Betray

'Play with me'? The cat zoanthrope scrunched up her face into a look of distaste. "That sounds so wanton," she blurted aloud.

Her friend portrayed a curious expression. "Wanton? Why would that be your response to the aforementioned sentence?"

Remembering his naïveté nature, Uriko sighed and shook her head. "Do you know what that means? To 'play'?" She displayed two hooked fingers to emphasize on the hidden meaning of 'play', and in addition, raised her eyebrows to try and send him a wordless message.

He started to open his mouth and confirm the answer, but then caught sight of her current facial features and instead spoke, "Enlighten me."

She heaved a shrill breath. "Okay… These days, when people say 'play' they really mean… Ahem, well…" she cleared her throat, "They mean it in a provocative way."

"Provocative." The ninja repeated, a blank stare inhibiting his eyes.

"Yeah… Um, Kenji, you do know what foreplay is, right? I hope?"

"The acts a couple engages in prior to having sexual intercourse." He replied blatantly.

Light pink blush fanned over the girl's cheeks. "U-Uh huh… A-And that's pretty much what 'play' means these days. It's kinda like foreplay, as in, if a girl invites you to 'play' with her, it usually means that she really wants something way, way more than that."

"To attain consummation." Kenji sounded strangely calm and was brazen with his speaking, while the eerie shadows dancing about his face from the weak lighting of her desk lamp made her shiver inwardly.

She blushed more deeply, giggling nervously as she remarked, "Sheesh, you sure are acting bold tonight!"

"I see no reason to be otherwise," he answered, shrugging aimlessly. "After all, you are the only one that I would ever be this open to, the only person I would bestow so much trust upon." A faint sparkle in his irises winked at her. "Aren't the responsibilities of a best friend astonishing."

"Well…"

Ring, ring!

Uriko jolted in surprise when her phone rang, and then gave her friend an apologetic smile as she walked over to her desk and picked up the receiver. Who could be calling this late at night? "Hello?"

"Hey girl!!" An excited female voice slightly pained her sensitive hearing.

"…Erika?" The sixteen-year-old blinked. "Why are you calling at this time of nigh-"

"You won't believe what just happened!" The enthusiastic speaker barreled onward. "I am now coming back from a ride with Joseph Riley! He came to my workplace and sent me home when I finished, and when we arrived at my house, he asked me to go to the prom with him!!"

"Wow, really?" the feline chuckled faintly. "Hey, congrats, I know you've had the biggest crush on him since ninth grade."

Her male companion glanced over at her with a partial smirk gracing his lips though he could only hear half of the conversation going on.

"Yeah, ooh, I can't wait until the prom!"

"You and Joseph will have the greatest time, I just know it."

Erika sighed, sounding like she was nearly swooning through the telephone line. "Uriko, what about you? Who are you going with this year?"

The Kenpo student coughed. "I'm not going to the prom this year."

The ninja sent a blank look in her direction, feeling a bit curious about what her words meant.

"Whaaat?" was the girl's unbelieving exclamation; "You must be kidding! You went the last two years, why not this year?"

"Simple, because no one that has asked me is even partially decent," Uriko shrugged, even knowing that her friend obviously couldn't see her action. "The guys I went with the last two years before asked me, but I think one experience with each of them is enough for a lifetime.

And a couple of seniors have asked me too, but I turned them down because they don't exactly have… well, reliable and trusting reputations… But that's okay, don't worry about me, Erika, I'm not gonna be depressed or anything if I don't go to prom. It's not that I don't want to and all, but if I go stag, then I might feel a little left out since my other friends have dates and will be spending time with them, you know what I mean?"

"Okay, yeah, I know…" the other girl sighed a bit disdainfully. "Geez, why don't you just go with Kenji?"

"Go with Ke-" the cat zoanthrope remembered that he was in her room, and quickly bit off her sentence, flashing a quick smile at the male student before replying back to Erika, "Not a real good option there. Can't force people to go to prom if they don't want to, right?"

"Uh huh, I guess not." Her friend sounded disappointed. "Well, sorry for calling so late, but I just wanted you to be the first to know about Joseph asking me to the prom, and now that you know, I'll let you off, okay?"

