Izumi smiled.

"Get away from me!" Meroko screamed. "Just…just get away!" A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Meroko…" Izumi held out his hand. "I don't hate you." He tried to assure her that all was okay.

"Don't TOUCH me!" She screamed. "You…you did this! This is all your fault! Why did you do this to me? What have I done to deserve this…this…this torture!" She screamed and thrashed her head from side to side. "Was it because I loved you! Is it because you didn't want to hurt me because you've never loved before!" She screamed and smacked his hand away.

He felt his body start to shake. "Push her away…" The voices inside him screamed. "Make her hate you. Then she'll never be hurt." His conscious was at war with his heart.

"Well! Why did you do this!" She screamed. More tears.

"I hate it when women cry." He mumbled. It took all his might to not grab a hold of her and squeeze her so hard that all this pain would be constricted out. He wanted to save her.

But he only hurt people.

"Izumi!" She sobbed. "Izumi, why don't you answer –"She was cut off.

"I don't love you." He looked away. Lie he said inside. "I don't want you to get in the way of my business." He avoided eye contact. Lie again he snarled to himself. "This is childish." He crossed his arms. Why am I saying this? he wanted to stab himself. The pains of his words were overbearing.

Her face was blank. She filled with tears. The rain hid them well as they passed down her ever-so-slightly pink cheeks. The only way he knew that she was crying was the choking coming from her throat and the distorted look on her face. Her hands covered her eyes.

"That's why I've offered you up as the partner for some new guy." He shrugged.

She never looked at him. She never smiled and brushed it off. She never hit him in rage. She just turned and ran. He could hear her tears. Her head was screaming. "Is this my PUNISHMENT God! Is this what I get for KILLING MYSELF?" She cried harder.

The rain continued.

Izumi sighed and felt a part of his heart crack. He gripped his hat and pulled it down farther over his golden locks. "I hate playing the bad guy…" He rubbed his face and felt the urge to cry uncontrollably.

He'd lost her.

His shining light.