Disclaimer: I do not own anything but this chapter is mine.
A/N: So I started writing this right after I've uploaded my most recent one-shot (Sinful; sorry for my shameless advertisement!). I have a lot of plans for this chapter and I hope I'd be able to put them all in here. And hopefully, this chapter is not something I'd end up uploading after three months 'cause that would've sucked. Anyway, just in case (11/26/2018: 8:13 PM MNL)
PS: Hope my boss doesn't see me writing this, lol!

Anyway, read on!

-A

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No one was able to know how much pain Ayuzawa Misaki has seen, how much torture she had undergone and how many deaths she had witnessed.

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Fifteen:

My mind was filled with nothing but Usui Takumi.

When I arrived at my first subject, I was mortified to realize that the class was already starting. The Professor shot me an annoyed glare before sending me to my seat. As a form of revenge, he gave me an equation that took me more than five minutes to solve in front of the class. I could almost hear the giggles of my classmates behind me and when I was done (thank God the answer was correct), he'd snorted at me and sent me back on my seat again; but not without a warning about my attendance.

The clock ticking in the classroom sounded like a bomb about to go off. I was dreading lunch period. I didn't know how to face Takumi just hours after kissing him. I heaved out a deep breath to calm myself. I could almost feel my skin burn due to extreme embarrassment at the thought of facing Usui Takumi in a few minutes. Glancing nervously at my wristwatch, I wondered about the things I should tell him; pondering if he's able to handle those sort of things. When the bell finally rang, signifying the end of 2nd period, I nearly jumped out of my seat.

My mind was hazy as I gather my stuff when I heard the hushed whispers around me. Confused, I glanced around only to see nothing. I was chewing on my bottom lip while striding out of the classroom and towards the Library when the shade of blonde flashes on my peripheral view I nearly got a whiplash at the speed I snapped my head towards the direction.

And standing in all of his glory, leaning by the wall with his hands tucked inside his trousers' pockets was none other than Usui Takumi.

"What the—gah." I was stunned at the sight of him; completely caught off guard since I wasn't expecting him here but rather on the Library. I wondered if he told me that he'd come here to pick me up yet was unable to hear it since I've blacked out while walking towards Math class. Then, the confusion turned to embarrassment. What if he came here not for me but for another student?

I'm such a fool, dammit!

"Your face is funny." He says as he walks up to me; successfully ignoring the members of the female population around us who're all very obvious while gawking at us. "I thought I'd come here to pick you up."

I did my best to focus on the matter at hand and not on his handsome face. "I thought we're supposed to meet up somewhere?"

He shrugs and makes a move to get my bag from me. "I wanted to see you as soon as I can. And have you already forgotten? I can't leave you alone."

Just a few safe distance from us, I thought I heard somebody shriek before dropping dead on the floor. I rolled my eyes over his response even if I, myself, also wanted to drop dead like a frickin' fly. "Well, I'm kinda used with you not leaving me alone. Especially since you think I'm a problem student."

"I still think that you're a problem student. But you know what I mean when I said I can't leave you alone."

I was overwhelmed by his words and was quick to look into another direction before making my way towards the Library. He was instantly beside me, my bag slung on his shoulder as we walked shoulder-to-shoulder in awkward silence. I sighed. "You didn't have to carry my bag, you know?"

"Isn't that what boyfriends do?" when I coughed at the word boyfriend, Takumi actually had the nerve to laugh. When I glared at him, he raised both hands in surrender. "What? You said we'd try. Don't tell me you're going to take back your words?"

"I-I didn't say anything." I whispered; mortified and embarrassed at the same time. His chuckle was dark and low; and for some odd reason, his laughter seemed to have reverberated on my chest, sending sparks tingling all over my skin and veins. I heaved out a sigh; reveling on the pleasure his laughter presents on my entire being before turning to him. "It's so unfair…"

"Which one?" Takumi sounded confused. And even his expression looked extra adorable.

Oh, God. I truly, truly adore this human. In the end, throwing a great deal of my precaution in the air, I opted for extreme honesty while keeping my attention on my hand; my face was burning like a red tomato. "I get affected on the little things you do it's so unfair. You told me this morning that you can't seem to keep your hands to yourself when I'm with you. Well, tell you what. I'm feeling exactly the same thing it's almost a sin. You don't know how much I wanted to touch you… to possess you—all of you—"

I winced when I was suddenly grabbed by my arm. And next thing I realized, I was being dragged into a corner of the hallway with not much student roaming around. My forehead creased when Takumi almost hauled me to the emergency exit and crushed me to his chest; his intense heartbeat loud and clear against my ear.

Startled, I struggled to break free. "What the hell—"

"I should be the one saying that." He says; his breathing ragged and his lips pressed against my ear. I tried leaning away from him due to the discomfort of being too close but he held the back of my head; securing me in place and preventing any form of movement. "That was very, very dangerous, Ayuzawa."

And before I could even realize what he was about to do, I was stunned when his mouth suddenly closed in on the skin where my neck and shoulder meets; biting me with so much force it was almost painful. I struggled to break from him but he was still holding me down in place. And when he finally lets go of my shoulder, my entire body froze when his tongue graze the bite mark as though he was trying to ease the pain he inflicted.

I relaxed into his embrace, feeling my entire body heat up before running my fingers on his biceps. I leaned away from him and stare into the deep green of his eyes; allowing myself to get lost in them and, in a moment of recklessness, activated my own curse—wondering how much of me he could handle. Because if we're going to tread on this… dangerous path, I need to know how much he could handle… how much he could accept… how much luck he has to avoid a death contraption like me.

Takumi seemed startled for a moment; his green eyes rounding in a mixture of surprise and amusement. His green eyes glowed as an after effect of my glowing eyes and before I could even take a guess of what and how he's going to react, he held the back of my head and pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

I was stunned by the… tenderness his kiss presented. It was something I haven't experience before… and something I didn't expect to experience from him. Still stunned, I escaped his gripped and locked my eyes on him. "I truly don't have an effect on you, don't I?"

He chuckled darkly. "No. You have an effect on me. I'm only a man, after all."

Scowling at him, I said, "You know what I mean."

"I guess I do. But you know what I mean as well." He lifted my hand and places a soft kiss on my knuckle before dragging me out of the emergency staircase and into the suddenly noisy hallway. Sometimes, it was just so easy to get lost in our own private, little bubble. "Now, can we now go to the Library?"

I frowned at the realization that we've wasted so much time flirting around in the staircase. "Hey, you're the one who keeps hauling me to dark places."