"All right. 'Night, Erika," the auburn-haired teenager spoke, and hung up the phone, heaving a shaky breath and glancing down at the floor before walking over to her friend. "Sorry about that."

"No problem." Kenji's expression was nonchalant, displaying no particular feeling or emotion toward the phone conversation.

"Anyway, back to our conversation earlier, I wouldn't be one to call those things you listed as responsibilities, really," the Kenpo student disagreed, "It should just come naturally to listen to each other whenever needed, be there in times of distress to soothe and comfort."

He slowly shook his head, voicing quietly, his tone slightly bitter, "Your compassion and conscientiousness make me ashamed of my in-drawn, selfish behavior, Uriko."

"Hey, you're not selfish!"

"Oh, but I am." The mole zoanthrope cast weary, angst-filled eyes in her direction. "If it hadn't been for your influence, I would presumably still be the distraught youth hanging on the edge of sorrow and despair, the same status I was at fourteen. Though I try to optimistically think of the brightened future awaiting me, I often find myself wondering about what could have been, doubting my past, my own character."

A fine sheen of moisture shimmered in his pupils that made his friend bite her lip, but he quickly blinked them away into nonexistence upon seeing her action. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep bringing up more problems for you to deal with. Sometimes, I feel that I don't deserve you as a companion, an ally, a… a friend, because I can't offer anything worthy of your attention. I honestly don't know what you see in me." He closed his eyes and bowed his head low, exhaling a shuddering sigh as the hollow and empty feeling of depression began to claw its way up his throat, striving for release. Grinding his teeth in response, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, gripping a deathly iron hold of the bed's dove-white sheets, crushing the material into his palms.

"Kenji…" A pained look crossing her expression, the young feline all of a sudden lurched up from her sitting position at her friend, and wrapped her arms around his neck comfortingly. Her eyes tightly squeezed shut, she fought back tears of sympathy that threatened to spill and instead concentrated on embracing the lean teenager warmly. She desperately wished that he could finally be free of all the darkness that plagued his thoughts, intoxicated his mind and heart, and prevented him from achieving redemption. If only she could exchange her own cheerfulness and loving enthusiasm for life with his shadowed and black attitude; at least she would know how to convert them into exultation over time.

Kenji raised his arms and encircled her slender waist, holding his friend in a firm, tense hug, so strongly that she felt almost breathless, but the girl ignored the slight discomfort and laid her bare cheek against the cool skin of his. Lifting one of his hands, he repositioned it to lie upon the small of her back, feeling the small tremors that shook her body through the thin nylon of her nightshirt. Sheering guilt mercilessly invaded and attacked his mind at that moment regarding how he brought down her mood and caused her to experience the angst and pain that he should have only endured himself. Suddenly angry that he had forced her to suffer the gloom that tormented most of his waking moments, the palm resting on her back balled into a stiff fist, crumpling a small bunch of her upper body attire into his hand the process.

Pathetic and worthless… the evil voice that forever would linger in his mind taunted, Using pity to gain attention from your…'friend'. That tactic won't gain you love from her, you fool. She will never feel anything for you more than platonic emotions… The sixteen-year-old male gritted his teeth, at that moment ominously wanting to strike one of the surrounding sturdy walls with his fist in frustration.

"I'll always be your friend… You don't have to doubt my loyalty…" he heard her whisper just then, her words making his ears perk up in rigid attention.

"Thank you…" was his soft murmur back.

But when he felt her body relax and realized that her rhythmic breathing was calm and serene, he wasn't sure if she had received his reply, and presumed that she had finally succumbed to the sleep that she'd stubbornly deprived her consciousness of for quite some time. Smiling a little bitterly, the cobalt-haired ninja released his hold on the girl, and let her form gently slump in his arms while a sleepy sigh drifted out of her mouth. Slightly rising off his knees, he brushed aside the sheets with one hand and gently laid his friend upon her bed, covering her figure with the warm blanket. Reaching an arm toward her face, Kenji lightly stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, then tucked a part of her long brown bangs behind her ear.

