Chapter One
I asked myself for the umpteenth time that night in what I was doing there. I had not only been dragged to this event by my best friend and his wife, but I was shocked to find out that he was going to be there. The minute I walked into the room, I felt that powerful gaze on me. Acknowledging a few people here and there, I immediately planned my escape route and found myself leaning against the balcony.
Sighing, I let the peaceful night calm me as the light breeze surrounded me. I was about to turn around and leave when I felt that powerful presence, and I felt it really close. Before I could grant him the honor of me talking to him, I found myself held from the back and a voice I knew very well whispered in my ears, "What are you doing here?"
I shivered at the touch as his warm breath against my ears triggered a lot of unfound memories. I stiffened in his hold and tried to elbow him, but he wouldn't allow me. "You have no right to touch me, Keigo." I hissed vehemently, "You lost that right when you took everything away from me."
He chuckled lightly, but he consented and let me go. "And you certainly have no right to call me Keigo anymore."
I straightened myself and glared at him. There he stood in front of me, Atobe Keigo. My ex-lover, ex-husband, and the father of my only child. Our marriage of two years lasted in a quick route. Our first year was of bliss and filled with love. However, the second year, it had initiated a lot of fights, disagreement between us, and finally divorce when none of us could handle the other anymore. The only thing I regret is losing the battle of the custody of my only son. I loved him dearly and he was taken away from me by him and that I will never forget or forgive. "Just….Just leave…" I said softly, moving away from him.
"You're not going to ask me how is doing."
At the mention of my son's name, my heart ached painfully. How many days and nights did I cry because I could not see my beautiful baby boy grow in front of me? I composed myself and ignored his gaze again. I wondered if he enjoyed taunting me like this. Did he actually think that reminding me of my son would make me break down in front of him?
" , I can see the emotions pouring out of you."
I held onto my tears and glared at him through a heated gaze. "You really are a bastard, do you know that?" I whispered as my whole body shook. "Do you enjoy reminding me every time you see me that my son is not growing up in front of me?" I demanded, ready to slap him, but he caught my wrist in a firm grasp.
"I'm sorry, but I do not want to grow up with your influence."
The statement did not only shock me, but I'm sure that my whole face turned pale as well. My hand went limp and fell down on its own accord. I did not have the strength to move my body anymore. I turned around stiffly and gave him my back, "Just leave Atobe." I said softly, "I do not want to be reminded of you, for every time I look at you I'm only reminded of my little boy."
Atobe's expression did not change, "He started kindergarten now. I will not tell you which one he's going to, but he is happy." Atobe added as he turned around and made his leave.
The minute he left, I felt a few tears slide down my cheeks. No matter how hard I tried to cage them in, they had managed to escape. In all my life, I had never felt my emotions so rattled. To watch your baby being taken away from you at the age of one devastated me. It had changed and depressed me. I covered my face and felt my whole body betraying me as it trembled; I just hoped that no one would come into the balcony and see me in this state.
As if my wishes were ignored, I felt a pair of arms around me, but it didn't surprise me, for I knew who it belonged to. The warmth and comfort he emitted relaxed my emotions and I allowed that person to have the privilege of holding me. I turned around and walked closer into the arms of that person and allowed him to hold me.
My best friend's husband was someone very close to me. In fact, I was the one that had introduced them. He was someone very dear to me and my best friend did joke sometimes that I will take him away from her, but she knew that we would never to that, for we had too much respect for each other. However, life was ironic. Whenever I was depressed or hurt by Atobe, only one man could calm me down and that was Atobe's own best friend, Oshitari Yuushi. As you can see, we have our own little circle; best friends forever entertained with each other and somehow ended up marrying as well. "You let him get to you again."
I moved away from his embrace and leaned back on the balcony. "I'm sorry," I apologized quietly as my gaze settled on the gardens beneath us. "Whenever 's involved, I lose all my senses."
"Here." He said as he handed me a picture that he had pulled out from his pocket. "I took this last week when he started his first day at kindergarten."
