*Shows up late with Starbucks*

Um…. hello…

P.S- kinda short chapter and I apologize! Need to go back and review my story as well as the manga so the next chapter will be twice as long.

Important Note- I accidentally wrote Takumi's age as twenty-one last chapter and for that I apologize. He is twenty and looks damn well fine.

I do not own anything. Sorry for spelling mistakes.

One Year Ago

"There she is…" Takumi mumbled to himself as steady eyes stared unblinkingly. The nineteen year old inched up his chin as the two sisters stood next to one another, the younger female wearing a black kimono while the other donned a suitable black dress.

"Sir." Cedric, one of Takumi's most trustworthy employee stepped forward, his large structure taking up a good portion of the cramped space.

Not bothering to answer, the blond carried on with his silent observation as Misaki knelt down with careful movements, a prominent frown etched upon her face.

"That is her." Takumi nodded toward the unsuspecting woman. Burying both hands in his pockets, Takumi lifted one corner of his lips into an amused smile, "she's mine."

Hands shaking, the older brunette slowly turned toward her sister as both carried chopsticks before passing on a small object in the shape of a bone.

Following the customary tradition, the Ayuzawa girls picked up each remains with steady carefulness under the watchful eyes of both the funeral employees and Takumi himself.

Although they knew of the former, both Misaki and Suzuna were oblivious to the latter.

Feeling his cell phone vibrate, Takumi wasted no time in grasping at the smooth electronic before sliding it up to his ear, not once allowing his fixed gaze to stray from a certain hazel-eyed girl.

"What," he bit out with little annoyance.

"Mr. Usui, Sir, an Arashiyama Tenryū is asking for your audience concerning the bonds for Usui Corporation." Kosugi Bunta, his newest office administrator spoke clearly through the other line.

Brushing away a few stray bangs, Takumi narrowed his eyes when noticing Miskai whisper something into Suzuna's ear, her face masked into sorrow. "Reschedule him for next week."

"Sir, I was told this was your highest priority right now, words from Mr. Arashiyama himself." His employee carried on, his tone becoming cautious with each syllable. Upsetting his boss was almost equivalent to walking on cracked ice with cement blocks tied to each foot.

"My highest priority?" Takumi hummed out in thought before letting out a mocking laugh. "You tell Tenryū that I don't waste my time on such unimportant tasks concerning small companies lower than my own. Some of my most unreliable workers have more power than he himself. Don't call me again unless it is an emergency." With that, Takumi ended the call just as a scowl developed on his lips. His mood dampened, Takumi kicked aside the fallen leaves before leaning against a stray tree.

"Sir, your suit." Out of nowhere, Cedric reappeared, his usually stoic face constricting into alarm. Brushing the older man aside, he waited with slight impatience as the ceremony continued on.

The wind picked up as the trees hummed in protest, leaves falling helplessly towards the ground. The beginning of autumn was taking part signaling the dropping of temperature. It was sunny, however, with little to no sightings of clouds in the sky. Not that it mattered to Takumi, who paid little heed to his surroundings.

Minutes later the sisters stood from their crouching position, sorrowful expressions matching one another. Suzuna glanced at her feet with dull eyes as she whispered to Misaki. With a small nod, Misaki allowed her to leave before sending a grateful smile toward the employees as they gave their condolences before walking off. All at once she was alone with her jumbled thoughts.

She was eighteen and parentless. She had to take care of her younger sister. She was still in school. She had no money.

She tightened her fist which developed a shaky tick. Furrowing her eyebrows, the young student bit her bottom lip to hold back a strangled sob.

"Mother," she rushed out. "I'll take care of her, I'll take care of Suzuna."

Feeling a sudden sense of unease, Misaki looked up to take in the eerie vicinity. Spotting nobody, and blaming it on her cluttered mind, she carefully knelt her head down and clasped her hands together.

