Here is the new chapter! I'm in a Kuroo-mood so I don't write much for Oikawa, sorry! "
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FANFICTION
HAIKYUU! : BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
CHAPTER XXV : Heart-Break
"Insecurity is the worst sense that lovers feel. Insecurity twists meanings and poisons trust."
— Graham Greene, The End of the Affair
"I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me."
― Veronica Roth, Allegiant
"Holding people away from you, and denying yourself love, that doesn't make you strong. If anything, it makes you weaker. Because you're doing it out of fear."
— Sarah Dessen
"You're easy to read… but the whole book of you is complicated."
— Amy Engel, The Book of Ivy
"A wounded heart seeks shelter in a heart that it can trust."
— William Chapman
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't love you,
And I'll give you ten more that show I always will."
— Amanda Vegas
"We are at the edge of an abyss and we're close to being irrevocably lost."
— David R. Brower
"I thought about how love was always the thing that did that - smashed into you, left you raw. The deeper you loved, the deeper it hurt."
— Wally Lamb, She's Come Undone
"Betrayal. It's one of the worst feelings."
— Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why
"What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she's a stranger."
— Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Dir. Michel Gondry
"It's hard to find out you don't know a person the way you thought you did. It's hard to find out the face you thought you loved is only a mask."
— Stephen King, Needful Things
"Angry, and half in love with you, and tremendously sorry, I turned away."
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Tetsurou didn't move even when someone nudged his shoulder. Said-someone stopped, then after a short pause, started shaking him with an even stronger grip. He raised his head at once, hissing like a cat:
"Will you stop!?" He shrieked, glaring at Bokuto who only blinked.
"You're not answering, we wanted to know If you were dead yet," he answered, pushing him to the side to sit at the table.
"You haven't answered your messages as well, it was worrying!" Oikawa added, sitting in front of the two, Ushiwaka at his side.
"Have you eaten yet?" Ushijima asked, looking around but not noticing any tray.
"No, I was waiting for you… or death, whichever would come first," Kuroo answered dramatically.
"Did something happen with Akane-chan?" Oikawa asked.
Instead of answering, Kuroo dropped his head against the table once again. Bokuto stood up:
"I'll go get food!"
He went to order at the counter whatever they had decided to eat, and because Kuroo wasn't answering much, he picked his favourite food.
Meanwhile, Oikawa tried to pry some answers out of the Cat Captain, but he remained mostly silent.
"I argued with Akane, happy now?" He mumbled when he got too annoyed.
"About what?" Ushijima asked just as Bokuto came back eagerly.
"I… I'm not sure…" He answered, looking down.
He remembered everything that had happened the previous night after finding Akane having a break-down. Once she had calmed down, he had tried to ask her questions but she hadn't answered, going to take a bath instead. He tried to check on her, but she had locked the door and he ended up walking in nervous circles for over an hour. When she came out, puffy eyes and wet hair, he tried to ask her questions again – but she said she was tired and wanted to sleep, going straight into bed. Tetsurou had lost it then. He hadn't meant to, really, but seeing how uncooperative she was being when he was literally freaking out, he started screaming. She screamed back and within seconds they didn't even know what they were screaming about. He had slammed the door and taken a long bath…
That morning, when he tried to apologize to Akane, he was met by a locked door – she was already gone for her morning classes, different from his. He tried to catch her in-between classes but he kept missing her. She wasn't answering her phone either. Overall, worried and guilty, he felt like shit.
Once he had vaguely explained what had happened to the others, without knowing what had actually happened, he felt a little better.
"You have a class together this afternoon?" Bokuto asked, "Just confront her and apologize if you feel bad, and then ask her some answers. I bet she doesn't feel great either."
"Y-yeah… thanks, I'll do that…" Kuroo answered, lowering his head.
"The Owlish Cupid strikes again!" Oikawa said, making Bokuto puff out his chest in pride.
"Even though just a few weeks ago you and Ayaka were almost separated," Ushijima remarked, calmly eating his rice.
"O-OI! It was just a silly argument caused by the distance! It's normal in a relationship to argue every once in a while! What really matters is to not let the bitterness overwhelm the sweetness of love!" He exclaimed.
"Umm…" Ushijima nodded, blinking.
"What a poet you are at times," Oikawa said in a voice that was light enough to be mocking but not serious enough for Bokuto to know whether he was making fun of him or not.
Tetsurou let their argument become background noise, pondering over Bokuto's words. Arguing was normal, but they just had to apologize and make it work out.
