Hana Kimi Fan Fiction ❯ All Knotted Up ❯ Coming Home To You ( Chapter 18 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hana Kimi or any of its characters.
However, if you want to blame anyone for taking this incredibly pure and sweet manga and making it hentai, that'd be me. Please don't sue. I don't own anything to make suing me worthwhile anyway.



ALL KNOTTED UP INSIDE - A Hana Zakari No Kime Tachi E fanfiction

 

CHAPTER 18

 

He slept soundly on the plane. For the first time in months. And without any sleep aids.

 

When he arrived in the states, he took a cab to Ashiya's house. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the front door and knocked.

 

Mrs. Ashiya answered the door. When she saw him standing there, she smiled broadly and hugged him without a word. She drew him into the house, where he set his bag down in the hall. Then she led him toward the living room, where Mizuki was sitting on the couch, writing in a book.

 

Her hair was much longer, but she was wearing really baggy clothes - like she used to do when she was trying to be a boy. As he stood there looking at her, he felt his heart rise to his throat and his knees got weak. He reached out to hold the doorframe to steady himself. Eiko smiled at him, gently propelled him into the room, and left to go back into the kitchen, still smiling.

 

“Mizuki,” he gasped.

 

It was like a slow-motion scene in a movie. She turned to him, startled. At the moment she saw his face, she broke into a heart-felt smile and whispered, “Izumi.”

 

It had to be a dream. She looked at him so longingly. He took a step forward.

 

Then she realized that it was not a dream. The look of longing on her face changed to one of fear and horror and she turned away from him quickly. “What… What are you doing here, Sano-san?”

 

Sano-san - just like in that dream, in that dream letter.

 

“Sano-san?” He asked.

 

“Sano, then. Whatever.” She tried to make her voice cold, but she ended up just sounding really scared. “What are you doing here, Sano?”

 

“Why haven't you written me?”

 

“What do you mean? I wrote you.” `Every day.' Her hand unconsciously went toward her tummy. She caught her motion mid-way and slowly and nonchalantly placed it on the couch instead. He didn't notice. “Did you not get my letter?”

 

`It WAS real. Or I'm dreaming now. I'm so tired of this nightmare.' He felt himself getting angry.

 

“So you don't love me?” He asked, dark anger in his voice.

 

She wouldn't look at him, as she responded, “I… thought I did, but… when I got back and saw Gilbert again… I think you should leave.”

 

At just that moment, Gilbert walked through the room with a smirk. “Feh! You know that's not true, so don't use ME as an excuse. You should just tell him the truth!”

 

Mizuki turned around with shock on her face and stared at Gilbert with her jaw open. They'd been talking in Japanese, and Gilbert's response was in English. But that didn't seem to even register.

 

Gilbert just smirked, shrugged and walked out of the room, waving a hand over his shoulder, nodding at Sano and saying, “Hey.”

 

“What's going on, Mizuki?! What truth is he talking about?” He's walked closer to her now, and his hands were in tight fists by his sides.

 

She looked right and left for some kind of inspiration and her hand fluttered to pat her belly, then she realized what she'd done. Her eyes widened and she thrust her hand away from her stomach and turned away from him.

 

This time there was no way he could NOT notice. His stared at her, eyes round in shock. He remembered both Nakatsu and Umeda bringing up the idea of Mizuki and a baby. He saw the rounding of her tummy now. It was only slightly hidden by the clothes, but he hadn't been looking for it before.

 

His voice was quiet. He sat down next to her and she flinched. She was not thinking clearly. It was all a jumble of `he mustn't find out' mixed with a longing `Sano, sano, sano!'

 

She didn't look at him and her voice trembled as she answered, “The truth is that I don't love you, Sano.”

 

She remained a horrible liar.

 

Even so, even hearing the lie in her words, the fact that those words came out of her mouth hurt him. His head sank to her shoulder, and she froze in place, torn between the desire of her heart and that of her head.

 

She barely heard him as he said, “Please, Mizuki. I love you. Without you, there's nothing. Nothing.” His hand reached to take hers. He held it in both of his own, petting it. “Please tell me the truth of why you're pushing me away. I… if you really don't love me, look me in the eye and tell me that.” He raised his face. It was inches from hers. Her eyes locked on his, and she couldn't answer. Everything was frozen. Deer. Headlights.

 

He stared into her eyes, the anguish clearly evident in both pairs. “Just tell me one thing.” He placed a hand on her rounded belly and asked, “Do you hate me because I made you pregnant, or do you hate me because I let you go and didn't protect you?” Is the child his? Or was she… It would be just like her to get into a dangerous situation and get raped if she didn't have him there to protect her. His poor Mizuki.

 

She couldn't look away. So she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Oh, Izumi. I could never, EVER hate you.” She sobbed.

 

His voice was deadly and emotionlessly quiet. He blamed himself. He knew that she thought it was her fault somehow, but he was certain that it had to be his. “Then look me in the eyes and tell me when you stopped loving me.”

 

She opened her eyes to find his boring into hers. She gulped and mumbled something completely incoherent.

 

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back against the couch. “Stop with all the lies and tell me when you stopped loving me!” He didn't want to yell at her, but he didn't seem to be able to control himself.

 

She sobbed and the word, “Never,” tore from her throat.

 

He recoiled as if slapped. `She never loved me?'

 

“I never *ever* stopped loving you.” She sobbed again.

 

For the first time since he entered the room, the tension melted from his shoulders. `She still loves me!'

 

“But you…” She pulled away from him and curled up on the couch. “You'll be better off without me. I… I could never ruin your life, Sano. I couldn't let you give up… your family… jumping… You are... you're EVERYTHING!” She was trying not to cry, but she couldn't stop herself.

 

“But it's been so hard. I knew if I told you we were having a baby-”

 

Her words were cut off as he picked her up and pulled her into his lap. He held onto her as if she was the only thing that was keeping him alive. He whispered into her hair, “Do you honestly think I could let you leave me? Ever? YOU ARE my life. And the rest of the world be damned.” He lifted up her chin and fell into her eyes. “You gave yourself to me. Remember? You told me that you were mine. And I can't… I can't live without you. You're all that keeps me going. I will never. Ever. Let you go.”

 

“Oh, Izumi.” She cried into his sweater.

 

With her back in his arms, where she belongs, for the first time in months he felt whole.

 

X X X END CHAPTER X X X