Keiko and Azul were standing outside the safe house. So many feelings were rushing through Kei, anger, frustration… guilt. He was angry that Azul kept the fact that Clark was alive from him for two months. He should have told him when he found him. He deserved to know, even if Clark was in a coma. He was frustrated with himself and his feelings. The whole thing was a sick twist of fate. He felt guilty. Guilty that he fell in love with his friend’s childhood sweetheart. Guilty that he let her kiss him, guilty that he had given in and kissed her back. He stopped, but the damage was done. Would she have kissed him had she’d known Clark was alive? He wasn’t awake, he was in a coma, likely never to wake up, but he was alive. Life was simply unfair.
“Are you ready?” Azul asked him, his tone dull.
“Yeah. I need to see for myself. To see if we should tell Rena.” Kei replied
Azul knocked on the door, a specific knock that would let the doctor know it was him.
They heard a crash followed by rushed footsteps before a disheveled woman opened the door.
“Azul! You’re here! Just in time. Come in, quickly!” she said as she pulled him inside. Kei followed them in, surprised by this mess of a woman who had been caring for Clark.
He shut the door behind him, causing the woman to turn and glare at Kei.
“He’s with me. You could say he’s basically Clark’s adoptive brother of sorts.” Azul said to ease the tension.
“Oh,” she replied, softening her gaze before perking up again “Then that’s perfect. You need to see this!”
She quickly rushed down the hallway to the room she kept Clark in. When Kei and Azul stepped inside, their eyes adjusting to the light, they froze. Their eyes widened in shock. Sitting upright in the bed, eyes open, was Clark. He looked up as they walked in the door before glancing over to the doctor.
“Clark, these boys say they know you. This is Azul–”
“Touma. He knows me as Touma.” Azul said with a straight face.
Clark’s eyes widened, “T-Touma?” He choked out in a raspy voice.
Azul just gave him a subtle nod. Clark’s eyes turned to Kei, “K-Keiko?”
Keiko just stared at Clark. The weight of everything seemed to lift for a moment before crashing down heavier than before. His face dropped, his gaze dropping to the floor before his feet moved. He slowly marched over to Clark. Once he was at the edge of the bed he looked up. A single tear in the corner of his eye before he raised his fist and punched Clark in the face.
“EXCUSE ME! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! HE JUST WOKE UP!” Dr Vasquez screamed, stepping forward to tend to her patient but Azuls arm in front of her stopped her from moving.
“Wait,” he whispered.
As Clark moved his face back to look at Kei, Kei took a step back. He had so much he wanted to say. So much he needed to get off his chest, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He turned and stormed out of the room, into the darkness of the rest of the house.
As soon as he was out of the room, Clark looked to Azul for answers. Dr Vasquez rushed to Clark’s side as Azul put his arm down, checking his face for any damage.
“I’m fine. He didn’t hit me that hard, doctor.” Clark mumbled, “But why did he?” He asked as he looked at Azul.
“You’ll have to ask him that yourself,” Azul said, sticking his hands in his pockets.
“Alright, I will,” Clark said as he looked down to his lap.
Dr Vasquez stepped back “Looks like your cheek is just fine. Everything else seems to be normal as well. How are you feeling, Clark?”
“Stiff. Like I’ve been asleep for a week.” he said, rubbing one of his shoulders with the opposite hand.
Dr Vasquez and Azul shared a look before she turned back to Clark. “Clark… Do you remember what happened?”
Clark froze for a moment before letting his hand fall back into his lap. He was quiet for a minute, as if he was searching for the answer. “I was by the lake.. Whitlock came up behind me, he knew my real name. We had a fight and I slipped, hitting my head on a rock.”
“Right. I found you unconscious, brought you here, and treated you while you were in a coma.” the doctor said
That got Clark’s attention, he shot his head up towards the doctor, “Coma? I was in a coma?! How.. How long?”
“A year and a half,” she sighed.
He leaned back against the headboard, covering his face with his hand. Tears threatening to fall. Ree, I’m so sorry.
“They’ve declared you MIA. Your case was closed, marked incomplete. Everyone thinks you’re dead.” Azul said, a serious tone in his voice.
Clark turned to him, scared to ask, but he needed to know. “Did they–”
“They brought the organization down.” he cut in.
“What about Whitlock?” Clark asked, his face turning serious.
“He’s dead.” Azul said with a gruffness.
Clark relaxed a little before his eyes went wide with worry, “Ree..” he whispered under his breath, looking up at Azul he opened his mouth to speak but Azul answered the question he was about to ask.
“She’s fine. It’s a long complicated story, but your girlfriend is fine.” he smirked
Clark finally relaxed fully but realized Azul said, girlfriend. “Wait, girlfriend? We’re not–”
“Look man, I said it’s a complicated story. We know she was your childhood sweetheart or whatever. Pour birdman knows it all too well in fact. He’s being dramatic about the whole thing, but like I said, you’ll need to ask him about that.”
