"Love found me, not you."

I can't forget you...

I blinked my eyes and looked up at the blue sky.

I'm 16 years old Naoski Anna. I fell in love with my childhood friend eight years ago...and ruined our friendship.

"Anna!"

"Oh, yes?!"

"We're going to be late for class!"

"Oh, you're right!" I chased after my fellow friend, Cindy. Just as I was running down the hall, I caught a glimpse of the back of the head of a guy. My eyes widen, and I slowly came to a stop. Is that...! I shook my head. No, it couldn't be! He... He...! I shook my head again, only more frantically. It just couldn't be him. I continued on my way.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

It was pouring after school. To add to that, I forgot my umbrella! I used my bag as a replacement as one and ran to a nearby tree. I was drenched by the time I was under its leafy shade. "What the hell, man?" I said as I attempted to fix my hair and make-up, which was running.

"It just started pouring. Can't blame everything on the world."

I flinched at the sound of a guy's voice. I turned my neck around to look on the other side of the tree. There, I saw him, dark brown eyes, black hair, and that mischievous smile. He was way too close to my face! I backed up a bit with my arms stretched out in front of me. The rain would have come down all over me if it weren't for the guy. He grabbed my arms and pulled me into an embrace.

"Watch out."

I could already feel my face heat up. I quickly removed myself from him, leaving that smirk on his face. "Uh...um...sorry...and thank you." I couldn't look at him in the eye.

"No problem." He moved closer to me, and with every step, I freaked out. Every step he took towards me, I took a step back. Then, he leaned in and said, "So, I'm taking that as a 'yes.' You're still in love with me?" He laughed. "Haha! I'm dying!" Then, when he stopped, he said in a very deep voice, "That's just pitiful."

I had a huge urge to punch him, but the thing was, I just couldn't. "Y-you!" I couldn't get much out. "J-j-just leave me alone!" I ran away from the place. Just as I was running, I received a call from my mom. "Hello?"

"Oh, Anna! Hi, darling!"

"What is it, mom?"

"I have something to say, so come to the restaurant next to the station."

Crap, did she find out about my grades?! Aw, man... Wait, why a restaurant?

I didn't have time to change, so I just went straight to the restaurant. When I got there, I looked around for my mom.

"Over here, darling!" I saw my mom waving her hand back and forth like a five-year-old. Something was up, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it.

2: Chapter 2

I noticed someone else next to my mom when I got closer. It was a man. He was smiling at me. I think I know where this is going. I bowed and took my seat across from them.

"Oh, darling, you're wet! Do you need a towel? I'll get you a towel. Oh, waiter—"

"Mom, I'm okay. I don't need it."

"You should at least dry yourself off before you catch a cold!" I gave my infamous glare, and she quiet down. The man spoke up, trying to change the heavy atmosphere.

"So, you're Anna?"

"Yes."

"You are such a beautiful lady. Just like your mother here."

"..." I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't just want to blurt out, 'Oh, hey, I know where this is going. You want to get married, right?' Hell, no! That is just too rude.

"I have a son your age. Apparently, he goes to the same school."

That's not a good sign. The guys there are so...immature and perverted.

"He's running a bit late today. It seems he's got caught in the rain."

"It's okay. I was in the same situation." It got quiet. Then, this was when things got serious.

"Darling, I called you here for something very important." The man put his hand over my mom's. "I was thinking of getting married."

"It's okay. I'm fine with it." The tension was lifted.

"I'm glad you are. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." He held out a hand. "I'm Yamato Kao, the chairman of the company, Peaceful but Loveless."

"You must be very busy."

"Yes, I am, but it would be hard if it weren't for my son." He looked towards the door. "Speak of the devil." I turned around and saw...him.

"Father, I am here."

"Yes, I see. Do you need a towel?" The guy shook his head. "Sit down. I have something to tell you."

"It's all right, Father. I already know. You want to get married with Ms. Naoski here, am I right?"

"And, right you are." He sat down next to me after bowing towards my mom.

"Wait..." I started. "Does that mean..."

"Yes, he's going to be your brother."

"Hold on. I think I've seen you before. Ah, I know now! Are you perhaps Yamato Ren?"

"Yes, the very same." A smile was flashed onto his face. Even I knew it was fake.

"Oh, look at how much you've grown! I haven't seen you for ten years, and this is how you turn out: a handsome, intelligent boy."

"You know my son?"

"Yes, of course! Your late wife and I were such close friends! She brought Ren over to play many times."

Psh! I remember you bad mouthing her every single time of the day when she wasn't around. You hated her. You wanted him, no, rather his fortune.

I checked my watch. "It's pretty late. I should go home and study." I stood up, but Mr. Yamato stopped me. I wasn't nearly ready to call him my father.

"You should stay just a little longer. At least have dinner with us."

"I'm sorry, but I should really go. I promised to study with a classmate."

"Oh, then you shouldn't leave her waiting."

It's a guy...

"Ren, take Anna home. You shouldn't let a girl walk home alone at night, should you?"

"No, Father. I shall walk her home." He stood up.

"N-n-no, I'm fine! Despite my appearance, I'm pretty strong."

"No, no, I insist. I can't let anything happen to my daughter now, can I?"

Damn, this guy is stubborn. What is he, a donkey?

Just as Ren and I left the restaurant, he dropped the act.

"Man, that was a pain in the ass."

"If it was a pain, just say so. If you didn't want to go, don't." It seems I've pissed him off.

"Shut up."

We were a block away from the restaurant when he grabbed my wrists with such strength that I felt like the bones were going to break. I winced and let out a small shriek.

"Whose fault do you think it is that I have to go through all of this?!"

I didn't really pay attention to his words. I was more worried about how my wrists were going to turn out. "I-it hurts... It hurts!" I struggled to remove his hands, but he was way stronger than me. I was at the point where I was going to burst out crying because of the pain. I looked up at him. "Let me go! I said it hurts!" Tears were on the brink of falling. He didn't care.

"So what? I've hurt much, much more!"

'I don't care. Let me go!' was what I wanted to say. Instead, I was silent. "What?" I said softly. My eyes were sad. He finally let go.

"Nothing." I stared at his back as he passed me. "You still live in the same place, right?" I gave a small nod when I caught up to him.