"Please be at peace, Ayuzawa Minako." heaving a heavy sigh, Misaki grasped the urn that contained her mother's remains just as a drop of rain landed on her cheek. Within seconds, it began to drizzle, alerting the young teen who hurriedly covered the small container as she twisted on her heel to escape the inevitable onslaught of water.

"Sir," Cedric stated as he opened a black umbrella to hold above his employer's head.

"Always prepared, aren't you." The blond stated while watching the retreating figure of Misaki. Pausing for a moment to over think his actions, Takumi brushed aside Cedric's questioning stare as he began striding in the direction his girl previously stood.

Straightening out the tie of his suit, Takumi shoved both hands into his pockets as he came to a halt only inches away from the empty casket. Although it no longer held the remains of Misaki's mother, the businessman cleared his throat and blinked away stray drops of rain that rolled across his vision.

"A shame we must meet in these conditions," Takumi stated with a slight scowl. "Had this been under more… suitable circumstances, I feel it would be a far more eventful occurrence." Noticing movement from his peripheral vision, the emerald-eye man saw Cedric drive the black town car up to the narrow side road.

Brushing away wet strands of bangs from his forehead, Takumi closed his eyes as he craned his neck skyward. "But you are no longer here." Opening both eyes accompanied by a daunting smirk, Takumi glared down at the deserted coffin.

"You left them," he spat out with pure malice. "You abandoned your own children because you were weak, pathetic even." Tsking like a disappointed parent he continued on, "but I hold no grudge as you gave me something far more rewarding." Reaching within the breast pocket of his suit, he gripped the beaded object with white knuckles.

"You gave me her," he whispered out through gritted teeth, "I own your daughter now and I myself will lie in my own casket in order to make sure she feels the same pain that I went through." With a mocking bow, he flung the offended object from his jacket.

"You'll need this," Takumi muttered as the juzu bead landed on the ashes. Spinning on his heel, he started a slow trek in the direction of the awaiting car.

"Pray for forgiveness, Ayuzawa Minako, for ever marrying that bastard of a man."

Present Day

Her mind was screaming at her to run, to hit and kick and scream until her voice ran raw. She could defend herself against gangs of men back when she was in high school. Being feared by the opposite sex was never an issue to Misaki mainly because the thought had always put her at ease.

No men means no worries.

She was criticized for that, however, by the boys that surrounded her on a day-to-day basis. Being too strong was 'wrong' for a girl as they should instead act cute and giggly without complaining.

'Boys will be boys' was a phrase Misaki heard far too often when attending elementary school. She never, even to this day, understood the meaning. Why was it okay for a boy to tug on her pigtails and steal her bento without remorse? Why was it okay for the teacher to calm a crying Misaki down with a shitty explanation on how it was in their nature?

Yes. Because boys will be boys.

But now, as she lied there on her back with both arms restrained above her head, Misaki began to curse the many faceless men and women she encountered that uttered those hideous words.

She felt lost on what to do, something she normally had complete control over and after spending so much time near Takumi, Misaki felt powerless.

Takumi.

That name itself which usually sent shivers of disgust down her spine made the nineteen year old take deep breaths just to calm her racing heart. She hated the man, despised his very existence for what the controlling blond did to her life without an ounce of remorse. Had he not felt guilt? Was there any compassion in his body?

However, at that precise moment, Misaki needed him now more than she had ever thought she would.

"Just stay still," Tora groaned out in exasperation as Misaki once more tried to fight back. "You're making this harder on yourself, bitch."

When receiving no answer, only another onslaught of struggles that began to irk the young man, did Tora scrunch up his face as a feral growl escaped his lips.

"You just don't listen, do you?" With gleaming eyes, Tora released one of her wrist to rear back his arm. A sharp sound echoed across the room as Misaki spilt out a painful sob, her face constricted into startlement. "Listen you fucker!"

Wasting little time, the flaxen-eyed man grabbed ahold of the upper garment of her strapless dress before tearing it down, leaving her chest exposed to the smirking man.

