The Beautiful Downfall - An Aiba Masaki Fanfic (Chapter 12/?) *Nino POV
Pairing: Aiba Masaki x Kusunoki Shion (OC)
Rating: R for whole series, PG for Ch.12
Genre: Romance, Mystery Drama
Word count:
Plot: Aiba Masaki (29) is the CEO of Yamakaze Hotels, Japan's top hotel chain. What began as a search for a secretary turns into a life-changing matter when he meets candidate Kusunoki Shion (26). As Shion challenges Aiba to question the only world he's ever known, she keeps to herself a dark secret that must remain undisclosed.
Author's Notes: Thanks for stopping by to read my fanfic! :D I have two ongoing series: this one, and Eyes Like Honey (Sakurai Sho fanfic). I beganThe Beautiful Downfall with a clear concept: I wanted to write a dark, DoS Masaki. ;) From there, I jotted down a rough storyline which became The Beautiful Downfall. Each chapter is relatively and deliberately short (under 2,000 words), so they are quicker reads than my other fanfics. Although I'm not sure how many chapters will be in this series, I hope you'll stick around to the end! ❤
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11
Chapter 12: The Elusive Fight (*Nino POV)
Maybe it was her expression.
Or the way strands of hair fell softly on her bare shoulders.
Or that damn inviting dress she was wearing.
Or the fact that Maa-kun's chauffeur was standing in disbelief on the dark street, that letting her in would give me some perturbed feeling of feigned victory.
Or perhaps, it was just me unable to control a feeling I've kept chained down for years.
It didn't matter.
Because this girl.
She's never given me much of a choice.
"You could have told me when you got to the station. It's dangerous walking alone this late."
"I didn't want Aiba-san to know," she said quietly as she closed the door behind her.
See? You didn't even realize you were being followed. Stop getting yourself into dangerous situations, I thought. But I played along.
"That's a big jacket. Is it his?"
She nodded.
"Here." I handed her my favorite sweats. "Get changed. This is comfier."
"Thank you..." She took off the jacket and placed it neatly over a chair.
Her now exposed shoulders, porcelain smooth and innocent, stirred the dark, lustful devil inside me. How easy would it be to simply love her, conquer her, and make her mine. How simple would it be to abandon control and let my body rule my actions. But life ain't fair, because I just can't get out of my own damn head.
"Take a bath, too. It's ready for you." I scoffed at myself for adding fuel to my own fire. Imagining her naked body as the hot water trickled down every curve and crevice of her beautiful being would turn any man into a hungry beast. So call me a damn coward because I'm too rational to have my emotions talk my head out of this.
After a while, she came back downstairs to the restaurant wearing my clothes. How many times have I seen this sight, how many internal struggles have I had in her presence, how much longer would it be before...
"Kazu-kun?"
...I lose to my own battles?
"Hm?"
"He came to the party."
Ah.
Not tonight.
With that simple statement, she placed on my shoulders the overwhelming weight of my purpose in her life.
"He? You mean, Kinoshita?" My eyebrows furrowed.
She nodded. "He was on the guest list. It must have been planned."
I pulled a chair out for her to sit, then took the seat facing her across the table. I observed her carefully. She didn't look like how she usually does after an encounter with him. She didn’t seem as helpless. Something must have been different. I had a clue why.
"I'm glad Maa-kun was there."
She nodded again.
"Can you tell me something, Shion-chan?"
Her sparkling brown eyes waited for my next question.
"Why Maa-kun?"
Though her lips parted, not a sound came out.
“Why my best friend?”
“Kazu-kun...”
"Are you planning to do to him what you did to me?” I noticed my voice raising and shaking at the end. Was it out of anger? Jealousy? It was unlike me. I took a silent, deep breath.
Her large, brown eyes brimmed with tears. She didn’t nod her head up and down, but she also didn’t shake it side to side, either.
“It’s different,” she pleaded. “He chose Aiba-san; I chose you.”
I chose you.
And for what purpose? To take care of you despite the pain? To teach me a lesson? What more do you want from me?
"You know you've put me in a difficult situation, right? I have to tell him that-“
“No, please don’t!” Her voice trembled.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”
“He...He’ll kill me.”
My fingers instinctively formed fists under the table. For most, a statement like that was a hyperbole. For her, it was a fear she faced every day. Suddenly, I remembered that she was a victim, too.
“Could you at least tell me why he picked Maa-kun?”
I could tell the question made her uncomfortable. But, I had to know. Slowly, I reached my hand out and placed it on top of hers.