We walked to my house and found my classmate waiting outside.

"Oi, Anna! You made me wait for so long! Wait, who is this?"

"Sorry, Timothy, and this is my...uh..."

"I just helped her walk home. It seems she tripped on her way here, and I was just making sure she made it home safely."

The switch's on, eh?

"Uh, huh, yeah, sure."

"The thing is..."

"You're right, I can't fool you. I'm her childhood friend, Yamato Ren."

"I~diot, I couldn't care less about that. Anna, let's go." Timothy and I left Ren standing outside, dumbfounded and kind of angry. I could've sworn I saw a tick mark form on his forehead.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

Once we were inside, I told Timothy that I was going to change and then study. He was waiting in the living room. When I was done, I went downstairs.

"You look pale. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Liar. It's about Yamato Ren, right?"

"N-no!"

"Liar."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"You know I'm right."

"Y-yeah, you're right..."

"So, is it a love problem?"

"..."

"Wait, wait, wait... Is he the one from ten years ago?" I gave a small nod.

"Damn! I remember him being so...what's the word...cu—wait, wrong word...ah, honest! Now, he's just..."

"Ignorant, annoying, pushy, bossy—"

"Yeah, yeah. All of that. Didn't want you to be too carried away."

"Right, sorry."

"All right, let's not get too deep into this right now. We haven't enough time for that and tutoring. If we finish early, you can spill everything, all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that."

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

"We're finally done!" I said as I stretched.

"Okay, we're done, and I have," Timothy said as he looked at his watch, "about two hours left before I should go. Now, spill everything, and I mean everything. Your love life is just too interesting." He laughed.

"Fine. It all started on that faithful day—"

"Whoa, hold on, girl. Just stop. I'm not telling you to tell me a story. I'm telling you to tell me what happened."

"Okay, okay. It was Christmas night, and I got separated from my mom. I thought it was Heaven. I had some money on me, and I was away from my mom—"

"Sorry, but how old were you?"

"Six. Now, back to my past, thank you very much!" He pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefingers and sighed. "I was looking around, window shopping for something pretty and pink." He shuddered. I laughed. "Yes, pink. I looked across the street and found the most beautiful dress with ruffles and fabric that was shimmering silky pink. I ran over to it and bumped into the most ignorant boy ever! It was Ren, of course. 'Watch where you're going,' he said. 'Sorry,' I said. I looked up at him and saw the tears in his eyes. 'Are you okay?' I asked. 'Leave me alone!' he screamed at me. We fought for about ten minutes, and no one paid attention to two little six-year-olds alone, arguing over little things—"

"Hold on, hold on. I'm dying!" Timothy laughed as he hit the floor with his fists. I kicked him. "Hey, you can't blame me! It's just too funny!"

"Moving on! We argued and argued. Then, I saw him crying even more. 'Don't cry!' I told him. 'I-it's going to be okay! Don't cry!' He cried even more. This guy, I thought, is really sensitive. I cupped his face in my hands and...and..."

"Come on! Get on with it, woman!"

"Can it, idiot!" I shoved my foot into his stomach.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just—"

"—interesting. Yes, I know." I stopped kicking him. "And... I kissed him."

3: Chapter 3

"You did what?! Why?!"

"I was going to explain that! So, shut up and listen, Timothy!" I calmed down. "I kissed him and said, 'A boy shouldn't cry. I hoped that helped stop it.' Then, before I knew it, I fell in love with him, or rather, his shy, embarrassed face. He was blushing and had the back of his hand in front of his lips. Hey, it did stop his crying. 'H-how can you kiss someone so casually like that?!' he asked. 'Would you be happy if I told you that it was because you were too cute for me to resist?' I teased him. 'Girls like you are just lowly sluts desperate for men!' he said to me. 'Excuse me?!' I remember yelling at him. 'Well, sorry for trying to help you stop crying!' I was really pissed at him. He didn't know me, and I didn't know him, and for him to call me that, I was ready to punch him. And, I did. Well, more like slap him, but a little detail like that doesn't matter."

"Okay, I have an hour and forty-five minutes left."

"Listen to me!"

"Yeah, yeah, I am."

"Seriously... Back to the story. We argued again, and then, I saw my mom with a really happy look on her face. She was happy that I was gone, so she could go playing around. I didn't want to be caught in the middle of the scene of her and another man, so I hid. I took Ren along with me, too. 'What are you doing?' he asked. I told him to be quiet, and when my mom was somewhere far away, I told him everything. He, in turn, told me all about him, and that was the start of our strange friendship."

"Okay, that's enough for one night."

"Hey, I wasn't finished yet!"

"Next time."

"Timothy~" I whined. "You told me to tell you everything."

"Next time."

"You still have an hour and a half left!"

"I'm going to shower and eat, woman!"

"You can do that here!"

"I'm not that close to you, Anna." Timothy went to the door and put on his shoes. With a wave of his hand, without looking back, he said, "Later, Anna."

"I was actually hoping to tell him everything." I shrugged. "Eh, I'll bother him about it tomorrow."

I went to my room and fell with a 'thump' on my bed. I dozed off after about an hour or so.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

It was Saturday, meaning, I didn't have school!

"Morning~" I slurred as I went down the stairs.

"Get your butt down here!"

"What's up?"

"We're moving."

"What? Why?"

"We're moving in with your new father and brother, stupid."

"I don't want to move," I said, my voice sounding like a stubborn five-year-old that didn't get what he wanted.

She looked up at me with a really nasty scowl. "Look, you are moving, and that's final."

"Geez, woman. Calm down."

"Just shut up, and help me move these stuff into the truck."

"All right, all right."

I didn't really want to move. Well, I did, but I didn't want to see Ren. Even after eight years, that still haunted me.

On the two hours—yeah, traffic was delayed—drive there, I kept thinking about the times I've spent with him. Most importantly, I remembered his smile... Oh, that smile! Images of him smiling were flying in and out of my mind.

"Wah~ Go away! Go away!" I yelled as I waved my hands all around the place.

"What's wrong with you?!" I heard my mom ask with a really annoyed voice. I accidentally hit my mom. "You little..." She started to hit me. "Who do you think you are to hit like this?! Huh?!"

