the mess. So then he walked in and piled up the books, diaries, mangas, novels, etc, and put them on the desk. Something from the edge of his sight caught his attention. It was a brass picture frame with a picture of her and a guy. Maybe it is her boyfriend. Rukawa picked it up carefully and studied the photo. She was wearing a black dress, her hair hung down to her waist, straight and dark as the night. She was a beauty that every person couldn't resist in the picture. His eyes then turned to the male. He was quite gorgeous, and he's wearing a black slick tux. It seems that he was a rich person, he can tell by the way he's dressed. Somehow they made a perfect couple, handsome guy, cute girl, but something makes Rukawa dislike the person. He seemed so flashy, and something in his looks make him sick.

Chizu : What are you doing in my room?

Rukawa : *flabbergasted, he turned to his back and found Chizu standing on the doorway* Chizu! Gomen, I was cleaning your room, since Nanao and Machi made a mess in here.

Chizu : Don't you know I have privacy?

Rukawa : *stand still, quiet* …Yes

Chizu : *placed her bag down and noticed that Rukawa's holding the frame that bears her and her boyfriend's picture* That's Hiroshi, if u wanna know…

Rukawa : Oh… Is he nice?

Chizu : …Sometimes (lazily)

Rukawa : What do you mean??

Chizu : Yeah, sometimes he's nice…

Rukawa : And then…?

Chizu : Sometimes he's not nice… *shrugs*

Rukawa : …

Chizu : m… Ni-san… I'm going to stay overnight in Kazumi's place, I'm here to pick up my belongings… So would you please excuse me? She's already waiting for me outside…

Rukawa : Uh… Okay… *walks out and slide the door closed*

He went downstairs and the kids were still running, chasing each other. They'll never stop until the next morning, perhaps. He stepped outside to the porch and looked to the streets. There was a girl standing in front of the house's gate. Maybe it is Kazumi, the girl that Chizu had mentioned. Steeling his nerves, he walked towards the tall and lean girl to ask a few questions about Chizu and her boyfriend. She was looking at the ground, but when she spotted Rukawa, umm… Sendoh Akira, walking outside, she smiled and waved her hands.

Kazumi : Konbanwa, Akira-san!! (cheerfully)

Rukawa thought she was the type that he could hardly talk with. But it was out of his thought that she would be nice and open like this. Things were going smooth, and he started to talk.

Rukawa : Ah, Konbanwa Kazumi-san…

It seems like Kazumi likes Sendoh, he noticed her blushing whenever Rukawa took a step closer. They both chatted about things, some things that Rukawa didn't know about, and then Chizu. Soon, the topic of the conversation turned to Chizu's life and her boyfriend, which Rukawa had been longing to hear about.

Kazumi : Oh… Hiroshi-kun?? Yeah, he's sometimes nice, but he's unpredictable… I mean, his mood can change anytime, unexpectedly. Sometimes when he's happy, he suddenly turns to be angry… I don't know… Maybe he was a little mentally distrubed or something…

Rukawa : I see… Then what would make Chizu wants to be his girl?

Kazumi : *smiles* Well… That's a secret that I shouldn't say to anybody, but if it's for you, I'll tell you… *she waves her fingers, instructed him to lean closer for her to be easier to whisper in his ears, since Rukawa was about 20 cms taller than her* Well… She at first wanted to somehow change the way Hiroshi-kun's behaving. But then it all went out of control, and he just becomes wilder and brutal. I don't know… She can't escape, he had become so possesive over her. And now since she can't get out of his reach, she tried to make the best of the situation… Since Hiroshi-kun's rich, Chizu tried to get money from him, and she secretly put it into her mom's family account… *sigh* Chizu thought it was unworthy and called herself dirty because of it, and she kept it secret, she never told any of you, didn't she?

Rukawa : no…

Kazumi : Yeah… Sometimes she wanted so much to be like you, Akira-san… But she can't tell, afraid that her Ka-san would probably punish her and hated by her brothers and sisters… Since now you know, please don't hate her, she had suffered so much… *pauses* She envies you sometimes you know, she told me once… One time you come back from your part-time job and brought your salary, your Ka-san seemed to appreciate you so much… And she told me that she wished to be praised like that just like the way Ka-san did to you…

Rukawa : ….Chizu…

Kazumi : *looks to his side* Oops, here she comes… *winks* Don't tell anybody okay, Akira-san? It's a secret between us… *pulls her head back and waved to Chizu* Let's gooo, Chizu-chaaann

Chizu : *nods, and looked at Rukawa* We'll be going, Ni-san… I'll probably be home tomorrow night…

Rukawa : *nods back* okay…

Kazumi : *waves goodbye to Rukawa* Ja ne, Akira-saann… *winks*

Rukawa only waved back a little and then he locked the gate before he entered the house. In the night, he drowned in the depths of his thoughts. All of his mind was filled about Chizu.

Rukawa : Chizu… You don't have to suffer like that…

(a.n : finish, chap 10's finish… ^__^ Chizu now more looked like a slut, huh? But please don't think of her that way ^__^, the story'll continue onto the next chapterrr… and please please… r n r)