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The night is young, stars are glistening and the moon is shining brightly at the white marble Nakahara mansion. It's a peaceful night, after all. The occupants of the Nakahara mansion are enjoying the night except for one person who endlessly thought nervously and glancing at the grandfather clock from time to time. It was already seven o'clock in the evening.

It sure is late. Where the heck is she? Kyouhei Takano was worried of a certain person, and that person is Sunako Nakahara. He was standing by the window, watching the moon.

Sunako left that morning for a trip to an old museum with her friends, Noi Kasahara and Tamao Kikuno. Tamao invited the girls to the grand opening of one annex of an old museum, whom Tamao's father sponsored. Leaving the house in a girly outfit was really unusual for Sunako, unless she was triggered by some trick or jokes, and knowing that the museum showcased old and scary artifacts from the Dark Ages, Sunako must have been lured into it.

Where could she be? Kyouhei, again, worriedly watched the clock. It's 7:15 in the evening. He took his cellular phone from his pocket. Damn! She doesn't even own a cellular phone. I really am getting worried about her. She really ought to give me some explanation. Stupid! You're acting like her boyfriend! Still, he tried to compose himself and walked towards the couch. He lounged in a big sofa, occupying it entirely. Calm down Kyouhei. They might notice you. He was referring to his three roommates. He looked around.

Takenaga Oda, the dark haired rich and traditional lad, was busy reading a history book, sitting in another big sofa adjacent to Kyouhei. On the carpet, Ranmaru Morii, the so-called Love Prince, and Yuki Toyama, the cutest among the group, were playing chess. It was already Yuki's turn to move a piece.

"Don't you think it's a bit late for Sunako?" Takenaga asked, as he closed the book he was reading and laid it down on his lap.

"They must have enjoyed it very much and besides Noi said that they'll hang out somewhere," Yuki replied, as he moved his queen diagonally aiming for Ranmaru's king.

"And I think Tamao would drop her home," Ranmaru affirmed, after cursing Yuki for his move. He was already losing to Yuki.

Yeah right. At a time like this, they should be heading home. No one knows what might happen to them especially to Sunako. Kyouhei endlessly thought of Sunako. Even though he knew that Sunako is an exceptional fighter, still he is worried about her. He never felt uneasy like this before. All he cared about was food and money. But ever since Sunako stepped into the Nakahara mansion, everything has changed. He realized that he has a soft spot for Sunako. He realized that he was acting childishly when Sunako was around. He realized that she was beautiful and all. He even realized that he started reacting possessively about her, worrying about her, and getting jealous about her. Yet, he wasn't even sure about his feelings towards her. Sunako was never his dream girl. She was scary and she's not even sexy. All he wanted was a girl who could be a great cook, could watch movies with him, and could fight him and – Damnit Kyouhei, stop it! He was cursing to himself. Kyouhei sighed and turned to a more comfortable position. What time is it? He turned his head and looked at the clock for the nth time. 7:30.

Takenaga, who was just across Kyouhei, noticed this. "Hey Kyouhei, you've been looking at the clock for the fiftieth time. Is there something wrong?" He knew that Kyouhei was also worried about Sunako, even if he doesn't show it.

Was he counting the times I looked at the clock? Kyouhei thought. "Nothing," He ignored him, turned his head back and acted as if he's trying to take a nap. He sure is a keen observer.

"Checkmate!" Yuki excitedly exclaimed. "Yey! I won!"

"Damn you Yuki!" Ranmaru cursed from his defeat. "Let's play another game!"

Then the door bell rang…

"It must be them" Takenaga stood up, and headed towards the main door. The remaining three followed him.

Reaching the main door, Takenaga opened it and saw three girls all dressed up, as what he saw earlier that morning, and still managed to look beautiful.

"Good evening, Takenaga-kun!" Noi happily greeted at the sight of Takenaga.

"Good evening, Noi-chi," Takenaga replied the greeting and saw Tamao and Sunako. He also greeted them.

"We're sorry we're a bit late. We didn't notice the time," Noi apologetically said, battling her eyelashes and started explaining "Sunako got carried away while we were in the museum. And we later went to a French restaurant and had our dinner."

"Ohh…that's all right," Takenaga said.

"Ladies, would you like to come in and have some tea?" Ranmaru interrupted, offering the ladies to enter the mansion.

"Thank you. But I really need to get home now," Tamao said, bowing.

"Oh…okay," Ranmaru said, offering his arm, as to escort Tamao towards the black limousine and Tamao blushingly accepted the offer.

"I guess we'd better go now" Noi said and turned to Sunako, "Good night, Sunako" She finally turned to Takenaga, who helped her guide towards the car.

"Tamao, Noi," Sunako called out, "Thank you. I really had fun." She smiled at them, who returned back the favor. "Good night, Sunako." The limousine drove off until it was no longer at sight.

