Well, a few people were shocked with what happened in the last chapter. There's only more to come, though. Enjoy.

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I burst through the door to the apartment complex, running up the stairs and unlocking my apartment door quickly. I bolted through the door and shut it, sinking to my knees and crying.

Did that seriously happen?! I questioned to myself, leaning against the wall. Did they just find out what I really was? Now I was completely lost. My plan was ruined and I had no solution to fix it. Now the village knew, Rin knew, the cursed ones knew.

There was no way to reverse that. What would happen next? I had nothing left to turn to. I was hopeless.

I heard running footsteps come up to my door, causing me to flinch and lock the door. “Ritsuko! Ritsuko!” Maiko cried through the door. “Are you there?!”

“Ah, the door is locked, Maiko, she must've still not made it here.” Akito groaned. “Then where is she?” Maiko asked. “What if she left? What if she ran off?”

Akito countered, “She's smarter than that, Maiko. She won't just leave without taking anything. Let's go look around, just in case.” Maiko agreed with a murmur. I heard them walk away and I finally exhaled deeply. How could I have let them down too? More tears came down my cheeks at the thought of disappointing them.

I could hardly stand myself for the mistake I made. I revealed my real identity to everyone and now things went south. Maiko and Akito trusted me, but I let them down by doing the stupidest thing.

How could I have not noticed my zipper snagged? Maiko warned me. It was my fault for what happened. I should have never let it happen.

I couldn't sleep that night. I stayed up late, staring out my bedroom window. How did it get to this? The question rang in my head over and over and over again.

This is stupid. I am stupid. More tears came and I looked at the night sky, regretting almost every single useless thing I did in Crysolia.

The moonlight was shining through my window, only making the room slightly brighter. It glimmered like a diamond in the darkness of the starless night. I always appreciated the moon.

But in the middle of my thoughts, someone knocked on my bedroom door. I was kind of scared to answer, wondering who could break into my apartment in the late night.

“Who is it?” I asked, scanning the room for a possible weapon. Suddenly, Akito's voice came through the door, “A concerned friend.” I gasped, stepping back to the window and wiping my face quickly. It was no use, since my face was red from crying. “You can come in.” I confirmed.

Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing a concerned, pajama-clad Akito. I turned toward the window to give me more time to look better. Hopefully the cool breeze would dry my tears.

I looked at him bewildered. “How did you get in my apartment?”

Akito smiled slyly and held up a set of keys. “We always keep spares down on the counter.” I couldn't help laugh a little. “You actually did that?”

He nodded, “Of course. That's how worried I was for you.” We stood by the window in silence. “Are you okay, Ritsuko?” He asked with a voice that knew too well that I wasn't okay. I sniffled, wiping my eyes and looking to the moon out the window. “It's my fault. I screwed up. Now the cursed ones know what I really am. I don't know what to do.”

“Hey, hey.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “You might've made a small mistake-”

“Small?” I cried, “I was supposed to heal five people of their curses without revealing myself early and now that just happened.” Akito grabbed my hand, “Look, everyone makes mistakes. Whoever said Despair Healers are perfect? I don't remember you saying that your Master said that.”

He got me there. I fought the tears welling up and answered, “No. But I should have been more careful.” The breeze made me shiver a little as it blew my bangs to the side. Akito put his hand on my cheek, “Look, Ritsuko. You can't worry about what's already been done. It's over, there's nothing you can do about it.” I looked up at him, feeling pitiful. The look he had on his face didn't help either.

“But you can decide what happens next. You can still heal them, right?” I nodded, “Of course I could, who said I couldn't?” Akito chuckled, “My point exactly. I know you feel bad for the accident, but it isn't all your fault.” I tilted my head into his hand which was warm and soft but reassuring.

I squeezed his hand and managed to smile even. I still don't know how he did it, but he made it to where I didn't feel so horrible. How can a person do that? Did I even care? No, I just accepted my feelings toward him and accepted him for who he was.

“Thank you, Akito.... For everything.” Akito grinned at me, “Don't worry. Remember, I'm always here for you.” I leaned into him, burying my face in his shoulder. “I don't want you to get hurt, though.”

Akito put his arm around me, “I don't care if I get hurt, to be honest. All I care about is supporting you.” I pulled my head back and looked at him, making complete eye-contact. “Thank you.”

