Thanks for the feedback! These reviews keep me going!

Some tidbits in the previous chapter, like the locket and Wataru's handkerchief, I've already mentioned in the other previous chapters. But they were minor details at the time, so you'll really have to look in between the lines. I've got another surprise up my sleeve.

This is for Ronnie. Got some ideas from your past reviews. Enjoy!

Disclaimer:ONLY THE RING FINGER KNOWS does not belong to me. All elements below belong to Kannagi Satoru and its proper copyrights. The only things I do own are my original characters.

Note: These are not, I repeat, these are NOT the actual events of the fourth novel. This is what I guess you could call an alternate storyline. Please do not rely on this fic for information about the fourth novel or on any of the books, although I will be borrowing some scenes and events that took place there.


She slowly reached out her hand to take Wataru's, but as she did, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew against them, pricking her skin with the cold. Her bare feet felt numb, and the next thing she knew, she had slipped on something, causing her to lose her balance. She fell backwards, her entire body falling over the ledge—her hand still outstretched to Wataru's.

In a single moment, she thought everything would be over. No one would come save her. No one would be crazy enough to…

"SAYURI!"

Her thoughts were broken by the loud scream of her name. The next thing she saw was Wataru jumping in after her, his hand stretching outward to grab hers. "Fujii-kun…" she breathed, unable to find her voice to scream. In the next moment, she felt his hand grab her wrist, and she was pulled mid-air into his arms.

The only thing she remembered after that was the warmth of his hot embrace, as they both plummeted downwards into the deep darkness.


THE UNTOUCHED RING

Chapter Twenty-One: Finding What Is Lost (Part 1)


The scent of blueberry muffins baking in the oven filled her nostrils, along with the scent of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies cooling by the window sill. Sayuri looked curiously at her grandmother as the old woman busied herself about the kitchen. She bit her lip. Would she go in or not?

As if sensing her hesitation, the old woman chuckled and said, "Come in, Sayuri." The girl flinched and straightened up. How on earth did her grandmother know she was there? Was the woman psychic? Nevertheless, she obeyed and slowly approached the old woman. Hisane's wrinkled face brightened with a smile. She lifted the little girl up by the arm pits and settled her down on the stool. "Here you go," she presented her with the bowl where she had mixed the batter in. "It's my latest work. Tell me what you think."

Obediently, Sayuri dipped her finger, wiping off the residue, and then gave it a lick. In an instant, she beamed and said, "Delicious!" She had always loved her grandmother's home-made baked sweets. If she wasn't in to dance, no doubt the woman could open a bakeshop. Sayuri wagged her legs as she silently watched her grandmother resume her work. The only sound she could here was the gushing of the water from the faucet, and the ticking of the oven-timer.

"Obaasan…" Sayuri moaned, smiling to herself at the serene picture. But soon enough, that pleasant picture of her grandmother in an apron baking muffins vanished. It was replaced by a scene with her and Anna strolling down the street one rainy afternoon. "Anna," she had said. "You and I are best friends, right? We'll never be apart?" The other girl giggled. "Of course not," came the answer. "We'll be friends forever." The cold of the rain didn't matter.

As the droplets of rain fell upon her shoulders, she noticed the scene changing—dissolving into puddles of rippling water, and before she knew it, she was sitting in a classroom staring at the pretty face of her classmate, Reiko. "Hi," she said. "You're a bit new here… what's your name?"

"S-Sayuri…" she mumbled in a shy reply.

Reiko stifled a giggle, but soon enough exploded into loads of laughter. "C-Cute!" she said in between gasps. "That's so cute! Sayuri… right… I like you. Let's be friends…" And she resumed laughing for a reason Sayuri didn't know of. But she also smiled and eventually laughed along with her.

The laughter died down as the sunlight penetrated the windows, illuminating the entire room so much so that she had to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself in the shooting gallery with a bow and arrow in hand. "Still can't hit the bull's eye, huh?" Seiichi asked, coming up from behind her. She squeaked in surprise and inched away, her face burning with a red color. Seiichi grinned and helped her with her posture.

"You have to relax," he said. "You dance, right?"

"Eh?" she murmured, momentarily forgetting herself.

