18 years old Yamamoto Maika skipped across the street, taking the longest route to one of the biggest building in the Tokyo. though her family, the Yamamoto was slightly below Yamada in Japan's wealthiest family ranking, she was extremely thrifty and down-to-earth. she never saw herself as the only daughter of the rich family and never believed in befriending only the rich. her light curls at the tip of her hair swayed against the wind as it brushed past her, lightening her mood at the same time.

it was almost an everyday affair since 2 years old to go to the Yamada Building so she could even walk her way there without looking. She excitedly stopped her feet at the big sign hung high before her eyes - Yamada Enterprise, but more importantly she saw one of the two people she was looking forward to meet for the day. She wanted to surprise him so she decided to sneak up quietly and hid behind a pillar while looking for the best opportunity. She always loved observing his earnest look at work and his sweat of hardwork trickling down the sides of his face, more importantly, the sunshine smile he gives everyone despite how tough the work is and how nasty the world is. he may be a shadow in the eyes of the mainstream, but at least in her eyes and the eyes of his co-workers, he is a treasure. perfectly because he is a treasure to her, she cannot stand the slightest insult to him and she knew that he has bottled up all the negative insults directed at him within his enclosed heart which never revealed itself.

Maika clenched her fist as she stared with hostile at a rookie employee who seemed to be attending the first day work orientation, enquiring his manager from another department in an innocent, yet irking tone.

"that guy looks young, and too good-looking to be a labourer isn't it?" she pretentiously asked while looking at the guy dressed in a pair of denim jeans and a white tee stained with black smudges. his bangs swept across his forehead and his brownish hair at the back touched nicely at his neck

"he's Yamada Ryosuke, the youngest son of Yamada Kyoshi" the manager explained factually.

She seemed to become flirtatious after her manager's enlightenment, flinging her long hair which stole the interests of the labourers, and successfully attracted Ryosuke's attention though he rely a smile and got back to carrying the huge bags of grains on his broad shoulders.

"if you are thinking of getting close to him, forget it. you probably aren't aware, he's only a Yamada by name. he's known as the son of the "

"illegitimate son?! oh thanks for the reminder" she rolled her eyes at the back view of Ryosuke and gave a face of disgust.

Maiki stomped towards the two with outrage and gave them a piece of her mind. She stunned them with her raised voice while ridiculing them with her words of reprimand "he wouldn't even be interested in you even if you are. who do you think you are to despise him like this. it shows how a rotten character you have!"

"how dare you!" the lady wanted to retaliate, raising her palm to slam right across her face. fortunately, Maika was grabbed from the back, avoiding the merciless slap in a split of a second. 

"Yamada Ryosuke-san" the manager called out with a polite bow. "sorry for the commotion, I'll discipline my staff properly" 

"it's okay," Ryosuke said apologetically with his firm grip on Maika's arm.

"what do you mean it's okay?! manager-san, you are very rude too. how can you say that about R..." Maika tried to break loose of his firm grip but never managed to, instead was interrupted and pulled away without any room for negotiation.

"go on with your work~" Ryosuke told them while leading Maika away. the manager and lady only returned a face of shame, while the former mumbled "you almost got yourself in deep . she's the only daughter of Yamamoto Yu and Reika"

the lady trembled when she realised her manager was implying the Yamamoto Enterprise, closest competitor of Yamada Enterprise. 

it was a unique relationship between the Yamada and Yamamoto and the sole reason was their daughter who has a strong affinity with both sons of Yamada Kyoshi. they grew up together, shrugging away all the business politics between the 2 companies. over the years, relationship grew more complex and there was a point she thought she never want this relationship to end regardless how sometimes the feud turned so sour. much more complicated was how the three were tangled by something more tricky that has been kept dormant in their heart for as long as they remembered. Also with time, as Yuma becomes more involved in the business, embroiled in the center of politics which Maika regarded as the cause of her unhappiness, she began to drift apart from Yuma but her relationship with Ryosuke who is one year older than her, grew fonder and inseparable. 

"why did you stop me, they were too obnoxious, rude and insulting!" Maika wrenched her arms away from Ryosuke, giving him an irritable stare. yet he reacted with a chuckle.

"it's okay, Maika. what they said is true anyway and i'm used to it. I really don't give it a bother, so please don't be concerned over such things alright. it's not worth it to get angry over me." he took a bottle of water and sat on a stool at a shabby corner.