I took the picture from him and my heart leaped. My eyes drank in the little boy that was smiling innocently at the picture. He was dressed casually and holding his bag as he waved at the person that was taking his picture. As much as I hated his father, my boy did take a lot after him. The looks and deep blue eyes were identical to his father. I hugged the picture and rubbed a single tear that rolled down, "Thank you, Yuushi."
" 's in the same class as him." He smiled proudly, referring to his own daughter, 'He'll be fine, ." He assured me. "Keigo only wants the best for his son."
I nodded quietly. I knew he was trying to soothe my nerves, but what he didn't know that it was only breaking me bit by bit. Oshitari and his wife did not know what it feels like to not see your baby growing up everyday in front of their eyes. I straightened myself and looked at him, "I'm going to leave." I announced in a whisper. "Please apologize to Yui(1) for me." I referred to his wife.
"I'll drop you, ." He offered.
I shook my head, "No." I declined politely, "Thank you, but I've got my car." I explained as I took my leave. I made sure not to have eye contact with anyone as I left. Also, I had lied to Yuushi as well, for I did not have my car with me. I picked up my coat and walked out as I decided to walk home. Although I knew it was a long walk, but I wanted something to calm me down. I walked for quite a long time and my heels were staring to complain. I stopped for a rest and gazed at the night sky. The beautiful stars were dancing in joy as they looked down upon me. As I stood up to continue my walk, a car sped by me, but to my surprise it halted to a screeching stop and reversed. "I confirm now that you are indeed crazy." Atobe remarked as he rolled down his windows and looked at me from the seat of his sports car.
I ignored him and continued to walk towards my destination. I wasn't in the mood for another run in with him, so I decided it's best to walk away. However, the sudden grasp at my upper arm made me realize that he was not backing down. He pulled me roughly towards his car and threw me in the passenger seat before I could even struggle. "This is kidnapping!" I shouted as I tried to open the door, but he had locked it from his side and I was not able to open it.
"Just shut up." He said annoyed as he moved his car into gear and drove. "A woman walking at this hour alone," he muttered sarcastically, "Don't you care if something happens to you?"
"No." I said softly look away from him. My anger had lessened and I watched the streets as he drove. "I don't care."
"."
"Don't…" I said softly, "I really cannot handle you right now." I admitted as I pushed the hand that nestled on my knee. I wasn't sure what that gesture was for. Comfort? Sympathy? I just didn’t want him touching me now.
He drove in silent. I was starting to get edgy at the sense of familiarity that was starting to invade my senses. I hugged myself by my thin coat and tried to stop shivering from the cold. He felt my shivering and reached for his suit jacket from the backseat and threw it at me. "Put it on." He ordered.
I didn’t. I just placed the jacket on my lap and covered my bare legs from the knee-length dress that I was wearing. The silence electrified the small compartment of his car as he drove and I was thankful when I heard his car phone ring. Atobe turned the speakers on, "Hello?"
"Daddy."
My heart skipped a beat. It was a beautiful voice that belonged to an angel. Already innocence surrounded that voice. I wanted to hear more, but Atobe picked up the receiver preventing me to hear anything else. "Why are you still up? Don't you have to wake up early, tomorrow?"
Atobe listened to his son speak and finally spoke, "Go to bed, . It's already past your bedtime, I will be home shortly." He said curtly, "Put Yume on, so I can speak to her." He ordered as he referred to the nanny that he had hired for his four year old son.
I heard him give firm instructions to the nanny and finally he hung up. When Atobe took custody of our only child, he had also taken a court order for me not to see him. Till this day I still don't know why he did something like that. The man that I had married was a compassionate man that would never allow a son to not know his own mother.
The car finally stopped in front of my apartment complex. With my divorce I was offered a lot of money and a villa, but I didn't accept it. I had made it clear to Atobe that I did not care for his money as I left the courtroom that day. I removed his jacket off my legs and hand it back to him without saying word. Opening the door, I stepped out and realized that my legs were shaking. To my surprise, he stepped out of the car and stood next to me. "Let's go."
