Back to Square One [Finished]

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro Lawson ran a hand through his hair. The darkness seemed to swallow him as he made his way away from that apartment. It was a bittersweet parting. Something he had wanted and not wanted to do, and yet, he knew it was the only way for him to get over what had happened.

Jiro had enjoyed the relationship, but he had not foreseen the ache it would bring. He had not foreseen his need for Orange coming again so strongly. He had not known that he would not have been able to deal with his and Orange's sudden breakup at all.

He had been considering leaving for a while, and now that he had, he didn't really know what to do. He had been wandering for a long time now, and he had finally stopped, looking around him.

In a quick decision, knowing nothing else to do with himself, he pulled out his comlink and dialed his brother's number. He heard a tone and after a moment, he heard a clicking sound as someone opened the connection.

"Hello?" came the rather tired sounding voice of Taro, his brother. Jiro smiled a little, some of the darkness that was holding onto him, clearing a little.

"Kyoudai? Anatano ie ni heya gaaruka?"

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae sighed out as she glanced at the magazine sprawled out in between her legs as she sat on the floor. She looked around at the piles of magazines featuring dresses, decorations, and moundless ideas for a wedding. Jesimae was so excited about getting married to Taro that she was barely able to keep her emotions bottled up inside, The only other person she could be joyous and giddy with was Orange...who...was late.

Jesimae sighed out again as she glanced around at the clock to see it was nearing 7, the woman was always on time, if not before an appointment. It was awkward for her to be late especially when it came to mesaurements for the bridesmaid dress they had decided on. She heard Taro's comlink ring and she wondered if that was her considering she was responsible enough to call, but when Taro spoke in Japanese she knew it was Jiro. How she missed the little boy.

Jesimae smiled as she looked at the magazines again thinking mindlessly of how long it had been since he moved out and into a new relationship. Hopefully it was going well considering Orange's relationship had failed horribly and the only thing she kept talking about was Jiro. Jesimae knew that she still had feelings for the boy, and who wouldn't! He was adorable! But they had shared something special, something that neither one of them could've gotten from others. Jesimae drew her attention to where it was supposed to be, but the second she heard the front door opening she glaned over her shoulder to see if it was Jiro. That would've been bad, very bad, news.

[Orange Diren]

"Sorry! I know I am late!" Orange called out knowing that Jesimae would be standing on her head since she promised to be there around 5 instead of seven. She had to work overtime and then she had to find the nearest hover taxi, which was an impossibility considering it was rush hour and all the hover ways were crowded as hell.

"Rush hour!" She summed up in one word as she jogged into the living room to see a huge mess of magazines and measuring tape. Jesimae was sitting alone in the midst of gowns and dresses. She smiled at her as she looked up as if she were lost in the world of weddings and decorations. "I brought some of my things so I could take a shower and not stink up the apartment. I am going to go take a quick one, okay? We will get this done sometime this century, promise!"

Orange held up the duffel bag filled with shampoom body wash, clean clothes, a bag to put her oiled and greased up ones she wore in. Her hair dryer and make up. Lord knew that since she met Jiro she always kept make up on hand. God, there she went again! Jiro never seeming to stay away from her thoughts. She wasn't sick of him, nor would she ever be, she was just annoyed that her days consisted of thinking of him and the Lawson family. How she loved him still, how she missed him. If only he knew that during work she thought of him, when she was at her dormitory all alone she thought of him...everywhere and everyday Jiro was with her.

She wondered if he ever got that gift she bought months ago? How was he? How did he look? How was his relationship? Those and more questions remained in her head, how tiring it was. Jesimae said it was fine and told her to have at the showers and she immediately walked into the bathroom and closed the door. The quicker she cleaned herself the happier she'd be!

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro bounded up the steps, excited beyond belief to see his brothers. And Jesimae! God, how he had missed her! He had not seen her in longer than he had seen his brothers, and he missed her sense of humor and her sisterly affections. When he saw her and his brothers, the love that was going to go around was probably going to be too much for all of them.

Jiro slowly made his way to the door of his brothers' apartment and looked it up and down a moment, thinking about it. Then he raised his hand and knocked, hoping that it would not take Taro long to get to the door. He was dying to be out of the cold, which it was out here.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then he heard Haruko yelling at someone inside and then footsteps heading for the door. Jiro grinned, pushing away the sadness he felt inside for Orange, hoping that his brothers and Jesimae could help him feel a little bit better.

