Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. School got in the way big time with lots of papers, essays, etc. all coming due at once. Lots of pressure and little time for writing anything else. But just this week I was able to get a little relief and I've put that time to good use. I was kind of unsure of where to go with this chapter but tonight everything just came together. I thank you all for your patience and hope you really enjoy this one.
The next morning Rei woke up to find that Kasumi was still in her room, which bothered her quite a bit since she needed to get dressed for school. So she kindly asked the older girl to exit her room. Once she was alone, Rei started to get dressed. All the while, her mind focused on what she had thought the night before after her conversation with the other girl. Could she be the youma that was attacking men? Maybe she was. Maybe she was after Chad and was just imitating a childhood friend of his. If that was the case, then Rei had to find out for sure and get rid of her for good. Then things would all go back to normal. Once Rei had finished putting on her school uniform, she went over to her desk and opened one of the drawers, taking out one of her paper charms and hiding it away in her school vest. She'd use it on Kasumi as soon as she got the chance, which would reveal her for what she truly was. Luckily, Rei didn't have to wait long.
Rei walked in to the bathroom to find Kasumi dolling herself up for the day so that she could leave. The older girl looked over at Rei and smiled brightly at her. "Oh hello there Rei sweetie, you look so cute in your little school girl uniform!" Kasumi complimented, "I hope what I said didn't bother you last night. I know these adult matters might be a little over your head, but I promise when you're older that you will see this is all best for everyone."
Rei ignored what the girl said and slipped the paper charm in to her hand and hid it behind her back as she quietly muttered out the incantation. She had made sure that her grandfather and Chad were busy in the kitchen. Then, just as Kasumi turned to look at her, Rei pulled out the charm and forced it on to the girl's face hard with her fingers. Kasumi shrieked out in shock and distress when this happened. Rei smiled at the reaction, seeing that she was right. But her smile soon faded when she noticed that the girl hadn't changed in to the youma yet. Rei bit her bottom lip a bit. She wasn't a youma, Rei was wrong. But…that meant….that meant….that Chad's current dilemma was real.
Kasumi quickly reached up and grabbed the paper charm, tearing it off her face as she looked at Rei enraged. "Why you little…you little….you nearly poked my eye out you little bitch!" Kasumi yelled out and quickly raised her hand up in to the air and brought it down.
Rei cringed and tensed up a bit, knowing she was about to be struck. But nothing happened; she opened her eyes and looked up to see that someone had grabbed Kasumi by the wrist. Chad was standing there with an extremely displeased look on his face. He had heard the commotion from the other room. He looked at Kasumi through his brown hair and exclaimed, "Kasumi! What's the matter with you? What were you thinking, trying to hit Rei? She's only in middle school, and you're an adult! And besides all of that, she is your host. She opened up her home to you, and this is how you thank her?"
Kasumi's eyes widened in shock that she had been found out. She slowly pulled her wrist out of Chad's powerful grip and said frantically. "No…you have it all wrong Yuuichirou, Darling! She attacked me!" Kasumi protested.
Chad shook his head, not wanting to hear of it. "I don't know what I walked in on, but I think it would be best if you leave now. You're here because of me, so if you cause problems then it's my responsibility."
Kasumi was about to protest but stopped, realizing the situation she was in. She let out a 'hmph' and walked past Rei to gather her things to leave. She paused and looked over her shoulder at Chad and said in an almost cold voice, "Remember what we talked about, Yuuichirou. You must return home today!"
Chad watched his childhood friend leave then looked over at Rei and rubbed the back of his head a bit, he then said, "Rei…I'm….I'm so sorry about that…uhh…."
Rei looked up at him with a sour look on her face and said, "I don't need you to look after me! I'm not a child, and I can take care of myself." Rei then paused and looked away for a moment. It was obvious that her conversation with Kasumi the night before had an effect on her. She looked back to Chad and added, "You should take your fiancé's advice, you know. You should go with her and leave here for good. This isn't your home. You have no authority to be inviting or kicking anyone out."
Chad blinked a little in surprise by what Rei was saying, "But Rei…I uhh…."
Rei looked up at him with fiery angry eyes and exclaimed, "No buts! Be a real man and quit stuttering for once! Don't you get it, you idiot! Nobody wants you here, especially me! Ever since you begged your way in here, my grandfather has been doing everything he could to drive you out of our shrine. This is our home Chad, not yours! You don't belong here, you've never belonged her, and you never will!"
Chad then watched dumbfounded as Rei rushed down the hall and out of the house, heading for her school without another word. A few hours later, Chad was sitting on his legs in the heart of the Hikawa shrine in front of his sensei, Rei's grandfather. The small elderly man rubbed his chin a little as he looked at his apprentice. And then, after a silence, he asked, "I see, then that is your final decision?"
"Yes Sensei, thank you so much for all you have done. Please forgive me for any trouble I've caused you during my stay." Chad said and bowed deeply before the elderly man.
"Very well, then from this moment on you are no longer my apprentice. You know Chad…I know why you really came her. I know how you feel about my Rei." Grandpa said. Chad blushed a bit and looked up embarrassed. Grandpa then continued, "Do you remember all of those times that I told you that you're not good enough for her?"