"Hongo School of Japanese Dance. You dance, right?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Dancing is an art, isn't it?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Well, archery is also a form of art. Only, it is expressed in a different manner. If in dancing, you express yourself through the sway and movement of your entire body… then in archery, you express yourself through your bow and arrow. A beautiful shot that undoubtedly no one would be able to keep their eyes away from…"

Sayuri blushed at her senpai's words. She nodded and steadied herself in her stance. With form and concentration, she focused on the target and released the arrow. The sound of the arrowhead hitting the target resounded in her ears like a deafening echo.

It was beautiful.

…Then everything faded into white. Afterwards, it began to die down, disappearing into a line of darkness that not even her consciousness could understand. She stretched out her hand hoping to grasp on to something, but found none. It was dark and it was cold. She felt alone. But in that solitude, she heard a voice resonating in the distance—calling her, drawing closer—until it was all that she could hear.

"SAYURI!"

And then she woke up.

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Sayuri blinked once and waited for everything to come into focus. She felt heavy and sluggish, and her head was spinning. She closed her eyes again to ease the tension; afterwards she opened them again, this time, properly seeing what was in front of her. She moaned her discomfort and tried to get up despite the protests her body was offering her.

"You're awake," a voice spoke to her. It was the same voice that had called out to her in her dreams. "How are you feeling?"

She sat upright, tasting something bitter in her mouth, and then she turned to the young man seated across her. "I… I'm okay…" she muttered, shaking away the cobwebs in her head. She blinked once or twice before she had a full gauge of their location. To which, she immediately squeaked in surprise. "Fu-Fujii-kun… What… Where… are we…?" She curled herself into a ball, her head spinning here and there, while clutching a foreign piece of garment that was apparently wrapped around her.

"Calm down, Hongo-san," Wataru said, quite startled by the young girl's outburst. "We fell off a cliff… remember?" He spoke the words slowly, as if giving her time to adjust and adapt.

Sayuri blinked again, trying to remember what happened. She recalled being inside her room staring at the ceiling. She stood up to open the windows… and then… she climbed down. What's next? She walked around… not even bothering to change or wear some shoes. She was pretty upset so she didn't bother with the cold. She kept walking and walking… until she reached Highway 54… She remembered that because the highway was undergoing some renovations, which her father's company was handling. And then… she climbed over the ledge. Someone stopped her… Was it… Wataru…?

"You… You saved me…?" she sank into a whisper.

Wataru smiled a little and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so. I'm not one to let someone commit suicide in front of my eyes."

Sayuri blushed with embarrassment. "So then… where are we…?" She looked around again noticing rock, dirt, and some shriveled moss sticking to the walls, and dried leaves scattered everywhere. In the middle, between her and Wataru, was a very small campfire. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give them some light and warmth in the darkness.

"A cave," the dark-eyed boy answered. "It's not far from where we fell actually."

"…You mean we're not dead?"

"No," he breathed a sigh. "That cliff is only about a few meters high. It's not enough to kill us—well, depending on the fall; it's not enough to kill us. Lucky for us, there was a pile of dried leaves at the bottom. It cushioned our fall so we should be okay, although we might feel a bit sluggish."

"Oh…" Sayuri drawled. The cave wasn't big; it was really just a small opening from the side of a huge earth mound that could easily fit two to three people. It's not like she was ungrateful for the shelter, but she was feeling a bit uncomfortable. But she wasn't cold either. Wait… Not cold…? She was only wearing her nightgown. How could she be not cold? She finally took notice of the heavy coat wrapped around her like a blanket, providing her with warmth. Where did it come from? It wasn't hers. Then… could it be…?

She stared back at Wataru who had begun fidgeting with his cell phone. He was looking a bit messy. His hair was a bit tussled, he had a few bumps and bruises, and he looked a bit exhausted. But something on his left sleeve caught her eye. Something red… Was that…?

"Fujii-kun!" she exclaimed. "Y-You're bleeding!"

Wataru jolted a bit in surprise at her sudden outburst, but then turned to look at his left hand. "Ah, that," he said like he was stating a fact. "I got that during the fall. It's no big deal, it's nothing serious."

