"Kotoko, can we talk?"
Yuzan looked down at Kotoko as she sat on the bench in the middle of the park. She looked up and glared, not knowing what to do at that moment.
"And why should I?"
"Please," Yuzan sighed, "just let me explain."
"I don't think that there is anything to explain. You are a cheater and I don't want anything to do with you."
"Kotoko," Yuzan placed a hand on her shoulder. Kotoko gave out a sharp hiss as she pulled away. Almost as if his hand had burned her.
"Don't Kotoko me! I don't want to talk to you!" Kotoko yelled. She stood up and turned to walk away but felt herself being held back by Yuzan.
"Let go of me!"
"Not until you let me explain." Yuzan growled as he pulled Kotoko towards him.
Kotoko felt herself growing angrier and angrier as she looked around and saw the worried faces of the bystanders around her. She didn't want to cause a scene, but she really didn't want to talk to her ex who had betrayed her.
"Stop it!" Kotoko yanked her hand away from Yuzan. "I don't want to talk to you! I don't care what you have to say to me! I owe you nothing! You cheated on me!"
Kotoko stormed away but could feel that Yuzan was following close behind. She began to grow worried. Her heart raced with every step and she knew that she needed to get somewhere safe. Kotoko exited the park and walked along the street, knowing that Yuzan was behind her. She felt like Euridyce and Orpheus walking through the Underworld, not daring to turn around or else face certain doom.
She walked and walked, in her panic not knowing where she was and where she was going. Still, she sensed Yuzan behind her. She continued on her walk and yelped when she felt an arm wrap around her waist.
"Stop and hug me back." Kotoko heard a familiar voice whisper in her ear. She glanced up and saw Naoki. He held a shopping bag and Kotoko had never been more happy to see him.
She quickly wrapped her arms around him. She didn't even need to be told to hug him because she was so glad that somebody had come to her rescue.
"H-how did you know?" Kotoko stammered as she rested her head on Naoki's shoulder.
"I saw you when I walked out of the market and you looked scared. I then saw him behind you and it looked like you were trying to get away." Naoki replied as he pulled away.
"Thank you." Kotoko sighed as she pulled back.
"Kotoko, I am so glad that I found you!" Naoki exclaimed, loud enough for Yuzan to hear. "I got worried when I didn't see you at home. Mama has been worried. Especially when I told her how crazy the party got last night."
"Tell Mama I am sorry. I wanted to take a walk through the park on the way from Satomi's."
"Well, I guess we could walk home together. You are just in time for lunch." Naoki smiled down at Kotoko.
"I'm sorry, she is spending the day with me." Yuzan sneered as he walked up to Naoki.
"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't know." Naoki could not let Yuzan know that he knew his and Kotoko's situation.
"I'm not doing anything with you." Kotoko glared up at Yuzan.
"Is there something wrong?" Naoki asked.
"I don't see why you are suddenly so concerned seeing as you treated her like shit the whole time that you knew each other." Yuzan spat with disgust at the tall young man.
"Excuse me?" Naoki turned so that his body was squared with Yuzan's.
"You heard me. Just stay out of it. Kotoko is being a child, you know how she is." Yuzan replied, looking over Naoki's shoulder to look at Kotoko.
"Obviously she doesn't want to talk to you so I think that it is best to leave her alone." Naoki glared up at Yuzan.
"What? Are you two dating now?" Yuzan crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
"No!" Kotoko exclaimed. Naoki couldn't help but to feel his heart drop as he heard how quickly Kotoko had replied to the question.
"I am not a cheater like you!" Kotoko continued.
"Wait, he cheated on you?" Naoki feigned surprise.
Kotoko, still unaware that Naoki knew of her predicament with Yuzan, felt tears come to her eyes. But she couldn't cry, not in front of Yuzan and not in front of Naoki.
"I wasn't cheating on you! If you would let me explain!" Yuzan pulled at his hair in frustration.
"Then who was Kira to you? She said that she was your girlfriend!" Kotoko yelled, her eyes welling up with tears.
"She's just a girl from my past. An ex."
"She certainly seemed to think that you two were together." Kotoko folded her arms.
"We went out for coffee a few days ago and..."
"I bet you took her to our spot."
"It isn't 'our spot', Kotoko." Yuzan rolled his eyes and Kotoko could feel the tears roll down her cheeks.
"Kotoko," Kotoko turned to face Naoki, "are you alright?"
"No," Kotoko sighed, "I am just so stupid."
"Don't say that about yourself?" Naoki replied.
"Because it's only okay when you say it?" Kotoko glared up at Naoki. Naoki looked down at Kotoko with surprise. He couldn't help but remember the night that they had together and how it seemed that everything was headed in the right direction. Then again, he shouldn't be too surprised when she couldn't remember anything that happened the night before.
"I think that I really just need some time to myself. I need to focus on the exams next weekend and I don't need you two getting in my way."
"At least let me walk you home." Naoki replied. "I don't think that I can trust you to get home safely by yourself. Certainly not with him." Naoki glared up at Yuzan.
"I tried to explain to you what happened and you don't want to listen so don't worry, I am not interested anymore. Have fun with her."
"You know what," Naoki marched up to Yuzan and looked him in the eyes before swinging his arm around and landing a punch to Yuzan's jaw.
Kotoko jumped back and gasped in surprise.
"Sorry, Kotoko, I couldn't let him get away with saying something like that. I know it wasn't very polite but he deserved it." Naoki panted as he held his hand.
"God you two are something else." Yuzan stood as he held his red jaw, "I am out of here."
Kotoko and Naoki watched as Yuzan stomped away, both his jaw and his ego bruised.
"Now, let me walk you back to the house."
"I am fine, I can walk by myself." Kotoko said with tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes.
"Kotoko, this is not the time to be stubborn. Please, let me walk you home. You aren't in the right place to walk home about yourself."
"I can-"
"No, you are not walking home by yourself, that is final."
"You know that you aren't my dad and that I don't have to listen to you."
"You barely listen to your actual father." Naoki smiled down at her, earning him a small smile from Kotoko.
"And so what makes me think that I am going to listen to you?" Kotoko let out a small giggle, music to Naoki's ears.
"Just let me walk home with you. It's not like I am asking you to marry me. It's just a walk, please say yes."
Kotoko looked up at Naoki and gave him a reluctant smile, "Fine. You may walk me home."
Sorry that this chapter is so short, I am trying to find different ways of going with this story. It's not so much writer's block as it is that I have so many ideas but I don't know which one to pick. I just hope that whichever way that I go that most of you will be happy because I know that with all of the reviews that I have gotten that a lot of you want very different things haha.