Cutie & the Beast - Part 4
How was Little Kazunari? Ohno couldn't spend a day without thinking about the little boy. The cute, mischievous boy would always be in his mind and heart. But, ne… he won't be a little boy anymore, right? Several years had passed. He should be a grown-up now.
He made a little prayer, hoping that one day he would see Little Kazunari again.
"You've got to be kidding!"
There was only an awkward silence. And then, Jun suddenly laughed.
"Nah," Jun said. "You don't have to kiss him. It won't work,"
"Jun…" Aiba looked confused. "What are you talking about? Trust me, a true love kiss will work. It is the greatest magic! Don't you want Ohchan to be free from the princess?"
"Listen…" Jun scoffed. "It's not going to work. A true love kiss does not exist,”
“How do you know?” Aiba asked.
“Because there is no true love. He…” Jun pointed at Nino. The action somehow offended Nino. Since they met again, Jun didn’t call him by his name at all. “...does not love him,”
“Nino loves Ohchan, Matsujun,” Aiba kept on arguing. “Don’t you remember how long he had been waiting for Ohchan to come back? Isn’t that enough to prove that he loves Ohchan?”
Love… Nino thought about what Aiba had just said and it distracted him from the anger he felt for Jun. He tuned out the argument between Aiba and Jun as there was something else that needed his attention. Love… the word lingered in his mind. Did he love Ohno? He directed the question to no one in particular. But, as Aiba and Jun were still arguing, no one heard what he said.
Something was wrong with him. Before this, he was sure that he was in love with the monster from his childhood. However, upon meeting the monster again, he didn’t feel anything for Ohno, not even a spark of love. In fact… ah, now he understood the weird look that Yuri gave him before she kissed Kaibutsu Kun. She wanted to make Nino feel jealous. That’s why she waited for a reaction from Nino. However, Nino wasn’t jealous at all. But why? Why didn't he feel angry to see someone else kiss the person who owned his heart? If he wasn't jealous or angry, did it mean he wasn’t in love with Kaibutsu Kun?
Hmm… it’s weird. He had been waiting for Kaibutsu Kun to come back since he was seven. Despite his mother’s lie, a small part of him was still holding on to the hope that Kaibutsu Kun was real. That’s why he restored the drawing given to him by the monster. But, now that he had met the monster again, why didn’t he feel anything for him?
Almost immediately, what he thought in the dungeon popped out in his mind again.
“Is he my Kaibutsu Kun?” Nino asked, voicing out the question he had. This got the attention of the other people in the room.
“What do you mean?” Asked Sho.
“He looks different because he is in his human form,” Aiba said. He completely misunderstood what Nino meant. “But, this is Ohchan, your Kaibutsu Kun,”
Jun, on the other hand, remained silent. Once again, Jun's attitude seemed odd to Nino. But, he didn't know how to describe it.
"That's not what I mean," Nino clarified. It wasn't time to be bothered by Jun. He had to focus on one problem for now. "What if this isn't Kaibutsu Kun? I mean… Yuri could use magic, right? What if she altered this person to look like Kaibutsu Kun to trick me? Maybe she is hiding the real Kaibutsu Kun somewhere else…"
The three of them frowned. Nino gave them a moment to think about what he said. He didn't think what he said was ridiculous. It was plausible.
"Yuri?" Asked Sho. "Do you mean the princess?"
Nino nodded his head. Well… That was unexpected. Sho didn't respond to the claim that Nino made. Instead, he asked for something else.
“How did you know her name?” Sho asked again.
“Because she is a friend of a friend,” Nino shrugged him off. “I’ve known her for quite some time. But, tonight was the first time we went out together,”
Aiba, Jun and Sho looked at him with eyes wide open.
“You know her? How?”
“How long have you known her?”
“Why did you go out with her?”
All three of them talked simultaneously, making it hard for Nino to distinguish who said what. But, he realized that there was a hint of bitterness from the tone of the person who asked why he went out with Yuri.
“Geez…” Nino clicked his tongue. He was the one who should ask questions to them, not the other way around. “Can all of you relax?” Nino tsked. “I met her… probably around the time I started college, I guess... She is Mao’s friend... Do you remember Mao-chan? She’s always bickering with you back then, J,” Aiba nodded his head while Jun frowned.
“Mao-chan should be with us tonight. But, she didn’t come because she wanted to set us up on a date. It was fine at first... but on the way home, Yuri asked me about you guys. She asked whether I’ve seen you. When I said no, she suddenly said she didn’t need me and then Kaibutsu Kun attacked me…” Nino explained, recounting the event that happened earlier. “Then, she brought me to the dungeon and I met Jun there,”
“You went on a date with her?” Aiba exclaimed. “Do you like her?”
“It’s not a date!” Nino pointed out. “Who is she, by the way? The princess of your kingdom? She told me that she is engaged to Kaibutsu Kun. Is it true?”
“Un!” Aiba nodded his head.
Ah… so, it’s true. The monster that he met in his childhood… someone that he was possibly in love with would marry another person…
Nino tried to keep his expression neutral upon hearing the confirmation. He felt something that he couldn’t explain. Was it pain? Disappointment? He didn’t know. But, it’s strange. Why didn’t he feel jealous to see them kissing but he was jealous now? Was what he suspected true then? The monster in his bedroom right now wasn’t his Kaibutsu Kun…
“But…” Aiba added, distracting him from his thoughts. “Don’t worry. Ohchan doesn’t love her. He only agreed to marry her because of the deal he made with the late King,”
The deal? What kind of deal?