Jiro saw the door open and he looked up to see Haruko, his tall frame leaning in the doorway. Jiro grinned at him, and jumped up, grabbing him around the neck.

"Konnichiwa, kyoudai!" he exclaimed, hearing Haruko begin to laugh and then wrapping his long arms around him, hoisting him up and pulling him into the apartment with a grunt.

"Konbanwa, Jiro-chan!" he replied when Jiro stepped back and he shut the door. Jiro let the smile melt away slowly. Looking over Haruko's shoulder to see Taro. Jiro smiled. Even though he had not been here in what felt like ages, it still felt more like home than anything else. Although without Orange with him, he would never be completely at home anywhere.

[Orange Diren]

Orange breathed in deeply as she smelled the enticing scent of Mandarin oranges, her favorite body wash. She was so tired and sore from working since she had taken on double overtime to keep her mind off of her inability to keep relationships and her loneliness.

She and Aiden had never gotten along truly in the beginning, and it was only time till they ended in bitterness so she quickly broke it off before either one of them got heavily involved. Her heart and mind was within someone else anyhow so it wouldn't work out either way she cut it. That was months ago and she was still lonely and still missing Jiro. Why couldn't she find something, or someone else, to bide her time?

Orange heard some noise outside and she stopped washing off her sudsy body to listen, but she figured it was just Haruko considering he was the loudest in the bunch aside from Jesimae. But for a moment there she swore it was Jiro. Her mind was even beginning to play tricks on her, beginning to tease her. How she was ready to just jump out of a window and end it all, but Jesimae was the only thing keeping her going since they had grown closer since their trip to Tattooine, surprisingly.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the tub and sighed as she wiped herself dry with the towel smelling oranges. She grinned as she put it around her head and grabbed her duffel and put on her clean clothes, underwear, bra, white tank, and her dark blue cargo pants. When she was dressed she felt like a million dollars even when she began to dry her hair.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro grinned at Haruko and Jiro as the talked. He wondered breifly where Jesimae was, but he figured whenever she wanted to come out and see him, she would. He was afraid she was sore with him for what he had done to Orange. They had become closer since they had returned from Tattooine, and Jiro knew that Orange must have told her how angry she was with him for what he did to her. Not that he didn't deserve it. He had not been what he had wanted to be with her. He had been selfish, had been passive. Too much so.

Jiro shook his head and walked towards the bathroom. He wondered for a moment why the apartment was so messy, then remembered Taro and Jesimea, and her endless search for a wedding dress. As he grew closer to the bathroom, he heard Haruko make an extremely distressed noise.

"No! You can't go in there!" Haruko cried at him. Jiro looked over his shoulder, glancing at Taro who also look rather anxious. Jiro laughed a little.

"What's wrong? Its just a bathroom," Jiro said, grabbing the handled. And though Haruko groaned as if he were being killed, Jiro opened the door, looking in.

And his stomach dropped to the floor. Orange Diren was standing there, blow drying her hair, a little steam still clinging to the mirror she was looking into. Jiro's mouth dropped and he immediately closed the door, putting a hand through his hair and staring around at Haruko and then Taro. His happy mood had just gone down the drain, fear clutching his stomach. He shook his head.

"I came at a bad time."

[Orange Diren]

Orange looked at the door surprised that someone would even come in knowing she was in there. She heard Haruko say something and then the door had flung open. Steam was almost everywhere and she was blinded for a moment by her hair, but she was almost positive that it was Jiro. Her eyes must've finally been screwed since they were now playing with her emotions. Her heart was beating so fast that she swore she'd pass out due to blood rush overflow, if that was even possible which she knew it wasn't. She turned off her hairdryer and listened, but all she heard was muffled noises. What the hell was he doing here? Was he with his boyfriend? Oh hopefully not!! Orange bit her lower lip then began to panic. She unplugged the hair dryer and tossed it into her duffel bag and quickly zipped it up and grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair in a high pony tail.

She grabbed her bag off the toilet and opened the door, happy to feel the chilly air against her moist skin. She looked around and didn't see Jiro, but God she smelled him. That scent that was so enticing, so sensuous, so delicious...so...flashbacks caused her heart to slow and make her smile, but she remembered that he was with someone else, she should;ve been cross and mad, but she never could stay mad at him for long. Ever.

Orange walked out and looked around some more and finally went to Jesimae. "Maybe we should...do this another day?" She watched the woman look up at her and frown.