"Sorry! Sorry! I apologize!" I was pissed now. You could actually see tick marks on my head. "I said, I was sorry! Damn it! Stop it already!" I kicked her again and again. The driver was staring at us funny. I don't blame him. How should I explain this...? Um... It's a daily routine for us.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

"Oh, you're here." Mr. Yamato came out to greet us. "Do you need help with your bags?"

"No, thank you."

"Yes, please."

My mom and I said two different things at one time. That kind of pissed me off. I looked at her, and she looked at me.

"No, thank you."

"Yes, please."

We did it again. We were going to go all out, but fortunately, Mr. Yamato stopped us.

"It's okay. We'll help out." He turned back to the house and shouted, "Ren~ Come out and help bring in the stuff!"

"Oh, my god..." was all I managed to say when he came out. He was just...too...cute! Ren had on a pair of black shorts and only a matching tank top. No shoes there. His hair was clipped back with bobby pins; all but his bangs, which were left loosely. A pair of rectangular glasses were placed on his nose. I kept staring and staring. But, I stopped once he noticed me.

"Why are you staring at me?" Mr. Yamato and my mom had went back to the truck to get everything else. Ren got closer to me, so close that his face nearly touched mine. I leaned by neck back for some extra distance—yeah, like that helped. "Is it because you can't resist me?" I looked away from those dark, chocolate-like eyes.

"N-no!" I could already feel a blush coming on. I dropped the things I was holding and waved my hands frantically in front of me. "Y-you're wrong!" I shook my head until I was dizzy. "Absolutely wrong!"

"You shouldn't do that. You look cuter this way." Ren caressed my cheek. I stopped my actions.

"Uh...um...er..." I couldn't get anything out. Then, I felt nothing more. I looked up at him, trying to hold his laughter.

"Pfft! Haha! That was just priceless!"

"H-h-h-h-how—"

"How?"

"H-h-how could you?!" I grabbed everything off the floor and ran inside the house.

"Don't!" I heard Ren say. I didn't care at this point. But, that point of view changed when I saw what was inside...

"It's... What?" Everything inside was...absolutely breathtaking! There were paintings along the walls, ceiling, and floor tiles! They were of the most beautiful scenes. Although, most of them were incomplete, and the tools, paint, brushes, and all were scattered all over the place.

Ren ran inside, yelling at me. "Why'd you run in so quickly?" He grabbed me by the arms and hugged me tightly, making me drop everything I was holding. "Why if you slipped and fell or anything worse?!"

"Eh? Ren..."

"Don't make me worry like that..."

"I-I-I'm sorry... I didn't know..." I hugged him back. "I didn't know I would hurt you this much."

"What are you two doing?" Ren and I flinched at the sound of someone's voice. Suddenly, we removed ourselves from each other and turned the other way. "Ugh, never mind. Oi, Ren, are you going to help me paint or what?"

"Hold on, I'm bringing this brat's crap."

"Oi, that was mean!"

"Never said I was going to be nice!" he replied once outside.

I looked at the person. "Oh, are you my new sister?"

"Um... Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Yamato Riki, Ren's older sister. Nice to meet you, baby sis!"

"I'm Nao—I mean—Yamato Anna as of now." She pulled me into a bear hug and squealed.

"Kya~ So cute!" She finally stopped clinging onto me. "You know, I've always wanted a little sister. A brother like Ren is such a drag." I laughed, and soon she joined in.

"I can kind of understand you there, Riki." She took my hand.

"Come on. Want to help me paint?" she asked with enthusiasm.

"I can draw, but I don't know about painting..." I said unsure.

"It's okay! As long as you have fun!" My face lit up.

For the rest of the day, I was painting with my new siblings. I liked Riki. She was awesome. Not just that, she was extremely pretty, too.

When night came, I was told to share a room with Ren.

"What?!" I just couldn't believe it. I mean, why couldn't I just share a room with Riki? She's a girl. Ren is a freaking guy for Pete's sake! "Why do I have to share a room with Ren? Can't I share one with Riki?"

"Sorry about this, but we don't have a room that you can use by yourself, and Riki is engaged."

Great. Just great. Well, everything is just starting out just fine! Note the sarcasm.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

"Good night~" Riki said. I wanted to tell her to take me with her. All I could do was sigh.

"Let's go." Ren dragged me—yes, he literally dragged me by the collar—to our room.

"You bastard... Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed repeatedly.

"Just be quiet."

"Let me go, and I'll be quiet." Only did he let me go when we were in our room. I could see why I had to share a room with Ren instead—other than the fact that Riki was engaged. His room was huge. His room has two stories, I tell you, two stories! There was a spiral staircase leading upstairs and a pole inside of the staircase for easy use of coming down. There were art works all over the place, from paintings of landscapes to abstract drawings. This family was amazing!

"There's a bed upstairs as well as down here. My stuff is upstairs, so you stay down here. Your stuff is already put in place by your mom and Riki. The bathroom is in the room to the right of the closet, which is right there." He opened the door and lead me into the closet. My mouth was open agap. It was a whole other room! Then, he tells me his closet is just like this upstairs!

Damn, I got this life good~

4: Chapter 4

Ren kissed me on my forehead countless times until I pushed him away. After that, we just went to watch a movie, and of course, it was awkward just being alone with him, but after a few minutes I felt I was safe around him; his arm around me and my head on his shoulder. Then, he turned his head towards me and...

I sat up in my bed. "What was that? Ew! Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" I shook my head. "Why did I dream about that? Ren and I..." Unconsciously, I touched my lips and blushed.

"You and I what?"

I flinched and turned around to see Ren in the kitchen—there's a kitchen, living room, and everything else you would find in one house in his room—making coffee.

"Ah! N-nothing! Nothing at all!" The heat went to my cheeks. I hid under the covers. I heard him laugh just slightly. I shut my eyes tightly as I tried to remove all the possibilities of him finding out about what I meant.

"Peek-a-boo~" I heard. The blanket was removed to show my face. I could hear Ren's breathing on my left ear. "I see you~" he whispered into it, letting each word within each breath sink in. I tried really hard to put the blanket over my head again, but Ren didn't let me. He held onto it with much force. I stopped and just covered my face with my hands.

"D-d-don't look at me!" Unfortunately, the sides of my face were still showing. Ren poked one of my cheeks with his finger.