Dodging her fist with little work, Tora once more latched onto her arm as his eyes took in her heaving breast with appreciation.

"Hm, I've seen better," he clicked his tongue in a mocking manner as Misaki shot him an enraged look. "Don't be so angry, little bitch, I'll make sure you get fucked just like the other whores."

"Get away from-" Sucking in a teary gasp, the brunette closed her eyes as Tora leaned forward and bit down on her collar bone, a thin trail of blood beginning to form from his sharp teeth.

"Keep the mouth of yours shut so I can enjoy this," he whispered into her ear, "although, I do take pleasure when seeing you in pain." Proving his point, Tora grabbed ahold of both of her forearms with his left hand as he reached over to tug hard on her hair, resulting in a strangled cry from Misaki.

"Damn you sound good," Tora muttered out before grinding his pelvis against her own, his hardened length brushing up just between her legs. "Hope you feel just as good."

Angling his head down, the businessman made a sound akin to contentment as he kissed lightly from the start of her neck to her lower collarbone, his teeth grazing her delicate skin. Not stopping there, Tora started wet pecks down the valley of her breast, only halting to wrap his needy lips around her left nipple.

"Mm, I need this." With that, he reached down to unbutton his dress pants, fiery eyes alight with hunger. The tense atmosphere only multiplied when hearing the audible sound of his zipper be pulled down, causing Misaki to stiffen up in fear.

Had it been just days ago she was in the same position, trying to calm her pounding heartbeat with beads of sweat pouring down her face.

'Why me… Why me?' The words ran through her mind as each grueling second crawled by. Why was she the one that became a prisoner? Why was she the one that lived in agony and terror on a day to day basis? Why was she the one? Why why why…

"Enough with the tears, okay." Tora's voice bellowed out, crashing with her train of thoughts. "What with being Takumi's little slut for the past few months, I'd think you'd be used to this by now."

Ignoring the last part of his statement, Misaki blinked in astonishment when feeling trails of tears assault her cheeks. Mouthing incoherent words, the nineteen year old felt her bottom lip began to tremble as hands begin to pull down the rest of her dress.

'Why me why me why me.'

"G-Get off of me, please." The brunette hushed out, catching the attention of the preoccupied man. Squeezing his eyes close in complete agitation, Misaki noticed a scowl take over Tora's expression, his usual calm demeanor shattering as he reeled his hand back once more.

"Stop telling me what to do!" He growled out before cuffing the young woman across the face a third time, finding great pleasure when taking in the expression of horror that filled her eyes.

Feeling her jaw ache from his fist, Misaki let out a strangled cry when, once more, Tora released another heavy blow to her cheek.

"It's suppose to hurt," The young man gritted out, "it would be faster if you stopped struggling."

With a cut lip accompanied by bruised skin, Misaki closed her eyes in defeat when feeling his wandering hands carry on with their exploration.

'I… Takumi. How could you...'

The creaking of the main door alerted the troubled woman as she looked to her right with furrowed brows, her breath hitching when locking gazes with bright emerald eyes.

"That's enough, Igarashi." His voice came out with a slight rumble, causing said man to jump in surprise.

'He...'

Allowing his eyes to close in exasperation, Tora slowly straightened his back before tilting his head, allowing the businessman to spot the intruder.

"Thought you left, Takumi."

'...came back.'

"Get off her." The room became quiet before the silent laughter of Tora ricocheted against the four walls.

"Did we not already have this conversati-"

Without warning, Tora was pulled off the bed from a hard tug on the collar of his shirt. Stumbling from the sudden position, the bleach-blond righted himself seconds before shooting a hard glare in the direction of a silent Takumi.

"I said," with swift movements, Takumi shrugged off his jacket, not once taking his sights away from the individual that stood opposite from him. Stretching back his arm, he draped the white suit across Misaki's quivering form, glancing over to cast her a blank look when finding her chest was securely covered. Finally, did he turn back, "get off her."