Sayuri frowned. "Nevertheless," she fumed. "It's still a wound that must be treated properly!" She crawled over to his side and took his hand into hers for closer inspection. There was a small gash that looped around his forearm to his palm. But like the boy said, it wasn't a deep cut and it didn't look that serious. But the thought that he got injured because of her made her feel terrible. She tore of a piece of her skirt and shred it to fine strips of linen. Afterwards, she wrapped it carefully around the wound, and tied it off with a simple knot.

"There," she huffed, quite pleased with herself. "That should do it." She wondered for a moment if Wataru did indeed carry her all the way to this cave with that kind of injury. She felt bitter for causing him trouble like this, but at the same time, quite happy that she was able to invoke such worry from him.

"Thanks," he said and returned to tinkering with his cell phone, which he had been apparently doing while Sayuri was asleep. There were a few cracks to the casing, no doubt attributed to the fall; even the LCD screen was damaged. He shook it a bit, grunting in frustration before finally breathing a heavy sigh seemingly in defeat.

"What's the matter?" Sayuri asked, returning to her seat opposite him. "Can't you call for help?"

"No. It got busted because of the fall. Anyway, I doubt if we could get any signal here."

"Does… Does that mean we're lost in the middle of nowhere?" she added nervously, remembering that Highway 54 cut through the forestation of the closed and abandoned Tsukimine Shrine. They could be lost within the miles and miles of landscape.

"Well, it's not like we're completely lost," he reassured. "Highway 54 connects to the main road. It maybe under renovation, but it's still accessible to small vehicles. In other words, if we keep walking a couple of meters ahead, we'd end up at the main road. From there, it'll be easy for us to find our way back."

"Then what are we sitting here for? Let's go!"

"That's too reckless… It's night—it's practically pitch-black out there. And if we can't see where we're going, we could end up going around in circles and really be lost. We'll have to wait 'till morning."

"All the way 'till morning?"

"Yeah… Besides, there's also another factor to consider…"

"Factor…?"

Wataru pointed outside to which she followed with her gaze. Much to her astonishment and amazement, she saw tiny speckles of white falling from the sky, and then slowly sinking on to the hard earth, dyeing the ground with its white color.

"Is that…" she muttered. "Is that snow…?"

"It started snowing a while back," he answered. "It's not a blizzard, more like a light drizzle. But nevertheless, it's enough to drop the temperature. And I doubt… you could last in the cold…"

He scrutinized her, taking notice of her nightgown that looked torn and tattered. Sayuri apparently noticed and blushed again, pulling the coat tighter around her. No doubt it was Wataru's coat, and he had draped it over her to keep her warm. Again, she felt embarrassed that she had caused the young boy such trouble.

"All right…" she mumbled. "We'll wait 'till morning."

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With silence taking over them again, Wataru opted to look outside and watched the snow gently float down to the ground. They looked like tiny white lights illuminating the darkness with its pure color. They were beautiful. It was seldom that snow would fall on Tokyo. If it did, it wouldn't stay on the ground for too long, and would immediately disappear as quickly as it came, if not sooner.

Looks like it'll be a white Christmas, he mused. He remembered last year's Christmas. It was the first Christmas of his relationship with Kazuki. Unfortunately, though, they weren't able to spend it together. For one thing, they both made a commitment to spend it with their families. Another, they doubted they could get any alone-time where they can truly be lovers.

That one simple afternoon when Kazuki had received his ranking in the national mock exam had been the only instance where they slept together. Afterwards, they couldn't get another chance. They'd drop by each other's houses, but strictly kept it to kissing and holding hands, in fear of being heard should ever they get too "loud". Perhaps that's the true intention of Kazuki getting an apartment…

Wataru shook those thoughts aside, blushing at the mere notion. Now was not the time to think of such things. But still… He was really hoping on spending Christmas with Kazuki. Perhaps they could also watch the snow falling from his apartment's terrace. Hot chocolate would be waiting in the morning, and then they'd laze around the entire day, tucked beneath the warm covers…

However, it seemed like a distant dream now. He wondered if things would ever work out like it used to. There was still the issue regarding his parents. How was he going to reconcile with them? Would he even still be accepted? So many questions coursed through his mind.