She glanced down at the floor and took several breaths. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she sighed and looked up.
“He’s been after Aiba-san since the day he was born.” The words escaped her lips weakly. “I was taught to hate him.”
“Geez...”
She took her free hand and grabbed my arm. “And I did. I hated him without even knowing why.”
“So, he’s using you to get to Maa-kun.”
She nodded remorsefully, then pleaded with her eyes desperately. “But I can’t!” After a brief pause, she repeated feebly, “I can’t...”
“And why’s that?”
“Aiba-san hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s a victim, too.”
I nodded. Were all three of us victims...?
“Besides...”
“Hm?”
“He deserves to be loved, not hated.”
Her eyelashes fluttered with fragility. Knowing her, those words meant more than mere romantic feelings. It was a deeper, maternal emotion. And I could tell the difference because I had taught myself to feel the same way about her. Loving her and protecting her were two, opposing choices.
“Shion-chan.” I understood the unjust situation she was in. “Then... he’d kill you either way.”
She tucked some hair neatly behind her ears. They were still a bit damp from the bath, and when she brought her hand back down, I caught a faint scent of my shampoo. It always baffled me why the same hair products smelled so differently on her. How foolish of me to notice.
“You’re right, Kazu-kun,” she smiled feebly.
“Don’t underestimate me,” I gently smiled back.
She chuckled in defeat. “I never have.”
And that was it.
It clearly wasn’t the dress, because she was no longer wearing it. It wasn’t even her beautiful hair or bare shoulders, not even that faint smile on her face. But it was clear that something snapped. Before I knew it, I had gotten out of my seat, pulled her up out of hers, and had wrapped my arms around her fragile shoulders. I could hear her gasping at my ear.
“...Kazu-kun?”
I didn’t answer her. For once, I wanted to be selfish. I buried my face in her neck.
“Kazu-kun...”
Slowly, I raised my head and stared into her eyes. They glanced back with uncertainty. A hand moved up from the small of her back to the back of her head.
“Sorry,” I whispered, and tickled her lips with mine. “Sorry.”
-
“Sorry,” she said as tears steamed down her face. “Sorry.”
Four years ago, she broke my heart. Four years ago, I found out that she could not live a life of her own. Four years ago, I chose the difficult path of protecting her.
“This is the only way I can protect you,” she sobbed.
As I stood there holding in my hand what was now a worthless piece of jewelry, the diamonds falling from her eyes seemed to sparkle more than the one set on a round piece of gold. My fingers began fidgeting with it, not knowing what else to do.
“He’ll come after you if I say ‘yes’. I couldn’t live with myself if I took away your happiness.”
Even as those words escaped her lips, I could decipher the irony in the statement. Either answer would have robbed me of happiness, anyway.
Because, you see.
This girl.
She’s never given me much of a choice.
“If you could, would you have said ‘yes’?” I don’t know why I even bothered to ask. Maybe it was the cynical optimist in me.
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Of course I would have wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.” She buried her wet face into her hands.
“Then... you have to let me protect you, too,” I said defeatedly.
“By that, you mean...?”
“If you ever need a place to hide, a place to feel safe, you can come to my house. I have a spare room. It’ll always be open for you to use.”
Her sobbing increased in volume and her hands still covered her face. But, I knew that those words had brought relief for her because it brought me grief. If I couldn’t have her, then at least torture me for the rest of my life by being a part of it.
“If he won’t let you be happy, then I will make sure you feel protected.”
And that was that.
-
I kissed her.
The battle I had fought within me for the past four years had won. I had lost. And yet, defeat never felt so supple and painfully beautiful.
“Sorry...” I said again as I pulled my body away.
She looked at me, stunned. “You can’t do that...”
“Can you blame me?” I inquired. “Even I have my limits.”
“You think this isn’t hard for me, too?”
“You don’t get to complain. You’re the one who said ‘no’.” I could tell I was getting irritated. I cracked my neck.
“No, he said ‘no’.”
“Same difference.”
She bit her lower lip as if to stop herself from saying anything more, then cast her gaze toward the ground. Strange, but she seemed so fragile, all it would take was one more painful remark to break her. If only she’d allow herself to be fixed. I’d spend the rest of my days trying to mend her.
“I still love you, Kazu-kun.” She stopped at the foot of the stairs. “So much so, that I chose your happiness over mine.”
As she walked up the stairs to the spare room, I knew in my regretful heart that that would be the last time she'd step foot in my house again. It was the last time she’d trust herself with me.