"Too cute." I removed my hands and turned around. That was a bad move, though, because he was only an inch away from my face. Our eyes became wide, but he was calm again the next second and brought out that infamous mischievous smile of his. Then, my "dream" happened. Ren kissed me on my forehead. "Too cute."

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

It's been days since that incident, but I still can't stop thinking about it. I'm in class right now, reminiscing about it instead of paying attention to the math lesson.

Ugh! That guy is always like this! He's trying to get inside my head and mess me up. Yeah, that's right. He's just trying to get inside my head. Well, I can't let him do that! I'll show that bastard. I can do this!

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on my schoolwork.

After school, Ren came to get me from my classroom. "Hey, Anna, let's go home."

"Y-yeah..." All of the girls were glaring at me, and the guys looked surprised. That's going to create a lot of rumors and misunderstandings.

As we walked home, we saw a mother and her son playing around in their yard. I looked at Ren, and I saw that his eyes looked sad.

Could it be that he misses his mother?

I grabbed his hand and held onto it with gentle care. "Let's go home..." I said softly. My voice and touch pulled him back into reality. His eyes became even sadder.

"Huh? Oh, yeah...let's go."

It was quiet the rest of the way back. I didn't want to bother him. Then, he caught me off guard and spoke.

"Did...you ever miss your father?"

"What? Oh, yeah... A lot. Sometimes I wished that it was me who died and not him." Tears trickled down my cheeks.

Ren sounded surprised. "Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. I swear!" I wiped away the tears and laughed a little.

"Yeah, I know. You're not a bad person. But, what's with the question all of a sudden?"

"I... No, it's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"You know, I understand where you're coming from."

"If you know, why are you still asking?"

"Because..." I looked at the ground as we walked. "I want to hear it from you directly...how much it hurts..." I noticed his footsteps stopped. I glanced back. "What's wrong?"

"I...I've always missed my mother, but there was one thing that made me hate her so much."

"What?"

"I'm sorry about this, but it's the truth. It's about my mother and...your father."

"What is it?" I said with a more serious and stern voice.

"They had an affair."

5: Chapter 5

"An affair? That can't be... You're lying!"

"Believe it or not, but it is the truth."

"That's not right! That's just impossible! Your mom and my dad..."

"It's not impossible. The truth does not necessarily have to be pretty words, and pretty words do not necessarily have to be the truth."

"It is just too hard to believe. The fact that our parents did that is something so shocking."

"My reaction was the same as yours right now back when I found out."

"Speaking of which, how did you find out about their affair?"

"I'm me. Is there really anymore need to be said about it? I have plenty of sources. I kept watch over my mother while she was in the hospital."

"That makes sense, but still..."

"I was keeping watch on the hospital, of course, since it was mine, and because my mother was staying there."

He began to tell the past. I soaked up every word he said, but I still didn't want to believe reality. I was fine with the fantasies that I kept dreaming about my dad.

"Then, one day, your father came to visit her, and they talked and talked. He visited her every day after that at the same time. When she could finally be released, she told me that she wanted to go somewhere first. I told her that it was fine as long as she was not straining herself. I already had an idea of where she would go. I asked her for a hug, and she gave me one willingly before she left. The only thing she didn't know about that hug was that I put a small recording camera on her jacket. I don't have to explain everything after that, do I?"

I shook my head. "What is this?" I said while crying. "Both of my parents are bad people."

"Everyone has their bad sides. You can't really blame them."

"Yes, I can! Everything... My life was already going downhill, and now I find out about this shit!"

"Don't tell anyone that you heard about this, though."

"Why?" I looked at him, confused and angry. "Why can't I tell anyone?!"

"Because," he started, saying it like he was talking to an idiot, "it was be too much of a shock for my father if he found out. He has a heart disease, and it would only worsen if he knew about all this. Your mother won't really care, but if she knows about it, she'll tell the world."

"You got that right." I was silent for a while. "Anyways, let's go home. We really need to stop dragging the past into the present. It just makes it much more depressing."

"Yeah."

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

It was summer, and you know what that means! Summer Festival time~ My class decided to do a maid café. That meant I had to put on a dress... Oh, lord. Well, we were getting the classroom ready, and I was in charge of setting up the place, like the tables, chairs, etc.

"Hey, Anna, can you bring the box from downstairs up here? It is cardboard and filled with tools," my teacher said.

"Okay."

I went to get the box. Apparently, the box was outside, and it was pretty heavy. I had to stop many times in the middle of carrying it.

"Man, this is heavy..."

Then, I felt the box taken from my hands.

"A girl shouldn't carry something so heavy. At a time like this, you should call a guy for help, you know."

"Timothy... Thank you."

"You had such a hard time carrying it that I just had to help. Don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not hurt, though."

"Liar. Look at your hands." I looked at them and noticed that I had paper cuts everywhere. "Better get them bandaged. Go to the nurse."

"But—"

"Nope. Just go. They'll be infected. Besides, don't you play the violin? You can't play with them like that. It hurts; I know from experience."

"Okay, but I'll be back to help you, all right?"

"Yeah, sure. Just go." I walked towards the nurse but turned back. "Go. This is nothing."

"All right..." I said unsure. Timothy was acting strong, but I remembered that he has a weak body. (His parents told me the first time I came over.)

After I had my hands bandaged, I couldn't make out one finger from another. She wrapped them many, many times. I feel like I'm wearing gloves... I unwrapped a few layers and tore them off, then readjusted the bandages so that I could actually use my fingers.

When I got back to the room, I noticed that everything was already in place. It was my job, too. Who did it? I found Timothy outside in the courtyard. His back was towards me, so I couldn't tell a thing, but something told me that it was him.

"Timothy!" I hollered. He turned around, and I saw his face. His cheeks were red, and the rest of his face was pale and green. That told me that he was the one who strained himself and did my part of the preparations. He quickly turned around again.

"Anna, what are you doing at here?"

"I know what you did. Thank you, and...sorry. Why'd you do it, though? You know you have a weak body—" I covered my mouth. He never liked it when people referred him as "weak."

"It's okay. I just felt like it. Nothing more, so don't worry about it."

I walked up to him and hugged him from behind. "How can you tell me to not worry about it?" I said, my voice almost as faint as a whisper. "You're my best friend. How can I not worry about you?"