"You'd better come in Sunako, its cold outside," Yuki offered. Sunako followed. Ranmaru and Takenaga followed them inside and locked the main door. While Kyouhei was standing still and with arms crossed, he looks mad.

"So how was it Sunako?" Yuki asked cheerfully.

"I had fun. I saw a lot of interesting things at the museum. Actually, I asked the curator if I could have one of the rapiers since they have so many of them…" Sunako explained, still overjoyed with her visit at the museum. "Then the curator toured us. I saw lots of mummies at the Egyptians' Lair…" Sunako continued, describing every inch of details. Her face lighted up but a scary atmosphere appears behind her.

"She sure likes those things," Takenaga whispered to Ranmaru and Yuki.

"Yeah, it's so impossible to turn her into a lady," Ranmaru agreed. Yuki nodded in agreement.

"Sunako," they sighed.

"Hey Kyouhei, you looked grouchy," Yuki commented, seeing his friend standing still on one corner, looking sternly at Sunako.

"And I finally met Elizabeth Bathory…" Sunako kept on talking.

"What took you so long?!" Kyouhei asked irritably.

"Eh?" Sunako stopped, looked at Kyouhei whose face was already red, furious, and veins are popping out.

"Don't you know what time it is? It's already almost eight in the evening. You were out there the whole day! We're worried about you! For a girl like you, you shouldn't be out this late! No one knows what might happen to you! And Oba-chan will kill us if she finds out something's wrong! Why can't you be more sensitive and be more human?!" Kyouhei shouted.

"Stop it Kyouhei! Noi and Tamao already explained what happened," Takenaga interrupted.

"Stop defending her! You kept on spoiling her that's why she's acting like a brat! She's not a child anymore! She should have at least called us!" Kyouhei indignantly said while looking furiously at Takenaga and the rest of the boys and pointing at Sunako.

"Kyouhei!" Yuki cried.

"What's your problem?!" Ranmaru interfered.

"I don't have a problem! Ask that selfish woman!" Kyouhei answered back. Suddenly, he felt a slap in his face. It was Sunako.

"Nothing?! And yet you're lecturing me?!" Sunako sobbed, everybody saw her in tears which made them froze. "Who do you think you are? You're not my dad or my brother! And you're not even my boyfriend! So stop acting like one! Can't I enjoy and hang out with my friends?! I'm not your prisoner here! You always thought of the free rent. That's what matters you the most so why do you care so much?!" After saying this, Sunako dashed towards her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Kyouhei! You're a complete jerk!" Yuki yelled. "Sunako!" He called out, following her.

"What the hell was that Kyouhei?! You acted grumpy a while ago!" Takenaga confronted him.

"And you made her cry! That was so stupid Kyouhei!" Ranmaru joined in the heated conversation. "What made you say such words?! It's unforgivable!"

"Apologize to her!" Takenaga commanded. "Now!"

"I…I…" Kyouhei's head fell. I made her cry. Darn you Takano Kyouhei! For once in his life, he felt like crying. He felt like there were thorns crushing his heart and breaking it into pieces. It was so painful that he could not bear. He never felt like this before, it was his first. Seeing her cry, he felt a pang of guilt rushing into his veins. He wanted to kill himself, no, vanish into thin air for acting like an immature teen. Can she still forgive me for what I've said? He was still standing there, frozen and broken. Suddenly, he felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

Takenaga noticed this and approached him. "Kyouhei?"

"I'm going to bed…Good night," he said this without turning his face on them. He left them there, still aghast of what they just witnessed and looking at each other.

Meanwhile, Sunako plunged herself on her bed, hugging her pillow and was crying. She could still hear Yuki's voice from her door.

"Sunako! Kyouhei didn't mean what he said," Yuki shouted, knocking her door.

"Sunako! It's me Takenaga. Maybe Kyouhei had a rough day today. He really didn't mean it,"

"He was just worried about you," This time it was Ranmaru. "Sunako, please open the door."

"Leave me alone!" Sunako replied.

"She won't let us in. What should we do now?" Yuki asked, facing the red-haired and dark-haired roommates. He felt uneasy with the current situation, more likely the problem they have now.

"Let them be." Takenaga said. Yuki and Ranmaru were shocked to hear those words. Usually, Takenaga is the brain behind all plans including making up between Sunako and Kyouhei. "Sunako's stubborn now and so is Kyouhei. Sooner or later they have to come out from their rooms and talk to each other. After all, we live in the same house."

"And besides, they can't resist each other. They themselves are the only one who could understand each other." Ranmaru added.

Yuki let out a sigh. "I guess so."