I suddenly found myself holding onto him as he leaned toward me slowly. What was even weirder was that I was inching closer to him as well. Was this right?

Before I knew it, the two of us were close enough to feel each other's hot breath against our faces. I paused for a second, then I leaned in, putting my lips on his.

Akito tensed up, and I hesitated for a second. Then I relaxed when I felt him kiss back. His lips were so gentle but strong at the same time. It was exactly what I dreamed it would be like.

I don't even know how long the kiss lasted, but I remember opening my eyes slowly and seeing that he had pulled away. We were still very close to each other, eyes still completely focused on one another's.

“Akito…” I whispered. He breathed, “Yes?” I couldn't pull myself apart from him, I held on to his hand, one arm around his shoulder. “I care about you.”

Akito nodded calmly, “I know.” I shook my head, “No, but...I also like you.” I confessed, clutching his shirt tightly. I didn't know what his response would be. We just kissed and I admitted my big crush on him on the same night!

“It’s okay, Ritsuko.” He blushed, looking down, “I like you too. I've liked you ever since we both met. I knew you were special when I first saw you. That's what made me like you.” I reddened, breathing hard, “Then-” I was interrupted by Akito going in and kissing me again.

Again, it felt like a dream, but I knew it wasn't. I melted into the kiss, letting him put his arms around me. I put my arms around his neck and embraced him.

I opened my eyes again and we slowly pulled our lips away. “Wait, so you’re okay with this?” I asked. Akito replied, “Why not?”

I looked down, already giving him the answer. Akito sighed, “Ritsuko, you know I don't care about what you are. It matters least to me whether or not you're a Despair Healer. I think you have a very sweet and genuine heart. That's what I care about.”

Akito put his hand under my chin, lifting it so I could meet his eyes. “You wanna know something.” Without a response, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a picture. He offered it to me, and I took it. I gasped at what I saw.

It was the picture of me when the two of us went taking pictures out in the forest. It was the ugly picture I hated that he kept. I cringed and wrinkled my nose, “Is that what you wanted to show me?”

He also handed me another one, but this one was of me looking off into the forest. The lighting was perfect on it, I actually didn't think I looked bad. I slipped another one from behind it, showing a picture of me smiling at him as he held the camera too close to his face.

“I loved those pictures because you were in them. I was scared to tell you, but I think you always look beautiful, even when you’re just yourself.” He blushed, pulling his hand behind his back.

I thought it was so sweet. No one had ever told me I was beautiful for being me. No one had ever wanted to take pictures of me and keep them.

“I know it kind of seems creepy, but I just wanted to let you know.” I looked up, tears of joy in my eyes this time, “You really do think so?” He nodded with confidence. I wiped my eyes and held my hands together, “That's so sweet…” He passed me another shot, “I also forgot to give you this that one time.”

It was not only than the picture that I got of him that time we were joking around. “So I can keep yours and you can keep mine.”

“Well, thanks.” I chuckled, wiping my tears. “But, I'm still afraid.”

“I'm afraid I'll hurt you this way. I'll drag you down and end up getting you killed. I've driven myself so much to try and do this alone, to not get you involved especially. You don't know what mental and emotional pain I've done to myself to protect you.” I looked out the window. “And here I am,” I sighed, gloomily. “I'm burdening you with every single thing I didn't want anyone to know.”

Akito chuckled, leaning on me. “You're so silly, Ritsuko. Sometimes, you've just gotta accept the help you're offered. I don't know how else to say it now that I've said it dozens of times. You can't do this alone, especially not now. Maiko and I are gonna help you till the end.”

I nodded, looking at him and looking out the moon.

“Get some sleep, Ritsuko, okay? I've got you, and I'm always gonna be there to have your back.” He patted my back and walked away. Now I was alone with my thoughts again. The first thought, as you may have guessed, was Akito.

He kissed me. That's the only thought I needed as I curled up in bed, playing with a strand of hair and smiling to myself. I couldn't believe it actually happened. That was my real first kiss.

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I know what you all must be thinking; FINALLY. Well, this isn't the end of the story. Just wait for the next chapter when we get back to the main plot. Thank you for reading and Happy Easter!