"..."

"What friend wouldn't worry about another?"

"..." It was the second time he hadn't replied. "Sorry." He turned around, and I looked up into his eyes. "I had you worried there, didn't I?" A smile was etched onto his face. He obviously doesn't want me to worry...because he's trying his hardest to act tough. But, why all of a sudden does he want to act tough for?

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

"I'm home~"

"Welcome home~"

"Ah, Riki, can you help me with something?"

"Oh, I've been waiting for this day to come!" She was twirling around the room—with a knife in her hand—like a—psychopathic—ballerina. Finally, she stopped in front of me and said, "It's because of a boy, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, jackpot! Now, tell me everything." I giggled just a little bit.

"You sound like Timothy."

"Oh?" she said teasingly as her eyes became micheivous. "And, just who," she paused for emphasis, "is this 'Timothy'?"

"It's not like you think, Riki. He's my best friend." All she did was hum as an answer. She didn't believe a word about just being "friends." "I'm serious, Riki. He's only a friend."

"Then, who did you want to talk about?"

"Timothy."

"See?! I knew it!" She pointed at me accusingly.

"Calm down, woman... Calm down." I said with my eyes closed and hands up in defeat. "It's not like that. He's just a friend. What I wanted to talk about was his behavior. He's been acting weird today."

"Weird?"

"Yeah. He helped me carry heavy things, did my part of the prepartions for the maid cafe for the summer festival, and acted strong."

"Sounds like he likes you~" she sang.

"Ew! No way! I don't see him that way, and I'm sure he doesn't see me that way. You're just imagining things."

"Nope. Not one bit, honey."

"Anyways, he kept helping me even though he knew that he had a weak body."

"Yup, I'm right."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You know, you're a lot like Timothy."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"..." Everything went quiet. There was a long pause of slience after that. I was going to speak, but Riki stopped me by covering my mouth. Then, she walked to the door on her tiptoes quietly and opened it.

Thud! The door opened, and Ren was on the ground after that. It seems he was eavesdropping on us.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," Riki teased her little brother with a smirk on her face.

6: Chapter 6

"Um...Ren?" I looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

"It's not what it looks like!"

I want to tease him a little more... His face is just...so red. Who knew red was be his fated color? "Yeah, like it isn't."

"It isn't!"

Even Riki jumped in on him. The sight was just too funny that I had to laugh.

"Oh, I left dinner!" Riki exclaimed with a, weird, shocked face. "I have to go, but you two stay here and talk, all right?"

Okay, I see where you're going with this, Riki... And, it seems Ren does, too.

"..." It was totally silent in the room. I had earphones stuck in my ears while I was drawing little chibi characters all over my paper with a purple pen. I finished drawing one of the characters and stared at it in awe. It was so cute! I smiled.

"What are you feeling all giddy about?"

I looked over at Ren and saw him scowl. "Nothing, and it's not 'giddy.'" He snatched the paper away from my reach. "Wait—give it back!" He was way too tall for me to reach. That, or I was really short. I rather not pick the latter...

He stopped and had a worse look on his face. "Is this supposed to be your so-called friend, Timothy?"

"Wha—" The tearing of paper stopped me in the middle of my words. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"

"I SHOULD SAY THE SAME TO YOU!" He let the pieces fall to the ground and squeezed my shoulders in tight grips. "ONLY LOOK AT ME! WHAT GUY WOULD WANT THE PERSON THEY LOVE TO BE SO FRIENDLY TO ANOTHER GUY?!"

"..." I couldn't reply. I just couldn't at the time because it took me so long to process the information that I was just given. Ren... He...he likes me. At least, that's what it seems like. But, I didn't even know that I was drawing Timothy. I just...drew. Moments later, he let go of my shoulders, and his bangs shadowed his eyes.

"Sorry."

He left me there, alone and thinking.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

Third P.O.V.

It's been three months since that time. Anna and Ren have not said a word to each other. Every day, it was just eye contact and gestures that the two used to communicate to each other. No one made the first move. Anna didn't know what to say because she thought that she might say the wrong thing, and Ren didn't know what to say to clear up what he said, which was not a misunderstanding.

Every time the two are home, Anna would shut herself in her room, drawing to her heart's content. Ren, on the other hand, would be tending to the work from his father's business.

Since then, the two haven't walked home together.

Since then, the two haven't talked to each other.

Since then, the two haven't shown each other their smiles.

But, most importantly, since then, Anna has gotten closer to Timothy.

7: Chapter 7

Day after day, I keep myself in my room, drawing until I fall asleep. I've become a delinquent. My grades have dropped from A's to F's. I'm failing in all of my classes. I just can't focus...with Ren on my mind 24/7. I mean, would you be able to focus if your crush was on your mind all day? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Ren seems just fine without me, though. He stopped smiling much more, but he seems fine nonetheless. I just can't help it. Damn my mom! Who told her to marry his dad?! I never asked for it! I'm glad for gaining a sister like Riki, but still!

Timothy interrupted my thoughts with one of his ever so lovely and cheery texts.

"Hey, Anna, you feeling all right?"

"Don't really know. Feeling more like shit right now..."

"Do you need a hug? I have my arms wide open to catch you, sweetie~^^"

"Oh, please, honey. Stop acting like a girl."

"It's just my thing. You can be a tomboy, but I can't be feminine? Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Gee, Timothy. I always lose a fight against you."

"You got that right, boo boo."

"Nope. Stop. Just stop, dude. You're giving me goosebumps. Now, don't bother me. Going to sleep my ass off."

"Sweet dreams~ Hope I'm in them. Just kidding, just kidding! -kisses you good night-"

"Dude, too far. Not dating, you know." Yeah... We're not dating, still friends.

"What? I can't kiss my little sister?"

"I never agreed to be your little sister, Timmy." Got a nickname for him.

"Okay, got it, Bakanna." Looks like he got one for me, too...

"I don't get it..."

"It's baka + anna, Bakanna."

"That's mean! Don't mix 'idiot' with my name! Nu~!"

"^^ Too cute! My little sis is too cute!"

"I'm not your little sister! Now, let me go sleep my ass off!"

