Introduction (30 oct 2020)
It's so nice to be able to upload a new chapter again. After the issues that this fanfiction website has been having since the 1st of November, causing any updates to stories to intermittently disappear, it seems things are ok again now, 6 days later. I hope you were able to read the previous chapter, and also see the changes that were made to the first two chapters in this story, after the original lengthy first chapter was cut in two smaller parts, and the second half partially re-written.
Since chapter 7 ended with a cliffhanger, let's get to the next chapter as soon as possible, and see how things are going to develop further.
I hope you will enjoy reading this, and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what you think of this chapter, as well as the other chapters in this story.
Note: If you want to comment on this story, or any of my other stories, you're welcome to leave a review, preferably as registered member, as this allows much more interaction between writer and reviewer. If there are parts you felt lacking, or disliked, please let me know this as well. Things can appear amazing in my perception, while others might think very differently. I'm eager to hear such feedback as well, since praise is always nice, and can confirm being on the right track, criticism is often what helps more to improve.
Chapter Prologue:
Before he went out to set things right with his family and friends, Kazuya had agreed on meeting with Chizuru, to hear what she had to say. But right before it seemed their talk was over, Chizuru made an unexpected move, and kissed Kazuya! Just as he started to realize this wasn't exactly what he had in mind, and tried to let Chizuru know, his ex, Mami, suddenly appeared…
Trouble in Paradise (part 2)
"M-Mami-chan?" Kazuya stuttered, as he slowly turned around.
"Hi, Kazu-kun!" Mami greeted him enthusiastically.
"W-What are y-you doing here?" Kazuya asked.
"Now Kazu-kun, what way is that to greet your ex, when she's paying you a friendly visit?" Mami replied; "But anyway, why talk about boring ol' me when it's far more interesting to talk about you?" she continued, with an overly friendly smile on her face; "Such a lovely scene we have here, a young couple, and so deeply in love. But wait… there is something strange about this. It's at the back of my tongue, maybe one of you 'love birds' can help me out here?"
"Mami-chan, this is not what you think…" Kazuya said.
"Whatever would I think, Kazu-kun?" Mami replied, her face still showing a disarming smile, but her eyes suddenly becoming very fierce, as she turned her head in Chizuru's direction; "Perhaps I could be thinking that it seems your fake rental girlfriend has not been taking my advice to heart, and apparently still can't stay away from you? Is that it?"
Mami paused for a moment, then turned back to Kazuya.
"Or maybe I am just wondering how your crazy other girlfriend – wait, what was her name again? Oh yes, Ruka-chan was it, right? - would feel about you two getting all cozy together here, when she's not around?" Mami continued, as she let her head momentarily rest on her right hand, pretending she was deep in thought.
"Ruka isn't crazy, she just thought back then, when you came to the karaoke bar, that you tried to steal me away from her…" Kazuya objected, "… and after that, she even wanted to apologize to you for being so mean to you."
"Oh, how sweet…" Mami commented, clearly not impressed, "… but it seems Ruka-chan should have been more worried about 'Angel Mizuhara' than about me, when it comes down to stealing other people's boyfriends."
"I wasn't trying to steal away Kazuya from anyone," Chizuru objected; "But even if I were, why should you care so much about it? Unless you do want him back for yourself, that is…"
Kazuya was beginning to think that this situation started looking more and more like the nightmare he had been having, just before Chizuru had arrived in the restaurant. 'Good thing Ruka isn't here now as well. Mami-chan was right about one thing, Ruka would probably really freak out if she were to see all this!' he thought.
Suddenly Kazuya felt his phone buzzing. 'Please let it not be who I think it is!' he kept repeating in his mind, as he took the phone from his pocket and checked his inbox. 'Shoot! It is Ruka! The situation from my nightmare is slowly coming true after all!'
"How are things going with your family? I'm in a small café nearby your parents' house. So you just say the word if you want me to come over, in case you need some moral support. Or if you just want some company. ;-) Love you, XXX! Your girlfriend" was what Ruka had sent him.
'Damn, I'm here after kissing Mizuhara, and running into more trouble with Mami-chan, and all Ruka thinks about is being there for me. I really don't deserve any of these girls, and especially not such a sweet girl like Ruka!' Kazuya blamed himself, nearly crying about letting things spiral out of control so badly once again.