"Uhh, yes Sensei….I mean Sir. I do." Chad said, nodding. How could he forget, the old monk had pounded it in to his head every single day.
"Well I just want you to know Chad….that I meant every word of it!" Grandpa said, but then had paused and added. "But would you like to know something? A long time ago, I was sitting in the exact place you were right now, in front of my father-in-law. He told me the exact same thing, he meant it, and he was right. I wasn't good enough for my wife, I never was."
Chad looked up in surprise and asked, "Sensei…why are you telling me this?"
"Hold on, I'm not done. You see, I wasn't good enough for my wife. But I tell you, I dedicated every single day that we were together to trying to make her happy. She gave me so many wonderful things, like our beautiful daughter. I wanted more than anything to make her happy, and I like to think I succeeded. That she passed away happy. I wasn't good enough for my wife, and that horrible excuse for a son-in-law was certainly never good enough for my daughter." Grandpa then paused for a moment before he continued, "What I'm trying to say Chad, is that as men we rarely ever deserve the amazing women that come in to our lives. But the good guys, like you, try their best. And that is admirable. I heard what Rei said to you this morning, and I apologize for her. But what she said was partly true. As I'm sure you know, I have been trying to work you so hard that you would want to leave. But you never did. And because of that, you have proven yourself to be the worthiest apprentice I have ever had the honor of training. I just want you to know, that no matter what happens, you are always welcome here. And you will always have a home at this shrine."
Chad couldn't help but feel warmed by the elderly man's uncharacteristically kind words. He bowed before him gratefully and said, "Thank you, Sensei."
Later on that day after school, Rei and Usagi walked along the sidewalk together as they headed towards Rei's home. Rei carried with her a bag with some new manga books that Usagi wanted to read, which was why she was tagging along. Usagi followed close behind with a big smile on her face, she was carrying a bag of sweets for them to eat while they read Rei's new comics. Usagi grinned mischievously at Rei as they walked up the stone steps towards the shrine and asked, "So…what happened between you and Chad last night when I left? Did you finally tell him how much you looovveee him?"
"Oh please! As if something that crazy would ever happen. Anyways, the last thing I want to talk about is him!" Rei said frustratingly as the two girls walked in to her house and slipped off their shoes.
"Ooohhh, I lover's spat huh? Well I'm sure you two will settle things. C'mon let's go see him!" Usagi said cheerfully and before Rei could protest, Usagi grabbed Rei by the arm and led her down the hall towards Chad's room. She opened the door but then stopped when the two of them noticed that the room was now strangely barren. There was nothing inside but the few pieces of furniture, and his futon which was put away perfectly. On top of the futon was his shrine apprentice uniform folded up. "He…he actually left? There's no way!" Usagi said in shock.
"Hmph, good riddance. The jerk couldn't have even been bothered enough to say goodbye in person. I'm glad he's gone." Rei said firmly. She found it insulting that he would just leave without telling them.
Usagi looked around and then noticed a small unsealed envelope sitting near his outfit on the futon. She picked it up and looked at it. She then walked back to Rei and handed it to her, "Here, it looks like it was meant for you."
Rei hesitated for a moment before she begrudgingly took the envelope and pulled the folded piece of paper out. She really didn't want anything else to do with Chad, but she knew Usagi would just keep pushing. Rei looked down at the letter while Usagi nosily peeked over her shoulder. The letter read:
Rei, I'm really bad when it comes to saying the right sort of thing, so I bet I'm probably not much better when it comes to writing. So I'll just write what I want. I'll be boarding the 5:00 PM train at the station today, and heading back home. I apologize for any burden or inconvenience I've ever caused you or your grandfather; that was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your family's generosity towards a bum like me. Lastly, I want you to know how happy just meeting you has made my life. There's no way I'll ever be able to forget you. The time I spent with you and your grandfather at your shrine has been the best fun I've ever had. When I first went out on my own a year ago, I had no idea I would ever meet someone as amazing as you, Rei. I'm just really sorry that I wasn't able to say goodbye to you in person. I wanted to, but I know I'm way too much of a coward.
It was that point that Rei stopped reading and just silently made her way to her bedroom. Usagi followed behind and asked Rei what had happened between the two of them, but Rei simply ignored her. Usagi asked again and again, pestering Rei until. Rei eventually gave in, knowing that Usagi wouldn't shut up otherwise. She explained the fight the two of them had that morning, and what she had said to him. Usagi puffed her face up a little and said, "Jeez Rei! Sounds like you were a real jerk to him!"
"I don't care." Rei said simply as she sat down on her bed, dropped the letter to her side, and pulled out one of the manga books she had bought that afternoon at the bookstore and began to read through it.
"I don't know why you're acting like this." Usagi said then looked at the letter and pointed out, "Look Rei! He let you know the time he'd be leaving and where he will be. He's letting you know the time you have left to make things right! Why don't you go out there and tell him how you feel? I know if you do, then he'll come back." Usagi told her, trying her best to be encouraging and supportive. Usagi always teased Rei about how she felt about Chad, but she knew that deep down the two of them really did like each other.
