Broken Fragments

Chapter 34: Heart-shattering Bloodstain

Hiroto kept pacing back and forth in his office, also biting his fingernail in nervousness. It was already 12 in the afternoon and Yuuhi hadn't come to work. She wasn't picking up Hiroto's calls either, so of course, Hiroto was worried and nervous of what might've happened to Yuuhi, like how a normal manager would feel. Hiroto called her once again, only to hear the sound of the operator asking him if he wanted to leave a voice message.

"Damn it!" Hiroto roared in anger as he stormed out of his office.

Hiroto immediately got into his car as soon as he arrived at the parking lot and rushed out to the road. Usually, it would take him fifteen minutes to get to Yuuhi's house, but his anger caused him to drive faster and avoid the traffic by taking shortcuts he didn't even know he knew. Swerving, Hiroto turned to Yuuhi's apartment complex's parking lot and got out of his car after parking.

As soon as he arrived at the floor where Yuuhi's apartment was located and made the turn to her hall, Hiroto found a person unconscious by Yuuhi's door. Hiroto didn't need a proof on who the person was because somehow, in his heart, he knew it was Yuuhi, though all the proof of her identity was covered by her oversized, black hoodie.

"Yuuhi!"

Hiroto ran to her as fast as he could, his heart beating faster and faster. He dropped to his knees and picked the unconscious Yuuhi up in his arms and tried to wake her up.

"Yuuhi! Yuuhi!" he kept calling as he shook her.

Never had Hiroto seen Yuuhi that way. Her hair was a mess after he took the hood off her head. Her eyes were closed, but they seemed puffy and red from tears that the mascara outlined. Yuuhi's gorgeous lips and cheeks, too, were pale and smudged with dirt and lipstick. Also, her body felt warmer than the normal body temperature.

After accidentally leaning on Yuuhi's apartment's door, it creaked and opened a little. Hiroto was surprised that it was open, but he thought that Yuuhi might've unlocked the door before she passed out. Hiroto carried Yuuhi inside and placed her on the couch while he went to look for blankets in bedroom's closet. Knowing where they were, he quickly rushed there without thinking about anything else. However, he did notice something strange in Yuuhi's room while he searched for thicker blankets in the closet.

"A man's…scent?" Hiroto thought.

He realized that time was important, therefore throwing out the strange thought he just had. Due to the noises he was making of banging the closet doors and drawers and the pain she was feeling, Yuuhi was unexpectedly woken up. She slowly got up without a care on how painful her headache was or how sore her body felt. That was because Yuuhi could hear Hiroto's voice, repeatedly saying the word 'blanket.'

"Yes! I found—" Hiroto exclaimed, getting cut off when he saw Yuuhi standing by her bed and looking over it.

As he slowly walked towards Yuuhi, Hiroto could see her trembling body and clenched fist. Hiroto thought that she was just shaking because of her fever, but before he reached her, the faint sound of a teardrop on the floor resonated in Hiroto's ears. When Hiroto finally reached Yuuhi and was able to stand by her, Hiroto looked at the bed that Yuuhi was staring at.

In the middle of the white bed sheet was a small stain of blood. There were also other stains all over the bed, but Hiroto already knew what they were because of the indistinct smell of sweat and cologne. Mascara stains and lipstick stains were also scattered all over the white bed sheet along with the messy blanket.

As soon as Hiroto saw this, everything in his mind about the blanket he was looking for and nursing the feverish Yuuhi disappeared. They were overtaken by the thought he had on the smell of cologne he noticed, Yuuhi's state when he found her, and the stain of blood on the bed. His widened, horrified eyes slowly turned to his left without moving his neck to check on Yuuhi. When he saw her tears and disturbed eyes, Hiroto felt as if he was starting to lose all logic in his head because her tears, the tears that steadily flowed out of Yuuhi's cowering eyes, were enough to confirm Hiroto's thoughts on what happened.

Hiroto clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, dropping the blanket he found. His eyebrows arched in to show his deep anger and hostility as he tried to control his tears from coming out. Before he could do or say anything, Yuuhi slowly walked to her bathroom and closed the door. Hiroto didn't turn his head to see where Yuuhi was going because he was fixated on the unforgivable stain on the bed.

