Eternal Melody

".."

Yuhi remained frozen by the door, his head low. He didn\'t know what to do, and he didn\'t have any strength left in his legs. He felt so angry and almost rushed off to do something careless earlier. It was a good thing Shin and Atsuro arrived right at that moment; otherwise, he - his thoughts broke off when Shin tapped his shoulders.

"This is equally my fault, and I gave her some information recently. She probably acted on that while she was there, and they found out." Shin said.

Yuhi knew what he was trying to say.

You are not the only one at fault.

But how could he possibly blame anybody else? How did she get this hurt when they are together now? Unlike before, he could protect her much closely now.

The moment he got inside the room, Yuhi noticed she wasn\'t on the bed. He scanned the room and noticed that the balcony door was open; from where he stood, he saw her back. Yuhi sighed deeply, and this girl is so careless. After that happened, why is she moving around?

He picked up a cloak from the drawer and walked over to where she was. When he got closer, Yuhi had to stop for a moment. He could tell that it was difficult just for her to stand.

Yuhi didn\'t approach her at first and just silently watched her from where he stood. She is fine, and she is breathing; she even managed to walk even though it was difficult. But just a few moments ago, it felt like he had lost her forever.

He could not cope with the pain and emotional battle. He wanted nothing more than to scream, shout and let loose as he did before. But using those methods to cope will not help in the long run. It will only lead to consequences for those people dear to him.

He took a deep breath, and he needed to calm down. It will do no good continuing this way.

He waits for a few extra minutes before he approaches her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck.

"Mm, your warm Yuhi." She recognized him immediately, and it felt like his heart melted—the way she said his name and naturally intertwined their hands together.

Yuhi brushed his lips against her ear, and soft laughter escaped her lips.

"What are you doing, Yuhi-san? Are you flirting with me?"

"I was scared." He muttered.

He was so terrified, just earlier, her skin was so cold and the sight of the injuries she sustained. Yuhi clenched his fists at the thought. Why on earth does she have to have to go through something like that? Why did she do wrong?

Sumire tried to turn around, but he wouldn\'t let her. Yuhi did not want her to see how vulnerable he looked.

"You know Yuhi, it still hurts. You\'re hugging me too tightly."

"Sorry." He apologized but increased his hold on her.

How could she have gotten hurt when he is around? It does not make sense. The safest place should be by his side and yet look what happened. He shouldn\'t have let her go alone. Yuhi kept repeating those words in his head like some kind of spell.

She only got hurt because he took his eyes off her, yes that is all. She wasn\'t within sight, so he should not have such thoughts. But how can he not blame himself? If he went with her, then perhaps he could have prevented this scenario.

"Did I save those kids?"

"Kids?"

"Mm, it looked like they were in middle school and were on their way to take high school entrance exams."

Aki and Sumire were the only ones who survived.

Asuka\'s words repeated in his head, and Yuhi frowned. Should he tell her? It is hard to judge what her current state is now. Before she collapsed earlier, she wore such a dead look in her eyes and was in so much pain. Sumire must have understood from his silence.

"I see. I couldn\'t save anybody again."

"That\'s not it, you—"His thoughts broke off when she turned around.

"Yuhi." She mumbled softly. "You don\'t have to try so hard to comfort me, I understand."

Why does she understand? Why does she have to be so used to this? He thought he could make her live a normal life here in Tokyo. But how come the shadows of her past are haunting her even now? He felt very frustrated and recalled something Nagawa told him before.

I can easily collapse the Empire – your stance in the Entertainment industry in a blink of an eye. If you genuinely want to protect her, you need something more.

It is not like he did not know that. How can he not know? Just his status in the entertainment industry cannot help Sumire. Now he understood why Mamoru approached other people other than him. That guy considered all possible options.

The guys Mamoru picked out to help Sumire if anything happened to him were all-powerful men. Shin confessed this information to him earlier. Maybe it wasn\'t a coincidence that Nagawa learned that Sumire would go here to Tokyo.

Sumire and Mamoru were planning on a trip to come here. The more Yuhi thought it through, the more it all added up. It is a real mystery why he did not figure this out beforehand. But then again, a lot has happened since she came here.

"I couldn\'t save anybody again."

"You\'ve saved plenty of people already," Yuhi mumbled. He just wants her to rest and think for herself. She has spent all this time helping others. Yuhi wanted her to concentrate on her own needs and wishes.

"Like you, Yuhi-san?"

Yuhi nodded. "Like me."

If it weren\'t for her, he would have taken his revenge on that guy the moment she saw him. Even though they ended up going their separate ways because of his careless behavior, he still didn\'t do anything to that guy who destroyed his family.

Sumire raised her face from his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. "My words have a lot of influence, don\'t they? I don\'t quite get it, but so many people have said I saved them."

"Yeah."

"But now that I have changed my way of living, I wonder if that is still the case?"

"Back then," Yuhi referred to the time they were still a member of the Holy Knights group together. "You were the only one who could accurately predict my moves and keep up with me. You were my irreplaceable partner, my boss, but you were so much more."

Sumire didn\'t have charisma, and people didn\'t flock to her when she talked. She was insecure and anxious about many things. Whenever somebody approached her, she would have an inner battle in her head. In the end, she will only say a few words, and people will conclude she is a cold-hearted person.

She didn\'t have that something that drew people in, yet she still saved many people with her words. Many fell in love with her voice, and she became somebody people couldn\'t keep their eyes off.

She was so much more than that insecure girl she thinks she is.

"I was that important to you, Yuhi?"

"The only important one."

She was the only reason why he put up with that hell and treatment for so long, and it was because he could finally be near her.

"If Ru is alive, Yuhi-san, what would you do?"

His eyes widened when he heard those words escape her lips. For a moment, he did not know what to think.

"What if I told you that I saw him?"