"What? Why!? We've put this off for so long already! Orange come on!" Orange knew how important these measurements were and she hated doing this to her, but the way Jiro bolted out of the bathroom there was no way he would want to stick around.

"It...Jiro...he...is here." Jesimae frowned then jumped up.

"He is!?" The smile was huge on her face and Orange suddenly wanted to die. She was going to be stuck giving her these measurements and hear her blab to Jiro. She watched Jesimae call out for him loudly, happily, urgently. Apparently she wasn't the only one who wanted to see Jiro again.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro had hidden himself in Taro's bed, the blankets pulled up over his head. He wanted the floor to swallow him up. He just wanted to die. What was he going to say to her? What could he say? There was nothing. Nothing was coming to him.

Taro was in the room with him sitting on the edge of the bed, poking him slightly.

"You can't hide from her forever, little one..." he whispered as Jesimae began to yell for him. "She deserves to know what happened. And Jes misses you. Grow a pair, Jiro." and Taro stood up off the bed walking to the door. Jiro was going to flip him the bird, but he couldn't get untangled fast enough before Taro left the room and said something to Jesimae.

Jiro knew his brother was right. But maybe he could talk to Orange when there weren't so many other people hanging around. Jiro just wanted to pass out and never get up again. This was probably the worse thing that had ever happened to him. He was seriously considering running back to Alexander's apartment. But he knew he couldn't.

Sighing, and throwing the blankets off of him, he swung his legs over the bed and stood making his way to the door. Looking at the handle, he brushed back some hair off of his neck, where he had allowed it to grow out a little. The died red strands a little redder than they used to be. Looking down at himself, he straightened his white long sleeved shirt and loose ripped jeans. He found himself trying to look less messy because Orange was out there. This was ridiculous. They weren't a couple anymore...yet Jiro couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement, of fear, his stomach rolling over as he finished tying one of his black sneakers and then opened the door, peeking out.

"I'm...here...Jessy..."

[Orange Diren]

Orange watched Jesimae smile happily when she heard his voice, but Orange knew that nobody could feel as giddy as she since she had been dying to hear him, dying to see him, dying to just watch him in three dimensions since it had all occured in her dreams. Now he was there, in real time, in the same building, apartment and soon to be in the same room.

"Wait!" Orange touched Jesimae and slightly looked at herself, Jesimae laughed at her and threw her hand at her.

"You look fine!" Orange felt her face grow red, how stupid! He wasn't there to see her and he definitely wasn't there to hit on her after all he had someone else. The lucky jerk had someone else.

"Well...lets get it over with!" Orange whispered to Jesimae as she tried to act busy looking in magazines. She looked at Jesimae call for him yet again.

"Come give me a hug, brother!"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro smiled at her walking over to Jesimae and putting his arms around her neck, holding her close. He had missed her, but as he hugged her, he found himself looking at Orange, yet trying to avoid her gaze. To do so, he buried his face in Jesimae's neck.

"I missed you, sis..." he said quietly. He leaned back and put his hands on her face. "You look gorgeous, Jessy. I see you're wedding shopping. My brother was telling me how stressed you're all getting about this." He smiled at her and glanced at Taro nodding at him. "He's worthless in the decorating department however..." he paused a moment, dropping his hands and glancing at Orange, the first look he had given her. "Good thing you got another woman to help you. Buddha knows you're going to need a little support among all these men...and Lawson men at that." He took a deep breath and then looked back at Jesimae.

"How are you, sis?"

[Orange Diren]

Orange leaned against the couch as she sat on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest and held a magazine on it, acting like she was truly reading it with interest when all she wanted to do was look at Jiro. Okay so he was alone, she figured this much considering the way everyone acted and how they had missed him. Jesimae was vague on details since she said they hadn't seen him since they all returned, which Orange felt slightly mad considering Jiro would not keep in touch regularly. Was it Alexander's fault?

Orange wanted to smack herself for butting in on his business but she wanted to know everything! Most of all she just wanted to know if he was happy. She glanced up at him after being brave and saw he was looking at Taro. She quickly looked away then heard Jiro acknowledge that she was a female and in the room. She wanted to smile after the comment made about the Lawson's, but kept her emotions inside. Her heart was pounding and palms were sweating. She never remembered Jiro making her feel this way! But even so, she loved the feeling.

She listened to Jesimae tell him how she was fine and just stressed with wedding things, Orange periodically glanced up at him hoping to catch him glancing her way, but she never did. She knew that she'd probably end up getting caught staring. How she loved him still, how much she missed him, how she just wished things were the way they used to be.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro sighed as he watched Jesimae get back to searching through magazines with Orange, and he moved back over wrapping his arms around Haruko's waist and making a whining sound. He didn't want to be here, and yet he did. He didn't want to look at Orange and yet he couldn't help it. He didn't want to tell them that he and Alex were no longer together, and yet...he did.

Jiro looked up at Haruko and then at Taro and he nodded towards the kitchen. He grunted at them.

"Hayaku..." he muttered walking towards it. His heard his brothers follow and then they walked into the kitchen, Taro closing the door behind him as he was the last one in. Jiro positioned himself around the table and Taro and Haruko stood in front of him, Taro smoking a cigarette--as usual--and Haruko trying to tame his hair. Jiro took a deep breath and then sighed it out.

"Alex and I aren't...together anymore..." he said to them. Taro watched him a moment, taking a drag and blowing the smoke away from him. "It's the reason I am here."

"You okay?" Haruko questioned. Jiro looked at him and nodded.

"I hope so..." he said. Then he shrugged. "But I feel awkward here with Orenji...do you think I could come back later?" Taro immediately shook his head.

"No. You can't just walk away from her. If anything, just stay and make nice with her. Even if you two don't get together, be her friend, Jiro. I know you don't hate her enough to leave right now," he said. Jiro nodded, shrugging.

"You're right..."

[Orange Diren]

"I don't know what to do with him here!" Orange proclaimed to Jesimae the second that door shut. She was standing up pacing, her handsd shaking uncontrollably. She just wanted to march into that kitchen profess her love for Jiro, run out of the apartment, and not see him ever again.

"Don't worry about it, be yourself!" Jesimae sat down on the couch and smoked a cigarette watching the woman act like a crazy person. She was amused, yet not, for she could see Orange wanting to just do something to Jiro that would let her emotions out.

"How can I not worry about it, Jes? I thought I was over him...okay that is a lie. I am still in love with him! Seeing him here, hearing him, smelling him...god I just want it to be the way it was!" Orange fell to the floor on her butt the second she said this. It seemed as if she were defeated and as if saying that Jesimae was such a feat. Jesimae would love to see them together again, Orange knew as did everyone else, but it was up to them, up to Orange and Jiro.

"Anyone with two eyes can see youro nervousness and that you still love him. Hell I wasn't even looking at you but I knew you were sneaking peeks. He was too."

"Liar." Orange said with a smile. She wanted to see him look, see if he still loved her, see if there was any chance that they could try to work things out. She had calmed herself down, she wasn't paranoid anymore, she trusted people, trusted Jiro even though he left her for someone else.

"I want Jiro back, Jesimae. I want him back so bad. I want to hold him again, kiss him...feel him." Orange sighed out and wrapped her arms around her as if giving herself a hug. Jesimae smiled and nodded.

"Tell him. What is the worst that could happen?" She looked up at Jesimae and let her hands fall and her smile turn into a frown.

"The worst? He'd say no, go away. He has Alex, now...and I am doomed to have nobody."

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro scratched his head vigorously as he watched Taro leave and Haruko leave behind him. Well, they weren't any help whatsoever. Jiro knew that Taro was still a little sore with him for how he had broken it off with Orange. Not that he had not forgiven him, but to Taro Orange was his littlest sister, and he was more on her side than Jiro's. So much for the "blood is thicker than water" rule.

Jiro paced a moment, listening to his sneakers as he walked. He had gotten out of the habit of taking shoes off at the door, since Alex had not had that rule. It bothered him a little bit, the things he had gotten out of the habit of doing. He could almost feel his Japanese slipping because of the time he had spent speaking Basic with Alexander. He was determined for that not to happen.

A lot had changed since he and Orange had been together. Well, maybe not a lot, but subtle things. She may not have even noticed them. But they were little things, like not taking his shoes off at the door. Being a little more open about himself. He even knew that the way he dressed was different. He dressed smarter, sharper, more in tune with style. He took a longer time doing his hair and pay attention to himself. Not that he hadn't when he had been with Orange. Just that now, it took him longer to choose something that matched rather than he just pulled on a shirt of his brother's, a pair of jeans he found somewhere and going. Most of the changes had taken place in his simple attitude about himself.

