Hey guys! Did you miss me? It feels so good to be back. Actually, I've been allowed to spend the holidays with my family, which indirectly means that I'll be going back after the holiday week. I think I'm doing fine with my therapies and I could tell that my absence here was not ignored. I teared up when I checked out the reviews and messages that were sent while I was away. You guys are all too kind to me. I thank you all for your support and I promise to do my best not only so I could repay you guys but also for myself.
So as a New Year's gift, I leave you all with this chapter that rounds up the first 10 chapters of my story. Happy New Year to you all and cheers to a better year for all of us!
The whirring of the noisy light above the door beside him was distracting and setting Kanata off. He wanted to break it and burn it. Breathing proved to be so difficult for him right now and there's nothing more he wanted than to just go back home and for everything to be okay. He sat numbly on the cold, hard chair that grows colder ever passing second. His hands were lightly shaking as he brought them to his face, covering the pale features that settled there. He exhaled but still, none of the anxiety left him.
It happened so fast, no one expected it. Not him. Not Miyu.
Oh gods, Miyu.
A painful constriction in his chest caused him to double over, a wave of nausea accompanying it. His trembling fingers formed a barrier upon his mouth, ready to block the gag that never came. He shut his eyes so tightly that black and white spots started to appear in his visions from his closed eyelids.
North Lake Hotel Soft Opening 7:26 pm
"I'm just gonna go the bathroom."
Kanata nodded and stood up as well, intending to escort her. Miyu shook her head and said, "Stay here and keep Christine-san company. I'll be back in a few."
"If you say so. The restrooms are a bit further down the back, beside that buffet table, turn left." Kanata instructed, pointing several dainty fingers towards the places he mentioned. He crossed his hands in front of him and continued observing people while Miyu headed across the room.
He couldn't believe his ears when a deafening gunshot rang throughout the room, accompanied by the terrified shouts of the people inside the hotel. Kanata was fast on his feet and locked on the only thing he could think about that moment.
Miyu.
"Stay here, Chris. Do not go anywhere." He instructed the pink-haired lady as he hurried towards the direction of Miyu. Hotel security were already pouring in the lobby, escorting the guests away from a spot. Several of them pursued an unidentified man, who Kanata feared was the one responsible, as he fearlessly jumped from the balcony just outside the multi-story glass window of the lobby.
As he whizzed by terrified and shocked people, some acquaintances inched closer to him and helped him get through the growing crowd. His heart sank drastically as a heavy feeling of foreboding waved through him. He frantically pushed people aside as the loud beating of his heart progressed and the cold sweat ran in rivulets down his head. The security personnel let him through their body barricade and revealed to him the gruesome scene before him.
"MIYU!" he screamed in terror.
His wife's body lay motionless and bloody on the tiled floor, her silver evening dress splattered with her own warm blood. Her face was mildly contorted in agony. The color on her face was slowly leaving her, making her light makeup appear pasty upon her pale face.
Kanata fell to his knees in devastation.
The white doors burst open and three people clad in crumpled white coats emerged, one hurriedly removed the teal neoprene gloves on his hands. Kanata was fast on his feet when at the sound of the doors and dashed towards them. He felt the beating of his heart grow louder and more violent just as the man at the center removed his surgical mask.
With a silent, calm tone he said, "She's stable, Mr. Saionji." Kanata heaved a much awaited sigh of relief at his words. His knees threatened to buckle beneath him and a sudden warmth enveloped him as he thanked the stars for the good news.
"We have recovered the bullet successfully and she's in no danger of infection. The wound was quickly attended to thanks to the quick rush to the hospital. Although I suggest that Mrs. Saionji stay for about two weeks just so we could ensure that everything will be fine." The doctor ended.
Kanata nodded in understanding. "Could I see her?" he softly asked, peeking mildly at the frosted glass at the doors behind them.
"Ah, I suggest that would be better done in the morning, Mr. Saionji. Just so we could give time for preliminary rest for the patient. She's still unconscious anyway." He said with finality that Kanata noted with reluctance.
He nodded weakly and thanked the doctor who gave him a curt nod and then proceeded to the opposite direction, leaving him once again alone in the dimly lit hallway. Silence enveloped the place for a full minute before Kanata reluctantly peered through the glass on the door, catching only a heavily blurred image behind it.
"I'm sorry." He whispered into the air.
0
Miyu's eyes fluttered open, her vision blurred at the edges. She blinked until the dancing light circles focused into images before her. She took in her surroundings, lemon wallpaper and white ceiling. The window was directly across her, giving her a full view of the birch tree that was just outside. Its leaves were starting to fall one by one preparing for winter.
Why was she in a hospital? She closed her eyes once again and felt a soft movement from her side.
Earth brown hair greeted her bedside as the source of the movement once again shifted.
"Kanata…" she whispered softly, finding it difficult to speak. Her frail hand hovered over the man's head and slowly rested on his soft hair, smoothing it with willowy strokes. She smiled as her thoughts began to wander and race with warm thoughts of him sleeping and dreaming.
