Sorry for the delay! My life is a bit chaotic right now and I only hope you guys enjoy this chapter! As always, please let me know your thoughts!

Kinnosuke was in a bus going from Osaka to Tokyo watching the sunset, almost regretting having dumped all the pills that his family had given him. His head and stomach were pulsating with an excruciating pain that was making him feel about to vomit, but now he was decided to change the awful turn his life had taken. No more drugs, no more sadness, no more frustrations for his and Kotoko's future. He wanted to be free and even more, he wanted to be loved, to be truly cherished. His hand was still clenching the cellphone that brought the best news he had had in a long time: a slightly drunk Christine called him last night to tell him how much she was in love with him and how much she wished she could have met him before Kotoko. He was speechless to her words, his heart beating fast and not because of the pills but out of pure bliss. Christine excused herself before hanging up, only to call him back early in the morning to apologize for her behavior. Kinnosuke yelled to her not to apologize, since he loved her too, maybe even more. They had a long conversation in which he insisted he needed to confess a lot of details, preferably in person. Chris kept pushing until he told her, by phone, all his truth and the impossibility of leaving Kotoko alone without provoking his explosive relatives. She was utterly shocked and Kinnosuke was sure that if she was facing him she would have slapped him. When she was calmer, she ordered him to come back to Tokyo and see her first in her apartment because she had thought of a bulletproof idea to break everyone free. And he believed in her, with all of his heart. The pain he was feeling, the nausea, the cold sweat, everything was easier to take if she was leading his life to a warm light.

The same sunset was marking the end of Naoki's and Kotoko's convivence. The ate her soup in silence, looking only their plates. Kotoko really tried to create a relaxed atmosphere but her soul was in pain. Not only she was jobless, but now she knew what she was missing by not being with Naoki and, worst of all, she had to go back to faking a happy relationship with Kinnosuke for everyone's sake. When they both finished their soup, she quietly collected the dishes and took them to the sink, washing them slowly. When she was done, she went to the bathroom to take her toothbrush and toiletries, walking almost as if counting every step to the living room where her small luggage was waiting for her.

"Irie-kun, I'm leaving. Thank you for having me here, I will forever treasure these days in my heart". And almost as if she was guessing his thoughts, she took his hands and added: "I promise you I will take care of myself. Be sure of this: I'm extremely happy of being able to take care of you and otousan". She kissed his knuckles softly and tried hard not to let her voice crack. "I will go to your faculty every now and then, so don't think you got rid of me!"

In the second she turned her back to Naoki, he hugged her by her shoulders so tightly that her breath escaped her lungs on one sonorous groan, the one she was trying not to let out. His voice was soft but somehow threating:

"I promise you I will have a definite solution to your problem. There's no way in hell that I will leave you alone in this. Remember: you have me, you have my love, you are not alone."

Her eyes were full of tears but she quickly wiped them away before turning to face him again. This time she couldn't help her voice to break a little:

"I know. But please, please focus on your studies. I can handle this, don't forget it. Ok?"

"Kotoko…"

"I'll be fine!" She flashed a bright smile that was not in any way reflecting the pain her soul was experiencing. "I'm like a bad weed, nothing will be able to bring me down!" She stood on the tip of her toes and gave him a quick kiss in his nose. Then she grabbed her luggage and ran as fast as her short legs allowed her to, reaching the door and yelling to the top of her lungs before exiting:

"I love you Irie-kun! Trust in me!"

Naoki stood in the middle of his little living room with a stoic face that did not reflect his troubled heart. Much to his surprise, he found himself wanting to sleep for endless hours, presumably in an attempt to wake up and realize this was a stupid dream. He absentmindedly stripped off his clothes and got into bed, sparing his last seconds of consciousness to Kotoko.

Much to Kotoko's joy, she was alone when she got home. She was sure Kinnosuke should be home by now because he had to be early at her dad's restaurant tomorrow morning and he was never late. Where on earth was he? She texted Naoki to let him know she was ok, but he didn't reply so she just washed and got to bed, savoring her last couple of days before surrendering to sleep.

Morning arrived and Kotoko's first action was to check her cellphone, looking for Naoki's reply. A simple 'Have a good day' was in her inbox, enough to make her smile and giving her the much-needed strength to start her day. "Happy thoughts, Kotoko. Let's find a new job!"

Kinnosuke woke up surrounded by a fine scent, the one belonging to an angel. It wasn't sweet as Kotoko's, but it was certainly feminine and strongly sophisticated. He smiled before opening his eyes and realized that he was indeed in the presence of his beloved angel, but not in her room as he remembered to be last night. Slowly he sat up, watching golden locks falling on Chris' face while she was deeply sleeping resting her head in the bed that he was occupying. A hospital bed.

"How did I get here? Why do I have a hospital gown? What the hell is going on…?"

"Oh, good morning Kinnosuke! How are you feeling today?" Chris stretched her arms while standing up, looking lovingly to the love of her life.

"Chris, how did I get here? I perfectly remember being in your room…"

"You fainted dummy, so I seized the chance and brought you to the clinic that my mom recommended us. They are already giving you the medications needed to clear that drug out of your body and to appease the abstinence syndrome that you will go through. I already called Aihara-san to let him know you are not going, and your place will be temporarily taken by my cook." She caressed his confused face warmly to let him know everything was being taken care of. "We are starting our plan Kinnosuke, I only wish you would have told me all your troubles earlier… Do you know for how long have I been longing to do this?" She kissed him on his lips, and taking advantage of his surprise she deepened the kiss, taking his face in her hands and sitting down in his bed to be more comfortable. She broke the kiss but did not let go of his face.

"Mom talked to your doctor. He has treated many addicted celebrities and he already has an idea of the kind of drug you were taking. My dad is getting in touch with some, ehm, contacts of his that happen to be in the same, ehm, professional area that your family is, only in a much higher level. They will spread the word that you caught a cute British girl and that we are planning to open our own restaurant. See? I have connections, I told you I had a good plan!"

"Chris… I don't deserve you! You are more than I will ever merit to have! Didn't you listen to my story. I'm as stained as my family is!" Kinnosuke was completely broken, crying so hard that his words were hard to understand. He was delighted to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but at the same time he felt so low and dirty, undeserving of his angel's love.

"You were also a victim Kinnosuke, don't be too hard on yourself. Even in the middle of your hell you were able to be kind to me, you showed me your passion and talent, you shared with me your heart and I love you for that. I'll always be by your side!"

Chris hugged Kinnosuke, warmly calming him down until he stopped crying and, eventually, he fell asleep. She smiled sweetly to him, silently promising him to help him out of his hell and, obviously, helping Kotoko as well. She left his room and made her way to Kinnosuke's house, hoping to find Kotoko to let her know their plan.