Chapter 61: Never die.

No one could have foreseen the kind of recovery Haruka Ten'ou was making.

In less than two weeks after waking up from her coma, Haruka Ten'ou was able to walk slowly. Her leg, feet and head fractures were mostly simple, and her ribs have generally healed during her coma.

In three months, she was jogging with her therapist.

Her news coverage would still pop out every now and then, but the most anticipated issue was her participation in the trial of Hayate Motors and Chiba Motors.

Haruka testified two months prior to present day and have helped won their case against Hayate Motors.

Hayate Motors' participation in the Formula One competition have been suspended for the next three years. Although Mamoru was aiming to completely remove Hayate Motors from the market, it was agreed by the court that the three suspects would be sent to prison for the next eight years due to their plea of being guilty. But the bigger picture was the on-going debate regarding the whistle-blowing issue that Rei Hayate was the man behind the kidnapping of Usagi Tsukino, and attempted murder on Haruka Ten'ou. Unable to prove the direct connection, Rei Hayate was never summoned in court and had soon left Japan for a long business trip in Sweden.

At least for now, Mamoru could relax his nerves upon the knowledge of Hayate Motors' suspension in Formula One. Plus, the bad publicity have plummeted Hayate's performance in the market. As unfair as it was for Mamoru, at least for the mean time, even without putting Rei Hayate behind the bars, they were able to pull Hayate Motors out from the competition and have exposed their motivation and means for it.

Back in her apartment, Tenou's therapist, agent and assistant have finally left her side.

If in the past, it was a sight to behold her agent and the assistant, the added temporary crew member, Nina, her therapist, actually made it more festive. With the laughter and cheering coming from three young women, Haruka couldn't help but feel infected by their positivity, too.

Of course when they left, the formidable boss had to enter the picture.

"Dont be crazy," Rupert Heigl strode over Haruka's bar to whip himself up a drink. "Why do you still have to attend?"

"Because it's her wedding. I want to."

Hidden behind the bathroom door, Haruka walked back and forth from a mirror and to her closet, examining her evening attire.

"Okay, okay," Heigl nodded, unconvinced. With all the time they've spent together, both male manager and female racer have grown accustomed to each other's company without the usual embarrassments. Rupert let himself in her bedroom freely and aimed for the bar. "I'm trying to understand you; so, you save the girl's life and you do her fiance a big-ass favour," he begun, and what he couldn't see was that his racer was smiling broadly at the idea, "by actually wanting to die for her, and you still want to go to their damn pre-nuptials—even though you're in love with her."

"Thats the idea." She slid on her pants, inner shirt, the vest and the jacket.

"Like you should even be there." Rupert stood outside the balcony, silently admiring the city view.

"It says on my invitation."

"She knows that you don't have to be there." His brows met, forgetting the view. He headed for a sofa across the bathroom.

"That's not necessarily the case," Haruka checked her reflection cautiously, "light up."

"Oh I'm sorry, am I seeing this all wrong?" Rupert posed, dangling his glass of screwdriver in the air, "This is too much an emotional risk for you if you ask me, Ruka. You're being stupidly polite to these two, you don't deserve this."

In all their times together, Haruka never imagined the day Rupert Heigl would actually show any concern over her lovelife. Let alone her personal life.

Today was the day the old assumption was destroyed.

He actually genuinely cared.

"Rupert, please," Haruka countered, smiling widely, and coming out of the bathroom fresh and energetic, "I appreciate the concern. But you see, the terrible thing is," she paused, looking back at the full-length mirror, examining her female-fit tuxedo, "I love her. Indescribably—which is probably why I didn't mind dying that time. And if I can die for someone in such a way, then I could might as well die for her again in a lighter ambiance."

Rupert looked at her, pouted his lip, and took another swig.

"You're crazy." He stated. "That's it. It's the only sane explanation for your sorry-ass situation." He shrugged.

"I know right? Now hand me over that silk belt. I'm running late."

"A thousand other fishes, Haruka." He pointed. "A thousand."

"I like this one just fine."

"She's engaged!" he fumed, standing up to put back his empty glass on the bar.

"Just the same," Haruka sprayed her cologne and layered it with her perfume. "Doesn't change what I feel."

"Oh go to hell." Rupert dismissed her and decided to leave the room.

"I love you, too. See you tomorrow at the tracks," Haruka called out, "Are you sure you're not attending tonight?"

"I said go to hell!" he shouted from the staircase below.

"Alright, I'll tell them you're kind of busy. Don't worry, they'll understand."

And with one last satisfied look, Haruka Ten'ou bushed her fingers against her smooth lapels and smiled even wider.

So what if the woman she loved was marrying someone else?

She was the woman she loved. No one can take that.