"you never change Ryosuke. your magnimous self really peeved me sometimes," she slumped onto the stool close beside him. he took big gulps of water to quench his thirst as he listened to her nag about him, giving her subtle nods as acknowledgement.

"what happened to your neck?" she noticed a huge blue-black bruise at the back of his neck, and forced him to bend down for a closer look.

"ah, it's probably because I didnt carry the sacks the right way" he shrugged politely.

"did you rub it? why do I even bother asking, you definitely did not. let me help you," Maika stubbornly took him by his sweat-lubricated neck and started massaging the bruise to dissipate the blood clot within.

"Maika, I'm sweaty and dirty," he tried to push her away but she insisted "do you think I mind, Yamada Ryosuke. you're my...."

"your what?" his eyes widened in confusion

"my best friend, duh!" she knocked upon his neck as if the answer was too obvious not to know. 

"itaiii," he gasped in pain that proves her point.

"see, it's not a simple bruise. hold still and let me tend to it," she preoccupied herself on his bruise while she made deliberate attempts to hide her blush from his gaze.

"you should rest you know. though I'm only away for a week, you looked like you lost abit of weight. maybe I can let Yuma know later when I meet him," she said casually, but received a cold reaction from him.

"tell me what?" a third voice interrupted them and their eyes swept across to the door to see a taller suited man walking towards them. Ryosuke abruptly put her hand away from his neck and stood up as though he wanted to flee from the scene.

"ah Yuma. I was just saying that Ryosuke should take a break...if he's not careful, his neck will face some issues" she said to the 20 year old Yuma who is taller but alot less build than Ryosuke. their disparate body build is pegged logically to their lifestyle since Yuma is always living in the protection of his parents, never required to use his hands to work on anything menial, whereas Ryosuke had to do everything himself under the toughest condition.

"it's nothing. don't exaggerate, Maika. anyway, you have an appointment with Niichan, so please go ahead. I'll be busy with my tasks" he politely took his leave which outsiders would probably mistake them to be simply a superior and a subordinate instead of brothers. 

"Ryosuke...actually I'm not (just here to see him)," Maika sighed alone, gazing his back as he disappeared into the hot sun once again, diligently working on the loads without a complaining about the unfair treatment he is subjected to.

"Lets go" Yuma took her by her wrists, disrupting her daze and brought her towards the opposite direction to the interior of the building, away from the scorching hot sun. As she absentmindedly followed Yuma, her eyes continued to peep over her back at her friend she left unwittingly behind, then looked back at the friend who brought her away, feeling the world of differences in the impact of their presence to her and even the intensity of their grip.

As she past by one of the meeting rooms, she thought she heard her parents' voice so she took a quick glance through the small window and was surprised to see exactly as she thought. 

"Yuma, why is my parents here?" she asked, feeling uneasy with the thought of trouble brewing.

"it's nothing, you don't have to worry about it. as far as I know, it's something worth celebrating."

"really? what is it?" Maika cheered up with happiness written all over her face.

"you'll know soon. anyway, do you know why I asked you to meet me here today?" Yuma turned directly to her, stopping just outside his personal office with his hands cupping her shoulder blade. She was stunned as he intruded into her personal space, and blushed at the close proximity of the rich prince everyone would fall for,but for her it feels nothing more than a fairy tale that only gave an unrealistic thrill. 

"w-why?" she stammered, yet to recover from the shock.

"it has been a long time since we hanged out. I just wanted to spend some time with you, just like old times. I want to make up for all the arrogance that annoyed you," he conveyed his utmost sincerity which she felt it almost right away. She smiled as a sign of agreement and he returned her a mutual smile that was soothing to the heart.

"let me pack up some stuff and we can set off. my butler can prepare the car," she never liked having an outsider to chauffeur, but she understood Yuma well enough to know that he's never a hands-on person and he probably don't know the way well. does he even know how to drive, she tried hard to recall when was the last time he drove.

"okay," she smiled then motioned towards the other way, causing him to raise his brows in confusion.

"where are you going?" he asked, completely unaware of the circumstance.

"going to get Ryosuke to prepare too."

"erm. I'm not asking him... it's meant to be just the 2 of us."

"a-alright... I'll go to the washroom first then," she excused herself after the awkward misunderstanding. instead of the washroom, the urge came suddenly to dash down to where she came from. She scanned the messy unloading area and finally located Ryosuke chatting with the shabbily dressed older labourers.