Rei let out a frustrating sigh and said, "Everything is better this way. We're both better off going our separate ways. He never belonged here. Besides, why should I settle on a guy like him? A guy who isn't even enough of a man to say goodbye to the girl he supposedly has a crush on."
Usagi frowned a little and asked, "Rei! What are you saying? What do you mean 'settling'?"
Rei rolled her eyes, seeing that Usagi was just not going to let this go. She grabbed the letter beside her and began to crumble it up and threw it in to the small waste basket that sat on the floor near her desk. "Look, if you were able to eventually find a prince charming like Mamoru, then why can't I? Even though I go to an all girls school, there are a lot of guys who like me." Rei lied then added, "Why should I settle on a scruffy weakling Chad?"
Usagi puffed her face up again and without warning slapped Rei across the face. Rei's eyes widened and she looked up in shock at Usagi. Usagi looked down at Rei angrily and exclaimed, "I don't know what's gotten in to you, Rei but you're an idiot! Chad is just as much a prince as Mamoru is. Chad loves you from the bottom of his heart, just like how Mamoru does for me. If you can't see that, then you're the real idiot here, even though you always make fun of me."
Rei jumped to her feet angrily and replied, "Just shut up! You don't know what you're talking about. It's better this way. Chad only had a little crush on me, nothing else!"
"You really are an idiot, Rei! No guy goes through everything that he's done for you just for a little crush. I know you feel the same way too, so why don't you stop lying to yourself for once!" Usagi countered.
Suddenly Rei's expression softened a bit and she looked away. Her head tilted down so that her bangs covered her eyes a bit. Usagi watched in surprise as she began to tremble and a tear ran down Rei's cheek. Rei clinched her fist and muttered out, "Don't you think I want to? It's too hard."
"What do you mean?" Usagi asked gently.
Rei didn't want the crybaby to see her crying, so she kept looking away. "It hurts too much to be honest. This isn't what I want; I never wanted it like this. The reason I blew up on him today and what I said, all of it was an act. I was trying to drive him off, I had no choice. If Chad stayed here, then he would have been giving up everything in his life. His family and friends would have all disowned him if he didn't go back and marry that girl. I couldn't let him do that, even if it was what I want." Rei confessed. Even the way she had been acting that afternoon had been a façade. She didn't want to admit that she was hurting, so she tried to lie to herself.
"I know Rei, but it wasn't your choice to make. It was his." Usagi told her as she listened closely. She did her best not to start crying too. She walked over to her desk and pulled out the letter Rei had thrown in to her waste basket. She slowly uncrumbled the letter and looked down at it. Usagi's eyes widened and she held out the letter to Rei and asked, "Rei! Did you read the last part?"
Rei quickly wiped her eyes on her arm and then looked up at the letter once again. There was one final part she hadn't read. It said:
This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make. But if it ends up helping your family and the shrine, then I make it without any regrests…
Rei blinked a bit and grabbed the letter, reading over it closely a couple of more times. What did that last part mean? She needed to know, so she quickly went in to the living room where her grandfather was and showed the letter to him and asked if he knew what the last part meant. Rei's grandpa paused for a second and said, "Oh…well Chad didn't really want me to tell you but uhh…you see…it seems that nice curvy young little lady wasn't as sweet as she seemed. Turned out that she threatened to use some of her connections to cause legal problems for our shrine if Chad didn't go with her. Something about trying to repossess our land or something like that. That's what finally forced Chad to go back."
"You mean he…he did it for us?" Rei asked in shock. It hadn't been because of the horrible things she had said to him that morning. She looked back down at the time of his train on the letter. She then looked over at the nearby clock on the wall and saw that it was almost time. Without a word, Rei ran to the door and slipped her shoes on and then sprinted out of the house. She could hear her heart beating in her ears as she ran, her breath labored. But she couldn't stop; if she did then she might miss seeing him. Rei didn't know what she was going to say to him when she saw him. But she couldn't let the nasty things she said before be the last words between them. She'd never forgive herself. It was almost five and it was dusk. She saw the station come in to sight and she checked her time. She was relieved to see she had almost five minutes to spare. But as she reached the platform, she saw a train heading off and there was no sight of Chad. She looked up at the station clock, and she had made it in time but he was nowhere to be found.
Rei walked over to a station attendant and asked about the train that Chad had referenced in his letter. The attendant apologized and explained that there was an error, and that train had been running about five minutes ahead of schedule. He asked if she had a ticket, and offered to get her a refund. Rei simply shook her head silently and walked away. The train she had seen going out of sight right when she arrived must have been the one Chad was on. Once she was alone on the empty platform, she couldn't help but fall to her knees as tears streamed down her cheeks.
I thought this chapter was going to be extremely long but it came out pretty average. Thanks for reading everybody and I hope to have another chapter for you all in about two weeks or so. That will be when finals end. As always leave a review or comment if you'd like and I will update as soon as possible.