He turned his gaze to the small fire crackling in front of him, and took delight in the way the flames danced before his eyes. There were plenty of dried leaves to keep the fire going, and it was a good thing he had gone to summer camp as a child. Although, he never imagined that he could actually start a fire by rubbing two sticks together. As he continued to be enthralled by the flames, he took notice of Sayuri's curious gaze staring at him. He tried to ignore it at first, but the silence was already enough to drive someone mad. So he lifted his eyes and met her gaze.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"…Nothing," she shrugged. "I was just thinking…"

"Thinking… what…?"

"…Aren't you curious?"

Wataru understood what the girl was hinting. He nudged his head and leaned his back against the solid dirt wall. "I'm not going to ask any questions if you don't want to answer," he said. "I'm sure it's none of my business, so I'd rather not pry."

"Even though you risked your own life to save me…?"

"I wasn't really thinking of the consequences, except that I didn't want you to die. That's all. If you want to tell me what happened then go ahead. It's your free will to do so. I just don't want you to get the feeling that you're obligated to explain to me everything."

Sayuri pondered over it for a moment. It's the first time anyone has ever told her that he didn't want her to die. She bit her lip and returned to gazing at the flames. Recalling the earlier events, she had broken down in front of the young man. She had cried, screamed out her insecurities, and pretty much revealed to him the vulnerable side of herself that she had never shown to anyone before.

Then she briefly recalls the feeling she had as she was about to take Wataru's outstretched hand. She was in conflict of whether or not to trust someone again, in fear of being so easily betrayed. But then she had heard a voice inside her head saying that it was okay—it was okay to entrust herself to Fujii Wataru because he won't betray her. There was no basis to that thought, and she knew it. But somehow, the idea of trusting Wataru felt right.

And the relief and the emotion she felt when he had jumped in after her… It was beyond her expectation when he did that. His hand grabbing hers… And then she was pulled into his embrace. No doubt the real reason why Wataru looked disheveled as he did now was because he had protected her, accepting the entire impact of the fall. Maybe that's also how he hurt his hand.

Certainly, this man has more than enough earned her trust. And he deserved to know the truth. It wasn't obligatory. She wanted someone to hear her out. And perhaps the Fates granted her the opportunity to know Wataru, and to expose the inner-depths of her soul to him.

"Fujii-kun…" she spoke softly. And thus, her story began.

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Hearing Sayuri's life-story certainly made Wataru understand the girl a bit more. He never expected that the girl started out with a mediocre life. Then in a single instant, everything changed. Although he was sure that her parents had her best interests at heart, perhaps they failed to realize that the girl was already content with her simple life. And it would seem she wasn't faring well with Love either. She had been hurt by the first boy she had fallen in love with, and the second one was completely uninterested in her. But it did interest him to know more about Yuina. So far, he had only heard about her from Asaka, and truthfully, he had been wondering what kind of woman she was.

"Yuina-san was very kind," Sayuri said. "She was like a big sister to me. She really helped me out of a lot. Masanobu-sama was kind too—always patting me on the head… I really liked it whenever he did that. Although I'm not really sure when exactly I fell for him, I just knew that I always felt at ease whenever he's around."

"…Even though he already had Yuina-san?"

"It didn't matter if it was one-sided. I was happy with that, and completely satisfied with it. In fact, I thought that Yuina-san and Masanobu-sama were destined to be together. I was particularly surprised when they broke up… Even more so when she died…"

"……"

"Masanobu-sama looked completely broken at the time. Then I remembered the time that I was crying in my grandmother's garden. I was at the end of my rope, but then Masanobu-sama came and cheered me up. I thought I should do the same for him."

"……"

"So when I heard that Shiori-obaasama arranged for us to be eventually married, I was happy. I really was… happy…"

Tears slowly began to brim at her eyes, and Wataru felt the urge to say something that could ease the young girl's burden. He studied the flames again, truly being fascinated at its array of colors. "You know, Hongo-san," he spoke. "Hearing what you say now, I really don't think that you're in love with Asaka-san."

"Eh?"

"I… I'm not saying this because I'm interested in him or anything like that!" he stated defensively, not forgetting the pattern of their arguments—always involving Asaka-related matters. "It's just that… I feel that Asaka was just conveniently there."

"Conveniently there…?"

