It's my first time to read a fanfiction and at first I really hated fan fiction but when I read your fanfiction I've started to be addicted too reading fan fiction, so you're the one who influenced me to fanfiction by the way it's a good influence not bad influence thanks for bringing me to the world of fan fiction

yeay yeay yeay~!!
i cant stop smiling.
sho you're better now. hehe
thanks for your update!!

rosevic87: indeed, sho is really slow... hahah...

pretty_princess: woah! slow down! it's not yet the time for that one.

m_jenine: i'm so honored that i became your good influence. it's good reading stuff, it enhances your skills and creativity too!

here's the next chapter. i would like to apologize if it took me so long. i've been busy and lots of incoherent ideas went inside my head, i had difficulty organizing and tying them up!!!

note: please look for the song "tender is the night" by yuna ito for this chapter...

endorsement: please read my new one shot dedicated to "One Heart, One Love", it's in Kazuko's POV... I tell you people, the little boy's a friggin' genius!! (well, carrying the genes of a university topnotcher and an ambidextrous guy --- meaning he's also a genius)

and if you have a vox account, you could add me in your neighborhood. "my love" series will start earlier in my blog...

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

UPDATE!

CHAPTER 10: Tulip

“Yuri, wake up,” Sho said. He was leaning over her. “We’re here.”

Sho watched with slight amusement as Yuri fluttered her eyelids, trying to grab hold of where she was. It gave him an impression that he was watching a bud blooming into a flower in fast forward motion.

“We’re… here?” she asked. She sat up properly and looked at the windshield’s view. They were parked in front of a peaceful clear lake. And beside the lake were small log houses. “Kireii na…” she said in amazement.

Sho smiled. He helped her down the car. “I got our things in our cabin,” he said. “Do you want to see it?”

Yuri nodded. She followed him to the cabin nearest to the small port of the lake where a small boat was tied up. He opened the door. “Subarashii,” she said in awe. The contents of the cabin were simple: a low table, a cabinet, a bench, a small kitchen, and a second floor bedroom.

Sho followed her as she went up at the bedroom and opened the window. He was curious what got her excited so he also looked at the window. He couldn’t help but smile as he knew the reason why. There was a field full of flowers. “Do you want to go there?” he asked. She just nodded in reply. “Gomen ne, the boys and I have something to do first. Can you go there alone?”

“Daijoubu, I’ll manage,” Yuri replied. She ran down the room, Sho widening his eyes as he wondered where she got her sudden agility.

“She really loves flowers,” he thought, smiling more.

***

“Kireii na…” Yuri repeatedly said as she walked through the almost waist-high wild garden of flowers. She then spotted a woman at the other end of the field. She turned around at the sound of Yuri’s footsteps. It was Anna.

“Akibara-san,” she said, smiling at her. “You really do love flowers, ne?” she said. Yuri nodded. They stood in that field for a moment. It was almost sunset. “Ne, Akibara-san…”

“Umm?”

“Do you… do you love Sho?” she asked, looking at her.

Yuri stared at her. “Why are you asking?”

“Because you’re always with him. I noticed that.”

Yuri took a deep breath before speaking. “Anna-san, Sho and I are in an arranged marriage.” She heard Anna gasp. “We were meant to be married ever since we were young. However,” she looked at her. “I love Sho ever since the first time I met him.”

It was clear that Anna did not understand everything she said so she just nodded. “And does he know how much you love him?”

Yuri bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t know how to tell him. I always put flowers in his room, I always wait for him to get home, but I don’t have the courage to tell him what I really feel.” She touched one wild blossom in front of her. “I couldn’t tell him because I know he doesn’t love me.”

Anna bowed her head. “Ne, Akibara-san, you should not give up.” She smiled at her. “I know that Sho is also longing for someone who will love him truly. And I think that is you.”

Yuri looked at Anna. “How…?”

“Take care of him, ne?” Anna said. “I know that he’ll realize that you’re always there for him. I know it.”

“Arigatou,” Yuri said. “I hope he will…”

***

“Douzo,” Sho offered, opening the door for Yuri.

“I’m so nervous,” she said, holding his arm.

Sho chuckled. “Daijoubu. They won’t bite. They also want to meet you.” He motioned her inside and led her to the part of the room where almost all of them were milling.

“Minna, this is Akibara Shirayuri, my fiancée,” Sho introduced straightforwardly. Everyone looked at her way. She blushed at the way Sho introduced her.

