Here is another stand alone for the Claire-Obscure series! I hope you'll enjoy it.
The first part of this one-shot is set during the diner that Meca, Shizuka and Jou were going to in chapter 9 in Chasing the Light. The second part is set during chapter 11 (obviously, hehe…)
Enjoy and please review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Enlightened
"Zuka-chan, are you okay?"
I looked up at my cousin and nodded. "Sorry, I was spacing out again."
Meca smiled at me. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
I shrugged. "Otogi and I are not together anymore."
She blinked at me. "Oh…"
"We're still friends. It just didn't work out," I said with a smile.
"I see." She smiled back.
Jou patted my head with a grin. "It's good you got rid of the player."
I scowled at him. "He is not a player!"
"And you told me he was good to her," Meca pointed out.
"Really? When did I do that?" Jou asked.
Meca sighed and giggled. "Really Jono… Are you suffering from memory loss?"
I giggled. I had missed Meca. She and I had always been able to get along so well. She had changed though. It was clear that she had been deeply hurt by what Yami had done, but she also seemed to radiate some form of happiness. It seemed to brighten every time Jou mentioned Yami. My brother was oblivious to it (he was a guy after all), but I was not. Had Yami gone to talk to her?
I cut off another piece of my steak. I chewed slowly, my thoughts elsewhere again. If Meca and Yami could work out their problems, then maybe… I felt butterflies in my stomach at the thought of him.
Honda…
It had been almost three years since I had seen him. I should have forgotten about him by now but I couldn't. He had hurt me so badly, disappearing like he did. He never tried to contact me. And now Meca was his band mate. It was obvious she didn't know about what Honda had done. She hadn't been around when it had happened. She still had lived with my mom at the time in a different part of town.
I sighed quietly and sipped my drink. I wished I could talk to Honda, ask him why he had done what he did. I knew Jou would never let me out of his sight with Honda so close, unless… I looked at Meca. Unless I could talk Meca into covering for me. She would understand.
-x-x-x-
The opportunity to talk to Meca presented itself the next day. Meca had called me to ask if I wanted to hang out in her hotel room that night. I had said I wanted to come. I was eager for her advice. She was Honda's band mate. She knew him. She could tell me what was the right thing to do.
Today had been hard. After Shadow Realms' show I had seen Honda backstage. I had pretended I was paying attention to Greg as he talked to me but honestly… I couldn't remember anything he had said to me. I had felt Honda looking at me. His stare had been so intent, so warm. I could still feel it burn in my back. I had wanted to turn to him, rush into his arms and never let him go. At that moment I had missed him so much. I had seen Jou glaring at Honda.
I hadn't been the only one who had gotten hurt when Honda left. Jou had lost his best friend. I knew that Jou had spoken to Honda one time, but he hadn't let Honda come close to me. He had forbidden Honda to see me. He had been so angry. Jou wouldn't forgive Honda easily. If he was going to forgive him at all.
I bit my lip after I knocked on Meca's door. What if Honda came out of his room while I was standing there? The door opened, revealing a brightly smiling Meca. I stepped into the room and stiffened. Honda was standing in the middle of the room, looking nervous and hopeful.
"What are you doing here?" I blurted out.
Honda shifted his weight to his other foot, obviously uncomfortable.
"He wants to talk to you," Meca said gently before leaving the room. "I'll leave you two alone."
The door closed. I stood there awkwardly. Here I was, with an opportunity to talk to him and I didn't know what to say. God, this was hard. Suddenly Honda spoke up, startling me a bit.
"I'm sorry we tricked you into believing you and Meca would hang out," he said apologetically. "I know Jou would have never allowed it if he knew."
"It's okay," I said softly. "I wanted to talk to you too and I was planning on asking Meca to cover for me."
A small timid smile broke out on his face. I relaxed and smiled back at him.
"I'm so sorry for what I did," he said. "I… I should have told you I was moving."
I bit my lip, my smile disappearing as I once again remembered the pain he had caused me. I looked down at my feet so he wouldn't be able to see the emotions on my face.
"Shizuka," he said gently while stepping closer. "Will you look at me?"
"Why?" I asked him. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I… I didn't want to hurt you. I should have told you. I think I've hurt you more than I can imagine." He sighed.
I nodded and looked up again. "You have."
I saw the sadness and regret in his eyes. "It's… God, this is really hard."
I stared at him as he ran his hands through his hair, messing up his Mohawk, and started pacing.
"Honda?"
"Sorry," he said. "It's just…"
I reached out and grabbed his hand. The contact made my fingers tingle. His fingers tightened around mine.
"I've missed you so much," he said.
"I've missed you too."
I leaned into him and rested my head against his chest. I let go of his hand and wrapped my arms around his waist. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly as he buried his face in my hair.
"I'll never hurt you again," he whispered. "I promise."
He kissed the top of my head. I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat but I couldn't stop the tears that burned in my eyes. They ran down my cheeks, getting soaked up in Honda's shirt.
"Shizuka?" He cupped my cheek and made me look at him. His thumps rubbed my tears away. "I've made you cry again."
"Sorry." I smiled at him through my tears.
"Don't apologize," he said. "You're not the one who should."
I reached up and cupped his cheek. His eyes fluttered at the contact. "I forgive you."
He smiled at me. "Thank you."
He kissed my forehead and then the tip of my nose. I closed my eyes as he pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back and sighed as he pulled me closer. I had missed his kisses. His lips always caressed with so much love, making me think he was made for the sole purpose of kissing me. This was no exception. I let him deepen the kiss, tilting my head back to give him better access. His hands were warm as they caressed my back through my clothes. Suddenly I wanted him closer to me. I tightened my hold on him, arching my body into his.
Honda broke the kiss. "Shizuka," he said gently. "Wha-"
I shut him up by kissing him again. He was surprised by my behavior. I was too. I didn't know where this was going, had never done this before. Back when Honda and I had dated we never had… I hadn't been ready. And with Otogi it just hadn't felt right.
"Shizuka." Honda grabbed my arms gently and took a step back. "Don't you think…"
"I've spent the past three years without you," I interrupted him. "I never… with Otogi it just wasn't right. I… I trust you Honda."
A shuddering breath left him. "Don't you want to wait a little longer?"
"No." I shook my head. "I love you."
His eyes widened and for a moment I thought he was going to faint. I had never told him that before.
"I.." He smiled. "I love you too."
He cupped my cheek and kissed me again. He didn't try to stop me this time.
- End -
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