A week after he somehow convinced Chairman Oizumi that Pandai would provide him a profit without making its owners in-laws, Naoki's steps were lighter as he worked his way through the reorganization of his father's company. The business still did not fascinate him as much as the world of medicine, but no one had ever promised him a perfect life.

He was awaiting one last meeting before leaving early when he was notified that he had a visitor. "Miss Aihara, Irie-san."

Kotoko? The past few weeks at the house their movements had resembled intricate choreography in order to avoid the other. "Send her in," he managed to reply calmly while his heart pounded so loudly that he feared it could be heard through the intercom. Was she coming to tell him that she had decided on Watanabe? If so, he couldn't fault her choice. He had made her suffer for so— The door opened, and his eyes shot to her face, which wasn't revealing anything. "How have you been?" he greeted her after she was seated. "Are your classes over for the day?"

"Yes." She rubbed her hands together. "I thought I'd come see you as soon as I could…" Her eyes shifted to the side. "I'm not sure how to start."

"Just go ahead and say it," he encouraged her, although his stomach clenched at the thought of what news she might be bringing. "After all this time, you should be able to speak freely in front of me."

"Right." She took a deep breath then stood and approached to plant both hands on the desk in front of him. "That night—your feelings for me—was it true?" she demanded. "Do you love me?"

Whatever he had been expecting, it was not this. He could only speak the truth. "Yes."

"Then what do you think you are doing?" Kotoko heaved out a breath. "I broke it off with Jun-kun last night," she looked away briefly and ran a hand through her hair, "or rather, he told me that we were through."

Naoki half stood. "That bastard!"

"No!" She waved him back down. "He told me what I had been too blind or cowardly to face. I have to be true to my feelings. You are the one I love, the one I've always loved, and the one I will probably love after I'm gone. He told me to fight for you, so I will." She rounded the desk and grasped his jacket by the lapels, tugging him upright. "I'll drop out of school and get a job. I'll give all the money I make to Pandai to help it stay afloat."

Naoki's short, incredulous laugh was not well received.

"Don't mock my efforts!" she commanded fiercely. "Together we can do it. Love may not conquer all, but it can sure put up a good fight."

He touched her cheek gently. "If I'm laughing, it's from disbelief—and happiness." He leaned down to kiss her.

"Stop." She pushed him away. "Not until things are settled with Sahoko-san."

"She dumped me over a week ago," he stated baldly.

"So the funding…"

"We still have it. The company is sound enough to make the investment pay off."

Her face was puzzled as she sorted through the news. "But Obasama hasn't said anything…"

"That's because I haven't told her yet." At Kotoko's wide-eyed stare, he explained. "Her reaction might have tempted me to break a resolution."

"A resolution?"

"I decided that the end of my unwanted engagement was not permission enough for me to betray my best friend."

"Betray...Jun-kun?"

"By trying to steal the woman he loves." He smiled tenderly at her.

Kotoko's eyes dropped. "I hate myself that I can't love him the way he deserves. Also because it took me way too long to figure that out."

"I feel badly for him, too." Naoki's hand stroked her cheek. "He's so much the better choice that I had little hope for this outcome. After all, I have done nothing to deserve you, no matter what Mother thinks. Another reason I kept quiet...if I had told Mother...well, you know her feelings on who you should be with."

She gave him a half smile. "She makes it a little obvious."

"I didn't want to put either of us—especially you—under that pressure," he admitted.

Revisiting his decision, she asked wonderingly, "So, even though you loved me, you didn't make a move because I was with Jun-kun?"

"When you started seeing him, my first inclination was to shake you and tell you that you were mistaken, that you loved me, and only me." He laughed shortly. "The egotism of the 'genius'!"

"You would have been right," she admitted, "but the timing would have been all wrong then."

"I know," he gazed at her, "but pride stayed my hand until it was obvious that you enjoyed being with him. Yet with my arrogance, I still believed I would be able to win you back in direct competition until your reaction at Christmas brought me to my senses—and my knees."

She shook her head and tried to make light of the event. "I didn't push you that hard!"

"In a way you did, for that new perspective made me recognize that my hard head and cold heart the past two years had brought on the situation. After that, it was impossible for me to approach you while you had a chance of happiness with him."

Tears welled in her eyes. "You really have changed. The old Irie-kun wouldn't have thought that much about other people, especially about how they feel."

His eyes burned as well. "Keeping quiet so long was a humbling experience. I wondered how, and if, I would be able to tell you my feelings."

"That night—" she began

"Just the tip of the iceberg," he assured her. "Then it was taken out of my hands because you," he shook his head, "you rushed right in. For the rest of our lives, I'll never deny that you love me more than I deserve."

Kotoko blinked. "For the rest of our… Really?"

