waaaaa! I'm falling in love with your story..
chapter 14 was also my favorite part, can't wait for the next one..
Anna, don't leave Ohno..

this is just too sad!! :((
anna needs another hug!

and so does ohno... when he hears the bad news :(

OMG! this is AMAZING. i love the way you write. ^_^


its so compelling! please, keep up the good work



i cant WAIT to see what happens next!

i just realized... there are TWO chapter 14 in this fic... gomen... maybe i was confused...

next chapter, iku!

CHAPTER 16b:

Anna woke up lying on Ohno’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. He was sleeping soundly, leaning on the cushioned windowsill. Their hands were entwined around each other. It was already morning. She slowly removed her fingers away, earning a small moan from Ohno. She quietly stood up and placed the blanket back on him and grabbed her clothes on the floor. She went to the bathroom to get dressed.

She can’t help but to look at the mirror. She was determined. “Gomenasai, Satoshi.”

She went out and approached Ohno’s sleeping body. She looked at him sadly and placed the bracelet on his open hand. She kissed him softly and mouthed, Anata no daisuki dayo before grabbing her bag and tiptoeing towards the door. She closed it behind her. And there, behind that door, she slumped on her knees and cried.

“Gomenasai, Satoshi… Gomenasai...” she repeatedly said.

***

Ohno woke up, half of his body wrapped in the blanket. “Anna?” he called out, but no answer. He looked at the floor where his clothes were littered but no sign of Anna’s. Then slowly, he realized that the bracelet was there on his hand, as if saying, “I’m letting go.”

He quickly got dressed and got out of the room, running to wherever Anna was. He called her number but she cannot be reached. He quickly rode a taxi to go to her house.

“Anna! Anna!” he shouted, hitting the gate. An old woman from the neighboring house went outside.

“They just left,” she told him.

“Left?”

“To Narita Airport.”

“Airport?” he repeated, wide-eyed. Without another word, he went back to the taxi and asked him to go to the airport as fast as he could.

While inside the taxi, his phone rang. “Ohno-kun?” the small voice said.

“Hai,” he replied hastily. “Nani, Chinen-kun?”

“I just want to tell you that yesterday, nee-chan was acting weird,” he said.

“Acting weird?” he voiced out.

“Hai. She told us that the rehearsals last night will be the last time when she’ll see us dance. I thought that was weird so I decided to phone you about it.”

“Arigatou, Chinen-kun,” he said before hanging up. “Is she really… leaving?” he asked himself.

He arrived on the airport and ran towards the departure area. He did not know where Anna was heading to but he desperately looked for her around. He accidentally hit someone.

“Itai!” the voice said, falling backwards.

“Rina-san?” he asked. “You’re Anna’s friend, right?”

“Hai. Ohno Satoshi?” she inquired.

“Hai,” he replied. “Where is she? Why did she leave?”

“Anna just left,” she said sadly. “For Manila.”

“Eh?” he asked confused.

“Her mother wanted her to return to the Philippines to live there. She won’t come back, Ohno-kun,” she continued, looking at him with pity.

“This can’t be true!” he said, shaking his head.

“Didn’t she tell you?” she asked. The question was not answered as he ran away.

Running away… running away from the truth.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he thought. “I promised you…”



“Anna, are you sure you want to do this?” Ohno asked, looking straight into her eyes.

She nodded, looking at him sincerely. “We’ve gone this far…”

Ohno touched her face. “Anna, I will never let you cry again,” he said softly, like a song. He kissed her softly as she tried not to scream. More tears fell from her eyes. She held his hands tight.

“Satoshi…” she whimpered, closing her eyes. He kissed her closed eyelids.

“We’ll always be with each other, Anna, I promise,” he said.



“You are not yourself again, Riida,” Aiba said as he poked him. Jun was giving some instructions about their upcoming photoshoot.

“Eh? Gomen,” he replied, looking at Jun. “What was that again?”

“Riida…” Jun started. He smiled. “I think we all know what you need to do.” He placed a brown envelope on the table.

~~~~~~~~~~~

short? well... that was not supposed to be short demou... haha...
i won't explain it...


P.S. my friend who is reading this but does not have an account here asked, "why the windowsill?"

A: the windowsill is like the couch itself that can also serve as a bed if you don't want to sleep on the real bed... if you know what kind of room i mean (one of the hotels where i stayed has that kind of arrangement)...

This was short.. :(

BUT NICELY WRITTEN!

~~~

aww! oh-chan's sad :( we all have to hug him now...

i wonder what that envelope's for...

anna leave satoshi.. :(

There better be plane tickets in that envelope!

kashii... arigatou

arashikim... that's so sad... i know

stream84... there'd better be...

next chapter iku!!