"I can handle going to my apartment by myself." I said annoyed as I ignored him and walked inside. The security man greeted me and the look of shock was not misguided as he noticed Atobe next to me. Apparently I was not the only stubborn one when it came to both of us. We both stepped into the elevator as it took us to the top floor. Although I did not allow Atobe's money into my life, I did spoil myself and got a penthouse when I moved out of his mansion.
We walked till we reached my door, "You can go now." I said not looking at him.
Atobe ignored me and backed me up against my door. He placed each hand firmly next to my face and leaned towards me. "Why do you hate me so much, ?" He questioned softly in my ears.
I pushed him, and then slapped him. The hard touch of my hand against his cheek felt so good that I almost jumped in joy, but I didn’t. I glared hatefully at him and his gaze was not an amused one either as he returned my hateful glare. I'm sure he didn’t appreciate the fact that he had been slapped. "You think this is a game to you?" I whispered painfully. "Do you enjoy taunting me? Do you enjoy keeping my son away from me? Do you enjoy these sick games of yours?" I demanded looking hatefully at him. "You're an asshole! You want my son to grow up with someone like you as a role model?"
"At least it's better than having you as for a mother."
I raised my hand again to slap him, but he stopped me. Before I could even apprehend what he was doing, he opened my door and pushed us both inside. I struggled against him and my efforts only resulted in making us both fall on the floor. The familiarity of him on top of me weakened my thoughts. Although as much as I hated him right now, my love in the past for him was stronger than the hateful feelings I had for him presently.
He got off me and sat up, loosening his tie. "Che…"
I lay there on the floor and slowly decided to sit up as well. "I didn't invite you in." I said shakily as I pulled my hair away from my face. As much as we both went through a hard time during the bitter divorce, I sensed that the passion in our relationship had not died down. Every time I looked at him, I remembered the man I had married and loved. Although his actions had hurt me painfully, but my feelings for him had not died.
Before I could say anything, he pulled me forcefully towards him and kissed me, hard. His lips on mine froze every living cell in my body. He had his arms around me, prohibiting me from moving or struggling. The lip that was placed roughly on my own softened. However, his arms still had a firm grasp on me as he moved his lips sensually on my own. I closed my eyes and allowed the warmth for a second, but when I felt myself being lifted and placed onto the sofa. I pulled away, hurting both of us in the process. "Are you crazy?" I demanded as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Hmph…" he muttered as he raised an eyebrow. "You know how to kill someone's mood." He remarked as he stood up.
My heart was beating fast. What just happened? Did I almost lose control with him? I do remember that we were very physical in our relationship, but to have him kiss me like that since our divorce in two years was astonishing. I stood up shaking furiously and stumbled a bit as I made my way to my door. I was determined to throw him out; however, I never made it to the door, for everything turned black as I took two steps.
~~~
When I opened my eyes, the feeling that I was held by someone engulfed me. I was sleeping between the outstretched legs of someone and being held tightly as if that person was afraid to let me go. A hand was nestled against my back and another at the back of my head. I sensed the rising chest of that person as it told me that he was in deep sleep. I shifted to look at the person's face and found it to be Atobe's. Quickly moving away, I stumbled out of his embrace and woke him up in the process. When I was on the floor I realized that I was only wearing a shirt, his shirt. I looked up and found him staring at me. He was only in his pants and he acted like it was the most natural thing for him to be doing, sitting in my apartment like that. "What are you doing?"
"You blacked out."
I blacked out? I haven’t fainted in a long time. Were my emotions that unstable that I had blacked out in front of him? I did not care about that now, "Did you… did you undress me?"
"Are you acting like a shy virgin bride now?" He mocked sarcastically. "I've already seen all of you."
I glared at him, "Why are you still here?" I asked annoyed and ignoring my blushing cheeks. " is waiting for you."
"It's already 4 am, way past his bedtime."
"You just leave our son at home like that with the nanny?!" I demanded.
"Rest assured that the nanny is capable."
"It's probably because you're sleeping with her."
His eyes narrowed. "You don’t' seem to have much faith in me," He said annoyed as he stood up.
"That should be my line."
He clenched his jaw and watched me cautiously. Without a word, he pulled me up and lifted me. I was too angry to say anything as he made his way too my bedroom. I didn't even know how he knew where the bedroom was. He dropped me onto my bed, "Rest." He ordered as he took one of the pillows off my bed and headed towards the door. "I'm going to sleep in the living room."