"You said it yourself, didn't you? You were at the end of your rope, but then he showed up. You were still hung up and broken over Seiichi. In other words, you were at a very vulnerable state when Asaka entered your life. So I think it's normal that such affections would be misinterpreted for love."

"……"

"You weren't in love with Asaka-san. Rather, you were in love with the idea of being in love. Makes sense?"

Sayuri pondered it over for a moment. She looked really deep in thought before finally nodding her head slightly. "You're probably right," she said. "Maybe I was forcing my feelings on Masanobu-sama… and on to myself as well…" She paused for a moment, and then broke into a light chuckle. "He probably thought that as well… Maybe that's why he began addressing me in a formal manner. Always 'Hongo' and never 'Sayuri-chan' like what he always used to call me."

"……"

"…So what's your story?" she added as an after-thought.

"M-Me?" Wataru sputtered. How did he get mixed into this?

"No fair. I told you my story, so you should tell me yours."

"I thought we agreed there weren't any obligations."

"I never agreed to that," she pouted, showing a childish part of herself.

Seeing her reaction caused Wataru to chuckle a bit. That was more like the Sayuri that he had known during their first encounter—unafraid to show a bit of childishness to get what she wants. When Sayuri saw the amusement laced in the young boy's face, she frowned even deeper, clearly not liking being the subject of anything amusing.

"Fujii-kun…!"

"All right…" he tried hard to restrain his laugh. "All right… what do you want to know…?"

The young girl's eyes twinkled and sparkled with a certain gleam to it. "You and your boyfriend," she stated. "Tell me all…"

Wataru visibly paled, and gave a heavy sigh. Somehow, he kind of knew that she was going to ask about that, considering that they were discussing her relationship earlier. Why are women always interested in that? Knocking off those thoughts, he began to tell her his story.

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As soon as he finished, Sayuri burst out laughing uncontrollably, clutching her stomach painfully. Wataru counted the seconds that would go by before the girl settled down and decided to offer intelligent conversation again.

"Se-Seriously…" she huffed. "The both of you… were like kids! I never expected someone so cool like Kazuki-san to act like that. Being mean to the person you like…? That's so grade school!"

Wataru's cheeks turned a burning red color, rivaling that of the fire. "S-So what?" he scoffed. "It's not that a big deal…" He dared not mention Kazuki's other behavior, like always paying for whatever expenses they had like lunch-outings or dates. Seriously, he was always spoiled by the man! He wasn't some clingy girlfriend that always had the boyfriend pay for everything. He also had some independence. But it was just like Kazuki to ignore that and go ahead do what he wants. After all, the man did say that he didn't want Wataru to depend on anyone but him. Kazuki was also very possessive, even though he'd never admit it out loud.

"But still…" Sayuri continued. "It sounds like you really love him. The idea that everything started with a single ring sounds… really romantic. Kind of like something I'd read in a romance novel… It's nice…"

"Romance novel…" he drawled. "But not all romances have happy endings."

"…?"

"Lately, Kazuki and I have always been caught up in such complicated matters. It's not going smoothly… I wonder if we really are meant for each other."

"No relationship ever works out smoothly," she stated. "If the both of you really love each other, it'll work out. Sure the idea of two men kind of disturbed me at first, but a person would have to be complete jerk to dump you."

"……"

"You're really a very sweet and nice guy. Your honesty is reflected in those black eyes of yours. Surely, if you were mine…"

She uttered the last part in a low whisper so Wataru didn't catch it. She trailed the conversation away, leaving it hanging and open. Wataru looked at her quizzically, wondering for her sudden silence. "Hongo-san?"

"You know…" she perked up. "All this formality is really killing me. Can't we just call each other by our given names?"

"Eh? By our given names…?"

"Sure, you called me 'Sayuri' back then, didn't you?"

"That…" he drawled, remembering he did shout that as he jumped in after her. "That was due to the heat of the moment."

"But I don't mind actually," she persisted. "And I kind of like the idea of calling you 'Wataru-kun', or just plain 'Wataru'. So call me 'Sayuri'."

There was a spark of determination in her eyes that Wataru was sure he would be unable to deter. With a nod of his head, he agreed. "All right. Sayuri it is."