~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 17:

Ohno took it and saw a ticket inside and some documents inside. “Nani?”

“You go follow her,” Nino said, smiling at him.

“Hai. We have planned this for weeks already,” Aiba popped in.

“And you won’t have a problem with our manager,” Sho said.

Ohno looked at all of them. “Arigatou.” He was teary-eyed.

“That flight will leave this afternoon. It’s best if you prepare,” Jun said.

Without another word, Ohno took the envelope, thanked them hastily, and got out of the building. He went home to start packing some clothes and some things.

“’Toshi, why are you packing up?” his mother asked, going to his room.

He did not look up as he continued literally throwing his stuff inside the bag. “I’m going to Anna.”

She knelt down to fold the clothes he threw. “Nande? Isn’t Anna just here? Why do you need to pack up?”

“I have to take her back to Japan… to me,” he said, looking to her eyes. His mother smiled in understanding.

“I’ll help you pack. Go and take a shower before you leave,” she said. She started emptying the bag to put it in order as Ohno went to the bathroom.

***

Wearing a beanie and large sunglasses, Ohno looked at the box where the bracelet was, seen through its crystal case. The other four arrived. “Oh-chan,” Nino said. “Take care of yourself.”

“Tell her…” Jun said.

“Say how much you love Anna-san,” Aiba said, hugging him.

Sho patted his shoulder. “Take her back and show her…” he said, smiling.

“Arigatou, Sho-kun, minna,” Ohno said. He can’t help but cry. Luckily, his eyes were hidden by the glasses.

“Passengers of Flight 0310 heading for Manila, please proceed to Gate 5,” the announcer said.

“Guess I have to go,” Ohno told everyone. He waved his hands goodbye as he took he made his way to the departure area, carrying a small belt bag.

“Chotto matte, Ohno-kun! Chotto matte!” a shrill voice shouted from somewhere. It was Rina, running towards him. She was waving a note.

“Rina-san?” Ohno asked. He was the only one who knew the girl among the crowd.

She tried to catch her breath as she fanned herself. “This… address… Anna-chan...”

“Slow down, Rina-san,” Ohno said. “Say it slowly.”

“This was the address of Anna when she sent me a letter before,” she explained slowly, still waving the note. “I don’t know if she lives here but I’ll give this address to you. Ganbarre, Ohno-kun!” she said, waving goodbye.

Ohno stared at the note and smiled slowly. “Arigatou, Rina-san,” he said, putting the note inside his belt bag.

***

“Baka!” Ohno muttered to himself as he went down the plane and into the glass covered airport. “How am I going to survive here?” He doesn’t know how to speak Filipino or even English anyway. Feeling miserable, he sat on one of the benches and removed his disguise. Surely, no one would recognize him here.

He stood up and started roaming the airport, thinking of a way. He did not bring a translation dictionary, or a map! What a great luck. Especially, even if he had a map, how would he find Anna? He has a slow sense of direction.

He was thinking deeply while walking that he did not notice he hit someone. “Watch out where you’re going!” the woman shouted, though he did not understand anything except the phrase ‘watch out’ as Aiba was trying to say the phrase when he wants to. Her things inside the filecase spilled out.

“Sumimasen,” he said in a small voice as he bent down to help the woman. After that, they both stood up. He looked at her. She looked like a modern businesswoman with her fashionable office wear. She did not even glance back at him.

“Kristann,” a voice from afar called. She turned around. “You forgot this!” he said, holding out a quite familiar paperbag.

“Joseph,” she gasped, taking the paperbag. Ohno’s eyes widened. It was a Johnny’s Store paperbag! “If I lose that, I won’t be able to sell them. They cost a fortune!”

“What happened here?” he asked as he still saw some of the papers scattered on the floor.

“This guy here accidentally hit me and my stuff fell on the floor,” Kristann explained. She bent down to pick up the remaining papers. She stood up. “Next time, try to look… AHH!” she suddenly shouted, throwing off the paperbag accidentally, its contents spilling on the floor.

“What?” Joseph asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“This can’t be,” she said, pointing at Ohno, then at the spilled paperbag contents. Some of the shop photos there sported his face.

“Ah, sumimasen,” Ohno said, pleading that this woman could understand him. Screw the fact whether she was a fangirl or not. He was panicking that this woman would harass him or would scream out of her wits like the fangirls who harassed Yamapi but he was desperate. “Can you understand me?” he asked in Japanese.

“Of course!” she replied in his mother tongue, a little delighted. She was giggling a little.

