She stretched out on the couch like a cat. A booklet of documents held loosely in her hand and she let out a small yawn. She was clad in a white T-shirt too large for her size and maroon underwear. Shiho normally wouldn't dress like this, even at home but today's different. She wanted to be completely comfortable and besides…

"What's happening now?"

She glanced over and saw Higo come into the living room, hands holding two cups with steams wafting up and spreading about.

She sat up a bit and turned back to the TV screen. "They're still being ridiculous dummies," she answered lazily, nodded thanks at him as he handed her a cup of tea. Jasmine had always been her favorite.

The soccer star sat down on the other end of the loveseat with his own cup in his hand. She lifted her long, slender legs and let them fall onto his laps after he situated himself comfortably. His free hand softly caressed her smooth pale skin.

"They still haven't figured out that their friend's actually the murderer?" Higo asked incredulously, blinking. "I'm not a detective but even I can see through his trick!"

Shiho smiled. "Well, maybe you're getting better at it than you thought." She sipped her tea. The aroma was comforting. "You've been reading more mystery novels lately now, haven't you?" she asked.

He drank from his cup before answering her. "Yes. To be honest, I've never really been into mystery before I met you-"

"You mean Shinichi," she cut him off softly, a small smile dancing on her rosy lips. "He's the detective freak, not I."

"Right." Higo's eyes twinkled as he chuckled. "It's just the way he reasons and always comes to perfect conclusions amazes me," he said, eyes glued to the HD screen. "We've talked about his novels and he's recommended me some. Initially, I just read them for fun or during breaks, but the more I read the more fascinated I become."

"You guys can definitely become best friends."

He turned to look at her and winked. "Maybe we already are."

She smirked, moving her legs slightly against his pants. "Oh? Should I be worried here? Will the Great Detective steal my boyfriend away?"

Higo laughed. She loved the way he laughed. It was so innocent and delightful. As opposed to how he laughed. You can tell how much a person is suffering even from the way they laugh. His laughter always had a hint of sorrow-

She stopped with a start and mentally slapped herself. She shouldn't be comparing them. She shouldn't even be thinking of him in the first place.

Higo put his cup on the coffee table with a soft clink, pulled her closer to him so that he was half-laying on top of her. One of his hands trailed the outline of her smooth and toned stomach, while the other reached up to brush stray hair out of her face. Looking deep into her bright emerald orbs, he said softly, "No need to worry, dear." His equally green eyes twinkled. "You have absolutely zero competition."

"From him?" she asked, allowing a small smile to grace her beautiful features.

"From anyone." Then he leaned forward and kissed her.

ii.

Shinichi put down his mystery novel and left the study to find his girlfriend.

There was some music coming from the distance and as he was approaching said sound, he realized it was coming from the kitchen and was immediately halted by the sight in front of him.

Suzy was holding a glass of wine in her delicate hand. Her bare feet swiftly moved with the music's soft beats. Her long, long raven locks twirled about her and spun gracefully around her slender figure everytime she slightly swirled.

He couldn't place the name of the song but he knew it wasn't mainstream because he'd never heard of it before on the radio on his way to work.

Shinichi leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a small smile graced his handsome features.

Suzy wasn't aware of his presence so she just kept on dancing. Her small feet carried her if as she were gliding on invisible wind.

At one point, he closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he froze.

Ran was dancing in front of him. Her long, shiny dark locks softly spun about her swiftly. Her eyes closed as if she memorized this routine. A tiny smile was dancing on her rosy, pretty lips…

Shinichi's mouth opened a bit. He wanted to stay that way forever, being in the presence of that illusion. He kept his gaze on her.

She's so beautiful…

I want to hold her.

He stepped forward- Suzy stopped, spun around and saw him.

"Ah, Shinichi," she said abashedly, quickly turning around to turn off the music.

He stopped in his tracks. Just like that, his illusion, his Ran was gone.

When she turned back, he saw that her face had turned a light shade of red. Suzy gestured toward the opened bottle. "Want some?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, gotta get up early tomorrow for work," he said as he stepped closer to her. Wrapping his arms around her slender waist, he pulled her closer and let his forehead touch hers. Her bright azure eyes bore deep into his.

"Come on, one glass doesn't do anything," she said with that playful twinkle in her eyes.

He smiled. "You looked beautiful dancing like that."

"I-I didn't think you were watching," she said, clearly embarrassed. He held her close. Their bodies pressed together.

"Have you been taking dance classes behind my back, Missy?" he asked and she laughed.

She leaned in for a kiss. When she pulled back, he could taste the wine. "Dancing is my hobby! I've been dancing for as long as I can remember," she said. "Maybe we should take up a class one day, on the weekend."

"Hm, that's not really my forte."

"It'll be fun! You need another hobby beside those mystery books. And we can invite Shiho and Higo."

He started. Blinking, he asked, "Why?"

"Why what?" She seemed confused.