"Trust me, if it's just the two of us, I'd probably do more than kissing your knuckles and biting you on the neck. You don't know how much I crave your company, Ayuzawa."

Ah, darn it.

.

When I felt Takumi's leg enclosed mine, I was quick to untangle myself from his legs and frown at him.

He chuckles, snaps his book shut and stares at me; one hand underneath his chin. "We don't have to pretend that we're here to study, Ayuzawa."

Right. I almost forgot that we both came here for answers. I sighed. I didn't want to share this to him. But then again, his resolution and determination to find out everything about what I am was admirable. There really is something odd about him and his cousins. They all like to embrace the danger that I am.

I sighed again. "What do you want to know?"

"Hey, don't look like I was forcing something in you." He admonishes; his lips tight and formed in a grim line. "You agreed with my conditions."

"Hence, the question." I pointed out. "If I'm going to tell you something, then it should be something that you wished to know—something that you're interested to know. Something that I can tell you earnestly about because you asked about it."

"Fair enough." He says before leaning on the backrest of his seat; one hand under his chin. And under the bright light peeking through the windows of the Library, his features were sharpened and perfected I couldn't help but think if he's the inhuman one and not I. I waited patiently for his questions while marveling into the wonderful sight that was Usui Takumi. When he finally thought of one, he leaned forward the table; both of his pallid arms crossed on the desk separating us. "Alright, I've thought of one."

I nodded; equally eager and anxious to respond to his questions. "Ask away."

"While we were at the car yesterday… if you know what I mean. I heard a voice." I nodded for him to continue. He went on. "I thought the voice belongs to you but it wasn't. It belonged to someone else—but still familiar. The voice said that it misses me… that it's been waiting for me for a very long time. Did you happen to hear that as well?"

I happen to hear that as well. And the confusing part was the truth that it wasn't my voice. "I heard that… and it wasn't me. I wasn't even thinking about it. Frankly, I was panicking during that time… if you know what I mean."

"So you can't explain what happened during that time, huh?"

"I don't think I can. But I have a theory." When his eyebrow arched, I went on with my 'theory'. "I think… the voice that you hear were… voices of my memories—of the previous generation, I mean. There is only one person per generation who holds the curse and there is usually only one person outside of our family unaffected by it. And most of the time, that person would end up as my ancestor's mate—being unaffected by the curse and all. My mother used to say that when she met my father as well, they heard voices."

"Could it be the voice of your first ancestor?"

"Hii?" I muttered absentmindedly, confused. "Are you saying that we're reincarnations? That I am my grandmother's reincarnation and you're the reincarnation of my great-great grandfather?"

"Hey, I'm about to believe just about everything now. I mean, it was a very distinct voice. But at the same time, it sounded exactly like you. And since you're the one with the curse… what if you are truly your grandmother's reincarnation? And it was her voice that I was hearing—and not just simply the voices of your ancestors? Because it was a single and distinct voice—not voices."

I opted for honesty. "I don't have an answer for that…" I ended up biting my lip; partially confused before clenching my fist tightly. "Maybe I should call my Mom."

"Maybe. Now, my second question is, how did it originate? Where did you get it? The curse, I mean?"

It was an easy enough question. "As I've said a while ago, the source was from my great-great-great grandmother, Hii. She… fell in love with someone—my grandpa. But there was another woman that loved my grandfather. When they married, she killed herself. And the mother of the… other woman went to our estate; her daughter's blood in a pail and she bathed our land with her daughter's blood while cursing us with… what I have now."

"So you charm people, is that it?"

"Involuntarily, yes. It's not my intention though. And I wore a protective charm to… in the least, minimized the effect of the curse."

"You mean that?" when he pointed out the leather band on my right wrist, I nodded. Takumi proceeded with his next question. "The student who killed himself last month… was it because of the curse?"

I couldn't help but frown upon the reminder of the ugly memory. But since it was one of his questions, I've got no choice but to provide an answer. Besides, this will be the first time I'd ever have the chance to actually tell him my side of the story. "I didn't know what happened—to be honest. I was hiding my face all along so I've been wondering how he was able to see me. Usually, the… victims couldn't take the appearance—my appearance. Usually, they are too free with their hands. The rare moments are when they can't handle so much of the… appearance that they'd end up getting violent."

"What do you mean by they can't handle the appearance?"

"I mean, look at me." I made a show of pointing out myself even if his eyes were already locked in on me. "Some people can be regarded as so… beautiful that they are reaching the point that they wanted to kill that person if they can't have them. My curse lies behind my eyes. I appear too… attractive to a normal human's eyes… then comes the obsession… then comes the desire to possess… and if unable to, then comes the desire to kill. The stages are very rapid. Once someone places their sight on me—the curse immediately takes action. I didn't think he would kill himself. And even if I did… my position prevented me from doing anything. I guess, in that way… I can be blamed for his death."

"And those men who attacked you and Maria?"

"That, I'm not going to deny. I really wanted them to kill themselves. I—when I was still under the belief that Maria was no younger than sixteen—and to be put in such a situation wherein those… disgusting men are around her; planning to attack her… I guess I just blacked out for a moment."

"I guess… I'm pretty much thankful for the blackout. Maria has always been targeted by… immoral people like that because she looked vulnerable. Everybody thinks they can play her around due to the blonde hair."

"That's a bit subjective."

"She got used to it, eventually. But of course, what happened was too much. Fortunately enough, our older brother had dealt with those people accordingly so rest assured that you won't be seeing them in here anymore."

His eyes were suddenly intense that what I did was to quickly look down on my clasped fingers. I didn't like the way he was looking at me as though he's seen something on my face. And honestly, it bothered me. "I can pretty much defend myself and you know that."

"I know." My head was quick to snap on him when he suddenly leaned forward me; his fingers brushing against my cheekbone. There was some sort of emotion in his eyes that caught me off guard and, as though he felt my surprise as well, he was quick to lean away; his hands clenched into fists on the table.

For a moment, I was confused by the sudden change in his demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Tell me more."

"Then ask away."

"It's not really a question. More of a… memory from when I was still a kid." When I arched an eyebrow at him, he went on. "I used to hear voices, you know? When I was a kid, I mean."

My forehead creased at that. "Voices?'

"Not really voices." Takumi squared his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's just a single, distinct voice actually—the same voice I've heard yesterday while we're in the car. I can't really remember much what it says to me but I knew it was the same voice—the same person. But after hearing that voice yesterday… I'm starting to think she was saying the same thing—a bit different but has the same meaning. Something about… waiting for me for a long time, missing me. I thought I was going crazy."