And Jiro wasn't sure if he like the changes.

Sitting down on the table and putting his chin in his hands, he weighed his options. He could either not say anything and allow the evening to pass in silent agony; he could say something and risk her laughing in his face; he could just make nice with her and be her friend and try to leave it at that. Funny thing was he was not happy with any of those choices. He wanted to snap his fingers and allow it to go back the way it had been before. But he knew that could never happen.

Taking a deep breath and going to the door, he opened it and peered out, brushing away some of his hair.

It's now or never, Ji... he thought to himself. Jiro touched the necklace around his neck. It had been a gift from Orange what seemed like an eternity ago. It still brought warmth to him, as if she were holding him. Crunching his tongue between his teeth, he walked back into the living room and glanced at Haruko and Taro. Haruko shrugged a little at him, and Taro lifted an eyebrow. Obviously, they weren't going to help him at all. He was seventeen now though. He needed to stop relying on others to do his dirty work. This was between he and Orange, and no one else. He took a deep breath and then crouched behind Jesimae, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Hey, Jessy?" he asked smiling at her, giving her his best puppy dog face. "Would it just rip out your soul if I borrowed Orenji for a minute or two?"

[Orange Diren]

Orange glanced away from Jesimae when she heard Jiro. IT was a subtle move which most people did when someone walked in a room behind them or heard them, they turned to see. Orange felt though that she did it too quick. She glanced away even quicker to Jesimae giving her eyes that told her not to go anywhere, but then Jiro asked to "borrow" Orange. God, but he said Orenji, his nickname, her nickname.

"Sure!" Jesimae stood up, gave Jiro a kiss and walked away into the kitchen where she shut the door to be with the others, alone. She was determined to beat the happenings out of Jiro or Orange at a later date since Taro wouldn't let her eavesdrop.

Orange felt her heart beat so fast it was going to explode within her chest, or out whichever came first. She sighed and looked over her shoulder and scooted on the floor to face the man standing tall in front of her. How good he looked! How he had changed!

"Did you get my gift I got you? I saw that and I wanted to buy it for you since I knew I messed up your other necklace." Orange felt it was a casual way to start a conversation, even though she knew this wasn't what he wanted to "borrow" her for.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro smiled lowering himself to sit crosslegged on the floor in front of her. He pulled the necklace out of his shirt and showed it to her breifly, looking at it before stuffing it back down his shirt, the familiar feeling against his chest returning. He sighed, looking down at his hands for a moment. How was this conversation supposed to go? What was he supposed to say to her? Was there anything to say? Had he sat down her to not say anything, and look even more like an idiot than he already did?

Jiro chewed his lip a moment, furrowing his brow and thinking. Well, one thing on the agenda was to apologize. That was obvious. Another thing was to tell her that he and Alex were no longer together. A third was to explain how he felt about her. Jiro had just never been too good with words, and as such, organizing those things into a coherent thought was going to be a feat and half. He put a hand on his forehead and sucked a breath in through his teeth, praying to Buddha for courage quickly before looking up and at her.

God, she had not gotten any less beautiful in his time apart from her. If possible, she had only grown more beautiful. Her hair was redder than he remembered it being, her eyes greener, his skin more perfect. Everything about her was perfect. How much Jiro wanted to just beat himself up for leaving her. How much he wanted to smack himself. Or let her do it for him.

"I don't...know how to start this conversation...I just know that it needs to be started an finished..." he began. Well, that was eloquent. Absolute poetry right there. He took another deep breath and then leaned back on the heals of his hands, considering her a moment. Then he leaned back forward and on his knees. "Orenji...I...don't think I can ever really deserve your forgiveness for what I did to. And I don't expect it either. But to begin, I do want to apologize for everything that happened."

[Orange Diren]

Orange wanted to smile so big when she saw him pull it out of his shirt, but she held it back. She didn't know what was going to happen or what they were going to say and she was even more nervous than before, but she suddenly felt comfortable, like old times. She watched his face and saw several things pass, as if he were going through a list in his mind. She frowned and leaned forward slightly to wait and see what he had to say.

She watched him move around then suddenly move forward to suddenly apologize. She smiled slightly, keeping most of the happiness behind. She nodded and looked away for a moment then glanced up.

"That is okay. I am glad you apologize, but you did what you felt was right. I just...wish you hadn't." She laughed lightly and shrugged. "I accept your apology." Now come back to me!

