A Place in Your Heart
Friends are forever.
Kotonami Kanae glares at the glass wall of the agency. She despises the phrase. She despises herself almost as much. What she perceives as twisted is correct. Her own clarity is a rare trait. It's one of the few that remains good.
"We should go," Fuwa Shō comments distantly.
His eyes are directed to the ceiling. The buzzing neon lights of the company are cold. Kanae inclines her head in agreement. She hides her eyes and the fury of her gaze well. He suspects nothing.
His footsteps are loud. They take him a pace of two away before he stops. He shakes his head and turns around. He strides over to Kanae and takes her hand. She doesn't resist as he leads her away. She simply fumes in silence.
Shō had arranged everything. Their meetings are secretive. His agency is working hard to promote their relationship. Her agency is still oblivious. She hasn't breathed a single whisper of a word to anyone. She intends for the situation to remain that way for as long as possible.
Mogami Kyōko is meant to be her friend. The moment that the truth is revealed Kanae knows that will end. She doesn't care as much as she should. Kyōko has long since fallen from her list of cares.
The elevator bells rings. Shō and Kanae enter. As the doors slide shut he squeezes her hand tightly. He wants their relationship to be public. He was the first of them to even think of doing so. It won't benefit his career. That should have been enough to put Kanae's fears to rest. It wasn't.
There is a reason behind his actions. Kanae has no doubt that he made the choice out of love. Her only question is who his love is for. It's a question that plagues her sleep. She dreams in darkness and heartache. Her waking hours are full of betrayal seeping into her thoughts.
He's doing to her what he did to Kyōko. She knows that she's no longer herself. She died long ago. This new person, walking, talking, thinking, eating and acting is someone else. She isn't Kotonami Kanae any longer. She's twisted her existence around his.
"I want this to end," Shō sighs.
She looks to him. "You worry too much. You'll get wrinkles,"
He glances at her disapprovingly. "I want this for you. I hate hiding with you. We shouldn't be creeping around in shadows,"
You're too mighty for shadows, Mr I-want-fame-and-attention, Kanae thinks to herself. She smiles encouragingly. She takes a half-step closer to him. He releases her hand and links their arms.
"One day we'll be out. I'll take you for dinner. I can finally pay you back for getting my groceries that time…" he trails off in embarrassment.
"It's just a few more days," Kanae urges. "You can be patient for a few more days, right?"
The sooner that their relationship is revealed the greater peril it will face. Shō is a compulsive and serial liar. He loves Kanae. She doesn't doubt that. She knows that he's being honest. However, half of Shō's heart still belongs to Kyōko. She can never forgive that one truth.
Kyōko will most definitely be one of the first to find out. She will hunt Kanae down and scream all of the reasons that she should never be with Shō. Then she will try to chase Shō away. Her attention may be the final push that he needs to return to pining after her.
A part of Kanae despises them both for that. She hates Kyōko because she will have to interfere. She hates Shō for being selfish. She hates herself for hating them both. She hates herself for staying with him. She hates herself for letting herself love him. She hates herself for doubting him.
"The garage looks clear," Kanae notes with a slight tone of irritation.
She can't be seen with him until their agencies come to an agreement. She discards thoughts of the worst possible ending to the revelation. She starts to leave when Shō pulls her back.
"Is something wrong?" she frowns.
He looks at her with an astounding level of seriousness. "I have to say this over the next few days. It's to other people about you. It might even be to you. Before I have to say this I want to of my own will; I love you,"
She gapes at him, stunned. He's been sweet to her in the past. His random moments of romance have come and gone without warning. This time has proved to be exceptional, however. He's never claimed to love her before despite her knowing that he does.
She smiles at him. "I love you too,"
She can't help the bubble of toxic possessive erupting in her heart.
Author's Note: Hey, even tough meanies can be sweet. I believe that of all people. I think this story is pretty self-explanatory. I'm sorry for the twisted nature of their relationship. My friend started an obsessive phase with Batman in me. Harley Quinn and the Joker are invading my mind and making me just as insane as them. Thankfully, some decent stories are coming from this phase. Thank you, my friend, I owe ya big time! Hee! I thank you all for reading my work. Please accept my apologies if my tale isn't good enough for your esteemed taste. I hope you've enjoyed reading this.
Part of the Revival Collection.