When came the dreadful time of the class he shared with Akane, Tetsurou was as nervous as he had been for his first match in middle-school. He looked around the amphitheatre, but his favourite person in the world wasn't in sight. He went to sit at their usual seats, constantly glancing at the doorway as more and more students came in and filled the ranks.
He was about to lose all hope when the teacher arrived, but his leg twitching stopped and he hit his knee on the table when he saw Akane hurrying after the teacher. He let out a shaky breath of relief as she met his eyes and came to him, hesitating before he moved to let her sit on a free seat.
She started taking out her stuff as the teacher started his class, talking in a monotone voice. The students were mostly silent, if not for the scratching of pens on paper, the typing on computers and the occasional yawning.
"Are you avoiding me?" He asked in a hushed voice at some point.
"No," she answered sharply.
He glanced at her and she grimaced, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Yes…" She admitted, "Not because of what happened last night– well, yes, but… because I didn't know how to face you after what I've done…"
"Are we going to talk about it?" He asked, lowering his gaze to his notebook that he had stopped writing in.
The voice of the teacher and the sounds of the other students disappeared and it felt as if there were just the two of them. They were side by side but wouldn't dare glance at each other.
Akane felt as if she was standing on the edge of a cliff and if she didn't take a risk and jump, she'd lose Tetsurou forever.
"I want to…" She whispered.
Tetsurou glanced at her, his heart clenching tightly.
"I get that it's hard, even if I don't know what it's about… But it's so stressful– I-I feel like I'm going to lose you soon and I hate it. I feel like you're just smoke and I can't hold onto you and it's driving me crazy… I want to help you, please…" He breathed.
Akane turned her head towards him, eyes shining with unshed tears. Her lips trembled and she struggled to find anything to say… There was nothing she could answer to that, but without realizing it until it was too late, she stammered her heart out:
"I love you…" She answered.
He breathed shakily, opening and closing his lips but before he could find any words – not that there was anything to answer to that, not really – Akane reached out and grabbed his hand. She squeezed his hand so hard, her knuckles turned white and in a smooth motion, Tetsurou turned his hand around so he could squeeze hers back.
"I love you too…"
The words were just to express the obvious, to let out that weight on their hearts. In their eyes, and in the way they held onto each other, oblivious to the rest of the world, everything that needed to be said could be felt between them.
They barely remembered packing their stuff in their bags before they stood up and left, without even glancing at their teacher or other students. But they didn't care and they went home, expressing their feelings with their bodies. It was how it had always been between them: letting out the steam, the emotions, through their bodies, with soft touches and burning kisses. Once they had made love, and made love again, and again… and again… they felt enough peace to express their fears and hopes with words.
"I think… I'll be able to tell you everything… soon…" Akane whispered, staring at the empty air in front of her.
Tetsurou, who was hugging her tightly from behind, tensed a little. Then she felt him relax and he rested his forehead against the back of her neck, his hair tickling her. He let out a warm breath, and a smile played on her lips.
"Okay… whenever you're ready… I'm here… and… even if you don't want to talk, if you just need to cry, or have someone to hold you… I'm here… okay?" He murmured, voice smothered by her skin.
"Okay…"
Akane moved, turning around despite the tiny, uncomfortable bed, so she could face him. She rested her hand against his cheek and he closed his eyes. If he had been a cat, he would have been purring.
They loved these moments of close intimacy – not sex, but leaving their souls completely bare for one another. Messy hair, bright eyes, skin-to-skin, their hearts resonated to the same rhythm and they felt closer than ever.
"I love you, Kuroo Tetsurou…" She whispered.
He opened his eyes, reddish eyes meeting bright gold. He opened his lips to answer, but she leaned forward, her lips touching his, her soul embracing his. He kissed her back, slowly, lazily, taking the time to enjoy every inch of their skins touching.
"I love you too, Saito Akane," he answered, bringing her even closer.
She wrapped her arms around his head, nuzzling her nose into his messy hair while he buried his face into her chest.
They remained like this for hours, until the sun had made its entire journey across the wall they were sharing and over their bodies. Until the boring sunlight turned into a golden canvas that bathed them in warmth. Until the sun set and let the darkness envelop them in a tight blanket of comfort.
The days that followed were calm, tender and hot, like it had always been between them. They weren't ignoring what had happened – it was impossible, and in the back of their minds, Akane's words were never really far away "I'll be able to tell you everything… soon".
Tetsurou imagined plenty of scenarios, each worse than the previous one, while Akane thought of a thousand ways to explain to him before deciding it didn't sound right.