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The night wore on, and the fire slowly became smaller and smaller. Once in a while, Wataru would add some more dried leaves and it would blaze a bit higher, and then sink back low again. The sound of their grumbling stomachs reminded them that they hadn't had dinner, and they were getting hungry. But with no food, there really wasn't much of a choice. Outside, the snow seemed to have stopped, and it left behind a beautiful white blanket that spread upon the ground.

"My parents probably already had dinner," Sayuri muttered. "By now, otousan should be relaxing on his favorite chair with a cup of tea and a good book. Okaasan would be channel-surfing on the TV, looking for a good soap drama."

"……"

"What do you think your parents are doing now, Wataru?" She liked saying his name. It just sounded right.

"Dunno," he answered. "Probably deciding when to disown me."

"Come on…"

"But it's true… They were upset when they learned about me and Kazuki. The truth is, I'm not living with them at the moment, but I am planning on reconciling. I just wonder if they'll accept me."

"I'm sure they'll understand. They're not like my parents. I can't even remember the last time we sat down together for a meal."

Wataru smiled. "I'm sure your parents are worried about you. It won't surprise me if they were out looking for you right now."

"You really think so?"

"Parents are like that. You think they don't care, but in fact they do." He paused, as if remembering something, and then gave a light chuckle. "I remember… one time, we went to Karuizawa."

"…Karuizawa?"

"Yeah… My dad won a free trip for four there. So we went there for the summer break. I think I was six years old at the time…"

"…You actually remember that…?"

"I won't forget it for as long as I live! Because that was the time my dad got so mad at me, I thought he was going to kill me!"

"…What did you do?" she got interested.

"Well… I was climbing this cypress tree when I lost my balance and fell. I got no major injuries, just a sprained wrist. But my dad really made a big deal out of it."

"……"

"He was so mad that I got hurt, he nearly ground me for the entire vacation. Seriously, he had never been so mad as he was that time."

"…That proves he loves you."

"Yeah… But you know, I'm sure I…" He added like an after-thought as if something had suddenly entered his mind.

"What's wrong?" Sayuri asked, noticing his expression.

Wataru shook his head dismissively. "Nothing. I just thought…. Well, I think I remember something else from that time…"

"From that time…?"

"While we were in Karuizawa at that time… I think I met someone… Was it a boy? Older than me? It's really vague so I don't remember quite well…"

"So why bother bringing it up?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "The thought just entered my mind… like it was something important. I think it was on the same day I fell out of the tree that we met…"

A cold breeze suddenly blew into a cave, sending a cold chill into Wataru's skin. He visibly shivered, rubbing his hands together to warm up. It was really cold, and his now-tattered sweater wasn't enough to keep him warm. Sayuri noticed this and bit her lip. It was technically her fault that they were in this situation. And Wataru was being noble by letting her use his coat. She was the one at fault here.

"Sorry," she murmured. "Sorry for being a burden."

"Eh? It's no problem!" Wataru said. "I don't mind…"

"But you're in this situation because of me!"

In the back of his mind, Wataru faintly remembered Miho telling him that Sayuri would be the death of him. But he shrugged that thought aside and answered, "Well, I'd rather be here making sure you're okay, than safely tucked away in a warm bed while you're the one freezing out here."

Sayuri smiled at the mention of those words. "You're really special," she said. "You treat people with kindness—not just friends and family, but even complete strangers. Like that little girl you were trying to cheer up in front of the station."

Wataru took a moment to fish in his memories at what she meant. The little girl… That was probably that lost foreigner-child standing in front of the station. It was that day where he and Sayuri had arranged to meet each other. Yes, he remembered now. That was also an instance when he saw the kindness in Sayuri and thought she was definitely more than just a "spoiled brat" as others have described her to be.

"Even though there was a language barrier," she continued. "You still did your best to help and cheer her up. To be honest, I was quite awed at you at the time. And I also thought that you were pretty cool. To be able to hold such charm… perhaps that's what makes you so special."

"……" He blushed a bit in embarrassment.

"…I take what I said before back. You're not 'average'. You're 'one in a million'. A person would have to be a complete moron and a total idiot to not notice that."

She stood up, carrying the coat with her, and approached Wataru. She knelt down in front of him with a serious expression lighting her face. Wataru stared back at her with a curious gaze. "Sayuri… what…"

"Do you want to share this coat? It's yours, technically."

