"I'm home." He'd announce.
"Welcome home Rei." Her sweet voice enveloped the whole room. Before her image disappeared from view
He smiled pathetically at his thoughts. Two years and he still can't get his mind on the thought that she left him. He removed his shoes and went to the couch. Laying there for the past year it had been worn out. He removed his watch and put it on the side table, accidentally knocking a picture frame down. He immediately sat up and fixed this back to it's original place. Gazing at the picture of his wife once again like any regular days. And just like a routine the memories came flooding back.
"Welcome back." He remembered how happy he was when he saw her open her eyes that day on the hospital.
Despite not wanting to, he called the nurse and doctors to check on her. He was asked to leave the room.
After a few minutes when he came back he found her eyes closed once more.
"Don't worry Otohata-san,she's just sleeping. She'll wake up in a few hours." He nodded. "It's best that you rest too Mr. Otohata."
He was about to open his mouth but closed again when his phone rang. He excused himself before answering the call. He looked at his wife one last time before leaving the premisses.
Laying down on the couch once again as he recalled that time when he was asked to fly to Australia for a few days. He was always looking out for his family's future, with that in mind he accepted the offer. Not before asking Miyu and Ran's help with his wife of course. That investor sure helped him expand his company. It was that call that had made his company what it is today.
He put his arm up to cover his eyes but just like always, his wedding ring would catch his orbs and his thoughts would fly back to the past.
As soon as he came back to Japan, he went to the hospital where his wife was still at. He heard that she would be discharged soon. He was ecstatic to tell her what he grained with the trip not knowing what he was about to loose.
"She's gone!" Her nurse screamed frantically,
"Gone? What do you mean gone?!" He was dang angry at the nurse. The hospital was suppose to look after his wife.
His fingers combed his locks as stress hit him hard. His phone rang.
An unknown number. His brows furrowed before answering it.
"Make this quick my wife-"
"Rei"
He sighed in relief. "Aya, where are you? You had us all-" His voice almost in a scolding manner.
"Let's stop this." She said.
"What-"
"Sometimes, it gets tiring." Her voice sounded distant. "It's tiring to be always your second best."
"Aya don't-"
"He's gone, Rei." He let her continue. "I'd like to think that it was a boy because you wanted our first born to be a boy right?" She laughed and yet it sounded sad. "And we didn't even meet him." Her voice cracked.
"Aya, I lost him to-"
YOU SAY THAT! BUT YOU DIDN'T! " She screamed. It was the fist time he heard her so angry. "You didn't Rei! I carried him with me when you were busy flirting with your secretary!"
"You know thats not true!" His voice raised too. "You know that's not true." He repeated calmly.
"I don't know anymore, Rei. What do I have to believe?" Her voice calm once again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice."
"It's okay, Aya. Just come home." He said.
"No." There was a few seconds of silence. He could already see her shaking her head.
"Tell me where are you then? I'll pick you up."
"Where is home, Rei?" She asked.
"Aya, just tell me where you are and let's go home together." He's voice sounded desperate.
"Home is where the heart is. I always had that thought in mind. For the past two years, you were my home and when I got pregnant, that baby was my home too." She said.
He heard someone in the background yelling to hurry up. A sound of rail tracks. She's at the train station! He hurriedly went to his car and drove to the nearest train station.
"That day when I brought lunch, one of my homes was destroyed. The other home I had, followed, Rei." She said.
"I don't know where to go next-" She stopped. He heard someone asking her for a seat number. While she answered politely in English.
"Get off that train, Aya." He tried to sound calm but he can't.
"No." she said firmly. "I'm tired, Rei. I'm so tired of being second best to Ran. To your secretary." She said.
"Aya stop that! Stop saying nonsense."
"Is it? Maybe all these are just nonsense." She said. "I guess we should stop this."
"Aya don't-"
"I'm giving you, your freedom, Rei."
"Aya!"
The lights turn red.
"This time...find your happiness, Rei."
"AYA!"
"Sayonara..." And she hang up.
He drove as fast as he can. When he arrived there, another train came to replace the one that left.
"What train departed at 9:30?" He asked a student who happened to leave the platforms.
"Kyoto and Sendai."
He groaned. He doesn't know which train she boarded at. Trying his luck, he dialled her number once more but a voice prompt answered saying that the number does not exist.
He sighed once more efore completely closing his eyes and surrenderig to his nightmares. It doesn't matter, to him, if he can only see her in his dreams then he'll take what he can get.
"It's tiring to be always your second best." She'd say.
'You're not.' He wanted so badly to let her know but no voice came out.
"You always said you wanted a boy." She'd smile rubbing her round belly. "Yet we didn't get to meet him." Her knees gave in as she looked at all the blood around her.
His throat was dry.
"Aya..."
He doesn't know what to do.
