[Arashi Fanfic] Love, Courage and Cherry Pie: Chapter 7
All of you will want to kill me now. *hides in my cave*
Despite Hisako's protests, Yuuki went back to her small apartment, a couple of days after New Years. As much as she loved her friend, and the time she spent with her family over the past ten days, she missed the freedom and autonomy of living alone. She still had three weeks to herself, and intended to use the time to catch up on some prep work.
She had just finished putting away her things and was about to make a cup of tea when her phone rang. She answered it without so much as looking at the caller ID, as she put the kettle on the stove.
"Moshi moshi, Tomo-kun? I'm back in my apartment now-"
"Happy new year, Yuuki-chan." It was Aiba.
It took a moment for Yuuki to recover and respond. "Aiba-chan! Bikkurishita! Happy new year! How's Canada?"
"It's cold, but beautiful." Aiba stopped. "Oh, and I got your present, thank you."
"You're welcome. So how are things working out? You know, between you and..." Yuuki's voice trailed off, unsure of whether she should continue.
"Hm? Oh, everything's fine. Just fine." He tried to sound genki, but Yuuki could hear an unmissable sadness in his voice. "Were you expecting a call from someone else?"
"Oh, no, not really. Just that I didn't expect you to call." Yuuki replied. "Aiba-chan? Something's up, right?"
"Eh? Of course not! What made you think that?"
"Your voice. You know you can't fake your trademark genkiness, Aiba-chan. So spill." Yuuki sat down on the tatami floor, and waited for him to speak.
She could just see the fake smile he would have plastered on his face fade into an expression of sadness. Silence ensued - a good minute passed before Aiba spoke again.
"They all know, Yuuki-chan."
"Eh? They all know… you mean Sho and the rest?"
"Yeah. They threw me a surprise birthday party on the 24th. We-Hikari and I- left in the middle of it. We went to my room and…"
Yuuki felt the blood drain from her face. "You… you and Hikari…" Her voice faded. No. No. No, they couldn't have… Yuuki felt tears gathering up in her eyes.
"We didn't do it, Yuuki. We almost did, but she froze, at the last minute. She said she couldn't do it, she couldn't betray Sho." His voice was one of a man defeated. "I couldn't do it either, once she stopped. I really do love her, Yuuki, but I couldn't betray Sho. He's my best friend, for God's sake, and I almost slept his fiancée. So I just held her in my arms, and watched her as she slept. She was so beautiful, Yuuki, just like an angel."
Yuuki bit on her lip, a desperate attempt to stop herself from crying.
"Then, two days after that, Sho confronted me. He asked me where she disappeared off that night. Where we went. I couldn't lie to him, nor did I want to. So I told him. That she was with me. That we were in my room. Together.
He hit me, Yuuki. And I thoroughly deserved it. I stole his fiancée, the woman he went through hell and back with. But he was treating Hikari as though she was his property, when she wasn't. She's a person, not one of his belongings. The way he talked about her… I just cracked. I'd do anything to make her happy, even if it means sacrificing my friendship with Sho just to be with her. I won't let her suffer." He said, with strong conviction and determination in his voice. "And now I've lost my best friend."
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"Nino, I'm going to Canada. Does your offer still stand?"
"Yuuki-chan? Morning." Nino replied, sleepily. "What's up?"
"I'm flying to Canada. Does your offer still stand?"
"Eeh? Nani? You're coming to Canada? And you want me to pay?!" Nino exclaimed, incredulously.
"Yes. There's something majorly wrong with Aiba. I can't use my credit card-it's linked to my parents' accounts. Don't worry, I'll pay you back once I see you."
"I'm not sure if it's such a good idea, Yuuki-chan. Things are pretty messed up right now. It's probably-"
"All I know is that Aiba's my friend, and he needs someone. If you're not going there for him, then I will, Nino. So, yes or no?" Yuuki said, conviction evident in her voice.
"Fine. I'll book that ticket for you." Nino replied. "I hope you know what you're doing, Yuuki-chan."
"Thank you. Email me the details later." With that, she hung up the phone, and started packing.
By 4pm the next day, Yuuki was already on the plane, sitting in a business-class seat, sipping a cocktail in a desperate attempt to calm her nerves. As she waited for the rest of the passengers to board, she typed a quick message to Tomo-kun.
Will be out of Japan for the next week. Yuuki.
Taking another sip of her drink, she stared at the screen for a few seconds. Then deleted the message.
It'll be fine, I won't be gone for that long. I'll be back before he knows. He'll understand.
In just under 14 hours, Yuuki was standing outside Aiba's room, her luggage in hand. Nino had emailed Yuuki all the relevant room numbers along with her itinerary. Even though Nino was known for his almost miserly ways with money, he was more than generous on this rare occasion- he paid for Yuuki's ticket and accommodation. Though he didn't show it, Nino was probably the person who was most worried about Aiba. There's no doubt that they shared a special relationship; after all, they had been friends since they started at the Jimusho. But if someone told Yuuki that Nino took Ohno's credit card while he was asleep to pay for everything, she wouldn't be surprised at all. Either way, Nino gave her the means of getting to Canada, and she was thankful.
Taking a deep breath, Yuuki knocked on the door twice. Please let him be there. Please. She closed her eyes and waited.
