'..We found her, but in a pile of dead bodies.'

'Sumire didn't recognize me.'

​​

The words Atushi said to him when he first started dating Sumire appeared in his head. When they first started dating, Atushi called him to have a private talk.

'Can you still date Sumire despite knowing this? There is something we didn't tell you, Yuhi; you see, there was a time where some people kidnapped Sumire. Mamoru somehow managed to get her back, but when he returned, his illness had worsened. It was only a week after the two started dating.'

Yuhi frowned, just recalling the words Sumire and kidnap. During the time those two were captured, what exactly happened? It seems Sumire has no memory of this kidnapping; otherwise, she would have mentioned it.

The thing he asked Atsuro to investigate was the kidnapping. So why would Atsuro ask him to discuss the details with her? Unless she remembers everything.

So this explains the things that leave her mouth whenever she has a nightmare. Yuhi sighed deeply; why didn't he notice this before? He stayed beside her all this time and only just realized this.

Yuhi lifted her face and cupped her cheeks. "I asked Atsuro to investigate your kidnapping."

Sumire nodded. "Right, of course."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Back then, Yuhi-san, you were having a hard time yourself. There were so many people scheming against you."

Now that he thought about it, that was indeed the time he was struggling the most. But in comparison to her getting kidnapped, that was nothing. "I gave you that to contact me no matter what. You must have had it on you."

One of the first things he bought her was when she stopped behaving coldly and got close. It was a small brooch that had a surveillance camera and call function. Wait surveillance? He checked his several times but saw no such thing.

"Sumire."

Sumire shook her head. "I don't. I don't want you to see it, Yuhi."

"Show me yours." He could not recover the footage from the one he has if she deleted it. But she must still have it on hers.

"No."

Yuhi felt her tremble in his arms and changed his tone. "I won't watch it in front of you, okay? Just please show me, I need to understand. You said it yourself that sometimes you feel muddled."

He needs to see the footage to know what they did to her. He can open the documents Atsuro gave at the same time.

"Please, don't hate me." Her voice sounded so desperate, and Yuhi understood. She was a victim but also the abuser. He already witnessed how fast she was to pull out her weapon. She doesn't hesitate to say the words kill too. That part was fine; he also said similar things due to his experience in the underworld.

If she can say that with a clear mind, what happens when she is muddled? Yuhi is too afraid to ask sometimes. But he already decided a long time ago that he would accept everything about her no matter what. Besides, how horrible can it be?

Both of them have already seen such horrific things being a member of the underworld. Yuhi doubted anything could surprise him.

Still, for Sumire to react this way even though she is normally so calm, something must be there.

"I won't. How can I? You are the most precious to me." Yuhi placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Do you still want to stay? You can return to the hospital."

He didn't want to separate from her right now, but he knew his presence would only upset her now.

Sumire slowly nodded. She looked towards Huan. "Can you bring him to me later?"

"Sure."

…

When they reached the hospital, it seemed Nagawa had been waiting for Sumire since he was already in her room. He sat on the couch with a laptop on his lap and put everything away when they walked in. It looked like he was going to make some remark, but when he saw how pale Sumire looked, he rushed over.

Sano placed his hand on her forehead. "What happened? You don't have a fever, but you're sweating a lot."

"I think I'm just tired. I want to rest, San."

Sano nodded and took her away from him. "Alright, but I think I should run a few tests. I'll do them here so you can sleep first."

Yuhi clenched his fist when he saw this sight, but all he could do was ask him to take care of her and walked away. 'I will watch the footage from the brooch, and then--' his thoughts broke off when he felt a pair of dainty arms hug him from the back.

"What's wrong?" Yuhi felt his heartbeat increase, knowing it was Sumire.

"Mm, I want a goodbye kiss."

Even in her state, she still finds a way to flirt with him. Then again, it makes me happy knowing she isn't too upset with him. Yuhi turned around and cupped her cheeks. He kissed her softly before it became more passionate; he wrapped his arms around his waist when he felt her trying to take control.

By the time he finished, the girl was in tears; she seemed reluctant to let him leave. "I'm afraid if you go and watch it, you won't return to me."

"Sumire, don't be so silly."

"I'm not, Yuhi-" Sumire shook her head. "Please don't watch; it's not going to be pleasant. You already saw how ruthless I am when I fight just using physical strength."

Right, she has inhumane strength. Many people call her a monster because of that. Is she saying what happened in the footage is far worse? Yuhi could see why she wouldn't want him to see that, but he knew it wouldn't change his opinion of her.

She is still Ibuki Sumire; no matter what she does, she will remain the woman who has his heart. But for her, his love for her is weak enough for him to give her up over something superficial.

Yuhi shook his head. 'I can't think of it this way; this is a serious matter. What can I do to make her stop crying?' He thought for a moment before he extended his pinky out.

Sumire blinked, surprised. "Eh?"

"Let's make a promise that I will come to see you after I finish watching."

Yuhi didn't wait for her to respond and intertwine their fingers together. "I promise I will see my lovely wife later and harass her."

Sumire's who was staring at him dumbly, suddenly turned red, but it was too late.

"There now we have a promise."

"I didn't agree!" Sumire exclaimed, but he was already walking away with a grin on his face.

Yuhi knew she was still worried, but that should have lightened up the mood a bit. He doesn't know what he will find, but he knew that his opinion would not change.