"You want to invite them. Her. You never liked Shiho." Matter of fact.

Suzy studied him for a second then broke off his gaze. She gently removed herself from his grasp. Grabbing her unfinished glass, she brought it to her lips and slowly took sips from it.

"Suzy? Did I say something?" Now it was his turn to be confused, but it was well known to all parties involved, minus Higo, that Suzy wasn't a fan of the young scientist.

She sloshed the liquid around for a bit before replying to him. "It's not that I don't like her," she spoke softly. "It's just… I just feel…"

A pause.

"Feel what?"

She signed exasperatedly. "Competitive."

Shinichi blinked. "Competitive?"

"Well." She was being very animated now moving her hands about. "She's smart, beautiful. You guys had been living together for a long time before we started dating. I-I don't know. I just, I feel like there's something you're not telling me. About you and her."

Suzy had a right to be curious or upset even, Shinichi realized. He never told her anything about the relationship between him and Shiho, except that they were very close friends. Mentioning the pact was completely out of the question. Everytime she popped the question about what was going on between him and Shiho before they became a couple, Shinichi always avoided the topic and steered it in a different direction. There was this one time in which he even got upset with her, almost snapped at her for being so curious; after which, he of course apologized for his outburst. It was after that that the topic was never brought up again until now.

"Suzy…" He sighed tiredly. "I thought we already settled this."

"We never settled anything!" She suddenly raised her voice and it startled him. "You never answer the question!"

"Suzy, calm down." Shinichi said, slowly moving toward her with hands put up in a surrender mode. "I think you had too much to drink."

"No!" She stomped her foot. Her face red and her eyes burned. He stopped in his tracks.

"Tell me what went on between you two!" she demanded. Her voice was raised even higher. If they weren't living in such a big single house, he's sure the neighbors would've noticed something's wrong.

"Nothing went on between us!" Now it was his turn to slightly raise his voice to match hers. He continued to walk toward his girlfriend, hands outstretched. "She had nowhere to go so I offered her a place to stay, that's all."

"You mean you never slept with her?"

Shinichi's feet halted for the second time in less than five minutes.

He knew he had to say something. Fast. He could lie like he'd been doing for the past year. Even Shiho lied to Higo about their status. No one needed to know.

What happened was sacred to them only. And they would bring it with them to their graves.

However, he stalled for a bit too long. His mind was a jumble of thoughts and he didn't know why he couldn't just scream out the word No! right then and there.

"No," he said. "We never slept together."

But it was too late. His brief silence said it all.

There were tears on Suzy's face. Her face contorted in agony. Her small shoulders trembled. She ran past him out of the kitchen, up the stairs and to their bedroom. The bedroom he had once shared with Shiho. The bed on which they used to make love.

The door slammed behind her.

Shinichi let out a defeated sigh, walked over to the counter, picked up her unfinished glass and drank all of it in one gulp.

That night, lying on the couch in the living room, he could hear her uneven sobs echoing around the old house.

ii.

"Oi, whose lunch is this?"

Shiho snatched the bento box in question out of her colleague's hand. "Mine," she said softly, earning a smirk from him. He leaned in though still gave her perfect personal space and said, "Since when does the genius Shiho pack lunch?" Then feigning a heart attack by clasping his hands over his chest, he made an O with his mouth and said, "Since when does she cook?"

Yuna smacked him lightly on the back of the head, earning a chuckle from Shiho.

"Kou, it's none of your business. Stop being so rude," Yuna said firmly. Kou only laughed.

"But really though," the fellow scientist said curiously, "did you make that?"

"What does it matter?" Shiho asked blinking, to which her colleague shrugged his broad shoulders.

"It's just I swear I never see you bring your own food until today," he said.

"Not just today," Yuna corrected, giving Shiho a knowing wink. "It's been going on for a while now. You just haven't noticed."

"Eh?"

Shiho allowed a small smile to grace her features.

i.

"Hey, how's the food?"

Shiho took out the bento box from her lunch box, opened it and showed it to Higo. "So good. I finished everything."

He smiled broadly. "I'm glad! So which part was your favorite?" he asked turning back to washing the dishes.

She glanced over at the stove and saw a steaming pot. Walking over, she opened its lid and peered inside.

"Hey, it's not ready yet!" he chided playfully.

She took in its aroma. "It smells delicious."

"Wait until you taste my curry. You wouldn't want to eat it anywhere else." He grinned.

"Octopi," Shiho answered as she pulled the plates and bowls from the cupboard. "My favorite."

ii.

Suzy opened the door and was met with a gray darkness.

"Hello?" she called out to the seemingly empty house while trying to balance some loose documents and a bag in her arms. "Shinichi?"

"In here!" His voice echoed out.

The kitchen, she thought before proceeding toward the sound.

The sight in the kitchen halted her movement at the threshold.