"Yes." He advanced again and held her tightly. "If you had not had the courage... if Watanabe had not been so noble... what would have become of us?" He pulled back slightly and cupped her face with his hands. "Aihara Kotoko, I promise to never let you doubt my love again."

When his head lowered this time she didn't fight the kiss. The heat of the earlier night washed over them as he dragged her into his arms. Their hands clutched each other feverishly, and they spun around in blind passion. Both fell into his chair when they reeled into it, not caring that their frantic movements sent it crashing into the wall behind them.

A shriek that began in the masculine register but ended at high C broke the spell. "Irie-san!" Tsuchiya gasped, "What will Miss Oizumi think?"

Naoki lifted his head. "Miss Oizumi is a thing of the past."

"But—the Chairman—!" he sputtered.

"The Chairman knows."

"But—Pandai—!"

"Pandai will survive."

"But—"

"No more buts, Tsuchiya-san. And close the door behind you." He smiled down at Kotoko. "I'm in an executive meeting and don't wish to be disturbed."

Epilogue

"But Onii-chan! Christmas Eve is a traditional date night for lovers—!"

"Ma, for the last time, Kotoko and I are not going to have a romantic outing and risk hurting our exes by being seen together so soon after the breakups. Won't our attendance at the Pandai wingding satisfy you?"

"The Christmas party!" Mrs. Irie clasped her hands in delight. "The perfect time to announce your engagement!"

"Did you listen to anything that I just said?" She stuck out her bottom lip and gave him her pouty face, which he ignored. "We'll get married after Kotoko graduates and Pandai is in the black again. There's no need to rush things."

"In that order?" Mrs. Irie asked thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" queried Kotoko.

"Well, since Chairman Oizumi—I must remember to ask forgiveness for all the names I called him—decided to let the investment deal stand, Pandai will be on its feet again in no time."

"Dad?" Naoki turned to Mr. Irie. "Can you please control your wife?"

"Why?" he replied from his easy chair, laughing. "Mama certainly makes things more lively, just like the woman you settled on—finally!" Kotoko hugged her future father-in-law and kissed his bald pate. "Anyway, Son, the doctors have said that I am making an amazing recovery. I should be able to go back to work shortly."

"Now don't get ahead of—"

"I will be relieving you of your duties once I get the all-clear. At that point you are to return to school and become the best doctor in Tokyo."

"You mean Japan," Kotoko corrected him.

"Why not the world, while you're at it?" Yuuki derided.

"Well, I don't want to brag." The boy snorted at that comment, and the two began to scuffle on the couch.

Naoki continued with his father. "But what about when you retire?"

Yuuki ducked out of Kotoko's hold and declared, "I'll do it." He stood straight. "You'll have to wait a little longer, but this is what I want to do. So, Onii-chan, go ahead and become the best doctor anywhere." His seriousness was mitigated by the tongue he stuck out at Kotoko.

Mrs. Irie continued to natter on about how a doctor needed a good wife to support him at home and since that was something that was easily accomplished there was no reason to dilly-dally about. And wasn't it a good thing that Ai-san and Kotoko-chan hadn't been able to agree on a new place, after all? That made the housing situation so much simpler...

Kotoko turned to Naoki. "If she keeps up with this drama, I'll really start missing Watanabe's mother."

He grinned at her. "Want to change your mind again?"

She pinched his nose. "No, because you once said that I made your life interesting. Plus," she covered her heart with her hand, "this doesn't pound the same way for anyone other than you."

He took her in his arms, grinning idiotically, very un-Naoki-like. "Good. Then my mission is to see that it continues to do so for the rest of our lives."

When their lips met, Yuuki cried, "Oh, no, they're at it again!"

A/N: I would like to thank all of you who left reviews throughout this story. To those who are not pleased with the man Kotoko ended up with: your comments are the ones that made me work the hardest. You made me dig deeper to try and strengthen the story to show the emotional growth of Naoki and the conflicted feelings of Kotoko. As you know, I'm not averse to a non-canon paired ending, but this story was never meant to have one. I do have another of those on the back burner, but my next story will return to Kobe and finish out my "Mythology Trilogy" (Pygmalion, Galatea, and now something with Apollo in the title). I need the relief of slapstick after the intense emotions of this one. Although there will be plenty of agony in that story, it will be physical and inflicted by Kotoko.

A/N2: This story was written (at people's suggestions) to make Naoki suffer more than he usually does before getting Kotoko back. Poor Watanabe was the chosen sacrifice. As for his characterization, Second Lead Syndrome took hold of a lot of people, including the author! I didn't want him to lose by rushing her with a pseudo-rapey scene ("Then, I'll make you love me!"—Kin-chan, I'm looking at you!), and yet somehow I ended up writing that scene in reverse! [Ch.19] At any rate, thanks again for reading.