Just as Yuuhi turned on the shower, Hiroto lost his temper and roared his fury out. He threw his arms on the bed and ripped the attached bed sheet off of the bed, knocking off the pillows, blanket, and some things off of the nightstand in the process. Hiroto ripped the bed sheet apart with his bare hands, even cutting his fingers from the fabric. When he realized that the stain was also absorbed by the mattress, Hiroto took the pen from his pocket and stabbed the bed. He continued to stab it and dig the stuffing out, scattering them all over the floor, until he could no longer see the red mark.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" he roared as he got off the bed and banged his back on the wall.

Hiroto grabbed onto his hair in frustration as he slowly fell down to the floor. He kept roaring and trying to get rid of the dim image that the bloodstain had created in his head as tears also rushed out of his eyes. Hiroto kept panting, growling, and crying as he began to repeatedly punch the floor with his bare fists. Due to the fabric that Hiroto tore and his punching the floor, his fists were bloodied and wounded.

"Why did this have to happen to her?" Hiroto thought to himself as he covered his face.

Losing his energy, Hiroto stopped yelling and crying. He also knew that he'd have to be strong for Yuuhi after she comes out of the bathroom. After a few minutes, Hiroto realized that Yuuhi had been in the shower for a longer time than usual. New, dreadful images formed in Hiroto's head and before he knew it, he had already stormed in the bathroom before even asking for permission.

The room was filled with steam and it was hard for Hiroto to see, but when he turned to his right, he found Yuuhi sitting down on the bathtub with the water raining down on her. Since he left the door open, some of the steam escaped and he was able to see what Yuuhi was doing.

Hiroto was dismayed to see Yuuhi's bleeding chest from her constant rubbing on the same spot with the coarse scrub.

"Yuuhi!" he screamed, rushing to the tub to stop her.

"I'm filthy. So filthy. Filthy. I'm so filthy. Disgusting," Yuuhi kept repeating to scrub her chest, not even noticing that it was already bleeding.

"Stop it! Stop it now, Yuuhi!"

No matter what Hiroto said, Yuuhi didn't stop what she was doing and saying to herself. Even when Hiroto took the sponge from her, Yuuhi kept scratching her chest with her fingernails, anyways. Hiroto felt useless and weak because he couldn't do anything for her even though he didn't want to give up.

"Stop, Yuuhi!"

Hiroto tightly embraced Yuuhi in his arms, getting soaked in the large tub with her. He could feel her shudder in fear, the fast beat of her wounded heart, and the tears that still ran down her cheeks, hoping to wash away what happened to her even though it was impossible. Yuuhi was still in Hiroto's tight grasp, also keeping her cries to herself. Her mind and eyes were blank, though they were crying in fear and agony.

"Yuuhi…it's my fault, alright! I…left you…and didn't protect you…and all of this…happened to you," Hiroto cried, placing his hand on Yuuhi's head as if he was protecting it.

"So…let me shoulder your pain…your sadness…worries…everything! You're not alone, Yuuhi!"

Yuuhi's eyes widened when she heard Hiroto's plead. Though she didn't want to show him her weak side, Yuuhi had already given up and slowly lifting her arms up. Her shaking limbs wrapped around Hiroto and she dug her head in his shoulder. Finally, Yuuhi let out her suffering and cries onto Hiroto's broad shoulder, her injured heart letting go of the feelings she wanted to keep to herself forever.

A long moment passed and Hiroto finished helping Yuuhi get clean up. He patched up the bleeding wound on Yuuhi's right chest, just above the heart. Yuuhi, being emotionless and uncaring of what would happen to her anymore, wouldn't have minded if Hiroto saw her naked, but he turned around and let Yuuhi change her undergarments by herself. He did, although, clothed her with an oversized shirt that she usually wore to sleep, like a father dressing up his daughter.

Before they could even step out of the bathroom, Yuuhi had already lost all her strength and almost slipped down as she tried to walk out with Hiroto. He caught Yuuhi just in time and carried her in his arms out of the bathroom to the living room. Yuuhi rested her chest on Hiroto as they made their short trip to the living room, but she was able to catch a glimpse of what Hiroto had done to her room.

Carefully, Hiroto placed a blanket on Yuuhi after he placed her on the couch. He left her alone for a little time to prepare her food, but Hiroto didn't really want to leave her side even if it was just for a brief time. Yuuhi's expressionless face, pale skin, and how she lifelessly laid on the sofa reminded Hiroto of a doll. Yuuhi looked beautiful, but she was still in misery. Hiroto knew that it would take more than what he said to completely relieve her off of her pain, but he was willing to take all the burden.

Hiroto grabbed a chair and sat by Yuuhi after he placed the tray of soup, glass of water, and medicine on the coffee table. He helped her sit up and fix the blanket on her before he started feeding her.

