Chapter Seventeen: Heartwarming Confession

Lilika didn't know what compelled her to go to the Tobita Clubhouse early that day, but she did, arriving almost an hour before the place was supposed to be open for the members to hold their practices. Quietly, she slipped into her office to take care of whatever Kaoru had failed to do with regards to the upcoming World Cup, yet there seemed to be nothing for her to do anymore. Even the room itself had already been cleaned up.

At that, she decided to leave the premises for a while and have her breakfast, as she hadn't taken a single bite. But not without stopping in front of Yuhya's poster. She stared at the image of her deceased boyfriend intently, once more reminded that she would never be free to love another. To fall into the arms of another man would be to break the promise she made to the man who died as hers. People may consider her stupid to hold on to such a promise for such a long time, but she just couldn't find the will to break it. She was cursed, and that was her fate.

Suddenly, the spell of silence crashed and a man's voice interrupted, "I have a confession to make."

The voice, familiar yet strange at the same time, startled her. Quickly, she spun around, and found the intruder to be a good-looking young man in a red jacket. Her mind spun, as to how he could possibly have entered the Clubhouse, when she remembered that he was once part of the Tobita Club. Of course he had a key. She then sighed in relief, but could not help but exclaim, "Takeshi, don't scare me like that again!"

He grinned softly, apologetically. "Sorry." He took a few steps forward until they were standing next to each other, and together, they gazed at the portrait of their fallen comrade. When he resumed speaking, his voice was distant, as if it had come from sometime in the past, perhaps four years back. "Just thought I'd come here to apologize in person for all the trouble I've caused you for the past four years… and counting." He took a deep breath. "Well, first off, I'm sorry for leaving the club just when you needed me. I'm sorry for treating your members badly. I'm sorry for trying to steal the secrets of Garuda Eagle. I'm sorry for deceiving Jin into joining my technicians in Hokkaido. I'm sorry for speaking to you harshly after you returned my jacket. I'm sorry for not coming here sooner to apologize to you."

"That's only a year's worth of trouble, Takeshi," she teased, cocking her head to the side slightly to gaze into his orbs of dark brown, the eyes she had secretly longed to look into intently and decipher the mysteries they held. They had been best of friends along with Yuhya, yes, but ever since their teammate's death, he had put on a mask that even she could not pull off. She held his gaze, wondering if he would even flinch at her words. "I thought you said four years?"

Slowly, he turned to face her, an indescribable look in his dark-hued eyes that did not match his apparently complacent demeanor. He looked… pained. "Lilika," he began faintly, and right after he mentioned her name, he couldn't bear to look at her. He averted his gaze to the floor, and only then did he resume his confession. "Everytime I look at you, I see a longing for a love that cannot be. And you're in pain because of me. He was going to break up with you the night before he died, but I stopped him. I accused him of being a coward, a coward running away from the woman he loved. He told me that he didn't want to leave you in tears, but I knew he really loved you, so I coerced him into saving your relationship. How should I have known that his departure was of the eternal kind? How should I have known that, for once, running away would've saved someone, would've saved you?"

"Takeshi…"

"I hope you'll be able to forgive me, Lilika. Because I'll never be able to forgive myself. I'll just keep on running away from the painful truth that I'm the cause of your misery." And he hung his head in silence, unable to continue, as much as he wanted to let her know that he did that not because he wanted to make her live a miserable life in payment for not returning his feelings, but because he loved her just as much as their other best friend did. But he was well aware that he will always be second best to Yuhya Marino, and so he decided to step out of their way instead. At least her joy in the arms of the man she loved would bring him joy as well, even if it came with pain.

She looked on, understanding washing over her. The greatest mystery in her life had just been revealed to her in layman's terms, and now what was left was for her to do something about it. Gently, she laid a hand on his shoulder, making him look back up at her, and as their gazes locked, she asked him in a whisper, "Will you let me run away with you?"

-x-

Sapphire eyes showing signs of drowsiness, Kuroudo allowed himself to lie down on the floor with his back against it, closing his eyes for a moment to draw upon what was left of his energy. When he reopened them, he saw Natsuuko hunching over at the foot of his bed, Shooting Phantom's newly painted, almost completed hull lying just beside her head. Although he continued to deny it, he was glad to be back into the Gear Fighting business, despite the fact that he still wasn't sure how his second surgery would turn out. Assembling his new Gear, especially with a girl who knew nothing about the technical side of the sport, had been fun, not only because he missed tinkering with Gears, but also because he somehow saw Kyousuke in her.

Not wanting to bother her anymore --- and it was late, too --- he pushed himself up and began cleaning up the mess they made in his bedroom. The Gear Master's expertise certainly made things easier for them; they had only worked for a day yet they were almost done, after all. After putting the parts and the blueprint back in the box, he took his still-to-be completed Gear and placed it beside his Shooting Mirage. He looked at his prized possessions intently and allowed himself to smile. Yes, he wasn't sure about what was going to happen next, but he was prepared now.

He then went up to his friend and carefully hoisted her up into his bed. "Thank you, Natsuuko" he whispered before pulling up the covers to keep her warm for the night. At that, he took the other pillow as well as the spare blanket from his cot, and positioned himself on the floor. A night out of bed wasn't going to hurt.