He could tell she was thinking about it more and more – Akane always seemed distracted, she couldn't focus on anything and she had trouble sleeping. He had been woken up several times by her mumbling and turning around, the nightmares becoming a constant. Now, every morning when his clock rang he was alone in bed and he'd find her in the bathroom, wet from sweating, eyes tired – or she'd be outside, smoking even if she knew he didn't like that.
"Can we talk?"
Akane looked up from her homework she had barely touched, staring a little warily at her boyfriend.
"About what?"
"You know what." He answered, sitting in front of her.
NeKo, who had been allowed on the table after long hours of meowing and purring and begging, moved to get some caresses from him. Tetsurou petted him, distracting himself for a little while.
"I don't necessarily want you to talk about what happened to you because I can tell it's fucked up and you're obviously not ready… but I don't want you to be haunted by it. Everyday you're closing up more and more, you barely talk to me about anything and I don't know how to feel about this." He started, turning to her.
Akane took a deep breath, lips trembling a little. She dropped her pen and lifted up her legs, holding onto them.
"You want me to talk and be honest with you, and then you tell me you don't want to hear what happened… make up your mind, damn it," she mumbled, unable to look him in the face.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance:
"Don't twist my words! I do want you to talk – when you'll be ready, but you… you're not… and… you're going to force yourself to talk, for my sake, and it's very kind of you, but if it's to see you self-destroy there's no point!" He continued, lifting up his hands to the ceiling.
She didn't answer right away, passing a hand over her face and into her hair, grabbing the short strands and pulling a little until it was harsh enough to almost make her wince. She didn't, keeping a closed expression. But it was like an electrical sting, bringing her back to life and slapping her back into reality.
"I need to tell you what happened! The longer I wait, the worse it'll get and I… I feel more and more like I need to talk to you… I'm scared shitless but… if I don't tell you, I'll self-destroy anyway… it'll just take longer."
She turned her face to him, her eyes bright from sadness and fright. Tetsurou sighed deeply, then put his hand over the table, palm towards the ceiling:
"When? When are you going to talk to me then? I'll be patient but… help me out…" He said, lips tight.
Akane hesitated, then her shoulders dropped, as if the weight holding her back suddenly disappeared. She reached for his hand, to hold it back but hesitated then let her hand rest next to his, their fingers brushing.
"I don't know where to start," she admitted.
Tetsurou's heart missed a beat when he realised that she was talking. Now. He had waited for this for so long, but now he had no idea what to expect and he was as scared as he was worried.
"T-then… what happened to your mom? And who is your step-dad?" He hesitated, trying to make sense of his feelings and the words she was about to say.
Akane glanced over her shoulder, at the little shrine with her mother's picture.
"She… Her name was Mizuki, Saito Mizuki." She started, though Tetsurou already knew that much, "She was the best person I've ever met… and had the worst of life…"
"Sounds familiar," he said with a small smile, trying to lighten up the heavy mood.
Akane turned back to him, knowing he was referring to her, but even if her heart warmed up thanks to his words, there was no smile on her face.
"She grew up with only her alcoholic mother and ran away at sixteen… she… she worked a part-time job so she could keep going to high-school, she was brilliant. She wanted to become a psychologist to help people with wounds that couldn't be seen. But because she had always lived in a bad situation and didn't have any money, she… looked for help in the wrong place. She would work at night… at the Gem's."
Tetsurou blinked, he hadn't expected The Gem's to be so old…
"But back then, it wasn't owned by Nori-san yet, and the girls had… they had expectations…"
He knew very well what she meant by it, considering he had been so worried that Akane had to go through the same 'expectations'. She had repeated times and times over it wasn't the case, so did her colleagues, and he believed them.
"That's where she met my father, but I don't know who he is."
I do, he thought, clenching his jaw to remain silent.
"I-I don't remember much about what she told me about him, but I think she liked him very much. That's also where she met my step-father, he was working there as a barman. His name is… he's–"
Her phone suddenly rang, startling them both. There was a moment of tense silence until Akane moved, whipping her hand to grab her phone. She tried to hold back her shudder – just as she was talking about him…
The last time she had seen him, just a few days ago, came back to her mind. He shouldn't have her phone number. She should have changed her number.
"Show up on Friday night. If you don't… I'll do something about that boyfriend of yours who is distracting you too much."
She hadn't forgotten about his order and his threat, but she had avoided thinking too deeply about it.
"I need to go," she said suddenly.
"What? Why? Who is it?" Tetsurou asked, standing up in the same time as her.
