❝ love     seeps    out    her    pores
and    into    their    souls ❞

𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱.

      megumi matsushita is not used to being able to have the things she's always wanted. her mother, shoko matsushita, fell in love with an old money rich man named ankoku sano. making her shoko and megumi's last names sano, now. the sano family is old money rich. meaning, they built their wealth through generations. dating super far back in japan's history. and the new head of the family is now her new step-father. 

     ankoku and shoko met when she worked as a housekeeper at a high end hotel in sannoh. she was a maid in his hotel room and he was on a business trip for his family's company. as soon as he met eyes with shoko, he fell deeply in love with her. ( exactly how he tells the story. ) and he knew he had to have her. 

    shoko, at the time, only ever cared about taking care of megumi and her sick mother. working two jobs, day and night, she never had time to fall in love with anyone. she still loved her husband and it was hard to accept his passing . megumi was 8 when she lost her father to a drunk driver. it took so long for both ladies to move on from that traumatic event. but they did. 

    once she gave ankoku a chance, she allowed herself to live again. he helped her in so many ways that megumi is forever grateful for him. he helped her grieve over her late husband, helped take care of her mother, and he bonded with megumi wonderfully. honestly, he became megumi's new father before they got married. and when they did, ankoku wanted them to live with him. he was lonely in a huge mansion. nothing but the company of his maids and butlers. but his staff will see that he is much happier with shoko and megumi around. 

      like shoko, he used to bury himself into his work, all while also grieving his late wife. who died of leukemia six years prior to meeting shoko. the only close family he had were his staff and they wanted what was best for him. they wanted to see him finally happy again and they can see shoko gave him that happiness. and megumi granted him the family he's always wanted. 

    which started their little happy family. the only downfall, megumi had to move away from oya district. where all of her best friends were. her new school, senemon high, was still within the sword district so she's not too far from oya. but still, they would miss having her around. 

     but there was one person she never really got to say goodbye to. tsukasa takajo, her first love and first crush. she has known him just as long as she has known fujio. since they were all kids. they grew up in the same apartment complex in hope hill and they have been through a lot together. 

     tsukasa has always been the coolest guy she knew. which is why she fell for his laid back charm. the only problem? she never told him how she felt. not that it would have changed the outcome of her moving, but she has always wanted to tell him. sadly, her anxiety stopped her from doing so. and now, she's gotta live with regret. but that didn't stop her from caring about him and wanting to know if he was okay. the move was hard but she was slowly adjusting to her new life. 

      SIX MONTHS AFTER THE MOVE

         today was sunny and shining. the spring weather was slowly coming to an end in the most beautiful way as fall began to seep in. though the sun was shining, the air felt cooler than before as the leaves have already started to brown and fall. 

        megumi opened her locker as the last bell of the day rang throughout the grand school halls. students began to flood the hallway, making a sea of red appear. senomon technical high was known around for their bold red uniforms. earning the nickname 'the gates of blood'. the school was also run and led by kohei anagai, son of a rich yakuza boss, heir to his family's yakuza and the school's king. he was the most feared, unhinged and he fed off their fears. he loved that the students of senomon were scared of him. that meant they were easier to control. 

     and boy, were they. 

       megumi was not at all privy to their influence on the other students and teachers. she's been around them for six months and, believe it or not, they used to ignore each other, once upon a time. well, ryo and megumi used to ignore each other. ryo suzaki is kohei's childhood best friend and his second in command. he was also his top fighter and almost a bodyguard. 

      he and megumi didn't get along when they first met. they met when their families met each other at a garden party her step-father was hosting at his home garden. she met kohei and his parents. his dad kind of intimidated her but he was kind. kohei, however, only greeted her once in a rough way before ignoring her for the rest of the party. 

     then she met ryo and his family. he was the only child of his family and she could already tell that he looked up to his father. with the way he stood closer to him than he did his mother. 

    his parents were nice but, like kohei, ryo only greeted her once and that was it. he left to find his friend. but her step-father and his father thought they would make a good couple together, so he told ryo to look after her once she started at senomon high. 

