Disclaimer if you absolutely need to see one, check chapter one.

Notes chapter two as promised! Thank you vampirebat123 and Manga Murder. I do appreciate your reviews. I was hoping for more, but two are better than none!

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Takao ran to his dojo residence as fast as he could. He threw the door open and ignored his grandfather's inquiry as he raced toward the bathroom. Quickly stripping himself, he jumped under the shower and began to scrub furiously at himself. He was late! He couldn't believe he had completely forgotten about Hilary and their meeting… for the third time that week. But this time it was different; he had promised that he would be there on time…

His shower took only a few minutes, then he was out and speed walking to his room, dripping wet and his only cover a towel around the waist. He heard the distinct ringtone of his cell phone as he reached his room, and made a beeline for it.

"H-hello?"

"Takao! Is that you?"

"Uh, yeah. Hey Hil," Takao lodged the phone between his ear and shoulder and attempted to begin getting dressed.

"Is something the matter? Did something happen?" the voice sounded slightly worried.

"Umm… no, it's all fine. I'm just, er.."

"Where are you Takao? I've been waiting for half an hour."

"Oh. Uh. Yeah, sorry. I was running kind of late and, yeah. Be there in fifteen, promise."

"Wait—fine. See you." Hilary sounded reserved. She hung up before he could put another word in.

Takao cursed and dressed quickly before drying his hair and sporting his trademark hat. He looked in the mirror to make sure he looked presentable in his black pants, white dress shirt, and red sports jacket. Shrugging, he plucked his keys and mobile phone off his bed. He was about to leave when he remembered another important thing he should be taking with him. He grabbed it as he made his way out, calling as he did so, "Grandpa, I'm borrowing the car. I'll probably be late, don't wait for me."

He heard Grandpa Kinomiya shout something in reply in the background, but he didn't know what it was because he was already outside and pulling out of the driveway.

It didn't take long to get to the nearby local restaurant. It was fancy but not too formal; a comfortable environment to have a nice date. His nice date was already off to a bad start, however. He was over 45 minutes late, a period in which his girlfriend had been patiently waiting for him. Feeling guilty and like the biggest jerk on Earth, he parked and made his way to the designated meeting place.

He found Hilary seated at the table, looking conscious about being all alone. She was dressed in a soft green fancy top and a straight knee-length grey skirt with matching heels. Her hair was pulled back into a short wavy ponytail. The dim golden light brought out red highlights in it and she looked beautiful. Feeling another wave of guilt wash over him, he made his way to her.

"Hey love," he murmured as reached her and sat down. She looked up and smiled but it looked unsure.

"I'm so sorry about being late. I guess I have no excuse—just got carried away with Kai—but I promise I'll make it up to you," he reached over and held her hand, but it did not relax on his touch.

"I called you like three times beforehand, why didn't you pick up?" Hilary asked.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot my phone at home. You could've tried Kai's, you know I always hang around with him."

Her gaze hardened, "It's always about Kai, isn't it?"

He looked at her in surprise, "What? What do you—"

At that moment a waitress showed up, smiling politely at them. "May I take your orders now, Ma'am?"

"Yes," Hilary said distractedly, "I'll have the chicken teriyaki with rice on the side. And oh, a salad as well please."

"No problem. And you, sir?" she turned to Takao, busily jotting down notes.

Takao faltered for only a moment and then picked up the menu undecidedly. "Um…"

"Would you like me to come back in a few minutes?" the waitress offered.

"Yes," Takao agreed readily, "That would be good. Can we order a bottle of your best brandy in the meantime?"

She nodded and strolled away, little notebook in hand. The clinking of her heals disappeared as it combined with the noise of the busy diner.

"So," the bluenette turned back to his girl, "What was all that about?"

Hilary merely sipped on her glass of water calmly. "What?"

"You know. It being all about Kai."

"Just forget it, Takao. You're supposed to be looking through the menu," she gestured to the manual, but Takao could sense in a distance in her actions.

"Look, I said I'm sorry, alright? And I really am. I was thinking about this all day and then I decided to take a jog to take my mind off things and its completely my luck that I just lost track of the time," he tried to reason, but sounded desperate even to himself.

She shook her head lightly, "Just drop it. Let's enjoy the time we're going to spend together."

Takao sighed and ran a hand over his face, feeling terrible. He did as told however, making lighter conversation which Hilary approvingly participated in. When the waitress came around once more, Takao ordered his food enthusiastically. It was natural of him to smile, but he found himself doing it more often, attempting to cover up for the uncertainty and nervousness that was building up within him.

They had an enjoyable meal, but for once Takao never brought up Kai's name in all of their conversing. He felt conscious about his girlfriend's earlier comment and decided to keep their unspoken conflict at a minimum. He did his best to relay his regret through subtle actions, however. He gently held Hilary's hand, complimented her look for the evening. He participated without protest in any subject she chose and paid the bill when they were ready to leave.

They decided to take a short walk afterward, being as they were in the midst of the nightlife of their city. They didn't talk much, which was an open invitation for Takao's thoughts to run wild. His heart began to thud with anticipation and his palms became sweaty. He rubbed them uncomfortably on his jacket.

