Chapter Seven :: Inability to love

As soon as the blonde boy had left Hikari sat there and stared at the other two before looking around to see what remained in her bedroom. With Kei's belief of her death non-existent she could finally start to move more of her belongings. With a weak look at Akira she bowed her head keeping her eyes closed. "I can't stay here," she told her, "I should never have come back, I should have never said those things to him."

Akira paused taking a look at Hikari before realizing what she was doing, packing her things off to leave again. "Hey Hi---kari," she whispered unsure of how to stop the girl. The best bet she had was to go and tell Kei what she was doing and thus get the over-protective, obsessed part of him in here again. Although that was the easy option she couldn't stand in the way of what her old friend was doing.

Tadashi put a hand on his forehead before coming nearer to her, "You do understand that Kei will cross whatever needs to be crossed in order to find you. He's pretty good at that. How about...hmm, I know," he grinned leaning towards her, "We'll have a contest, the three of us and whoever wins has to give one command to whoever they want." He waited to see Hikari's grin but the girl continued to pack without even looking at him.

"I should go to talk with him now about what happened," Hikari whispered, her eyelids falling closed before allowing herself to smile weakly. "Afterall, if I don't do what he says then Takishima will be hurt even more." She kept her eyes closed as the memories of those years where Kei wasn't beside her came back and she nodded. "Even if he hates me forever, I won't allow him to receive the same punishment that I did."

Akira blinked at her not knowing what to say to her, "Weren't you listening to what he just said?" she tried to persuade the girl before hugging her. "If you leave we'll all miss you too much to be able to cope with it." She cried thinking about their time apart as Tadashi looked aside. How come Akira always got into outbursts like this?

"He's...changed," Hikari whispered keeping her head bowed and only allowed a weak smile, "If he hadn't seen me today he would have had his strength brought back and then he'd be back to the same guy I left. I've only rarely seen him act so obsessed, it isn't healthy or natural. Being in love is more of a lie than a truth. It's my fault for coming back here but maybe going away from him would be best, it might make things right again."

"Well it's only a natural reaction for him," Tadashi commented as he fingered some of Hikari's belongings trying to keep himself in enough control so that he didn't feel the need to go downstairs and just tell Kei that's what she was doing. It was a private matter too but in his head all the boy could think about was that his friend had been manipulated and lied to. After all the things Kei had gone through it wasn't fair. "I mean, he was told for over two years that you were dead and that news kinda killed him, 'course he's going to go crazy knowing that you're actually here and alive. He wasn't acting in control because..." he stopped short as Akira continued his sentence for him.

"Kei's only acting that way because he's relieved that you're alright and that he loves you. It's weird for me too, seeing you back but that doesn't mean I'm not happy about it. Just, this is a part of who Kei is and...you have to understand that. What confuses me though are the ways you've changed, I know I've changed as well but..." Akira sighed, bowing her head, "He at least deserves a chance. I'll make sure that he doesn't hurt you."

"Yeah since he already knows the full story about what happened, you know he doesn't have an issue with it," the puppet master smiled. "Plus he's always carrying around that doll you made him," he commented as Hikari felt the blood rush to her face and blushed. She was finally gaining it back, the love she felt for another person but the truth was that she didn't really want it to come back. She didn't want the person who could make her feel it to come any closer to her. Her heart and her head always acted differently and the person talking to him before was the side of her that came from her heart. Inside she wouldn't be able to take the pain that love brought anymore, not after what happened a year and a half ago.

"The truth is," she whispered now getting clothes from her wardrobe, "Is that, he doesn't know the whole story no one does. Even my family doesn't know what happened that day, what...went on between myself and Kei's grandfather, only me and him. It's not the type of thing you can easily tell someone and just expect them to understand." With a deep breath she stared at the floor, "In a lot of ways...I want to go back to competing with him, to having fun with everyone else, to enjoying studying and always trying my hardest but...that's not the way life works."

Slowly taking a step out of her room she felt the other two watching her before she listened to her father. She flinched hearing the words that had given her nightmares ever since it happened and took a deep breath in. What would be his response to that? She saw him slowly lean forward and noticed the same stillness and depression in his eyes as before.