"Stop this." He said.
She looked at him, her honey eyes filled with tears before nodding. "Let's stop this."
"Maybe all of these are just nonsense"
That's not what he wanted to say.
"I guess we should stop this." She stood up and started to walk away.
"Aya."
"I give you, your freedom." She's starting to disappear and his limbs won't move.
All of a sudden a train came out of nowhere and she boarded it, when the doors closed she looked at him one last time. "This time...find your happiness, Rei."
And the train began to move. He grab his keys from his pocket and drove the car beside him, trying to catch with her but.
BAM! Something hit his car. His windows were broken. He immediately got off to check what he had hit and found his wife laying there lifelessly.
A gasp escaped his lips as he then found himself sitting upright. That was he most horrific nightmare he had ever had. Sure he mostly dream about her leaving him, mostly it was the same sequence but it never went that far as him killing is own wife.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking at his hands now, he's shaking. He noticed his wedding ring once again. He smiled bitterly. He hoped that as long as she's still wearing their ring she'd comeback.
His doorbell rang, looking at the wall clock. He wondered who'd bother him at 6:47 AM. With a grumble he got up after hearing another ring. As soon as he opened his door he was surprised to see his best friend. Well, probably ex best friend. After Aya's accident he had been giving him a cold shoulder, not the you could blame Yuuya, and upon Aya´s disappearnce he had stopped talking to him altogether.
"Don´t look so surprise of me being here." He said.
If their teenager selves could look at them both, they would be proud of what Yuuya had become, he could rival his cold persona.
"Here." The blond handed him a thick envelope. "Sign it already." He grumbled as he fished out a pen from his pocket. "The sooner that you signed it, the sooner you won't see me bugging you."
This is the seventh time he was handed copy of divorce papers.
"Like always, you just wasted your energy. I won't sign it."
Yuuya gritted his teeth. "Stop being stubborn, she's not coming back."
"You take that back." Rei grab his collar.
Yuuya also grabbed his. "She had asked me the seventh time, what makes you think she'll get back to you?"
Rei's gripped tighten "If you were my friend you would've told me where she had been! This wouldn't have progress like this!"
Yuuya was also prompted to tighten his grip. "If you were my friend you wouldn't have accused us of cheating on you on the first place! Then maybe this never happened!"
Rei glared at him even more before letting him go. Yuuya had to remove his hold as well before straightening his tie.
"I wasn't perfect." The once number one model said. "But we were married and for three years...three years, it doesn't take long to love her. I guess I got jealous that maybe she saw that I wasn't worthy of her anymore."
Yuuya looked at him in pity. This was the first that he'd opened up to him but things happened, mistakes already took place that cost his godchild's life.
He remembered how happy Mami came home when she delivered the news that Aya was pregnant. How she was pouting too and asking him to hurry up with getting her a child. Yet, Mami was so hands on with helping out the black haired gal.
Yuuya also volunteered to help them out and he had to admit he had never seen Aya so happy in years of meeting the girl. Aya was glowing but everything came crushing when that accident happened.
When Rei was nowhere to be found and the news was delivered to Aya. He saw how she crumbled, how her cries were so broken. How he witnessed Mami looking forlorn at the girl. He hated how Mami became afraid of being happy after she looked at Aya. For days Aya refused to eat even with Ran threatening to shove the food in her mouth.
"I'm sorry." Aya said after a few days of her breakdown. "It feels like everything is just a nightmare." She sniffed. "And I just wish I could leave."
He heard Mami swallowed her sadness before hugging Aya. "Then leave. Find your happiness, Aya. We'll help you."
It was the first time Aya showed a small sign of hope. "Hai."
"Aya always loved you, Rei." Yuuya's face reverted back to calm indifference. "But she felt like she was always your second best." He repeated what Aya told him. "Second to Ran, your work..."
"She said secretary, right?" Rei smirked.
A small smile appeared on Yuuya's lips "SEXytary but close."
Rei chuckled. "She thinks that low of me now."
"Down in the gutters, man." Yuuya agreed.
"Aya was never the person who'd say profanities. How is she though?"
"A lot has change but she's happy."
"Where is she Yuuya?"
The blond smiled sadly. "You know my answer to that."
Rei sighed in defeat.
"But listen, Rei. You really need to sign those documents."
Rei gave his famous glare. "You're welcome to try again."
This time it was the blonde's turn to heave a sigh. "What will it take you to sign this?"
Rei remained quiet.
"I guess I have to go. I need to accompany, Mami for check up."
"Yuuya?"
The said man turned to his friend. "Yeah?"
"Ask her to deliver it to me next time, may be I'll give it a second thought."
Yuuya chuckled. "Both of you are stubborn I wonder who's going to win." He shakes his head. "But I'll send her the message."
Rei smirked. "Thanks"