“Not again,” Joseph said, slapping his forehead.

“Shut up, Joseph. A linguist should help a lost person,” she said smartly. Back to Ohno, she asked, “You are Ohno Satoshi of Arashi. What are you doing here?”

“Hai,” he replied nervously, feeling awkward that this woman was speaking Japanese like him. “I came here to… to… to look for someone.”

“Ah, sou ka,” she replied. “I’ll help you,” she added, smiling.

“Kristann! You have a flight to Greece tomorrow!” Joseph wailed.

“Joseph, I could cancel that. This handsome guy needs help.” She winked at Ohno and steered him out of the airport to call for a taxi.

“I would like to ask, is that person that special for you to go alone here?” she asked Ohno. “Aren’t you busy in Japan, being a Johnny idol and such?”

“Iie. Arashi has planned this departure,” he explained.

“Do you have money with you?” she asked. She took her phone as someone called and started to speak fast, this time in Korean.

Ohno’s jaw dropped as three calls arrived for her and for each call; she was speaking a different language. “Sumimasen,” she said after the third call. “Once again, do you have money?”

“Hai. But this is in yen,” he said.

“That’s not a problem. To the bank please,” she told the driver. They were dropped in front of a bank where they exchanged the money to peso. “How about hotel reservations?”

Ohno fumbled through the belt bag and took out the envelope. “Trader’s Hotel,” the slip said as Kristann read it. “We’ll walk from here,” she said as she pointed at the high building about two blocks away.

When they arrived, Ohno sat on the bed and Kristann sat on the chair near the window. “What are you thinking? Going here without any preparations? You are frustrating me. ”

“Sumimasen,” he apologized. “I was also surprised when they told me I would be going here.”

“Eh? Sou ka. Obviously, you’re not here for sightseeing,” Kristann said, looking out of the window. “First tip, try to use a disguise. There are people who know you here,” she said. She widened her eyes. “Lots of people. You don’t want being harassed by fangirls. Fangirls here are Arashi-hungry. Second, don’t go out alone. You might get lost. Third,” she took from her bag a dictionary, “study at least English so you won’t have difficulty.”

“Hai,” he replied, taking the dictionary.

“Ohno-kun,” she called out again, looking at him as she sat back on the chair, cross-legged and cross-armed. “What’s the name of the person you are looking for?”

Ohno stared at her for a moment. He could not really tell anyone that he was looking for Anna. But since this woman looked trustworthy and she was the only person here who could understand him, he started to spill out the beans. “I’m looking for… for a friend. Her name is Mitsuhashi Anna,” he said.

“Anna Mitsuhashi,” she repeated. She was silent for a moment. “Nande?” she asked.

“Eh?”

“Never mind if you don’t want to tell me. I bet it’s a secret, ne?” she said, flipping her phone open.

“Iie. Daijoubu desu,” he said. “I could tell you if you also keep it as a secret. And if you help me,” he added.

“Hai, hai. I’ll do my best to help,” she replied, looking for something in her phone.

“Anna is my girlfriend in Japan. However, she left a week ago without a word. The next thing I know…” he tried to gulp to hide the tears, “… She will never return.”

“Ah, sou ka,” she replied, not focusing on him but on her phone. “I thought there’s a policy in your agency concerning this issue?”

“We’re allowed, as long as it’s kept as a secret…”

“I thought so.” She looked at him seriously. “Do you love her?” she asked.

Ohno nodded. “Hai,” he replied in a serious tone.

A moment later a call arrived. “Ah, Miss De Liza. Yes, it’s me, Kristann. I’ve decided to cancel the Greece flight and I’ll go to the reunion party. There’s two of us. I’ve decided to bring a friend,” she said, looking at Ohno. She flipped the phone closed.

omg oh-chan's in the philippines! XD what a dream come true!! XD

*cough* anyway, go look for Anna!! and go study english while youre at it ohji-chan! XD

i have something to tell you, minna...

i have a mortal sin... if anyone notices that thing that i did, just state it and i'll PM you whatever the missing link is...

*ahemmissingahemchappieahem*

anyway, next chapter iku!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 18:

“What are you talking about?” Ohno asked, not understanding a single word.

“Hayaku, we will go to the mall,” she said.

“Nande?”

“You said you want to look for Anna Mitsuhashi,” she told him. “This is the best chance.

Ohno thought they’ll see Anna in the mall so he agreed.

They rode a taxi and stopped in front of Midtown. Kristann dragged him inside different boutiques to look for perfect clothes. “Are you sure it’s okay?” he asked as the assistant arranged the coat he was fitting. “I don’t have much money.”