“Hajimemashite,” Jun said. He was the only one in the group who hasn’t seen her yet.

Yuri bowed slowly. “Konbanwa, Akibara Shirayuri desu.”

At first, Yuri was really shy that she merely listened at the chitchats of the others. Reina was trying to make her talk but in vain. She had an idea that she whispered to Anna. Anna nodded.

“Sumimasen,” Reina excused herself. She proceeded to the part of the room where the piano was and started an etude. “Minna, konbanwa,” she said on the microphone, making everyone look at her way.

Kimi ga namida wo nagashita ano yoru oh
Ima mo kokoro ni yureru mm
Donna kotoba mo todokanai basho de
Hajimete au you na kimi wo dakiyoseta

Kakushite itai kanashimi ya sabishisa wo
Daremo ga kakaete iru tonight

That night you cried, oh
Even now rocks my heart, mm
In a place where no words can reach
I drew you near as if for the first time

Everyone has sorrow and loneliness
They want to hide tonight

Anna semi-dragged Yuri to the middle of the small hall. The other boys pushed Sho to the middle too. Yuri looked down as soon as she saw Sho in front of her.

“Yuri… may I?” Sho asked, holding out his hand.

Slowly, cautiously, Yuri held out her hand to put it on his.

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Tsuki no hikari dake wa yasashiku dream on
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
Yoru wa hito wo sukoshi sunao ni suru kara
Stay all night

Donna koto demo hanashite hoshii to
Negatte iru no wa tabun jibun no tame

Kokoro no subete wake aeru tada hitori
Daremo ga sagashite iru tonight

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Only the moonlight is tender, dream on
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
Because the night makes people honest
Stay all night

It's probably selfish
To want you to talk about everything

Everyone is searching for that one person
With whom to share their heart tonight

“I… I don’t know how to dance,” Yuri admitted. She was almost motionless on the floor if not for Sho’s steering.

“Daijoubu, I’ll teach you how,” he replied, holding her nearer, their bodies touching. She moved to the direction where he was steering her. “You’re so light, Yuri,” he commented.

Yuri just nodded nervously as she somewhat looked like a rag doll being moved around. Sho let out a howl of pain as she accidentally stepped on his foot. “Gomenasai!” she apologized quickly, shutting her eyes tight.

Sho just bit his lip. “Turn this way, like that,” he just demonstrated. Yuri followed his instructions carefully.

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Jikan ga odayaka ni nagareru forever
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
Yoru ga kimi no namida kakushite kureru yo
Stay all night

Stay, stay all night
Stay with me all night

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Time flows calmly forever
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
The night will hide your tears
Stay all night

“I guess I won’t work out as a dancer, ne?” Yuri said. She was about to walk away and to sit down but Sho did not let her go.

“Then let’s just sway slowly like this,” he said. He took her hands and put them around his neck and put his around her waist. They swayed moderately.

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Hoshi no akari dake ga mitsumeru forever
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
Hitorikiri de iyasu kodoku mo aru kara
Stay all night

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Tsuki no hikari dake wa yasashiku dream on
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
Yoru wa hito wo sukoshi sunao ni suru kara
Stay all night

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Only the starlight is watching, forever
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
Because sometimes loneliness can be healed alone
Stay all night

Tender is the night when you're crying
Tender is the night as a silky hug
Only the moonlight is tender, dream on
We can share the pleasure of living
We can share the loneliness of distance
Because the night makes people honest
Stay all night

Everyone applauded as Reina finished the song. Yuri smiled at him. “Arigatou for teaching me.”

Sho just led her outside without another word. They started walking back to their own cabin, a little farther than the mini-hall. The moon was shining blue and was being reflected by the lake.

“I would like our wedding to be as soon as possible,” Sho suddenly said out of the blue. Yuri, who was walking while playing with the grass on her feet, looked up at him.

“Nande, Sho?”

“I just… feel like it.”

“We… we can’t,” Yuri replied. “I just talked to Kitagawa-san and he told me that this is not the time for you to get married.”

“You talked to Johnny?”

Yuri nodded. “Mai called me and she told me that we should go. He has nothing against it, it’s just…”

Yuri gasped as Sho held her face to look at him. “I should have asked you what you wanted. Daijoubu?”

“I’m willing to wait, Sho,” she replied. “I don’t want to get in your way. I’ve seen how you enjoy working. I’ve taken too much of you.”

