Naoki was sitting down in his apartment's bed, waiting for Kotoko to finish her bath. He was still furious about the state of her face, but he decided to act calmly because it was her life and since he barely let her into his he felt he could not have much say on hers. Still this was his rationale, but his emotions told him otherwise, to grab her and never let go of her. Kotoko left the bathroom and knelt in front of him, on the bare floor. She was wearing her own clothes instead of the ones that he provided, drying her hair with a small towel, never looking at him.

"Thanks for allowing me to come here and use your bathroom. You should not have to worry yourself." He didn't answer. She stood up, still not looking at him, and left the towel in the back of one of the dining table seats. She combed her hair into a bum with her fingers and straightened her clothes.

"I'll be leaving, thanks again. Please don't tell anything to my father or anyone, I will handle this situation with him and I would not like him to hear about this happening by other's words." Her eyes weren't meeting his, her smiled never showed.

"That's what you call it? 'Happening'? How long has this been going on?" He stood up and approached until only a couple of steps were separating them. She kept looking the door.

"Goodbye Irie-kun. Oh, and please don't go to that neighborhood again, is not safe. Say hi to your family." Kotoko placed her hand on the doorknob, but a grip on her arm made her hiss with pain. Naoki immediately released her arm, understanding that her long sleeved blouse was hiding more injuries. His fists were ready to beat the soul out of that imbecile who dared to put a hand on her.

"That Ikezawa was supposed to love you; he chased you for so many years so why is he beating you that badly?"

"This is something between Kin-chan and I, please stay out of it."

"And you are still calling him 'Kin-chan'! What is wrong with you, besides being stupid! You definitely lack of self-respect, you really deserve what is happening to you!" He scarcely had finished the phrase and he was already regretting it. He knew she was more than worthy of being loved and cared for because of all of the happiness that she emitted and enlightened other people's lives. She looked at him for the first time since they arrived and his stomach sunk at the sight: her badly swollen eye and cheek, the slightly purple corner of her lips, and her unreservedly sad eyes were killing him. She offered him a bitter smile.

"It seems like the respect that you have for me is the same that I have for myself." She turned her face to the door and opened it. "So pathetic… Thanks again, please have dinner, it's past time."

"Kotoko, wait…" She stopped, her back to him, and her head hung low.

"I hope you don't have to see me much, from now on I'll try my best to stay away from your life." She walked away without looking back to him. He felt completely miserable and yet he was unable to move, to run for her.

"Kotoko, don't leave… Stay…" He whispered, but she was already out of sight.

The rain was pouring outside. He was only able to eat because she told him so, but the petrifying thought of her being in danger was keeping him from sleeping. He called home and informed he would not be going until tomorrow. Was she that in love with Ikezawa, as much as to put up with him beating her? What about her love for him…? He felt powerless and lonely. He wanted to protect her but she forbid him from telling anyone about this. Naoki thought it could be as simple as just calling the cops and get her free from the bastard. He even could go and beat the idiot senseless and warn him not to get close to her ever again, but something in him told him to respect her and to act against his logic. Only she who could make him act contrary to rationality; no one else would never put him in that position. It was her power and she didn't even know it. He tried to sleep, but sleep was not an option that night. He tried to read but words and pages danced erratically in front of him. He just needed one thing to have peace: her. But then again there was a problem with that: she did not want his help. Naoki closed his eyes and buried himself under the covers, demanding himself to stop thinking and, what is more, to stop feeling.

The next morning Naoki headed to university, sleep deprived and worried to no end. To hell with her decision, he was not going to allow Ikezawa to beat her anymore. He just needed to inform his teacher that he won't be going to his practical and then he would go to Kotoko's workplace. Or that's what he thought. After talking with his teacher he was leaving the medical building when Kotoko materialized herself before him, wearing a surgical mask and sunglasses. She gently touched his left arm with only her fingertips and that was enough to send electricity through all his body. Kotoko, not letting go of his arm, softly and quietly led him outside the campus and into a little cafe. They took sits in a booth, almost away from strangers' looks. Nor she or he had emitted a single sound. She was looking intently to his arm that had served as support for her and that she was still slightly holding from across the table. He was trying to take a better look of her face, covered as it was. The waiter came and she asked for black coffee for them both.

"They serve a pretty good coffee here, Irie-kun; have you ever tried it?"