I couldn't understand a thing he was saying. It was all new to me—being put in such a situation like this; being overly exposed to raw… human emotions. But still, I made a mental note about it so I can ask my mother once I called her—if my father had experience the same thing during their meeting. But then again, my hesitation to ask my mother about Usui Takumi is the fact that if I did so, it's like acknowledging his presence—possibly long-term—in my life… and the very obvious dangers and difficulties he might experience by being with me.

"What's wrong?" he asks after a moment of awkward silence. "Did I say something wrong?"

I stared at him again; wondering if he would still look at me in the same way… in the same manner once he experienced the same thing my father did by being with my mother and me. And the thought of him not having any sense of normalcy in life because of me… him hating me, blaming me for the difficulties he might face in life because of me—because of what I am—is enough to drive me guilty.

How could I steal his future? Destroy him? Once we're too far out in the future… would he be able to handle it? When just remembering those ugly memories is enough to drive me insane—

"Ayuzawa."

In the end, I opted out for honesty. "I'm sorry, I can't do this."

"What do you—" I didn't allow him to finish anymore as I quickly jumped off my seat and gathered my things; leaving him to his own devices. But before I could even completely run off, Takumi was much quicker when he managed to grabbed me by the wrist; dragging me towards the empty seat next to him. "What is it now, Ayuzawa?" he hissed scathingly against my ear.

"I told you already. I can't do this!" I hissed back at him; forcing myself to not get drawn by the green intensity that was his eyes. "I was careless… allowing myself to get drawn in. It was dangerous—I am dangerous! Can't you see that?"

When I tried to look away from him, I ended up wincing when he held my chin tightly and forced me to gaze into his penetrating emerald eyes. "Look at me."

"No!"

"Damn you, look at me." His fingers holding my chin up dig deeper into my skin that I ended up without a choice and stares into his eyes. And once again, I was overwhelmed by his searching gaze. Takumi sighed; his cool breath fanning against my face which made it all the more difficult to focus on my point. "Danger where? I only see you."

"You're making a huge mistake by being with me, Usui." I threatened. "You've seen what I've seen. In some… odd way, you managed to see through my memories, yet, you still wanted to be with me? Are you wrong in the head?"

"I guess I am… when it's about you." He let out a small smile—something he rarely does—before getting my bag and placing it back down on the floor. "And did you think I'm the type to say yes even after seeing what you've been through? If you think I'm the type to give up easily, you're in for quite a disappointment."

"That is so unfair."

Because it truly was. It was so unfair for him to place such a huge responsibility on my shoulders—such as his safety. And it was all the more unfair because any time he chooses, he can leave me all on my own… and it was unfair to stir up the hope in me that has long disappeared—that I have shunned ever since I came into the realization that I will never be normal; or that life will never come easy for me.

Takumi released a soft sigh and releases me as well; but not without brushing his knuckles against the skin of my frozen cheek. "Just try… with me. I swear you won't regret it."

And when he says things like that, darn it, but how am I supposed to say no?

.

"I didn't see you guys at Lunch period. You're not out flirting around with Takumi-sama, aren't you? Because that is plain cheap, Ayuzawa!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes over what Sakura said. Gingerly, I plopped down on the vacant space next to her by the bleachers and watched as some of our classmates played volleyball. It was Gym and since I didn't want to encounter any problems today by 'accidentally' smashing someone with a ball during game time, I decided to simply idle around by the bleachers with Sakura and Shizuko—who is currently burning holes on me.

I frowned at her. "Don't glare at me like that. I surely didn't hypnotize your cousin into submission. And even if I could, I would've hypnotized him into staying away from me."

Shizuko shrugged. "So, what are you two's status now? Officially."

"Well…" I struggled on how to answer that. Because honestly, this was the first time someone actually asked me about my official relationship with someone. "—you could say we agreed to try."

"Try what?"

I want to thank Shizuko for being so dumb sometimes. "We agreed to try… to be in a relationship. I mean, I did everything that I could—all necessary precautions. But darn it your cousin is persistent."

"Known trait." She says and stares back into the court again. "I'm sure he asked you questions."

"Yeah, he did. And I gave him all the warnings I need to give him. But he said he's not the type to back off easily." When Sakura threw me a water bottle, I was quick to easily catch it.

"Guess he's serious about you." Sakura says while watching the game before us. "I'm glad you two manage to… sort things out. About damned time."

When I glanced at her, she was still so focused on watching the game. But I know sadness when I see one. Guilt ate me up instantly and before I could even say something that might get me in trouble—or that might piss her off big time—Shizuko grabbed me by the arm; squeezing it tightly and, with her eyes still on the court, she shakes her head. It was a few seconds later when I heard the sniffing beside me.

"You better take good care of Takumi-sama, you freak." She says while sniffing; tears running down her cheeks as she wipes them brusquely. "I'll hunt you if you hurt him."

I stared at Sakura in extreme disbelief while Shizuko continued with the pretense that she was interested on the game. This was an attitude that I did not expect from Sakura Hanazono. When she was done crying as if nothing happened, she turned to me again; eyes puffy and red.

"You're my friend and I'm genuinely happy for you. From now on, I'd set aside my feelings for Takumi-sama out of respect for you—and I'm not one to respect anyone easily! So be honored!"

"I-I am." Was all I was able to say in agreement to what she said. Because knowing Sakura's personality, I'm quite certain that she wouldn't want any answers aside from that. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet!" when I offered her a box of tissue, she grabbed it off my hand harshly and blows her nose inelegantly. And frankly speaking, this is how I like her. She's always been trying her best to act womanly when, in truth, it wasn't her real personality. And I like Sakura simply the way she is.

With a defeated sigh, I touch her shoulder and smiled at her—ignoring her painful glare. "Thank you, Sakura. I appreciate it… I mean it."

She hmmped! at me rudely and focuses on the game again while still sniffing. I had to swallow a laugh or I'll get killed. And I was so engrossed at the moment that I didn't even notice Sakurai-kun when he walked away from us—both his eyes and his face dark.

.

"Can I have a word with you?"

I paused on my tracks upon hearing those words and was quick to glance at the direction of the voice; easily spotting Kuuga Sakurai. My forehead creased as I looked around first, wondering if he was talking to me before pointing out myself. "Me?"

He rolled his eyes sardonically. "Obviously. Is there anyone else in here that I'd bother to speak with?"

Huh. Wow. I ignored the sarcasm and face him; one eyebrow arched. "Is there a problem?"

"Where's Sakura?"

"I'm not sure. But probably she's almost done with her last period. We're planning to meet up after. Want to come with us?"