“Actually, I’m getting fonder of you,” Sho admitted. “You are a nice person.” He noticed that she was shaking. It was getting colder. “Ah, I think you better get inside,” he told her.

“Hai,” Yuri replied. She immediately went inside the cabin because she was really getting sick with the cold.

Sho was about to go inside when he saw someone walking near the port of the lake.

***

“Moshi moshi?” Yuri greeted as her phone rang. It was Mai.

“Ne, onee-san, I’ve found out something,” Mai said excitedly.

Yuri frowned. “Nani?”

“Remember the boy you were looking for? The one you told me about? I know him,” she said in a giggly voice.

Yuri frowned a bit. “Ne, Mai-cha, how…?”

“Simple, he’s onii-chan, ne?” the other girl said. “I saw the handkerchief; you left it here in your bedroom. I knew that onii-chan was missing one color out of five because our oba-san gave that to him.”

“Mai…”

“Onee-san, why don’t you tell him?” Mai suggested through the phone.

“Demo… Mai-chan…”

“I know that onii-chan was looking for you for a long time now,” Mai said. “So I know he’ll be happy if you tell him that you were that girl,” she added. “Go tell him,” she nudged on.

Yuri pursed her lips and nodded determinedly. “Mai-chan… I…” She took a deep breath and said, “Hai. I’ll try.”

“Ganbarou, Onee-san!”

Yuri cautiously went out of the cabin. However, what she saw broke her heart.

Sho was kissing Anna.

“Anna, I only love you,” Sho said, touching her cheek. Anna pushed his hand away gently.

“Sho, gomenasai,” she said, looking sorry. “You know very well that it’s only Satoshi whom I love…” Sho looked at her for a long time. “You have Akibara-san…”

“But I don’t love her!” Sho argued.

“But I’m not the one for you, Sho!” Anna answered back. “She is the one who always waits for you at night. The one who always want to comfort you after a tiring day. The one who arranges flowers for you. She is… the one who cares for you from the bottom of her heart!”

Sho stared at Anna. “Sho, if she isn’t for you, then there is indeed someone out there. Please realize it, Sho. Think about it. I don’t want to hurt you but I don’t want to hurt myself. I only see you as a friend.”

Sho was just standing there, motionless as Anna scrammed away. Before she finally left, however, she said her last words to him. “Sho, if you don’t value a memory, if you don’t value the precious things you could not see around you, they might disappear like how snow melts as it touches the ground.”

Yuri immediately yet silently went back inside the cabin and inside the room, tears falling down her eyes. She went on the bed and covered herself with the blanket while crying.

“Yappari. Sho will never love me,” she said as she cried the whole night. She was asleep that she did not realize someone enter her room, someone touching her through the covers.

“Gomenasai, Yuri…” Sho’s voice gently said as he sat beside her, touching the strands of her hair on the pillow.

***

Sho was sitting in front of their cabin, looking at the dark river and feeling the breeze. He remembered Anna’s words. And out of the blue, he suddenly remembered the girl he met in the ruins. He remembered the promise. He remembered the dream…

“Nino?”

“Hai?” he replied as he put the can of beer at the table beside him.

“Can you give me the contact number of the private investigator you hired a year ago?”

He snorted. “Nande?”

“I want to look for someone,” Sho said.

“Dare?”

Sho sighed as he closed his eyes. “Someone I don’t even know.”

“Baka. You don’t even have any background then you’ll go looking for someone,” Nino said sarcastically.

“Don’t be so bitter, Ninomiya.”

“I’m not,” he said, a smile playing on his lips. “Demo, he couldn’t even find someone whom I knew the name, I knew the face, and I knew the heart…” He frowned. “How about someone whom you don’t even know?”

“I know he’ll do his best,” Sho said with confidence.

Nino ruffled his hair. “Fine… I’ll give you his contact number as soon as we get back to Tokyo.

***

“Ureshii na!” Aiba said, stretching. “I love vacations!”

“Watashi mou,” Reina replied. They placed all the things at the back of the van.

Sho sighed as he spotted Yuri coming back from the cabin. She was carrying her bag towards the car. However, as Sho was about to open the front car door for her, she went to the back.

He sighed. He noticed that Yuri had been trying to avoid him in their two-night stay in the resthouse. She was bedridden since their first night in the place and she refused to get up or even to eat anything. She refused to turn on the lights or to open the windows. She was in darkness.