"I don't need it," Yuuhi said when Hiroto turned to the tray to grab the bowl of soup.

"But Yuuhi—"

"I'm nothing now."

Hiroto was taken aback of what Yuuhi said because it was something the past Yuuhi would never say. When he turned back to look at Yuuhi, her face was completely devoid of emotion, just like the voice he heard when she said she was nothing.

"That's not—"

"I was already broken," Yuuhi interrupted, blocking the wrong comfort that Hiroto would've given her.

"But…I've shattered even more…and now, I'm nothing."

Tears flowed down Yuuhi's cheeks, the drops shimmering with all the unwanted feelings she was trying to get rid of with all her best. Hiroto continued to listen to her even if it was painful for him to hear Yuuhi that way.

"You're wrong!" Hiroto protested against Yuuhi.

"You're not nothing, Yuuhi! You're very important to many people! To your parents, your fans, and friends," he pointed out, even making hand gestures to indicate where the people and how many people cared for her.

"Even to me."

Yuuhi was surprised to hear Hiroto's last three words. She looked up to him, finally showing him a hopeful expression in her dim, sky-colored eyes. She couldn't accept his words, no matter how beautiful and realistic they sounded, because in Yuuhi's mind, she knew the painful and unchangeable truth.

"But I'm tainted and disgu—"

Yuuhi's objection was intruded by soft lips that pressed on hers. They felt warm enough to melt all her pains away, but a sliver of lie laid underneath the lips that kissed Yuuhi's. She wanted to push Hiroto away, but somehow, she couldn't. Yuuhi was hurting even more, but she was aware of how hard Hiroto was trying to comfort her. That moment, Yuuhi only hoped for one thing. She hoped that the moment she had with Hiroto that way would end quickly because it was slowly and unknowingly crushing her already-shattered heart. Yuuhi's heart was turning into dust by the moment, and she wouldn't last any longer.

"I'm here, Yuuhi," Hiroto said, staring into Yuuhi's eyes when he pulled away.

Hiroto stroked a strand of Yuuhi's hair away from her face and gave her another kiss in the forehead. Yuuhi closed her eyes, not to treasure the feeling of Hiroto's lips on her forehead, but to try and forget the wonderful thing he had given her.

"Stop…or else…I'll disappear," she thought as more tears rolled down.

The sun began to set when Yuuhi opened her eyes once again. When she slowly sat up, Yuuhi realized that she had fallen asleep with her head on Hiroto's shoulder and his arms around her. Since Hiroto's arms were wrapped around Yuuhi's shoulders, she couldn't get away from him. When she tried to pry away, Hiroto just drew her closer to him, resulting for her face directly under his.

"His lashes are so long," Yuuhi thought, looking at Hiroto's face up-close for the first time.

She lifted her arm and brushed her fingers along Hiroto's cheeks. They felt soft and smooth, even though he was full of stress shown by the faded dark circles underneath his eyes.

Just as Yuuhi was about to pull her hand away from Hiroto's face, he grabbed her hand and placed it back on his cheeks to feel her warmth. He cozied his face on Yuuhi's hand as he slowly opened his eyes to look at Yuuhi with a gentle face.

"Your fever's gone down," Hiroto smiled in relief when he used his other hand and placed it on Yuuhi's forehead to check her temperature.

Yuuhi nodded as a reply, only showing a faint smile. Hiroto sighed when he noticed that Yuuhi was still afraid of showing her honest feelings to him. To comfort her, even just for a little bit, he kept holding onto her hand that was on his face as he closed his eyes again. Yuuhi then noticed Hiroto's red knuckles that came from his raging earlier.

"I'm sorry…it's my fault," Yuuhi apologized, taking Hiroto's hand near her to observe the wounds on his fist.

Without Hiroto's expecting it, Yuuhi lowered her head and kissed the wounds on Hiroto's hand. They stung and ached, but when Yuuhi kissed them, the cuts on his hand seemed to fade away.

"I'm sorry," Yuuhi apologized once again.

Hiroto smoothly pulled Yuuhi to his chest and cuddled her in his arms. He rest his chin on top of Yuuhi's head and stroked her hair as if to pet a kitten.

"It's not your fault, alright? Don't blame yourself."

They remained that way for a little longer while the orange rays of the sunset passed. The room was quiet, but their hearts occupied them and their companies were enough for the both of them. Yuuhi was still aware of the agonizing truth that she never wanted to accept, especially when Hiroto was doing his best for her. However, she wanted to forget everything, including the truth, even if it means losing everything she worked hard for.