Needless to say I didn’t get any sleep that night. The clock that ticked above my head was the only sound that I could hear as I tried to sleep. Knowing that he was next door frightened me. I lay like that for hours. Finally giving up entirely on sleep; I got off the bed and padded to the kitchen, for I needed some coffee.
I made my way into the kitchen quietly in order not to wake Atobe up. I could see him soundly asleep on the sofa with his arm on his eyes and one knee bent. As I made my coffee, I picked up a book from the bookshelf and decided to do some reading, but I frowned when I noticed that he had no blanket on. I went to one of my closets and pulled an extra blanket out. Returning to him; I covered him with it and went back to my book and coffee. As I read my book, my mind kept drifting to the sleeping figure on my sofa. I was still trying to understand why my ex-husband was at my apartment.
I don’t know how long it had been, but I woke up with a jolt. The sunlight had made it's presence into my apartment and had brightly lit everything already, which confirmed to me that it was late in the morning. I sat up and found the same blanket that I had covered my ex-husband with last night on top of me instead. Throwing it aside, I looked around and confirmed that I was alone after all.
I was feeling very vulnerable since last night as I headed into the shower. I stayed there for a while and then came out fully dressed. I looked at the clock on my wall and noticed that it was almost noon. It has been a long time since our divorce, but the impact of it hit me this morning after what happened last night. To also hear my boy starting kindergarten, confirmed to me that I had indeed missed his first childhood years. The joy of watching your baby crawl for the first time and take his first steps was something I was always looking forward to. I remember when did that, her parents were both overjoyed.
I wanted to see him.
I needed to see him.
I wanted in my arms.
With those words, I was determined to find out something's. I rushed to my study and switched my laptop on. As soon as I was logged in and hooked to the Internet, I went to all the search engines I knew and looked for the top kindergartens in this region. I could've easily asked Yuushi which one went to, for she was in the same class as , but I didn't want to put him in such a position. After all, Yuushi was Atobe's best friend.
I lucked out as I found two names. I wrote the names and addresses down and picked up my coat and handbag. Taking my car keys with me, I decided to be nosey and take a better look for myself.
I didn’t luck out at the first address I went to, for the building was pretty much a rundown and knowing how Atobe is like, I just reversed and left the place without even bothering to leave my car. When I arrived at the second destination, I knew I hit the jackpot. The lavish building and tight security was all I needed to confirm that my son was indeed part of this. I got out of my car and walked towards the entrance. I had already prepared my excuse if someone I recognize spotted me.
Walking inside the building, I took off my sunglasses and looked around me. Already I could see that most of the children were preparing to leave since it was close to ending session. I kept looking and looking until there was a small doubt in my mind that I must've mistaken the place and Atobe didn't place here. I retraced my steps back to the exit when I felt a tug at my back.
"Um(2)….."
I turned at the voice and time froze for me. The world stopped and the sounds disappeared. A curious pair of deep blue eyes was looking up at me as the figure still held onto my bag. I could not breathe. I could not speak. I tried to say something, but my lips would not move. However, he beat me to it when he said, "I know you."
I blinked. He knew me? How was that possible?
"You're -chan's godmother." He explained with a childlike smile. "I saw your picture."
Tears formed in my eyes. Godmother? Godmother? Don't you know that I am your mother? I leaned down and patted his head gently, then moved forward and kissed his forehead. With that, I rushed out of the building and ran to my car. I heard him call me, but I never looked back. I was weak. Even in front of my own son, I was weak. The tears burst out. Why was he doing this to me? Why was Atobe doing this? To this day, I do not know what he has against me or why he took my boy away from me. Was it his pride? Ego? Or was it the fact that I was the one that asked him for a divorce?
I finally calmed down and drove away. I was driving aimlessly until I reached my own penthouse. Numbly, I picked up my stuff and headed towards my floor. I locked the doors and lay on the sofa.
I could not feel.
I was numb.
The pain was unbearable.
I shut my eyes tightly and hugged myself trying to throw my emotions away.
~~~
I don't know how long I had slept for, but when I opened my eyes it was dark. The darkness surrounded me and it suited my shadowy soul as well as the only light visible was through the mass billboards through my window. The sudden ring of my phone frightened me, but I didn't move.
I ignored it.
I ignored the many rings.
I ignored the phone that rang through the night.
And I ignored the phone that rang during the day.
I just stayed there. I felt like my soul was sucked out of my body and the only thing left of me was my body that had no control of its own. I did not want to see anyone. I did not want to speak to anyone. And I simply did not want to be alive anymore.
~~~
"She's not picking up."
Yui looked at her husband with a frown. "It's been three days, Yuushi." She said softly as she watched him try again. The two of them were at Atobe's office dropping off. Atobe got held up and had asked him to bring his son to him. He usually picked himself and never allowed the nanny or the driver to do so. However, Atobe was not amused when walked in, for he could not stop speaking about -chan's godmother and how pretty she looked when he saw her a couple of days back.
Oshitari heard that as well. He asked Yui to wait at the reception with and walked into Atobe's office. He found Atobe standing in front of his son with his arms crossed. "Did she say something to you?" he heard Atobe ask.
thought for a second as he raised his finger to his lips. "No." he answered shaking his head. "All she did was look at me and then she ran off."
"Che…"
Oshitari put his hands in his pockets. "I think you should stop being stubborn now."
"She is not going anywhere near my son."
"Yet you still want her as your wife."
Atobe ignored that remark. "She is just a beautiful woman that I like to keep me company, nothing other than that." he answered crudely as he went back to his desk.
"And you just admitted that she still boils your blood."
Atobe watched him un-amused, "Do you mind not being crude in front of my son?" He asked annoyed at the fact that Oshitari was right.
Oshitari shrugged, "You started it."
Atobe was going to say something, but tugged at the sleeves of his jacket. "Daddy…" he said softly as he placed his bag on the floor. He rummaged through the bag and pulled out some papers. handed it to him and Atobe tried to understand what it was till he finally comprehended that it looked like flowers. "We made this in class for mother's day." He referred, for it was the second Sunday of May(3) in a couple of days.
Atobe looked at his son without any emotions.
looked down with a blush. "Um…can you give it to her please?" he asked softly as he moved his foot nervously behind him. It was true that did not know his mother, but he knew that she existed. Atobe placed it on his desk, "I'll see what I can do." He replied curtly as he walked to the window. "How about we go and get something to eat, ?"
"Yes!" he nodded in happiness. "Can -chan come with us?" He asked Oshitai, who still stood there. Oshitari patted his head gently, "Not today." He answered the little boy. "We're going to check on someone." He remarked, "And in case you're wondering, she hasn't picked up her phone for three days and the security said that she hasn't left her apartment at all." Oshitari added the last remark for Atobe's ears as he walked out of the office.
~~~
I opened my eyes and found myself in a surrounding of unfamiliarity. I tried to move, but feeling numbness in my right hand prevented me from doing so. I looked to my right and found an IV drip in my vein. I felt my energy all washed up as I placed my left hand on my face and tried to register what was going on.
"I don't know what to say."
That voice made my head turn. I found a very displeasing Yuushi looking at me. "Where am I? What happened?" I asked, ignoring the look that he was giving me. "You are at the hospital because you had locked yourself up in your apartment without eating for three days." He answered my question. "Do you want to die, ?"
His question didn’t faze me. I didn’t answer him nor look at him. I sat up with a struggle and absently moved my hand through my limp hair. I knew I looked like a mess. "You also violated your court order, . You were not allowed to go near ."
I still sat there speechless. My eyes were staring at my lap and I just didn't want to say anything. I knew he was disappointed in me. I was disappointed in myself. I had been strong willed for the last years and I should be stronger now, but I only ended up breaking myself now. Was it the fact that I saw my son that made me like this?
"."
"Stop it Yuushi." I said softly as I held onto my head. "I understand. I did something stupid." I admitted as I held onto my head. "I don't need you to tell me 'I told you so.'"
He sat on the edge of my bed and held my hand. "I know you're hurting." He said softly, "You have to be strong."
I nodded quietly and then excused myself and told him that I wanted to sleep. I was aware of him being in the room for a while, and then finally he left. I lay on the bed absently and tried to think of my life and what I had gone through. I was pathetic. I'm sure everyone around me thought so as well. I closed my eyes and shut them tightly, tomorrow was a new day and I had to think of a way to improve it.
~~~
In the morning, I checked out of the hospital. I was checked by a doctor and he told me that I was free to leave. I didn’t phone Yuushi, for I wanted to be alone to clear my thoughts. I told myself that I'd call him later and thank him for bringing my stuff yesterday as well, for at least now I looked decent enough to leave. I walked to the elevator and noticed that there was a crowd in front of it, so I decided to take the stairs. As I walked towards the stairs and was ready to take the first step down; I felt a slight dizziness wash over me and before I knew it I had lost my footing and was about to collide with the steps. However, something stopped me. An arm had held me tightly around my waist and caught me almost in mid-air. I felt myself being pulled back against a strong build and I sensed the person behind me relax as he breathed out a sigh of relief, which tickled my hair against my cheek in the process. "That was close," He whispered(4).
I placed my hand on the arm and turned back to get a glimpse of the person that rescued me. I was not a person that easily got deluded by someone's appearance, but when my eyes settled on the concerned face of the individual that rescued me, I felt something. I don't know what I felt, but it was something.
He steadied me and then let go of me. I felt another rush of dizziness and almost lost my balance again, but he caught my upper arm. "Are you sure you should be leaving the hospital?" He asked as he helped me lean against the stair railing. I looked up at him and moved my hair off my eyes, "I'm fine." I whispered softly, "I just haven’t eaten for the last three days." I admitted with a shake of my head. "The doctor told me I could leave."
To my surprise, he didn’t say anything else. He helped me down the stairs and walked me to the door, but I couldn’t help notice he kept doing it cautiously as if he were afraid that someone would recognize him. He looked left and right and then helped me cross the street and took me to a small restaurant. "Allow me to invite you to lunch." He offered as he walked me inside.
"It's not like you're giving me a choice of saying no and I'm not exactly someone who can't afford lunch."
A hint of a smile touched his lips as he helped me sit down. "It was either me feeding you or carrying you back to where you live."
The statement made me blush. "I'm sorry." I apologized quietly as I looked down. "I didn’t mean to drag you like this." I admitted as I looked at him for a second and then averted my gaze. "I could've asked someone to check me out of the hospital and drop me home, but I just wanted to be alone." I whispered. Then I shook my head and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I want to thank you again for rescuing me."
He smiled, "Actually I am partially to blame for you taking the stairs." He said, "The reporters were harassing me in front of the elevator and I had to slip away somehow."
That stopped me. Reporters? I thought to myself as I kept looking at him. I tried to bring my senses to work and recognize the man in front of me, but I was honestly clueless. I knew now that I was too curious, 'I'm sorry, but I don't know you." I admitted embarrassingly, "Are you someone I should know?"
His smile broadened, "This is exactly why I invited you to lunch." He remarked, "It's a relief to lunch with someone who won't harass you endlessly about useless things."
I looked at him. Normally I would classify an individual who made that comment as a braggart, but the way he said it actually made him sound modest to me. I watched him again and saw clear eyes look at me. Shaking my thoughts away, I prepared another question to avoid looking at him anymore, "That still doesn't tell me who you are."
"I am a pro tennis player."
I shuddered at the mention of tennis. It immediately reminded me of my arrogant ass of an ex-husband. I realized that the man in front of me noticed my shuddering look and it was his turn that asked, "You're not fond of tennis?"
"I'm not fond of anything to do with my ex-husband." I mumbled incoherently and obviously in annoyance. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. "That is interesting." He remarked, watching me. "You also answered my question if you were committed to someone."
Something about that statement made me feel uncomfortable. "You're being rather forward." I stated bluntly. I averted my gaze and looked down to my folded hands on my lap. I sensed awkwardness in the air as I went quiet. To my surprise however, I heard him chuckle. "Do not worry." He assured quietly. "I am not like that. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable; it's just a relief to find someone you can talk to who doesn’t recognize you."
