- First Love -

I slowly opened my eyes in a hospital room. It took me some time to adjust to the bright light.

"I will call you as soon as she wakes up mom." Kei's voice came from the corner where he was facing the window. "No, she didn't, they were just some thugs." I didn't fully understand what he was saying since I was still in a daze. "I will." Kei said before hanging up the phone. He leaned his forehead on the window and sighed.

"Kei." I called. My voice was weak but he still heard me.

"Oh my God, Sam." He rushed to me frantically. "Are you ok?" He took my hand in his. They were very cold. "I'm going to call the doctor." He disappeared for a few seconds and came back accompanied by a doctor and a nurse.

"Sam, I understand you speak Japanese, right?" The doctor asked as he checked my eyes with his small flashlight. I nodded. "Great. I'm doctor Tanaka. So, how are you feeling?"

"I don't know... I feel strange."

"It is very normal, we have given you some heavy pain killers." He looked at Kei and back at me. "You have bruised ribs, so you will need to rest for three to four weeks. You will have to take it easy at home and take some pain medication when necessary, also you have to try to breath normally even if it hurts at times."

"Are you saying I have to miss school for three weeks?" I asked with horror.

"Yes, you should rest until your ribs are fully healed." The doctor answered. I looked at Kei who smiled at me with sympathy. "Your body was also dehydrated so we gave you an IV." He added. "In addition to some cuts around your body that we have also treated."

"Does she have to spend the night here?" Kei looked really uncomfortable.

"No, you can take her home after we finish some paperwork. Oh, but the police have been waiting to ask you a few questions." The doctor's eyes traveled back to me. "Is that alright?"

"Sure." I couldn't wait to send that freak to jail.

"Miss Sato, please prepare the release forms" The doctor instructed the nurse.

"Of course, Dr Tanaka."

"I will send the police officers in." Doctor Tanaka smiled as he left my room followed by the nurse.

I tried to sit up but a sharp pain shot from my left side. I let out a yelp.

"Let me help you." Kei hurried to me, fixing the pillows behind my back. "Listen..." He looked at me in the eyes. He wasn't wearing his contacts. "You can't tell the police about Minako."

"What?" I couldn't believe what he had just said. "Why is that?"

"I will explain later."

"Kei, I can't believe you." I felt like daggers were planted in my chest, and it wasn't because of my bruised ribs. "You saw what she did to me." I felt a stinging behind my eyes. "How can you still protect her?"

"I'm-" He was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

Two police officers entered the room and greeted Kei and me. The age difference between the two was obvious. The older man who was probably in his fifties took out a small notepad from his pocket and gave me a warm smile.

"How are you feeling Miss Martin?"

"I could be better." The officer chuckled at my sarcasm.

"Well, I'm officer Fujita and this is officer Ogawa. We're just going to ask a few questions about what happened today." I nodded. "So, tell us what happened."

I told them about Yoko and the convenience store. I told them about how I was pushed into the alley and surrounded by people.

"How many were they?" The younger officer Ogawa asked. He couldn't have been older than twenty five.

"I am not sure, five or six maybe." I hesitated before answering.

"Did you recognize any of them?" Officer Fujita was scribbling the whole time. I didn't have to look at Kei to feel how nervous he was. He shifted in his seat waiting for my answer. For a second, I considered telling them everything. Sending Minako to jail would be an amazing triumph. But I didn't.

"No, I didn't."

"Do you remember any of their faces?"

"Everything happened so fast, I couldn't see their faces clearly."

"Alright, well here is my phone number in case you remember something. We want to catch the people who did this to you." Officer Fujita handed me a card.

"I will definitely call you if I remember anything. Thank you." I gave the officers a warm smile before they left. Kei walked outside with them. I could tell they were talking about something, but I couldn't decipher the words. After a few minutes, Kei came back in. Our eyes met. His green held my blue for a moment but I averted my eyes looking the other side.

Kei walked to the chair by my bed and sat facing me. I turned my face away from him. I was so mad at him. How could he protect Minako after all she had done to me? How could he tell me to lie?

"I'm sorry you got hurt." Kei's voice was soft, I could swear it trembled a little. I looked back to his face, it was dark and hard. "When I found you like that earlier... I lost it." Kei wasn't looking at me. He was looking down at his tangled fingers. That wasn't like him at all. "It's all my fault... again." He whispered.

I stared at him for a while trying to understand what he meant by 'again', but I couldn't help feeling betrayed by him. After all that happened in the last few days, and to top it off what happened that afternoon.

"Kei, I need to understand what is going on." His eyes bored into mine intensely. There was a long silence before he started speaking.

"On Tuesday, I got a phone call telling me that Minako had joined another gang. It was my sworn enemy's gang." He looked down again as if embarrassed of the mention of 'gang'. "That's why Daisuke and I ran out of school." His emerald pools found mine and I detected guilt in them. "I promise, I didn't ignore you because of what happened on Monday night. Well maybe I wanted to tease you at first, but then I just had too much on my mind."

"What about the picture Minako sent me? And when... she answered your phone." I felt the bitterness of the words rolling in my mouth.

"I promise nothing happened with Minako." I scoffed.

"I find that hard to believe." I tried to turn away from him but the pain from my side prevented me from moving. I closed my eyes until the aching passed.

"You have to believe me Sam, I would never cheat on you." Seeing that I wasn't convinced, he sighed. "I had to make sure she didn't join the other gang. She would have told them all our secrets and our weaknesses, I couldn't let that happen." He ran his hand through his hair and sighed again. "Which happened anyway." He whispered shaking his head.

"All the members of our gang had dinner together, Minako was there because we had to talk about her decision. Next thing I know, I was feeling so dizzy and sick. I found out later that Minako had slipped something into my drink. I was out of it, and that's when she took that damn picture."

