Open Your Heart - Chapter Nine
“Help~ Help~ Somebody~” Ryoko Yamada winced as she heard Keiko Inoo’s feeble cries for help. Maybe this is too much, I don’t want her to actually get hurt. It’s been an hour since I heard her knock over that bucket of water; I hope she’s not left in there for too long… Ryoko squeezed her eyes shut, in an effort to shut Keiko’s cries out of her mind as she turned and walked away.
~~~
Later that day, Ryoko found Keiko alone, dusting the railing of the winding staircase. Taking a deep breath, Ryoko decided she had to apologize, in order to clear her nagging conscience.
”Keiko?” she said softly, drawing the other girl’s attention. Keiko frowned at her and turned away without otherwise acknowledging her presence.
“Keiko?” Ryoko asked again, stepping a little closer to her.
“What, Ryoko?” Kei answered exasperatedly. “Here to lock me in another closet or something?” Kei snapped, but he immediately regretted the harshness of his words. Biting his lip, he turned away once again.
“Keiko, listen,” Ryoko began, quieter than before. “I just wanted to say-”
“Keiko~!”
Ryoko stopped mid-sentence at the sound of Kota Yabu’s call. Having to apologize and admit her wrongdoing to Keiko was bad enough, but upon hearing this, her eyes were brimming with tears. Why is he calling her, not me? I-I’ve been with him for so many years, but then she comes along all of a sudden, and I’m completely forgotten?
Keiko slowly started to speak, “What did you want to say?”
Anger and frustration boiled in Ryoko’s mind. How dare this girl think she can just steal Kota’s heart from me after I’ve been waiting to claim it for so long? She doesn’t deserve him! I’m the one who has been with him for practically his entire life. Me! Not her!
Ryoko took a deep breath to calm herself. “Forget it,” she answered, her tone stiff, flat, and heavy with scorn. “Young Master’s waiting for you…”
“Keiko~!” Kota’s call came once more.
“Y-Yes, I’m coming!” Kei called back, still unsure of Ryoko’s words. Why did she suddenly cut herself off? And I thought she was about to apologize, before… before we heard Kota yell my name…
“Yes, Young Master?” Kei inquired upon reaching Kota, who was waiting in his room.
“Ah, Keiko,” Kota greeted with a smile. “I just wanted to let you know my friend’s coming over later, so when he comes, could you please direct him to come upstairs to here?” Kota requested.
“Of course, Young Master,” Kei replied, bowing slightly before exiting the room.
“Forget it… Young Master’s waiting for you…” Kei grimaced as Ryoko’s words echoed in his mind. After all that’s happened between the two of us, I just need someone to escape to… Kei sighed as he recalled her day’s experience with Ryoko.
Yuto.
Pulling out his cell phone from one of the various pockets in his maid uniform, Kei texted Yuto. “Hey would you mind stopping by my workplace during your lunchtime? I kind of want someone to talk to about something.”
A couple seconds later, Kei’s phone vibrated as he received Yuto’s reply. “Sure, I’ll be there for you~ ^^”
Kei smiled, having verified once again that he could always depend on his perfect boyfriend.
~~~
Yuto Nakajima gaped as Kei and Yuri recounted their “Ryoko incident” to him.
“She did what?!” Yuto yelled in dismay. “I can’t believe it, are you alright?” he asked Kei worriedly.
Kei nodded back slowly as Yuri answered, “I found a dry uniform for him to change into soon after getting him out of the closet, but I’m still worried over the current condition of his health,” Yuri turned to look at Kei with a look of pure concern on her face.
“I’m alright,” Kei smiled, thankful to have his two friends caring for him.
“I still think we ought to do something about this,” Yuri whispered quietly as she looked away from Kei’s gaze.
The doorbell rang.
“Someone’s at the gate,” Yuri said, lifting her head just in time to see Kei jump up.
“That’s probably the friend that Young Master was referring to, I better go,” he responded, hastily rushing out of the kitchen. After letting the boy in, Kei bowed slightly to welcome him at the door.
“Hi, I’m Daiki Arioka, and I’m here to see Kota,” the boy greeted, smiling cutely as he extended a hand to shake. Kei was surprised, he hadn’t expected guests to bother to greet maids.
As Kei lifted his head to greet the boy back, Daiki suddenly pulled his hand back, a wide-eyed look on his face. Deciding to ignore this strange reaction, Kei introduced himself simply. “Hi, I’m Keiko Inoo, Young Master informed me of your coming, and he wanted me to take you up to his room.”