"I-I'll tell you later…" She answered in a hushed voice, turning around to get dressed.
"Hold on– you can't just disappear after a call like that! Is it your stepfather?" He asked, reaching for her phone.
Akane's hand shot and grabbed it before he could. Tetsurou stared at her, stunned.
"What happened, Akane?" He asked, frowning, too worried to let her go like that.
She didn't answer, keeping her phone close to her chest. She turned around, pulling her jacket on.
"I'll be back by eight. I promise." She said, walking past him as quickly as possible.
"At least tell me where you're going!" He exclaimed, following her as she put on her shoes.
"I-I'm going to The Gem's…"
"After what you told me, you expect me to let you go on your own?" He asked, grabbing her shoulder to keep her from leaving the little flat, "Let me come with you–"
"Tetsurou! Everything is fine!" She exclaimed, putting her hands on his chest – the way his heart was beating frantically broke her heart, "I promise it's all fine… I-I'm handling things on my own… I need you to trust me, okay?"
He didn't want to let her go, he felt that if he did trust her this time, she wouldn't come back the same. If she came back at all.
"I can't…" Tetsurou said, feeling distraught to say such words.
Akane's lips opened and closed, her eyes filling with distress and her breath becoming uneven. Then, she stepped away, swallowing hard and nodding.
"Okay…" She breathed.
"Wait…"
She turned around and closed the door to his face to keep him from following her. She hurried down the hall and she knew that Tetsurou stepped out of the flat, called her name several times and made sure NeKo stayed inside… but she kept going and didn't look back. As much as it hurt, she understood why he wouldn't trust her, why he couldn't. She didn't trust herself either.
But just as she had said, she went to The Gem's, taking the usual back door. Instead of greeting her co-workers, surprised to see her here when she wasn't supposed to work, and instead of walking downstairs like she usually did, she went upstairs. She didn't even knock at Nori-san's door, opening it suddenly enough that he looked up with a startle.
"Akane? What's going on?" He asked, stunned to see her so suddenly and distraught.
"I… I think I need help…" She said, shaking.
He nodded gravely and she closed the door.
Tetsurou remained in the silent flat, unable to eat, constantly checking his phone. The minutes were going way too slowly, waiting worriedly for Akane to come back… And as promised, at eight o'clock, she was back. She kissed his forehead then went to take a bath, locking herself there. He didn't say or do anything, simply continued to stare at the increasing darkness. When NeKo started meowing for dinner and he heard Akane step out of the bath to dry herself, he stood up and walked out of the flat.
Akane came out of the bathroom just as the main door closed, Tetsurou leaving for all the right reasons… The tears she had hid in the bath came back and she let herself fall on the bed. She gave food to NeKo then leaned against the wall against her bed, still wearing only her bathrobe… Hours later, completely dry and shivering a little, the silence was smothering her enough that she caressed the wall. Then she knocked quietly at it.
She waited, not expecting any answer, biting on her lower lip…
But then, as quietly, Tetsurou knocked back their secrete message.
'I love you' resonated and she couldn't help but smile, despite how heavy her heart felt. It meant more than a simple 'I love you' like back when she had started tapping against their shared wall. Now, it meant 'I love you and I'm sorry for what I did but I need a little bit of time, but I still love you…'
The week-end went by faster than they would have wished, even though they didn't do much other than cuddle and being lazy together. The summer heat was gone, letting rain and chilly weather settle in. Cups of tea, cuddling under the covers and remaining-cozy-at-home season had started but there was something gnawing at the back of Tetsurou and Akane's minds. They couldn't relax even though they were trying to enjoy every moment spent together to their best, there was always a moment when one was looking away to escape being stared at. There was always a moment when one was absent-minded. When one was being nervous for a reason or another…
"Tetsu, hurry, we'll be late!" Akane exclaimed on Monday morning, quickly entering his apartment.
"We've got time!"
"No, we need to go soon!" She continued, leaving to go back in her apartment but she left the doors wide opened, so they could keep shouting at each other like that (their neighbours were used to it by now).
"I still haven't had my breakfast!" He said, coming out of the bathroom and shivering because of the opened door.
"That's because you spent too much time running this morning!"
He didn't answer, putting on clothes as fast as possible, as warm as possible, just as Akane entered his apartment, followed by NeKo, and carrying a tray of breakfast.
"Hurry up!" She said, gathering his books and notes for the day.
"We've got plenty of time left! Why are you in such a hurry?" He asked, sitting down and taking NeKo on his laps.
