Well here I am again…. Tired…. Thinking of a good plot of the next chapter…. Still, I thank Avon for the help…. I love you… (really…).

DISCLAIMER: SMJ is not mine… If it was… (wahahaha!!) I'll not give a spare to you!!

Just kidding…..

Thanks for the reviews!! Grabe, Mahal ko kayo!!

Chapter 2: Painful Accusations

L I M E

We were about to leave when a strange sound knocked the door. Bloodberry opened it and we saw a drenched Otaru outside. His head was down and slowly it goes up. He looked exhausted. It's really Otaru… our Otaru.

"Otaru!" I happily cried for he had arrived, at last. I want to welcome him a hug as what I used to do to him but I fought the urge to go up to him. I still see the pain in his eyes.

Cherry instantly got a towel from somewhere but Otaru rejected it.

I think he was drunk again, or he has some sort of hang-over as he went to the dining table. He placed both his hands on the table and looked down. He was breathing hard.

Silence.

Roaring thunder broke the hush. It was so loud that I could see Cherry moved a bit, kinda astounded.

Bloodberry came closer to Otaru and even dared to ask a question.

"Otaru, where have you been? We were bothered you didn't go home last night." Bloodberry continued. I want to see more of him so I went near the wall, facing them. "Lime and I were supposed to find you, but you—"

"Well, I'm here now, so don't worry… all of you," said Otaru, still staring at the floor.

"I-I see you're d-drunk. Do you want something to make you… f-feel better?" Cherry suggested, quite uneasy.

"Give me a break, Cherry. No, thanks…"

"But master, I—"

"I said I'm OK. Maybe I need something later… but that would be later." He said with irritation in his voice.

Cherry whimpered— as if she nodded in embarrassment and never managed to talk again.

I could see Cherry's slightly emotional nowadays. She seldom fixed us when we, Bloodberry and I throw bad gags to each other, which was odd... very odd. Before, she would poke us, fully armed with her metal saucepan. Now she's noiseless, unflustered, way different than the old Cherry we used to have. I don't know why. I really don't know why.

I was the one left unspoken. So…

"Um, so what turned out last night?" I asked. I wanted something to make the conversation cheer up a bit. Well, he might tell us a blissful one.

But still…

"…"

I glance at Cherry, but she didn't back me up this time. I looked helplessly at Bloodberry and she found it out right away. She knew that Otaru looks as if I'm missing. He seemed to stay away from me, I guess. Or maybe he just didn't hear me ask him because of that heavy rain outside.

"Lime asks if what had happened to you last night…" she said. "If you… had fun." she added.

'Right', I said in mind.

It took about 10 seconds, and then he replied. "I just… met some old pals and we… ordered saki and talked about many things…"

"Ooh! Friends! That was cool! I'm sure you did have fun, tell me!" I merrily said, not thinking that this talk wasn't actually close to fun.

"…then after that, I spent the rest of the night with… you know…"

Silence.

"L-Lorelei…" he uttered and it's like it sounded hard for him to tell the name. He was looking at me.

I don't know what to say. I felt weird, but I don't feel anything to bother. Maybe the others do. I heard Cherry mumbled "Oh…" and she close her mouth through her hand.

Any thing related to Lorelei makes Bloodberry annoyed. Perhaps she was fed up seeing Otaru like that.

"Otaru! For how long would you wish to stay locked up in your own nightmare?! Aren't you tired?" cracked Bloodberry as she yelled Otaru that echoed the house.

He just looked at her, telling her to stop in silence. Otaru heaved a sigh of annoyance of the whole outburst of Bloodberry.

"Don't start with me." He mumbled.

"Here we go again, Otaru!" said Bloodberry in exasperation. "We're tired of assuring you almost every minute of your wasted life that Lorelei's death has nothing to do with you! When would you stop acting like this?! It wasn't—"

"It has something to do with me! The whole freaky accident has something to do with me!!" Otaru snapped.

