It became a habit of his to smoke after doing it. Today was not any different. His gaze fell on the girl fast asleep beside him. Honestly, he tries to avoid doing this with her for a reason. The two of them are still young, they have plenty of time in the future. Right now he knew her career was more important to her.

Yuhi brushed a strand of hair away from her face before leaning down and kissing her forehead. This girl has become so precious to him. He will do anything for her, he will give her the world if she asks for it.

Not only has he become mushy and soft but he has gone crazy too. If anybody heard him speak they would think he is crazy. But sometimes it feels like this girl has him caught under some kind of spell.

Its not like he minds it too much. Yuhi removed the cigarette from his mouth and tossed it aside as he joined her on the bed. For now he should rest and hopes she has sweet dreams too.

............

The thing with Ibuki Sumire is she has this bad habit of running away after they do anything intimate. So it did not surprise him when he woke up and didn't find her beside him. He went about his day as normal; despite being distracted at work, he managed. But after all his jobs, he looked all over for her.

Yuhi looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of brown hair, but unfortunately couldn't find her. She does run fast, even though there was only a five-minute gap between his chasing after her. He shuts his eyes and sensed that she was not in the council building. Perhaps...she couldn't make it that far? The thought alone worried him.

The closest place from here would be that hill. It was worth a shot. The rain poured harder, and before he knew it. Large sounds of thunder appeared in the sky. It just has to start raining now, huh? Ah, come to think of it. It was like that then, too—that time when he first discovered her secret. No, when she first revealed it to him.

....

A few months ago, shortly after she came.

Yuhi couldn't believe it; how did it end up like this? A pair of soft and yet hungry lips on his. The lips of the girl he loves. He was happy, and yet he felt the sadness that poured out while she kissed him. It would be easy for him to pull her away, but he did not do that.

Once they pulled away from each other, both panted heavily due to the intensity of the kiss. However, immediately after she pulled away, the girl burst into a fit of coughs. His eyes widened, alarmed when he saw the blood that came out.

"S--Sumire."

"Heh..I guess this is what I get, huh. You were right to reject me after all. This would have eventually happened," Sumire explained. This would have happened if they got together and she kissed him? Is this why? She didn't want him to touch her anymore.

He didn't know why he did it. He will regret it later, but he grabbed hold of her arm. This led to them directly looking at one another.

"No, I-" Sumire said, looking away, but he lifted her chin, so she stared directly at him.

"Sumire...why do you always look away from me," Yuhi said, somewhat puzzled and angry. Since he found her spying on him earlier, she avoided his gaze. Since he saw her again, no, she was like this from when they met again when they were older. She has never looked at his eyes properly.

She chuckles and moved away from him and glanced directly up the tree. "Remember that promise?" Sumire brought up again.

Yuhi nodded his head. "How could I forget.."

"We better keep it." She began.

......

It was something that happened shortly after she transferred. But that only happened that one time, the several times they kissed afterward, she seemed fine.

Back then, he kept that promise. He kept it not because he agreed. The truth was back then, and he already had such thoughts of wrapping his arms around the girl and not letting her go.

He only kept his word than when he saw the look in the girl's eyes and her tone. It was the first time since he first saw her again that she sounded that way—that feebleness and weakness.

His ex-girlfriend Miyazawa Makino noticed it before. His type of girl is the strong-willed ones with weak sides like Sumire.

Yuhi spotted her immediately, her back against the tree. Her arms hugged around her body, and her cheeks flushed. Her eye color flicked back and forth from brown to red before it settled on a bloodshot red. If somebody else were to see her now, they would certainly get crushed by her pressure or run away in fear. But he wasn't like that at all. Yuhi doesn't hesitate to take a step forward.

She hides it very well. Back when he was in the same group with her in the underworld society, people often praised her for hiding her pain. Yuhi always found it stupid but did not bother explaining it to them.

He recalled the brief eye contact from just now. That was a sign for help. Geez, she is way too indirect and stubborn. Yuhi reached over. "Sumire--!"

"Don't look at me!" She shrieked.

She is in so much pain. Yuhi recalled the incident at the convenient store not too long ago.

A pain he can relate with, and yet he can't share it with her. He wants to tell her that it is the same with him too. He wants to say that they can share this pain together, but if he revealed it,, she might care less.

"Ahh....don't look....Yuhi..."

How can he look away when she's in so much pain right in front of him? How could he possibly do so? He watched as her breathing became unnatural and frowned; Yuhi grabbed hold of her arm. " No, don't come any closer."

"Sumire."

Sumire shook her head and attempted to escape from his grasp, "No! Let go of me!"

But he didn't let up for a second. She is very stupid; why is she even now trying to hide it? If she's in pain, she should just say so. Yuhi pulled her closer and stares into her eyes as he said her name seriously.

"Sumire!"

When he saw the tears well up in her eyes, his eyes went wide, and yet he pulled the girl in a deep embrace. Yuhi immediately felt a prick in his neck, and he winced a little as he felt the blood from his body being drained bit by bit. Yet, at the same time, he felt a wash of sadness; the girl's tears clearly had yet to stop.

He cradled her in his arms and did not say anything more as he caressed her hair as she continued to drink. Sumire, he wants to get stronger too so she will no longer have to cry or suffer like this.