This is my second story on Chika x Satowa. I don't know how long I will be able to write it. But I hope you guys will like this story. Happy Reading!

Note-I doesn't own any characters of this story unless there comes an OC character. They belong to Amyuu sensei.

Kudo Chika was on his knees pleading. Not for his life or anything but for saving the only place he has. Tears rolling down his cheeks. No one might have seen Chika like this. Satowa couldn't help but feel weak and the tears from her eyes started falling down on the ground. She knew how much important the koto club and friends from the club are for him but she understood it again. This boy can go as far as doing dogeza for protecting them. She could remember herself doing it in front of her mom when she wanted to get another koto for the club.

Uzuki felt disgusted. The Chika in front of him seemed like a totally different person than the Chika he was together with. Chika was a person who was always in fights, drenched in blood, lonely, not loved by anyone. No one wanted him, even his mother and father abandoned him. Why the hell Chika is doing such things? He kept looking at Chika and then Abiko punched Chika hard. Blood coming out of his mouth, he fell down on the ground.

"Shall we do as planned Uzuki?" Abiko turned to him and asked.

Without wasting a second Uzuki said, "Yeah!" he closed his eyes.

Abiko smirked and punched Uzuki's face. Uzuki then turned towards Chika, blood oozing out of the wound on his face.

"I'll tell police that this is what you did it to me Chika!" they stood in front of Chika and leaned down closer to him, "And these people were just passing by when they rushed in to save me. In the end, you'll lose everything Chika, the koto club will end and it will be your fault, Chika!" his face had no expressions but that was the scary thing.

Chika could feel how much Uzuki wants to mess with everything Chika had ever hold.

"I'll make a mess of those hands!" Abiko held a rod in his hands aiming for Chika's hand.

Satowa couldn't just stand there seeing them hurting Kudo but what made her fume in anger more was they were aiming to hurt his hands so that he couldn't play koto anymore. How deep in hell could they fall! She closed her eyes and gathered all her courage and ran.

She flung her bag with all her strength in Abiko's face. Chika kept on looking at the person who had come to his aid with hope and more surprise in his eyes. She stood fiercely in front of Chika, becoming a wall between Uzuki and Chika. At first, she looked down, but then looked at Uzuki, tears and fierceness both in her eyes at the same time.

"Hou-" Chika was surprised but worried. He never knew she followed him. He didn't realize.

"Stop screwing!" she yelled at Uzuki, "What's with your stupid 'It's all Chika's fault' thing! I won't let you do as you want anymore!" she just couldn't see them hurting someone she loves. And she had promised herself, that she won't let go of his hand. "I'm taking Kudo home!"

Everyone kept looking at her. Especially Uzuki, he wondered why she was so desperate to be with someone like Chika. What is he for her? Little did he know, he is her strength. And probably more than that.

Satowa turned to Chika. Their eyes met. None of them broke the gaze. She could see concern and surprise in his eyes whereas Chika could see courage, worry and anger. She leaned down on her knees.

"Can you stand?" she asked him, voice shaking a little.

Chika just nodded. She held his hand to support him.

Uzuki just couldn't stand there seeing their small lovey-dovey moment. He can't let her take Chika away. He grabbed the rod from Abiko's hand and went forward to attack Satowa. Luckily, Chika saw him and he pushed her down on the ground covering her head with his hands. Their faces almost touching to each other's. And because of that the rod hurt his back. He shouted in pain.

"KUDO!" Satowa yelled in worry. He got hurt, again, trying to protect her. Even though she was here to protect him, she is the one being protected by him.

Uzuki stepped back because he was taken aback seeing how Chika risked his life protecting her. Chika looked at Uzuki anger filling in his eyes.

"DON'T YOU EVER TRY TO HURT HER!" Chika stood up supporting Satowa to stand up.

"Let's go Kudo!" she held his hand.

They both gave Uzuki and Abiko one last look and turned to leave. Uzuki just stood there having flashes of Chika's last line. His eyes were full of anger, fierceness, love, concern, feelings to protect for Satowa. And Uzuki doesn't seem to get rid of this.

…

By the time Chika and Satowa got out of that place, it was almost dawn. She wanted to wait for others to come but Chika was injured and she needed to dress his wounds. They were standing in front of a park so she made him sit on the bench.

"Just wait here, I will come back!" she told Chika before turning to leave but something stopped her.

Chika held her hand looking down at the ground. She looked at him with a question mark on her face.

"Don't go!" he softly and quietly said. His hands were still shaking. Even though he had done a lot of fights, he couldn't pretend he was okay. He was still concerned about everyone else and of course Satowa. He was afraid if Uzuki does something worse to them.

"Give me a minute, I will be back, I promise." She kept her other hand on his reassuringly.

He let go of her hand and she left. His back was still hurting. The wounds on his face were painful. He laid on the bench one hand on his eyes, waiting for Satowa when suddenly the rain started pouring. He let out a sigh but didn't get up. He laid there just like that making himself wet in the rain.

Satowa had just come in front of the park when it started raining. She looked around the bench to see whether Kudo went somewhere for taking shelter but she saw him right there laying on the bench drenched in the rain. She ran towards him.

"Kudo! What are you doing? You're drenched!" she asked him.