“Daijoubu, daijoubu, my treat,” she said, waving the magazine she was reading. “Are you through, Maestro?”

“Yes. And this man looks dashing with this one,” he said. He opened the curtain where Ohno was and revealed him wearing an all black set that covered his neck down. It was buttoned up on the sides. It gave him a mysterious and dark look.

Kristann surveyed him as she leaned on the arm of the couch, her chin resting on the top of her elbow. “Hmmm…” she smirked. “Maestro, what do you think?” she asked the designer.

“Dashing. This man looks wonderful in anything I asked him to fit on,” he said with delight. “Is he a model?”

“More than a model,” she said, still looking at Ohno. “But I like the one he’s currently wearing. It makes him look evil,” she emphasized the word. “I’ll get that one.”

“Good choice, Miss Kristann. As always, you are a great chooser,” he said. “How about you?” he asked.

“I’ll take the fuchsia one,” she said, pointing at the one the mannequin was wearing.

“Another great choice,” the man commented. “We’ll just fix this coat for this young man because it looks a little big for him.”

“Please do so,” she said. “We need the clothes tomorrow.” She went at Ohno’s side and whispered, “I’m just stopping myself from flailing in front of you.”

Ohno gaped at her, wide-eyed at her fangirl confession.

The two of them roamed around the mall, Kristann pointing to this and that. Ohno kept on looking everywhere, desperate and hoping to find Anna. “Ohno-kun, my friend and I always hang out here,” she said, pointing at a large bookstore with chairs inside.

“Ah, sou ka…” he replied, marveling at the number of books.

“Does Anna Mitsuhashi love books?” she asked, looking at the display books.

Ohno was suddenly embarrassed. “I do not know,” he replied. Kristann just nodded.

They continued to walk around the mall, Ohno was really silly, looking here and there, trying to see if Anna was around. He was really gullible to think that he would see Anna here.

“Oh, how I missed this place,” Kristann exclaimed as the two of them walked all around. Ohno was also staring around. “Was Anna here too?” he thought while Kristann was excitedly telling stories about her and her friend’s rendezvous all around.

“… And sometimes we just go here to walk or to just to escape from the heat,” she said. She stopped when she saw two old women.

“Ah, Kristann, how are you doing?” she asked. Ohno just stared at her because he did not understand a word.

“Doing well, ma’am,” she answered.

“I see you’re not with your partner in crime,” she said. “That girl…”

“Ah, I see,” Kristann replied. “But I brought along a friend.” She motioned Ohno nearer, who bowed and smiled.

“He’s cute. Is he your boyfriend?” she asked.

“No, ma’am,” she replied. “Kay ano siya…” she said, making Ohno’s eyes blink in confusion. She whispered something to the woman and she giggled.

“Really?” she said. “He must be very good then to pass t he high standard,” she added, smiling at Ohno, who tried to smile even though he did not understand a thing. “Goodbye then. I’ll see you in the reunion party.” She left.

“Who is she, Kristann-san?” Ohno asked.

“One of my old teachers,” she replied. “Our school’s over there so it cannot be helped.”

“What were you talking about?” he asked.

“Nothing, just gossips. Good ol’ gossips,” she said, grinning.

Ohno and Kristann ate lunch in one of the fancy restaurants in the mall. They were carrying a few paperbags which were shoes and clothes. “Umai!” he exclaimed at the exotic food.

“I thought you’d say that,” she said, taking her own bite.

Kristann sighed. “Kristann-san, why are you taking me to the party tomorrow?” he asked curiously. “You even paid for the things I’ll wear.”

“I just think this is a good chance for you to find Anna,” she said.

“Wakarimasen,” he replied, scratching the back of his head.

“You’ll understand later on,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

***

Ohno was upset. He kept on tossing and turning on his bed. “I need to find her,” he said. He got up in the middle of the night and read the travel guide Kristann bought for him. He tried locating the place stated in the address Rina gave him. After he noted down landmarks and planning his travel route, he prepared his clothes, his map, and his newly converted money. He did not inform Kristann about this. As she reminded him, he wore eyeglasses and a baseball cap.

“Chotto matte… chotto matte… I’m lost,” he repeatedly muttered as he tried to identify landmarks through the pictures. “Why didn’t I just take a taxi?” he asked himself as he climbed up to the MRT. He desperately tried to communicate with the teller and the guard but they just put on their confused faces on him.

“Achira?” he asked the guard, pointing afar. The guard just scratched his head. Ohno sighed. “This is hopeless,” he thought. He gave the slip of paper where he wrote his travel plan, all written in Japanese, except for the few alfabeto he used.