"All right, all right. See you tomorrow, Bakanna~"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

Morning came, and I didn't want to get up. One, I would see Timothy again. Don't get me wrong. I love that guy to death, but I hate the way he treats me. He acts so close to me that it makes me feel irritated sometimes, but I know he's just trying to help me stay cheered up. So, I went to school, anyways. I met up with Timothy at the front gate of the school.

"Morning, Bakanna." His arm was around my shoulder, and he kissed me on my cheek.

"Morning, Timmy."

"'Timmy' sounds like a little boy."

"Isn't that what you are?"

"No~ That's not me~" he whined. The cutest thing you've seen in a lifetime was right in front of me.

"You sure?"

"Uh, huh." He nodded while pouting.

"Okay, whatever you say," I said as I pulled on his cheeks, "cutie."

"Ish nosh nicesh shoo shall a woy shute. (It's not nice to call a boy cute.)"

"Whatever, man," I said when I let go of his cheeks. "We're going to be late if we don't hurry."

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

It was finally lunch time, but the always hungry me didn't want to get up. Instead, I just sat in my seat with my head on the desk, cushioned by my arms. I was bored, so I pulled out my phone and played a random slow song. Before I realized it, my mouth was moving and my voice came out, vibrating with every note I sang. Just as I started to sing, tears were slowly forming. One fell, then two, then three. I couldn't stop either. I kept singing, and the more I sang, the more tears fell. Even as I was crying, my voice was clear and coherent.

I buried my face into my arms to hide the truth of everything. Man, just when did this started to happen? I was fine with listening to this song in the past, so why does it affect me now?

Every syllable, every sound that I make, it resounds on the walls and let me hear what I truly sound like; my inner self. I could hear the sadness, the sorrow, and the pain that I've been holding in, bottled up, all this time.

Ren...he...I just couldn't do anything about him. We haven't talked. We haven't done anything for the past months, and it's been troubling me because...I miss...his teasing, everything! I miss everything that he used to do that would always bother me so. Without them, I just don't feel right. It feels like I'm missing something, something really dear and important that I treasure.

Just when I see him again, I mess up our "friendship" again! Why...? Why do I always mess it up?! What is wrong with me?! I want to talk to him again. I'd be willing to make the first move again, but I just don't know what to say... All the things that I could say, all the things I would say, and all the things I should say are revolving in my head. I don't know just what is going on anymore. Ugh! This is a pain in the ass! What the hell, man?! I can't focus for even a second right now! Screw this!

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

Ren's P.O.V.

The lunch bell rang, and everyone piled out. I was busy with work from the company, so I stayed. I can't afford to waste time to eat when this product has to be turned in tomorrow. Besides, I have a business presentation tomorrow in Laos with the company, Story Tales, the fifth most successful fashion business in the world.

My fingers are cramped from typing nonstop all week. I've only got five hundred documents finished, and that's only one-third of the whole product. Then, I have to finish the presentation materials to perfection and start on the new designs for the season. I haven't gotten enough sleep for the past month or so. Coffee isn't helping. Sweets are barely just keeping me alive and awake.

I closed my eyes and sighed loudly. "Damn... Father just had to give me all this so late, huh? He made such an excuse as he forgot. What idiot forgets something so important?!"

In the midst of all my complaints of my useless father, I heard someone's voice singing. It was Anna's. I remember it clearly. She used to sing all the time when we were kids. I laughed a bit. Who knew she would still have that same habit when she sings? Anna has a habit of slurring her words a bit and tends to make the notes jumping around, moving from one octave to another and then back again. It doesn't sound bad; you can barely notice it. Rather, it sounds mystical, like a fairy tale that never existed. It sounded better than the original. Wait, why am I praising her?

I blinked and found myself at the door of her classroom. Luckily, she didn't notice me because her face was hidden in her arms. Every time she did that, it meant that she was crying. I've known her for so long, so how can I not know that fact?

I walked up to her and reached out my hand slowly but contracted my fingers back so that they wouldn't touch her, then finally made the choice to touch her. I took strands of her hair into my hands and let them reach my face and kissed it. I felt Anna finch, but she didn't look up, probably because she didn't want me to see her face. When the last of the strands left my hand, I hugged her waist from the side. I've missed doing this to her. I hugged her tighter, but not so that she couldn't breathe. I buried my face into the crook of her neck and took in the scent of peaches and cherry blossoms.

"I need you."

8: Chapter 8

"I need you."

That voice is...Ren?

I made no sign of movement. "I need you." I didn't know what to say back. "Sorry, but I just can't hold myself back anymore." What did he— I stopped all thoughts when I felt something warm on my neck. It was moving. EW! I KNOW WHAT IT IS NOW! EW, EW, EW, EW, EW! I tried to remove myself from him, but I didn't have anywhere to run.

In a straight, monotone voice, I said, "Dude, stop. You're giving me goosebumps." It stopped for a moment. "Ah! Why'd you bite me, you idiot?! Let me go, you bastard!"

"...You smell nice."

"What the shit are you blurting out, man?! Get it together!"

"One minute."

"Eh?"

"One minute. Let me hold you for one more minute."

"..."

"..."

"Okay, one minute's up. Now, get away from me." He didn't let go. I had to take five minutes to pry him off of me. "What is with you today?!" I saw his face. He was breathing hard. I checked his forehead and yelled, "Oi, Ren, you're burning up!" He leaned on me, panting all the while. I stood up and wrapped one of his arms around my neck. "Damn this guy. So troublesome..." I carried him all the way to the nurse's office. I called Mr. Yamato—I only call him my dad in front of him—to tell him about Ren. I found out that he has been pushing himself to finish all the paperwork he gave him. Mr. Yamato had him transferred into their hospital because of his temperature: 105 degrees.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

Ren's P.O.V.

I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. I'm in a hospital, aren't I...? Wait! I scanned the place. I have to get back to work! I'm not finished yet! I removed the IV drip and got out of bed. I reached out for the door handle, but the door slid open first.

"Father..."

"Ren, what are you doing up?! Get back in bed this instant!"

"I haven't finish the work you've given me yet! There isn't much time left!"

"Don't worry about that right now! What you should be worrying about is your body!"

"My body means nothing at this point! I have to go back to the office! Aren't you worried about the business—" I didn't move. The pain that stung my left cheek was painful. My father just slapped me.

