Fear: Part Two
I hear my alarm clock, but I don’t want to wake up.
Yohji can open the shop without me today. It is so
warm here in my bed. I do not want to move. I start to
drift off again, but I wonder who turned off the
alarm. It shouldn’t just stop on its own. I open my
eyes wide as I remember the details of last night.
Yohji. I am in Yohji’s bed. I am not sure what to do.
I wonder if it was a mistake. He was so kind to me
last night. I was still so shaken from my encounter
with Aya and Yohji just held me until I fell asleep. I
think this is the first night in a long time that I
didn’t have any nightmares.
I shiver when I think about Aya waiting for me
downstairs. I wonder what he will say. I wonder what
he will do. He doesn’t know, but I can’t do it again.
I can’t ever let him do it again. Yohji says I don’t
deserve it. I am not sure that I believe him, but I
know that it causes Yohji pain and I don’t ever want
to do anything to cause him pain again. I cringe as I
hear a knock at the door. Oh no, what if it’s him?
What if he comes in here? What if he sees? Oh my god.
No. It’s okay. It’s only Omi. Omi won’t say anything.
He won’t pry. He is a good friend. I am glad that I
can count on him.
I close my eyes again and hope that Yohji will just
let me sleep. I know I am not being a good teammate,
but I am afraid of what will happen when I go
downstairs. Someone will ask about the bruise and I
will laugh and say that I fell. They will believe me
and they will laugh too. All of the girls will point
and call me clumsy. I will smile shyly and shake my
head. I will blink back a few tears and hope that no
one notices. I will wonder when I became so weak. I
will question whether I belong in this group anymore.
I will realize that I have nowhere else to go.
I flinch and open my eyes again as a gentle hand
touches my shoulder.
“KenKen.” Yohji says softly. I look up at him confused
for a moment and then I smile. His eyes still have a
trace of that look from last night. I know that he
still cares. I sit up slowly and wince at the
brightness of the light. A dull ache throbs behind my
eyes and I lift my hand to my temple and close my eyes
again. My hand touches the bruise cautiously. I look
up and see Yohji looking at me with concern. I assure
him that I am okay and he nods and tells me to get
ready for work. He leaves me alone and heads down
stairs.
After a few minutes, I wander back to my room and pull
on some work clothes. I don’t know who will be in the
shop today. I am sure that it will be a busy day as
usual.
As I enter the shop I see Yohji flirting with a
customer and trying to convince her that pink flowers
suit her best. She seems convinced. I wonder how he
does it. He flirts with every girl that comes in the
shop. I always thought that meant something, but now I
realize that is just another intricate part of his
personality. I do not see any love in his eyes as he
talks to the woman. He is pleasant and friendly, but
it does not go beyond that.
My heart beats faster. I wonder how many people have
seen that look in Yohji’s eyes. I hope that I am one
of few. I know that he guards his heart preciously. I
know that he is afraid of getting hurt, but I think
that he is also afraid of being alone. I know what
that is like. I guess that has something to do with
the way that I feel about Aya. I don’t want him to be
alone and I have always felt something for him. When
this all began, I hoped that it could blossom into
something more, but I soon realized that I was just
another outlet for his anger. He did not love me, but
he needed me somehow. I know now that it is not the
same, but it is hard to see that sometimes. I always
thought that things might change. I knew that I could
not fight back. He is taller than me and stronger than
me, but those weren’t the only reasons. I was afraid
that I would be alone. I was afraid that if I rejected
Aya I would no longer be a part of the group. I don’t
know what I would do without this group. I live for
them.
Another customer walks in. Yohji glances in my
direction and I nod. He wants me to help her and I
will. I will do anything for him. I feel my heart beat
faster at that thought and I hope that the blush does
not show on my cheeks as I point to a small bouquet on
a nearby shelf. She likes it and she smiles. I take
the flowers to the cash register and ring up her
order. I wave goodbye to her and wish her luck.
The shop is quiet again. There are no customers. I
take a deep breath and look around. I haven’t seen Aya
yet this morning. I wonder if he is still in his room.
I clasp my hands together and lean lightly on the
counter. I try to look nonchalant. I try to act as if
it doesn’t bother me. I imagine what it will be like
when he comes downstairs. Will he glare at me?
Probably, but that doesn’t really mean anything. He
would do that anyway. I try to think of the worst
possible situation so that I can be prepared for it. I
see the shimmer of his katana in my mind’s eye and I
shudder. Maybe I shouldn’t think about that right now.
I look up as I hear footsteps coming down the stairs.
I glance warily at Yohji and he tries to reassure me
with a shake of his head. I guess he doesn’t want me
to worry, but I can’t help it. I wish that a customer
would come in right now. It would give me something to
do. It would distract me from his penetrating gaze. He
is staring at me. I try to ignore it, but his violet
eyes seem to draw me towards him. I look up as he
walks to the counter and bends closer to my face.
Long, delicate fingers lift my chin so that my eyes
meet his and I decide not to resist. I see Yohji
coming closer out of the corner of my eye, but I
cannot keep my gaze off of Aya. There is something
different about him. There is an uncertainty in the
way he stands that I am not used to seeing. I pale as
I see the anger in his eyes and I know that I am the
target. Violet gems seem to burn with a fury meant
only for me. He snatches his hand away from my face
quickly and whispers something under his breath.