“Yuri? Yuri, it’s already morning,” Sho said. However, she just stayed on the bed.

He was about to open the window when she said, “Don’t open them.”

Sho stopped. “Nande?” He went near her to touch her. She was burning in fever. “Yuri! You’re sick!”

She weakly pushed his hand away. “Don’t mind me. Go with them.”

He could feel that she was sad. “Ne, Yuri, do you want to see the fields outside?”

“I don’t want to see anything,” she snapped, turning at the side. She coughed a little as she held her forehead, a wave of pain passing through her. She did not let him see that she was in pain, physically, and emotionally.

Sho let out a sigh and left the room quietly. Yuri bit her lip to stop her cries. Sho did not notice that there was blood on the sheets.

“What’s wrong with Yuri-chan?” Aiba asked Sho as he watched her weakly climbing up the car.

Sho shrugged. “I don’t understand.” He looked at Anna guiltily, who was carrying some stuffs and laughing while Ohno was struggling to carry a big cooler. “Yuri, what’s wrong with you?” he thought sadly as he saw Yuri cough at the back.

Nino was the one who went to the front seat along with Sho. He drove quietly back to the city. He kept on glancing on the mirror to check on Yuri. She was just staring ahead, looking tired.

“Ne, Sho-san, doushita?” Nino asked as he continued to play with his DS.

Sho shook his head and focused back to the road, trying to focus back to the road. By nightfall, the number of people in the car slowly diminished. As Ohno stepped down from the car to get the cooler, Anna gave a stare to Sho which she hoped he understood. Sho looked away.

Finally, after some minutes’ worth of driving, Sho was able to safely park the car. He went to the back to find Yuri sleeping. He knew she was not sleeping nicely as her brows were furrowed and she looked in pain. He decided not to wake her up and carried her. He just asked the other driver to take care of the stuff.

He laid her gently on the bed and put on the covers on her. Then he stared at her pale face. “Yuri, I know that I am hurting you so much. Gomenasai.”

He stood up, closed all the lights and the door behind him. Little did he know that Yuri was already awake and she heard every word her said. “Sho…” she just whimpered as she let the tears freely fall down her face.

***

“Sakurai-san, a girl from the Kyoto earthquake fourteen years ago?” the investigator confirmed.

“Hai. Gomenasai, I don’t know her name,” Sho replied.

“That’s enough information,” he replied. “And?”

“It was a kadou artist affair of the Akibara family,” Sho said, trying to remember everything. “She’s somewhat my age, based on her voice.”

“Sou ka…” the man confirmed, taking down notes. “I could try looking for the guest list of that event then.”

“Here’s my down payment. Ganbarimasu,” Sho said, handing an envelope. The man bowed in front of him.

“Arigatou, Sakurai-san,” he replied. “I must go now. Konbanwa.”

“Konbanwa,” he replied. The man left, leaving him alone in the tiny fancy restaurant. He stared at the window beside him, looking at the droplets of moist collected.

“I must find this memory before it disappears forever,” he muttered, tracing the kanji of ‘yuri’ on the window.

Am I the only one who loves you? Will you not love me back?
Is this just a one-sided love?

Sho!! No need find her, she's beside you.
I hope Shirayuri get wells soon.

My Goodness! I didn't expect that Sho would do that to Yuri!!! WAH!!!! I hope you'll continue it as fast as you can! thanks hehehe not forcing you... GAMBARE! love your fan fics so much!!!!

why SHO is always dumb in every fanfic i read in this section??
what are you thinking sho?
anna is already with ohno
yuri is the best for you
im so madd!! gomen

thank you for your update!

there WAS blood?!?! coughed up blood? wahhh

baka!sho-kun what are you doinga kldfjklajfa D: i wish he would just realize that the girl he's looking for is the one next to him all this time =/

uwaaaaa.....sho baka!!! why did you do that???
you have yuri already~~~
pls realize it sooner... before she is lost...

confirmed,,,yuri and cho are cousins~~~
anyway, pls continue~~~

sho needs some good slapping..
rawr.
he's disapponting me..tsk.
argh..i thought the 'cactus' chappie would be soon.XDD

Awww, Choshi, you did it again..
the details were awesome, I can really feel their emotions.

Finally Sho, Finally!! I hope he'll find out soon before it's too late..
I'm getting sooooo excited for the next chapter!

Honestly, This is my fave fic out of the unmei series!
or it may change when the 6th fic comes out?
anyway, you really put a lot of thought in it to make it unique..
I appreciate it so much!

yaay an update

honestly, i thought sho decided to move on already but apparently he's still unable to let go of ana

and now because of the old memory that he would want to look for, there's a very big possibility of him to ignore any feelings that he has for yuri

hopefully he will be able to realize before Yuri left him....

will have to stalk the forum for more updates to see the development

aaahhh!!!...yuri has a cancer?!?!



STUPID SHO CHAN!!....argz!..ARE YOU NUMB?!?!..CAN'T YOU FEEL OR SEE THAT YURI LOVES YOU?!

aaahhh!!!!!!!!....


good work anna!, making sho realize that there is someone out there for him!!


yippy!!


hahaha...keep up the good work choshi chan!!

I want Sho to love her! This story is good,ne?!
Please update soon!!!

dairy6: i also hope so.. because as for now, i don't know...

m_jenine: sho is evil... (joke!)

ichatara: well, is sho really like that in all fan fics? gomen ne... it's really suited for him to be like that. for smart people are always dumb in love... (haha... and i don't know where i got this)

rosevic87: Yeah

g_ann93: where di you get the idea that cho and yuri are cousins? oh well...

pretty_princess: well, as for the writer's point of view, i'm already near that chapter...

k_j: hontou ni? i thought this will be my dumbest fic... anyway, i really hope the 6th one will be the best... ganbarou!

endorsement: please read "through the eyes of harmony" in the one shot section...

and since i can't get enough of the "real" reina dancing Hawaiian dance, i decided to do another one shot dedicated to aiba and reina... oh my, i seem to be loving the cutey couple because i have more than a dozen one shots in my mind about them (well, it cannot be helped since the two are the most realistic)... i should have entitled them as a collection of one shots...

UPDATE! IT's the longest chapter i've ever done in this story... yet... haha... i hope you enjoy this one....

and again, if you have a vox account, it's nice if you could add me in your neighborhood because i might post "my love series" earlier over there. if not, well, you have to wait... and tell me if you're from here.

CHAPTER 11: Edelweiss

Sho stopped when he found Anna at the doorstep of her office, her head on the wall. She was obviously crying.

“Ne, Anna, doushita?” he asked. He was tempted to put a hand on her shoulder but he did not do it.

Sho gasped softly as Anna turned around to hug him. “Sho, why are we like this?” she asked miserably, choking on her words as she cried.

“Ne, what happened?” he asked kindly, stroking herb ack as she continued to cry.

Anna shook her head as she tried to hold back her tears. “It’s Satoshi. It’s Okaa-san! I don’t know!” she wailed as she broke down into sobs.

Sho sighed. He knew that Ohno and Anna’s mother were not really in good terms. “Ne, Anna, daijoubu. I’m sure you’ll be able to work it out. Just…”

“How will we work it out when Satoshi isn’t moving or doing anything?” Anna said angrily. “I’m trying my best to convince okaa-san that the two of us are alright but he is doing otherwise! I don’t want to leave him!”

“Shh…” Sho said, comforting her. At that moment, he felt somewhat angry at Ohno. He was greatly puzzled as his heart beat uncomfortably while embracing Anna. He embraced her tighter.

“Sho, nande?”

“I will never make you cry, Anna,” Sho said. He looked at her, his hands on her shoulders. “I still love you.”

Anna stared at him. “Sho, what are you saying?”

“I still couldn’t forget you, Anna,” he said. “I knew that you will be happy with Ohno-kun and I only want your happiness. But if it’s like this, I…”

“Don’t say another word, Sakurai,” Anna said sternly. “Onegai…”

“Demo…”

“How about Shirayuri?” she spat. “How about her? What are you going to do, Sho?” She sighed. “Can’t you see how… she likes you?”

“Anna, I…”

“No, Sho,” she said, shaking her head. “I know what I am doing. You should know what you’re doing, what you’re heart is doing. If you continue to dwell in the past, for sure, you’ll never see whatever lies ahead of you.” Anna took a deep breath. “I thought we’re through with this, Sho. Shirayuri, she’s engaged to you. Take a chance. Give her a chance.”

She walked away and turned around the corner, leaving Sho staring at the path she took, thinking of the things he had said.

***

Sho went home, his head hung low. He was in the room, in the darkness. He did not even know that Yuri was there, looking at his misery. She still did not want to talk to him. However, she stood up and showed up to him. She wanted to know.

“Tell me, Sho, am I the reason?” Yuri asked. She slowly walked near him. His silence broke her heart. Yes, she was the reason.

“If you… if you hadn’t come…” he started, his voice trembling. He did not want to shout at her or to hurt her feelings.

“Nani, Sho? Tell me. If I hadn’t come, you could still run after her, ne? If you weren’t engaged to me, you would still be able to go and tell her that you…”

There was a loud thud. Sho has pushed Yuri, making her back hit the edge of the bed. She was in pain, he knew it. However, unlike the ordinary Yuri, she did not even cry out. She was trying to hold back the pain and the emotions.

“Yes! You are the reason! If I weren’t in this stupid arranged marriage with you, I would have still been able to go after her! Don’t you understand? You are the one blocking my way!”

Sho suddenly stopped, shocked at the words that spilled out of his mouth due to his anger. Yuri tried to stand up with difficulty. Her long hair was hanging loosely on her shoulders, covering her face. He could hear her small gasps. He himself gasped when she grabbed the hem of his shirt and buried her face on it.

“Sho… I love you…” she said. “Gomenasai… I love you…”

Sho looked at the miserable figure clinging on to him with horror. He watched her cry silently. He suddenly felt guilty. He suddenly felt like he was tearing the gentle white petals of a delicate little lily apart without any pity.

Still holding on to him for support, she stood up and gave something to him. He looked at his hand and saw the diamond ring. Then she ran out of the room and out, accidentally hitting the tablecloth, the contents falling down. The vase of her arranged flowers fell along with the music box, playing its melancholic melody and showing the lily clip lying forsaken on the floor.

Sho just stood there, trying to fight his conscience of running after Shirayuri.

After almost an hour of standing there, Sho heard thunder and saw a flash of lightning from his window. It has started to rain very hard.

Sho’s phone rang. “Moshi moshi?”

“Ah, Sakurai-san, I’ve found out who the girl is,” the private investigator answered.

“Dare?”

“According to the hospital record here in Kyoto,” he started. “There was this girl, the last survivor who was found in the ruins, wearing a white kimono. “She is the only daughter of the Akibara family. Akibara Shirayuri.”

Sho’s eyes widened. His grip on the phone loosened, making it fall down to the ground. A flash of light passed through the window. Thunder…

“Iie!” Sho shouted, running downstairs. He opened the door and found that the rain was pouring heavily. “Yuri!” he gasped. He knew how weak she was and in this kind of setting, she could be in danger.

He hastily took his thick jacket because it was too cold and an umbrella and started to look for her in the dark and blurry night.

“Yuri!” he shouted, panicking. The fear in his chest throbbed painfully. He repeatedly shouted her name even though his voice was slowly fading away because of the cold. He knew he was crying. “Yuri, where are you?” he shouted.

Sho ran around. He himself was getting dizzy with the cold and the running. Because of that, he tripped on an uneven part of the road. He limped as he tried to stand up as he found his knee bleeding. However, he spotted a moving figure at his right side.

He squinted so that he could make out who it was. “Yuri!” he breathed. He hobbled towards her. She was shivering in the cold. He touched her. She was dead cold.

“Don’t touch me,” she said, her voice hoarse. She weakly tried to push him away. Sho felt bad. He knew that he had hurt her badly. However, her words made him hold her tighter. He removed his jacket and placed it around her frail and wet body.

“Why are you here? I thought… I thought…” She cried. She stood up and tried to run away.

“Yuri!” Sho shouted as he saw her collapsed on the cold ground. “Oh no…” he gasped. She has started to cough and blood was coming out of her mouth. He let go of the umbrella and carried her. “Onegai!” He ran, holding her light body in his arms, feeling how cold and weak she was. He felt that each second drains away a part of her life.

At last, he reached the main road. He called for a taxi and placed her inside. “To the nearest hospital. Onegai!” he said with panic.

They went down to the hospital and brought her to the emergency room. “Please do everything you can!” he pleaded almost on his knees. He feared for her life.

“Sakurai-kun, what are you doing here?” Sonosa asked as she saw him in the lobby. She spotted him drenched with the rain.

“Yuri… she…”

“You’re cold. Here, have some,” she said, offering her coffee. She motioned him to sit on one of the benches. “You should call your parents, you know,” she said in a friendly voice. However, she knew what Sho was facing.

“Ha…hai…” he replied with a trembling voice. He fumbled through his pockets to get his phone and called to his house.

Few minutes later, the hospital doors opened, revealing the only available person in the house, Mai.

“Mai… I…” Sho started. However, he stopped when his sister, for the first time, slapped him really hard.

“Onii-chan, what did you do to her?” she asked, crying while glaring at him. She was pounding his chest while crying. “I hate you, onii-chan! I hate you!” she said repeatedly.

Sho held her arms. “Mai, stop it. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to…”

She looked at him. “Nande? Onii-chan! Onee-san only loved you! She waited for you but you were the one who hurt her!”

“What do you…?”

Mai took the lily clip from her coat pocket. Sho looked at it. “Do you remember this?” she asked, waving it frantically in front of him.

“Mai…”

“She is that girl, onii-chan! That girl you were always thinking about!” she shouted. “When onee-san told me the story about that boy, I knew it was you!” She sunk on the bench. “Onii-chan, how dare you! She waited for you for fourteen years…”

Sho bit his lip. “I… I’m so…”

Mai started to cry. “You don’t know how much she suffered waiting for you,” she said. “You don’t know what his father did to her, locking her up for many years so that she would not meet you. So that she would only meet her future husband. You don’t know how it tortured her when the only fragment of memory she held of you was almost destroyed. You were the only person who made her happy, onii-chan and yet you are the one who hurt her. If you don’t love her, you should have at least made her happy before she… she…”

Sho looked at his sister. “Nani? Mai! What will happen to her?”

A set of footsteps stopped behind Sho. “Akibara-san only has few months to live, Sakurai-kun,” Sonosa said. “She could be saved if she went to New York for an operation but she did not want to go.”

“She said she’d rather die here with you rather than dying alone in a place where she would be alone, in a place where she would not see you,” Mai said, hiccupping.

Sho looked at Mai fearfully. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he said. “Mai, why…?”

“Because she did not want you to worry about her!” she bellowed back. “Onee-san did not want to be rejected by you. She thinks you don’t really care for her. If she tells you about it, she thought you will not do anything for her.”

A nurse came in. “Sonosa-sensei,” she said. “Akibara-san is fine now.”

“Hai,” she replied. “Iku,” she told the two. Sho and Mai followed her to Yuri’s room. She was still unconscious.

Sho sat beside her and stroked her hair. She was pale white, paler than before. He just stared at her as he held her hand.

“Onii-chan,” Mai said as she woke up hours later. “It’s already morning, don’t you have work?”

Sho shook his head. “Daijoubu.”

“Ne, onii-chan, gomen ne,” Mai apologized. She stood beside him. “I slapped you last night. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Wakatta,” Sho replied. “I know how attached you are to Yuri…”

“Onii-chan, I only want her to be happy,” Mai replied. “I also want you to be happy.”

“I looked for her, Mai,” Sho said, looking at Yuri’s sleeping face. “I did not even realize that she was always there for me.”

Mai sighed. “You were blinded by your love for Mitsuhashi-san,” his sister said. “But I remember very well how you looked for Yuri nee-san.”

“Mai?”

“Hai?”

“Please go home now,” Sho asked. “I want to spend some time alone with Yuri.”

Mai smiled softly. “Hai.” She opened the door. “I’ll just return here with clothes for her. And maybe for you too.”

After another hour, Yuri slowly stirred and opened her eyes. She found a mass of hair at her side. She patted the person sleeping beside her slowly. He moved. It was Sho.

“Sho?” she said softly. He just stirred and turned to the other side. “What is he doing here?” she wondered to herself. She remembered last night’s events. She closed her eyes as she felt that wave of bitterness once again.

Sho moved a little again and woke up. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. “Yuri, are you awake?”

“Hai,” she answered in almost a whisper.

Sho sat up straight. Yuri smiled a bit, trying to restrain herself from crying because of the pain. “Do you need anything?” he asked.

She shook her head. She tried to avoid his stare. “What are you doing here? What am I doing here?” she asked.

“Anou… last night you… when you…” Sho was not able to continue. He did not want to relive everything from last night. “You fainted and I brought you here. Yuri, why didn’t you tell me?”

“What should I tell you?” she asked back. She turned away, looking at the flowers in the vase. Shiragiku… She knew what he knew.

“Yuri, why didn’t you tell me about your condition? Why didn’t you go to New York for your operation?” Sho asked in a concerned voice.

“What is it to you if I die, anyway?” Yuri said bitterly that Sho felt it pierce his insides. “Will you care? Will you even cry…?”

“I will…” Sho said, interrupting her. “I didn’t know that you were lying ever since, Yuri.” He showed the red handkerchief to her. “You’ve taken care of this. You’ve waited.”

Yuri’s tears started to fall. “Sho…”

“I was looking for you,” he said. “And you were just beside me all the time.” He touched her cheek to wipe away her tears. “Ne, Yuri…?”

“I’ve always loved you, Sho,” she said. “And now that I’ve found you…”

“You don’t need to look anymore, Yuri,” he said, looking at her. “I’m here now.”

“But you… but you love Anna-san,” she said. “If I…”

Sho gently kissed her. “Yuri, why would I look at another if I have you?” He looked at her eyes. They were like of a child’s. He edged her nearer so that he could embrace her. She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat. “Gomenasai, Yuri.”

She shook her head. “Daijoubu.” She touched her lips for a second. “That’s my first kiss…” she thought. She blushed.

He took the ring from his pocket and placed it again on her finger. “Ne, Yuri, I think you forgot this.” He watched as she looked at the ring again. “I want you to go to New York.”

She looked up to him. “Nande?”

“I want you to live, Yuri,” he said.

She clung tighter to him, almost bruising his chest as she dug her fingers on the fabric of his shirt. “I don’t want to leave. I wouldn’t see you. I don’t know that place. What if I…?”

He hushed her. “Daijoubu. I’ll go with you.”

“Demo… how about…?”

“Daijoubu, Yuri,” Sho said again. “I told you I’m going with you.” He smiled. “I want you to take care of yourself. I’ll arrange the date when we’ll go there.”

Yuri bowed her head. “Hai.”

“Yuri, promise me something,” Sho said seriously.

“Nani?”

“Don’t keep it to yourself when you’re in pain. Tell me,” he said. Yuri saw the sincerity and concern in his eyes.

“Only that and no love,” Yuri thought disappointingly.

***

Sho held Yuri close as they made their way through the airport. Sho was in heavy disguise that she kept on staring at him. He held her protectively.

“Yuri, nande?” he asked as he caught her staring at him.

She shook her head. “I just feel… uncomfortable.”

“Gomenasai,” he explained. “These are the rules.” They both boarded the plane. Yuri proceeded to her seat near the window. She held Sho’s arm as the plane took off. “Are you scared?”

Yuri shook her head. “I’m nervous.”

“Daijoubu. I’m sure you’ll be fine. When we return to Japan, we will continue our wedding, ne? Ganbarimasu.”

Yuri smiled. “Ganbarimasu.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder to go to sleep. Sho touched her head and urged her to lean on him.

***

“What did he say?” Sho asked as Yuri got out of the doctor’s clinic.

“He told me that I will start the therapy tomorrow,” she said.

“Ah, sou…” Sho said. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

She looked at him. “If you say so.”

“Well, if you’re tired,” he started.

She smiled. “I would like to take a walk with you.” She heard his phone ring. “Douzo.”

Sho picked up the phone and nodded a few times. “Hai.” He hung up. “Nino will follow after his schedule.”

“Sou desu ne?”

“Hai. He would like to do something,” Sho explained.

“Ah, sou ka,” Yuri said. “Iku?” He offered his hand. Yuri silently yet gladly took it as they set off for a walk. Yuri quite knew the place since she has been there for some exhibitions. However, she clung tighter to Sho, especially in places where lots of people walk.

However, they passed a rallying parade in the street. Sho tried to hold on to Yuri but she was caught by the wave of people.

“Sho!” she shouted. She tried calling him but he was out of reach. Yuri looked around to look for his familiar figure but she saw no one. “What am I going to do?” she sighed. Yuri was so scared. She did not have any money with her. She tried asking people but most of them ignored her.

She gasped when she felt someone tap her back. “Sho!”

Give me the power… give me the courage… so that I could continue to live…

yes~~~ finally....but i'm kinda disappointed that he himself didnt think that yuri was that girl yuri...try to connect the dots?oh well...

they're not cousins? but... i still think they are~~~
anyway, pls continue~~~