Shinichi was lighting a candle on the dinner table. It was set for two. Two plates of pasta were decorated deliciously. There was a big bowl of salad in the middle, relatively next to the now brightly lit candle. A small basket of breads sat idly nearby. There were two empty glasses of wine sitting opposite each other.

He glanced at her, broke out his handsome grin and said, "Welcome home!"

"What are you doing?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Making us dinner of course. What kind of a question is that?" He strode toward her, bent his head slightly and planted a soft kiss on her lips. There was a twinkle in his eyes when he pulled away.

"You don't cook," she said matter of factly.

"First time for everything." He grinned again then took the piles from her hands. "Here, let me take care of this. You go change and get ready."

Suzy still felt puzzled to the point that she couldn't move, and when he noticed she was still rooted at her spot, he turned and gave her a curious look.

"What's the occasion?" she asked at last.

He shook his head. "None, really. I just wanted to do this."

Suzy took a moment before turning on her heels and walked away.

"What do you want for wine?" he called out to her as she reached the staircase.

"Champagne!"

ii.

"So what did you tell him?" Higo laughed as his girlfriend was recalling a story at work today about a very curious coworker.

Shiho smiled. "The truth. That my boyfriend made it for me, and that it's been going on for a while. You should have seen his reaction."

"Surprised?"

"Correct."

"About what? That I made you lunch?"

Shiho shook her head. Her short hair bounced softly and brushed against her shoulders. "He's shocked that I have a boyfriend."

Higo's eyes widened. "We've been dating for almost four months, that's still news?"

She chuckled, took a sip of her wine, stood up and walked over to him. He looked up at her curiously.

Then, doing something she wouldn't normally do- let's blame it on the wine and the euphoria- she pushed him back slightly, lifted up her long slender leg and let it drape over the other side of the chair, allowing herself to be secured atop his laps, facing him. Their faces were mere inches apart.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close. A smile danced on his perfect lips, and she touched her forehead to his. There was an illuminating look in her bright green orbs now half hidden behind her heavy, dark lashes.

"No one really knows about my private life," she whispered on his lips. "I'm a very private person. That's why I don't make a lot of appearances with you when there are all those cameras around."

"I know." He said as he leaned in closer but she drew back slightly.

She cocked her head to one side. "I should be worried about all those girls throwing themselves at you when I'm not there."

"Like I said, you have absolutely zero competition."

A small smile stretched out on her beautiful face. "I know. Strangely enough, I trust you."

"That's because…" He suddenly grabbed her slender hips and pulled her closer, earning a gasp from her. Their bodies were almost glued together. She tightened her arms around him, desperately closing the final gap between them. "I don't leave you a reason not to," he said.

Before she could answer, he pressed his moist lips against hers and all sounds drowned out. The only sounds emitting from her throat were the soft, slow moans.

ii.

The music was on. He wasn't sure what song was playing. All he knew was there was a lovely tune in the background, Suzy in his arms swirling with him. Their laughter filled the air. The empty glasses of wine and half eaten dinner sat forgotten on the table. The candle flickered slightly.

Her slender frame fit perfectly in his strong arms as he guided her to the familiar-yet-not-so-familiar tune. He was half convinced he'd heard this song before.

As he twirled her around- for a split second- he saw it was Ran.

It was Ran dancing in his arms. It was Ran who was laughing. It was Ran who was looking at him with those bright azure orbs. It was Ran with the long, long dark hair pooling around her as she spun to his rhythm.

It was Ran-

NO!

He screamed internally.

He could not do this anymore. He could not keep holding onto a forgotten past, a forgotten ghost. She left him. She cursed his name. He made her cry. It was his fault her father was dead.

Shinichi held onto Suzy's waist. She looked at him curiously, and he bent down to kiss her.

His moist lips pressed onto hers hard, surprising her but she quickly recovered, and before long, she had her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close, deepening their kiss.

I'm so tired.

I'm done.

Suzy deserves better.

It was Ran who walked away. Ran left me.

I deserve better.

As he pulled away, Suzy slowly opened her eyes, and all he saw was just Suzy. The only Suzy who had decided to stay with him after learning of his past, of the true nature of his former relationship with Shiho.

Suzy stayed with him despite all the lies he had given her. She stayed knowing that one day he might relapse and the pact would come to life again.

It might not. But there was no telling the future.

He swore to her that would never ever happen, but there was always that doubt in the back of her mind, and to be honest, he couldn't blame her.

After all, his and Shiho's relationship had indeed gone on for three years.

"Thank you," he whispered against her lips as his forehead slightly touched hers. His soft raven hair brushed against her pale skin.

"For what?" she asked.

"For staying. For giving me a second chance."

She smiled at him. "I love you. That's all that matters to me."

Shinichi felt shattered.

He hugged her tightly, pulling her up slightly on her tiptoes, and planted soft kisses on her temple.

"I love you."


a/n: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! Reading them made me so happy, you have no idea! Please keep them coming! :) They are a true motivation, what really helps churning out these chapters (: