Colors of the Heart (Emi)

[Ryuu]

Darkness. Never ending darkness. So this was what blind people were forced to look at everyday of their lives. A dark tunnel that never seemed to end. What a terrible fate, forced on to them unwillingly. Ryuu continued to stare into the dark tunnel, until he felt he had to open his eyes, anything to get away from the darkness. Slowly, he opened his eyes, the light blinding him, making him wince, until he adjusted to the brightness. At first he didn't recognize his surroundings, everything around him was white. Talk about monotone, where am I? His mind was foggy, as he gazed around groggily, looking to his left, he was facing a window that gave him a good view of the city below, then looked to his right, and saw his older sister sleeping in the chair beside him. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain coursed through his body from his head, making him wince and cry out in pain. His sister jolted out from her sleep, and cried out in shock as she saw Ryuu trying to sit up.

"Ryuu!" She exclaimed as she stood up and rushed to his side, "Don't try to sit up, or your wound won't heal!" "Arrgh...wh...where am I?" he gasped out, as he gave up and just flopped back on the bed. "Sunset Memorial Hospital, where else?" "Wh..what!?" Was...was my injury that bad? Ryuu rested back against his pillow, as he lifted his hand to brush his hair out of his face, only to brush against the bandages wrapped around his head, like he was wearing a headband. Just what in the hell happened?

8 hours ago -

The doctor and nurses slammed through the Emergency doors, an unconscious Ryuu on the bed they were wheeling, they had managed to stop the blood that was flowing from the wound on the back of his head, as they reached the Operating Room, and began to prep for surgery. It was a simple procedure, nothing too bad. Finish with their preparations, the doctor was ready to begin. While the mood was calm yet tense in the Emergency room, outside, all was not peaceful.

- Waiting Room -

Kyoko was crying silently, her sobs long silenced, as a young hospital worker sat beside her, looking at her worriedly, but not quite sure how to comfort the girl. An older women who worked at the hospital as well walked over, and laid her hand on the young man, telling him she would take over. He looked up, and nodded as he got up and walked away. She sat down beside Kyoko and placed her arm around Kyoko, hugging her comfortingly. Kyoko sobbed in her shoulder silently. Kazu... please be okay...

- Present -

"You were out for a day and most of the morning." Kiyoko told Ryuu, as he looked over at her. "Get some rest, don't try to move, and don't try to sit up okay?" she told him, as she turned and headed towards the door. "Yeah yeah...mom." he teased, as Kyoko smiled at her brother, and closed the door behind her. Ryuu stared at the ceiling, his front hair falling into his eyes. So I was out for that long? That sucked. Being alone now, gave him some time to think about the match with Kate. Looking back on it, he realized he had gotten a bit stronger, but he was going to get stronger, he wasn't going to let it discourage him. I will get stronger and better. I will get stronger than you Kazuya. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he stretched his hand out and grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table, and began to dial a number, who's number you ask?

"Hey Emi. It's Ryuu. You want to come and visit me... in the hospital?"

[Emi Hitokata]

Emi's normal day was interrupted by a call. She was in the middle of one of her Japanese language classes when she received the call. Ignoring her teacher's dirty stare and her classmate's stifled laughter, she listened to Ryuu. Her eyes widened when she heard where she was, and ten seconds later, she was out of the classroom, ignoring the teacher as he called out,"Hitokata-san!"

Luckily, she brought along enough money to hail a cab that would take her to the hospital. She sat in the backseat, grimacing as the meter went up despite being caught in a traffic jam. Her monthly allowance, which could have been used to buy clothes or snacks, was now being used up for the sake of one short taxi ride.

"Stop right here! I'll walk the rest of the way."

However, half of her funds were always gone. She groaned before breaking into a run, allowing her powerful legs to take her the rest of the distance. Years of soccer and track helped, as she did not tire from the distance as easily as other people would. Within fifteen minutes, she was at the hospital entrance. She stopped for half a minute, her hands on her knees, just to catch her breath and compose herself before she has to meet her crush.

Unlike minutes before, she walked, trying to prevent herself from using up all her energy to run again. By the way her fists were clenched, she was having difficulties calming herself down. She went to the front desk and asked for Ryuu's room number, before heading to the elevator.

The wait for the elevator was the most painful part. She had to wait as least a minute before it came to her floor and opened. It was just as painfully slow as it rode up to the top floor. As soon as it reopened, she broke into a brisk walk and only stopped when she was standing at the door to Ryuu's room.

She opened the door slowly and shut it behind her quietly, just in case he was sleeping. However, seeing that he was awake, she said softly,"Ryuu."

[Ryuu]

As soon as he called Emi, he heard her hang up immediately without a single word. He pulled his cell phone from his ear and just kind of stared at it blankly. He then placed his cell phone back on his bedside table, and leaned back against his pillow, waiting. It seemed he didn't have to wait long though. He was staring out his window, looking at the view of the harbor from his window, when he heard the door open, he expected it to be a nurse or the doctor, coming in to check on his injury, since it would probably take Emi a while to get here, even if she took a taxi. Come to think of it, a taxi was expensive, he decided he would pay her back for the taxi fare. It was the least he could do. What he wasn't expecting was to hear a soft female voice, a familiar one at that. "Ryuu." He turned his head and looked over, and saw Emi come in, closing the door quietly behind her. "Hey..." He replied back softly, as he winced slightly, his head was throbbing and giving him a massive headache, but all the same, he was glad to see Emi.

She came... She actually came. I'm not hallucinating, which is a good thing, considering I have a injury to the back of my head.

Sure, Ryuu's body was wracked with pain, and his head felt like it had been smashed against a wall, repeatedly, but seeing Emi here, his crush, well, the pain wasn't so bad now. He struggled to sit up, as he winced when a sharp pain shot through his head, actually making him cry out slightly in pain, but he managed to sit up after taking a few minutes, the covers that had been covering his upper body fell down, he was wearing a loose white tank top, so his muscular arms were exposed. He then shifted over slightly in his bed, making some room for Emi to sit down, and gestured for her to sit on his bed, while there were some chairs in the room, they were too heavy to lift or drag, and they were far away too. Ryuu gave Emi a tender smile, even though his head was killing him right now. "Thank you for coming... I'm sorry if I bothered you with this, I'll pay you back the taxi fare, alright? I promise. I missed you, you been okay?"

[Emi Hitokata]

Ryuu looked horrible, not in the sense of attractiveness, but more in the sense of his physical health. His head was wrapped in bandages, suggesting that he had a horrible head injury. Emi bit her lip, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight.

She felt as bad mentally, mainly because she treated him so coldly when they were at the school pool. She felt like giving herself a mental slap for letting jealously take over her. Although she was a very pretty girl-which never rarely says for the sake of being humble- all those bad feelings she had towards Emily made her look into the mirror and see a very ugly person, although her face was still the same.

From that day on, she is going to be kind to Emily and every other girl friends with Ryuu, no matter how close.

Seeing Ryuu struggle to sit himself up, she dashed forward and placed her hand on his chest. "Murishinaide(Don't push yourself so much)", she said as she made him lay back down. After a minute, she allowed him to sit up. She watched him, making sure that he did nothing to hurt himself and even shifted his pillows to make him more comfortable.

He offered a place beside him, and she hesitated before sitting down on his bed. It creaked slightly, and she tensed, as if she was afraid that the bed would break under so much weight.

"I'm OK. You don't have to pay for my taxi," she said in English, her accent slightly improved from how it was on her first day of school . "What happened to you?"

[Ryuu]

Ryuu smiled gently at Emi as he continued to lie in his bed, he saw her bite her lip while she looked at his injury, unable to look away. He began to scratch his head near the bandages wrapped around his head like a headband, he couldn't scratch underneath the bandages, which irritated him slightly, his head was really itchy. Ryuu struggled to try and sit up, as soon as he did, he saw Emi dash forward and place her hand on his chest, making him lie back down. "Murishinaide (Don't push yourself so much)" "...yeah..." He replied, after a minute, he managed to sit up, though sweat could be clearly seen on his face, it took quite a bit of his strength to get himself to sitting up. He could see Emi was watching him, making sure that he didn't do anything to hurt himself, even going so far to shift his pillows to make him more comfortable. "Arigato... (Thank you...)" he said softly, as he smiled gratefully at her.

He then gestured for her to sit down beside him, he didn't feel like talking very much, mostly because he had a splitting headache, but he could still talk, just not very loud. He saw her hesitate before taking his offer and sitting down on his bed. The bed creaked slightly, as he saw Emi tense up, like she was afraid the bed was going to collapse underneath them. "I'm OK. You don't have to pay for my taxi," Ryuu cocked an eyebrow, her accent had improved slightly, it was much better from when he had first heard her speak before, "What happened to you?" Ryuu leaned back against his pillows, pausing a bit, before speaking. "I got into a friendly spar with someone... and the girl I was sparring against, Kate, she ended up flinging me full force into a brick wall." Ryuu sighed, and continued to try and scratch his head. "I ended up going unconscious, and then I woke up in here, so, surprise!"

Ryuu was glad to see Emi again, but he wasn't glad that they saw each other again in the hospital, and that he was the one in here. He had hoped they would see each other in a better environment, not in a place that smelled like medicine. "Your English has gotten better," he commented quietly, smiling at her, "The accent is still there, but it's kinda cute." He wanted to tell her he had a crush on her, but here didn't seem like the best place to say it, nor was it the best time, when she was concerned about him.

[Emi Hitokata]

Half of Emi's body was hanging over the edge of the bed. She wanted to give as much space to Ryuu, so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Plus, if she got too close to him, her face would get red, and she would be too embarrassed to even say a word.

However, she felt uncomfortable, as if she was going to fall of the hospital bed any second. She bit her lip again before she shifted an inch closer. Their elbows were almost touching, and it began to get a little hot in the room.

Her right eyebrow raised as he told her the reason for her injuries. She had no idea if she could believe such a thing. It sounded too ridiculous to happen.

"A friendly spar? Throwing someone into a wall doesn't sound very friendly in my book."

There was no point in scolding Ryuu over the issue since it had already happened. Nothing much could be done except make sure that such a thing never happens again.

She sighed, feeling as if she was dealing with a little kid. However, her cheeks turned pink with his comment about her English. Her body turned, just so she could face him better, while her head was lowered slightly.

"Not really. I still have a long way to go."

Despite being injured and looking horrible, something about Ryuu still makes her blush. Perhaps the feelings she has towards him is more than a physical attraction?

[Ryuu]

Ryuu for the most part, kept quiet, not because he didn't want to talk to Emi, he wanted to, but his head was killing him right now for the most part. He did notice that half of Emi's body was hanging over the edge of the bed, she probably wanted to give him as much as possible, so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable, which he appreciated, but if she continued to sit like that, she would fall off the bed sooner or later, and Ryuu wouldn't be able to catch her, seeing as he was stuck in the hospital bed. Besides, even if he did catch her, he would probably get very embarrassed. He felt her shift on his bed, and move closer to him, their elbows almost touching. Although Ryuu was wearing a tank top, it began to feel a bit hot in the room, and it had nothing to do with the heat or the sunlight in the room. He saw her right eyebrow raise when he explained to her the reason he ended up here, he knew it sounded ridiculous, heck, it even sounded improbable to him, even though it had happened.

"A friendly spar? Throwing someone into a wall doesn't sound very friendly in my book."

"No, it doesn't," Ryuu agreed, nodding his head very serious as he folded his arms across his chest, "Friendliness usually doesn't involve flinging the other person into a wall and ending up unconscious." He heard her sigh, making him feel slightly guilty for asking her to visit him when he had gotten himself injured from a fight. He saw her cheeks turn pink when he commented how the accent in her English was kind of cute, her body turned, she was now facing him better, but her head was lowered slightly, as he smiled slightly. "Not really. I still have a long way to go." "But if we keep talking to each other in English, your English will improve," Ryuu replied in a matter-of-fact voice while nodding sagely, "And we can spend more time with each other, right?" Ryuu didn't know why, but it wasn't just thinking about how beautiful Emi was that made Ryuu embarrassed, everything about her, made him blush slightly. Maybe he wasn't just attracted to her physically, but something more? Despite the fact she had acted jealous and treated him coldly back at the pool, he didn't mind that.

But just thinking about the possibility that Emi didn't want to hang out with him, or even losing her, tore at his heart. Was it possible that it wasn't just a crush he had on her, but something more? "Hey," he said quietly, looking at her, "After I get out of the hospital, want to go out somewhere? I was planning to call and ask you, but didn't get the chance to since this happened." He looked at her, slightly nervous, partly because it sounded like he was asking her out on a date, and truthfully, he kind of was. Maybe he was trying to subtly show that he had more than just a crush on her? Possibly.

[Emi Hitokata]

Despite the room temperature, goosebumps began to form on her arms. On the other hand, the back of her neck was dripping with sweat. Her heart was also beating slightly faster than average, and her tongue felt heavy. That's what happens when you're in close proximity with a boy you have an enormous crush on.

"I'd love to hang out with you," she managed to say. However, the words were incomprehensible, as if she just mumbled the whole sentence out. There was an itch in the back of her throat, making swallowing almost impossible. What she needed now was an ice-cold glass of water.

Or maybe she could just make an appointment at this hospital. However, there was no cure for being in love, as far as she knew. She let out a sigh as her heart suddenly fluttered, but she wrinkled her eyebrows and looked at him, hoping that she could pull of her sigh and weird behavior as worry for his condition.

"We'll hang out when you get better. How long are you staying here anyways?" Her tongue loosened up a bit, making it easier for her to say something without sounding foolish.

[Ryuu]

Despite the fact the window was open in his room, and sunlight was shining through the window, keeping the room temperature at a comfortable level, he could feel sweat form on the back of his head and his forehead, as a single drop of sweat began to run down his face before dripping completely off his face and landed on his arm. His heart was beating slightly faster than usual, and his head and body was still aching, but everything except the headache and his sore body was because he was in close proximity with the girl he had an enormous crush on. "I'd love to hang out with you." He heard her manage to say, though her words were incomprehensible, so Ryuu had to bend in close to her to try and make out what it was she had said. He heard her let out a sigh and wrinkle her eyebrows as she looked at him. He looked back at her, before climbing out his bed, albeit slowly, and walked over to the table by his window, and grabbed a clean glass, and poured some water. He then walked back to his bed, and stood beside Emi, wobbling slightly. "Here," he said, holding out the glass for her, "You look like you need it."

As soon as she took the glass however, he ended up having to hold onto her as he nearly collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion. He gripped onto her tightly, breathing heavily. As soon as he regained his strength, he released her, and stumbled back onto his bed, climbing into it. "S...sorry about that..." he said in between breathes, "I guess I haven't fully recovered my strength yet." But as soon as he said that. he realized, he had been in extremely close proximity with Emi, and just the thought of that, made him blush slightly. "We'll hang out when you get better. How long are you staying here anyways?" "Well, I'm conscious, so I gue..." But before Ryuu could finish his sentence, a nurse came walking into his room, and walked over to Ryuu. "Ah, Mr. Hikari, you're awake. Let's see how your injury is doing," The nurse said, as Ryuu sat up in his bed. "It seems your injury is recovering nicely," the nurse said as she checked the back of Ryuu's head, "You should be able to leave the hospital today. However, I advise against walking around, so we'll give you a wheelchair to use until you've regained your strength fully." "Thank you..." Ryuu said quietly, as the nurse smiled at him.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with the wheelchair." She then turned and headed towards the door, as soon as she reached the door, she closed it behind her. "Looks like I'll be out of the hospital today," Ryuu said, turning to Emi and smiling at her, "Thank you for coming and visiting me. You want a ride back home? I promise I won't do anything bad, scout's honor." Ryuu asked, as he lifted his left hand up like he was being sworn into court. "Oh, and don't worry, I'm not driving, but I have a car and... you'll see." Just as Ryuu said this, the nurse came back in, wheeling the wheelchair in front of her. "Here you go Mr. Hikari." Ryuu took his clean clothes from the nurse, who walked out of his room as soon as he did. He pulled on his jeans and jacket, and pulled and tied his shoes up, he grabbed his cell phone from the table before slowly climbing out of his bed, and hobbled to the wheelchair, as he slowly lowered himself into it. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, looking at Emi, as he started to wheel himself out of the room, and out of the hospital. Once he got outside, he sat in front of the hospital entrance, waiting. If Emi asked what they were waiting, all he would say was, "You'll see."

[Emi Hitokata]

"What are you doing?" Emi straightened up, alarmed.