“Aiba chan…” Jun interjected. His annoyance was evident. “Should we talk about the engagement now? There’s something more important,”
Jun shifted his attention to Nino, ignoring the pout from Aiba. He cleared his throat before he spoke.
“Nino,” Jun called him. Yes… something was definitely wrong with Jun. The way he stressed out the name made him look uncomfortable. “So, you already…”
“What is wrong with you?” Nino blurted out, not letting Jun finish what he wanted to say. He wanted to ignore it. But, the more he let it be, the more uncomfortable he was. He had to talk about it with Jun now. “Aiba chan… Sho… stay here. J, follow me!”
He looked at all of them sternly as he stood up, daring anyone to protest. No one said anything. Jun only gulped before he nodded his head and then stood up from the floor. Nino went out of the room and Jun followed suit. Standing in front of the room, Nino scratched his head, not knowing where to go to talk with Jun privately. It was dark so his parents were probably asleep. Taking a deep breath, he headed downstairs to the living room with Jun trailing behind him.
Nino took a seat on the sofa but his friend remained standing. Jun looked around the living room. He seemed to be fascinated by the decoration in the room as if it was his first time being here. Hmmm… another weird point. Nothing much had changed in the living room since the last time Jun was here. So, why was Jun acting like this?
Ah!
The thought crossed his mind almost immediately. What if… just like Kaibutsu Kun… the person standing in front of him was not Jun? After all, it was Yuri who changed the appearance of the werewolf who was with him in the dungeon. So, this could also be a trick to fool Nino.
If this person wasn’t Jun… it would explain his weird behaviour. He looked confused when Nino asked about the drawing. He didn’t seem to remember Mao. And now, he acted like it was the first time he’s in Nino’s house… wouldn’t that be enough to prove that this person wasn’t Jun?
Who is he, then? Was he a bad person?
Hmm, Nino didn’t think so. He seemed to know a bit about Nino. And he was genuinely concerned about Nino’s safety. But, was it enough to prove that the person standing in front of him wasn’t dangerous?
“Who are you?”
The question caught Jun off guard. There was a flick of fear in his eyes. Seeing that, it confirmed Nino's suspicion. If he was truly Jun, he shouldn't be afraid.
"You're not Jun, right?" Nino accused, trying to make the other person confess.
"Wh-at a-are you talking about?" Jun stuttered. "I am Jun,"
"Really?" Nino rolled his eyes. "If you're Jun… what did Mao-chan call you in high school?"
"Diva?" Answered Jun, sounding doubtful. It wasn't even the correct answer. Mao didn't call Jun Diva. It was Nino who called him Diva.
"Look… I know I've been weird since we met again," Jun sighed. He looked tired. "But… I could explain… I've been alone in the dungeon for a long time. Aiba chan and Sho chan escaped without me because I don't want to go. I don’t want to leave without M… hmm… my prince. Being down there alone… with my thoughts as the only companion… it affects me… I keep imagining things… one of them is meeting you again… I want to apologize for betraying you… but, I had no choice back then… even though I'm here now, a part of me thinks that this is just another dream and I am still trapped in the dungeon,"
He sounded sincere, Nino admitted that, and he seemed to be in a lot of pain. Hearing Jun express his thoughts… it made Nino feel bad for doubting him. How long did the princess keep Jun in the dungeon? What did she do to him down there that caused Jun to be like this? Urgh, if he sees Yuri again, she would pay for hurting his friend.
"I'm sorry," Nino apologized. "I'm just worried. You look different and it's unsettling for me,"
Jun only gave him a small smile.
"Should we go back to your room?" Jun suggested. Nino hummed in agreement. He headed up with Jun followed behind.
Unfortunately, because he was lost in his thoughts, Nino missed a step and almost fell. Thankfully, Jun was there to catch him.
However, as they were too close to each other… he could feel a weird attraction towards Jun. His heartbeat was faster and he knew Jun also felt the same, judging from his intense gaze on Nino. He was stunned, not knowing what to do. Were Jun's eyes always this beautiful? He didn't remember.
A voice at the back of his head told him to push Jun away. But, he refused to cooperate. Instead, he closed his eyes as Jun leaned closer and kissed him.
The kiss was… hmmm… was it wrong to say he enjoyed the kiss? When he felt Jun’s tongue along his lips, asking for permission to enter, he didn’t think twice and simply opened his lips.
This could go on forever as neither one of them wanted to stop. It felt right to kiss Jun. Was he in love with Jun? No, he didn’t think so. Then, why did he enjoy kissing him? If he had to describe it… even though it was Jun that he kissed right now, it felt like he was kissing someone else. So, he ignored all his thoughts and just focused on the kiss.
However, when he heard a gasp, he reluctantly pushed Jun away. Nino opened his eyes, surprised to see it wasn’t Jun that he pushed. Instead, standing in front of him was Ohno Satoshi!
A/N: TBH, it was hard to write this chapter. I already decided to switch Ohno and Jun. That's why Jun was a bit odd and seemed to keep a secret. The reason for the switch would be revealed later. I debated when I should reveal the truth about the switch. At first, I thought to let Nino befriending the new Jun before he realized he was attracted to Jun and then kissed him. But, it seemed weird that Nino didn't confront Jun about it. Furthermore, I want the real Ohno to appear asap. That's why, I decided to change the storyline and it became like this. Ah, I really hope this isn't crappy. Really hope u like this. Let me know what u think of this, okay :)