Denying the chance for Tora to speak, the blond stuffed both his hands within the pockets of his pants. "You've made a tactical error, Igarashi." Taking slow steps in the direction of said man, Takumi blinked slowly behind spiky bangs.

"An error?" With a reformed attitude of cockiness, Tora tapped his index finger against his chin in mock thought. "If I recall correctly, Takumi, you allowed me to fuck that bitch."

"That is where you went wrong." With a glint of something akin to malice swirling in his eyes, Takumi allowed a minuscular smirk to overtake his lips, "you went ahead and touched someone that belongs to me. Because you are weak."

"What do you me-"

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted his words as Tora dropped his gaze toward the floor, where his phone was located. Realizing it had fallen from the flurry of movement he and Misaki had caused earlier, the businessman casted narrow eyes towards the man standing before him.

"Better answer that." Takumi stated, face now void of emotion.

Taking swift strides toward the offended object, the tycoon wasted little time in picking up the call, not bothering to look at the screen.

"Igarashi Tora-"

"S-Sir! I-I this-"

"What is it?" The urgency in Tora's voice had Misaki, whom was wrapped in Takumi's jacket after pulling up the bodice of her dress, look on in surprise. To see someone like Tora have even an ounce of panic woven into his tone was alarming enough.

"T-The company, sir! I don't know what happened but-but we lost our merge with… we lost it with…"

With a sudden tapping of his foot, the flaxen-eyed man grip his phone with frustration, "with who, huh?"

"U-Usui Corporation, sir." The tremble in the man's voice only heightened, "the owner himself just called to announce he will be housing a meeting with you for your signature, Mr. Igarashi."

A clearing of the throat notified the appalled man as he turned to face Takumi.

"A very tactical error," the blond eased out just as the bedroom doors opened. Cedric, holding a black briefcase, wasted little time in placing the item on the nearby table, his towering frame taking up the inaudible room.

"Sir." He grumbled out before stepping back with both hands clasped behind his back. Rolling his shoulders to relieve his tense shoulders, Takumi opened the case and began to unveil a parchment of paper accompanied by a fine pen.

Briefly scanning over the sheet, the entrepreneur pursed his lips before speaking. "In 1994, Igarashi Naoto began to build his own company with hopes of one day accomplishing his goal, much like my own grandfather. However," continuing on, Takumi made his way back to Misaki before settling himself on the edge of the bed. "Fast forward one year and the Igarashi Group is bankrupt."

"Sir?" The voice of Koganei Hirofumi, one of the numerous assistants that tended Tora's financial department, spoke up through the receiver.

"Koganei, I'm speaking to Usui Takumi at this moment. I will call you later when I find the reason as to why."

"O-Of course, Sir. However, if I may speak. If we lose Usui Corporation as an alliance, we could suffer the loss of millions if not billions." At a more hushed tone, Koganei carried on, "we'll have to file for bankruptcy once more."

"I know." Ending the call, Tora pocketed his phone as a furious scowl overtook his features when turning towards a wide-eyed Misaki that sat next to an emotionless Takumi.

"The hell are you playing at?!" He bite out just before taking a threatening step forward. Almost immediately, Cedric was within his range as the broad man positioned himself in front of his employer.

"As I was saying," Takumi spoke up. "Whilst the Igarashi Group was too busy running around trying to find their next source of income, my dear grandfather took it upon himself to expand his already thriving business." Flickering his gaze towards a snarling Tora, Takumi licked his lips in complete satisfaction, "and, as you know, destroyed any and all competition within the country."

"Because he fucked over nearly half of his employees and-"

Interrupting the steaming man with a tired sigh, the twenty-year old leaned back onto the bed until his head was resting on Misaki's lap. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Takumi groaned in annoyance when hearing Tora continue on his childish tirade about his deceased grandfather's wrongdoing.