   the first month, she tried to get a conversation out of him but he would only give her one worded answers or he wouldn't say anything at all. the second month, she still tried to be nice to him but she didn't want to push a conversation out of him. the third month, he actively ignored her presence at school. even going as far as to pretend he didn't know her, making his friends laugh whenever she would try to greet him in the hallway. 

     and by the fourth month, she got angry and decided to give him the same treatment he gave her at school and in front of their families. she ignored him on the way to school, in the hallway and pretended she didn't remember who he was when her father would push them to talk during a gathering. 

     that, alone, irked ryo. sure, he was the one being a prick so he had no business being this annoyed, but he was. and he didn't know why. this escalated into a big argument. but it was one night that changed everything for them. after one more month of ignoring each other, ryo and megumi left school together. ryo's driver planned on dropping her off first. 

     she noticed that both of his knuckles were bleeding, bruised and cut up. being a caring person, she forgot that she was mad at him and quickly tended to his fists. which shock ryo. why did she even care? they would heal on their own. but it was something in the way she looked while she pulled out her mini first aid kid from her bag and began cleaning his battered hands. 

      he couldn't help but stare at her focused face and bright eyes. it honestly made his heart thump a few times and a warm feeling spread through his chest. her hands were incredibly soft. like red rose petals. he felt this high when she tended to him. so high that he never wanted to come down. she was like his drug and he was going to protect it. 

     megumi, however, fell for him slowly. she spent many nights talking to him, getting to know who he really is past what others see. and he was just a high schooler who cares deeply for his best friend, kohei. he had insecurities and worries like everyone else. 

      and she loved the guy he was when they are alone. he was more expressive, talked more and actually had a hear of gold underneath his pent up frustrations. 

      he liked that she became his nirvana. a place where he could let go of everything and not have to worry about everything in his life. he was in heaven in her presence and that feeling became super addictive. to a scary level, if he's being honest. it was like she could be taken away from him at any moment and there goes his safe haven. there goes his nrivana, his peace. which is why he became super possessive of her. to a point where some of his friends would feel actual fear ripple through their spinal cord whenever they watched ryo with megumi. 

      "oi, megumi-chan~!" a masculine voice called to the black haired beauty. 

     megumi lifted her head from her locker to see who it was. she noticed a male student standing a few steps away from her. they were classmates of her and the leaders of senomon. the leaders stuck together in school for everything. like literally almost everything. lunch, same classes, everything. and because ryo and megumi were set up by their parents, she was mostly seen with them. that is, if she didn't have club activities. 

      megumi partakes in school activities such as the home economics club and science club. so whenever she's not around them, she is doing club activities. but everyone knew of her. 

      she is named 'senomon's angel' or 'senomon's princess' . when she was not seen without kohei or ryo, she was just megumi but that didn't stop some of the male students who thought they were brave enough to talk to her. 

      "oh, hey, fujioka-san!" she greeted, closing her locker and straightening her bag on her shoulder. "i hope you did well on your math test." 

     fujioka blushed slightly before rubbing the back of his head. "i did great because of you." he thanked her, bowing a little. "i just wanted to know if you would like to have a late lunch with me? i know a place nearby and it's a perfect way to thank you for helping me." 

     his words shocked her. she wasn't privy to boys in her school asking her out but mostly, they would be too scared to even approach her. there were rare times where a boy would be bold enough to approach her. megumi wasn't stupid. she knew of their reputation, even though she didn't know the full extent. she knew enough to know that they were feared. 

     "oh, ummm-" megumi stammered out, nibbling her lip slightly. "uhhh....well, actually-" 

      "OI!" a booming voice interrupted them. the two looked to see none other than ryo walking over to them. his face was colder than usual, his hands were in his pockets and he wasn't even looking at her. his ferocious eyes were on poor fujioka. 

     and like a wolf pack, kohei, sabo and a few of their men weren't too far away from them. fujioka jumped at the sight of them. instant regret filled his veins. 

    ryo glared at the shaken student for a few seconds, standing right in front of megumi. suddenly, kohei had to speak up. 