For some time now, Sunako was crying. She looked around her room. It was dark and it was messy. Books, comics, and DVDs are scattered everywhere on the floor. Her cabinet of preserved specimens and collections was located at one corner of the room and her three dolls stood beside it. It was peaceful. She should be happy about it since it's her hideout, but she was not.

"What's wrong Sunako?" Sunako heard a soft female voice.

"Josephine?" Sunako recognized the voice of her skeleton doll.

"Did you have a fight with that Radiant Being?" Josephine asked. She was now more visible.

Sunako simply nodded and sat on her bed.

"Sunako, he's your friend, isn't it? He's your housemate for 2 years now."

Sunako's head fell. She wasn't even sure if she considers Kyouhei a friend or an enemy. At times, she couldn't understand him or herself. Sometimes, he was on her rescue and most of the time, he would annoy her. For her part, she was there for him like a friend but every now and then, she would fight him.

"He was worried about you," Josephine continued.

"No, he was not! Why are you defending him? He's always been messing Sunako and he's annoying!" Hiroshi appeared before them.

"Hiroshi?" Sunako looked up at her special anatomical doll. For Sunako, Hiroshi was her favorite since she found him on a dumpster.

"Sunako, don't feel sorry about him. He deserved it. He's been giving you a headache ever since you met him." Hiroshi advised her.

"Hiroshi! Don't dare speak like that to your savior! Remember, he already saved you twice." Josephine defended. Its true Kyouhei saved him twice. He was kidnapped twice; one from the Boss and the other when Kyouhei's fan girls assumed that he was Kyouhei's treasure. This fact made Hiroshi dumbfounded.

"But he keeps on bullying Sunako! He knows Sunako's weaknesses and he used them to provoke her!" Hiroshi shouted back.

"Josephine! Hiroshi! Please don't fight!" Sunako pleaded. But they didn't listen to her, they continued on arguing.

"Stop it you guys! You're not helping Sunako!" another familiar voice came, which stopped Josephine and Akira's argument.

"Akira?" It was Sunako's another anatomical doll.

"Sunako, friends are supposed to be taking care for each other. Friends understand each other's feelings even without asking them what's wrong; they knew that there's a problem by looking at their eyes. Friends don't need to speak up, they just feel it. Even though they fight, they still forgive each other." Akira advised. Sunako felt every word that Akira had said. "He was worried because he was your friend. I am your friend, I would also be worried and so with Josephine and Hiroshi," he continued then smiled at Sunako. Josephine and Hiroshi did the same thing.

"Akira, Josephine, Hiroshi…" Sunako sobbed after mentioning their names.

"Think about it Sunako," Akira said his final words and he disappeared along with Josephine and Hiroshi.

Minutes have passed but Sunako have not moved from her spot. She was in deep thought. Undeniably, she was affected by Akira's words. She lay on her back, staring at the canopy of her bed. For two years, she and Kyouhei were like cats and dogs, fighting for a petty reason but at the end of the day, they would mend everything. It was normal. But this time, it was way different. She felt pain, a no ordinary pain, inside her. It was unexplainable and it burns inside her, eating her alive. She remembered that she felt this way before, but it's more painful now than it was before.

What's wrong with me? Shouldn't I be happy because I fought back? Why is it so painful now? Darn you Radiant Being! Sunako was cursing him. However, the thought of Kyouhei Takano made her heart beats fast. She could really feel it. An image of him smiling at her was on her mind, suddenly she nosebleeds.

"No…no…no…no!" Sunako shook her head, attempting to erase him from her mind. Unfortunately, she wasn't successful. "I can't be…This can't be…It can't be!" Sunako bleeds more and covers her nose. She felt helpless now. She was tired and now this. She moved to her side and hugged her pillow tighter. I can't be falling in love with him. He's insensitive, impatient, stubborn, and has anger problems. Every time I get myself into trouble, he's always at fault. He even hates carrots. But he likes my cooking and I had fun going out with him last time. NO! Stop it Sunako! He's too radiant! Silence filled the room. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

The night gently moves. Calmness fills the entire Nakahara mansion except for Kyouhei Takano. He was awake the whole night. He attempted to shut his eyes for several times but he ended up disappointed. That night, Takenaga, Ranmaru and Yuki visited and wanted to speak with him but he felt like not talking. His silent response made them leave the room. They left him there on his bed, sullen and remorseful.

It still hurts. Damn you Sunako Nakahara. You're the only one who made me suffer like this. You're the only one who made me feel this way. He was cursing her. The memory of her crying was still fresh on his mind.

You should have at least shut your big mouth Kyouhei. He sighed, got up from his bed and left his room. He decided to have his feet walk for him until he found himself in front of Sunako's bedroom door. He wanted to knock and say sorry but he has no courage left to face her. He leaned on the wall, waiting and thinking. Could she still give me another chance? The thought of not talking to her or avoiding him crushed him. He was vulnerable.