"Quite annoying," he stated whilst opening his tired eyes. Locking gazes with a befuddled brunette, Takumi reached up and tuck a stray strand of hair that began to uncurl from behind Misaki's ear.

Just as Tora was about to question on whether or not Takumi was actually taking heed of his words, said man sat up and repositioned his grip on the numerous papers within his hand.

"As of now, Usui Corporation will no longer have any connections with the Igarashi Group." Raising a hand to silence Tora whom was about to object, the emerald-eye man only gave him a hard glare. "All ties will be severed and every yen your company has received from Usui Corp. will be expected to be paid back in full. Fail to produce the appropriate amount will be taken to court and handled without hesitation." Nodding towards his bodyguard, Takumi handed over the stack of papers before crossing his arms as Cedric laid the offered items on the nearby table.

Silence met the four occupants as the seconds ticked on. Just as Misaki began fumbling with her shaky fingers did she heard a slight snicker that eventually opened up into full-on laughter. Craning her neck to get a good look around a mess of sunshine hair, Misaki spotted a gwaffing Tora rubbing his face while turning his head from side to side in complete denial.

"If you think for a damn moment I'll let all my hard work-"

"Grandfathers hard work." Takumi uttered out under his breath.

"Go to complete waste then perhaps you are not as intellegent as everybody holds you accounted for." Raking stiff fingers through his hair, Tora pointed towards the contract that sat only a few inches away as if it was the devil himself. "I'm not signing that because there is no legal reason for me to do so. If you try to end a multimillion dollar contract that has lasted nearly three generations all because some fucking twat you picked up on the side of the street decided to suck your cock then I hope you pray the judge doesn't embarrass you too much when dismissing this case."

"Cedric."

"Sir," said man nodded before ushering Tora towards the awaiting chair with a gesture of his hand. Feeling his blood begin to boil when finding not a soul was listening to his voice of reason throughout the whole confrontation, the successor slowly made his way over with murderous eyes.

"You're acting irrational."

"Sign it."

Stifling an animalistic growl, Tora grasped the pen with a steel grip before pressing the tip hard against the parchment.

"If I recall correctly," Takumi spoke up from across the room, his eyes staring lazily at the ceiling. "You're right handed."

Breathing in a deep breath, the Igarashi heir repositioned his hold, "yes."

"Then perhaps you should sign your name with your right hand. Seem's to be common sense, wouldn't it?"

Not paying mind to Takumi's taunting voice, Tora slowly switched the utensil to his dominant hand. Scribbling his signature onto the parchment, the chartreuse-haired man took a step away as Cedric wordlessly placed the documents back into the briefcase.

"You're finished here, Igarashi." Takumi spoke up when finding the male glance in his direction. "Leave."

"If you think-"

"Cedric."

"Sir," the older man answered before grasping Tora's elbow. Ignoring his cry of outrage, the trusted bodyguard began pulling him towards the main double doors.

"Mr. Igarashi," the voice of his employer alerted the valet whom halted in his steps. Forced to turn in the direction from behind, Tora found Takumi stand from the bed and begin to make his way toward him with hooded eyes.

"Do you recall our meeting withGōda Masaru over a week ago." At his begrudged nod did Takumi carry on, "and what did I say to him."

Furrowing his brows at the demanding question, Tora narrowed his eyes when noticing a dangerous grin attack the young man's expression.

"'If I see you lay your hands on her, I will destroy you and everybody around you.' Does that sound familiar?"

With wide eyes, Tora scrunched his face up in pure fury, "you're destroying my company and putting thousands of workers out of their jobs because of a threat?"

Smile still in place, the business man tilted his head to the side with ease. "That's exactly what I'm doing." Almost immediately did his cool facade drop, a look akin to murder alighting his eyes, "never underestimate what I can do. Especially when it comes to her."