Daiki nodded slowly, the look of panic still apparent on his face. Kei frowned slightly as he led Daiki upstairs. Why is he looking at me like that?
Once Kei successfully directed Daiki to Kota, he walked back downstairs, only to be halted by a call.
“Hey, Keiko!”
Kei looked up at the sound of the voice, only to be met by another downpour of water. Wiping his eyes and sputtering, Kei tried to see who it was that drenched him. Ryoko…
“What was that for?!” he yelled up at her, who was standing right above him on the landing of the second floor, an empty bucket dripping wet in her hands.
“Oh nothing, just wanted to make sure you were staying cool over the summer~” she replied innocently.
Kei fumed. Twice in one day was two times too many.
“Ryoko!” he yelled as she started to skip away happily. “Is this the best you can do?! A little water’s not going to hurt me! It’s only hurting yourself! I know why you’re doing this to me!” Kei cried out, his voice sounding tougher and more confident than he actually felt.
Ryoko stopped in her tracks.
“Do you think that by doing this to me, you’ll win his heart?!” Kei shouted.
Her eyes widened as Kei’s words pierced through her mind. No… Ryoko thought despairingly. “NO!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs in desperation. Ryoko ran down the stairs and flung herself out the door. She didn’t care where she ran, she just let her legs take her far, far away, to a place where Keiko wouldn’t be around. She just needed to escape from it all…
Kei could feel hot, throbbing tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched Ryoko slam the door behind her, the sound of her yell hanging suspended in the air around him.
There, I said it! And judging by her reaction, Yuri and I were right in our assumptions about her. I should be happy; I broke her heart. I’ve rid myself of her. Kei thought firmly. At the back of his mind, however, four words were being seared into his conscience.
I made her cry…
~~~
“What’s taking him so long?” Yuto Nakajima absentmindedly wondered aloud as he leaned onto the side of the kitchen counter.
Him? Yuri Chinen questioned to herself. “Who?” she asked curiously.
“Kei, of course, he’s been gone for so long…” Yuto groaned, rolling his eyes in boredom. Yuri was a nice girl, but while she was fun and chatty when Kei was around, she suddenly got quiet and timid when it was only the two of them alone.
“Who’s Kei?” she asked carefully, suspicious of what Yuto’s answer was going to be.
“Kei Inoo, of course! The guy who was just here a couple of minutes ago; the guy who’s my boyfr-” Yuto suddenly stopped himself, remembering Kei’s identity secret.
“Keiko’s a guy?! A guy named Kei?! And he’s your boyfriend?!” Yuri exclaimed, putting emphasis on the last words of each of her individual outbursts.
Yuto quickly put his hand over Yuri’s mouth. Darn it! He mentally kicked himself. “Shhh!” he whispered to Yuri, whose eyes were now wide with surprise. “I didn’t mean that! I mean, uh, you didn’t just hear that!” he hissed quietly. Yuri nodded her understanding of the truth being a secret. Her heart was beginning to thump loudly at Yuto’s hand over her mouth, his face so close to hers. Yuri blushed slightly as Yuto gently lifted his hand off of her face. “I’m sorry,” he smiled sheepishly. “But please, don’t tell anyone else.”
Yuri just nodded again; she was too lost for words. Suddenly, a sharp cry of “NO!!” rang through the walls. Yuto and Yuri turned to look at each other.
“You don’t think that had anything to with…” Without bothering to finish her sentence, Yuri ran out the door and rushed over to a sobbing Kei who had collapsed onto his knees on the floor by the staircase.
“Keiko! I mean, Kei!” Yuri corrected herself automatically. “What happened?! You’re all wet again!” Yuri exclaimed. Kei ignored her calling him by his real name - at that moment, he didn’t care.
“Kei,” Yuto breathed, running to the scene. He bent down beside Kei and gently wrapped his arms around his shaking body. “Yuri, could you get some towels and another change of clothes for him?”
Yuri nodded as she watched Yuto gently cuddle Kei in his arms and softly kiss his boyfriend on the forehead, an act which seemingly received no response from Kei. Regardless, Yuri quickly hurried off to fetch the items for Kei, and she returned to see Yuto whispering lovingly to the weeping boy in his arms. “It’s okay, it’ll be okay. I’m here for you; everything’s going to be okay.” Looking up to see that Yuri had come back, Yuto murmured, “Thanks, Yuri,” as he took the towels from her and gently draped them over Kei.
Yuri felt crestfallen, seeing Yuto take care of Kei so tenderly. Although her heart panged with jealousy, she smiled softly. Kei’s lucky to have Yuto by his side; someone who cares for him so deeply in such a time of his fragility.