"As if I'd want to be seen hanging out with you people." He says with another roll of his eyes. "Anyway, I've seen her bawling her eyes out a while ago at Gym. You're Usui's girlfriend, right? I suggest you put a leash on that guy so he wouldn't go around making girls fall for him. It's annoying."

I was momentarily stunned. "Excuse me?"

"And how could you let Sakura bawl her eyes out over that guy? Is she stupid or something? Chasing after some guy who would probably lead her on."

"She's actually not—"

"Hey, Ayuzawa! What's taking you so long?!" I glanced past Sakurai-kun's shoulder in time to see Sakura walking towards us with an equally confused and irritated look on her face. Upon spotting her fiancé, her mood was quick to turn into a complete three-sixty. "The heck are you doing here?! Are you bullying my friend?!"

"Funny you'd consider this idiot a friend when she's letting you pine after her boyfriend."

"The heck are you talking about?!" Sakura screamed; her face red out of obvious irritation and embarrassment. I was quick to rush over her to stop her when she almost lurched forward to attack Sakurai who simply avoided her and flexed his knuckles. But he's a fool if he's thinking that he can very well hide his expression when he obviously looked so strained.

"Calm down, Sakura!" I hissed at her as I tried yanking her out of the way. The last thing I want is for us to get detention again. "Let's just go. Don't mind him."

"We can go after I hit that asshole!"

In front of us, Sakurai-kun merely rolled his eyes. "You're such a girl, Sakura."

"I am a woman, you idiot!" she screamed again while still trying to reach out and pull his hair. "I don't understand why you keep on appearing in front of me when I clearly told you off! And that includes you shouldn't bother my friends as well!"

"So that's your new standard for friendship, huh? You call this idiot your friend because she allows you to drool over her boyfriend when you already have a fiancé? So disgusting."

"That's not true!" Sakura and I both screamed at the same time in extreme disagreement over his statement. I was quick to speak before she could. "I am not allowing her to drool over Usui Takumi! Where did you get that lame idea?!"

"She's right! Why would I?! I'm not that desperate! And besides, even if I do, why do you care?! It isn't like we're close or something!"

Sakura and I both slammed our mouths shut when Sakurai gave us a heated glare. I was startled though when he suddenly walked towards us and grabbed Sakura by the arm; dragging her away and into the almost empty hallways.

I was quick to follow them; hoping to bump into Shizuko or Yukimura so we can rectify the situation but there was no one on the hallways just when I needed one. Though I was certain that Sakurai-kun wouldn't hurt Sakura physically, I didn't want their relationship to be more ruined than it already is.

Aw, dammit! Usui where are you?!

When he pushed Sakura forward, I was quick to jumped to the nearest closet and hid behind it; ready to offer help if she needed it. It was obvious that they were still arguing judging on Sakura's infuriated expression and Sakurai's hunched back. They were like violin strings ready to snap at the slightest sign of strain.

"Ugh, I hate you so much, Kuuga! If you're so unhappy about our engagement, then you should have talked with your parents to break it instead of acting like this!"

"You're the one who hates it, not I."

Sardonically, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Right. Now you're putting the blame on me! It was so obvious you hated it after our parents announced it! Hence this very sudden change in your attitude! You used to be so sweet and charming when we're kids. But now look at you!"

"As if you didn't change yourself. You used to be a good kid too, Sakura. But then you saw that Usui Takumi on TV and you ended up acting like a girl it was disgusting."

"Usui-sama has nothing to do with this! And stop blaming Ayuzawa as well! They are both my friends and—"

"Friends, my ass."

"I really hate you!" Sakura screams and was about to walk off when, to my extreme surprise, Sakurai went and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her in for a kiss. My mouth fell open while Sakura looked extremely shock as well. She struggled to break free from him but Sakurai only ended up shoving her against the wall and leans down to kiss her again.

I didn't know what to do exactly as I was torn between helping my friend and giving them time to sort out their situation. I was about to stepped up and stop them when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my shoulder while one hand covered my mouth to prevent me from screaming my guts out. I winced as Usui slammed me against the closet before peeking at Sakura and Kuuga's direction.

He rolled his eyes before turning to me. "You called me here to watch that?"

I slapped his hand off my mouth since I couldn't breathe anymore. "What are you doing here?!"

"You called me." He says with a shrug—as if it was something that normally happens. "That's why I came here. A good thing class was over or else, I would have ended up with a bad mark on my last period. What are they up to?"

"T-They are fighting." I stuttered stupidly; distracted by his scent and his partially exposed chest. "I think Sakurai-kun misunderstood Sakura or something. I mean, sure she liked you before but—"

"That's none of my business." He says arrogantly and peers at them. "Leave them so they can sort out their business. And stop being nosy. No wonder you keep on getting yourself into trouble."

"I'm not—mmp!"

"Let's go." He cuts me off after covering my mouth again but not after checking out the two one last time.

"I can't just leave them here! What if they start fighting again? They're relationship is already in trouble enough as it is." When I dared one last glance at their direction again, I was stunned when Sakura pushed Kuuga off with all her might and slapped him across the cheek. I gasped and was quick to cover my mouth while Usui simply whistled.

"That must've hurt." He says in obvious amusement.

"I hate you!" Sakura screams and runs off at the opposite direction.

"Sak—"

"Where do you think you're going?" Usui cuts me off before yanking me back behind the closet. "You're not seriously going to follow her don't you? If she asks you if you saw her being kissed, what would you say?"

Well… he was right about that. I glanced at Sakurai's direction again and was stunned when he punched the wall with his right hand; clearly frustrated. We hid behind the closet for another moment to prevent him from seeing us and when he finally left—probably after a string of expletives for about fifteen minutes—Usui and I got off our spot.

"That was intense." He says again while scratching his head. "That's what happens if parents decide to butt into their children's businesses."

I glared at him. "I don't want to hear that from someone who has a fiancé as well."

"I told you already. We just breeze through the topic. And I didn't give my consent yet to my grandfather." Grabbing my hand, he pulled me away from the hallways and outside. "Buy Sakura some food to make her feel better. But I suggest not approaching her for now. She might end up getting pissed at you. Girls tend to do that."

"She's not like that." I defended irritably after elbowing him. "But I still have to check up on her. I don't want her feeling so upset and I wasn't even there when she defended me to Sakurai-kun."

"I'm going to have a word with that guy—"

"Stop. Don't butt in anymore." When he arched an eyebrow at me, I shrugged. "It's much better if you'd keep away for now. You might only end up making things worst between them especially since you have such a loose mouth."

