Imagine what kind of romance this odd couple has.

Difficult.

Both have dark pasts (Kira was raped by her stepfather, and Rei saw both his mother and twin brother (Sei) commited suicides).
As these two battle their personal demons, they learn to not only love each other, but themselves (Tokyopop, cover chapter 1).

 

 

 

Before she knows Rei well, Kira thinks that Rei is just a rude playboy. On the other hand she considers Mr.Yoshioka, the English teacher, as a polite man. However after Rei saves her from being raped at the art room by Mr Yoshioka, she learns that people can't be judged by their outer looks. From here on Kira is interested to Rei, and since he is so handsome, she is asking him to model for her painting.

Harumi, Rei's old friend who is in love with him is jealous to Kira. She brings her to a quiet place, and demands Kira not to speak to Rei again, or she will burn Kira's hand with cigarette. Unconsciously Kira asks "If I cry for a week because of the pain it causes will it be ok for me to like Rei?". Suddenly Kira realizes that she falls in love to Rei.

Harumi is even more upset now. She threaten Kira to give Rei up. If she doesn't want to, then Harumi will break her hand, so that Kira will never able to paint again. Just when Harumi is about to break Kira's hand, Kira screams "Sorry Rei, for not being able to give you my drawings" (Rei loves Kira's drawings). This forces Harumi to stop, since she realizes just how deep Kira's feeling for Rei is.

Rei who is very angry to Harumi for what she just did, shows his warped personality. He threatens Harumi back that if she ever lays her hands on Kira again, he will avange Kira by killing Harumi.
That night Rei visits Kira at her house, and gives Kira her first kiss.

(please read the manga pages from right to left)

 

 

 

 

Masao Kirisima-- A pretty boy who Rei once save from being killed by hostile bullies. He hates Kira because in his view she makes Rei 'weak' (Rei used to be a wild child delinquent, a side Masao loves the most from Rei).

Masao tried hard to separate the couple, to the point of attempting to kill Kira. He is mean and mentally ill.

As if these problems are not enough, Rei's mother asks her stepfather to come back -- and he tries to rape Kira again. Kira is running away from her home and staying at Rei's apartment-but soon her stepfather discovered her, and tried to bring her back. Rei punches him, and almost make him fall from the top of the apartment.

Angrily, Kira's stepfather screamed that he will bring law to this finish the matters. Realized that from the publics' eyes Kira's stepfather is a flawless and responsible businessman, while he is just an ex-child delinquent, Rei (who is absolutely against Kira 'stays' at the same place with her stepfather), ask for his father's help. It turned out Rei's father is a very wealthy and influential man, with his help Kira's stepfather dropped his plan to sue Rei.

However in order to get his father's help, Rei made a promise not to drive motorcycle again (which is very sad since he loves racing so much and dreamed of becoming a world-class racer someday). He also has to prepare himself to inherit the family's corporation.

Kira and Rei now stay at Rei's father house, a place where Rei spends his childhood with his mother and twin brother Sei. Kira soon revealed that Rei and Sei are the sons of Rei's current father's brother (in other words, Rei's current father is actually his uncle). Rei's mother had an affair with Rei's biological father when she is married to Rei's current father, and when she was pregnant with the twins, Rei's biological father died in a car racing crash (Now we know where Rei gets his talent and love to race).

Since he can't have any child of his own, Rei's current father (a very wise and kind person) loves the twins as his own. Rei's mother who doubt this, becomes overprotective to the children. She became a paranoid, who always think that her husband hates and will hurt the twins. She finally tried to kill the twins herself, luckily a maid saw this and she can be stopped. Later she hangs herself.

Sei (Rei's twin) and Rei grows very close to each other. Sei, just like Kira, loves to paint. He was a weak child, who was constantly being bullied by his classmates. Rei, as the strong one of the two, was always there to protect Sei. Sei loves Rei, and the real reason he commited a suicide (as written in Sei's suicide note that was found accidentally by Kira), is because he was too scared of being apart from Rei. By committed a suicide, he wanted to leave a big scar on Rei's heart and was hoping that Rei will also join him soon.

MARS 15
(the end)

All are well again---finally---at the final chapter Rei visits his father at his office. He brings the painting---MARS---Kira's gift to Rei's father to hang at his office. He asks Rei to have a child soon, since he is now married already anyway, to succeed the family's business (Rei just think 'hey, we can't have a child just like that, we're not like dogs you know?')

Then he meets Kira, who gave him Sei's suicide note. Rei just laugh at the letter. He can't understand why Sei thought of such things and committed a suicide. Then Rei burned the letter. He said when Sei can meet him again it will be when he is very old.

The story ends with a big race where Rei participates, Kira and Rei's father are also there-watching.

Lia Cyntia
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Vanya
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