"I want to forget," Yuuhi thought, placing her hand on her chest when she felt the sharp pains of her wounds.

A tear was shed from Yuuhi's eye, giving Hiroto a clear knowledge of what Yuuhi was thinking when she felt her wound. Due to his impulse, Hiroto pushed Yuuhi down on the couch and climbed on top of her. All in quick actions, before Yuuhi knew it, Hiroto's head was on her and his lips were kissing the bare skin on her right chest where the wound was located.

"Don't! My wounds…they're a sign of filth," Yuuhi worriedly thought, keeping her eyes on the ceiling.

"No," Hiroto protested, lightly touching Yuuhi's wounds with his lips once more.

"They're beautiful to me."

Yuuhi closed her eyes when Hiroto placed his head just above hers. Right before Yuuhi and Hiroto were to kiss again in a provoking position, they were disturbed by the last person they'd want to see.

"So, you'd let him do that to you, but not me?"

Yuuhi and Hiroto got up to see Cloudy standing by the door. They forgot that the door was still unlocked, generously open to anyone.

Hiroto's anger began to rise as soon as he heard Cloudy's voice. He had remembered the necktie he found by Yuuhi's bed, which looked like the necktie that Cloudy wore to the movie festival. Though Hiroto just caught a glimpse of it when Cloudy picked Yuuhi up, Hiroto remembered it all because he knew that the person who owned the necktie was the one who caused Yuuhi all the pain she was feeling now.

"You bastard!" Hiroto roared as he got up to attack Cloudy.

Unfortunately, Cloudy already predicted what was going to happen when he saw Hiroto's car parked outside. Therefore, he was able to dodge Hiroto's punch and delivered a blow to Hiroto's abdomen, instead.

"Stop it, Cloudy!" Yuuhi cried in worry.

Yuuhi stood up and ran to Cloudy's side to stop him from injuring Hiroto any further. She wrapped her arms around Cloudy's arm and pulled him away from Hiroto.

"Please, just stop it," Yuuhi pleaded, staring into Cloudy's eyes.

Unexpectedly, Cloudy tightly hugged Yuuhi, shocking her. She wanted to push away, but her strength hasn't returned.

"I came here to apologize, Yuuhi," Cloudy began, still holding Yuuhi near his chest.

"I'm sorry…for what I did and what I've said to you. I know it's too late, but I still want to apologize. I've deeply hurt you physically, and especially emotionally. I know this isn't enough…but I hope someday, you'll forgive me," Cloudy sincerely said.

Taking over the invisible mark that Hiroto left, Cloudy kissed Yuuhi's forehead and held her tight before he peacefully left. Yuuhi was still surprised, but she ran to Hiroto's side as soon as he began to move.

"Are you okay?" Yuuhi asked, helping Hiroto up.

"I'm alright, don't worry," Hiroto answered.

Yuuhi helped Hiroto get on the couch while something in her mind and heart kept bothering her. Without even taking a long time to think about it, she had reached her answer as soon as she placed Hiroto on the couch.

"I'm sorry," Yuuhi quietly and barely whispered with a saddened look on her face.

The day ended with Yuuhi and Hiroto staying at her apartment. Chairman Muranishi and Kumoi-san received calls from many broadcasting studios and other jobs that Yuuhi was supposed to go to. It was already 9 o'clock at night and the building was going to close soon, but they still weren't finished with the apologies they sent on behalf of Yuuhi and Hiroto.

"He's still not picking up," Chairman Muranishi said after turning off his phone when the operator's voice came on again.

"He's still at Yuuhi's…possibly," Kumoi-san replied while she typed on her laptop.

"What do you mean?" the Chairman asked, confused.

"I saw him drive out of the building today at around noon. He usually turns right from the parking lot because that's the way to his house, but he turned to the right, where Yuuhi's house is leading to."

The Chairman had no clue as to why Hiroto would go to Yuuhi's house. Moreover, he was worried because he couldn't contact them or they didn't inform him of what was going on. Chairman Muranishi's head was starting to ache, but before he could start raging his stress out, a loving hand grabbed his.

"Let's go home. I've finished all of it," Kumoi-san said, her blue-green eyes gleaming behind her glasses.

"But—"

"They're fine. They're grown-ups now."

Kumoi-san was right and Chairman Muranishi knew it. He was just having a difficult time in trying to accept the fact that Hiroto, the boy who used to be so little, was now an adult that can take care of himself.