"Ryosuke!" she ran up to him, catching him by surprise as he never expected to see her within such short period. The foul smell from the other labourers didn't bother her, but the rest became conscious of polluting her senses, so Ryosuke brought her away as soon as she was close enough. 

"why did you come again? it's bothersome for you to go in and out of the heavyduty area and it's dangerous too," Ryosuke said with a slight frustration.

"I'm lunching with Yuma, he said he wanted to apologise for his actions thus far."

Ryosuke merely nodded with obvious annoyance, especially when she continued questions that unknowingly made his more frustrated.

"I'm nervous, Ryosuke. there's always you around when we hang out. I don't know how to react if it's just me and him"

"just do what the other girls who likes him does, act demure and let him take over. he's good with girls anyway," he remarked sarcastically.

"huh? who do you think I am, Yamada Ryosuke! I'm not cheap okay, and.... and I don't even like him! I..."

"ahh... it doesnt matter to me about your love life. why are you even asking me such questions. just be yourself and everything will be fine. he won't put you in a spot so your nervousness is uncalled for. I'm busy. just enjoy yourself okay and leave me alone" Ryosuke didn't wait for her answer before he paced away, regretting his answer immediately after, especially when he saw her stomping away. He didnt know why he lost his cool cause he never did, especially towards her. 

*****

"what happened? you have been sulking since we set off... is it because you have to hang out with me and you didn't like it?" Yuma asked in hopes that the answer will not lead to disappointment.

"heh? of course not. it's not you. it's...ah nevermind," she slumped back onto the seat, preventing herself from backstabbing her best friend.

"if anyone dares to bully you, let me know. I'll not let him or her off." he said proudly. Maika chuckled at his unnecessary alarm, and that lightened the mood for the ride to the restaurant.

Maika thought the venue he's bringing her after the lavish restaurant would be somewhere closer to fun, but she was wrong. it was another lavish outing, this time a ride on his personal yatch. other girls would have thought it's romantic and would fall for him over and over again, but for her, it's not the case, she didnt feel as excited as she should be.

he gentlemanly asked for her hand and at that moment, she felt troubled but couldn't decifer what she was burdened over. She obediently followed after and sat beside him in the deck of the yatch while a driver drove it out into the sea.

"are you cold?" he asked, but didnt wait for her answer to wrap her with a towel he prepared.

"thanks," was the only thing she could say since it has been decided for. there was moments of silence and they exchanged awkward smiles, more importantly, Maika did her best to hide her increasing boredom.

"actually Yuma, you don't have to be overly concerned about me. I wasn't angry with you. I'm sorry if I made you feel this way,"

"you are not? I could feel that you're avoiding me sometimes. everytime I see you hanging out with Ryosuke, I just got angry with myself for failing you"

"you didn't. it's just that you got more absorbed in your family business that I don't quite know how to interact with you anymore. I don't want to bother you over the miscellaneous stuff I encounter, and I also don't know what I should and should not say in your presence. the interaction just ended up being awkward."

"you shouldn't feel that way. really. whatever you share with Ryosuke, you can share with me too. I took on more responsibilities along the way, but that doesn't change anything between us. you can still talk to me about life, about your parents, about anything and everything. nothing has changed. besides, I'm sure I can help you better than him"

"it's not about helping me, but I get what you mean. I appreciate the clarification, Yuma. I really am not angry with you," she mustered a smile which obviously relieved his deep seeded uneasiness.

"by the way, couldn't you help Ryosuke secure a place in the office. he's still known as his son so I can't understand why he's treated so unfairly. doesn't it bother you?"

"the office building is for more capable people so it's not just about just relations and all. Yamada Enterprise is all about capability."

"but he didnt even got a chance to show his capability, how is it possible to assess his suitability. he was placed there before he could be assessed isn't it?" she got more frustrated as she fought for Ryosuke but everytime she got rebutted, she felt disheartened and it became shown all over her face.

"did he ask you to voice out for him?" he questioned sternly.

"no, it's out of my own accord, but..."

"then lets not talk about him please. I promise you I'll look into it," he shrugged the topic away with graciousness, leaving her with no choice, but nod unwillingly. 

"I truly miss the times we hang out together, and I only hope it would last a lifetime. don't you, Maika?" he said. she interpreted the statement naively and didnt probe the true meaning behind the question so her answer was a direct "yes, it was really awesome times, and I didn't want it to disappear either. I'm glad all the misunderstandings are resolved today. thank you Yuma," their everlasting smiles complements the horizon. 