"No. Kotoko, I wanted to… well… I would like to apologize for yesterday's words. I do not think even remotely that you deserve this."

"Don't worry, it is me who has to apologize to you. You should have never been involved in this. Actually, I came to explain what you saw so you don't have to feel forced to help in any way. I promise I will not involve you in my life beyond explaining what you saw yesterday." Naoki's face was stoic, but inside he was both scared about what he was about to hear and excited to feel Kotoko's touch. So little it took for her to make him happy, sadly he was going to hear something he guaranteed as awful so his happiness was not total.

"Explain." He demanded. "And remove your sunglasses and mask." She hesitated briefly, and then said: "You are about to hear my side of the story, so I guess it is silly to try to hide my face from you…" She took off her accessories, revealing not only the injuries from yesterday but also some other fresher in the right side of her face. The little skin that wasn't purple or yellowish from the smacks went red from embarrassment. Naoki's poker face mutated from apparent indifference to total disbelief and anger.

"Let's go to the police. Now." He was about to stand up and she stopped him taking his arm and making him sit again.

"You said you wanted me to explain, so I will explain. Please listen to me, Irie-kun."

Fury bolted through his veins, yet her delicate touch in his arm helped him to be calmer.

"I'm listening, Kotoko. And I truly hope this state of yours has a solid explanation."

Surprisingly, Naoki laid his hand on top of hers. Her softness and warmth… It had been awhile and nonetheless he was not able to fully enjoy this experience. His heart was irately racing out of pure hatred towards Ikezawa, but part of his accelerated heartbeat was because of her closeness.

Her surprised showed on her face, her eyes wide open for a couple of seconds before she shut them close. Taking a deep breath, she started narrating.

"I think I fell in love with Kinnosuke. I thought I loved you, but I guess it was admiration and caring more than love. Kinnosuke showed me his love for years and years until I finally realized that I couldn't bring anything good to you, but instead I could be supportive and in reality helpful to his life. When we started dating he had some issues with his family, he was in bad terms with some of them. His mother fell ill and he was travelling back and forth, trying at the same time to work at my dad's place and the university's cafeteria to keep gaining experience to become a good chef. He always wanted to prove himself before my eyes… It was an impossible task to travel so often to Osaka and at the same work in two places. He eventually had to quit the cafeteria job and made an agreement with dad to work as much shifts as possible. I tried to be supportive and started working as a waitress at dad's restaurant and also at the ramen place. It wasn't much money, but at least I could help dad a bit with his money issues. In the end, his mother died a painful death… The whole process, illness and death, made Kinnosuke's soul a bit bitter and his patience felt to the ground. It's pretty understandable and well, you know me, I can't stay out of trouble, so…"

"So you fell in love with him and you allow him to beat you so he can feel better? Is that what love causes? Is that what you wanted me to feel for you?"

"It's not like that… I know you could never love me, I'm lucky enough that you don't hate me. I did wanted you to feel love for me, but I understood that wanting is not being able to achieve. I'm helping Kinnosuke, I'm trying to support everyone, I like helping people and I know this is just a stage in Kinnosuke's sorrow. Just please don't tell anything to anyone, especially dad. I want to protect him too, please… just…" Her voice cracked, she wasn't able to finish the sentence as tears run down her cheeks.

"So, you really never loved me?" He looked intently to her eyes, never letting her hand go.

"That's not important now…" Her gaze meet the ground.

"Just answer."

"I don't think so…" Naoki never got to understand if she was shaking or not, since she retrieved her hands away from his. The pain of her injuries and her status took place in his chest.

"Are you saying you went away from m… my place and quitted university just out of love… for Ikezawa?

She looked at him again, tears still flowing from her eyes. "Yes. I'm acting out of love. It is because of love that I'm doing what I'm doing. Once you fall for a nice girl, you will understand that you want to protect and make happy the ones you love. And that will be a very lucky girl, you know?" Naoki suddenly stood up and threw a couple of bills over the table.

"If that's love, I don't want to love. Ever. Love is painful Kotoko, it's lonely and is full of fear."

He marched to the cafe's door and left without looking back. His walking became jogging and then sprinting. He needed to calm down.

"Kotoko… being beaten by Ikezawa. Protecting Ikezawa. Loving him instead of me… Couldn't she just protect me?! I would never beat her, I would take care of her, I would help her father, I would and she won't let me… Damn it!"