"OF COURSE I AM, YOU IDIOT! BUT, SO WHAT IF I MESS UP A PROJECT OR TWO?! YOU'RE MY SON! WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT: YOU OR THE BUSINESS?!"

"..."

"I said not to worry about it, so just don't worry about it right now! Just rest for a while. Anna is taking care of them." I looked him straight in the eye.

"Anna is?"

"Yeah. After you were sent to the hospital, she said she would take care of them—OI!" I ran out and called Anna. She didn't pick up.I remember installing a GPS tracker on her phone and used that to find her location. Anna was at the company. Man, she skipped school for this?!

I ran to the office and opened the door. There was Anna, asleep with her head on the desk again, cushioned by her arms once more. The paperwork was organized and stacked neatly in piles on the desk around her and on the coffee table near the couch. The laptop was closed and a flash drive was on top of it. I went through and looked at the papers. Every single one of them were finished, and they were all about the projects. There were ideas in them that I wouldn't have even thought of.

I looked back at her sleeping face. Who knew she would be able to succeed me in the business world? She must be cold. I took off the jacket I was wearing and draped it over her. When I got closer, I heard her mumbling. I put my ear a little closer to her mouth. I could barely hear her words, but I made out a few of them. "...Ren...Where...Sorry..." I went just a little bit closer, about an inch away from her mouth. "Dude...I'm tired..." I got just~ a bit closer. "..." Nothing? "..." She's not going to talk in her sleep anymore? I got a little closer... "MEAT!" She stood up, bumping my head into mine, and I flew back, away from her, with my hand to my ear. What the hell was that for? She sat down and went back to sleep.

"..." She is weird... I went up to her again, but this time, I didn't get too close. I've learned my lesson... I caressed her cheek in my hand and whispered, "Thank you. Sweet dreams, Anna."

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

Anna's P.O.V.

Something heavy is on me... I slowly opened my eyes and looked to my left. What the...? Ren was sitting in the same chair as me and leaning on me! His sleeping face was extremely cute. I playfully poked his cheek with my index finger. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times. I pretended to be asleep on reflex.

"Did I fall asleep?" I heard him say. "I slept here?" He laughed. "Anna must have been really warm and comfortable." Then, in a faint whisper in my ear, I heard, "And cute, too." I could already feel a blush creeping onto my face. Something warm was then on my lips. Is this a kiss?! I didn't move. I didn't know how to react. Should I wake up, or should I continue sleeping? The sweet moment was gone, but the warmth of Ren's lips were still on mine. I mentally screamed.

Then, I felt a hand on my head, stroking my hair. "If you're not going to wake up, I'm going to do 'things' with your body." Okay, okay, okay! Should I wake up now?!

9: Chapter 9

Oh, my god... Should I wake up? I decided to...pretend to still be asleep. Hey, can't blame me for being curious. Something I knew about Ren was that he wouldn't go that far, no matter what. He would tease me and all to an extent only. He would never to something like that to a girl, or me at least.

I waited and waited. Okay, it's official. I'm bored... I was going to open my eyes, and then, it happened. I burst out laughing. "Ren, oi, oi, oi! Stop it!" I said between laughs. "You're making my stomach hurt! Hey, Ren, I said to stop! Haha~" He was tickling me. See, I told you. It's just his way of teasing me.

"I told you that I would do 'things' to your body if you didn't wake up."

"Wait! Haha~ Don't! Stop! DUDE! Haha! Stop, man, it tickles! Haha!" I am super ticklish, and what's worse, Ren knows all of my weak spots for it. I kept laughing and laughing. My face became red. Once he stopped, I was panting heavily. When I stopped panting and finally calmed down, I started laughing again, but this time, Ren joined me. We were both on the ground looking on the opposite directions of each other, laughing.

"I remember tickling you until you were red like that when we were little."

"Yeah, and you didn't stop until I was nearly blue."

"Yeah. Ha... There was a time when I went all out, and you passed out because of it."

"You were laughing your ass off when I did!"

"I really did, too! Haha! It's been a while since then, hasn't it?"

"Oh, really?"

"You don't have to get all sarcastic on me, Anna."

"Ha...I'm hungry! Want to go eat?"

"Yeah. If I were any hungrier, I would have been eating you already."

"Hey," I said, "that's not funny."

"Really? Yeah, you're right. It's sweet and out of character."

"Sweet and out of character?"

"Yup." He turned around to look at me. "Because you're just that cute, and you look delicious, too." He chuckled.

"Sweet? Try demented."

"Hey!" We laughed. I really miss times like this. I wonder if I'm going to experience this again in the future...

"Hey..." I stated. Ren looked at me with a serious, yet curious, look. "Will we ever act this close again?" I saw him look down at his hands. He was fiddling with his fingers, and his eyebrows were arched together.

"I don't know." Those words hurt me much more than you can possibly think. "But," he said, staring at me again with a smile, "I hope so." I returned the smile.

"You're right. I don't know either. Neither of us can predict the future."

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

After that, we've become closer like we were before that drawing incident. He takes me home again and talks to me much, much more now. I think we've become even closer than before. I'm just glad that everything worked out.

10: Chapter 10

Starting today, my class is going on a field trip out-of-state for four days, five nights. I won't be able to see him for so long. Ugh... I feel like part of me just died. Gosh, that just proves that I see him as a man instead of a brother.

It's already the first night, and right after I showered, I heard my phone go off. Someone texted me. I checked the message.

"I miss you." I felt like screaming at that point. That one text was enough to make my day.

"I miss you, too."

"Sorry that I didn't text you sooner. I had work to do after school."

"It's all right. I know you're busy."

"But never too busy for you. I'll always make time for you, and you only." I looked away from the text right after finishing the last word. Just looking at it made me blush.

"Oh, stop. Are you trying to make me explode?"

"Yes, and no. If you exploded, I wouldn't be able to hold you anymore, but I do want to see that side of you."

"I didn't mean explode, like literally, and you know it. You're not Timothy." Just when I sent it, I noticed what I just typed. Oh my God. I mentioned Timothy.

"Why do you have to bring up that guy every time?"

"Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Obviously, you were thinking of him."

"You know that's not true!"

"How would I know that?! You started it!"