Ryuu didn't seem to understand that he was still injured making walking unwise. Exerting himself and trying to do things that his body couldn't take would only worsen his injury and lengthen his hospital stay. But boys were boys, and Emi assumed that he was doing that to show that he was healthy and strong. She had three older brothers to prove that. However, she already knew that Ryuu was a capable guy.

She assumed that he wanted to take a look out of the window since he was heading there. However, he stopped at the table and poured himself a glass of water, which was pretty pointless: he could have asked her to do that for him.

"What's the point of staying in the hospital if you're going to do things that will get you even more hurt?"

She took the glass and had it at her lips when Ryuu nearly collapsed. A bit of water tipped and soaked her right hand, but she was more concerned about his welfare. She quickly set the glass on the bedside table and wrapped her arms around him. As soon as he let go, she allowed him to crawl back into bed.

"I told you," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

The nurse's entrance pulled her distracted her mind from thinking about how close she was to Ryuu. She stood to the side and took a large sip of water, soothing her parched throat. As soon as the lady disappeared to get a wheelchair Emi smiled at Ryuu and said,"Well, you're lucky that you get to get out of here so early, but that still doesn't you're in good condition, and that ride would be nice."

As soon as the wheelchair came back, Ryuu got out of bed, and Emi sighed. He was a nice guy, but he needed to listen to her more.

"The nurse said to take it easy." Emi rushed forward and grabbed the handles, saving him the trouble of having to wheel himself out of the hospital. "You shouldn't rely on yourself all the time. There are people like me who can help you."

[Ryuu]

"What are you doing?" Ryuu had seen Emi straighten up, an alarmed look on her face, but Ryuu continued to move to the window and poured a glass of water, but it wasn't for him, it was for Emi. Even when he was injured and bruised, he was still looking out for Emi, and she looked like she could use some water to drink. "What's the point of staying in the hospital if you're going to do things that will get you even more hurt?" "You can... scold me later." Ryuu replied, but at this point, his strength gave out, and he nearly collapsed, but grabbed onto Emi when she took the glass and just had the glass to her lips. A bit of the water tipped and soaked her right hand, but it seemed she was more worried about him than a little bit of water. He saw her set the glass down quickly onto his bedside table and wrap her arms around him, keeping him from falling to the floor. As soon as he released her, she allowed him to crawl back to his bed, which he did so rather quickly.

"I told you." "Yes yes, I know, I know," Ryuu replied back, his tone of voice matching her matter-of-fact tone, "You can gloat about it later." The nurse then came in, and checked on Ryuu's injury, he saw Emi stand off to the side and take a large sip of water. As soon as the nurse told him he could leave and that she would get a wheelchair for him to use, he saw Emi smile at him as the nurse left. "Well,you're lucky that you get to get out of here so early, but that still doesn't you're in good condition, and that ride would be nice." Ryuu nodded his head, and waited patiently for the nurse to come back, as soon she did, with the wheelchair, Ryuu pulled on his clothes and shoes, and grabbed his cellphone before getting off his bed, he heard Emi sigh, yes, he wasn't listening to her again, but it was only a little bit of a walk to the wheelchair, and before he knew it, he was sitting in the wheelchair. "The nurse said to take it easy." Ryuu saw Emi rush forward and grabbed the handles as he started to wheel himself out of the hospital. She was saving him the trouble and effort to wheel himself out of the hospital.

"You shouldn't rely on yourself all the time. There are people like me who can help you." "I know," Ryuu sighed, letting Emi wheel him out of the hospital, "I'm just so used to being independent, and not relying on others to help me, though I guess in this case, I should stop being such a blockhead and let you help me out." As soon as they exited out of the hospital, Ryuu looked around, looking like he was waiting for something, which he was. As soon as he spotted it, he smiled slightly, a limousine pulled up into the hospital driveway, and stopped in front of him. " Did I neglect to mention the fact that I'm the son of Kane Hikari, the current head of Hikari Industries?" he said, as the driver stepped out of the car and walked over to the other side, opening the door for Ryuu, waiting for him to step in. Apparently, he did. Crap. Well he did tell Emi his full name, but never who his father was. Maybe there were more than one Hikari in the world, but not many are the son of the head of a powerful company located in Tokyo. He had a sheepish grin on his face, as he looked up and behind him at Emi, secret's out he guessed.

Oh boy.