“Ortigas station,” the guard read. Feeling that he could not anymore cope with this tourist, or whoever he was, he called the manager.

“Hmm…” he tried to decipher the note and the map. Thinking of what was the best, he said, “Seventh station.” He was showing seven fingers.

“Ah, nana desu,” he replied, also showing seven fingers. They looked weird at the passersby. “Arigatou gozaimasu,” he said. “I’ll just have to count seven stations,” he thought.

Finally, Ohno was able to move through as he was given instructions through his map. It was still early and there were people here and there, reading free newspapers or eating fast breakfasts.

Then suddenly, at the corner of his eye, as the train approached nearer, he saw a woman almost crossing the forbidden yellow line and slowly, she was also going for the train tracks! Her face was covered with the newspaper so she did not realize what was happening.

“Ah! Yabai!” he shouted, trying to at least catch attention not by his words but by his shout. He ran towards her and pulled her by the waist. “Daijoubu ka?” he said, even though he knew few or none could understand him. His cap was already knocked off.

The girl sported layered black hair and big sunglasses covered her eyes. He stared at her for a moment as his heart was suddenly beating fast. He also felt her pulse that was also racing. Suddenly, she pushed him away. “Sorry… sorry,” she said repeatedly. She ran away from him as though he’s a robber.

Ohno was confused. But everything felt familiar, the way he held her, her heartbeat, the sensation.

“Oi! Chotto matte!” he shouted, trying to chase after the girl but the train has arrived and the crowd going out of it blocked her away from view.

Having no choice and at least expecting that he’ll see Anna (if that was Anna) in the address Rina gave him, he rode the train to proceed to his trip. He went down the station and rode a taxi towards the condominium building.

“I am looking for Anna Mitsuhashi,” he told the guard, reading from his translation book.

The guard started to look at his logbook. “No Anna Mitsuhashi here,” he said. Seeing that Ohno did not understand, he shook his head.

Ohno sighed. “Not here,” he thought. “Where will I find you, Anna?” he asked himself hopelessly.

He walked out of the compound and started to talk aimlessly. He did not care if he would be lost, he just walked, trying to catch a glimpse of Anna’s face.

Then he saw it. Walking a block away from her was the girl wearing the large glasses. She was talking to someone on her cellphone. His heart started to beat fast.

“Could it be?” he said, still looking at the girl. She was at the intersection, waiting for the lights to turn red.

Not thinking, he started to run towards her. He hit some passersby but he just continued to run, attempting to catch up with the girl and see if she was really Anna.

“Chotto matte! Chotto matte!” he shouted. His cap was knocked off by the wind, leaving him disguise-less. Yet he did not care.

“Isn’t that Ohno Satoshi?” a group of girls shouted. He did not understand what they were saying except that they were calling his name. He felt like he really had to run as the mob chased him.

“Yabai!” he shouted as the girls chased him. “Kristann-san was right!”

The girl he was chasing stopped talking with whoever it was on her phone as she saw the foghorn. A taxi came and she rode inside it, the taxi disappearing at a corner.

“Kyaa!! That’s really Ohno Satoshi!”

“Oh-chan!”

“Stop! Stop!”

The police in the city started to blow their whistle as the girls continued to chase him, causing traffic. One of them grabbed his jacket as the others piled on him, trying to tear him to pieces.

“Yamette! Yamette! Itai! AHH!!” Ohno continued to shout as the girls attempted to take a piece of him away as a souvenir. They tried to touch him, and some tried to pull some his hair for a reason he did not know.

“Let me touch him!” one of them shouted.

“Ohno-kun, daisuki!”

“What on earth is happening? This is a new level of mobbing!” he thought, trying to cover himself.

A car stopped by the end of the block and it the window went down. It was Kristann. She has just finished a phone call. “Hop on, Ohno-kun. Hayaku!” she said, opening the door.

Ohno used his Johnny reflexes and jumped inside and Kristann closed the door, locking it instantly. “Take care of them, Mr. Policeman,” she said with a salute as her driver started to drive out of the mob. The mob tried to follow them but the driver headed for the third gear.

“Kristann-san, how did you know I was here?” Ohno asked as he tried to catch his breath. His shirt was almost ripped off, revealing his shoulder and his carefully arranged hair was now in disarray.

“I came here because I knew you would go here,” she said, a smile playing on her lips. She could be very sly at some times. She turned to look at him and she decided to look away, trying to hold back her laughter.

“Eh?” he asked, confused once again.

“Just don’t ask,” she replied with a trembling voice, still trying to hold back her laughter. She gave in.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked.

She covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. Her voice was breaking as she replied, “I never thought the ‘mobbing’ thing is true.”

“That was a nightmare,” he said, tilting his head up and lying back on the couch. “Kristann-san, can we turn around that corner?” he asked.

“Iie,” she said simply. She was looking outside the window.

“Demo… I think I saw her!” Ohno said.

“Hontou ni?” she asked in a singsong voice. Ohno started to feel that this girl also has the DoS genes like Jun.

“Kristann-san!” he gasped, pulling on her coat, pleading at her like a small child.

“If you were really meant to see each other, you’ll see each other,” she said like a philosopher, smiling at him. Her phone rang. “Yes, hello?” She frowned. Ohno just watched her, not understanding a thing, contemplating on what she said earlier. “You’re there already? Ah, I just have to take my friend somewhere. I’ll call you when I get there. Bye.” She turned to the driver. “Take us first to the hotel then we’ll go there later.”

She looked again at Ohno with a smile as he was sporting a perplexed face.

~~~~~~~~

i love mob scenes!

^ haha! poor Ohno, mob scenes are awesome!
can't wait for the party..

omg! you MUST FIND ANNA OH-CHAN!!!! YOU WERE SOOO CLOSE thanks to that kristan girl, you didnt get to check if that was anna !!

I have a feeling this kristan girl is an evil fangirl who's planning to kidnap ohno

hahahahaha dont mind me and my crazy thoughts ^^

choshi wrote:

i have something to tell you, minna... i have a mortal sin... if anyone notices that thing that i did, just state it and i'll PM you whatever the missing link is... *ahemmissingahemchappieahem*

you forgot a chapter??? :O

k_j: i also can't wait...

kashiii: kristann is indeed evil... nyahahaha!!

it's just a filler chappie...

~~~~~

CHAPTER 19:

“Ohno-kun, we’re going to be late,” Kristann said, opening the hotel door. She was already dressed in her fuchsia backless gown.

He was already dressed and he was arranging his hair. “How should I do this?” he asked his reflection, trying to fix his hair.

“Be the normal you,” Kristann replied, making him turn around. “Arrange your hair the way you always want to.” She stood up to fix his hair. Ohno stared at her as she did.

“Hai,” he said, leaving his hair as is. She handed him a mask.

“It’s a masque party,” she explained.

They both went down and hopped inside the taxi. The destination was not really that far as they arrived in the glasshouse looking hall where there were other people wearing gowns inside. Everyone has masks too.

“Don’t get away from my sight, Ohno-kun, you might get lost,” she whispered as she grabbed his arm towards a chair near the big space in the middle which will serve as a dancefloor. Many people approached Kristann, who removed her hand-held mask to greet and chat with the people beside her.

The program started and everyone applauded. Even though Ohno did not understand a word, he also applauded. Kristann whispered to him what the people were talking about.

“Are we all doing fine?” the host asked. “Well then, let’s welcome our friends as they entertain us with their dance number.”

Everyone applauded as seven people went to the middle of the stage, all of them masked. They started to dance an upbeat song, which earned more applause from the audience. They continued to leave the audience in awe until all the lights turned off, a woman wearing a flowing blue gown in the middle bathed in spotlight. The upbeat sound became slow and sweet.

Ohno stared at her as she passionately danced, her gown flowing like water behind her, the ribbons attached to her dance moved like along with her. She moved around the hall, dancing, spinning, prancing, waving her hands gracefully. It was of a memorable sight.

She went near to where he and Kristann were sitting. Kristann was smiling at her as she danced and Ohno was gaping at her, his mouth half-open. Her flowing ribbons accidentally touched his face as she danced away.

The dance ended, she disappeared behind a curtain, and the lights were on. “Ohno-kun, what’s happening to you?” Kristann asked.

“Betsuni,” he replied.

“Maybe you’re hungry. Don’t worry, the food’s here,” she said. She excused herself to go to the restroom, leaving Ohno alone when the food was served. He stopped eating when he heard applause. The woman who danced earlier was met by applause when she returned, now wearing a blue glittery gown. She was wearing a mask decorated with blue feathers.

He was about to approach her but he decided not to as she was surrounded by lots of men. “Ohno-kun, did you enjoy the meal?” Kristann asked, sitting down beside him.

“Hai,” he replied, still looking at the woman in blue.

Kristann looked at her and then at Ohno. “Daijoubu desu ka?” she asked, putting her mask down.

“Hai,” he replied. The program continued and Ohno pretended to listen but he kept on glancing at the woman wearing blue. She was sitting two tables away from them.