"Did it even occur to you that I might be worried sick about you?" I murmured. "I called you so many times."

"I'm sorry, I have lost my phone. I guess Minako took it." I felt my chest tighten and angry wave went through my body.

"So, let me get this straight; Minako has betrayed your gang, she put something in your drink, she stole your phone, she nearly killed me, but you still wanted me to lie to protect her. I don't get you Kei. If you like her that much, just be with her!" I screamed and a sharp throb came from my side. I groaned and winced my face.

Kei took my hand and led it to his mouth planting a soft kiss on it. His hands were still freezing. He gazed at me for a while.

"I don't like Minako. I love you, Samantha Rose Martin." I felt my breath hitch and my face turn scarlet. "We just can't have the police meddle in our affairs, we're not really on good terms. But mark my word, Minako and every single person who hurt you will pay for what they did." He kissed my palm and placed it on his cheek. Unconsciously, I was caressing his face when the nurse from earlier knocked and entered. She was pushing a wheelchair which I figured was for me.

"I have brought you the papers to sign." Nurse Sato informed us with a warm smile.

"About time." Kei mumbled in English. I doubted he knew that he had said it out loud.

"Can you please step outside for a moment, sir. I will help her change her clothes." Kei obeyed the nurse and left without a word.

After signing some papers and changing into my uniform, the nurse wheeled me out of the hospital while Kei followed closely behind. There was a taxi waiting for us, I guessed Kei had called it. Miss Sato and Kei both helped me get into the car really slowly.

On the way to the house, all I did was talk on the phone - Kei's phone. First with my parents who had found out from Amanda, and then Amanda herself.

"I think Jiro will be fine if I come home." She said.

"Please, I'm really fine. I know this competition is very important to Jiro and I think he needs you and Mr Kenji by his side."

"Well maybe Kenji could go back home straight from Osaka, and I could stay."

"Amanda, I'm fine, I promise. Besides, Kei is here and he is taking care of me." She was silent for a moment. Kei cleared his throat and when I turned to look at him, he met me with a grin.

"Fine, but if anything happens... you kids keep me posted."

"Of course... Um maybe we shouldn't tell Jiro, he would just worry for nothing and that might affect his performance." Amanda was silent again.

"He will be really mad when he finds out though."

"I'll explain to him then." I knew Jiro worried about every little thing.

"Alright." Amanda agreed as the taxi pulled in front of the house.

"Ok, have a good night Amanda."

"Good night dear, rest well."

Kei paid for the taxi and we walked inside the house. I was leaning on him as he gently held my waist and my hand. He didn't have his cane, so I felt his limp more than usual.

"Are you hungry?" He asked me with a warm smile.

"No, I'm good. Thanks." He was walking me to the living room. "Can I just go straight to my room?"

"Of course." We walked up the stairs and Kei helped me sit on my bed. "Do you want to lie down?"

"Yes, but I should change into something more comfortable."

"Oh, ok." Kei headed to the door. "If you need anything, just call me."

"Sure... Thanks."

After Kei left, I sat for a moment. Then, I slowly stood and walked to my closet. I took my baby blue pajamas and started taking off my shirt. When I moved my arms to undo the top button, the pain was so agonizing, I screamed. Kei barged in my room with a pale face.

"What happened? Are you ok?" Seeing how concerned he was, a weird feeling stirred in my stomach.

"I... I was trying to change to my pjs... I don't think I can... alone." I looked to the floor embarrassed. Was I asking him to help me change? 'Oh my God, have I lost my mind?'

"Do you mind if I helped you?" Kei's voice came after a few minutes of awkward silence. My eyes shot back to him in shock.

He took a few steps closing the distance between us. His eyes were studying me trying to figure out my reaction. When I didn't move, Kei put his hands on the collar of my shirt. He eyed me again. I could feel my face burning, but I didn't move. I wasn't sure why I didn't; it might have been because I really needed help changing my clothes, or maybe because it was Kei who was helping me.

His fingers started undoing the buttons of my shirt. My heart was hammering inside my chest. My eyes were wide and fixed on Kei's face. He unfastened the first button, then the second one, and he kept going until he finished the row of buttons.

"I will take it off now." He informed me like a surgeon explaining to his interns the steps of a heart surgery. I did feel like I was having a heart attack though because my heart was beating so fast I doubted it was normal.

I nodded and Kei peeled the shirt off of me revealing my voluptuous breasts in my black bra. Not breaking eye contact, I saw him swallow hard as he teared his eyes away from my chest and grabbed my pajama top. He was so tender when putting it on me lifting my arms as gently as possible. The feeling I had in my stomach before was back. Kei, then, kneeled in front of me.

"What are you...?" He really surprised me.

Kei's cold fingers touched my skin and I flinched. He was unzipping my school skirt. He started pulling it down and my ears were ringing from how embarrassed I was.

"Kei..." I called but that's all I did. I didn't even attempt to stop him - which he didn't anyway.

He still had his hands on my hips when Kei looked up, his eyes intense and filled with a dark emotion. I had seen that emotion before when we were on the couch a couple of days before. Whoever saw the Kei who was kneeling in front of me would never believe that he was the same person who almost executed those men a few weeks before or the guy who punched that Ayame girl with all his strength. The Kei who was kneeling before me made my heart skip a beat. Actually, several beats.

He pushed to his feet and silently pulled me to my bed. He helped me lie down and covered me with my sheets. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead and turned to leave. However, I found myself holding his hand. For some reason, my body wasn't obeying me anymore. Kei turned to shoot me a confused look.

"Stay." I heard myself ask him.