[Emi Hitokata]

As soon as they exited the hospital, a limousine pulled into the driveway, and Emi stooped pushing the wheelchair as a dumbfounded expression appeared on her face. There was no one else outside the front entrance fit the imagine of a rich person, and it wasn't that hard for her to put two and two together.

Ryuu dressed nicely, and she did remember him using an i-phone. However, they both went to public school, which wasn't the sort of place a rich boy would go to. She always imagined them at exclusive private schools, showing off their designer clothes and bragging about their parent's accomplishments and credit cards.

But then the expression on Ryuu's face that this was all real. She was shocked, and she felt as if she was feeling more distant from him. Emi wasn't exactly poor, but she didn't have enough money to buy nice clothes or gadgets. Her father was a single parent raising four kids, after all. Plus, all the extra money went to raising her older brothers, as putting a kid through private school with a middle class income was expensive. Emi was left with all of her brother's hand-me-downs.

She was familiar with rich people in Japan. Although her middle school wasn't private, the academic level was high and attracted many wealthy students. She had to put up with spoiled kids for three years, and it wasn't a very good experience. She heard of Hikari industries and knew that whoever owned it was filthy rich, but Ryuu was a nice guy and didn't seem like the spoiled type.

His financial background gave her another reason why it was a bad idea to go after him: people would think that she was dating him for money, and she would end up as the victim of several rumors. She knew that it was best for them to just be friends, but deep down she wanted to be with him.

"I never knew that," she said, avoiding his gaze. She pushed his wheelchair close to the limousine door so that Ryuu wouldn't have to walk a long distance to get in.

"Be careful," she warned. "You don't want to get too exhausted."

[Ryuu]

The moment the limousine stopped in front of Ryuu, he felt Emi stop pushing his wheelchair abruptly, nearly sending him pitching out of his wheelchair and falling flat on his face, except he grabbed onto the arms of his wheelchair and managed to catch himself in time. He then turned his head to look behind him, and saw the dumbfounded expression appear on Emi's face, as he chuckled softly. Besides the two of them, there was no one else that fit the description of a rich person, and it wasn't hard to put two and two together. Ryuu, while he did dress nicely, and he did have an iPhone, didn't act like a typical rich person, for one thing, he didn't act spoiled or snotty, in fact, he acted sarcastic and cynical more than anything else. But the fact he went to public school, and not some stuck-up rich private school, made the notion he was rich even less apparent, and he knew this very well. But Ryuu rarely spent money on buying anything, except for maybe clothes, but the clothes he wore, were clothes from stores that guys his age went to.

The only expensive items he ever had, were his laptop, and his iPhone, but that was pretty much it. He knew however, his financial background, would work against him if he wanted to be with Emi. For one thing, people might think she was dating him solely to get his money, causing her unnecessary grief. And Ryuu couldn't possibly do that to Emi, he cared about her too much to let her get hurt like that. But Hikari Industries, while it was a well known company, was only well known in Japan, but outside of Japan? Very few actually knew about it. "I never knew that." He saw her avoid his gaze, which made him feel bad. He then felt her push his wheelchair close to the limousine door, so he wouldn't have to walk too far. "Be careful. You don't want to get too exhausted." "I know," he replied, as he made to stand up, but sat back down in his wheelchair, "I have something to tell you Emi." Ryuu turned his head, and looked behind him at her, as he took a deep breath inwardly.

"I like you. Not like a friend, but something more. I really like you. I want to be with you. I know my financial background would work against this, but my father's company, is rarely known outside of Japan." Ryuu stretched his left hand out over his right shoulder, and took hold of Emi's hand. "I doubt anyone here knows about it, or about who I am. Maybe a couple people, but they're my friends." Ryuu lifted his head up, and looked straight into Emi's eyes. "The thought of losing you, to some other guy, drives me insane. I don't want to be with anyone else but you." Ryuu didn't know Emi liked him back, so he had the thought his feelings were just one-sided. If only he knew. "I really like you... and that won't ever change."

[Emi Hitokata]

As Ryuu looked back at Emi and confessed to her, she realized something: they were both young and still able to have fun. They weren't in Japan, and Ryuu passed as a normal high school student. If they dated, no one would think much of it, and they could spend at least a couple of happy years together.

