WAKING BACK TO PRESENT

It has been past ten in the morning when Cherry woke up from her long slumber. She has been too bored and tired while she stayed at Yanagi's place last night that soon after she got out of the bathroom, wearing a loose shirt that she had taken from the walk-in closet connected to the bathroom, she instantly fell asleep on the bed where she had decided to rest for a bit.

The lights skim past the white silk curtains as the morning greets her, and Cherry squints her eyes towards the sudden brightness. She stretches her arms above her, yawning a little too loud as she realizes again where she really is. She just slept on Yanagi's bed. Right. She's even wearing one of his clothes.

But he's still nowhere in sight.

Though, she isn't really alone. Someone else is just there with her in the room, and Cherry sits up so fast as she gathers her whim and looks around her. She immediately catches sight of Jin's burly figure still sitting on the couch in the living room (like he had been the entire night) while drinking something from a cup, a few meters away. He turns and glances at her after hearing the shuffling sounds she just made and slowly nods his head at her, like a form of greeting.

"Your breakfast's on the table near you, Miss Cherry," he softly tells her as he gestures with his head to the direction beside her. Cherry quickly follows him with her eyes and eventually finds a tray filled with food on top of the bedside table near her right. She shifts and moves across the bed to get to the side that and reaches out for the tray.

She then eats quietly, not even minding to invite Jin as she satiates herself with the heavy meal served for her. She has been downing the last few drops of her morning coffee—even loving how it been brewed sweeter than normal—when she finally decides to break the silence.

"Where's Yanagi?" she asks Jin as she stares across the room and meets his eyes when he glances at her again.

"Boss Yanagi is still at work."

At work? Pulling an all-nighter? Yakuza bosses do really have their own share of burdens too, huh? Must be tough to lead a pack of men and control territories, Cherry thought to herself.

"Doesn't he sleep?" she asks again, now aiming for small talks as she tries to relieve her boredom.

"He's been too busy these past few days," Jin just even replies so casually. And Cherry finds it kind of weird, considering how he had acted with her the first time they've met last night. It seems like, Jin sure talks a lot when in daylight.

"But he had called a while ago to check on you, Miss Cherry," he continues on, oblivious that Cherry is now looking at him with a funny face, "He specifically said that you could indulge in any requests you would want to ask. But you are strictly restricted to leave the room until he says so."

Indulge in any request, huh? What is she? A little kid? Well, good to know he cares for her that much, though. Even when the intention is a bit suspicious, Cherry appreciates the gesture. But what is she supposed to really do here? Sleep again? Eat? Just wait, until what?

"Well, ain't that generous of him," she just remarks, but her voice sounds quite dissatisfied as she lets out a loud sigh and flops her back down on the bed again, staring up to the ceiling, "He sure does know how to please a woman, huh."

Cherry could not help but feel a little disappointed. Just what is that Yanagi planning caging her inside this big room with his big bodyguard? And why does it feel like she's turning into some kind of a housewife who's enduring her loneliness while her husband is away?

It's only the first day but everything's slightly getting weirder as it goes on.

"He'll be home tonight, Miss Cherry."

It's not like she would mind, but she's really anxious of her purpose in this place with him.

"I don't care if he won't, but I'll be very bored all day."

Jin isn't that much of a good company, as well. He just exists but only that... Which are a bit of a good thing when she doesn't want to be disturbed, yet still more of an annoying part of him as well.

"Do you want me to turn the television on?"

His suggestion is more likely a dumb attempt to entertain her and Cherry snorts back as she rolls on the bed and turns her head to look at Jin again.

"I don't watch TV shows," she only answers, "Any movies there?"

"We can check on Netflix."

She really has no idea why she's even having this kind of domesticated conversation with this mean-looking guy before her.

"Nah," Cherry soon decides as she rolls again, but this time, she closes her eyes for a moment, "I'm not in the mood, to be honest."

She has to put her mind back to setting up the next step of her plan. She does not really have too much time left now. If things don't progress from here, she might never get a better chance of fulfilling anything later in the game. She has to play dirty tricks again... And she has to figure out how to deal with this big guy who seems to be the only hurdle in the entire plan.

"Are you still going to kill Boss Yanagi?"

As if reading her thoughts, Jin's voice steals Cherry's attention as she finally opens her eyes back to the bright room and tilts her head up to take a peek of Jin from where she has been lying on her back on the bed.

"Are you still on with that?" she slyly grins at his direction, closing her eyes as if she's going to sleep once again, "Well, even if I want to, he's not here. What's the point?"

Even if it has been a total pretentious answer, Cherry still opts for something that could make the man at ease so he would start getting off of her back soon. But it seems like, it's only just pushing the opposite.

"I just want to confirm your intentions," She hears Jin tells her, "I don't want to deal with any regretful repercussions if one of us really raises a gun on the other."