Suddenly, he felt his stomach growling. Darn! Thinking about her made me hungry. Kyouhei bit his lips. And at one last look of her door, he left.

Apparently, Sunako's door opened. Sunako came out of her room and closed the door behind her. I felt that there was someone out here. Could it be? Sunako thought of Kyouhei. It's impossible. He wouldn't have been here this late.

Kyouhei walked down the hallway and headed towards the kitchen. It was Sunako's another hideaway. She wouldn't let anyone hang around the kitchen while she was cooking. He remembered the times when he would appear before her and Sunako would start throwing knives at him; this made him smile.

She still looks cute even though she's mad. Kyouhei thought. He was scrambling for food among the cupboards, hoping to find one.

"You're looking for something?" He heard a familiar voice from his behind which gave him the shivers down to his spine. He turned his head and was surprised to see Sunako Nakahara opening the fridge.

"You're hungry, right?" Sunako asked him. She sure have read Kyouhei's mind. Kyouhei simply nodded.

"Here," Sunako offered him one of her green tea ice cream. But Kyouhei was reluctant to accept it. Every time he eats her favorite ice cream, she would scratch his face and made him pay for it. Thus, it means war. "Come on, take it," Sunako insisted.

"But…it's your ice cream." Kyouhei refused.

"I'm giving it to you," Sunako was now impatient. She grabbed his hand and placed it on his palm. She took another ice cream from the fridge and walked towards the counter table and sat on one of the stools. Kyouhei followed her. He was sitting opposite to her. There was silence.

"Why are you still awake?" Kyouhei broke the silence first.

"Why were you?" Sunako threw back his question and opened her ice cream.

"Hey! I asked you a question so answer it," Kyouhei bluntly said.

"I can't sleep, and you?" Sunako answered.

"I can't sleep too."

Sunako laughed. "Why are you laughing?" Kyouhei curiously asked while taking a bite from the ice cream Sunako gave him.

"You said you can't sleep. How come you're in the kitchen?" Sunako giggled.

"I was also hungry. Why were you here then?" Kyouhei took another bite. He liked her laugh.

"We'll, I was a bit hungry too."

Again, there was silence. They both ate their ice cream silently. It feels so awkward! Say something Kyouhei. Kyouhei felt uneasy with the silence between them. He tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out. He was speechless. He continued on eating and at times, he took quick glances on Sunako who didn't even notice a thing. Finished with her ice cream, Sunako stood up, grabbed her empty container and threw it in the trash bin. Kyouhei did the same.

"Good night," Sunako said, turning her back on him.

Speak up Kyouhei! Or you'll lose her. "Thank you…Thank you for the ice cream," Kyouhei said. Come on! It's not the cream. Apologize to her!

"No problem. But this is just the first and the last," Sunako warned him and walked towards the door. But before she could walk through it, Kyouhei spoke.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to yell at you. I overreacted. I was worried that something might have happened to you," Kyouhei looked her straight to her eyes. He wanted to show her that he was deeply sorry. Finally, I've said it. Looking at her made him blush, he quickly turned his head. "And if Oba-chan finds out that we were not watching you, she'll kill us!" Kyouhei said, scratching his nose. I hope she's not too suspicious.

He was worried about me? Why was he blushing? Sunako heard and saw it. "I forgive you." She smiled at him.

She smiled at me! She smiled at me! Seeing her smile, Kyouhei felt like jumping for joy.

"I'm sorry if I got you worried," Sunako's voice was soft and shaking. "I really am not used to such attention, I mean, aside from my family and relatives especially Oba-chan, having other people worrying about me."

"You don't have to be sorry. People who love you are worried about you," Kyouhei uttered. "But still, you should have called us!" Darn! I hope she didn't get that.

People who love me? Could he? Sunako thought, she looked at him. Again, there was silence.

"Thank you…It's quite late. I'm going to bed now. Good night," Sunako, this time, broke the silence. She turned her back, opening the door. Suddenly, Kyouhei's strong arms are around her shoulders. He hugged her.

"Please…Please let me hug you," Kyouhei whispered into her ear.

Surprisingly, Sunako didn't fight back. She let him hug her. She felt comfortable and safe. She liked the feeling. His voice…It's manly but soft and gentle. I can smell his fragrance. I can feel his heart beat. Sunako thought without bleeding. Then she felt a kiss on her head.

They both stood there, unmoving. Nobody knows how long.

Then tranquility surpassed the night.

Notes:

~ Rapier: it's a kind of sword used during the kings' and knights' times.

~ Some of the contents like Hiroshi's abduction and Sunako's date with Kyouhei came from the manga. If you haven't read it, I advised you to read it. ^_^

~ Thank you for the reviews and story alerts. I'm already working on the next part.