Thinking back to the phone conversation she had earlier with Erika, a confused smirk formed over his tightly pressed-together lips. To know that his female companion would not be going to the prom due to the scum of candidates she had lined up for her made him feel more at ease in his heart. But there was slight forlornness taking inhibiting his mood regarding the fact that she wouldn't let herself attend an event that she wanted to because of unworthy adversaries trying to capture her attention. A sense of protection overwhelmed his emotions at that moment, and he had a fierce desire to pick her lightweight form up and just hold her securely in his arms.

"Sleep well, dear kitten." He whispered as he leaned over and quickly grazed her forehead with his lips before arising from the mattress and ascending to his feet. The sixteen-year-old wanted to stay in her room the rest of the night and watch over Uriko, since he had already promised to guard her, although she didn't know that he would also sacrifice his very life for her safety without a second thought. But he knew it would be rude and disrespectful to remain in the vicinity of her privacy in that matter without asking her permission, so he turned to look at the window. As the male student proceeded to her desk to flick off the lights, he was about to grab the small black knob when he noticed the heavy textbook sitting adjacent to the lamp.

Striding over to the open doorframes, Kenji pushed them shut together, before walking back to the desk. Stealing a furtive glance back at his friend, a slow smile spread over his lips, and he easily slipped into the unoccupied chair, taking a seat and slid the book along the smooth brown surface down toward him.

*****

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!"

"Uhhhhh…"

A loud yawn escaping from between the young feline's lips, she reached her hand down around the edge of her bed, and shut off her noising alarm clock. Lazily stretching her arms up above her head, she remained in her lying position for a few minutes before sighing and reluctantly sitting up onto her rear. Glancing around her sun-brightened room, a confused look grazed her expression as she recalled her friend stopping over just hours prior, and wondered when he had left. Her sleep-wavered eyes settled onto the textbook sitting upon her desk, and she gasped, remembering her unfinished homework. She threw off her blanket, and hastily leaped out of her bed yet still managed to land on the floor with gently padded feet; she grabbed the front cover of the book and flipped through the pages until she reached the one with her assignment sheet tucked inside.

Gazing at the paper, she was surprised to discover that her schoolwork was already done, the rest of her problems neatly filed down and the convenience of an answer column occupied the right margin. Blinking in slight bewilderment, the Kenpo student raised one arm to tuck it behind her head, resting her palm against the back of her neck, an action provoked by whenever she felt baffled about a certain situation. On the opposite page of where her homework lied, was a half-sheet of notebook paper, and she untangled herself from the pose to inspect the simple, neatly written message on it more closely.

Now you don't need to worry about your homework. Hope you had sweet dreams. I'm sorry that I won't be able to pick you up and give you a ride to school later on, but I have an errand I must run in the morning. I will come to your locker approximately five minutes before the first period rings; please meet me there if you have nothing else planned with your other friends.

Kenji

P.S. Thank you for being such a good listener, as well as a direly remarkable friend last night. Every word you have spoken will be taken to heart.

A beautiful smile lit up Uriko's slightly blushing features as she absorbed his affectionate words, clutching the note to her chest tightly. "He's so sweet…"

*****

Perhaps I have arrived a bit too early.

A quivering hand nervously running through tousled dark blue bangs, the male student remained resolutely posted near a particular locker in the lengthy, winding school hallway. Most of the other teenage scholars who passed by him didn't offer anything more than a quick glance before continuing on their way about their own business. A few girls that had noticed the freshly earth-born rose tucked securely within his fist briefly paused to admire the baby soft petals that splayed a crimson red color over the skin of his hand. The long green stem stretched down near the distance of a foot while the smoothness of the surface caressed his palm, and he was thankful for the absence of its native thorns. One female had asked him what was the purpose of his rose purchase, and he merely answered that it was well deserved, and how he wished he had done so sooner.

"Oooh, Kenji-kun has his eye on someone…" the same girl teased coyly before her boyfriend managed to gently push her on to walking away.