Why does he always have to make everything sound so formal even when he's threatening her?

"What makes you think I'd use a gun at Yanagi, Jin?" Cherry teases out of spite, grinning as she keeps her eyes still closed.

"Figure of speech," Jin answers back, not even pausing, "Not in its literal sense, Miss Cherry. And I wouldn't really mind not using a gun on you, as well."

Touche.

"Now, that's funny," she attempts to bait him again, but she already knows it won't ever really work. The guy is a whole rock.

"I wasn't joking."

Well, too bad.

"I didn't laugh."

Yet, she still lets out a load of chuckles just right after saying that. Jin could only watch in silence from afar, hoping that he's not really smiling despite the weird atmosphere that he's beginning to feel hovering into the air between them.

What a strange chemistry they have.

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----------FLASHBACK----------

TWO YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS AGO...

"This is good."

Kenichi Hoshinori wraps his arm tightly around Aoi Chiba, breathing in her scent that has been invading all of his senses, and sighs.

"Cuddling is good?" He hears Cherry asking him this as he rests his head on top of hers and shifts closer to her warmth if that is even any possible because they have been so much closer now, with their naked torsos touching each other under the blankets.

"Cuddling with you is good." He says with distinction, pasting a grin on his face and closing his eyes while he basks into the comfort of her softness rubbing against his body.

"I never had much experience with men before," Cherry somehow opens up in a hushed voice as she leans her head near his chest, "And to be honest, I only had one boyfriend in the past and that had only been in high school."

"Hm?" Her words, on the other hand, makes Kenichi frowns as he reacts to her, "Wait... Is now finally that time?"

Cherry shifts and turns her head to give Kenichi a look as they stare at each other.

"What? Time for what?" she asks him with a confused look.

"Us talking about past lovers. You just said it, right? You start talking about your ex." Kenichi clarifies, a curve of a smile tickling the edge of his lips as he blurts out the words.

"Well, it's not like I have a long history," Cherry only answers with slight raise of her brow, "But I don't know about you though."

Crap. And here comes a wrong turn in the conversation. Why did he even bring that up?

"It doesn't really matter now, does it? It's all in the past," Kenichi forces to grin at her and quickly drops the entire idea.

"It does, actually." Cherry, however, just seems to still indulge over it, partly amusing herself from the nervousness she notices in Kenichi's voice.

"Are we really going to argue about this tonight? Right after just doing it?"

Cherry ruefully smirks as she returns to leaning her head against his chest again and laughs softly. He's so sensitive, but that's also why she loves him.

"No, I'm sleepy," she tells him after a moment, grinning to herself, "But I brought up the topic so..."

"Why would you even bring up your ex-boyfriend?"

Now, it's Kenichi's turn to sound a little triggered by the entire thing.

"Well, I just wanted to share how this has been the very first time I actually slept with a man."

"Naked. This is your first time, right? I am your first." Kenichi strongly implies, selfishly trying to emphasize the words just for the sake of reaffirming it.

"Naked and not naked. You're the first. You won, Mr. Hoshinori," Cherry rolls her eyes as she answers him in the way she knew would make him feel satisfied. And Kenichi did as he snuggles closer to her body again, chuckling.

"This talk is so weird," he just comments, running his fingers down her spine, "Let's not talk about this anymore."

"Don't be embarrassed."

"You're the one who's embarrassed," he refutes back.

"Well, it's still all new," Cherry remarks defensively as she frowns to his words but then smiles, "I'm sorry for being so inexperienced."

"Don't be," Kenichi retorts, in a faint voice as he feels his eyes getting heavier now as he slowly feels sleepy.

"You're lucky you're so experienced."

Yet Cherry's words somehow wake him back again as he pulls away to look down on her face.

"Are you jealous?" He asks with a smug grin.

"Do you want me to be?" Cherry just dares back but Kenichi knows she won't really bite the bait if he tries. Yet, he still attempts to tease her to make her admit it.

"Do you want me to tell you my whole history, then?"

She takes her time to think about his question, her face obviously showing that she's now weighing everything inside her head. And after a few more seconds of contemplating, she finally lets it go.

"It doesn't matter."

Kenichi smiles with a pleased face as he pinches her on the cheek. She's really so cute when she's like this, still acting like a child when she's already a grown woman. Then getting jealous when there's really no reason for her to be.

"I know you're so whipped by me."

"Right," he just agrees, hugging her back again.

"And the present is what really matters. History is history."

"Yes."

"I really love you, Kenichi."

The whispered confession before she yawns instantly makes Kenichi's heart skip a beat as he slowly smiles and closes his eyes to finally surrender himself to sleep. It somehow sounds like a peaceful reassurance for him to feel calmer and satisfied. And before he could even be swallowed by drowsiness, his mouth also murmurs a soft reply to her, just to give her his side of the promise.

"I love you too, Aoi. And that's what matters to me the most."

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