100

I'm Sorry

Both sets of parents looked at each other, hiding their secret. They had once joked about Akari and Rin getting married, however their fate was not meant to be. Rin fell in love with Kiko and Akari went off to apprentice with Mage Koya. So their intention to tie the two families together were never thought about again.

However, now that Rin was acting so serious, the two sets of parents knew what Rin's intentions are. Akari was Rin's best friend. How could he let her go so easily? Even though it was the day of her wedding and it was disrespectful towards Mage Koya, they stayed out of it because it was Mage Koya, Akari and Rin's business to take care of.

Akari suddenly realized that the whole room was quiet and looking at her. She was so lost in her own thoughts and trance over Dean and her new life that she didn't even notice. Akari looked to Dean for answers as she glanced over the room and sense that something was wrong.

"Darling, Rin asked to speak to you privately." Dean told her as he smiled wickedly at her. He felt so happy that all of her attention was towards him. Never in his life did he think he'll find someone so wonderful like Akari. He too had stolen glances at Akari while speaking to Duke Jona and Duke Obara.

"Oh." Akari said as the slight smile she had on her face fell.

"Akari?" Rin asked as he felt a large stone lodge in his heart.

Akari looked at Rin then back to Dean. In truth, she didn't have anything to say to him, so she wondered why Rin needed to speak to her in private.

"Please." Rin asked as he began to feel Akari slip through his fingers.

Dean nodded his head and told her it was okay for her to speak with Rin. He didn't want there to be any misunderstandings between Rin and Akari, being that they were friends and that they once shared 99 lifetimes together. He wanted to give them a chance to talk so Akari can have closure over their lives that they shared together.

"Very well." Akari said as she stood up.

Akari lead Rin to the receiving room, where Akari sat across from Rin. Rin looked nervously at Akari not knowing how to start their conversation. The silence between the two was no longer comfortable. It ate at Rin and made him agitated.

The silence deafed him and caused him to lose his courage. The words he wanted to say did not come out of his mouth. He was afraid he had lost Akari already.

"What did you want to say to me?" Akari finally asked Rin.

Rin immediately fell to his knees which caused Akari to lean back into the cushion.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry." Rin softly told Akari. "I'm sorry I forgot about you and caused you so much pain."

Akari kept quiet as she let Rin speak.

"I'm sorry it took me 99 lifetimes to remember you. I'm sorry that I hurt you for 99 lifetimes. I'm sorry that I never once returned your love for 99 lifetimes. I'm sorry." Rin said as he looked pleadingly at Akari. "I caused you so much pain and disappointment. I'm sorry it took me 99 lifetimes to make it right for you... if you let me. I asked you not to marry Teacher Koya because I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, cherishing you, and making you happy. The way you were meant to be loved, cherished and happy."

Akari sat still not believing the situation. Her heart beated wildly and frantically as she stared at Rin.

"You remember?"

"I do. I remember everything." Rin said as he quickly stood up and sat beside her. "After your death, I died as well."

Akari shook her head not believing his words. She couldn't believe it. After she died, he did too? Shouldn't he and Kiko lived a life full of love and happiness?

"I died five days after you did. Kiko... she betrayed both of us. The reason why I kept going back to her is because she used love spells on me. She isn't the real daughter of the Lehar Family. She is adopted. There is someone behind her who wants to ruin my family. I think I know who is ordering her to target my family, but it took five years for me to finally figure it out. That is the only reason why I stayed with her for the past five years. I stayed with her because I needed to keep an eye on her and her family. I needed to be close to her so I can pretend everything with us is fine while I figure out who her backer is. Everything that I've done in this lifetime is to protect my family and you. I sacrificed myself so I can find the person who wants to ruin my parents. And I hoped that in this lifetime, we could finally be together. The way it was meant to be. So please, Akari, don't marry Mage Koya."

Rin could see that Akari was still trying to process what he confessed, so he kept on talking.

"In this lifetime, I have loved you since we were just children. It's because of that love that I remember you. Because I remember you and everything you did for me in our past lifetime, I could only fall more in love with you. So please, don't give up on me now. Not now that I am so close in dealing with the person who is behind my family's demise. Not now that I know how deceitful Kiko is. Not now that I can finally have my revenge. You just have to give me time to protect my family and unveil Kiko and her master's plan. Then we can finally be together. Like how it was meant to be for 99 lifetimes."

Akari felt so cold. She couldn't believe it. Rin remembered her and his life after her. Kiko betrayed the both of them and he died as well. He was caught in the same nightmare as her. All the love she had for him for 99 lifetimes were gone already. Had he told her that rainy day behind the academy, before she let him go, she would have given him a last chance and waited for him.

However the Akari she is today is not the same Akari in the past. There was a reason why she and Rin never became a couple in the past. They were never fated to be together if it was this hard. She had accepted that fact a long time ago and has decided to move on with her life with Dean.

"Say something." Rin whispered as his heart became heavy. He felt as if he lost his chance with her. Lost his Rotten Girl. "Tell me that you'll wait for me. Tell me that you won't marry Mage Koya."

The gaze that Akari gave him was apologetic. His heart lost all hope to be together with Akari.

"For the longest time." Akari began to say to Rin. "I have long wished to hear those words you just confessed to me. I have longed to be together with you and have you be as in love in me as I was with you. I thought the Gods have reincarnated me so I could save you from Kiko... so you and I could finally be together. But I was always wrong. I died so many times that I wasn't even scared of dying any more. I promised myself, Rin. I promised that I would live this lifetime for me. That I would change my fate. That our fate... Kiko, yours and mine... would no longer be. I would be cutting off my fate with the two of you. I was going to let you and Kiko have your happy ending and I would find my own happy ending. I'm sorry Rin, for what happened to you after I died. I'm sorry Kiko also betrayed you. But I'm not waiting any longer."

Rin's heart shattered at Akaris words. He had hoped that she would wait for him. Just a little bit longer and they could be together again.

"Mage Koya makes me happy. He appreciates me now. He loves me and cherishes me. He values me, respects me, encourages me and protects me. He makes me want to become a better person and for the first time in 99 lifetimes, I'm living. Really living. I'm alive."

Akari felt sorry for him. Sorry that he was trapped in the same hellish life as she was. But if those 99 lifetimes were meant to be hell so she could meet Dean in this lifetime. She would do it all over, just to be with Dean again.

"I am truly sorry, but I can't wait for you and return your feelings. I've let all my feeling so for you go. I can only be your friend. If you need my help with Kiko and her master, then I'll help you. Other than that, I can't be with you the way you want me to. I'm going to marry Mage Koya today and I want you to wish me well."

"I... I can't let you go." Rin told her.

"Rin, I've come to realize something about myself and about us. We had such a complicated entanglement in our past lives, you took part in my death and cause so much pain for not only me, but my parents. This will always separate you and me. So much so, that I could never return your love with honesty. It is best, if we leave our past as our past and look to a new future. Mine is with Mage Koya. Yours... you'll have to figure it out yourself."