      "oi," kohei said in an unreadable voice as his men surrounded the boy. "are you stupid or something? didn't your mother ever tell you to stay away from things that aren't yours?" 

      megumi frowned at his choice of words. she was not an object or a thing. at times, she didn't like how kohei saw her as a material thing just because her and ryo were promised for each other. he was just as protective of her as ryo was but that was solely based on association. and his father told him that he had to be that way. 

    it made megumi slightly worried about her step-father and the type of friends he has. he's never been one to partake in illegal activities but still. she worried that he would get in trouble just by his association with someone like kohei anagai's father. a known yakuza leader. apparently, he, ryo's father, and kohei's father have been friends for many years. 

     kohei smiled at the fear in his eyes and walked closer to him, placing  a hand on his shoulder. his hand gripped him tightly, showing him that he was nothing to joke around with. "you are extremely lucky that i'm in no mood to break anyone in half today..." he whispered to him, leaning his lips near his  ear. "i suggest you fuck off  before i change my mood again....now leave." 

    as soon as he let go of the boy, he dashed off. leaving them to laugh at his running figure. megumi sighed, shaking her head. he was a nice boy, too. it was honestly really hard to make friends with them constantly guarding her like so. 

     "what were you doing talking to trash like that?" kohei directed his attention to the smaller girl as she sighed once again. "you do that and people will think we're weak." 

      "i didn't approach him, he came to me." she explained, crossing her arms. "he was one of the people i tutored last weekend. he needed help studying for a math test today, that's all." 

     "if he needs a tutor that bad, he can find some other peasant to do it." sabo joked harshly, causing slight laughter. 

     "let's go." ryo said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "your mother and step-father want you home early today." 

      "aww, chibi-chan still has a curfew?" kohei teased, ruffling  the top of her head as they began leaving the school. "how cute. too bad you can't hang with the big boys today." 

     megumi pouted, slapping his head away from her hair. she hated that nickname he gave her. and it was all because she was short compared to them. "shut up, kohei." she mumbled. "i don't even wanna know what goes on when you all are together." 

     "i'm insulted, megumi," sabo feigned heartbreak, placing his hands over his chest. "do you honestly think we're ruffians? savages?" 

     "happy early birthday, by the way." kohei shoved a mini gift box at her. it was black, velvet and had a blood red bow on top. "don't get too excited. if it were up to me and not my father, you wouldn't even get anything." 

     megumi frowned a little, taking the box from his hand. her birthday wasn't until this coming saturday. in fact, she was shocked to know that kohei even remembered something like that. even though he has made it clear that he didn't care about her or anything that had to do with her. not unless it was senomon related. meaning, their image. he had his moments, of course. but overall, if it didn't affect him, he didn't care. 

      she opened the box, revealing a very pretty gold necklace. it had senomon's symbol as the pendant in red diamonds with the back of it in solid gold. it looked sparkly and very expensive. her eyes widened at it. 

      "congrats, chibi-chan." kohei said, flicking her nose a little. "you are of senomon now. so you should look and act like it, from now on and that means anyone outside of our school are your enemies, unless i say so." 

     "thank you for the gift." she thanked politely, slipping the necklace over her head and around her neck. "i'll have to give my thanks to your father." 

     "whatever." kohei shrugged, walking ahead of them. the others following in tow. leaving ryo and megumi behind in a brief silence. 

     "will i see you later on at the cafe?" megumi asked, turning her attention to him. the two started meeting at this coffee shop and bakery near her step-father's manor. it was small, warm and owned by a kind woman her college aged daughter. 

      ryo began taking her there after they started to actually get closer, as recommended by his own father. who took his mother to the same area when they were younger. ever since then before going home, the two would hang out there for a few hours. much to both of their father's happiness. 

       "sadly, not today." he sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "kohei and i have to go to this meeting soon. it's going to take up a lot of our time and we both won't be home until late night. so i'll just have to take you home." 

      megumi's ears perked up at his words. it was like a little lightbulb flickered above her head. he wasn't able to meet up with her? perfect! she could surprise her old friends in hope hill! her birthday was coming up and, with permission from her mother, she was able to see them beforehand.  her step-father was adamant on not letting her back into the oya district. there was nothing against the kids she was friends with. he just worried about her safety a lot and he knew the reputation hope hill had. especially after finding out that two of her childhood friends attended oya high school. 

       a high school that is notorious for housing the worst of the worst fighters, hoodlums and criminals. 

      and because he had a tendency to hover when it came to her safety, megumi's mother secretly gave her permission to visit any time she wanted. those kids were good kids. she was known to them as 'mama shoko' because she would always take care of them, feed them and help them in their housing district. especially when their mothers needed help. 

      she gets why her husband is worried but she didn't want to deprive her daughter of people who grew up with her. she was still learning the new ways of her life, that didn't mean she couldn't go back to something familiar every once and a while. 