He's not here. Of course he's not here. He's probably with Hik-
Yuuki didn't have a chance to finish that thought: the door opened, and there he was, Aiba Masaki, in nothing but a bathrobe, his hair in a mess and looking as though he hasn't shaved for days.
"Yu…Yuuki-chan?"
"That'd be me." She gave him the biggest smile she could manage, and opened her arms for a hug. "Long time no see, Aiba-chan."
He gave a sad smile, and hugged Yuuki tightly.
"Arigatou, Yuuki-chan." Aiba said, as he poured out drinks for the both of them. "I'm so sorry about not calling for so long. It's just… a lot of things happened."
"That sounds like an understatement." Yuuki replied, jokingly. Aiba merely looked at her, with the saddest eyes she had ever seen.
"What's wrong, Aiba-chan? Did something happen recently?"
"Hikari's pregnant."
"What? She's pregnant?" Yuuki nearly dropped her glass. "It can't be yours…I mean, you guys didn't do anything…"
"I don't know. Technically we didn't, but… it still could be mine." Defeat was evident in his voice. "Sho kicked her out when he found out. We don't know where she is."
"When did this happen?"
"Not long after I called you."
"Then what the heck are you still doing here? If you love Hikari, you should be out there, looking for her. Not moping around like some sad idiot! Jesus," Yuuki paused to catch her breath, "they sure don't call you Aibaka for nothing."
Aiba just stared at her, surprised by her outburst.
"If you're not going to look for her, Aiba, I will. Now give me a photo of Hikari. And a map of the city." Yuuki demanded. "I really don’t know what your brain has been telling you for the last couple of days, Aiba, sitting here moping while a pregnant woman is roaming the streets."
Once she dumped her luggage in her room, Yuuki was on the streets, map in one hand, and a photo of Hikari in the other. She looks so young, Yuuki thought. She can't be more than eighteen years old. Sighing, her eyes scoured the landscape, focussing in on every brunette with curls who looked under twenty-five. It was not an easy task: Yuuki never actually realised how many brunettes-artificial and natural-there really were in the world. It was getting late, and Yuuki had just purchased a coffee and a quick bite to eat from a small bakery, when she saw a young woman, sitting on the park bench, rubbing her abdomen in slow, small circles. Yuuki took another glance, then checked the photograph in her hand.
That's got to be her.
She was about to call Aiba, when an older woman, in a biker jacket and jet-black hair sat down beside her.
She must be Kytana.
The name had been mentioned on several occasions while she was out with Nino and Ohno, and from what she had heard, Kytana was quite a character. If she's here, there's no need for Aiba. Kytana is just the person Hikari needs.
Yuuki took a seat just behind the door of the bakery, in a spot which enabled her to steal discreet glances at the two women without rousing suspicion. She stayed there, watching Hikari cry, witnessing the way Kytana looked after her, as an older sister would over a heartbroken sibling, until the two women left and were out of Yuuki's sight completely. She then took out her mobile, and dialed Aiba's number.
"Aiba-chan? It's Yuuki. Hikari's with Kytana. There's no need to worry anymore." With that, she hung up, gathered her things and waved a taxi back to the hotel.
It was late afternoon before Yuuki finally woke up, an effect of having next to no sleep for the past three days. Her phone was flashing periodically: there was an unread message. Sleepily, she opened the message.
Yuuki, where are you? We need to talk. Tomo.
It wasn't a good sign. He didn't know that she was in Canada, let alone why. And she knew that even though he'd understand her reasons, he was not going to be happy. Sighing, Yuuki called him. He was probably still up-rehearsals had a tendency to run late.
"Yuuki? Where are you?"
"I'm, uh, not in Japan at the moment." Yuuki took a deep breath, before telling him the truth. "I'm kinda in Canada."
"Canada."
"Yeah."
"Why are you in Canada?"
"Something happened. Aiba-chan's a mess. I had to come."
Tomohisa snorted. "And you just flew over there, without so much as sending me a message?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry, especially with the concert tour starting soon." Yuuki apologised, "I'm so sorry."
"When are you coming back?" Tomohisa said, with resignation in his voice. "Anytime soon?"
"Um, yeah. I'll be back soon, before classes start, definitely." Yuuki replied. "Once everything's sorted, I'll get the next flight back. I promise."
"I'll call you later. Miss you."
"I…miss you too."
She stared at the phone for a moment, before her hand closed it slowly. Absent-mindedly, Yuuki grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
"Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…"
On the other side of the ocean, Tomohisa was in his apartment, with a balled up turtleneck in a hand. He threw it onto the ground with all his might, in a last ditch attempt at venting out his frustrations.
The more I try to hold on to her, the further away she seems to slip…why?
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Knock knock.
"Coming!" Yuuki shouted. She had just finished her shower, getting dressed to go out for some late dinner. She opened the door, and found Aiba on the other side, looking haggard and more depressed than ever.
"Aiba-chan! What happened?" Yuuki asked, as she dragged the man inside. "Did you go see Hikari or something?"
"Hikki-chan…Hikki-chan wa…" Aiba started crying before he could finish his sentence. "She's.. She's in hospital…"
"Eeh? Hospital? Why? What happened?" Yuuki furrowed her brows. "Please don’t tell me…"
"She…" Aiba sobbed, "she lost the baby."
It was as though someone dumped a bucked of iced water on Yuuki. "You can't be serious…"
I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Childminding is a full-time job, you know.