"If that's true then I...I really must hate her." His breath slowed and he felt something within him. The feeling of being betrayed. Hikari stared at him before nodding, that was the right reaction to the news, not the perfect reaction but a good one. At least if he hated her she knew that. She wouldn't trouble him anymore. As sad as it was, even if he hated her she still could realize that she cared for him more than anyone else. That was the feeling she hated, the feeling she had attached to him.

She took a deep breath in before nodding, this was for the best right? At least nothing bad would happen to him. She dashed upstairs before packing up her remaining belongings. Looking at Tadashi she faking one of her usual smiles from when the S.A together. "You said before that we could have a contest and the winner gives one order didn't you?"

Blinking back at her Tadashi nodded starting to grin himself. The old Hikari seemed to be slowly appearing again. That was good. "Yeah so what kind of contest do you want to have?"

Hikari tilted her head to the side, "Let's see who can pack the most things up in the fastest amount of time, just don't break anything alright?" she smiled to him feeling her stomach sink as they made a mad dash around the room. Akira by this time had slipped out and come down the steps until she found herself noticed by the two men.

"Sorry, I was just..." she allowed a soft smile before directing her question to Hikari's father, "Hikari, she's supposed to catch a plane soon isn't she?" As she said that her eyes slid over to Kei who appeared to have just remembered that fact, his eyes widening again. Was this the plan to keep them away from each other?

"Soon," Jiro nodded, "I'm thinking that as soon as she gets on the plane then things might be safe again, the...problem might be solved a little."

Kei stared ahead of him, he let the words slip in and understood exactly what the man was saying, the problem was him but why? He bowed his head, after hearing that. That girl had played a part in Hikari's second major downfall he had to hate her, Hikari however he loved with his whole heart but that didn't seem to be enough. "So...is this part of my grandfathers plan!" he snapped, letting his emotions loose again. He got up wanting to talk to Hikari but found Akira trying her hardest to restrain him.

"You shouldn't go up there, knowing that I've told you this about Hikari is going against what she wanted. I don't know what happened to her but...I think that you might be the wrong person to sort it out." She froze seeing the sadness in his eyes and his expression conveying the worthlessness he felt.

"I still think it would be better for you to cut off contact with my daughter," Jiro commented, "Any connection that she has with your grandfather really isn't worth her having." Reaching behind him he moved a wooden ornament he had made and pulled out the cheque, Kei had given him originally. "Kei, as much as I care for you, and as much as I am grateful for all you've done for Hikari, I have to tell you the importance of you staying away from her."

The blonde laughed to himself staring at the table in front of him. "I still don't think my being close to Hikari means that she'll get hurt. I'm certain that I'll be able to protect her no matter what my grandfather tries. I'll make sure to be one step in front of him. It's like a contest right? It's easy to win at if you have the motivation to do so. That's something that I learned from Hikari." He took a deep breath trying to control his anger, this should be a safe place filled with people who cared for him at least a little. If that was the case then why did he feel trapped? "You do know that if you send Hikari away I have the transportation and money needed to track her down," he smiled to himself after saying that "In other words there really is no proper way to stop me."

"Apart from..." Jiro spoke with his hands clasped together, his fingers resting on top and his eyes closed. "If I get a restraining order against you."

Kei froze looking back at the man with wide-eyes, he couldn't be serious in saying that, what threat did he pose against Hikari? She was his light and he would do all he could so that he wouldn't plunge into darkness, so that he could keep it alive.

"I don't want you to do that," Hikari spoke from behind them as Kei sighed in relief. "However, I do want you to think about being with someone else Kei, I'm just not the right fit for you anymore..." After saying that she shook her head, why was she acting this way? It wasn't right, it wasn't the way she felt inside so why say this? Closing her eyes tightly she stared at the door, "I should never have run this risk, I should never have allowed myself the possibility of ever being able to see you again..." With that said she felt no other alternative than to run. As she started to dash out the door Kei just stood there, not really knowing what to do anymore. After a few minutes had passed by he realized that he couldn't obey the suggestion to stay here whilst his heart was pleading him to follow her. Taking a deep breath he finally realized what had just happened. It was then that he chased after her.

End of Chapter Seven

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Alright since I've been updating this fic so much I feel that I should take some time off so for a couple of days I won't be updating but I've provided enough chapters to read I hope.

Thank you to all reviewers Chapter Six

Dark Shining Light, icy, love is killing me