Haru's Apartment
"It's over!" Kaoru cried, shoving Haru away from her, "I can't do this anymore!"
I can't do this to Ota anymore…her heart twinged with pain, her stomach turning with intense shame. The guilt was too much. She couldn't continue to betray Ota.
Kaoru's heart cracked more and more every time she thought of cheating on him with Haru. It was too much to bear, even with the neglect she felt with Ota, he was the love of her life. And she knew, the only thing she was sure of, is that she had to tell him. She had to come clean about the last few months.
Kaoru couldn't lie anymore.
"Kaoru, what are you doing?!" Haru exclaimed as he helplessly watched as she ran around his apartment gathering her things.
She answers him, without stopping her gathering, "I'm going back to Ota, this isn't right."
"Kaoru, stop it." Haru pleaded soothing, but to no avail, then his tone changed, "I said stop it!" he shouts, grabbing onto her hand holding her full bag of clothing.
She stops her movement, shifting her eyes away from him, staying silent.
"What are you doing? You can't go back to him." Haru asks gently, and whenshe gave no answer, his eyes narrowed, seemingly realizing the answer, "What are you going to do, tell him about us? Do you really think he's going to forgive you for being in love with someone else?"
"I don't love you." Kaoru affirms, in a quiet, soft voice causing Haru to release her hand as if he'd been burned, "He deserves to know, if I come clean with him on my terms, there still might be hope for us."
Kaoru couldn't bring herself to look at him, but she could feel the anger and pain radiating from him. She moves away from Haru and grabs her shoes, pulling them on along with her jacket. She quickly steps into the doorway stoop, her hand pausing on the cold doorknob as Haru began to speak.
"It won't be any different," Haru says coldly, "His work will always be more important to him. He'll break your heart when you tell him. You'll be all alone, just like you were three months ago, and I won't be here for you this time."
Kaoru's breath was shallow, his words bringing the sting of tears to her eyes. The pain and loneliness she felt all those months ago made her weak and desperate. She no longer felt that need when she was with Haru, but that was because she couldn't feel anything anymore. Kaoru felt empty without Ota, and Haru wasn't the remedy to that emptiness.
The girl turns slightly toward Haru, looking him straight in the eye, "That's a risk I'm willing to take." her tone was serious and final, "Goodbye." With that, she turns on her heel and runs out the door and toward Ota's studio.
Haru's eyes were raging with anger and pain as he clenched his fists together until he felt the pain of his nails enter his skin. He would not let her run so easily. He had put everything on the line for her, he had dedicated his life to her in a way that Ota never did and never would.
The raging, rejected man stomped over to his house phone and picked the receiver up roughly. He then dialed the phone number to the gallery Ota's work was generally displayed. The phone rang twice before an over-worked sounding girl answer the phone.
"Yes, hello, I was wondering if you had the phone number to Artist Ota Kisaki's studio. I'd like to make a commission request." Haru lied, not liking the answer she gave of taking a message and letting Ota call him back later, "No, I'd really rather talk to him myself, it's a very personal and important request, you understand, don't you?"
Not wanting to waste anymore time on the phone, the girl hastily gave him Ota's number without another word and hung up the phone. Haru then dialed his number and waited for the Angelic Artist to answer. It rang four times before he heard an answer.
"Hello?" The soft, tired voice of Ota answered.
Haru smirked as he gave Ota the words that would bring his entire world crashing down.
Ota's Studio
Ota could feel his heart freezing over after the phone call. He numbly relaxed his arm down to his side, the cordless phone still clutched in his frozen fingers. His breathing was shallow, the blood coursing though his veins slowly consuming his skin with cold shock. The words from the man on the phone rang through his head, clear and wretched….
"You should ask your unfaithful fiancee where she was last night…. You're a lucky son of a bitch to have such a…giving woman."
"Unfaithful?…Who the hell is this?!" Ota had demanded into the receiver.
"Better yet, you should ask her who she's been sleeping with the last three months…"
Ota's heart stopped, this had to be a prank, "Who is this! Tell me now!"
"You should take better care of your possessions, someone might just…snatch them up when you're not looking."
Then the phone went dead.
Ota's throat was dry, and his body was numb. His exhausted mind was trying to comprehend what had just happened. This couldn't be happening, this had to be some sort of cruel joke. There way no way, she couldn't have…
"She wouldn't…" The words tumbled from his lips, his hand covering his mouth.
Kaoru loved him, didn't she?
And he loved her…
Ota's grip on the phone became like iron.
Had loved her…
Ota's jaw clenched, gritting his teeth painfully. The cold hand of anger gripped his heart as he thought of her betrayal. He imagined her and her new man together, the thought of it made him physically ill. Another man making her happy, loving her in the way he did. Loving her physically.
In that moment, his love for Kaoru disappeared into anger. He gathered his emotions and shoved them far into his subconscious, until he couldn't feel anymore. Not until all that was left was his wrathful rage. He wasn't satisfied until he was simply a husk of himself.
At that very moment, he heard her stumble into the studio. She threw her belongings on the floor and ran through Ota's studio calling his name.
"Ota? Ota, are you here?" Kaoru called hurriedly, her breath coming in gasps.
There was no answer, and she continued to search until she found him standing like a frozen statue in the kitchen nook. His face was turned away from her, but she could feel the atmosphere around him was like ice and darkness.
"Ota?" Kaoru says his name timidly, your feet glued to the spot you stopped.
He didn't answer, and she started to take in his being. She could see the rigidity in his lean back muscles, his head hung down, and his fists were clenched into tight first…and in his right hand was the telephone.
Kaoru's heart stopped beating, her breath was scarce…Haru wouldn't have.
It took a moment for her to gather her voice, "O-ta-"
"Your friend called." His voice was like cold stone, heavy upon her chest, "He told me everything."
Kaoru's knees began to shake, her whole body became numb.
And then her entire world came crashing down.