He took a look at her and sat straight on the bench. He didn't reply. The rain stopped. She looked at the sky and then looked at Kudo. She sat beside him. Then she took out the ointment from her bag and started applying on his wounds. He did not move even a bit. Nor did he stop her from doing it. He was just looking at her as she applied band-aids to his wounds. She closed her bag as she kept the ointment and other remaining band-aids in her bag.

Chika suddenly pulled her in a hug burying his head in the gap of her neck and shoulder. His one hand supporting her head and the other around her waist. She was dumbfounded by his sudden action. Chika didn't wish to let her go. He wanted to thank her for protecting him. He wanted to tell her how grateful he was for having her in his life. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to her but right now, he had no courage to express his feelings in words.

Tears started rolling out of his eyes and he was able to whisper a few words in her ears, "Arigatou, Satowa!" he removed his hand from her head, kept it on her waist and embraced her tightly

Satowa could hear his soft sobs. It was for the first time he had said her name. Her heart beats became faster and she could feel heat rising on her cheeks. She didn't wish to let go either. She wanted to make sure he was okay. She wanted to take away all his pain. She slowly hugged him back, one of her hands on his head caressing his hair softly. And they remained like that on that bench for a few minutes.

Worrying that it might start raining again, she broke the hug.

"Let's go to my house, it's near from this park." She stood up taking her bag.

Chika wanted to decline and probably she knew it so she held his hand and started pulling him slowly as he was injured. He then just quietly kept walking beside her, their hands still connected.

…

Satowa opened the door and he followed her. After changing into slippers, they went inside.

"Isn't Houzuki-san home?" he asked her as he found no one in the house.

"She has gone for a koto event." She replied keeping the bag in her room.

Chika has been in that house before he was feeling something weird today. Maybe because he was there alone with Satowa? He was sitting in the main room. Satowa came back in a few minutes.

"The bathwater has been heated; you can have a bath." She told him.

"Eh? No, it's okay. I will have one after I go home." He insisted.

"Shut up! Take the bath and have dinner here properly. Isaki-san isn't home, right? You won't eat anything after going home. I know you!" she told him.

"How do you know Isaki isn't home?" he asked.

"That doesn't matter." She replied and handed him a towel and a kimono. "Change into these, your clothes are wet and dirty because of the rain."

"Kimono?" he looked at her.

"It's my father's. Sorry I don't have anything else to give you." She shyly apologized.

"It's okay, thanks!" he left.

After Chika, Satowa went to take bath. As Satowa was done with her bath, they both had dinner together. It was little awkward or weird so no one talked. Satowa had already messaged Takaoka-kun and the koto club about them and that she will explain everything to them in the school tomorrow.

After the dinner was over, they both sat in the engawa (outer corridor leading to the garden). The rain had stopped but the weather was cold and windy. No one spoke. Satowa looked at Chika who was immersed in thinking something looking outside. He looked really handsome in the kimono. She shook her head to let go of these thoughts for now. she wanted to know about him more. Last time when they were on their way to her house, she wanted to ask him about his mother. She knew that his father had abandoned him. So, she turned to him.

"Na Kudo, where is your mother?" she asked hesitatingly.

"She left us when I was 2 years old." He replied plainly not even turning his gaze. "She left with another man." He added further.

Her eyes widen in surprise. He was away from a mother's love ever since he was a child. She couldn't ask him anything further. She was afraid that it might hurt him. She decided to keep quiet. But Chika was thinking something different. He wanted to tell her everything. The words that have been killing him inside. The feelings he never got to express. Everything he has put the lid on closing it.

"He had told me that ever since I was born, his life had been a hell." He told her. She looked at him understanding that he was talking about his father. "And that he can't love me, ever." He added.

His eyes were full of sadness and loneliness. She could feel how hurt he was. As a child, everyone needs their parents' love and warmth and he didn't receive any of those. His existence was hated.

"I wonder why was I named Chika with the kanji of love in my name." he chuckled. "Don't give such a name when you don't want to love." his voice broke as he let go of the tears in his eyes.

"I hate my name so much now! " he covered his eyes with his hands. Satowa felt so helpless. He was really broken but she doesn't know what to do for him.

Chika's life was in darkness. But then his grandpa pulled him out of that and Tetsuki helped him giving Chika his friendship and Sane, Mitsu and Kota were with him. He joined the Koto club, he met Takezou senpai and he learnt to trust someone. He then met her. At first, she was arrogant genius Koto player. They fought a lot over stupid things. Slowly, they started to understand each other. The little bit of hatred he first had for her turned into admiration. He wanted to become like her, to catch up to her. And slowly those feelings of admiration were blooming into something Chika would have never imagined.

For Satowa, she can admit to herself that she is in love with him. He was the person who had saved her in many ways. She got stronger than before thanks to him. She wants him to catch up to her soon. She wants to be by his side. Even though she had decided to keep those feelings to her, she loves him, deeply.

"For me, your name is perfect for you." He looked at her, eyes red and puffed because of crying. She was smiling even though she had tears in her eyes. "Because you know how to give love, Chika." And she had finally said it, his name, smiling affectionately.

Chika's eyes widened as he heard his name. Her voice had made it sound so beautiful. His heart skipped a few beats. She made it sound like it was the most wonderful thing he had. And then he smiled fondly looking at her, feeling grateful for what he has now. The darkness that Uzuki had started to build around Chika, fading away due to the light slowly.