"That's sweet of you, but things are just fine here," Kazuya quickly texted back, to which Ruka near instantly replied with "Ok, cya soon. Take care! XXX"
"Oh, you can have Kazuya, if you want…" Mami started, "… but I just can't stand all this constant fake behavior. Like a while ago you were telling me to think again about what Kazu-kun might still mean to me. Yet now I see you jumping him, when you get him alone!"
"I wasn't jumping him!" Chizuru objected, while looking away, as if Mami had just accused her of the worst offence possible; "And if you are so concerned about the truth, why do you yourself keep lying about the way you feel about Kazuya? Anyone can see you still care about him!"
Mami suddenly turned her head aside, with her eyes deflected towards the ground, as if Chizuru's words had really affected her. 'Mami-chan? Could it be you do still care for me?' Kazuya wondered. Since that time that Mami had come to visit the karaoke bar he and Ruka are working, and the clash that had resulted from these two girls meeting, he had not spoken to Mami. In fact, she hadn't been in college very often lately either. Her grades had still been ok, he had seen that on the results that regularly got shown on the information displays inside the college building, so apparently she had been able to keep up with classes just fine, but still…
"M-Mami-chan? Can w-we talk?" Kazuya stuttered.
The blond-haired girl looked up, a bit startled by Kazuya addressing her directly.
"What is it, Kazu-kun?" she replied, on a much softer tone of voice than earlier.
"You see? You do still care about him after all…" Chizuru stated.
"Mizuhara? Give me a few minutes to talk with Mami-chan, ok?"
"Fine! It's not like we're getting anywhere this way…" Chizuru agreed, while slowly starting to realize Mami having witnessed her bold move on Kazuya, hadn't exactly been how she expected their talk to turn out like. Kazuya and Mami sat down, while Chizuru kept watching them attentively from a short distance, leaning against the wall.
"Mami-chan… you have every reason to feel bad about this…" Kazuya started, "… I know you were the one to break up with me, but I know later you wanted to reach out to me and talk things over."
"Kazu-kun? What are you…?" Mami tried to interrupt Kazuya.
"No, please hear me out," Kazuya objected; "I was too busy showing off Mizuhara to you all and trying to live in a dream. As result I ended up hurting people, including you…"
"Are you doing this to punish me for breaking up?" Mami again interrupted Kazuya, as she struggled to remain calm; "Or are you trying to get me angry about this? Because if you are, I can tell you it's starting to work, I am getting really mad seeing you messing with one cute girl after the other, ever since we broke up, and it has to stop!" she added, as she suddenly jumped up.
"Please don't hit me with your nunchucks!" Kazuya said, as he cowered down before Mami.
"Huh? Nunchucks? Kazu-kun, you are acting really weird…" Mami said, looking very surprised; "Have you been drinking already? Bad Kazu-kun, it's still way too early to be drunk…"
"Don't look at me, he's been acting strange like this, right from the moment I came here…" Chizuru commented, still from a distance, as she could easily overhear their loud conversation now.
"Ah, poor Kazu-kun. Are you not feeling well? Maybe we should get you to a doctor?" Mami suggested, sounding quite worried now.
While Kazuya wasn't much of a fan of doctors and hospitals, something in Mami's suggestion did sound appealing. 'This could be my escape for now!' he thought. 'And it wouldn't be a total lie if I were to admit something is wrong, as I'm for from feeling well at the moment, with how this whole situation has been turning out…'
"S-So, eh… yes, that m-might be a good idea, I g-guess I'm not feeling fully ok now…" Kazuya stuttered.
"Here, Kazu-kun, come with me…" Mami said, as she offered to help him up, meanwhile glaring at Chizuru, probably blaming her for Kazuya not feeling well.
"Thanks, but I think I can walk by myself…" Kazuya said, while politely declining the hand Mami had stretched out towards him, "… it's just my head that's a little fuzzy."
"No need to act all brave and manly now, Kazu-kun…" Mami objected, "… you just lean on me."
Chizuru felt annoyed by seeing Mami act so overly caring, but decided to follow them.
"Oh, there's no need for you to come along too, Kazu-kun and I will be just fine," Mami said, as she quickly turned her head around, giving Chizuru an angry stare.