When he glowered at me, I decided to ignore him and walked off ahead. I was happy he came here but I have bigger problems at hand. And that is how to approach Sakura with her relationship with Kuuga-kun. When Usui's hand brushed against mine as he walked past me, I was momentarily stunned. He continued walking and ignoring me, it dawned on me the gravity of the situation. He was ignoring me. What the hell…

"Hey, Usui!" he went on and continued ignoring me. "Takumi!"

He paused on his tracks yet maintained his back on me. "What?"

"Are you ignoring me?" when he didn't respond, I ended up heaving out a defeated sigh. I can't believe he can be so childish sometimes. Throwing a great deal of pride—and caution—to the wind, I undid my bracelet and inhaled deeply. The surroundings between us became extra clearer, sharper and more distinctive.

Takumi…

His back straightened instantly upon hearing my voice. He whirled to face me; his eyes a bit rounder due to surprise. And through his pools of green orbs, my inhumanity reflects. He frowned at me momentarily before he walked briskly towards me, grabbing my bracelet in the process and locks it around my wrist; instantly diminishing my curse. "You're not supposed to use this within school grounds."

"You finally noticed me."

"I always do," he says sardonically and holds me by the wrist; dragging me with him outside. "You're just too nosy to notice. Stop neglecting me."

"I'm not."

"I'm wretchedly in love with you so I constantly need attention. If you didn't give me the attention that I require, I'd die."

I was momentarily stunned by his choice of words. Though he's been very vocal of his feelings towards me, I still can't get used with the fact that he was in love with me—that he was into me—and that he accepts the monster in me.

"What?" he says after my silence. "Here I go telling you how wretchedly in love I am with you and you wouldn't even give me a proper reaction?" when I flushed beet red, Takumi simply chuckled and brushes his knuckles against my cheeks. "I'm in love with you, Ayuzawa."

"I-I know that already! Stop saying it over and over again!"

He simply laughed and drags me to his side; our arms touching and brushing against each other. "I didn't know I was waiting for someone until I saw you. No wonder I was so conscious of you the first moment I laid eyes on you."

"You really have such a loose mouth, Takumi."

Takumi chuckled one more time before finally facing me; his green orbs intense and sharp. "Then how about trying to shut me up?"

I flushed again over his innuendo. And just when I was about to think he was kidding, I realized that he was actually serious about it. "Stop that!"

"I'm serious. And I won't budge until you do it."

Argh! This idiot! Who would've thought he can be so handful? Cautious about our surroundings, I started looking left and right first and when I was certain that the coast was clear, I was quick to tiptoe and planted a quick peck on his lips before walking off. I could still hear the soft chuckle that escape his throat as he walked towards me and grabbed my hands again so he can lead the way to his stupid car.

"Easy, isn't it?"

"Shut it."

The room was gloomier when I got back to the dorms.

Shizuko, who was already back before I, was quick to ask what happened. She simply rolled her eyes when I told her the entire story before retiring to her bedroom to study. Ignoring her outward and normal rudeness, I went to the kitchen and started to cook dinner while secretly glancing at Sakura who was seated by the dining; her eyes fixated on her laptop while she was typing furiously.

Poor laptop.

Careful not to set off the bomb, I placed the plate of bacon in front of her along with a cup of tea. "Thought you might be hungry."

She snapped sharp eyes on me—which made me winced mentally—before she grab a strip of bacon and devour it as if she was imagining that she's biting off someone's arm. "God I'm so furious right now but I can't resist the smell. It's a good thing you offered me this thing."

"It's bacon. But none of that matters!" I say quickly when she glared at me again. "Are you okay?"

"I hate Sakurai if that's what you're asking." She says before slamming her laptop shut—fiercely. "He… He—ugh, he's disgusting! I can't believe he'd do such a monstrous thing to me!"

"Hey, it's just a kiss." When she snapped angry eyes at me, I was quick to defend myself. I'm really great at putting myself in trouble sometimes. "I mean, of course if it's unwelcome, you should have slapped him to the ends of the world."

She was still angry for a moment. But we allowed another minute pass before she sighed dejectedly. "He just doesn't understand my feelings. It wasn't like I begged my parents to make him my fiancé. He was my best friend. He doesn't have to act that way just because he suddenly became my betrothed."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't like it, you know." Setting aside her laptop, she pressed her cheek on the cold table. "When he learned of it, his attitude towards me suddenly changed. He was suddenly cold and kept telling me off. And then I overheard him with his friends telling how much he hated being tied down."

It took me a moment to process the words she told me. And when it finally sunk in, I was quick to abandon my seat while removing my bracelet.

Sakura was quick on her feet as well. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to charm him to embarrass himself."

"Idiot." she says with a roll of her eyes and pushes me back to my seat. "Anyway, it wouldn't change the fact that he doesn't see me that way. And I've long accepted that after overhearing him talking with his friends, he'll never come to like me that way."

I didn't have much choice but to ask the inevitable question. "Do you like him that way?"

She stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "I guess I used to. And I've come to realized that my like for Takumi-sama was nothing but pure admiration. Maybe because he was perfect and everything. Maybe, at some point, I may have mistaken it as love but it's different from what I feel for Kuuga. He pisses me off… but I know I'm only angry at him because he didn't have feelings for me. And for him to kiss me like that… it was really confusing. Kissing someone… is it really that easy to do that even if you don't have feelings towards that person? Or was it because he was angry at me hence he did that?"

"I don't think he's the type to kiss someone even if he doesn't have any feelings towards that person? Maybe, at some point of your betrothal with him, there was miscommunication. Have you ever tried talking with him about it?"

Sakura firmly shakes her head. And looking at her now, she had the face of a determined woman who has finally decided on something. "No. I don't want to speak with him anymore. I understand that my parents and his parents are close even before we were born. But I control my own life. I already talked with my mother and told her that I want to call off the engagement."

Stunned, I almost jumped off my seat. "Why would you do that?"

She shrugged. "Well, it isn't like we'd come to like each other once we finally get married. Besides, I already emailed my mother and she left it on read. I'm sure she's discussing it with my dad right now. I told them the betrothal was too early and that it's affecting both of us since we don't like each other."

"You can't know that. What if he actually likes you?"

"I'd believe that if it came from him. And don't even think about hypnotizing him into submission! I'd kill you!"

"I won't do that!" I was quick on the offense as well. Because honestly, I couldn't believe she'd think of me that way. "Besides, he needs to realized that himself. But if he do something stupid again—like what he did a while ago—I'd kick him where the sun don't shine."

Sakura laughed. And although I know she's just trying to look fine, I was quite certain she was still bothered about what happened a while ago.

