Chapter Fourteen: Bittersweet Past

Being her only son, Armelle could not help but gush over Kuroudo before he was sent off into the operating room for his surgery. In fact, from the way their goodbye went, it was as if she was the one who was going to get operated, when it was the other way around. The blonde-haired young man ended up assuring her that everything would be fine, and that there was nothing to worry about, when that was supposed to be her job. It was funny, that she knew, but she was well aware that she just couldn't stop herself from going emotional when it came to her son. He was the only one she had, after all.

Hideaki, on the other hand, had merely ruffled the boy's hair and assured him of his prayers. It wasn't because he wasn't emotional, it was simply because he had faith that Kuroudo will pull through the operation successfully. Having been trapped in the midst of war countless number of times, he had realized that faith, accompanied with prayer, can be one's most lethal weapon especially in times of strife. And as for the boy's interpreter, who had expressed her fear of needles as they both took a peek inside the operating room earlier that day, she had only smiled, carefully to stay away from the family's zone as she didn't belong there.

"I know just what'll make you feel better," the only man in the group of three suddenly voiced out, looking at Natsuuko with a knowing smile. He then stood up and nodded, motioning the girl to do the same and follow him. As the raven-haired young woman obeyed, he turned to address his wife, who sat on the bench as still as a concrete post, her nervousness still intact. "Armelle? If you don't mind…"

It took a few moments for her to realize she was being hailed. "Oh. Oh, sure. Go ahead. I'll just be here." She then added as an afterthought, knowing what her husband meant by making the girl feel better, "Just don't drown her. I actually hadn't given her anything aside from milk."

He laughed. "You worry too much. Don't worry. I'll take care of her," he assured, before winking at her. Afterwards, he led the Natsuuko towards the hospital's cafeteria, continuously blabbing as he did so. "I don't believe in caffeine intolerance. Lactose, maybe, but caffeine? I mean, I've had coffee all my life, and I haven't gotten sick from drinking it. Cappuccino's really good, I think I'll let you have a shot on that. Or would you prefer something, well, kiddy? Like iced mocha or iced coffee?"

Armelle allowed a smile. She had always been fond of Hideaki, and not only because he was a man of many words. He knew how to treat the people around him well, and how to strike up a conversation that would make the person he's talking to smile. And with that thought, she silently wondered as to how he ended up with the Marines, knowing his disposition as a carefree, happy-go-lucky man. Maybe he's wearing a mask, too, she concluded, leaning back against the bench and closing her sapphire orbs for a moment. A mask to hide his true feelings. A mask for him to be what he isn't. Just like... me.

She must've drifted off for the next scene that unfolded in front of her eyes was that of a man and a nurse bumping into each other. The nurse was too much in a hurry that she didn't even bother to do anything else aside from apologize to the stranger; she immediately sprinted into a half-run and disappeared around a corner at the far end of the corridor. With the man left to pick up the documents that had fallen from his briefcase --- she then knew he was a business --- she got up from her seat and decided to lend a helping hand then and there.

The man only realized that someone was helping him when they reached out for the same stack of stapled papers, and pulled back in reflex at the same time. "No, please. Allow me," he told her, laughing lightly at the rather coincidental moment as he reached out to pick the documents up. That last task done, he got back up to his feet and straightened up, and she did the same. "Thank you very much, Miss---" He was halfway through extending his hand when he recognized just who the beautiful young woman was. His coffee brown eyes widened in realization, and all he could do after that brief eye-to-eye contact was ask breathlessly, in disbelief, "Francine?"

She recognized him, too, and she felt her heart telling her to leave, to run away, as soon as possible. But before she could take the step that would swing her out of his sight, she allowed her mind to take control. And there, she decided that she wasn't going to run away. She'd had enough of it. Coldly, with her chin held up high in an arrogant fashion, she greeted stiffly, "Hello, Mamoru."

He didn't change much, that she noticed. He was still the handsome brunette she had shared a great part of her life with, with the same breathtaking orbs of light brown, only that he was a lot older --- and seemingly more problematic --- than when she last saw him. But while he hadn't changed on the outside, she was sure that he wasn't the Mamoru she had come know back then anymore. He married the wealthiest slut in Kanazawa, after all; having done that, he had both the money and the means to throw around. Ex-girlfriends were definitely out of his worry list.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, putting his hand away and going back to fixing his briefcase, hoping to make it appear as though he wasn't bothered by the fact that he had just crossed paths with an old flame. He knew she didn't want to shake his hand, not even in a million years. "Is it true that---"

Her fierce blue-hued eyes, ablaze with anger that had been especially reserved for him, were fixed at his still form, glaring. "It's none of your business." An uncomfortable spell of silence passed, and she took that as a sign that there was nothing left for them to talk about. At that, she briskly turned around to catch up with Hideaki and Natsuuko, when she felt him grab her arm. Seething, she reverted her gaze to him and ordered sternly, "Let me go."

For a second, reluctance and uncertainty flashed within the corners of his eyes, but they disappeared soon after and were replaced by determination. "No," he said, doing his best not to hurt her while keeping her within his hold. "I won't let you go. Not until you listen for what I have to say. I've waited for sixteen years, Francine. I'm not going to let you disappear from my life again without you knowing the truth."

"The truth? I already know the truth. You left me at the altar---"

Another man's voice. "Armelle?"

Mamoru immediately released his hold on her, and as much as he wanted to reach out and pull her back, to tell her everything he had failed to tell her sixteen years in the past, he simply watched as she returned to the man who had just arrived into the scene with a dark-haired young lady. And that man, he knew, was the one who had replaced him in her heart, and there was no way he could possibly get her back. It was too late, too late for both of them.

Francine Jean D'Vauqueline, he thought sadly, looking on with envious chestnut-colored eyes as she disappeared from his life once more, her arm locked with another man's. Yes, it was too late for both of them, as there could be no turning back, but it wasn't too late for the truth. At that, he sighed. You were supposed to be mine.

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Author's Note: Well, there goes another chapter. I'll upload the next one the next time I'm online. Ne, I'm really keeping you waiting, huh? ::smirks:: Anyway, thanks for sticking with me this far, and please do review so I'll know what you think about the turn of events, especially now that things are getting interesting... :p