• "Hey, don't space out Yuki. I don’t want to be late!" Reika smiled. I shook my head.
    “Sorry.” I smiled.
    “Jeez Yuki, pay more attention.” Hina teased. The rest of my friends laughed as we finally crossed the road together. I’ve never felt this type of love before. Just having friends who care about you…it only started after I had met him. That one guy that helped me through everything, he helped me accept new things in life; and how to open up to other people. I always thought, people were all despicable. Since my parents abandoned me, in my mind I thought I was to hate everything and everyone. But he changed all that thinking, he was so caring towards everyone no matter who it was, or any of the wrong they did. When he first took me in…I felt like something had already changed inside of me.

    I was sitting in a dark alley, shivering in the winter cold alone. I was seven years old. My father disappeared first that Christmas eve, my mother…she stayed. But the next day when I arrived to our old apartment after school, there was a note from her. All it said, was “Take Care.”
    That day, I grabbed all the things I would need; and left that place. It never felt like home in the first place.
    I never went back to school, and I knew I couldn’t get a job. Nobody would hire a seven year old. I didn’t know what to do anymore, so I hid in an abandoned alley and cried like a pitiful little girl who no one wanted. The whole time, I questioned myself; on why was I being treated this way? Why didn’t my parents want me? What was the whole point of my existence? I never acted like a rotten child…so why was I being punished?
    “Poor thing.” A boy who looked older than me, was kneeling down in front of me.
    “What’s your name?” He asked. I didn’t say a word, I wasn’t aloud to talk to strangers. Even without parents, I still followed that rule.
    “I’m not going to hurt you. Are you OK? Are you lost? Where’s your family?” Good question…where are my family? I cried some more.
    “Young master, where did you go?” Someone way older in a fancy suit shouted. He turned his head and stared at us.
    “Young master!” The man suit came running our way. The boy turned around and stood up with his arms spread wide open.
    “Tamaki stop!” He yelled. The man stopped running and calmly walked over towards us.
    “Young master, what is the meaning of you running away? Your father is coming back tonight, we need you for a fitting…oh? Whose this?” The man looked at me.
    “I want to help her Tamaki.” The boy said. The man nodded once.
    “My name is Yumachi Kaoru. You may call me Kaoru. Now what is your name?” He smiled and gave me a hand. I hesitantly grabbed it.
    “Sakurada Yuki.” I said in a shy voice.
    He smiled and said, “Yuki.”

    “Wait!” I stopped when I heard this. I turned my head and saw a TV drama playing on one of the television displays in the window.
    “Do you love me?” A woman in the drama asked. She was actually quite beautiful.
    “Of course, I love everyone here.” The man replied with a smile.
    “I only want you to love me!” The woman ran up to the man and hugged him tightly. The man’s expression was a little fickle, as he untangled himself from her grip and turned away.
    “Sometimes I think love is just a biological urge. Other times it seems like a spiritual quality. Love, unlike energy or matter, seems limitless. Why do you want me to love you?” He turned back to face the woman with a sad expression. A tear ran down her cheek.
    “Because…” She replied, “I have never been loved before…”
    “Yuki! Hurry up, what are you doing?” My friends called. I ran to catch up with them. We were heading towards the park, since there was a soccer game going on; and Reika’s boyfriend was playing in it. She promised him she would be there for him.
    “Sorry, I’m slow today.” I said, they all laughed.