I smiled at her again. "Hey, cheer up. I'm sure you're gonna get through this. You're a tough woman."

"I wish I really am, Ayuzawa. If my parents—and his—agree to dissolve the engagement, I'd probably end up miserable. But if it would make him happier, I guess, I'd try to work around that."

I didn't bother to respond to that anymore. Because I don't think anything would have make her feel better about her current situation.

.

The following week was a busy week for the entire student body.

Both girls and boys from different sections were divided into groups to help with the incoming December ball. And even if a student is not planning to come—since it wasn't mandatory—they are still required to help around to finish things quicker. The snow had fallen thicker; covering most areas of the courtyard which made it harder for me to walk around. And since my group was in charge of the decorations, going back and forth to the auditorium prove to be challenge without falling down a lot.

"Oof!" before I could even grabbed the handle of the door, my foot already slipped on the slippery floor and next thing I know, I was being laughed at by some passing students.

Yukimura, who was also on my team, was quick to drop the stuff he was carrying to assist me up. When I was carefully balanced on both feet, he laughed at me. "Having a tough time, Ayuzawa?"

I brushed snow off my uniform and frowned at him; gently massaging my back. "I'm quite sure I'm going to end up with bruises with this sort of weather. Ugh, I hate snow."

"Yeah. It's all fun and games until people start slipping and breaking a bone or two."

I scowled at him. "You're so morbid."

"Anyway," he waves one hand and ushers me back to the auditorium; volunteering to carry half of my package. "—you sure you're not planning to attend the dance at all? I mean, if you don't have a partner, we'd all dance with you. You can hang out with us."

I smiled at him. "Nah, I'm good. Besides, dancing is something that is glaringly out of my range of abilities. I'd probably end up putting holes on your feet if you dared dance with me. And I've got something on that day so I really can't come even if I wanted to."

"So does Takumi." He says with a shrug. "Although he's not really a fan of school dances like this since he gets asked a lot, this will be the first time he'd decided to opt out so he could accompany you."

I was surprised to know that he knows that. Scratching my head, I grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry for taking away your friend."

"It's all good. We don't mind, really, since he's only usually pissed during these kinds of events. He can take a breather." We dropped the packages that we are carrying on the floor and proceeded on putting the decorations on their designated spot when I notice how the auditorium went into a hushed silence. With my forehead creasing, I searched for the main reason of the students'—mainly girls—muted squeals and spotted a tall, handsome man enter the auditorium before approaching Usui Takumi who was busy reading a blueprint.

My forehead creased. "Who's that?"

"Oh. That's Gerard. Takumi's brother. I'll go there a bit so I can greet him." At my nod, he was instantly out of my sight and running towards Gerard.

Aoi, who appeared out of nowhere along with Shizuko and Hideki, stood next to me with his arms crossed over his chest and a strip of squid in his mouth. "Speak of the Devil."

"Who invited him here?" Shizuko asks irritably while frowning. "Can't believe he'd show up here without a word. I thought he was in England?"

When she eyed Aoi, he simply shrugged. "That's what I thought of as well. But I guess he's finally back."

My forehead creased as I turned to them; wondering why they looked so uncomfortable. "What's up with that guy? Is he trouble?"

Shizuko shrugged. "Not really. But that guy's a control freak. The head of the family was their grandfather but since he's next-in-line, he has this habit of telling people what to and if he's displeased, he'd do all means to make sure they don't get to do stuff again—like probably shipping them off to another country. He's a hard businessman and even my father doesn't like dealing with him. Besides, for some odd reasons, he has firmly set his eyes on Takumi to do all of his biddings."

"What sort of brother is that?" I mumbled; confused.

"Well, what would you expect?" Aoi says with a shrug. "They're not related, after all. That's why he's treating Usui like a dog. The Walker family have high expectations on him ever since they took him in."

I whirled around to Aoi; stunned by that piece of information. "What?!"

"You didn't know?" his forehead creased; also confused. When Shizuko scoffed at him, he ended up massaging his temple as though he let out a secret that nobody was supposed to find out. "Well, damn. I thought he told you since you two are going out."

Beside me, Shizuko rolled her eyes. "Now you know he didn't."

"He's adopted?!"

"Pipe it down!" Aoi hissed at me and grabs me by the scruff of my shirt to drag me down while covering my mouth. "Shut up, will you? He'd kill me if he learns that I told you."

"I won't tell him! Let go!"

He sighed as he released me; defeated. "Alright, fine. I'd tell you. But you didn't hear it from me!" at my agreement, he cursed once again and glances at Takumi—and Gerard—who are both busy having a conversation. "Takumi's mother had an affair with one of the family stewards and had him. Unfortunately, Patricia died during childbirth, leaving him to the hands of the Walker family. The initial decision was to send him to a distant relative but his grandfather—and Patricia's husband—decided to keep him as their adopted child."

"I didn't know that…"

He rolled his eyes again while Shizuko snorted. "It was a family secret and no one was really supposed to find out about it—outside the family, of course. Gerard and Takumi haven't been on speaking terms ever since so we were actually surprise when Gerard started training Takumi on how to handle the family business."

"Maybe he's considering him since they're brothers and all."

"If you met the man, you'd stop thinking that way. He's brutal and cold-hearted. You wouldn't want to be involved with him."

"Well, now that she's dating Takumi, I guess that would be unavoidable." Hideki-kun says while frowning. When he notices my bothered expression, he was quick to beam. "No, we're not trying to scare you here, Misaki-san. It's just that, if you manage to catch Gerard's attention, who would know how and what he'd react once he finds out you're dating his stepbrother."

"Nice." I replied dryly as I stared to all three of them. They all simply shrugged while I locked my eyes on this Gerard person, who was having a conversation with Takumi—who looked obviously pissed. I sighed. "He looked pissed."

"Go get him, Hideki." Shizuko orders Hideki-kun—who quickly raises his hands as if to say no.

I maintained focus on Takumi; trying to get a good read of his expression—and was obviously distraught—before heaving out a defeated sigh. When I was certain that my entire attention was locked in on him, I allowed my mind to drag me to him. Takumi…

I was so certain that he heard that just by simply judging the way his body stiffened. He touches his nape as his ears turned a lighter shade of pink before he turned to our direction; his eyes distracted momentarily. What is it?

"Whoa, did he just turn to us?" Aoi says before letting out a low whistle. "Creepy. Just how sharp his hearing is?"

I ignored his ramblings. Is he bothering you?

He maintained his eyes on me. A bit. But I can handle it. I'll be there when he's gone.

