Author's Notes: Thank you notes are at the bottom. I really appreciate everyone's comments.
Echoes Of The Past
Achilles' Heel
"Danjuro, you're a sly fox," a voice said between continuous giggles. Fear struck her heart. It was distinctly female.
Kaede was about to knock on the door with peeling paint of appallingly moss-like shade of green when she heard voices floating from the backside of the house. Filled with that sense of foreboding, she stalked around the house in swift strides. But she was never prepared to the scene that unfolded before her.
A girl, clad in a micro-mini leather skirt and a fuschia pink tube, was sitting, almost lying, on top of Danjuro as he sat on the unkempt grass-strewn ground. Danjuro laughed as a girl with flaming red hair bit his ear and whispered only God-knows-what. He kissed her passionately in return, her arms around his neck, his arms encircling her tiny waist, her legs planting themselves atop of his own.
Kaede felt heat rise up her face, blinding her with a myriad of emotions. Anger, humiliation, disgust...smoldering pain. She couldn't believe it at first. It couldn't be. Her Danjuro, hers...had been lying all this time. All his promises were nothing but empty words. The kisses were merely short dosages to a sex narcotic like him, to momentarily satisfy his own lustful desires.
She turned around to walk away, wanting to go and salvage her wounds in private. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered the box of goodies she had slaved over the week still clutched tightly in her hand. She dropped it in the large bin outside his house before leaving that god-forsaken neighborhood. It belonged in the dump. Yes, the brownies, the poem, the time, the effort, the love—all wasted.
As soon as she slammed the door of her room, Kaede broke down in sobs. She knew how it felt like to be hurt, to be disappointed, but she never knew the feeling of a loved one's betrayal. It felt like pain was eating you from within, wrecking everything you ever believed in, robbing you of all you ever dreamed of.
After crying her eyes out, she was on the verge of exhaustion. Only then did slumber look ever so promising, but she tossed and turned in bed, hours after her head first touched the pillow. She wanted to seek refuge in a deep, dreamless sleep, but it didn't come to her. Instead, the scenes she had seen, and wished she hadn't, kept playing over and over in her head. She kept remembering all that he had told her, all that he had promised and all that she had hoped for.
They were all lies.
As if she had not been devastated enough and thought that it was impossible for things to get any worse, the next day at school proved her assumptions wrong. Everyone was quoting her poem. Everyone was laughing at her. Everyone made her feel like an idiot for believing that someone would actually fall in love with her.
"Danjuro, it was your smile, your smile that makes my fears disappear. Oh Danjuro," a mousey girl taunted her in a voice of fake adoration as she walked past her on the hallway.
"Kaede, did you ever think that he really did love you? I mean, hello? Have you looked in the mirror lately?" her companion called out with a sneer. She was ruthless as well.
Kaede wanted to wipe that sneer off her face right that very instant, but thought it wise not to stoop down their level. And the two girls walked on by, laughing malevolently down the hall.
It seemed that every student had gotten news of what happened to her. Everyone was giving her knowing glances, and every once in a while a person would leer at her. The brash words burned through her ears, down to her heart, chipping her already battered armor piece by piece. It was taking all her self-control just to get through this day without ripping somebody apart. Her patience was wearing thin, but the day was far from over.
As soon as she had stepped foot in the cafeteria, everyone hushed. Everyone, except Danjuro. He even had the nerve to walk up to her, as if to rub in the fact that he had gotten her fooled.
"Hey Baby, what was it about my smile again?" he asked loudly for everyone to hear, smiling widely in the process and looking at his grinning bunch of pathetic cronies for approval.
"Damn You." The words gritted her teeth as they rasped out in a mere whisper.
"Was it about my perfect teeth?" he fished out for a compliment, totally unconscious of the deadly tone in her voice.
"Oh no, your teeth are perfect." Her voice was coated with sarcasm.
"But I think I forgot to add a line in the poem about your breath." Kaede managed to keep a poker face, with only her eyes betraying true anguish and spite as she added, "Remember that last kiss? Your breath actually revealed what you had for breakfast, lunch and dinner the previous day."
His smile faded.
Kaede almost laughed in triumph... Almost.
"You're actually lucky. I had to be paid just to kiss a disgusting thing like you. I think my lips are traumatized for life." The word paid, rang in her ears, taking another powerful blow on her already damaged pride. The room erupted in laughter. Everyone was in on the joke.
And the joke was on her.
She could feel the tears welling in her eyes; the heat of anger speedily coursing in her veins. Ironically, though she felt so awakened inside, her body felt helplessly frail, her only wish was to escape from the sounds of their mockery. She had wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. She turned around to walk out, but before she could take another step...
"Sorry, Kaede, I needed the money." That wasn't even an apology. He called out, "But I believe it wasn't all a waste. You had fun, didn't you?" His lips curved into a knowing smile.
SLAP!
The audible sound hung in the air, cutting the celebration short.
The room went abruptly silent as the spectators, now watching Kaede and Danjuro, who had a hand on his cheek, holding the place where Kaede's hand had made contact, intently anticipated the next move. It all seemed just like an entertaining show to them. Oh, how she had wanted to make them join the cast.
Somehow, her legs managed to carry her out of the cafeteria, with head held high, eyes blinking back hot heavy tears, and dignity entirely intact.
Kaede fumed. It was all a bet. It was all a game. They put a wager on her, the high and mighty Kaede. It was a seemingly impossible task of making her fall, of finding a chink in her armor, yet, they succeeded. They had found her Achilles' heel.
As the doors swung close, she could feel the overwhelming emotions threatening to sweep her away, so strong that she feared her chest would burst. But she kept control. They have ridiculed and humiliated her enough already; she wasn't going to give them the pleasure of watching her crack.
They had broken her once. It was not going to happen again. From that moment on, a vow was made. Never again will Kaede cry over another man.
Her heart clenched at the mere memory of the torture she went through. Highschool was a living hell. The images were clear as if it just happened a week ago. She could feel the blood pulsing, pumping, constricting her veins, throbbing in her head. The wounds were two decades old and yet, they felt strangely fresh, as if they've just been carved into her flesh to remind her of her youthful ignorance and the price she had to pay.
Slowly, she sunk back to almost oblivion, allowing these reminders to carry her to the disturbing paths of yesterday.
She wanted, needed to be reminded of what made her who she is today.
Jennifer Wand: WOW. What an honor to receive a review from you! I have heard so much from the "older" fans of HYD. The conversation went like:
Me: Any fanfic recommendations?
Ü: Search for Jennifer Wand's fics.
Me: Who's Jennifer Wand?
Ü: YOU DON'T KNOW JENNIFER WAND?! SHE'S ONLY THE 'QUEEN' OF HYD FANDOM!
Me: Ooohhh! (Embarassed now.)
windsoffortune: WOW. Thank you for your support. I really really really appreciate it! hugs Thanks for reading and reviewing and stuff! YOUR REVIEWS SURE DO BRIGHTEN MY DAY! Hehehe... LOL!
Ruth: Yeah. I'm such a doofus. Hope you continue reading this! I'll be updating the erased chaps once again!
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entree: Yup. I have a copy...but sniff all the reviews are gone! I wanted to keep the reviews coz I read them just to see if I could improve on one part or another. sigh
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