"Because, we need to go on foot because there's too many people in the underground at this time," she said, pointing at the curtain of falling rain they could see from the window (the doors were now closed to keep the cold from getting in).
"Why would we go on foot? We have the bike," he said with a shrug.
"It's raining cats and dogs! We're not taking the bike, you'll have us break our necks!" She continued, looking exasperated.
"I'll drive slowly," he answered with a shrug.
"No, Tetsurou. You are not taking the bike with that rain, understood? I'll call Bokuto and ask him if he can drop us at the university."
"You don't trust me to drive carefully? But you'd rather trust Bokuto of all people?" He asked in astonishment.
"He has a car, and it's not you I don't trust, but the idiots who are driving cars and aren't careful of bikers – especially when they're late and especially when it rains! Remember last week what happened? We were almost ran over by some asshole who didn't even slow down!"
"Which is why I will be careful while driving," he said, standing up.
She was about to call Bokuto when he put his hands on hers, stopping her from calling their friend.
"Come on, Akane, it'll be fine," he said with an encouraging smile, "No need to be afraid. Beside Bokuto is probably at the other side of Tokyo right now."
She frowned lightly as he continued:
"He and Ayaka spend all their week-ends together, remember? He doesn't have any class on Monday morning so he always drives her to Fukurodani. He won't answer right away nor be available to play driver for us. Just trust me, okay?"
He kissed her nose, then her cheeks, then her ears and her neck and she finally sighed.
"All right… But promise me you'll be even more careful than usual!" She said, poking into his chest.
"Promise," he said, kissing her forehead before going to finish his breakfast.
As soon as he was ready, that they had said goodbye to NeKo and were carefully wrapped to avoid getting wet, they went to school. Akane was very nervous because it was the first time they were driving on the bike with such heavy rain but as promised, Tetsurou was very careful and took a road that took longer but had less cars. They arrived unscathed at the university, to which he obviously gloated about for the entire way to their class. She had to roll her eyes several times and smack his arm to have him shut up about it – he obviously answered to it by pulling her against him and teasing her infinitely. For the first time in days, they were laughing when they entered the classroom.
The class went as usual, with one of their best teachers. Maki-sensei always looked tired and lost, he had a hairstyle that reminded everyone of Einstein, he was incredibly clumsy, but he had an incredible intelligence and such passion that it was hard to not be dragged in by his enthusiasm for sciences.
"Ah, Saito!" He called at the end of the class when everyone was leaving, "I have something to talk about to you, do you mind staying behind a mo–"
The papers he had been trying to put into his bag somehow escaped his hands and covered the floor. A few students chuckled, avoiding stepping on them just as he mumbled how clumsy he was. Akane turned towards her boyfriend:
"Go on ahead," she said, helping their teacher gather his papers.
"Ah, thank you, thank you, Saito!" He said, dropping a few more sheets by bobbing his head too much.
"Good luck," Tetsurou said with an amused smirk, leaving the classroom for a well-deserved restroom break – he'll wait for Akane before they'll go to have lunch with Ushijima.
By the time all the papers were gathered and into the teacher's bag, every student had left.
"All right, so… what was it I needed to tell you?" He wondered, blinking, "Ah, right! The other teachers and I discussed about the students from this year's promotion and you stand out. You work hard, you're passionate and you have a gift for biochemistry. I believe you had asked me some questions about a topic that interests you in particular?" He continued with his easy-going smile.
"Y-yes, about the chemical communication between trees," she said, nodding, "I read an article about it two years ago and I've been curious about it ever since. I-I think I want to specialise in that… that's why I had asked you questions, to know if you had any readings on the topic."
"Well, yes, have you read the articles I had sent you?"
"Yes! They were all very interesting!"
"It's still a pretty recent domain of study, but one of the pioneer in this domain is going to come to give a few classes and conferences about it. It's supposed to be for older students but I believe you should be able to keep up. Does that interest you?"
"Yes! Yes please!" She exclaimed, grinning in excitement.
"It'll be in English, he's American, you see–"
"That's not a problem at all, sir!"
"Very well, send me an email so I can send you the information – I'll forget about it if you don't send me that email…" He continued, as chill as ever.
"I will, thank you, sir!" Akane exclaimed.
"You're very welcome, Saito-san. It's rare to meet such passionate students. It's nice to have enthusiastic minds like yours."
She flushed a little and bowed down to thank him. She left the classroom, almost running to hurry to tell Tetsurou the good news. She was almost hopping, impatient and excited. Then, suddenly, coming out of a nearby, dark hall, someone grabbed her arm and she gasped, almost falling over.