For a moment Mami's suggestion seemed like the best thing to do. Chizuru felt embarrassed over getting caught while kissing Kazuya. 'What did he really feel at that moment?' she wondered. 'At first Kazuya seemed to be fine with it, but it still felt like he was holding back, right before Mami showed up. Did he stop because of her, or perhaps he thought this isn't what he wants after all?' Chizuru felt a bit guilty for letting herself go like that. 'Ah forget it, this was the only way to get a real answer from him, and yet now I am still not sure. I have to find out, this may be the only chance…'
"Like hell, I'm coming along whether you want it or not!" Chizuru yelled, while pacing forward to catch up with Mami and Kazuya.
"You just don't know when to quit, now do you!?" Mami said with a threatening voice.
"Look who's talking…" Chizuru parried Mami's remark.
"Oooowaaaah…" Kazuya suddenly moaned.
"Look, we can continue this 'talk' later on, right now we have to focus on getting Kazuya to a doctor first!" Chizuru said, taking the lead; "I'm calling a cab!" she added, while getting her phone out.
"Eh… ok," Mami agreed, not expecting that much resolve from Chizuru, after Mami had been trying so hard to brush her off.
About twenty minutes later, the trio had arrived at a doctor's office close to where Kazuya's parents lived. Mami had suggested that going to the Kinoshita's family doctor would be the best option, since he would already be familiar with Kazuya's health in general, and thus probably more likely to easily see what was wrong with him. They entered the waiting room, Kazuya now leaning on both Mami and Chizuru. Suddenly, the door to the treatment room swung open, and a dark-haired young girl stepped outside, into the waiting room, while talking on the phone.
"Glad to hear everything checked out ok, I wasn't expecting anything less, I've been feeling better than ever these past few days!" Ruka said, while giggling; "Anyway, thanks doctor, and till the next appointm… Eh… Kazuya?" she added, nearly bumping into her boyfriend, who was still leaning on his two female companions.
'Now I am really going to be sick!' Kazuya thought. 'What is Ruka doing here!? It just keeps playing out like that crazy nightmare I was having. Except for the warrior costumes, but still this can only go bad, really bad!'
"Sorry, gotta go, bye doctor Hayato!" Ruka quickly ended her phone call, then looked with piercing eyes at the strange spectacle in front of her; "What is the meaning of all this!? Why are your hands all over my boyfriend!?"
"Hmmm, that's something between Kazu-kun and me…" Mami said, teasingly, "… or better, between Kazu-kun, Chizuru-san, and me. You know, you really shouldn't let your boyfriend wander so freely around the streets like that," she added, while setting Kazuya down on a chair.
"Eh? What is that supposed to mean!?" Ruka wondered, while frowning.
"Oh, let's say I know a little secret about Kazu-kun… " Mami continued, "… you wanna hear more about it?"
'Oh crap, this is going to be worse than "really bad" if I don't come up with something fast! I wish Ruka and I could both just disappear right now. But we can't… oh wait, maybe we can…'
"Huh!?" Ruka said, as Kazuya suddenly jumped up, grabbed her by the hand, and ran outside, while pulling his dark-haired girlfriend along with him! They kept running for a few blocks, Ruka barely able to keep up with Kazuya, meanwhile wondering what all of a sudden had gotten into him. Kazuya then finally spotted a brick wall, which was tall enough to easily hide behind it, and he quickly guided Ruka there. For a moment both were panting heavily, leaning against the bricks while trying to catch their breath from all that running.
"Haaa... pffff… K-Kazuya…" Ruka started, still a bit out of breath, "… w-what's the m-meaning pfff… of all this?"
Kazuya didn't reply, but just held up his hand, signaling he needed a little more time.
"I mean, I know I told you a couple of times that I wouldn't mind if you were to make a move…" Ruka continued, as she had now mostly recovered from this unexpected exercise, and was straightening her ribbon, "… but this isn't exactly what I had in mind, even though I do have to admit it was pretty exciting in a way," she added, as Ruka felt her heart still pounding a little.
"S-Sorry, but I didn't see any other option…" Kazuya apologized, "… I just had to get you away from there as fast as possible."
"Get away? But why?" Ruka wondered; "I'd been willing to give that ex of yours another taste of her own medicine, with her smug 'oh look, I'm so cute and innocent' attitude written all over her face. I mean, I did want to apologize to her for being mean to her when she had come over to the karaoke bar, but if she keeps acting like she still owns you, then I'm ready for 'round two' with that girl!"
