HEY guys!!! I'm so grateful to everyone who reviewed my story. I can't even begin to thank you! It's really motivating to know that there are people reading my work and that I need to hurry up and update. So thanks again, and please continue to give me feedback. This chapter is a nice break from the heaviness of the previous chapters. So enjoy and review :D!!!

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Back at Yasmine's home, present day

Yasmine paused her story and looked up at Ryosuke. Her face was strong, her jaw set and defiant. "It's time for Hikaru to get to school. I should wake him and get him dressed."

"No not now! You haven't finished what you were saying!" Ryosuke was getting impatient. He had been sucked into her world like a moth to a flame. He was surprised how much he cared. He'd been disgusted by the way she'd been treated but this was what he'd wanted to hear the most. How she'd come to Japan. How she'd gotten out. And whose child she bore.

Yasmine was working hard to hold back tears. The next phase of her life was one of her worst. Worse than the massacre she's witnessed, worse than the slavery she'd been through. She wasn't sure if she really wanted Ryosuke to know. The only reason she'd opened up to him was because he'd offered to help her find her son. Somehow, it was liberating. Like she'd have someone who finally understood her. Whether or not he'd understand her after the whole truth was another story.

"Ryosuke-san!" They heard a tiny whisper from the doorway. Turning around, little Hikaru stood with his oversized PJ's and bleach blonde hair shimmering in the rays of sunlight breaking through the blinds.

"Hikaru-kun. You've got such a gentle voice. Thank you for letting me hear it." Ryosuke said.

He trotted sleepily to Yasmine climbed up on her lap and curled up in a ball. "Honey, time to get to school. Come on, a nice hot shower plus some soup in the morning ought to do the trick."

"I just wanna have five more minutes. Please? PLEASE Kaa-san?"

"No pleases, your going to march upstairs right now and get dressed for school. Go on!" She urged. Nuzzling herself in Hikaru's shoulder, she playfully tickled him all the while inching him slowly off of her. "Go go go go. AAArrrrrr. Good boy!" She said in a thick accent. Getting up, he ran upstairs and she heard the bath start to run.

"He calls you Kaa-san?" Ryosuke questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I know, it's a little too quick with the bonding, but I think he needs the connection right now. I think he misses his mother and it's easier for him to see that in me. He just started calling me that so I've accepted it. You know, I really do love him." She said. Ryosuke couldn't help but see her eyes light up with happiness as she's described Hikaru's feelings towards her. Though made it sound minor, she was overwhelmed by the fact that he'd decided to call her mother. He was only worried that she might be replacing her need for companionship through Hikaru and turning him into the son she'd lost.

Finishing his bath, Yasmine ran upstairs to help Hikaru get dressed, gather his homework, and bag for school. As they walked down the stairs nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

Ryosuke. Ryosuke in her kitchen. Ryosuke making soup in her kitchen. Ryosuke in her BRIGHT pink apron, making soup, in her kitchen. It was TOO much to keep quiet about. Both Hikaru and Yasmine burst into fits of laughter and doubled over watching he perplexed man make his soup. "I can't believe you found my apron. Hahaha" She said wheezing.

Odd as he looked, Yasmine couldn't help but noticed how great he looked. Just went to show that Ryosuke Takahashi could look good with anything on, regardless of how silly it was. Yasmine pulled on her blue sweater matching the dark blue jeans she'd just changed into. She and Hikaru sat at the table while Ryosuke managed to find the bowls and spoons. They sat together and ate. It almost felt like a family. For a second, Yasmine could feel the situation's familiarity.

After they ate, Hikaru left for school. As soon as he was out of the door, Yasmine heard a loud THUD from the hallway behind her. Swiveling around, she saw Ryosuke collapsed on the floor. "RYOSUKE!" She cried, dropping the honorific.

His eyes fluttered and she reached for a phone to call the ambulance, when she felt a light hand on her arm. "It's fine, I've just been up continuously for over 50 hours now, and I think the adrenaline has worn off." He said with a faint smile. "What's with the face?" He asked seeing her crinkled eyebrows. "Were you, Yasmine, actually worried about me?"

"Who'd you think you're kidding?" She said. Though it was obvious she wasn't kidding anyone. Her heart had nearly stopped when she'd seen Ryosuke's body on the floor limp for the half a minute it took for him to wake up. "Here, I'll take you to my room. You can lie down there and get some sleep."

"It's fine, I just need a minute. Besides, you haven't finished telling me about how you ended up here and your past. I want to get started looking right away."

"I appreciate that Ryosuke, but you're no good to me sickly."

So that's how it was, he thought, a little disappointed. She only wanted to keep him around so he could help her find her son. It was okay though. He thought that staying near her would give him the edge she'd need to eventually fall in love with him. His motive for helping her was also selfish. Unbeknownst to him, Yasmine did care. More than she really wanted to admit.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes. I'll be okay." Mustering his energy, he draped himself over her shoulder and walked with her support. He felt guilty touching her and being so close. Though she only wanted to help him, he could feel his desire to dominate her wrestle in the pits of his stomach. The citrus smell of her hair parted to one side and the perfect view of her neck did not make this any easier. When he finally lay down on her bed, he closed his eyes and though he hadn't meant to, fell asleep.