The area they had reached was a small park that belonged to one of the residential condominiums. Stopping by a nearby bench, away from the busy street, Takao guided Hilary to sit down on it. He bit his lip nervously, but made a final decision.

"Hilary, I know today wasn't great and I know it's my fault," he began, shifting uncomfortably, "I wanted things to be perfect, but I guess it doesn't always turn out that way."

"Takao?" she questioned softly.

"I—this may not be the best time to do this but—" he dropped down to one knee in front of her and looked up into her shadowed features. His hand fumbled to find the little jewelry box buried in his pocket. "Hilary, will you marry me?"

For a second time came to a standstill. There was no movement and no reaction. And then it suddenly continued on; a range of expression flew over the brunette's face, as though to compensate for the lost time. First there was surprise and then happiness and disbelief. That was soon covered by a solemn look and then her features closed off, not letting him read what she was thinking.

"I—Takao, I—I don't know what to say," she stumbled over her words unsurely.

The blunette blew out his breath, trying not to let out an insane laugh from the pressure he was experiencing then. He had nothing to say after his proposal either. "Well, you know what I would rather you said…" he joked lightly, though his insides were on fire.

The next moment Hilary had slid down to her knees before him, pulling him to her and embracing him tightly. He almost fell back in surprise but managed to regain his balance and return her hug. Her hand snaked along his arm to his hand and closed the little jewelry box with a definite, final clink, obscuring the beautiful diamond ring within.

"You're right," she whispered, and her voice sounded choked as she buried her face in his shoulder, "You're right. This isn't the best time to propose."

"Hilary," Takao managed to breathe, his mind reeling.

"I'm sorry, Takao, but I can't. I love you but that isn't enough to make a marriage work…"

"But I love you too Hilary, I would do anything for you!"

"I think your heart belongs to someone else," she whispered and her breath on his cheek made him tremble.

"What does that mean?" he demanded, panicked.

"Takao, all those times you can't see me, seem to forget about me, where I always come last in your life—"

"That's not fair," he pulled back, cutting through her. He looked deep into her chocolate brown eyes, trying to decipher her thoughts, "That's not true. Are you accusing me of cheating on you? That there is someone else?"

"Is there someone else?" she countered.

"N—No! How can you say that? I thought we trusted each other!"

She sat back against the leg of the bench tiredly, "I'm not accusing you of anything. But Takao, I can't do this anymore when there's always someone else I have to share you with!"

"Wha—"

"Don't you get it! Kai!"

This time the bluenette did not attempt to block his laughter.

"That's.. crazy…"

"No. It's not. You never forgot about him, did you. Don't you realize? Kai's in every aspect of your life. Even the parts that I'm not involved in. You always seem to forget about me because of him. You don't show up when you're supposed to because you're with him. I always come last because Kai seems to come first, then your grandpa, and then me." She looked away, rubbing lightly on her bare arms. Takao flailed for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Hilary looked back into his face, "My answer is no, Kinomiya Takao. I will not marry you." She reached over and squeezed his hand in her smaller one, "I think you're proposing to the wrong person."

Takao held her hand in a death grip, feeling as though he'd been struck by lightning, "What are you saying…"

"Don't deny it," she whispered, "Why are you doing this? To me? To yourself? Just admit that you're in love with him."

He threw his arm over his face and inhaled sharply, "This is, this is—"

"Tell me the truth."

"I loved him once," Takao said softly, finally, not meeting her eyes.

Flashback

"Tell me the truth Kinomiya Takao!"

"This is insane…"

"You have feelings for Kai, don't you?!"

"I— " he looked into her triumphant stare, panicked, "You can't tell him anything. You can't tell anyone!"

Hilary's features softened, "Don't worry. But maybe you should tell him yourself."

"No," Takao shook his head fervently, a sad smile forming on his face, "That's impossible. Promise to keep it a secret."

"Promise. But I think one day he'll figure it out if you keep being so obvious…"

Years later

"Takao, do you know what you're asking? What about Kai—"

"He doesn't have to do with this. Don't you trust that my feelings for you are genuine?"

"I don't know. I don't want to get tangled up in something that will never work."

"Kai… Kai's gone. Anything I felt for him is gone. He's a part of the past now."

"Then promise me you forgot about him. Promise me, Takao."

He faltered for a moment.

"I promise."

Seven months later, Kai came back.

"You still do."

It was at this moment that their eyes met and Takao's soul unraveled. He felt powerless to lie before her scrutinizing gaze.

"You're right. I do."

They sat in silence as her tears fell, though he felt cold and made no motion to comfort her.

"I do love you, Hilary," he offered, finally, at a loss.

She shook her head as she staggered to her feet.

"You can't love two people. It's me, or him. I think we both know the truth about this matter."

Hilary walked away, hugging herself as she did so. Takao sat in a blank stupor for a while. Then he cursed and punched the bench furiously; his fingers burned but he did not care.

Everything was ruined. Everything.

And it was all his fault.

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End notes chapter three on the way, and if you guys want it, you know what to do (hint: it has to do with the review button!)