"Ruka?" Kazuya asked, as he ignored her question, and grabbed her by the shoulders, suddenly pulling her closer…
"Huh? What is it Kaz…?" Ruka started.
Ruka couldn't finish her question, Kazuya pressed his lips on hers! First Ruka felt a bit shaken by this unexpected move, but then she slowly gave in to her feelings, and started kissing him back. Kazuya released his grip on her shoulders, and let his hands slide down, instead wrapping his arms around her back, while Ruka put her hands around the back of his neck, holding him as well. For a moment neither of them thought about anything but each other. Then, just as suddenly as this moment had all started, Kazuya let go, and stepped back a little.
"Wow…" was the only thing Ruka could say, still processing this sudden passionate kiss.
For a little while, both youngsters were silent, each in their own way taken aback by the situation.
Then, Ruka gradually came around, and was the first to break the silence; "Look, I still don't fully understand what has gotten into you, Kazuya. First all this running, and now this…" Ruka started, while blushing "… but it was worth it," she added, as she looked at Kazuya with dreamy eyes.
"Yeah, this was definitely better…" Kazuya mumbled.
"Glad you are feeling ok now." Ruka continued; "You did get me a bit scared when you showed up at that doctor's place and seemed to be sick or something. After you texted back that you didn't need me to come to your parents' place, I got a call from doctor Hayato, asking me to visit a doctor's office that is affiliated with the hospital he works for, for a quick checkup, just to be sure I was still doing ok after being in the hospital recently. I was just discussing the results with him when you came in…"
Kazuya tried to listen to what Ruka was telling, but his mind kept going over what had just happened since meeting Chizuru for their talk, up till this kiss with Ruka.
"Hey, are you listening…?" Ruka asked, as she noticed Kazuya being absent minded; "I thought you said you were feeling better? That's what you just said, anyway. What is going on, Kazuya? You scare me with this weird look upon your face… Were your parents really mad at you when you told them?"
"I-I didn't v-visit my parents yet…" Kazuya stuttered, as he looked down at the ground.
"Why? Were you too scared? I knew it, I should have just come along with you right away, instead of asking!" Ruka said, with resolve in her voice; "It's totally normal to feel nervous, after all, you've been lying to them for about two years straight…"
Ruka was expecting Kazuya to react to her suggestion, a quick nod, or another sign that he agreed with her words, but he kept looking down.
"Wait, that's not it either, or is it?" Ruka wondered; "Maybe you were trying to say that kiss was better? But why would you say that, better than what…?" she added, as her face started to reveal her building anxiety.
Kazuya remained silent, his mind frantically trying to find a way to explain everything, and make it all right again.
"Kazuya? Please say something…" Ruka insisted, as she was getting really worried now.
'Why did I make such a mess of things, again!? I am such an idiot at times! Ruka is so beautiful, and such a sweet girl if you get to know her better. For crying out loud, she clearly really loves me! And I am actually starting to like her for real too!' Kazuya thought. 'And then I screw it all up by secretly meeting with Mizuhara, again! Why do I keep doing this?' he kept pondering further.
'I am so sorry Ruka! I don't want to hurt you, but if I lie to you about this, to try protect your feelings, I could never look you straight in the eye again, and you'd be so hurt too… So, please forgive me!' he shouted internally, as he tilted his head back up, and looked Ruka straight into her eyes.
"I-I kissed Mizuhara…"
(To be continued…)
Epilogue (7 nov 2020)
Well, Kazuya managed to escape from the doctor's office, to get Ruka alone, but after the pleasant surprise of a passionate kiss, came another, not so pleasant surprise. How will Ruka respond to these new revelations? That might become clear in part 3…
Please let me know what you think of this story and leave some feedback in the form of a review. If you are logged in on this fanfiction website, and post a review as registered member, I can even reply to your comments. Looking forward to some more interaction with the people who read my stories!
Btw, since I am not a native speaker, there will likely be some silly mistakes in this story. And in punctuation, maybe I made the same mistakes as in previous stories, or even made new mistakes. Hope you can bear with me and see through that. Helpful tips and suggestions are welcome.
Stay safe, and maybe until soon!