Sayuri's eyes went wide open.

It was true.

His heartbeat remained steady throughout his statement. Proof that he wasn't lying.

True, a really skilled ninja could even regulate his heartbeat to remain steady, but coupled with that intense gaze of his, Sayuri knew.

Kyle wasn't lying.

Or, he truly believed in what he was saying.

"You once said that past life was something that could not be real," Kyle continued, "Well, I'm here to tell you that it's very real."

He took a deep breath and let her hand go, turning around and leaned on the balcony railings.

"I do not know how it happened, or why it happened," Kyle said, "But what you see is actually a 19-year-old guy who had once lived as a woman, and had two kids."

Sayuri's head was spinning.

"Wait wait wait," Sayuri said, shaking her head, "So you're telling me that you are Kylie."

Kyle nodded.

"So Joseph and Lianne are your kids from your past life," Sayuri continued.

"Yes," Kyle answered.

"And … and …" Sayuri couldn't say it.

She stared at Kyle and looked at him, from top to toe.

No matter how you looked at it, Kyle was a man. His actions, mannerism, and thoughts were all 'male'.

"Well, I was born a male and grew up as a male," Kyle said, figuring out what she was thinking.

So many thoughts were going on in her mind, and so many questions were popping up.

However, the main one that concerned her right now was …

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at him worriedly.

She had been wondering about how Kyle could be so cold and let the mother of the two kids he was so close to, just die.

Now, however, she was wondering how Kyle could remain so calm after seeing his own death.

He still appeared as cold as ever, as if nothing affected him. But Sayuri knew it could not be so.

Kyle didn't answer her, not knowing what to say.

Of course he wasn't okay, but he wasn't going to actually let her know that. But he couldn't lie to her either, so he opted to remain silent.

Sayuri watched that lonely profile and without a word, she hugged him.

Kyle was surprised, and he stood still.

As if encouraged by his lack of response, Sayuri tightened her hug and she said softly, "I am here for you, Kyle."

Kyle clenched his teeth.

The exact same words as his sister, and the exact same manner of comforting him.

Unfortunately, however, his reaction was completely different when it came to Sayuri.

When he felt her soft body holding onto him, and her vanilla scent wafting into his nose, his body craved for something more to soothe the pain in his heart.

With Kay, all he needed was just holding onto her and he was calm.

With Sayuri …

Kyle gulped and closed his eyes, taking very deep breaths.

The strong physical attraction he was having was something that he could not deny any longer but he did not want to act on it.

Never before had he been affected this way.

With Sari, his desire had arisen due to his love for her.

But this?

He wasn't in love with Sayuri, yet, he could not help but be attracted to her physically. There was this undeniable chemistry between them that was ignited each time they touched intimately like this.

Kyle hated himself for reacting so.

Sayuri wasn't a piece of meat but he couldn't help how his body responded to her.

All his senses were affected.

The sense of touch as her body pressed onto him.

The sense of smell as her vanilla scent seemed to invade his soul. Kyle could finally understand what Randall meant about 'his' smell.

The sense of sight when he looked at her sweet, innocent face that the beast inside of him wanted to ravish.

The sense of hearing when she talked and that soft, melodious voice was like singing to his ears.

The only thing missing was taste … and oh, he wanted to taste her so badly right now.

Grabbing her arms, Kyle pulled them apart and created a distance between them.

"I'm fine," Kyle said hoarsely, stepping back.

"No, you're not," insisted Sayuri, stepping forward.

She closed the gap between them easily, and she placed a hand on his cheek, saying, "You're only human, Kyle. Anyone would be affected if they were in your position. Stop trying to deny your feelings right now."

Kyle took her hand off his cheek and he said, "Trust me, Sayuri. Right now, that's the best thing."

"No, how can it be?" Sayuri protested, escaping from his hands again and came closer to him.

Kyle stepped back again, only to find that he could not move anymore as his back hit the railings.

Sayuri brought up her hand and brushed his hair aside, then caressed his cheek, "Nothing good can ever come out of you closing yourself off from having human emotions, Kyle."

"No, seriously, Sayuri," Kyle said, putting his hands on the railings beside him and gripping them hard, "Just drop this, okay?"

Sayuri stopped then, biting her lower lips as she looked at Kyle sadly.

He looked like he was in so much pain, with the way he stood there stiffly. His eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy, as he took long, deep breaths.

He was obviously struggling hard to keep his emotions under control. Everything about him was tense, and she could see how tight his leg muscles were - a sure sign of how much stress he was under.

Sayuri sighed deeply and patted his chest, saying softly, "I'm sorry. I should mind my own business."

Hearing the sadness in Sayuri's voice, Kyle opened his eyes.

And immediately regretted it.

Her face was so close to his and the sight was more than he could bear. Before he realised it, he had closed the gap between them and placed his lips on hers.