I allowed our connection to slowly and carefully disappear before turning to the others. "He'll approach us when his brother's gone. I'm sure he doesn't want that Gerard guy involve with us in any way as well."

.

"I'm starting to think a snow storm's coming. Can't you see how heavy the snowfall today is?"

I couldn't help but agree with Yukimura as he set down the tray of coffees on the table. I was quick to get mine as the rest took their coffees as well to warm their hands. Since tomorrow is a weekend—and the decorating finished later than expected—we had the liberty to stay out late to warm ourselves first to the nearby coffee shop.

Sakura was shivering next to me even if she was already heavily dressed. "I just hope the auditorium is well heated on the ball. It would sucked if all of us are dressed up nicely only to end up dying out of coldness."

"Then wear something that shows less skin." Shizuko muttered with a roll of her eyes; ignoring Sakura who scoffed at her after whispering 'old-fashioned fool' under her breath.

Just when a fight was about to break out, I was suddenly preoccupied by the newcomer—Takumi, Aoi and Kanou-kun—who got left behind since they still have duties left to finish. Yukimura quickly waved at them and when Takumi's eyes instantly locked in on my direction, I mentally cursed myself for unnecessarily blushing. He finished his conversation with Kanou first—who was showing him something on his phone—and, after a nod, walked briskly to my direction; occupying the vacant seat next to me.

"Y-You're late." I stuttered stupidly; kicking both Sakura and Shizuko from underneath the table when they both snorted at me at the same time. "Where've you been?"

"Just at the Student Council room. Besides, Gerard won't leave me alone." He frowned upon the remembrance of his stepbrother. When Aoi narrowed his eyes at me, I gave him a quick nod; promising mentally not to breathe a word to Takumi that he made an accidental slip about their family secret. "He's been pestering me to attend the dinner tomorrow with the entire family even if I've already told him that I'm busy with school."

"I gave Mom a no, too, but she's pretty persistent." Shizuko says while frowning. "I wonder what's up."

"They're just spoiled rotten." Reaching out for my cup, he blew on the coffee and took a sip. I couldn't help but be mesmerized as I watched his lips touched the same spot my lips touched. When the corner of his lips curved heavenward to form a sarcastic grin, I was quick to take my eyes away as the rest of the group went on with their business.

He turned to me; still sardonic. "Stalker."

"I'm just wondering why you can't pay for your own coffee." I mumbled while leaning away from him since he was leaning forward. "I mean, stop being so stingy and buy your own."

He chuckled at that and when he noticed my goosebumps, I was startled when he removed his neck scarf and wrapped it around me. "You're frozen. Wear that."

"How sweet." Takumi playfully shoves Aoi off his seat and leans back on the backrest of his seat; one arm drape on my seat while absentmindedly stirring my coffee. "I don't want to go home tomorrow. What about you, Shizuko?"

"It's troublesome." The equally inexpressive cousin responded with a shrug; as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But mother's pestering me. And if this is about my engagement with Hideki, I swear I'm going to break a fuse."

I was stunned at that. That was the first time I've heard about it. "You two are engaged?!"

"It wasn't official yet." Hideki responded while smiling good-naturedly; his eyes turning into a light shade of pink while he looked oh-so adoringly happy. "When Shizuko's family found out about our relationship, they wanted to officially announce out betrothal. But since we're still young, we asked them to wait for a while until we're both ready." He threw Shizuko a quick glance before shrugging. "Although I don't really mind anything."

"Man, you're whipped." Aoi says loudly with a roll of his eyes.

"Wow. I didn't know I was surrounded by people who are already engaged." I mumbled thoughtlessly; wincing when Sakura kicked me hard on the leg. I muttered a low apology to her while she simply scoffed at me.

"I don't like it when people are trying to make my personal life their business." Shizuko said while playing with her drink. "Besides, we're too young to be talking about engagement. I haven't even finished high school yet and they are already expecting me to be popping out kids. That's lame."

I was surprise by how vocal Shizuko was about her disagreement to the engagement while Hideki simply smiled at her; patting her on the arm as if to understand her—which she very obviously brushed off. Sometimes, I can't help but wonder how long Hideki's patience is when it comes to Shizuko. Her words can be so offending sometimes for her own good. But then again, I wasn't the one putting up with her so I can't really judge the depth of their relationship.

When we're done talking about their plans for the dance and some other stuff related to school, we decided to finally head back to the dormitories. I was about to return Takumi's scarf back to him but he simply re-wrapped it around me to cover me from the cold December wind. "Keep it on so you won't get sick."

"What about you?"

"I'm used to this weather." He says casually before grabbing my hand and dragging me to his side. The walk towards the parking lot was silent while the others converse about their plans after the dance. Yukimura wanted to go to Central Town to play but Shizuko wanted to head straight back to the dorms to rest. We were about to cross the street to get to the parking lot on the other side of the lane when another car stopped right in front of the pedestrian; blocking our path.

My forehead creased when I hear Aoi muttered a loud "uh-oh" while Shizuko quickly straightened up. What's happening? Next to me, Takumi whispered a low curse and let's go of my hand before stepping right in front of me as though he was blocking me from something—or someone.

"What's wrong?"

"Just stay behind me." He says and straightens his stance the same time the door of the car in front of us opened. I risk a glance past his shoulder and quickly shrink back behind me upon spotting Gerard.

Crap!

"Hey, guys!" Gerard greeted in an obviously friendly tone. "I was about to leave when I saw you. Isn't it too late to be still hanging outside?"

It was Hideki who responded to that politely. "Not really. Since it's not a school night, curfew's at ten. And the weather's colder than usual so we decided to grab coffee first."

"I see, I see." Gerard says. "Good evening to you, Shizuko. I was searching for you a while ago. You didn't greet me."

"I was busy, Gerard-san." It was Shizuko who was unbelievably polite. And had we been under normal circumstances, I would have laughed at her in mockery since it was so unlike her to be polite to people. "As you can see, the school wanted us to be hands-on to this coming dance."

"Oh. Are you all attending? That's great to hear. I wonder why Takumi decided to opt out this year." I could almost feel him eyeing Takumi; the only thing that separates me from him. "No dance partner?"

"I told you already. I just don't feel like attending the dance this year. I'm sick of it."

Gerard simply laughed at his response and when I notice Aoi and Hideki's slightly panicked expression, I realized that the stepbrother might have already found me out. My guess was immediately answered when he peered past Takumi's shoulder. "Who might we have here?"

"Oh. She's a friend." Shizuko says quickly as she wrapped her arms around mine. "This is Ayuzawa Misaki; Sakura and I's dorm mate. She's an English scholarship student. Misaki, this is Gerard Walker; a very close relative."