“Please enjoy the night, thank you,” the host finally said, officially opening the dancefloor.

Kristann went nearer to Ohno. “Ohno-kun,” she said in a different light, inching her face nearer. “Do you like to dance with me?” She smiled seductively.

“Eh?” he asked, her perfume clouding his senses. He blinked a few times. “Kristann-san…”

She edged her face nearer, almost stealing the air of his territory. “Hai?”

“We can’t do this…”

“Do what?” she asked, touching his hair.

A man approached Kristann and asked her to dance. “Ohno-kun, are you sure you’ll be fine here?” she asked him. He just nodded, his mouth half-open. “Yokatta…” he thought. “She’s a temptation…”

Ohno sat there quietly, staring at the dancefloor full of people. Kristann returned. “Do you want to dance with her?” she asked, tilting her chin towards the girl in blue who looked like she didn’t want to dance with anybody. “Don’t worry, she’ll understand you. She knows how to speak Nihonggo.”

She gave Ohno a slight push but Ohno felt he was pulled by an unknown force towards her. He turned back to Kristann but she was already near the DJ, handing a CD with a familiar cover. She was still surrounded by men who wanted to dance with her.

“No, I can’t, I’m sorry,” she heard him say to a guy offering his hand.

“Do you now have a boyfriend?” another one asked.

“Ah… umm… actually…” she started.

“Sumimasen,” he said, offering a hand to the lady. “Shall we dance?” he asked in broken English.

Through the mask, the astonishment written on the girl’s face was obvious. She slowly took Ohno’s hand and he led her to the dancefloor, the trail of her gown flowing behind her. He guided her hands to his shoulders and held her waist.

He knew it was Anna. He has memorized the contours of her body that even the mask hiding her face could not stop him from identifying her. Her responses to his touch, the way she breathes, the smoothness of her skin, and her flaws. He knew all of them. He has seen all of them…

“Ao no hikari ni yurenagara kaita tegami Sotto kaze ni towa ni
Ochiru shizuku ga sukitooru you ni koe wa Kitto kimi no moto he

Yuube mita sora wa shizuka ni moete Taiyou to hoshi ga michibiku Story
Shinjita sekai wa iro wo torimodosu Ki ga tsukeba”

The song rang in their ears, making the girl smile. She took a glance at the DJ and Kristann was smiling at her. Ohno also looked to where she was smiling at and Kristann also smiled at him. He steered her gracefully across the floor, not caring at all whoever was with them in the middle. It even looked like it was only the two of them!

He looked at her directly in the eyes. But she was trying to avoid his gaze. She tried looking anywhere but him. But she also tried to talk to him so that the scene wouldn’t look awkward.

“Anata wa Nihonjin desu?” she asked.

“Hai,” Ohno answered.

She sighed. “Pardon me. I don’t even know why I’m dancing now. I vowed myself only to dance with one man…”

Ohno was amazed. “She vowed herself to dance only with one man?” he thought. “Tell me something about him.”

“He’s the greatest dancer I’ve ever seen!” she said dreamily. “It was an honor when I was able to dance with him even just one time…”

“And if that man likes to dance with you, will you accept his hand?” he asked, slowly removing the mask from his face.

“Hitomi tojireba azayaka ni sunda kioku Sotto kaze ni towa ni
Awai kisetsu ni tsutsumareru you na kaori Kitto kimi no moto he

Yuube tsutaeru tame ni Musunda sen wa futatsu no Story
Donna ni sekai ga kawari hajimete mo Kawaranai”

She gasped as she saw who was behind the mask. “Gomenasai,” the girl said. Ohno looked up at her. Her tears were shining in the dim blue light. She slowly had the courage to look straight into his eyes.

He slowly touched her cheek to wipe her tears away. He felt the small scar on her cheek, the same one he touched when he danced with her. Slowly, his hands snaked on the back of her hair to pull away the strings of her mask. “Anna…” he slowly said, the surprise slowly turning into happiness. He smiled.

“Doko ni itemo Donna toki demo
Onaji sora Miagete
Hikari atsume Todoketai kara
Itsumademo
Hakanai jounetsu no kage Wasuretaku wa nai”

“Satoshi,” she replied, her eyes still shimmering with her tears. “How… why…?”

“Because of you…” he replied. He took out the bracelet from his pocket and placed it on her wrist. “I told you we’d always be together,” he reminded, touching her nose with his. They continued to dance along with the music.

“Tell me why… take me faraway…”

They sat back on the chair and Kristann was waiting for them, carefully packing up the Dream A-Live CD she was carrying. She smiled as the couple sat down in front of her. “It has been a year since I last took this out,” she said, covering the CD in a bubble wrap. “But this is a special case so I guess…” she placed in in her bag, “… it wouldn’t hurt taking it out again, ne?”