"Well, I'm trying to end it, but NO~ You WON'T LET me!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"FINE! FINE! FINE! NOT A VERY GOOD NIGHT NOW!" I really am childish... I just...I can't believe myself. How can I be so stupid?

Just before I went to sleep, I sent one last text.

"Sorry, I didn't really have a good day. Everything was grey without you, so I'm kind of childish right now. I hope I made it a good night now. Love you; miss you; always. Not as a brother, but as a man."

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

The next morning, I didn't find a reply from him, but it is all right. I know that I've angered him. I'm not surprised that he didn't reply. It's only natural.

Everyone went to shop or hang out somewhere, but I took a walk. While walking, I saw a group of guys playing street ball. I thought it looked interesting, so I stayed and watched. After about five minutes or so, one of them saw me and called me over.

"Do you want to play?"

"Uh...um...c-c-can I?"

"Of course!"

"I-I'm not very good, though."

"It's okay. It's just regular street ball, not a tournament."

"Okay!" I played with the guys, and turns out, it was actually more fun than I thought. The only problem was, I was sweating like Hell because of the weather and the game. My shirt was drenched in sweat. "Hold on." I took off my jacket and then my shirt. The guys were blushing and staring, but those soon became smirks.

"You've got a nice figure," one of them said as they all eyed me up and down, head to toe. I was still in a white tank top, but it was still a bit see through.

"Thanks. Now, let's start the game again." We started again, and I'm starting to think that they want to see my body. I mean, they just keep trying to bump into me and stuff like that. Damn perverts. Then, my phone rang. "Hold on." I went away from them and to somewhere at the other end of the court near the exit and answered it. "Hello?"

"Why haven't you been answering to my calls and texts?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I've called you since morning! Morning, I tell you, morning!"

"I haven't noticed."

"What the hell have you been doing?!"

"Playing street ball."

"With who exactly?"

"Um...uh...strangers?"

"YOU'RE FUCKING PLAYING STREET BALL WITH STRANGERS?! THAT'S WHY YOU HAVEN'T REPLIED BACK?! YOU IDIOT! WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN NEXT?!"

"It's fine. They're not bad people. The guys are nice."

"If they're guys, run."

"What?"

"Run."

"I heard you, but why?"

"They're guys who just asks you to play street ball for hours. Don't you think that sounds weird? Have they done anything weird to you?"

"I don't know about weird, but maybe perverted?"

"Run. Run as fast as you can away from them. Make an excuse and leave. It's dangerous."

"No, I'm having fun."

"Listen to me. When I said 'run,' I meant RUN. They're dangerous."

"How do you even know that they're dangerous? You've never seen them before."

"Want a bet? Describe them."

I described them, and for some reason, Ren's voice became louder and more demanding. Then, for some unknown reason, I began to tremble just slightly and my mind was processing too much at one time. Oh my god. What if what he said was true? "Um...guys?" I said to them as they turned their heads in my direction. "My brother just called me. He wants me home, like right now. He's super pissed that I didn't answer hours ago. Sorry, and I hope I can play with you guys again! It was fun," I said as I walked out. That is, until a hand was placed on my shoulder, making me stop.

"Hold on just a minute. The fun's just getting started."

11: Chapter 11

I tried to create some distance between us, but that was an epic fail. Just when I stepped back, the other guys grabbed me from behind. I winced a bit at their grips on my wrists. Damn. "Let me go! Let go! Let go, damn it, let go!" I struggled to get myself free, and because they were behind me, it was harder to kick them where the light doesn't shine.

"Oh, come on. Don't you want to hang out with us just a little more?"

"No."

"You're a tough one, aren't you?"

"No, I'm a fucking weakling that can't do shit." The guy in front of me grabbed my collar and pulled me up.

"Don't give me that crap." He pulled me closer and tightened his grip. "You better listen to us and do what we say or else." I smirked.

"'Or else' what?" I stared right into his eyes with intimidation. "I'm not scared of you or your lot." Maybe I couldn't kick what was behind me, but I sure can kick whatever was in front. I kicked him real hard where it hurts most. He fell on the ground in pain.

"Just," he paused to laugh, "kidding."

"No way..."

"Are you shocked at my endurance?" He weirdly flicked his hair back.

"Are you a transvestite?"

"WHAT?!"

"I mean, it doesn't hurt, right?" He face palmed.

"Okay, moving on." He got closer and closer. "Don't worry; this won't hurt one bit." He smirked.

I was out like a light.

- .. - . ... -.- .. .-.

When I woke up, I was covered in darkness. My throat was parched, and I couldn't speak. Just then did I realize that I was tied up and kidnapped. My nose wasn't covered, so at least that was good. I could catch the smells of gunpowder, sulfur, and...perfume? Why perfume of all things? Was he really a transvestite? Never mind that! Right now, I have to find a way to escape. It doesn't seem like I'm anywhere in the outdoors, and that just adds on to my problems because I can't tell what time it is. I still have to get back! The teachers might be worrying. Damn. What is with my life?! It's one thing after another!

"So, you're awake?" a charmingly sweet voice asked. "Sorry for treating you like this. They can be a bit rough sometimes." He began to remove the ropes that bound me, my blindfold, and the handkerchief tied to keep me silent. "It seems you are bleeding. Hold on. I'll go get the First Aid kit and some water." He was beautiful, but that just makes it even scarier. The guy had waist-length black hair with bangs that reached his eyes, the most beautiful green orbs for eyes, the softest of touch for a man, the brightest of smiles, and a captivating voice. He was just too much of a dream to be true; a fairy tale.

He came back with the First Aid kit and a glass of water like he said. I was reluctant to drink the water at first, but my throat was calling out for it. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all."

"Um...can you tell me where this is?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. I would be violating the rules."

"Rules?"

"Yes, there are rules here. I can see that you know a bit of this place since you're so tense." I flinched just a bit. "Don't worry. It's nothing, but you can smell the gunpowder and sulfur, right?"

"Yeah, and perfume."

"Perfume?" he questioned as he looked up at me.

"Yeah... I can smell a woman's perfume."

"Hm...I don't know about that." I pointed at a wall.

"It's coming from there."

"Oh, that?" He laughed. "It's not perfume, sweetie. It's the smell of corpses."