Onna: Standard disclaimers apply desu! Warning! Alternate Universe! Possible OOCness! Pairing Hakkai x Yaone will be the focus of this fic! I suggest you leave if you like otherwise. And please, don't say I didn't warn you and don't try to make me change my mind. Respect my opinions and preferences as I respect yours.

Hakkai: Maa maa, Onna-san...

Yaone: Is this going to be a roller coaster ride?

Kaoru and Kenshin: *nod*

Hakkai and Yaone: *impending sense of doom*

Hakkai: Yare yare desu ne! *smiles*

Yaone: *sweatdrops*

*****

It was in the strangest and most awkward situation that your path and mine was crossed. You were mourning the loss of one you loved. I was mourning the loss of my identity, of being me...

You smiled at me as if nothing bad has ever happened to you... And yet I knew better...

Your eyes glistened with unshed tears... Your smile would sometimes slip into a small frown... Your gaze would penetrate anyone whom you looked at and touch them from the inside out, feeling their pain, and yet they never knew yours...

But I did.

I knew you because I am trying to find out who took her away from you... I met you because I needed you to tell me about her... I needed to know who she was, who she knew, what she was like...

And how she was taken from you...

I thought myself prepared... thought that I could handle anything this job would throw my way...

I told myself never to let my feelings get involved... never to let anyone get too close to me...

But you did... somehow, you got to me...

And I was not prepared for that.

I did not expect that I would love you... did not expect that your presence would take my breath away...

I thought myself prepared. I told myself to harden my heart and not let you know.

But even if I did want to, you can't know...

I cannot tell you that I love you because she still holds your heart, broken though it is, and you continue to hold on to her memory. It is obvious that there is no room for me...

I love you... but you'll never know... And it will hurt me to not let you see... to pretend...

My friend... I love you... I cherish you...

I wish you were mine...

But you belong to her...

I will love you still... and you won't ever know...

Because you don't need to...

I'll say it again, my friend...

I love you...

Cho Hakkai...

*****

Onna: Wa-hoo! Angsty! Hope you guys love this! I'm still trying to tweak the ideas together, but this is just a prologue!

Hakkai: O_^

Yaone: ..... *slaps forehead*