A/N: It's been a while since I last updated this story, I almost forgot how much I enjoyed writing this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 13: Priorities

S.F.I. Academy

"I am jealous, Misaki," he felt a slight relief after finally voicing out what has been bothering him the entire day but the thick silence that engulfed them and her wide eyes staring back at him in bewilderment made him regret saying it out loud.

"W-what?" her voice sounded so small as she tried to compose herself.

"Do I really need to say this out loud?" he slightly shook his head, "I don't like what you are making me feel," he confessed with a slight amusement. Never did he thought that he would be put in this kind of predicament nonetheless be on the other side confessing about his childish jealousy.

Her brows snapped together at his admission, she might be naïve at times but she was not stupid. She already had a feeling where their conversation was heading, "Takumi. Please don't," she tried to stop him from saying it out loud, it will only put a strain in their existing relation and in their world, it was hard to form trust and she didn't want to lose what she has with him.

"Do you really not understand what I am feeling?" it was the first time he saw her off guard, the girl who was fast on her feet and strong willed was suddenly in disarray. Her eyes were focused on his but he could tell her mind was wondering somewhere else, the crease on her forehead became permanent as she contemplated and sorted out her muddled thoughts. He felt that he crossed the line this time, he should have known better than corner her and force her out of her comfort zone.

The sudden ringing of her phone distracted her pondering, she whipped out her phone and a familiar name was displayed on the screen, a small sigh escaped her lips. She looked up to meet his eyes and he pressed his lips together, that ridiculous feeling suddenly sweeping him over and clouding his judgement once more. He didn't like what it was making him feel and do.

"Don't answer it," he blurted out before he could stop himself

She frowned at his comment and placed the phone against her ear, she broke away from his gaze and answered the call, "Hello,"

'Where are you?"

"I am outside the residence building," she replied

'Do you want to go out with –'

He clenched his fist before taking bold steps towards her and swiftly grabbing her small face between his hands, he locked eyes with her stunned pools for a second before he closed the distance between them. A small rustle was heard as the phone fell on the grass. He felt her hands balled up into a fist against his torso as she tried to push him away. Instead of pulling away he held her closer, deciding to move his lips against hers, proving his intentions and to make her understand his insecurities, his desire, hoping it transcends through his light touch. Gradually he felt her become limp in his arms as she slowly responded back to his kiss, it was a slow, hesitant caress at first but as he deepened his kiss, their light touches evolved into hunger and desperation, not with lust but with desire and yearning for each other. With her simple touch, she exposed her feelings and true desires and it made him want to feel her closer.

He pulled away and leaned his forehead against her, trying to catch his breath and ease the pounding in his chest.

"I don't feel the same way," she mumbled, trying to get out of his hold

He took a step back, his eyes watching the flush on her cheeks and realization dawning in her eyes, "It didn't feel that way to me," he smirked, suddenly feeling assured after their moment.

"Takumi, you don't understand," she tried to avoid his intense gaze, not wanting herself to get drawn to him once again.

His smile slipped away as he furrowed his brows, "Make me understand then. What's holding you back?"

"I can't do this," she turned around and began walking away.

"Misaki, if you walk away now we will never be able to work this out," he called out to her.

In a few days, they would be dispatched to another country for a new assignment, if they didn't fix what happened between them he doesn't think they will have another chance in possibly making it work in the future and in their line of work full of danger and uncertainty, there was nothing more important than being able to tell someone you care for how you truly feel because who knows if he will ever come back again, alive.

He waited for her to stop and reconsider but she continued walking and never looked back

-xx-

She threw another kick across the punching bag before collapsing down on the floor. She reached for her water bottle and took big gulps before walking towards the bench to rest. Despite her attempt to put him out of her head just for a while. Her mind was only filled with the image of him, the dejected look on his face when she turned her back on him. She closed her eyes, feeling the lump forming behind her throat. Her lower lip quivered as she tried to supress the pain wrapping her soul and making her heart heavy. She has nobody to blame but herself for letting herself get close and for making herself think for a second that maybe she can have both worlds.

The door to the empty training room creaked open, she looked up for a second to see her other company. She immediately collected herself and looked away.

"Misaki," Dennis called out, he walked towards her, "What happened to you? I got worried because the phone got disconnected a while ago. I thought you might be- " he stopped after getting a closer look at her.

"Are you crying? Is the great Misaki crying?" he teased

She wiped her face with a towel, "Shut the hell up," she tried her best to not meet his gaze, he doesn't want her to see her vulnerable.

"What happened?" he asked as he watched her from the side

"What do you need?" she spat out.

He took a seat beside her, "I wanted to invite you and the girls out to grab something to eat,"

"They might be back in our room," she replied.

He grabbed her arm and tried to hoist her up, "Lets go,"

"Where are we going?" she retrieved her arm and remained on her seat.

"To talk about it,"

"There's nothing to talk about," she huffed as she wiped another tear falling down her cheek

He sat back down, "Is this about Takumi?"

The sudden shift of her face proved that his intuition was right, "It seems like you've found someone else to like

"No, I didn't,"

"You are not the best liar, Misaki," he sadly smiled, "How did that guy replace me in your heart?"

"He didn't. Like you said before having feelings will only compromise our jobs," se replied indifferently but it sent her back to all the painful memories.

The sole reason she became an agent was to avenge her parents' death. Catch and kill criminals in hope to get the justice she never got. But as she worked her way into becoming an agent, she learned a lot along her way, she met many people that made her change her beliefs. Her motive to kill was replaced by another purpose and that was to protect innocent people like her from losing their family. Working in the field for a few months strengthened her new-found belief and she found another reason to push through and become the best agent but as soon as she found her calling something else blocked her way and that was love.

She fell in love with her trainer, the strong, intelligent, arrogant at times but a very respectable agent. It made her realize the intensity of one's feelings and what it could make you do. She lost sight of what was important and what she was striving for. Luckily, he knew better and stopped anything between them from flourishing.

"And I am regretting everything I said before,"

His reply made her give him a second look, "What?" she faced him.

He paused before shaking head and giving her a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes, "I know I told you that I couldn't continue what we had back then but I realized that my feelings for you were the only thing that kept me grounded," he hesitated for a second, contemplating whether to let her in on his little secret, "Putting disguises, pretending to be someone else and getting immersed in each mission can take a toll on you without realizing it. After I tried to forget about my feelings for you, I didn't realize that I was becoming someone else."

"But you became a better agent. Nothing held you back from making any mistake and nothing to cloud your judgement," she countered.

"and in the process, I lost myself. I tried very hard to repressed all my emotions, to stop myself from feeling something and before I realized it, I was killing mercilessly without feeling any guilt," a momentary sadness clouded his features before he recollected himself and giving her a half smile.

"Don't make the same mistake I did, you will regret it for the rest of your life,"

She gritted her teeth together, "You don't understand. You were right, these feelings will only get in the way and possibly put other people in danger," she shook her head, she will not make anyone around her suffer because of her selfishness and for following her heart. After all that was how she lost her parents.

Two strong and highly skilled agents killed by a mafia, her mother blindsided with grief went on a mission to go after her dad defying all the rules and putting her team in danger and at three years old she lost both her parents. After everything she went through she promised herself to never let love get in the way. She promised that she wouldn't make the same mistake that her parents did.