Well, hello there! And since I'm too lazy to type an author's note, here's chapter seven, without further ado!
~~~=w=~~~
"Don't go, Minami. Please don't." Akihisa was repeatedly saying, his hands wrapped tight around her.
Minami was too stunned to react. Two questions danced in her mind.
How did he find out?
Why did he care?
Her hands stayed limp on her sides. For a while, she forgot about their fight, and her heart raced at such close contact with the person she loved. She admitted to herself, even now, even after everything; even after his choice, she still loved him. She was sure there was no force on earth that could actually make her stop loving him.
That was why it hurt much more, all of what had happened.
He spoke again, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Minami, please, don't leave!" Akihisa pled, pulling away from the hug.
Minami only looked down, unable to meet his eyes, fierce with determination.
"It's too late for that now, Aki. Everything has been set. Hazuki and I have to leave tomorrow." she muttered.
"How long did you know that you were moving to Germany?" Akihisa asked almost immediately.
"Two months ago." she said, still looking away.
Two months ago...what?! Then that meant...
Their fight was only a little over a month ago, almost two months now, actually.
"Yes, Akihisa." Minami continued, realizing what Akihisa was thinking. "I had known before we fought. Father called us about a week before that day."
"Why didn't you tell us? Tell me?" Akihisa asked, trying to get her to look at him in the eye.
"Why should I have told you? What difference would it have made?" Minami began, challenging him.
Akihisa looked down. What difference would have it made?
"I...I don't know. But I wouldn't have hurt you like that. I wouldn't have made you leave with the last thing you'd remember me by as our fight. I would...I would have..."
"You would have still chosen her." she spat.
Akihisa's head snapped up. "No! I would have..."
She looked at him now, waiting for what he would say. "You would have what Aki? Don't lie to me just because I'm leaving soon! You'd still choose Mizuki, I know so! She's just...she's Himeji Mizuki; I'm just me. Everybody would choose her over me!"
Akihisa was silent. He was afraid that if he spoke now he'd say something to offend her even more.
"For a while I thought...I thought maybe you'd be different. You wouldn't be like everybody else. For a while I thought...I had just as much of a chance as Mizuki to get chosen by you...and even now...even now...why do I still love you?! Why? Even when you've already chosen someone else? What's wrong with me?!"
She was crying then, the tears streaming down her face. Her voice was cracking, breaking because of the tears, but she went on with what she had to say.
"Why does Mizuki have to be so fucking perfect, and I'm like this?! Stupid, violent, unlikeable! What did I do wrong?! Why couldn't you choose me?!" Minami yelled, staring him down.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Hazuki by the open door, half-hiding. She was crying, crying for her sister. "Onee-chan..." she whispered.
Akihisa turned back to face Minami.
"Indeed. You're nothing like Himeji-san, Minami. You are far too different from her. So different that you can't be compared to each other. So please, Minami, stop trying to compare yourself with her. You're nothing alike, yes, but that doesn't mean you aren't as likeable as she is! That's her charm, not yours. You have your own, Minami. And I can't believe you refuse to see that. Sure, Himeji-san is perfect, but that doesn't mean you're not either, Minami! I for one think you're amazing, Minami. I can't believe for one second that you don't know that. What I said back then to Miharu, they weren't lies."
Minami was stunned by what he said.
"Then why...why did you choose Mizuki?" Minami asked the question she wanted to ask long ago. Tears fell as she said those words.
Akihisa paused. Why did he choose her? He thought Minami was just as amazing as she was...possibly even more...
Wait what?!
Did he just...
Was it possible that he made the wrong choice?
He shook his head. No, he loved Himeji-san.
Right?
It was her he loved, and not Minami, right?
He didn't know anymore.
"I...I don't know..."
He really didn't know anymore. But...he had already chosen Himeji-san...he didn't want to hurt her...
But he didn't want to keep hurting Minami either.
"You shouldn't be saying those kinds of things to me, Aki."
"Why shouldn't I tell you the truth?" Akihisa asked, surprised.
"Because you already have a girlfriend." Minami said, her tone sad.
"And your girlfriend heard everything you said." came another voice, by the front door.
They both turned to see a crying Himeji, eyes red and puffy.
"Mizuki!" exclaimed Minami, shocked.
"Himeji-san!" Akihisa was just as shocked as Minami.
Crap.
He made two girls cry in one night. That must be some sort of record or something.
"You...you heard everything, Himeji-san?!"
Himeji didn't bother to reply to his question. Ignoring it, she continued.
"I knew it...I didn't want to believe the bad thoughts but...how could you Akihisa-kun?! And Minami-chan...I thought...I thought..." she was too busy sobbing now to talk, and, as dramatic as it was, she ran, away from Akihisa, from Minami, from everything.
"Himeji-san!" Akihisa yelled out, rushing after her.
"Mizukiiii!" Minami had called out as well, dashing after her friend as well.
Akihisa, being the faster runner, caught up to Himeji first. Minami stopped running, watching the little scenario from afar.
"Himeji-san!" he called out.
His girlfriend turned, still teary-eyed.
Akihisa wrapped her up in an embrace. They began speaking, but Minami couldn't hear what they were saying.
She watched them. How Akihisa looked at Mizuki, and how Mizuki looked at him. They loved each other. They really did.
Getting teary-eyed herself, she walked back to her house. What would happen next wasn't for her to see or hear.
Besides, she still had some packing to do.
~~~=w=~~~
"Himeji-san...we have to talk about this." Akihisa began after letting go of the pink-haired girl.
"Yes, Akihisa-kun, we really do need to talk about it. Or, to be precise, you need to think about it." Himeji began, wiping away her tears.
"Think about what?"
"This. You, me and Minami. Who do you really love, Akihisa-kun?"
Akihisa looked down, silent. He didn't know anymore. He thought he'd already decided, that he'd made up his mind, but now, now he was more confused than he ever was.
"I thought so." Himeji said, even though Akihisa hadn't answered her question. Or maybe it was that silence that she took as his answer.
"Himeji-san, wait!" Akihisa called out as Himeji began to walk away.
"You need to think, Akihisa-kun. Choose."
"But...I don't want to hurt anyone anymore, Himeji-san." Akihisa replied, clearly conflicted.
"That's impossible, Akihisa-kun. You can't go on with your life not hurting anyone. It's just a matter of who you really can't stand hurting." Himeji said, a tear falling down her cheek. "Between me and Minami-chan, who can you not stand seeing get hurt more?"
"I...I don't know."
"Well, that's what you need to think about. And you need to think about it fast, Akihisa-kun, because after tomorrow, you'll lose the ability to actually have a choice."
Akihisa simply nodded.
"Good night, Akihisa-kun. I hope you make the right choice this time."
And with that, she left.
And Akihisa had some thinking to do.
~~~=w=~~~
I am not proud of this chapter. I'm just not.
And now we see the tides turning, and Akihisa is now confused. Who'd he choose this time? Yay, the next chapter will be the final chapter! Tune in!
But oh well, tell me what you think!