While he slept, Yasmine wiped his forehead with a damp cloth. She was sure he was just spreading himself too thin. She felt bad she hadn't just waited til the morning to unload on him. Eventually, her own exhaustion set in, and she took fell asleep.

Ryosuke woke 4 hours later, fully refreshed. It didn't take long for him to recuperate, as he was used to the lack of sleep. All he needed was a power nap. Feeling a slight weight on his legs, he looked down to see Yasmine, her copper hair falling to one side and her face buried in the blanket. Slowly, he pried himself from underneath her and being careful not to wake her, lifted her up (surprised by how light she actually was) and laid her on the bed. Admiring her sleeping features, he realized she must also have been tired. He had interrupted her sleep. Getting closer and closer, he felt her lips under his finger. Then quickly, so as not to lose his nerve, he stooped towards her face and locked his lips with hers, his hand on her stomach feeling her taut muscles and warm body. Her lips were soft and full, and he hoped one day those lips would kiss him back. For now, he was content. Getting up slowly, he placed a blanket over her, went downstairs and decided to get some work done before she woke up.

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He didn't have to wait long for her to wake up. Disturbed by the kiss, though unaware of it, she opened her eyes within the hour and stumbled out of her bed. I can't believe I fell asleep again. That's the third time. Wondering why her guard was so low with Ryosuke, she got up, rinsed her mouth, and went downstairs to find Ryosuke perched at her table typing away at his laptop.

"You didn't leave?" She asked.

"I didn't want to leave the door unlocked while you were staying." He lied.

"I see… I must've dozed off. Were you busy today? Is there something I can do to make it up?"

"No, no, it's alright, I've made a few calls, I'm off for the day. Apparently the nurses at the hospital think I'm some sort of robot."

Yasmine chuckled and finally understood why she was so defenseless against him. Ryosuke was the kind of man who wouldn't ever harm her. He could've done terrible things to her while she slept, but he hadn't. Even though he'd kissed her without her knowledge, he'd stopped there.

"Can I take you out for lunch?"

"I don't do dates," she replied coolly.

"It's not a date. I'm starved and you're out of groceries."

Yasmine could feel herself going red in the face. And for her olive complexion, that was quite a feat. "Oh! Yeah, right. Okay let me grab my keys." Ryosuke smirked as she left thinking that she had a cute side to her as well.

After a half hour, they were comfortably sitting in a private booth, sipping ice tea and waiting for their meal to arrive. "It's been a long time since I've been outside for a meal. Thank you." She said to him. For the first time genuinely thanking him. She'd forgotten how peaceful a nice restaurant and a good atmosphere felt like. "Okay what is it?" She asked, seeing Ryosuke stare at her.

"Every time I think I have you figured out, you pull something new on me. I don't understand how you've managed to keep yourself together and going. If it were anyone else, they would've broken down by now."

"The desire to find my son fuels my life now. At one point I realized I could do more good if I decided to figure out my life and get out of this depression. So I became a journalist to uncover the other mysteries of life. Half the things I've found, I don't even write about because it would destroy some of the witnesses involved. I've done a lot of good out there now. But somehow, I just can't forget the life I could have had. I feel empty. I love Hikaru. But other than that, I don't feel that way about anyone."

This sent a sharp pain through Ryosuke. "So you've never been involved with anyone romantically?"

"What do you think? For most of my life I was enslaved believing that it was okay to be degraded like an insect. When Rei came, though my life had turned inside out, I still had spirit. And then it turned out that he was only my escort to my real owner. I think I'll never forgive Rei for that as long as I live. But I owe him a debt I can never repay either. Rei charmed me, but, eventually, I came to conclusion that all men need is a booty call every now and then to keep themselves satisfied. Don't deny it isn't true. I can probably go all my life without having sex, but can you say the same? Men need that physical interaction as a reaffirmation of love or lust – whichever they opt to believe in. That is their weakness."

"That's not true, Yasmine. Don't say that. You've just never met any decent men in you life." Ryosuke was now offended. How could she think all men were the same as what she had faced. Of course, she'd gone through a lot and had been hurt by men, but he was here, and Hikaru was here, proving that men could be good as well.

"Oh. Is that right. So if I've never met any decent men in my life – and I've met many men, believe me – than what does it say about all the decent men in this world? I'll tell you. It says they don't exist. And even if they do, they're just the exception."

"I disagree. What's wrong with wanting to hold and touch the person you care about? It's human nature to want to show that affection through physical interaction."

"Well, I must not be human then. I can't stand the thought of being touched. Look Ryosuke, I'm not saying you're a bad person because you're a man. The fact that you're taking time out and doing this for me means a lot. Then there's Rei, who risked everything to save me. I know men have some good in them. But at the same time inside, they are also slaves to their biological impulses. It frightens me how quickly a man can lose his cool, and how difficult it is for him to stop when he feels that way."

With that Ryosuke couldn't argue. He knew this was true, more or less. Some men exercised more self control than others, but in the end it all came down to the same thing. "What did Rei save you from?" He asked, hoping to resume where she'd left off.

She chewed on her carrot for a little more, thinking about how to proceed. "Rei was and always will be an enigma to me. The unattainable. Though how I felt about Arshaad was a safe and school girl type of love, innocent and pure, I think Rei was my first passion."