Her endeavors were soon cut by the sudden awakening of the brunet, casting a primary shock from her that caused her to retrieve her hand from his hair. Kanata scrunched up his eyes and blinked several times, adjusting to the brightness of the room. Noticing the blonde who was already awake, his eyes shot open quickly and he proceeded to gussy up his suit. Miyu silently laughed at the scene.
"Hey." He managed to choke out.
"Hey." She replied with a soft smile.
Silence.
Kanata scratched the back of his head and inwardly sighed. "Uh. How…how are you feeling?"
Miyu looked to her body and tried to raise both her hands, earning her a stabbing pain on her left arm. She let out a cry of pain.
"Careful!" Kanata called to her, standing and helping her relax her wounded arm.
Her thoughts began to wonder about what could have caused the excruciating sensation. She couldn't remember anything from last night, all was a blur except the sensation of falling and then blackness. Her arm throbbed from the unexpected effort and it took all she could to muster the courage not to cry. The corners of her eyes were lined with tears.
"I'll call for a nurse." Kanata told her, approaching the assistance button and pressing it thrice, impatience coating his every nerve.
"Hey no, it's okay. I'm okay. There's no need for that." She said, shaking her head fervently.
Kanata pressed the speaker and called it out. He sat back on his chair and looked at Miyu, silent and brooding. She regarded his strange sad look, something that almost broke her heart. With a terrified heart, she took Kanata's hand in hers and was caught off guard when Kanata reciprocated her courageous gesture and squeezed it. Miyu warmed at his touch.
"What happened, Kanata? I don't remember much." She asked, intrigue and fear full on her voice.
At the question, Kanata held her hand in both of his hands and inched closer to her bed. He rested his arms on the bed and looked up to her. Miyu's eyes never left his, observing the new emotion that tinted his irises. There was something there that Miyu has never seen before, something that made her both comfortable and anxious.
He was scared.
"You..." he started, trailing off at the thought of what he was about to say. "You were…you…you were shot." He finished, guilt pouring over his whole being like spilled milk, corrupting his very existence.
"Oh." Was all she could say.
"We've apprehended the culprit." He followed. His voice filled with a searing hatred that made Miyu's skin litter with goosebumps. "Why he did this to you is a matter of my business choices. I turned down a merger offered by his boss and this is how they thought to repay me with."
Suddenly, the weight of the life Miyu was now living dawned on her. She closed his eyes and invited a welcome puff of air from her lungs.
"Their business has been on hold for now. Maybe forever be shut down." He said. "I held them off already. They won't be back." He reassured her.
Miyu said nothing.
"I am so sorry, Miyu." He whispered to her, his voice as low and inaudible as her thoughts racing. She was shot. The wound was on his left arm, if she did not stop to look at the red velvet cake for a second and turned left at that moment, she could have had a bullet through her heart. Her heart sank at the thought, going lower that she could have mistaken it to be near her stomach. Her mind crammed with thoughts of blood and death. She managed to keep herself from crying.
"I really am sorry." Kanata repeated, squeezing her hand tighter. "Forgive me, Miyu." His voice trembled with fear as he clutched Miyu's hand closer to his face.
She caressed his cheek and tried to guide his face up when she felt a warm liquid run through her palm. Miyu's eyes went wide as she realized that the man in front of him was crying. "Hey. Hey. I'm okay. I'm alive. It's okay, it's gonna be fine." She cooed.
"It's not fine! I could have lost you! I could have lost you!" He shouted through gritted teeth, sending a wave of emotion towards Miyu. She could not believe what she just heard from the man. Amidst the sudden outburst from the brunet, she found herself breaking and letting the warmth of his care inside her.
Kanata quietly sobbed beside her as she began to stroke his hair once again.
"I'm okay now. Everything is fine." She managed.
He looked up and managed a small laugh. "I'm sorry. I should be the one saying those things."
Miyu smiled at him and shook her head lightly. "Your presence is all I need right now-"
"MIIIIIIYYUUUUUU!"
In came the jolly, young mangaka who burst through the door crying her eyes out. Miyu then quickly took back her hand and plastered on the same smile. Kanata on the other hand straightened up and brushed away the telltale tears from his face, all of which were overlooked by the crying Mikan.
"Miiiiiyyyuuuuuuuuu! Why would such thing be done to yoooouuuuuuuuuu…." She wailed, taking over Kanata's space on the bedside and casually devouring Miyu's personal space. "I would kill that bastard. I would!" she called out.
On the door was their trusted butler who carried a basket of fresh fruits on one hand and a bouquet of white lilies on the other. Kanata stood from his seat and let the old man pass.
"I'm okay, Mikan. There's nothing to worry about now." Miyu reassured the still crying Mikan as she now draped herself all over Miyu.
"You're choking her." Kanata warned. She shot him a menacing glare and ignored him, going to back to smothering Miyu with all the care she's got.