As if on cue, Kei walked back in the room. He had been outside the door listening to everything. As he walked in he looked at Clark, regret flashing across his face. An awkward silence filled the room before Azul nodded the doctor to the door, hinting that they needed to leave. Once they were gone, Kei finally spoke.
“I fell in love with her. I didn’t plan on it, it just happened. To be honest, I thought it would just be another little fling, nothing serious but.. Well.. she just.. Changed me. I started to see things differently. I started acting differently. Doing things I never would have.” he looked up at Clark, expecting to see some sort of resentment but Clark was just listening. No sign of hate or judgment.
Kei let out a soft chuckle as he finally sat down in the chair next to the bed. Leaving forward, his elbow resting on his knees.
“She flat out rejected me at first. That’s what made her so interesting. I was known for my charm, my looks, girls would fight over me trying to get my attention, hell in college I had my own fan club. But she didn’t falter. I tried flirting with her more and more, ignoring everyone else. Finally I asked her on a date and you know what she said? “I don’t do dates.” I was so surprised. No one had ever rejected a date with me. I didn’t miss the look that flashed over her eyes though. I was curious so I offered her friendship instead. We hung out and I dared to ask her why, why she didn’t date, who it was that broke her heart.”
Clark flinched when he heard Kei say those words. His fist clenched the blanket on his lap, Kei of course didn’t miss that, but he continued his story.
“So.. she told me everything. She told me the story of her childhood friend, the one she..” he paused, realizing it wasn’t his place to tell Clark that she loved him, that she still loves him.
“.. The one who brought color back into her world. She told me the conflicting feelings she had and ultimately she told me about the day you left. She waited for you, you know, before she moved to Florida, which is where we met. When I dared to fall in love with the same girl my long lost friend had fallen for first.”
“When did she move?” Clark asked
“She moved February xx13. Started working at a coffee shop in April, then I met her a few weeks after that.” Kei replied.
“February? I missed her.. By two months..” Clark said looking down to his clenched fists. “Two fucking months.” he brought his knees up to his chest.
“Look, Clark.. I’m.. I’m sorry. When she told me about her childhood friend, she never mentioned your name. I thought it was just some chump who couldn’t be a man and reject her to her face. I found out it was you just a few months ago when your dad told us you were missing. If I’d known I.. never would ha–”
“Kei, it’s fine. I’m not mad. She’s just that kind of person. I’m surprised she didn’t have more people falling for her.” Clark interrupted, he looked down as a wave of sadness crossed his face. “I.. I know what I did was selfish, but honestly, I just..I just wanted her to know how I felt. I went on this mission to protect her from her father, from that world. I knew that I could handle it better than she would have but I knew that if I heard her say those three words I wouldn’t be able to leave. If I didn’t, he would have taken her by force. I broke my promise. I’m just glad she wasn’t alone. I’m glad she has you.” Clark said with a sad smile.
Kei just looked at him, even with the reassurance he still felt guilty. Six months ago, if Clark showed up Rena would have run at him without a second thought, but now Kei was in the picture. She had developed feelings for him, he was patient, waiting for her to move on, she was moving on, but now Clark was here. He was alive. He didn’t move on, he would have come for her If he could have, but it wasn’t safe. He did everything to protect her, even put his life on the line.
Kei was having a battle with himself. He loved her, he really did. It was the first time he had ever truly loved someone. But he knew the right thing to do was to let her go. Let her decide who she needed, and he knew without a doubt, she would pick Clark.
“She’s.. Planning to visit her mother in a few days. She’ll be flying up here again.” Kei said with a sigh.
Clark looked up, hope filling his eyes, sealing Keiko’s decision to let her go. Kei let out a soft chuckle.
“R-Really?” Clark asked, his eyes sparking.
”Yeah, I’m picking her up at the airport. Taking her to the cemetery then she wanted to visit the lake once more. If you are planning on a heartfelt reunion, that’s your chance.” Kei stood up, preparing to leave. “I’ll give you that chance, but if I’m being honest, I’m a little selfish. If she doesn’t take you back, I’ll swoop in and take her for myself.”
“Keiko, I—“ Clark started to say, but Kei stopped him.
“It’s okay. I told myself once that if she chooses you, I’ll let her go. Because I love her, I want her to be happy. If her happiness is with you, then I just have to accept it. So let’s not make it awkward, okay?” Kei offered a soft smile.
Just then, Azul walked back in, giving the two a look that said, “Are you done?”
Kei and Clark exchanged a final look of understanding. Kei gave Clark a reassuring nod before stepping out of the room, leaving Clark alone with his thoughts.
Clark sat there, his mind racing. He couldn’t believe that after all these years, he was so close to seeing Rena again. The thought of her visiting her mother’s grave and the lake brought back a flood of memories. He knew he had to make things right, to explain everything to her.
Meanwhile, Kei walked down the hospital corridor, his heart heavy but resolute. He knew he had to give Rena the space to make her own choice, even if it meant losing her. As he reached the exit, he took a deep breath, preparing himself for the days ahead.
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOshxx7jyRs