With that, Takumi signalled for Cedric to take his leave. Dragging a flabbergasted Tora out of the room, the blond wasted little time in slamming the door shut after them, being sure to lock it before sparing a glance over his shoulder.

Still seated on the bed with mouth agape, Misaki could only blink when finding her only companion begin to walk in her direction. Heartbeat increasing for reasons unknown, the brunette quickly dropped her gaze down towards her sweaty hands.

It wasn't long before the young woman felt a large hand grip her chin, pulling her sights up to lock gazes with emerald. A silent minute passed as Takumi scanned her battered up face with little emotion. A slight twitch of his lips brought Misaki out of her observing just as the successor latched onto her wrist with extreme care, surprising the nineteen-year old.

"Come." He stated blankly as the two made their way towards the adjoining bathroom. Flipping the lightswitch on, Takumi pulled his silent associate towards the counter that housed a mirror, sink, and multiple brands of soaps.

Lips remaining shut, the blond released his hold on her wrist to instead hoist her onto the countertop, disregarding Misaki's squeak of startelement.

"Taku-"

"Hold still."

With that, Takumi began cleaning off her face with a soft touch. Staring intently at her busted lip and feeling resentment grow towards Tora, Takumi blinked in mild startlement when catching sight of a stray tear trickle down her cheek.

Sneaking a glance upward, Takumi found Misaki silently sobbing as large droplets began to roll down her face. Not caring about her unwanted guest, Misaki allowed herself to give out a painful cry as she began reflecting on what had happened.

Swallowing a ball of saliva, Takumi continued to clean the weeping girl's face whom, after a few moments began to push his hands away with little effort.

"S-Stop," hiccuping over her demand, Misaki could only see a blurry blob of golden hair through her watery eyes.

With a heavy sigh, Takumi reached toward her to once more dry away her blotchy face.

"Stop, I said stop!" With a scream, Misaki shoved hard on his chest, watching as Takumi stumbled back with raw shock clear in his eyes. Breathing heavily, the brunette wiped hard at her cheeks and mouth, mixing both blood and water together before she gave the twenty-year old a sickening glare. "You think this is funny, huh? You think this is amusing?" Knowing Takumi was bound to say something within seconds, Misaki quickly balled her hands into fist as anger overtook her.

"You get off on watching me in pain, is that it!? Like it when some fucker tries to rape me!?" With a snarl, Misaki hopped off the counter and all but ran towards his lean figure. Feeling her body drained of any energy, the former waitress attempted to bang her fist against his chest.

"I hate you, I fucking hate you! I'll never forgive you until the day I die!" Feeling his body react with each hit, Misaki continued swinging with the little strength she had left. "Kill me! Just kill me because I don't even care!" Craning her neck to lock gazes with emerald, Misaki saw astonishment within his orbs.

"Misa-"

"Kill. Me," she bit out between closed teeth. The ticking of a clock somewhere within the sparse room was all that was heard as the two stared each other down.

"Don't say that." Had it been any other time, Misaki would have taken note of the almost dejected tone within his voice.

"Kill me, kill me, kill me dammit! I want to die! I fucking hate my life! Please-"

"Enough!" Takumi roared before gripping both her upper arms. Not giving her any time, the young man pulled her flush against his body, allowing his forehead to press up against her own.

"You're not dying," he breathed out, "and you're not leaving me. Ever. Do you understand? Never will I grant you permission to walk out of my life. I don't care if you hate me, I don't care if you wish death upon me. None of that matters because it will change nothing." Biting his bottom lip to calm his unsettled nerves, Takumi relinquished his hold on her left arm. As if he was handling fine china itself, the tycoon rubbed the back of his hand against her pale cheek before leaning in to plant a soft kiss against her forehead. "You're not leaving," Takumi whispered out against her skin, "you can't…. because I don't know what I would do."

One week.

One week in complete confinement.

