Long week. And the musical is being put on. That is the reason why it took me so long to update, so please do not believe I was simply procrastinating. I know I haven't been putting in any actual depth and plot into the story, I hope I make up for it by introducing the characters in this chapter, and I do plan on putting in more and more of the plot into the next chapters as I go along. Okay, Lory time is over. Anyways thank you for the reviews, favorites and alerts, please enjoy chapter four!

-LIA

Chapter 4

Kyoko

"Good evening Mogami-san."

My breath caught I my throat in surprise. He had appeared so suddenly and silently, had I not spotted him I would have jumped.

"Ah, good evening Tsuruga-san." I said, quickly bowing to make up for my slip up.

Had he noticed it, he did not show, as Tsuruga-san simply smiled, seemingly unfazed by my reaction.

"Were you exploring the house?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yes, it's really amazing. I feel as though I've gone back in time." I confessed with a small blush. "It's almost as though this was actually a house of the royal family back in its prime."

"I think the people who created it would be happy to hear that." Tsuruga-san answered with another smile.

I felt my face redden.

"An, have you ever been in a house like this Tsuruga-san?" I asked.

"Once . . . when I was younger." And even though there was a smile on his face, I detected that something changed. It was as though the entire area around him had changed completely, and I knew I hit a nerve. There was a silence, and suddenly it struck me. It probably has something to do with his past. I realized. But what should I say? As I opened my mouth to say something, anything to get his mind off his past, the serious atmosphere disappeared.

"That was a long time ago." Tsuruga-san cleared his throat and extended his hand in the American greeting. "I should say first congratulations on getting the role. I look forward to working with you."

I smiled in return and clasped my hand in his.

"Thank you, I look forward to working with you as well." And helping you. I added silently.

"I will see you around, Mogami-san." With a nod of his head, Tsuruga-san left, going off in the direction he had come.

I stood there for a few moments more before deciding to explore the rest of the house. It was definitely not as extravagant as I had feared, in fact it was actually modest compared to how I had become accustomed the president's taste to be. All the doors were the traditional paper sliding doors; on the walls were few decorations, such as paper scrolls, or in some cases even katanas, however not much more than that. It is only near the entrance in the main hall that there were more extravagant things, which included precious vases and paintings of emperors. However as one got deeper inside the house would they find the more modern area, and my second-favorite part of the house; the kitchen. It was equipped with only the best in kitchen utensils and the best ingredients-truly one fit for only the worlds' most elite Japanese chefs. But despite the perfectness of the room, it was not my favorite area of the house. The true beauty was held in the garden. It was held in the back of the house, with greenery surrounding all around. Near the steps leading down to the garden were several bonsai trees, and some distance off there was a small bridge crossing over a stream, which later led to a small waterfall. I could spot several cherry blossom trees, however they were just a short time away from blooming. Just looking at this garden made me feel calm, as though nature itself were speaking to me and washing all of my troubles away. A serene place.

But despite this beautiful place and the mission given to me by the president, my role also came first.

~O~

"Mori Fuyuki." I said aloud to myself, looking down at my hands clasped in my lap.

Fuyuki. You are seventeen years old. You grew up in Kyoto and have lived there all of your life, and up until around middle school with both parents. Your mother died when you were thirteen from sickness, and so you were left with only your father, who became very protective of you because of it. You have a few close friends, but most of the people know your name and recognize who you are. You are also very kind and pure, you have never had hate in your heart . . . I paused for a moment before forcing myself to move on. He is not a part of this. I chanted to myself.

And one day you met Miura Yori, a man who you would change forever.

~O~

Ren

I turned the water on and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water pour around me. Showers have always been my favorite place to think. Even when I was young I found myself solving out the more difficult problems of life while standing in the shower, the water hitting my bare skin and clearing my mind. As I grew older there have been fewer and fewer occurrences where I would need to take one in the middle of the day simply to think, and this was one of them.

Yori Miura. You are nineteen years old, a troublemaker since young. Very adventurous, very brash, and when you were a child, very cheerful and bright. But that changed as you grew older. You became influenced by the growing violence you witnessed in the shadows of society, growing more and more twisted until you finally reached your peak and killed a man.

He is like Kuon. I thought with a humorless chuckle.

Blood. Violence. All of it is familiar to you. Your parent's disappointed face has been shown more times than you can count. However you don't see them much any more. You only arrive home at the wee hours of the morning, sometimes not even then. School has lost hope with you, and you are considered a disgrace among society. Even among the gang you had temporarily joined in, you were not welcomed. You were a lone wolf, never trusting, never loving. Always watching, and fighting. That was until one day you simply ran away to Kyoto, and there you met Fuyuki . . .

A bright girl, pure and kind enough to accept you and meet you every day at a small clearing that would change you forever.

"The story of my life." I murmured to myself. "You had to pick the one role that hit home the closest, didn't you, you stupid president? Don't you simply understand that I can't risk it? Especially with her." I rest my forehead against the tile wall. "Honestly, what were you thinking? With her here, I'm that much more reluctant to do it. I can't let him come out."

With those thoughts in mind, I turned the shower off and stepped out, wrapping myself in a towel.

"I will not let him come out."

Once again sorry for the late update, but life happens, you know? Also in case you weren't sure I put the names last name first name, just to clear that up. That you once again for the reviews, favorites, and alerts, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

-LIA