They may think what they will. The ninja shot her a brief cool glare, then slipped his hand into his pocket and looked down at what he pulled out: two rectangular yellow tickets. On each of them were the artfully scripted words printed, "One admission to the 'Confession Night' Prom Event in the year of 2017". An amused partial smirk formed over his lips, and he tucked the tickets away as he waited through more passing minutes for his friend to arrive at her locker.

"Wow, that's so incredibly nice of you." An elegant voice smoothly commented from close beside him.

He didn't recognize the speaker as Uriko, so he was hesitant in turning his head to glance to his right, meeting the vibrant jade green eyes of a girl with fiery red hair. "Hello, uh… Cindy…"

"Wendy," she corrected him, a slight edge of annoyance in her tone. "Wendy Kesler."

…And that has what significance to me? Kenji wondered inwardly, faintly recalling hearing her name over the morning announcements via the intercom, always linked to the social events regarding the school.

She must have detected the uneasy look in his eyes. "You've never heard of or seen me around school before?"

"Oh, no, I have," he replied, smiling weakly in assurance. "I just… don't really know you, that is all."

A convincing gasp escaped from her as the girl's mouth dropped open in astonishment, then she raised her hand to cover it in further dramatic emphasis, "Don't really know me? Oh my, honey, I never would've thought that you'd forget me after what happened between us Saturday night at that new transfer student, Cronos' party, tsk, tsk!"

I've never been to a party before… He quirked a brow suspiciously. "…What happened between us Saturday night at Cronos' party?"

Her eyes widened in mock surprise. "Dear me, you don't remember? This is absolutely tragic!" She placed her hand on his forearm and briefly squeezed his biceps. "I can't believe that you don't remember the first girl you ever slept with, or the night that you lost your virginity!"

The mole zoanthrope felt his heartbeat halt to a dead stop at her exclamation. "Wh-What…?!"

She batted her lashes at him seductively. "Yup, it was you and me, doll, and nothin' but bare skin. True, we were both tipsy and maybe we weren't in our normal states of mind, but hey, it sure was one wild, unforgettable experience! And to think, we have your friend Uriko to thank for that special night between us!"

His eyes narrowed into slits. "Uriko? What would she have anything to do with… with something like that??"

Wendy clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Poor baby, she must've gotten you so drunk that the memory was wiped from your mind - you did pass out afterwards. I suspected that the punch was spiked, and even told her so, but she just kept bringing you more and more glasses! I guess she wanted you to do her, but she got steered away by some other guy, and then you came over to me."

He shoved his hand into his pocket, where it clenched into a tight fist and quivered in confusion and anger. "Afterwards?? After what?!"

"After we had sex! Duh!" The girl tsked at him exasperatingly, and then squeezed his biceps once more before casually strolling off down a direction of the hallway while calling over her shoulder, "Sorry you had to be back-stabbed by your friend, Kenji-kun. I sure would never do something like that to a sweet person such as yourself…"

For a moment, he couldn't move. Her statements sent jagged glass shards searing into his body, slicing open fresh wounds and exposing his vulnerability for any outside people to view. His best friend… betraying him? That just didn't seem possible. But then again, she never revealed explicit aspects of what happened that weekend, and all he could remember was staying at her house to take care of her recovering injuries. After reviewing the facts in his head, he immediately clamed up, shielding a cold, unyielding mask over his face to hide the deadly ire boiling in his eyes and the white of his tightly pursed lips. It was time for him to find the answers to these new burning questions, and this time, he would not relent until she told him every last detail.

Suddenly, softness brushed against the knuckles of his hand, and he remembered the delicate red rose that he still held in his grasp. Glancing down, Kenji stared at the flower for a silent, endless moment, before curling up his fist, mercilessly crushing the dainty petals and severing the crisp stem into two pieces. Flinging the crumpled floral to the cold marble floor, he turned his back on it and slowly began to walk away, heading for his first period classroom, feeling inward wounds bleed more heavily with each agonized passing step. His humane feelings and emotions shriveled into black smoke, crawling back into forming his hard shell of emptiness, his heart as broken as the rose lying on the ground behind him.