Tetsurou yawned, feeling sleepy from the constant rain even if the cold was waking his mind – but not his body.
"Good day to you, Shiroo-kun," Maki-sensei told him.
"Ah, it's Kuroo, sensei," he corrected.
"Oh right, right, I keep mixing the color, ah ah!"
"It's fine."
He looked around and blinked, surprised that Akane wasn't here yet.
"Um…"
He was about to ask the teacher but he had already started walking under the rain, keeping his bag and precious research papers close to his chest instead of protecting his head. His messy hair was probably working as umbrella anyway. Maybe she had gone to the toilets but the way to the restroom was right where he was standing…
Suddenly worried, Tetsurou went back on his steps, checking on his phone for any message from Akane. Maybe she had gone the other way around because she knew he preferred the big restrooms at the other side of the building?
He froze when he suddenly heard voices in a dark hall and upon recognizing Akane's, he leaned against the wall and… he shouldn't have but… he couldn't help and listen.
"You are an absolute asshole! I can't believe you went and gave him my phone number!"
"It's fine, he didn't do anything!"
"He entered my apartment, Takehiko! You knew he'd do that!"
Takehiko? Her ex-boyfriend/sex-friend? And who was 'he'? Tetsurou wondered.
"He threatened me and Tetsurou!"
"You were supposed to come last Friday, but you didn't! He wouldn't have to go to such lengths if you listened!"
"I don't want to listen to him, or you! Let me live my life as I want it! AWAY from all of you, monsters!"
Takehiko laughed, an irritating, bitter laugh that made even Tetsurou startle. He could only imagine what state Akane was in – he could hear in her voice she was struggling to not cry. He was about to step in when Takehiko continued:
"What life?! You're just a whore!"
Tetsurou froze, and stopped breathing, eyes widened.
"Just like your mother! Don't think you can get out of that life so easily! You really think you can be a scientist with a successful career and have a healthy love life with that boyfriend of yours? He doesn't know anything about you, he'll never accept that part of you! But I don't care– I want you back!"
"You want my body back…"
"So? Isn't that all you're good for? Come on… Akane… come on, I'll pay you twice more than your usual price…"
Tetsurou whipped around and clearly saw, even in the mid-darkness, his worst fears come true. Akane was leaning against the wall and Takehiko handed her a lot of money. He couldn't see her face but– but…
Takehiko and Akane must have heard him stepping because they looked up. They both looked shocked, but Akane's gaze broke.
There was a moment of long silence where they stared at each other, the weight of everything that had remained unsaid hitting them like tsunamis.
"T-Tetsurou…" She whispered.
Every beat of his heart sent a new wave of pain through his body, and Tetsurou turned around, hurrying away from her.
"W-wait! It's not what you think!" She exclaimed, running after him.
He continued forward, stubbornly ignoring her cries. He went out under the rain and didn't even react when the cold drops of water hit his face. It felt like stinging, ice-cold needles, but it was nothing compared to the destruction of his heart right now.
"Tetsurou, please!" Akane exclaimed, grabbing his arm.
He whipped around, pulling his arm away from her so suddenly, she gasped and covered her face. But he wouldn't hit her, he never could because he loved her so much – but because he loved her with all his heart, her lies and betrayal hurt even more…
"You had said… you said you weren't a whore! You said you weren't doing any of this!" He exclaimed, voice breaking while his eyes filled with burning tears – a sharp contrast with the ice all over his body and the bleeding of his heart.
Akane opened and closed her lips, her eyes red, her face streaming with drops of water – from the rain and the tears…
"I… I can explain… it's… it's all behind, it's in the past, I swear!"
"You lied to me…" He hissed, "I could handle you hiding the truth– but you lied! You know how hard it is for me to trust anyone after all the lies that Kohaku had–"
He turned his head away, hiding his tears and clenching his fists and jaw so hard it hurt.
"Don't talk to me ever again…" He said in a low voice, his heart breaking all over again to say such words…
Akane's heart missed a beat, feeling like the ground was opening under her to swallow her whole.
Lightning flashed above their heads, thunder resonated.
And Tetsurou left, without looking back. He had fallen in love with Akane, times and times again, with warm summer rain and thunder electrifying the air. But now, the cold autumn rain and the terrifying thunder were the echo of his heart and trust breaking all over again.
The (expected) truth is out, what story will she tell? If Tetsurou listens?
Tell me what you think, please!
Yours Truly,
May