Then Cherry had finally found her moment. "B-But you weren't there w-when it happened—"

"Exactly!" he retorted. He stood up abruptly and knocked out his chair. I was really stunned by what Otaru did. What I see in his face was full of mixed emotions: anger, fear, sadness, and loss… regret? Maybe…

Then I was snapped back to reality when I heard him yell, "If I was there, I would have saved her! She would've been fine..."—he said in between sobs—"…she would've been alive—with ME!"

We all had gone speechless. I could hear Cherry's muffled cries. I could see Bloodberry stirred silently. I could sense Otaru shaking and sobbing at the same time. Me? There are certain feelings my heart had produced but I can't tell what should take place. I let out my breath that I don't even know I had held. I pity him, but I pity myself more.

"Otaru, I understand how you—"

"How could you ever understand?!" Otaru cut me off— eyes widening.

"I mean—"

"Why, when have you ever been in love?!"

"…"

"ANSWER ME!"

I was furious and hurt. I was shocked by his words. I couldn't take it anymore. I felt blue. With all these emotions I've got, the only thing I want to do is to get out of here. The thick air between us was really suffocating me. I need to be alone. I don't want them to see me cry, especially him. But I suppose they already caught me, as tears fall down from my very eyes.

Slap!

I was surprised of how things had gone so fast—Cherry even dared to pay back Otaru a slap.

"How could you…!" Cherry hollered to him. Bloodberry held her back but she thrashed her arms to free herself.

Otaru gazed at Cherry's tearful eyes. He just looked at her blankly. Maybe somehow, realizations struck him that his head snapped at me, looking straight at me, solemnly.

He was slowly moving towards to where I'm standing.

"Lime, I…"

"No, don't go near me!"—I gulped between tears—"I've had enough of this. I've promised myself a while ago that I'm gonna bring you back to normal…"—I looked down at my feet—"BUT I FAILED!"—I stared up at him again as I yelled those words in his face.

Silence.

"Let me go on with my life. I think you'd be better off without me. So do I…" at these words—these words, I fled from the room. I don't care if the heaven would cry along with me. I just want to be out of their sight.

I really don't care.

When I came close to the door, it burst open, and in came Hanagata. I said sorry as we bumped each other and ran away.

I heard them calling my name but I rushed myself as my shoes squeaked down the road. I didn't manage to look back for I fear I might be meeting Otaru's eyes. My whole system loves him dearly but nothing's worse to what I have felt for him a while ago. I thought it would be easy for me, but it wasn't.

Lightning mixed up with thunder was really frightening, but I don't even give a damn anymore. Still, I ran; my feet bringing me to nowhere. My tears would've been mixed with the rain too.

How he could possibly knew what I am feeling for him? Why, why he's accusing me without understanding my whole being? Why is he like that? Am I loving the bad side of Otaru? Do I still know him? Or he… does he still know me… as me? As Lime?

I felt my eyes sore from the cold wind that touched my face. I wiped my eyes with my right arm but it doesn't help me to see more clearly.

Minutes later I had come across to a certain place I don't know that exist. I knelt on the wide grassy field, feeling the water sipping through my clothes. Putting both my hands on the ground, I can't help but to grasp the grass due to my anger. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that the world around me would somehow change… wishing this pain in my heart would somehow ebb away.

Thunder roared once again. I was scared that I put my palms on my ears, looked up in the dark sky and screamed at the top of my lungs.

I won't be afraid no matter what awaits me there. I'm no match with this endless rain. I thought heaven would be gentle tolerating me but…

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

I was struck by the lightning, making me unconscious… discharged… almost lifeless. I've encountered many battles from the very start of my being but this was really the nastiest thing that had happened. Now that I am alone, I felt awful… really awful. I fainted.

After a while, I strained myself to open my eyes. It was unclear. I was lying on the ground when I thought the rain had stopped already. I managed to stand but somebody caught me in the arm. The person's other hand had been doing something at my back. I wanna squeal but I think that was too late for me to do.

That shut me off.

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And that was it. I didn't know who could've done this to me. Thanks a lot! That made me more dreadful… helplessly inhaling in this darkness I can't even explain. Well, that was the greatest thing I'm sure Otaru would be making proud of. That's for sure.

Feelings can change everything. Like now…

I wish I could just fade…

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end of Chapter 2… watch out for chapter 3!! R&R! Thanks…