Chapter Three

"Keep her out my soul,

Always keep her where I can't lose control…

Oh no…

I've fallen, I feel it,

I just can't believe it…

How much that I need her right now…

I'm gonna keep her in my mind,

Just to keep her out my heart,

Cause I don't really need to fall in love,

Before we even start.

I know inside that she's the angel of my soul,

She's the answer to my prayer,

I'll keep her out of sight because,

They say that love is blind…

So I'll just keep her in mind…

She's my angel…She's my soul…

I don't want to lose control…

Intoxicating…so amazing…"

-Keep Her In Mind

Yukari looked at George again, but this time she looked vaguely nervous. She bit her lip softly.

"No, I…I really should probably get going…"

"Why?" asked George, before he could stop himself. Seeing her again was like scratching an itch which had been bothering him for years. She filled a gap which fashion never could.

"It wouldn't be proper for me to stay out so late…well…considering what we used to be…"

"I get it," George breathed softly, looking her directly in the eyes. "It's Tokomuri, right?"

Yukari's eyes widened and then reverted to normal. There was no emotion behind them this time. "How do you know about Hiro?"

George took a few paces backwards and sat down on the sofa again, lifting his leg slowly and resting his arm on it. "News travels fast. Miwako told me ages ago."

"I see," Yukari faltered, her dark eyes darting back and forth desperately. She calmly walked over to a chair near George and sat down delicately. "Have you spoken about it recently?"

George shook his head numbly, his blue eyes becoming cold again. Talking about this was painful enough – why would he have talked to Miwako about it in anymore detail than necessary? He'd skirted around the topic in his collected way, so as not to arouse suspicion. Nevertheless, he knew about Hiro and it hurt him more than words could describe. But he would never tell this to anyone, let alone Yukari.

"I see," repeated Yukari, looking down at her hands again. She swallowed and a few tears dripped down onto her hands. George felt concern seeping over him. He shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to throw his arms around her, tell her that he loved her, tell her everything…

But instead, frozen by his fear of affection, he blinked at her and scrabbled for words. She continued to sob silently, the tears falling freely onto her lap. George's brain suddenly kicked into action.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, feebly. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what else to say. From what Miwako had told him, Hiro and Yukari were a happy couple. So had she come over to talk to him about her love life troubles? He felt that anger creeping over him again. He gritted his teeth and waited for her reply. But instead her hand went up to her face as she continued to cry into it.

George closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yukari, if you've come here to cry to me about your relationship with another guy then you've got me all wrong."

The dark hair shifted, and the two russet orbs glared at George indignantly. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, George."

George was taken aback by the sudden outburst and stared agog as anger on Yukari's part began to flare. She had fire in her eyes, of the mean kind.

"You ruined everything for me! You know I could have been happy with Hiro, married with children and a good home. But instead I'm stuck here talking to you. You, who wouldn't know love if it hit him smack in the face!"

She stood up, her fists clenched. George was unmoving, stunned by the words which were erupting from the elegant woman's mouth. He'd never seen her like this before. And as the meaning of the words sank in, he realised that he had completely overstepped the mark with his words. He felt instantly foolish and at fault. He cast his eyes down.

"And you know what else? I never did anything to make you like this George! All I ever wanted was to be by your side! Remember when you said it was making you sick? Well I'm sick too! Sick of a guy who doesn't understand the meaning of love! I'm sorry I came."

She stood up abruptly and walked towards the door for the second time. George was feeling so many emotions which he'd kept pent up for such a long time. He was angry, sad, guilty and depressed. But most of all he was in love. And he'd never taken the time to think about the implications of such an emotion.

He felt the tears staining his cheeks and he didn't care. Silently he let them come, feeling only frustration and shame. He suddenly realised that she was nearly at the door, about to walk out of his life again. For the second time he got up and, without thinking, ran after her.

"Yukari wait!"

She didn't even turn around but marched even more confidently towards the door. He felt his heart sink in desperation. But he knew what had to be done. He had to stop keeping her in his mind to keep her out of his heart. He had to let her in. He had to tell her exactly what he felt, even if she didn't feel the same.

"Yukari, I love you! I love you so much! Please, please don't go…please…"

The figure who was about to slam the door behind her once more froze. Yukari's shoulders shook with tears but this time she didn't turn around. George swallowed, realising he'd got her attention and took a deep breath.