Unknown to Maika, such serendipity was a facade for the storm coming strong towards her to wreck her life into a state of topsy turvy. when it hits, she realised how she has been unprepared and how sheltered she has been that she wasn't able to brace herself against it. 

Then it was the other person at shore who received the onset of the brewing storm.

After a quick bath in the staff toilet, Ryosuke paced towards the management level where his father's directorate room was, to return the store key. Doned on a denim jeans and a black top with sleeves rolled, he left a trail of lavender scent behind him as he walked across the corridor.

Ryosuke heard the same familiar voices which Maika heard and found it too amusing not to stop for a peek. There, in his father's room, he saw Maika's parents in an unusual setting. the two adults kneeled in front of his parents, begging profusely with tears shedding unstoppably. Ryosuke's eyes widened and was on the verge of texting Maika to alert her when he heard the spoken words which he hopes to unhear.

"we agree to let out daughter marry Yuma, but please safe our company. the government is closing on us, and if they found any traces of embezzlement, our company will be shut down indefinitely and we'll be sentenced to imprisonment." Yamamoto Yu said with both hands clutching upon Yamada Kyoshi, while the latter's wife sat obnoxiously with eyes staring mockingly at the humble Reika.

"we can lend you that money, but 1 billion isn't a small amount, and your daughter isn't really that worth the price too. but it's not a problem if you could sell your company to us too. think of it this way, once you sell it to us, the government won't find fault with you and you can jolly well retain your existing wealth with the privilege of spending off in-laws like us"

"w-what... my company too?!"

"well, you can reject. it doesn't affect me anyway. you're lucky my son loves your daughter or there's not even a room for negotiation."

Reika took the plunge and yanked hard on Yu to knock him out of his senses, "we have to agree or we'll spend the rest of our lives in jail. Yamada Kyoshi's deal will protect both our lives and our wealth. right Yamada-san"

"yes, your wife is smart. take it or leave it, I don't have the time for you two crooks," the stern wife asserted with a bang on the table.

"deal. my daughter and my company, take them both" Yu said firmly without holding back.

Ryosuke  cupped his mouth in shock of what he has heard. with trembling feet, he walked to the end of the corridor, and locked himself in the key room in isolation to calm down from the shocking twist of events.

He crashed onto the cold floor, with his back leaned against the wall, unable to recover from what he heard while trying to consolidate all the overwhelming points of the negotiation. for his quick wits, it wasn't difficult for him to piece together the information and realise it was a cover up for a commercial crime by the Yamamoto management who were being investigated by the police, but there were some things that he felt was missing in the picture that bothered him like a sore thumb.

More importantly, the terms of the deal were what hurt him the most. He clenched his palm against his heart, with tears breaking loose from his eyes as the tightening of his heartstrings made it unbearable.  He punched the ground with his freehand so hard that his knuckles were badly bruised with blood staining the freshly opened wounds. none of this superficial pain can be compared from the pain of losing someone important.

With a surge of anger rising in his blood, along with an inquisitive mind, he would learn of a greater conspiracy that would render him redundant in the circumstance.

****
Maika was chauffeured right to her doorstep of a big apartment if several floors. thankful as she was, she also felt exhausted such that she could slam into her bed once she touches it. still she has to maintain her image in front of Yuma. she straightened her back and gave him the warmest smile she could before bidding farewell for the day. 

To her shock, there was a firm pull off her arm and the next moment she knew, she's cuddled in his wide-stretched arms with his body slouched over her and head leaned on her shoulders.

"Yuma..." she gasped, unable to reconcile what has just happened. there was no explanation and for a  minute, the world stood still.

"what's wrong?" she asked when he finally pulled back. instead of tears in his eyes, he saw it glowing with happiness as if something good has happened.

"Maika, you don't know how happy I am to be able to spend the day with you. I promise you I'll look after you," he happily commented.

"huh? what do you mean?"

"you'll know soon. for now just take it literal and know that I'll always be there for you..." he slid back into the limo right after and it drove off, with Maika standing at her doorstep in a daze.

confused she was, she stepped into her house, greeted only by more questions. it was already pretty late into the night, but there was no one in the house, not even her maidens. she found herself feeling thankful cause she needed that silence as she slumped into her couch and reconciled her thoughts.

"what did he mean by that?... it's not a confession is it?... no, I must be thinking too much," she reasoned with herself over and again until her thoughts were interrupted by a text message.