        "oh, okay." megumi mumbled, feigning slight disappointment before perking up a little. "well, could you actually drop me off in toaru city's shopping district? i need to pick up some things before heading home." 

      thinking nothing of it, ryo shrugged in confirmation, guiding her to his car. megumi bit back a smile as they made their way over to the black and expensive looking car. she hated lying to ryo but she knew that he would tell her father of her plan. and she couldn't have that. 

            "come on." megumi groaned, trying to reach over the top of a shelf. she wanted to get a bag of flour for the cookies she needed to make before visiting her friends. looking at the clock, she knew she had some time to bake and package her famous sugar cookies for her friends. 

        madoka's school usually got out an hour after her's so she didn't have to worry about running into her at any given time. she loved madoka but the shorter girl couldn't keep her voice level down for too long. not unless she was around her classmates. 

      "seriously?!" she groaned to herself, dropping on her feet as she let out a huff. why did they have to place it so high? short people deserve rights, as well. "this is ridiculous." 

     "need some help?" a masculine voice interrupted her ranting. making her whip her head to the left. 

      she saw a tall guy with short black hair standing next to her with a small carton of milk in his hand. besides being very tall and big in muscle size, he was handsome and had a very youthful face. his hair was slicked back and he was wearing all black. 

      "oh!" she exclaimed in shock at his sudden appearance. she smiled politely at him. "that would be nice, thank you~" 

       the handsome giant gave her a small grin before reaching up top of the shelf, easily grabbing the flour bag for her. he passed it to her, which she took with happiness. "thank you so much!" she thanked him once again. "i swear, it's like god has favorites when it comes to body height." 

     "i used to think the same way, looking at you." he replied, pulling his hand back. "but i like to think that we have our height for a reason. it may benefit you some day, little princess." 

      megumi turned slightly pink as he patted the top of her head gently. she smiled shyly, moving a strand of her black hair out of her face. "i'm megumi, by the way. megumi matsushita." 

      "you can call me rao." he replied back simply. no last name, nothing else. just rao. which was fitting, in her eyes. 

      "rao...." she repeated, slowly. remembering his face and name. "hmmmm.....can i call you ra-chan~?" 

       rao looked at her as if she had three heads growing on her shoulder. "are you out of your mind? no."  he denied, only making her laugh a little. "think of a different nickname, if you're going to call me one so casually." 

       "ra-chan is cute, yes?" she giggled out, not paying any mind to his annoyed tone. "well, it's either that or a giant tree." 

    "giant tree?!" he repeated, shocked. this isn't the first time someone has commented on his height before but it was shocking to see this small girl boldly and casually give him a nickname for it. he has been called many names but a giant tree was a new one. 

    "cheers, ra-chan~" she bowed to him respectfully before pulling out a spare can of soda from her basket. she handed it to him before giving him a small smile. "thank you for helping me but i must be going." 

     rao took the soda as she walked past him, towards the check out line. he could tell this wasn't going to be the last time he would see her again. her boldness really amused him as he grinned a little bit. he really did hope to see her again. she was lively and bright. something he could use in his life, honestly. a positive battery. 

     "oh, little princess." he mumbled to himself before resuming his own shopping. 

honestly, the thought of rao and megumi
having a platonic and cute friendship has 
been in my mind for a while and it's gonna 
be a thing in this book, now. 

like imagine rao is giving suzaran a very important
meeting or speech and megumi is just kind of
there with puppy eyes. like his own personal 
positive battery. or the leaders of suzaran are her 
unpaid bodyguards. they are the sunshine protector
while she is the sunshine. 

don't forget to vote and comment, and when I 
say comment, I mean spam me with comments
throughout this book. wattpad has been dormant 
for a long time and i want this to be a fun book. 

love you!