"I never meant to hurt you…I'm sorry if I did. I always loved you, right from the start. Every little thing that happened to us meant the world to me, and no matter how much fame and money I get…nothing compares to the way I feel when I'm with you. But I've been a coward for too long. I never told you…never realised all this until it was too late. I chose to walk away from the best thing that ever happened to me, all because I was a stubborn child. I'm older now…I accept that my past actions will have implications on my future and…I know that you've got your own life and your own path but…I just wanted you to know that I still love you. And I always will."

The icy eyes were leaking tears. George looked towards the floor and wiped his face with his fist. He felt like such an idiot, showing so much weak emotion…but he'd do anything for Yukari.

Now he'd told her it felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. If she walked out right now and he never saw her again then he'd have no guilt. He would know that he had done everything he could to get her back. But he also accepted that sometimes you only get one chance.

Yukari turned around once more, her face dripping with tears. But she still looked beautiful as ever. George couldn't even bear to look at her. Softly, she used her sleeve to wipe away the tears which were running down her face. She sniffed, gradually regaining her composure. A few moments passed in silence.

"Hiro and I broke up," stated Yukari, suddenly. George's head shot upwards to see the honest face of the woman looking directly at him. He felt withered under her gaze. He blinked and felt an overwhelming relief – though nothing had yet been resolved.

"I'm…sorry," he replied, untruthfully. The dark eyes looked at the floor and the model sniffed again.

"Hiro wanted us to get married. He proposed to me and I accepted. But as the day drew nearer I started to think about things…to think about…you…"

George's icy eyes narrowed. He was getting so many mixed signals from Yukari, he felt dizzy. He wanted to rush over and kiss her…but he knew that he had to maintain focus. This wasn't about what he wanted. He'd been selfish enough already.

Yukari looked up again. "I started to get doubts. Big doubts. I started to think that maybe Hiro wasn't the right one for me. I never said anything to Hiroyuki but he sensed that something was awry. I told him everything was fine…but he wouldn't drop it. Finally he called the wedding off. He said that if I wasn't prepared to get over you…then there was no sense in us being together. I told him that I was over you…that we never saw each other anymore…that we'd never be together again. But Hiro just laughed and said that it was only a matter of time. He said it was over. I cried, bitterly. And not really because of Hiro. Because I knew the whole time that I'd ruined my whole life for the sake of some designer who doesn't even love me."

George felt his head droop in disgrace again. He'd ruined her whole life and what the hell for? She'd done nothing but try to love him and he'd pushed her away. His hunched figure seemed to be mere pieces of the man who once was George Koizumi. No more superficiality…no more pretence…no more composure…just a raw Johji, who felt very pathetic.

Suddenly he sensed a presence and he looked up. Yukari was standing mere inches away from him, looking imploringly into his eyes…searching for some truth in them. He knew she must be doubting that he his words were filled with veracity but he didn't know how to prove it to her. He looked back, trying to let everything go…let himself be himself. So deeply inset was his intense protective mechanism, that it was a strain to do so.

Yukari's face softened into a smile. "I guess I was wrong."

George felt a sudden liberation. She wasn't going to run away and leave him to drown in his sorrow. She wasn't going to let this lie. She was potentially going to come back and possibly for good. He felt her arms tousling in his shirt and his heart began to race. Those eyes…

"Yukari, are you sure this is what you really want?"

The young woman nodded softly and nudged her nose closer to George's. "Isn't it what you want?"

"Yes but…only if you're sure. This time we have to get it right."

"We will," assured Yukari, as George wrapped his arms around her tightly, drawing her close. Her familiar smell was comforting to him and made him instantly feel that the gap which had been so prominent in his life, was finally going to disappear.

Without another word, their lips met once more, and everything that had once been was again. Neither of them needed to say anymore because nothing else was left to be said. Everything was restored to its former glory, and George realised that this was his inspiration for everything.

This was his Paradise Kiss.

The End

-x-

Authors notes: In this chapter I used some lines from Yukari's thinking pattern in the third issue of the manga. Just so you are aware, I wasn't stealing lines, I was merely using them to add effect to what Yukari was saying in relation to her character in the book. Thanks.

Whelp, that's the end of the story. Fluffy stuff, and it didn't take me too long to write but I enjoyed it all the same. It's refreshing to write with different characters, and I'll possibly write another PK one…

Any requests for a character/shipping centre for a short story? I'll write pretty much anything these days. Leave me a review and I'll see what I can do for you.

Thanks once again to all those who have reviewed, and thanks in advance to all those who will review in the future. You guys inspire me to write! (:

Take care of yourselves,

-Chibi-