"From: Ryosuke

Maika, about today, I'm sorry I raised my voice at you. I hope it didnt ruin your mood at the outing with Yuma. it went well, right? or are you still with him now?"

Maika stared at the message a long time, feeling immensely apologetic to him too. She completely put in stall Yuma's words that bothered her and preoccupied herself fully on the message. It took her long to complete a reply, because there's just so much she wanted to share with him but didnt know where and how to begin.

Eventually she sent,

"To: Ryosuke

Hey:) don't bother yourself over me, I'm ridiculous myself to bother you over such stupid questions. you were right, I just had to be myself and everything turned out well. we cleared the air between us and it all turned out harmoniously. I just reached home actually. do you wanna talk on the phone?"

She waited almost a full 5 minutes then a reply came.

"From: Ryosuke

you must be tired. go take a bathe then sleep early. we can talk tomorrow. Maika, I wanted to ask you if you could accompany me tomorrow. I'm on leave and I don't wanna be alone. but if you're busy, I totally understand. no hard feelings:)"

Maika's heart was beating so fast unlike the many heart-pounding worthy encounters with Yuma the entire day. She did not expect Ryosuke to say such stuff since he never came across as a needy person, but at the same time, she felt that he really needed her companion tomorrow for something seemed to be troubling him. but without seeing him and hearing him, it was difficult to decipher.

"To: Ryosuke

I'm not returning to work until next week, so I'm totally free tomorrow. where should we meet?"

This time, his reply came under a minute and she didnt even have the time to calm her heart before she felt excited over the next.

"From: Ryosuke

I'll meet you at the crossroad, a few steps from your doorstep, if it's okay with you. also avoid skirts or dresses, just wear something comfy as usual okay. I'll see you at 11am. shan't disturb your sleep. rest well and see you tomorrow! sweet dreams"

Maika smiled to the phone message freely without feeling any burden. she felt his usual thoughtfulness explicated even in a text message and felt that he is always there watching after her like an older brother to a younger sister. that sense of ease is always there no matter how long their friendship lasted, and it never dulls with time.

"To: Ryosuke

Sweet dreams and see you tomorrow too! :D"

She has no precautionary warnings that the storm has already begun even in her most relaxed state of mind. and she definitely did not know Ryosuke sat on his bed the whole night through, staring out into the night sky without a wink of sleep, praying and wishing for all of these to be nothing more than just nightmares

******
In the enormous living room at the Yamada Residences on the next morning, Yuma sat with his parents with a tense expression on each of their faces. Yuma was the most worried, with concerns filling his brain

"you sure he won't mess things up? he went out early this morning, what if he went ahead with his plan? he's always unpredictable isn't it and he is more than capable to do such rash acts" Yuma said without pauses.

"My son, mum assure you that this would not happen. the message to him yesterday was clear and he's definitely smart enough to weigh the severity of the situation. if he does care for her, he wouldn't do anything silly to jeopardize her or her family's fate."

"yes, what your mother say is right. Yuma, the world has to understand that love isn't that great after all. in the face of poverty or adverse situations, love is almost always reduced to nothing and even shoved away or sacrificed for the individual's better life. love knows it's lowly position in a selfish world after all."

Yuma nodded with enlightenment regardless how harsh reality sounded. he added on to his parents words by confidently claiming a credit in this poisonous situation.

"She'll understand how much I have done for her in the name of love, and she'll obediently sought after me as my honour wife. She'll love me because I've saved her life and that of her whole family"

"yes my son. don't bother about what the boy do today cause there's absolutely nothing he can do to save her from the sticky situation her family is in. after tomorrow, you two will be lawfully wedded and there'll be nothing he can do for her." his mother added and the trio's conversation ended with a sinister smile and their eyes fixated on the group of maidens who carried bloody mob and rags out from a certain room.

"is the room cleaned already?" Yuma shouted at them.

"yes, young master. it's ready for your inspection," the head of the maidens replied. She led the family to the store room-converted bedroom that's only a quarter size of Yuma's room, and they were satisfied to see that what happened in this room yesterday was wiped away without a trace. The sinister laughters revealed itself on all three faces, leaning the head maiden cringing with fear and sympathy towards the owner of the storeroom smaller than hers.

****

Dear readers:)

I know I'm committing myself to a few stories at once. But this sprung out of my mind and I had to write it... It's a short angst, so I'll try to finish by today^^ Please leave ur comments about your feelings for this story. Thank you in advance!