Relationships these days are ephemeral, just like cherry blossoms and can bloom more than once. Even if they only dated for a short period of time, it would still be the best part of her life, and she was sure that she could move on and find another guy that is suited for her in terms of social standing. She knew that their financial differences would only keep them away from each other in Japan, but they were in a foreign country with alien customs; there is nothing wrong with dating a guy who is richer or better than you are in America.

Emi wanted something to be happy about something at least once in her life, and Ryuu was the one suited for that. Even if there was a chance of him leaving her and taking a different path in his life, she would still be content with at least being with a guy that liked her.

That was why she went against Japanese social customs by admitting,"Ryuu, I feel the same way. I can find no other guy that makes me happier than you."

She stroked his hand and then gripped it tightly, to show him how much she needed him right now. "Am I selfish for wanting you so badly?" She laughed, pulled her hand away, and switched the topic. "You should get in the car. I don't want you to exhaust yourself by staying outside too long.

[Ryuu]

Ryuu was expecting his feelings to be only one-sided, Emi was the only girl he ever liked. Just thinking about losing her, tore his heart in two. What he wasn't expecting was to hear her say these words. "Ryuu, I feel the same way. I can find no other guy that makes me happier than you." "I knew it, I knew my feelings were just..." Ryuu stopped in mid-sentence abruptly as soon as her words managed to register in his mind. She liked him back? She reciprocated his feelings? His feelings weren't just one-sided? Ryuu just stared in complete and utter surprise at her, she liked him, she actually liked him. Although he was completely taken aback, he was also extremely happy. They weren't in Japan, and Ryuu was treated like a normal high school student. No one, save for his friends, knew he was the son of Kane Hikari, the head of Hikari Industries in Tokyo. Hikari Industries was barely known about in the United States, and as such, Ryuu did not have to hide his last name from people, and he would be able to date Emi without worrying about people thinking she was dating him just for his money.

He saw felt stroke his hand, her touch was so warm, so gentle, and then gripped it tightly, showing him just how much she needed him right now, as he squeezed her hand back, smiling tenderly at her. Even if they dated for only a short period of time, that was okay with Ryuu, because it would be the best part of his life, and he'd probably be able to move on and date a girl that was suited to his social and financial background, if he ever went back to Japan, which would happen eventually, once his father retired and handed the company over to him. But all that didn't matter to him right now, Emi was the only girl that mattered to him right now, and that was the only thing that concerned him currently. "Am I selfish for wanting you so badly?" Ryuu shook his head, and smiled gently at her. "If that's considered selfish, then I'm probably selfish too, for wanting you all to myself. I don't want to lose you to another guy." He then felt her pull her hand before changing the topic. "You should get in the car. I don't want you to exhaust yourself by staying outside too long." Ryuu nodded, and turned back to face the limo, as he stood up, and hobbled forward a few steps, before climbing into the limousine, and moved to the far side of the seat, to make room for Emi.

As soon as Ryuu had vacated his wheelchair, his driver immediately took hold of it, and wheeled it to the back and opened the trunk. He then folded the wheelchair up, and stowed it in the trunk. Once Emi climbed in, he closed the door and made his way to the driver's seat. The engine then roared to life, and they were off. "Feel free to take a look around, there's a mini-fridge over there," he said, pointing across from him, " A TV, with satellite," he said, pointing to the front, "And a stereo with surround sound." he said, motioning to his right. " This limo, my sister and I share, we use it for formal parties too. Go ahead, explore around, you're free to do what you like. I'll tell the driver where you live." he said, once she told him where she lived, Ryuu didn't realize it at the time, seeing as he was still a little out of it from the medication, but Emi lived right beside him, they were neighbors. Ryuu did not live in a wealthy neighborhood, contrary to what most would think, he actually lived in the suburbs. Moving to the front, he rolled down the window that separated the driver from them. "Yes sir?" the driver asked, his eyes glued to the road. "Take us to this address." Ryuu replied, giving the driver the address. "Yes sir." he replied, as Ryuu rolled the window up, and moved back to his seat.

"I hope your opinion of me hasn't changed too much." he smiled slightly, yes, his background was very different from Emi's, but that didn't stop him from falling for her. People tend to assume that people like him, would associate with others like him. Hell no! Ryuu would associate with whoever he damn well pleased, and no one would stop him. Ryuu would never act the way people stereotyped people like him, it was not in his nature, nor would it ever be.