Kanata observed everything from a distance. As Miyu and Mikan swayed in rhythm to Mikan's cries, she gave Kanata a reassuring smile. He gave him one of his rare ones as well. Both looked at each other in a new light, bond growing stronger than the simple paper-bound contract a few months back.
Right then and there, the young entrepreneur decided to break all the chains that bound him to a world of isolation, letting the warmth of the blonde, and the family he never acknowledged, inside his world.
0
It was the beginning of winter when Miyu was finally released from the hospital. in a span of two weeks, it amazed her how the environment changed so much. There was already a thin line of snow forming on the mansion's roof and lawns. The scenery changed from the flowery garden to a white wonderland.
The interior did too. Heavier curtains were drawn and a warmer lighting had been installed. The fireplace at the east part of the halls crackled in fire as well.
"Kanata?" Miyu asked as she was led upstairs and to her room by the brunet, only he seemed to forget that her room was already a few inches past them.
"You'll be staying in my room from now on." He told her.
Miyu stopped in her tracks, refusing to believe what she just heard. Her heart beat rapidly as she thought about sharing a room with the brunet, who seemed to be okay with the adjustment. "Are you serious?" she asked him.
Instead of replying, Kanata dragged her with her hands into the room and closed the door behind them shortly after. Miyu stood in silence as Kanata braved himself to speak to her terrified self.
"Hey, about what happened to you…" he started.
Miyu shook her head and silenced him with a smile. "Don't think about it. Although, I'd like to ask. Do you think I could, like, lie down for a while? My back is somehow killing me…" she trailed off, noticing that the only bed present inside the massive room was Kanata's beige sheeted king bed. She blushed at the racy thoughts that her mind conjured.
"Yeah, sure. You'll be sleeping there anyway. The loveseat's just as comfortable so I'll be fine." He answered nonchalantly.
Miyu proceeded to sit on the bed and eventually lie down, closing her eyes to rest them. What she did not expect was to fall asleep right away. When she woke up, the brunet was beside her, reading a hard bound book which he was already halfway with. She adjusted her position, shifting up to level with the brunet.
"Hey." She croaked.
"Had a good rest?"
She nodded. "What time is it?"
He closed the book and set in on the bedside table, brightening up the lamp just enough to illuminate their faces. "It's almost dinner."
"Oh."
Silence ensued.
Without warning, Kanata casually took her hand in his, sending electricity through her whole body. The reddening of her cheeks was uncalled for and thankfully it was not that bright for him to see.
"I won't ever let anything happen to you again." He swore under his breath, looking at her as though she was some kind of a precious crystal. "I promise you."
Just as she was about to answer him, her face was trapped in Kanata's hands as he placed a soft, pleasant kiss on her lips. He pulled back and looked away, no sign of embarrassment evident on his perfectly chiseled face. Although guilt was another matter.
She covered her mouth and looked away as well, begging for the butterflies in her stomach to stop and disappear.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I was…" he started, obviously lost for better words. "I'm sorry."
Miyu turned towards him and said. "It's okay. I'm fine with it…"
His eyes grew wide at her statement and fought every nerve of his body to keep from doing it again. He was weak and there's nothing else he could do as his wife started before he could.
The kiss was slow and testing. She wanted to make sure that he wanted it too. She moved slowly and he finally replied with swift motions. His lips were firm and steady, not consuming her as what she expected. She climbed on top of him, securing his face with both his hands. He steadied her, holding her at the waist with the other hand firm on her cheeks.
They broke the kiss for air and resumed with more passion this time, telling each other how they felt through the movement of their lips.
Miyu yelped in pain and they stopped.
"What's wrong?" Kanata replied, obviously frustrated.
"My arm." Miyu said sheepishly, extending her bandaged arm. She got off Kanata and massaged the area around the wound. Kanata helped and eventually kissed it softly.
"Movies?" he asked, knowing that his wife is a movie crack and to quickly alleviate the awkwardness that he started. "Movies over hot cocoa. Then we go out for dinner. Or I'll cook." He fired rapidly.
Surrendering, Miyu nodded and welcomed herself on the loveseat at the foot of his bed, carefully positioning her bandaged arm. "Wait, you cook?"
Kanata smiled and sat next to her, retrieving the remote control from behind the seat and turning on the TV and player. "What do you want me to cook?"
"How about pasta?" Miyu suggested, scooting closer to Kanata. She felt his body contract as he let out a hearty laugh. She smiled. "Can't you do pasta?"
"You underestimate me, Mrs. Saionji." He said. A faint red tint appeared on Miyu's cheeks at what he called her and felt her heart skip a beat. She mustered up her courage to speak and challenge the brunet.
"Surprise me." She said.
On a last note, I told my psych that I write stories here and she told me that writing is a good letting out option for me. She told me that if writing could improve my mood, she'd let me write. So, if this happens, I think I would be able to update once in a while, but surely not on a regular basis. But if there are some of you who still want to try their ideas out, just message me. :)
Til the next time,
LightEclairs