(Present)

"Well you look like crap"

"Can you please lower your voice? Im exhausted"

Kotoko responded as she laid uncomfortably on the bed

"Are you not done yet ? You've been doing back to back surgeries lately"

Arata then throws a blanket on her casually

Kotoko adjusts herself and finds a comfortable position

"I'll be okay once i nap, thanks"

"I'll head home for a quick shower then i'll come back when your shift is done"

"You don't have to do that"

"But i will, i wont have you walking home at 2 in the morning"

Arata slams the door knowing kotoko's habit of protesting against his sensible decisions, he walks the dull walls of the hospital and spots the interns conversing in a corner

He spots naoki and makes a mental note that he looked well, the thought of kotoko being so anxious this morning made him grin a bit, she must have been nervous even though she denied it.

Kotoko yawned in exhaustion, she had been working nonstop the whole week and knew she needed at least a few good hours of deep on call rooms were not the most comfortable and left her waking up every few minutes. She carefully washed her fingers one by one and made sure to clean both of her hands. When she finally finished changing into casual clothes she headed down to the stairs since nobody really went down that way, she jumped as soon as she was greeted by the presence of her intern, he held out a can of coffee offering it to her she eyed it and gave him a expressionless face , it took her a while to learn how to put up a mask but practice really did make a difference

"If your trying to suck up to me you might as well have gotten me a fresh cup of coffee" she looked away, just like how she practiced.

Naoki chuckled a bit and she couldn't help but feel a little bit of nostalgia. It's been ages since she heard his actual voice, let alone his laugh

"I just finished my shift and i'm assuming you did too, so as of now your not really above me, just take it"

Kotoko looked at it with a slight disgusted face, not like she didn't like the coffee, she just wanted to get rid of him, after all, she hoped he wouldn't speak to her especially after everything.

"No thanks, i'm on my way home and i need to get some rest. Caffeine won't be necessary"

She passed by him making sure to put the coldest expression on.

'What irony, now the tables have turned and all you have to offer is coffee' she thought to herself, the anger made her heart clench a bit.

Just after a few steps he followed, naoki wasn't used to this new kotoko, its been years since he last saw her, and when he did, he didn't expect to see her in a white robe. She wasn't the same sweet innocent girl next door- well in his case, girl living in his house anymore. She was a grown beautiful woman. The long hair was replaced with a short bob that barely touched her shoulders (AN: look at honoka's new hairstyle if you need a visual, you're welcome) with all the change she's made, there were still some features that remained the same, the bangs remained to frame her forehead, her skin was as youthful as ever, and her cheeks and lips were as pink as the cherry blossoms in a spring morning season. She's grown a bit taller and man, did time really took good care of her. Her timid posture no longer remained, instead she stood straight like the strong lady she now was, her words sounded so sure instead of nervous and shy. Naoki could tell with just one look how much she's changed.

Kotoko knew he was following her but tried to ignore him

Then when she finally reached the parking lot she's had enough, the lack of sleep has made her more irritable and he was pushing her buttons

"What do you want now?" she mouthed as he quickly stood in front of her to block her

"Where are you staying? Let me at least give you a ride"

"No thanks, i would rather walk"

She pushed through him and continued to walk

What a stubborn girl… well, some things never change

Naoki thought to himself. But before he could call out to her one more time a black sports car makes it way just a few feet away from kotoko. The window rolled down and a man just about their age appears.

"I told you to wait for me, it's dangerous to walk home at this time of the day"

Kotoko scoffed, clearly irritated. But she made her way to the passenger seat anyway.

'Who was this guy and why is kotoko getting in the car with him' naoki stood confused

"Ahhh your friend?"

Naoki froze, of course she was going to say no

"Yeah, and old friend of mine but he's a new intern so be nice"

'An old friend…' naoki repeated inside his head, somehow that made him feel a little happy

"Oh i see…do you need a ride?"

Naoki shook his head "no it's fine, my house is pretty close"

"You sure? It's pretty late" this made naoki's eyebrow twitch a bit. Obviously it was, but no way was he going to put himself in that kind of situation, so he gave them a slight grin to assure them that he was fine on his own "no i'm okay, have a goodnight"

He waved casually and started on his way home. As the distance between them grew further

A sigh escaped kotoko "Why did you have to offer, what if he said yes" kotoko whined

"Don't be rude, i was being nice" Arata answered in a monotone voice

"You? Nice? Wow that's rare"

Arata started to drive as his other hand ran through his hair casually, he didn't want to tell kotoko but he didn't even get to shower when he got home, he fell asleep right when he got there and woke up to his alarm, then he quickly got dressed to pick up kotoko. 'I probably look like a mess right now' he thought but couldn't really care too much.

Kotoko's whining about her new interns didn't really bother him too, after spending so much time with her, he already knew all about her, every side of personality she has, what she likes and dislikes, and what naoki meant to her. But even though she could get annoying at times and she talked a lot, he was always patient enough to listen to how her day went and what she felt.

the 5 minute drive was filled with just kotoko ranting about her surgeries, not one word about naoki was said.

"You know…" he interrupted her when they finally arrived to their destination

"You don't have to look at him as an old friend, if it really bothers you that much, just change the way you look at it, think of him as an intern, don't let it get to you"

Kotoko's mouth hung open , she looked pissed.

"W-What are you talking about? She says in a defensive tone as they both got out of the car. "I'm not bothered at all"

Arata yawns tiredly as they both walk up the stairs in the apartment complex

"You are such a bad liar, try hard enough please"

"You know what, i don't appreciate your attitude, i don't care if you gave me a ride home but-" again Arata interrupts her by resting his forehead on her shoulder, kotoko could smell that he reeked of hospital, she knew he lied about taking a shower and went back just to get her because he was worried that she might have to face naoki

The bags on his under eyes made him look so tired, but he still looked so handsome especially with the way the moonlight shined on his face

"Be quiet, the neighbors are all sleeping"

Kotoko froze he was TOO close.

"Kotoko, you really need to just forgive this guy, i know it's hard but you won't be able to move on until you do"

This infuriated her "how dare you-"

"Shhhhhhhh" he remained on her shoulder as he closed his lids for a bit

"I'll see you after you get some rest" Arata gently places a hand on her scalp and pets it like he found a cute puppy

This always gives her a feeling of affirmation and reminds her of his loyalty and support

"Goodnight"

Kotoko wanted to say something, but she was too tired to argue

"Get some rest t-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he slams the door on her face, leaving her angry again

'That guy…' she huffs in frustration, Arata had a bad habit of being rude most of the time and this always annoyed her.

She then places a hand on his apartment door "thanks" a tired smile replaces her anger as she opens her own apartment door right beside his.

AN: does this chapter give you more of an idea or more questions?

I'm still trying to paint the picture, slowly revealing what the future holds for our characters is my most favorite part of writing this story.

But showing what happened in the past will really explain what really happened. I'am using the cast from the love in tokyo version just because as you know i'm a huge fan of all of them, i truly believe all the actors/actresses did so well and that it was the best iNK cast ever.

Arata is an original character and if you haven't already guessed, he plays a very important role in my story. You will get to know him as we progress through the story as well as some new characters.i envision the actor Mackenyu Arata playing him. Handsome, tall and someone who looks dependable and honest.

Most of the original characters remain in character and the same, all except kotoko. Well, kind of?

Please let me know your thoughts! Will update soon !