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro smiled a little at her, unable to at least smile a little. She was still adorable, still beautiful, stil funny, still everything. She was every good word that exsisted wrapped up together. And Jiro knew that he still loved her. He sighed.

"Looks like I didn't make such a great decision," he chuckled, waving a hand in front of his face. "Alexander and I are no longer together..." he paused again. He figured this was it. He looked up at her, wishing suddenly he had taken these blasted blue contacts out before coming. They were bothering him to no end. He chewed his lip a moment before beginning.

"Orenji...I was wrong to do what I did to you, I know that. But in ways, I am glad I did...it made me see, Orenji. It made me realize things about myself that I didn't know before. Being away from you Orange, only enhanced my need to be with you. I know that I can never take back the things that I did you, and I can never erase the hurt I have caused you. The best I can do Orange is tell you how I really feel about you..." he said, his words trailing off. His stomach was flipping so badly he felt like he might hurl at any moment. And that would be a very bad thing at this particular moment in time. He sighed again.

"I love you, Orenji...in some ways, this is nothing new. I have told you how much I love you before. But this is me telling you what a mistake I made leaving you. What a mistake it was to ever think that I could live without you. You finish me, Orenji. You are everything I lack, everything I need to survive. My connection to you runs much, much deeper than it has ever run. I've come to see in your absence that there is nothing I want, or need, more than you..." he let out the breath that he did not use in saying this, and looked down at his hands. He was waiting for a smack in the face and an 'How dare you say that after doing this to me'. He was waiting to be proved right again. To know that it was a bad idea to ever have this talk with her.

But even though he was waiting for it, he knew if it happened, he might actually die. That might really cause him to have a heart attack and die.

[Orange Diren]

Orange sighed out feeling as if her heart had just been fooled, thyis whole this was a dream, everything about this was just a joke. She looked up at him and stared. Judging his emotions to see if he was truly meaning what he just said and even though she couldn't see anything but how beautiful he was there was no doubt in her mind that he did mean what he said. She smiled to herself and looked down at the floor so happy to hear him.

"Do you remember when I kissed you and you didn't like it? I came into your room and told you to let me try again...would you want...to...try it again?"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro felt his heart drop as if from the greatest height there was. It landed on the floor, and for once, bounced. He had expected it to shatter all over the place, be killed slowly, and yet here it was, still in his chest, still beating. Beating, in fact, at about a million beats per second. It was completely in tact and felt as if it might actually survive.

Because for the first time in the youngest Lawson's life, something had gone right.

"You don't know how happy that would make me Orange Diren," he said, looking up at her and blinking several times to makes ure that she was actually real. He blinked, then blinked again, and again, and none of the times did she actually change. And Jiro had never thought he had been happier in his life. He smiled at her. "You have no concept of how happy that would make me."

[Orange Diren]

Orange smiled and laughed lightly. So her wish had finally come true, something in her actually went right! She nodded and looked at him so happy to be this close to him, this near to him. He was hers again, they were together again, everything was going to be perfect like before!

"Well...do you want to start slow? Do you want to jump right back into the relationship?" She didn't want to make the same mistakes as before she didn't want to lose him, didn't want anything to go wrong. In fact, she wanted to have things end up just as Taro and Jesimae's relationship. How perfect they were together, how they completed each other.

"I love you Jiro! I always have, I always will. I want to make sure everything goes right."

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro grinned, getting to his hands and knees. He crouched slightly then crawled over her knees, cupping one hand around he face so he could easily stare into her face, committing it to memory, so glad to be here that he could help but smile at her. He leaned in close, wrapping an arm around her waist, and pressing thier mouths together, laughing against her lips, the chuckle escaping him before he could stifle it.

Jiro didn't think he'd ever been so happy, and when he pulled away, he buried his face in her shoulder and held her tight and close and vowed to himself that he would never say goodbye to her again. She was his soulmate, he believed it now more than ever. She and he belonged together and there was nothing else that he could do. This was it.

This was what love felt like.

[Orange Diren]

Orange smiled and held him tightly. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his and smelled him, that scent she always wanted to smell and what she always wanted to have on her. This was her little boy, her baby, the one she missed more than anything. Her dreams had actually come true, she finally got the one and only thing in the world she dreamed about. She had her Jiro, her baby.

"I love you." She said lowly in an airy sigh. She was so glad to feel him against her, she wanted to keep this moment in her mind till the day she died. "Aishiteru."