“Kristann!” Anna said, her eyes wide at her.

“Anna. You have a mortal sin against me,” she said slyly. “Why didn’t you tell me that Ohno Satoshi’s your boyfriend?”

“You know each other?” Ohno asked, stunned at the way the two talked. “And I thought she was seducing me,” he said, nervously pointing at Kristann, who choked on her glass of wine.

“Seducing you? I won’t do something like that,” she said, waving a hand. “That’s called ‘loyalty test’. I do that all the time if I feel suspicious. I’m just a humble fan and Anna is one of my closest friends.” She looked at Anna, who smiled at her. “At first, I was really skeptic because of rumors that idols like you do not really get serious in relationships but I saw how sincere you were. That’s the reason why I brought her in front of you!”

“Ah, that’s the reason why you pleaded for me to dance and attend this party!” Anna said disbelievingly. “You always can’t help but put up a bang!”

“I went to Japan three days ago because I wanted to go sightseeing. I decided to visit you but you weren’t living there anymore,” she explained. “So I just bought some Johnny’s goodies and went back here. I’m supposed to go to Greece but I stayed because I love you so much.” Kristann giggled.

“So, the friend you were talking about…?” Anna started.

“Hai… hai…” she said with a smile. “It was a coincidence. I was about to go to our meeting place when you called, saying that there was a man being mobbed by crazy women. Only someone like Ohno-kun could stir up a storm so I decided to save him from the wrath of the fangirls before going to our meeting place,” she explained, sniggering at the idea.

Ohno held Anna’s hand tighter on the table. Anna looked at Kristann, who nodded at her with a smile. He led her outside of the main hall. The receiving hall was empty at that moment.

“Anna, come with me back to Japan,” he said, holding her hand.

Ann disappointingly turned away. “I can’t,” she replied. She closed her eyes. She did not want to see her reaction.

“Nande?” he asked.

“Our mother asked us to return here to stay with her,” she explained, breaking free from his grasp. “I just can’t go back.”

“I’ll take care of you. Johnny will gladly take you back!” he insisted.

“Satoshi, please understand…” she pleaded.

“But we promised!” he said, holding her wrists and backing her on the wall.

“That cannot do anything,” she said hopelessly.

Both of them were silent. Then slowly, Ohno spoke. “Why did you leave me that night?” he asked.

Anna slowly looked at him. She looked into his eyes. There was loneliness, misery… and unmistakable anger. “I… I… I couldn’t tell you…”

“Why did you leave?” he asked further, as though she was not talking. She suddenly felt cold. The hall was cold and it was colder with her revealing gown, and it got even colder when he spoke to her like that.

“I… I didn’t want to make you worry,” she said in a small voice.

“You made me worry even more,” he said. Anna hoped he shouted at her because his cold voice made the blood that flowed in her body freeze.

“I have to leave you…”

“Didn’t you even think that we could continue this even though you’re away…?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“Satoshi, I…” she tried to explain. “I thought… if I leave, you would forget me… you could find another… that will… that will hurt me more…” she said, barely a whisper.

“Then why did you let me do that?” he asked bitterly. “You don’t trust me. You are hurting me more.”

“Satoshi, stop,” she said, covering her ears. “I can’t take this anymore…”

He forcefully took her hands to let her hear every word. “WHY DID YOU GIVE YOURSELF TO ME IF YOU DIDN’T TRUST ME?” he asked, shouting.

Her lip was trembling. Anna was about to cry. “Gomenasai!” she wailed, sobbing as she slowly knelt down the floor. Ohno was still holding her hands. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know what to think… I was so confused… I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t know what to think!”

Ohno, seeing what he had done, knelt in front of her and hugged her. “I understand,” he said, comforting her. He stroked her bare back. His coat was now wet with her uncontrollable tears. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Eh?” she asked in confusion.

“I’ll talk to your mother. I’ll convince her for you to come with me,” Ohno said in a determined tone.

“I don’t think that would be easy, Ohno-kun,” a voice behind him said. It was Kristann. “Prepare yourself.”

Nyeh. she aint evil after all :( XD i was hoping she was so there would be another twist! XD

i cant believe he finally found her!!! YAY FOR OH-CHAN!!!
that was an awesome chapter! ^^
MUST... NEED.... MORE!!!

Hmm,I can't wait to see how's Anna mother is,since Kristann made it sound like like it will really be a big problem in convincing her..Gambatte Ohno!