The little light that shone into Misaki's room, illuminated the beige walls. The veil of her four poster bed was drawn tight as the lady herself got up from bed and did the normal tasks of getting ready for the day ahead. She was being foolish and she knew it, the rational part of her mind that was not obsessed with the idea of revenge, had warning bells tingling. Her foe was not someone she could mess with all on her own; she knew that even with her sheer will-power it won't be enough to tear her enemy down. She took a good look at herself in the mirror, her eyes were hollow and her cheek bones were sunken. She ran her fingers down her face as she pinched her pale cheeks.

She narrowed her eyes as she slapped her palm on the marble counter; her palm tingled with a feeling that was so common to her….Pain. That pain was nothing compared to what she had been through, comparing the two would be like comparing the stars to a speck of dust. She applied layers of make-up to hide her pale cheeks and prominent cheek bones. She snapped her compact shut as she looked at herself in the mirror, she gritted her teeth. Slipping on a simple outfit, she gently shut the door to her bedroom and made her way downstairs to see a meal and a note laid out on the table. She smiled softly to herself, Takumi was as caring as he was when they were both in high-school. He would take her falls for her and if she fell, he would always be there to help her up. Gerald was some-what like his brother, but he saw things differently. Gerald went out of his way to protect her and he tried his best to win her affection. Misaki found herself getting attracted to Gerald and she slowly realised that Takumi was shifting into the background.

She couldn't honestly say that she didn't notice Takumi's sadness when Gerald told him that he was attracted to her. She couldn't honestly say that she didn't know the reason behind his depression. She could only say that she stood by the side as Takumi had to overcome his own devils. She couldn't do anything but hurt him so she decided to stay away from him. He was like a brother to her during high-school but now…. She can't say the same about her feelings anymore. She was distracted too distracted from her purpose, she couldn't stray from her mission. It didn't matter if Gerald agreed with her actions or not, Misaki needed to do this, if not she would never get back her sanity. She had to agree with her doctor about having multiple personalities. She found herself shifting in and out of different perspectives of life. She had no clue which one of those split personalities truly belonged to her and not some sick twisted reality her mind made up. She swallowed her pills hastily as she pressed a palm to her head. She slowly ate the meal that Takumi prepared and her muscles in her body relaxed. Misaki suddenly dropped the fork and with a sudden flare of emotion, Misaki found herself incapable of carrying out the things she planned for her day. She sat slumped in her chair as she was imprisoned in her own mind. She struggled to move her fingers as the waves of locked emotions washed over her again and again. She remained numb as her mind struggled to regain control. Hours passed by and Misaki found herself slowly getting her bearings. She looked at the clock and she sighed, it was ten in the morning an hour before she was scheduled to be at work. Keeping her mind occupied was a way to prevent onsets of this sudden paralysis. This wasn't the first time it happened and it surely won't be the last. Misaki headed out of the front gates as she slipped behind the wheel and drove to her office building with twenty minutes to spare. She headed up to her office and she unlocked her office door and stepped in before clicking the door softly behind her. Her body stiffened when she realised that someone else was in the room. She turned around and came face to face with Takumi.

"Yes Takumi?" Her voice flat but she tilted her head to the side. Takumi looked at Misaki and he smiled.

"I've gotten a clue….To Maria's death. The culprit could tell us some details related to Gerald. That's the only thing that I can think off." He said with a more convincing smile but it still didn't reach his eyes. Misaki brightened up a little as she sat down beside him peeping over his shoulder to look at his laptop. Maria was a dear friend to Misaki and she would really like the truth about Maria's death.

"You see, Maria's flight details and the reports on the condition of the plane ten minutes before flight were reported as normal. When the control tower at Tokyo tried to contact the plane for a report when it was in mid-flight, they couldn't get a signal. The black-box in the plane was smashed and the all devices that were used to contact the control tower were deliberately switched off. This is enough evidence to suspect that the pilot was attempting to crash the plane into the ocean but he must have changes his mind but due to his indecisiveness, the plane hovered in the air for too long and lost too much fuel. Hence, causing it to crash into the run way. The pilot didn't die and is in ICU but the doctors expect him to wake up soon. Maria died due to complications arousing from the severity of her injuries which was a punctured lung." Takumi said softly as he bit his bottom lip. Misaki just realised how difficult it is for him to stay optimistic when he is investigating the details of his sibling's death which happened close to about two weeks back. She subconsciously curled up beside him, telling him that it's okay, he isn't alone. Takumi's form started to shake as he choked back soft sobs. After awhile, Takumi calmed down and his shoulders stopped shaking, Misaki gently eased the laptop away from his lap as she touched his shoulder.

"It's alright Takumi, why don't you take a break. I bet you are exhausted." Misaki said as she left the laptop at the side of the table. Takumi nodded numbly and he got up to leave the room. Misaki looked at him with worry evident in her eyes. Misaki glanced at the screen and read through the details of Maria's death, Takumi didn't tell her everything...The details of Maria's death were a lot more in-depth than she thought. Theories were formed and documented out onto the document. Her death might have been due to a sixty-five years of rivalry between an unnamed company and the Walker company... Details and more details, this was far more complicated than anything Misaki thought it was. She glanced at the wooden door that was shut and she closed her eyes, as her heart ached. Takumi didn't deserve this and neither did she. Misaki just wished that she was a commoner nothing but a commoner...

Maria was given a marriage proposal to end the sixty-five year old rivalry to one of the heirs of the company. She refused, as the heir was a playboy that didn't give her an ounce of respect. She had fled from New York to return to Japan. Something must have happened during the flight... Misaki got up and grabbed her coat. She left her office and gave a last look at the wooden door that would lead to her office bathroom. She ignored his thundering footsteps behind her as she took off in her car. Her phone rang continuously but she ignored it.

Sorry Takumi, but I don't want you to suffer more than you have. Just this time, I'll do it alone...

Just This Once...