I’m glad, but that’s not what I meant. I meant that do you regret being engaged to me? To somebody that’s 10+ years older than you when you were only 10? To be taken differently and thought upon differently because of it?” “Yoshiyuki-chan, I don’t regret it at all. I love being engaged to you. I know that we don’t seem like such a likely couple like Sakura-chan and Li-kun, Chiharu-chan and Takashi-kun, or even like Kinamoto-san or Tukisiro-san. But...” “Rika-chan, please. You’re comparing us with couples that do end up together, and that’s making it worse.” “What are you getting at?” I could see it in her eyes, I could see fear. I was about to confirm that fear. “I’m saying that I don’t want you to be an outcast. I don’t want to limit you from normal teenage activities: dating, parties, stuff like that.” “I AM NOT AN OUTCAST! I got friends! I am included in activities. Why do you keep referring to me as excluded?!” Her voice rose a few folds, very un-Rika like. “Don’t you hear what people’s have been saying behind our backs?! Do you want to live with that the rest of your life and let it taint your perfectly good future?!” “It’s my life! I can’t believe you listen to what other people say about us!” Her angry tone turned slightly to pleading, “Isn’t love enough? Their thoughts don’t count for us, ours do!” A long moment of silence passed between us, letting each of us stew of what the other said. The years that we had been together brought us so close that we can understand each other without talking. Finally, the silence was broken when she looked up at me with those dark brown eyes, one of the aspects that I love about her. “Yoshiyuki, I’ll never stop loving you. Please don’t let the age difference bother you. Until you can get that through your head, I will fulfill your wish.” My soul shattered. Rika left, no longer walking with the genki stride. The wind blew one desolate time, stirring the daisies. ~~~End~~~ You know something, in the CLAMP universe, nobody seems to be bothered by the strange issues that they have. I know this fic is totally OOC, but it’s the only way to fit it into the idea I have in my mind. I just don’t like how everything in the CLAMP universe is so perfect, it’s disturbing. Well? How did you like it, Jess? Sucks huh? Yeah, well, it pictured better in my mind. -_-* It was too rushed. Oh well, a sequel is coming. It’s called “Love knows no age”. Fitting, ne? Well, the sequel is coming soon.... if you want me to write it. I probably won’t write it if I don’t have enough reviews. That’s something to think about, huh? A teacher under peer pressure. And one more thing, Yoshiyuki is his real name (or more specifically, Terada Yoshiyuki; family name first).