"Let's go. Kirika's waiting," Kumoi-san kindly smiled.

Chairman Muranishi turned off the lights and left with his wife. Though he didn't want to, he faced the fact that he had to let Hiroto depend on himself. After all, the Chairman has his own child, who he needs to take care of and shower with love, just how he did to Hiroto.

"Good morning," Yuuhi kindly smiled, giving off a completely different aura from what she was giving off yesterday.

She placed the plateful of breakfast on the table just in time after Hiroto began to sit up from the couch. Yuuhi fell asleep with Hiroto on the couch after she nursed the bruise that Hiroto received from Cloudy's jab. The couch wasn't very comfortable, but it was enough for their worn out bodies.

"Yuuhi!" Hiroto exclaimed in worry that Yuuhi was moving about by herself.

"I'm alright. Come. Let's eat," she cheerfully said, sitting down for breakfast.

Hiroto was confused and shocked of how much Yuuhi had recovered in over a night. He was worried, though, that she was just putting up a front for him.

"Are you okay? Are you hurting anywhere?" Hiroto asked away as he sat down with her.

"I'm okay. We have to hurry. I have a lot of work and apologies to do today. We also have to get ready for my upcoming concert, right?" Yuuhi giggled before putting food in her mouth.

Hiroto was still skeptical of Yuuhi's smiles, but he knew that she was doing her best to move on. Before Hiroto began to eat, he decided in his head that he was going to support Yuuhi and help her get over what happened to her.

The atmosphere was quiet around them, but it wasn't too heavy. That was until Hiroto wanted to confirm the thoughts he had.

"Cloudy did that to you, didn't he?" Hiroto outright asked, dropping his fork down on the table when he finished placing the last piece of food in his mouth.

"It's alright. We don't have to do this, you know," Yuuhi awkwardly and achingly smiled as she tried to change the subject that was bothering her.

She stood up and took the plates to wash them, but mainly to avoid the talk that Hiroto started.

"It's Cloudy, isn't it?" Hiroto roared, lightly grabbing Yuuhi by the arm.

Yuuhi wanted to walk away, but Hiroto was preventing her from doing so. The room got quiet as Hiroto waited for Yuuhi to answer. A few moments of silence later, Yuuhi finally opened her mouth.

"It's not his fault. I was drunk and I didn't take caution or put up a defense, so it—"

"You've broken up with him, right?" Hiroto interjected.

"What?"

"I said you've broken up with him, right?"

"Well—"

"You're breaking up with him as soon as we get to the building."

Yuuhi was completely shocked of Hiroto's expression and anger he showed. Her eyes were widened to see that Hiroto's eyes were furious, as if red fire were burning in his pupils. His grasp on her arm got a little tighter, too, but she didn't feel hurt. She admitted to herself that she was a bit scared of the side that Hiroto was showing her, but she knew that she wasn't the only one who hasn't seen him that way.

Instead of giving him a clear answer coming from her mouth, Yuuhi turned her head down in a dismayed manner. Hiroto could see the unhappiness in Yuuhi's averting eyes, which was a good enough answer for him. Quite stunned, Hiroto slowly dropped his hand and let go of Yuuhi's arm.

Both of them looked down on the floor, not wanting to see each other's disappointed faces. Not understanding why Yuuhi would look and feel that way, no matter how long he thought about it, Hiroto decided to leave after he grabbed his blazer. He walked out of Yuuhi's apartment without a word, leaving her alone.

Hiroto took a quick stop to his house to take a shower and change his clothes. Before he could clear his head of stress to help him think with a broader mind, Hiroto sent Yuuhi a quick message.

"I'm sorry I left you all of a sudden. I'll see you at work."

Hiroto emptied his mind right away to start the day in a clean and positive attitude. After driving to the building for about 10 minutes, Hiroto arrived and parked his car in the private parking lot.

When he arrived in the building, Hiroto immediately noticed a man who seemed to be lost because he was just looking and walking around in small circles. Hiroto couldn't tell who he was because a hood covered his head. Of course, Hiroto couldn't leave him alone since the man had caught Hiroto's attention.

"Sir, do you need any—"

"I'm here, Kazama-san."

Hiroto turned around and found Yuuhi walking in with a soft smile on her face. He was about to start walking towards her when suddenly, the unknown hooded man bumped Hiroto out of his way and ran for Yuuhi. The man hugged Yuuhi tight, surprising and shocking her and Hiroto.

"It's you!" the man exclaimed, feeling as if time had slowed down for the two of them.