His apology relaxed me. In fact, it even made me smile, "No, I am sorry."
He nodded and looked at ease as he heard my apology as well. "I am sorry if I offended you in anyway." He said sincerely, "I do not like to make a beautiful woman such as you uncomfortable."
His remark made me blush; "Now you have succeeded in embarrassing me." I admitted as I pushed my hair absently behind my ear. What was this feeling? Have I not been in the company of a man in such a long time that I was starting to get edgy? Or was it the fact that he kept flattering me? I let out a sigh at these thoughts as I ate quietly.
He made light conversation with me and I admired his intellectuality. I found it refreshing to talk to someone who rarely used the word 'I' in his conversation. All ever Atobe did was talk about his day or himself. Don't get me wrong, I do not want to put him down completely, he did have his good days as well. As we talked for sometime, I completely lost track of time till my cell phone interrupted me. I looked at it and noticed that it was Yuushi; I excused myself for a second and picked it up. "Hello?"
"You're not at the hospital."
I actually felt embarrassed, "No, I'm sorry." I said quietly. "I checked out earlier and just wanted to be alone."
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm better now, thank you." I answered softly. "Can we talk later? I'm out actually with someone." I admitted. Whether he was amazed or not, he didn't show it. He told me to take care of myself and then hung up. "I'm sorry." I said looking at my companion, "A friend that worries too much about me."
"A boyfriend?"
I looked up at him, "You really don't give up, do you?" I asked as I eyed him carefully. What was it about those eyes that captivated me? It was almost the same as Atobe's when I first met him. I felt like I was under a microscope and was being analyzed very carefully.
"I just love teasing you."
"You just met me." I pointed out haughtily. He was a fun person to be around, but some of the things he said did make me wonder. "I don't even know your name."
"Normally one would introduce oneself first before asking."
I rolled my eyes at his comment as I sipped my drink. I allowed that remark to slip by and looked at him, "My name is ."
He nodded. "It was nice meeting you, ." He said with a smile. "I am Fuji. Fuji Syuusuke."
~~~
DeVeliCious
Edited by Kashii
Thank you T-Zone for pointing out the things that Kashii and I have missed XD
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Note(s):
(1) I didn’t know why, but I was having trouble trying to find a name for Yuushi's wife. I need to thank babysyusuke for giving me some names and I finally settled with Yui, which means "colorful and flower" --> from Japanese Baby Names and Meanings
(2) I couldn't find the proper translation for 'anou'. I find the word very suited for some situation where there are children at stake – thank you Sakura from JO for giving me the right word for 'anou' in English.
(3) I wasn't sure if Japan celebrated Mothers Day. Again, I need to thank Sakura for confirming that they indeed do celebrate it. The date is the second Sunday of May.
(4) I was inspired in incorporating the stair scene from episode one of 'La Corda D'oro ~Prima Passo~' I just loved the part where Tsuchiura Ryotaro rescued Hino Kahoko.
(5) A little additional note: (from wikipedia)
There are four types of divorce in Japan:
Divorce by agreement (kyogi rikon), based on mutual agreement.
Divorce by mediation in a family court (chotei rikon), completed by applying for mediation by the family court (for cases in which divorce by mutual agreement cannot be reached).
Divorce by decision of the family court (shimpan rikon), which is divorce completed by family court decision when divorce cannot be established by mediation.
Divorce by judgment of a district court (saiban rikon). If divorce cannot be established by the family court, then application is made to the district court for a decision (application for arbitration is a prerequisite). Once the case is decided, the court will issue a certified copy and certificate of settlement, to be attached to the Divorce Registration.
Foreign citizens must show evidence that they are able to be divorced in their country of nationality and that the procedures used in Japan are compatible with those of their home country.
Joint Custody of children ends upon divorce. In a divorce by agreement, the husband and wife must determine which parent will have custody of each child. In other types of divorce, custody is determined by the mediator or judge, with a strong preference toward custody by the mother (especially with regard to children born after the divorce).