'Or prison, that's a more realistic term.' Misaki thought with an annoyed huff. Shifting her position to relieve the ache in her backside, the nineteen-year old continued her hobby of staring out of the floor-to-ceiling window with little to no enthusiasm.

'Trees, trees, a bush with a tree next to it. I'm going insane…'

Releasing a tired sigh, Misaki leaned her head against the cool glass whilst closing her eyes. For the past seven days, the young woman found herself situated near the bright window in hopes of catching a sign of life. It was all for naught, however, as the hazel-eyed girl saw only stray animals dart across the acre of green grass every once and awhile.

"Seem's like I'm back to square one," Misaki muttered out before heaving her petite body off of the ground. Not interested in the variety of books that aligned a portion of the wall opposite from her, Misaki wandered over towards her bed before crawling under the sheets.

"Seven days down…. a million more to go…"

"Mr. Usui, sir, There's a Suzuki Hideki on line one asking for your audience." The voice of Kogsui Bunita, one of his two office administers that handled his calls, spoke through the phone's speaker. With a grunt of acknowledgment, Takumi switched lines before leaning back in his leather chair.

"Any changes on the lawsuit?" Skipping all formalities, the blond questioned his companion as emerald eyes flickered out towards the vast glass windows that overlooked the city. Finding little entertainment with the productivity of others, Takumi glanced to his office desk moments before one of his many lawyers answered.

"Only that the Igarashi Group officially filed for bankruptcy this morning at eight o'clock. It appears they ran out of choices." Hideki commented with slight humor laced within his tone. "Shirokawa Naoya, Sarashina Ikuto, and Kurosaki Ryūnosuke are also keeping tabs on what Mr. Igarashi is doing to gain expenses."

Pursing his lips in satisfaction when hearing the names of his three private investigators, Takumi racked his left hand through his hair before stifling a tired sigh. One week of almost little to no sleep was beginning to catch up to the businessman and, as he began to rub his aching eyes with the palm of his hands, Takumi found it was only going to grow worse if he was forced to spend another night alone.

"-Tabloids are not saying anything yet but be sure the company will be-"

Ignoring his lawyer's onslaught of meaningless words, the blond rolled his neck back just as a yawn escaped his lips. "Mr. Suzuki, we will continue this conversation at this time tomorrow."

"Oh… yes, of course sir."

"Do not forget." With that, Takumi pressed the 'end' button. Hearing a multitude of voices coming from the outside of his double doors, Takumi stood from his chair and stretched his back, hearing a few joints pop in protest.

His office, although both luxurious and private, did little to help his wandering mind. Having spent most of his time within the company's building for nearly eight days was beginning to take a toll on his body.

Going home seemed like the best bet and at that moment Takumi would like nothing better than to take a shower, turn off any devices linked to the outside world, and sleep for a few days.

'But alone…'

That one thought halted the blond businessman who was reaching for his suit jacket. Curling his extended hand into a fist, Takumi bit the inside of his cheek when thinking about a certain nineteen-year old.

Her words kept running through his head, the same phrase repeating in a never ending cycle that had Takumi close his eyes as both shame and guilt began to flood his mind.

Never, never, had he felt these emotions towards another individual. But when thinking about her eyes filled to the brim with tears, her pale cheeks red from the slap of that fucker Igarashi, Takumi couldn't help but feel his heart squeeze in pain.

'She deserves it.' He tried arguing back with little conviction. Everything he was doing from the moment he first laid eyes on her was for an appropriate reason.

The shrill horn of a car located outside of the skyscraper alerted the brewing man. With emerald eyes that held little emotion, Takumi closed his laptop before shrugging on his jacket.

"She deserves it." Takumi repeated, this time to nobody in particular.

Serious note guys. I really do apologize for not updating in awhile. It wasn't right especially after all the nice comments I've read. I am truly grateful to all my readers and every time I read one of your comments, I can't help think how lucky I am!

(Also a poll is up on my page for what to update next *hint hint nudge nudge.*)