"Ah, n-no… I'm fine," he spoke nervously.

"But we have to stay warm. That fire isn't enough. But another source of warmth is body heat, right?"

"E-Eh? S-Sayuri…"

"Relax…" she drawled. "I'm not suggesting anything like that. Just think of it as an innocent hug."

"Innocent…? All… All right…"

He watched silently as Sayuri sat in front of him so that her back was against his chest. She draped the coat over them like a blanket. From a third person's point of view, it definitely looked like they were hugging. But seeing as that it was an emergency, perhaps they could let it slide.

"There. Doesn't that feel warm?" Sayuri asked, cozying up to him.

Wataru hm-ed a response, and let his nervousness die down. The both of them turned to watch the crackling of the flame. It was late, and they were tired and hungry. In that situation, there was only one thing left for them to do… Sleep. And sleep they did. Sayuri quickly lulled herself to sleep, finding refuge in Wataru's arms. While Wataru counted the seconds, minutes, hours that had gone by since he last saw Kazuki's face. Truthfully, his heart ached to see the elder boy again.

Just one more time, he silently prayed as he felt a dizzying spell overcome him, causing his eyelids to droop down. I want to see him just one more time… even if it would mean the last…

…And it was in that manner that they fell asleep—holding each other in their arms.

0-n-L-y--t-H-3--R-1-n-G--F-1-n-G-3-r--k-N-0-w-5-z--t-H-3--u-N-T-0-u-c-H-3-d--R-1-n-G

Warm rays seeped into the tiny cave where they were bundled up. It prickled Sayuri's eyes and she fidgeted a bit, before slowly lifting her eyelids. The sight of the rising sun greeted her, and it was majestic. Morning had arrived.

She turned to look at Wataru who was still fast asleep. She mused that the boy looked like a young child while he was fast asleep—helpless and defenseless—not to mention he looks so cute. It was hard to believe that someone like him had so much inner strength. With a deep sigh, she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his, imagining that she was able to see whatever it was he's dreaming of. It was warm. It was very warm.

Wait… it was too warm.

Realization dawned on her. Wataru was burning with a fever! Perhaps he had been without his coat for too long and it allowed the cold to seep into him. Or maybe his wound got infected. Either way, it only meant that she had to somehow get Wataru out of there. But what to do? She couldn't just wander aimlessly around. She didn't know the way out, other than how they got down there in the first place. She slapped herself across the cheek in frustration. This was not the time to be indecisive!

She took the coat and placed it around Wataru like a blanket. "Stay here," she murmured. "I'll go get help. I promise I'll be back very soon." And with that, she ventured out in the cold in search for any means of help. She would do anything—even if it meant climbing up that cliff again!

How much time passed after she left? While she was gone, Wataru was having such a wonderful dream. He was dreaming of a tall cypress tree with baby sparrows chirping in a nest. Then there was a snap, and he felt himself falling. And then something caught him. Afterwards, he saw the most mesmerizing pair of ice-blue eyes he had ever seen.

That dream eventually faded and was replaced by a line of hydrangeas drizzled with rain. He was standing amidst them with an umbrella in hand. Then there was someone running towards him, calling his name. He turned to look at the figure closely approaching, and he felt something warm spreading within him.

Was it a dream? It seemed so real. It really seemed real when he felt someone's warm breath upon his nose, and his name continuously being called like a gentle murmur. Afterwards, there was a soft and tender caress. And then he felt himself floating, like he was being carried somewhere. He felt so safe and so warm. And he could distinctly smell the scent of green tea and something else… Something familiar…

"…Yuichi…"

This dream felt so real that he almost thought that it was indeed real. But if it was a dream… then he didn't want to ever wake up.


To be continued…

Muwa-haha! I am so evil!

I must admit… that part with the archery… well, it was inspired from Kannagi-sensei's other work, Rin!

I don't know for how long I've been staring at the cover of the fifth volume. I'm already dying to know what happens. Gah! I really hope there is a happy ending!

Next chapter: Finding What Is Lost (Part 2). Rewind the clock and shift our attention elsewhere. While Wataru and Sayuri were at that cave, what were Kazuki and the others doing?

Please review!