“I don’t need you.”
I am not sure if I heard him correctly. It seems like
the kind of thing he might say, but I am puzzled by
the tone that I heard in his voice. He seemed to be
trying to convince himself more than anything else. I
let out a shaky breath and close my eyes as the front
door closes and I see Aya hurry down the street. I
just stand there for a few moments trying to gather my
senses. I lean into the warmth standing beside me and
do not flinch as he runs his fingers through my hair.
“Yohji,” I say cautiously, “what are we going to do?”
I look up into his shining green eyes. He shifts his
stance a little and I can tell that he has not thought
this far ahead. “It doesn’t matter, KenKen. You don’t
belong to him.” Yohji says the last words coldly and I
wonder how much he really knows about the situation. I
think maybe he has talked to Aya about this before.
I stare after him as he crosses the room to water the
flowers over there. I can’t help but wonder about all
of this. He looks a little more tense than he should.
I find myself worrying about him. I find myself
wishing that he had never known. I shake my head and
turn back to a row of flower arrangements behind me. I
move from one to the next carefully straightening
crooked blooms and turning vases so that they face the
customers properly. I guess he would have found out
eventually. Maybe it’s better this way. The
possibilities frighten me. I wonder how long this will
last. I turn to look at him again and I admire the way
that his hair falls across his cheek as he bends down
to pick up a fallen petal. He loves me. My lips curve
up slightly. I feel something that I haven’t felt in a
long time. I don’t know if I would call it joy. I
think that it has something to do with anticipation. I
can almost remember what my life was like before Aya.
I can almost remember how I felt before that first
night. I think that it was something like this. I
think I felt something like joy. I can remember light
brown hair and jade-colored eyes greeting me and I can
remember smiling. I can remember the time that Aya
threatened me because I closed my eyes. I can remember
what I saw and what I felt. Strong arms comforting me.
A soft voice whispering my name. My fingers in light
brown hair and running over smooth skin. I can
remember the glimmer of green that filled my vision as
I opened my eyes again and saw Aya. I can remember the
pain and loneliness that I felt then. I don’t know
what is happening to me. My hands are shaking again. I
can remember it all. I don’t know how I ended up
sitting on the floor with my knees drawn up close to
me. I can still feel his hands on me. I don’t know why
I am crying. I can still hear his words. I don’t know
what to do. I am still fighting to push him away from
me. I don’t want to open my eyes. I am afraid of what
I will see. I know the glimmer in those violet orbs
and it frightens me. I have to get away. I need to
run, but I know he will not let me. I hear the
shattering of glass as a vase falls to the ground and
I shudder. He is standing over me. He will hit me
again if I move. I feel someone touch my shoulder and
I cry out. Please, no. Just go away, Aya. Please. I
can’t seem to catch my breath. I don’t want to open my
eyes. I don’t know why I am crying. Warm tears run
down my cheeks as I lean into a comforting embrace.
The darkness seems to beckon me from the depths of my
memories. I am so cold. I know that I am shaking. I
try to stop. I know that this can’t be real, but it is
hard to convince myself. I open my eyes and analyze my
surroundings wearily. I am so afraid that this has all
been a dream. I am so afraid that I will see his face.
Aya’s face. I will see the coldness in his eyes and
the hate that burns deep within him. I will feel the
emptiness that he feels. That’s what he wants and I
know it. He wants to share the emptiness that haunts
him. I shiver and try to keep from sobbing. I cling to
the form kneeling before me. I am still so confused.
It takes me a few moments to realize that Yohji is
with me. For a second I wonder why he is here with
Aya.
Then I remember the flowers. I was straightening
a bouquet of roses. Red roses. Blood red roses. I
fight to stay calm as the image swims before me again.
I shake my head and look up into concerned green orbs
and lay my head on Yohji’s shoulder. He says it will
be alright. I stand up slowly and I think that I
almost believe him. I am not sure. It will take a
while. I don’t belong to Aya. That phrase echoes
through my mind as he leads me to the back room and
offers me something to drink. I take the steaming cup
thankfully and marvel at the kindness that he shows
towards me. I wince at the pain that I see in his gaze
and I make a promise to myself to try to erase that
hurt someday. It will be a difficult task, but I think
that I am up to the challenge. He asks if I want him
to stay with me, but I know that someone has to watch
the shop and so I shake my head and gesture for him to
go.
I am still feeling kind of lost, but things are
becoming clearer. I am not sure exactly what happened
to me out there, but I think that it was important. I
know it will be hard to forget Aya, but I am glad that
I have Yohji to help. Aya’s words come back to me as I
lean against the cushions of the couch. I take a deep
breath and say them to myself “I… don’t… I don’t need…
you.” My voice comes out in a shaky whisper, but I
have made a decision. I say it again with a little
more assurance. “I don’t need you, Aya.” I can do
this. I have to do this. For him. For Yohji. Because
he loves me. Because he has always been there for me.
Because I don’t belong to Aya. Because I think that I
could be happy with Yohji. Because he loves me.
Because I love him too.
[Part Three]
[The Archives]