I didn't have much choice but to finally look Gerard Walker in the eye… and was momentarily stunned by how handsome he is. He was a spitting image of Takumi except for his dark hair. He was as equally tall as his brother with almost the same face and depthless green orbs I was almost taken in. But he exudes a more mature aura than Takumi and my guess for his age is that he's probably on his late twenties.

He smiled at me in a friendly way yet I didn't feel the slightest bit comforted. His smile had an extremely chilly appearance in it and the way he was eyeing me from head to toe was as if I was a meat under careful observation.

For a moment, I felt myself shrink under his gaze. Clearing my throat, I decided to offer my greeting. "H-Hello, Mr. Walker. It's nice to meet you." When he lend his hand to me, I hesitated for a moment to accept it until I felt Shizuko squeezed my arm. "I'm Ayuzawa Misaki."

He smiled again. "Pleasure to meet you, Ayuzawa. I'm Takumi's brother and Shizuko and Aoi's cousin. May I know how old you are?"

I wasn't sure where he was going with this but I know I had to answer. I didn't want to get in trouble just because I failed to address his concern. "I'm seventeen, Sir."

"Oh. You're so young. What do your parents do?"

Well, crap. Who would've thought that this would turn into an investigation? "Er, my Dad's an English Professor and writer while my mother is a painter."

"Oh. That's nice. You have highly talented parents. Anybody I know?"

"Gerard, what the hell?" Takumi says and steps between us again; completely blocking me off Gerard's grid. "Stop interviewing her in this freezing weather. What's wrong with you?"

"Ah, Takumi. You're so easily excitable. Why don't you invite her to dinner tomorrow? You're attending, right? And I'm talking about the three of you." He says; clearly pertaining to Takumi, Shizuko and Aoi.

Aoi, who's been remaining silent up until a while ago—probably trying to hide his presence from Gerard—ended up scratching his head and finally speaking up. "Er, I can't really say so. I'm cramming for projects and—"

"I'm sure you'll make time for your projects. Grandfather will be expecting all three of you tomorrow—including you, Ayuzawa-san." When I made an appeal to decline, I was startled when his eyes suddenly went sharp. "You'll come, right?"

"And if she doesn't?" Takumi asks irritably; still trying to block me from Gerard's view.

Gerard scoffed at him; temporarily letting go of his gentleman demeanor. "I don't think you're in the position to answer for Ayuzawa-san, Takumi… unless you two are in a relationship." When he locked his eyes on me, I can guess the tell-tale signs of his impending question. "Are you two in a relationship?"

Oh, crap. I didn't know how to answer that. Even the others around me looked completely mortified by the clearly unexpected question. Next to me, I can feel the tension coming off Usui, Aoi and Shizuko. If I say yes, I'm quite certain this might pose trouble. But if I say no, he'd force me to accept his invitation for dinner.

Ah, dammit. Should I just charm him and order him to walk away and forget this ever happened? I glanced at Takumi whose lips were pursed tightly. I wanted to ask permission to enchant his brother but decided to trash the idea before exhaling. I eyed Gerard again. "No, we're not. We're just classmates—and good friends. Your brother has helped me… a lot of times."

"Including offering his scarf? You two must be really close."

"I guess we are." I mumbled while smiling good-naturedly. If I can't beat him in his game, then I better simply play along with it. "But if you insist with the dinner, then, I'm honoured to accept it. Thanks for inviting me."

"Then I guess that settles it." he gave Takumi a victorious smirk before nodding at the others to bid farewell and re-enters his car.

When he was finally gone, that was the only time the others actually managed to heaved out a defeated sigh. Next to me, Takumi let out a violent curse. "Damn that Gerard."

"Why do we have to encounter him here?" Aoi says with a shake of his head before eyeing me. "You really have rotten luck, Ayuzawa, to be personally invited by Gerard to that stupid dinner. Though you denying your relationship with Takumi served as a temporarily help, I'm sure he'd use the chance during dinner to grill you. Let's just hope that Grandpa won't be present tomorrow." That and he walked off ahead of us.

I gasped when Takumi grabbed me by the arm and drags me across the street. I knew he was frustrated but it wasn't like we have much choice. When we finally reached his car, he forcefully opened the door and urges me to get in.

I simply exhaled. "Are you mad at me? It's not like I have much choice."

"You should have just ignored Gerard. He's such a pain."

"It isn't like he won't come back to grill me again." I responded sardonically; still not getting into his car. "Look, I know I'm not the type to be introduced to families but—"

"What makes you think that way?" he cuts me off; obviously frustrated. "It wasn't because of that, okay? I'm just pissed at Gerard for catching me off guard. He's doing it on purpose because he wanted to annoy me. And I'm not angry at you for saying yes to him because I didn't want you to meet my family. It's just… complicated."

I remembered about his birth circumstances and instantly felt guilty. Darn it. Exhaling, I said, "I can just pretend that I got sick."

"He won't buy it." he mumbled with a roll of his eyes and pulls me again so he can pushed me inside his car. "Get inside and we'll think of something. But I'm telling you now that you're in deep trouble. Gerard's an asshole when he wants to be so I suggest you be careful about him."

I frowned at him because that doesn't sound a bit comforting. But he simply shrugged me off and slams the door shut before rounding the car to get to the driver's side. As he sped off, I can't help but feel bothered about the trouble I stirred for tomorrow.

.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, Gerard appears! Lol, don't worry. He's not a major character. I just like the idea of minor trouble from the side of Takumi's family since they're stinking rich and all. Sooo, back to the elephant in the room… I'm truly sorry for the very late update! This excuse of mine is totally and over utilized but still, I'm sorry. I hope you like this update.

As for this chapter, I decided to tone down on the romance between Takumi and Misaki and focused on some problem that is not about them. I already have plans about the next chapter and, hopefully, gets to finished it in no time (don't trust me in this. I'd probably end up uploading the next chapter three months from now). And, hopefully—again—I could finally write on the main concern of this story—Misaki's curse and how to end it. But let's not talk about that for now.

So, hope you like this very long update and click that review button down there so I can know what you guys are thinking.

PS: Thanks for all the DMs and reviews about my one shot for Sesshoumaru and Rin. I've been DYINGto write a sensual (LOL!) fic about them and when I finally got the chance, I didn't know some of you guys would like it! I'm planning to write one again (with the same theme and genre and writing style) but this time about our fave baka couple but I still couldn't find out how. So just be on the lookout for these incoming updates.

Thank you and see you on the next chapter! 3

-TGP