[A/N]
Almost three years later... and here I am. To warm myself up, I've slapped on a remake of
[Truth Is...] as my first piece for this fandom in a very... very long time. Please be warned of graphical mentions about rape and bullying. The sort of thing that would earn this piece a big fat "Rated M for Mature" on AO3.
Thanks for the support! I'll be sure to steadily write some more works while I continue to work on my other projects and Zines. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for writing updates and for further contact outside of the forum!
Truth Is... (REMAKE) [Mayuki]
Two female students both stood alone inside of the gymnasium. The sun’s rays cracked through the nearby windows, shining upon their figures, their shadows standing far apart from each other. Faint chatters and whistles from a coach from outside the windows and doors signified the end of school and the start of after school clubs, respectively.
In half an hour or so, the Men Basketball Club would occupy this space.
That was more than enough time for them.
Kashiwagi Yuki’s palm became clammy on her chest, threatening to wet a part of her uniform while her other hand gripped hard on the ends of her skirt. Her heart was racing and aggravated the dull ache in her heart that bothered her since last night. Yuki shakingly breathed. The words that she desperately searched for are finally within reach.
And so…
“I love you,” she confessed. “I love you, Mayu.”
“…I’m sorry, but I… don’t feel the same way.”
“A-Ah…”
Yuki’s heart nearly stopped. The hand that clutched her chest tightened, crinkling her uniform.
This was not the answer she expected. There was not even a moment of hesitation from the other girl. It… It cannot be…! After all this time they spent together… the feelings that Yuki had for her… She strove to be courageous…
Yet that bravery was dashed. The worst-case scenario that she dreaded became a reality. The ache from within her chest imploded instead and struck her heart mightier than that of a hammer.
Yuki’s eyes became wet.
“Mayuyu…” her voice cracked. She took one step forward. Mayu took one step back. Yuki bit the bottom of her lip and stared at her junior, Watanabe Mayu, with blurred vision. “Please don’t do this,” she whispered and took another step forward.
“Don’t come any closer,” Mayu raised her hand. She frowned as her eyes never strayed from the high school senior. “You’ll only hurt yourself.”
“Oh…” And she listened to Mayu.
Yuki’s eyes were drawn to the ground as Mayu’s eyes darted left and right in the room. Then, Mayu said,
“Let’s… just stay as friends, okay?”
Yuki did not even have a chance to call out to her, her hand outreached to the empty space. Mayu’s bouncing ponytail was the last thing she saw before the girl disappeared through the one and only exit from the gymnasium.
“…”
Now, she is all alone.
“…why…?”
Yuki’s tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them. However, even more tears fell until it became a steady stream as she sniffled. The senior rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Yet no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes, the tears will not stop. She gritted her teeth and cried.
All alone, just like how she was before she met Mayu.
Ever since the first day of school, Yuki never thought nor found herself to be the protagonist of any story. Always sitting in the back corner of the classroom in silence. Her eyes wandering out to the windows, constantly gazing and watching the occasional birds fly high in the sky or students from nearby classrooms jogging around the track field. Despite her good looks, no one dared approach her. She wasn’t even fit as a background character.
Was it because of a rumor that her single mom was a prostitute? A malicious rumor twisted from a single sighting of her mother working at the red light district. An innocent mother who merely worked as a chef in one of the restaurants. Nothing more, nothing less. There were also the men and women who tried to hit on her. That never worked in their favor, and her mother knew how to deal with them. After all, her mom’s priority was raising Yuki, and she was done being in a relationship after her husband walked out on her.
Or was it another rumor that sprung forth about how the raven-haired senior slept with her teachers for passing grades? Scores from her examinations always landed her in the Top 10 since the day she started in this school. Is it so difficult for them to acknowledge that she studied long and hard?
How about the rumors that she hadn’t slept with her teachers, but the idea that she was good in bed with men? Skills that were passed down from her “whore mother” and experience in the sex industry despite her young age. Yuki always felt a chill run down her spine with the snarky remarks and fantasies the boys would have with her. Did they have that much time to indulge in such pleasure at the expense of another person? Absolutely revolting.
Whatever it was, the result was the same: no one would approach her. In fact, no one cared for her presence in the room, save for the times her classmates' whispers and glares.
“Hey, did I ever tell you how pretty you look?”
It was the first compliment she heard from someone other than her mother. A compliment that had no hidden agenda.
Yuki recalled standing slack-jawed at the shorter female. The young girl, a couple of years younger than her, smiled as they stood in the hallway during lunch break. When Yuki said nothing, Mayu’s smile dropped, frowning.
“Um… you’re not deaf, are you?”
“No! No… no, I’m not.”
Mayu huffed. “Good. I almost thought I had to grab someone to teach me some quick sign language.” She motioned her hands in the air, her fingers curled in and out without any order. “Hm… then again,” the ponytailed student created a heart shape with her hands. Mayu winked at Yuki. “This might convey the message, don’t you think?”
“That’ll give off the wrong impression!” Yuki’s face turned bright red, her eyes looking elsewhere.
“What wrong impression?”
Yuki never knew if Mayu was playing dumb or not, but she blurted, “That’s like a proclamation of love!”
It did not take even a second for her to regret what she said. Mayu burst out laughing, approaching the taller girl and patting her on the head.
“Sure, you can think of it that way,” she still laughed. “You’re a real beauty, and I might just fall for you.”
“I don’t even know you—”
“Just kidding~” Mayu stuck her tongue out at her senior. “You’re right. We don’t even know each other, so how could we fall in love? Unless… you’re a fan of falling in love at first sight?” She wiggled her brows.
Yuki sighed and slapped the student’s hand away. Mayu was such a tease. A person who kept on cracking jokes and laughing as if the world was alright. A student, despite her eccentric personality, managed to fit in with the school. Having friends, a stable relationship with everyone around her, and possessing good looks to boot… She was someone that experienced the opposite of what Yuki experienced.
A surprise that she reached out to be with Yuki out of all people.
Yuki blinked. She sat in the living room of her house, staring up to the white ceiling. Changed to her pajamas, the young girl sighed.
She came home from school, took a bath, did her assignments, ate dinner by herself, and… fell back into her memories. The student grimaced.
No point in relishing in them after what happened today. Yuki covered her eyes, slowly exhaling out.
This was pointless. Of course, she’s not going to see me as anything more than her good friend.She did not think she would fall in love with her junior. Love was something so far-fetched for the senior, yet this student ended up having feelings. This foreign feeling that she eventually learned meant “love” by the one and only Watanabe Mayu.
Another sigh. Yuki grumbled, “I don’t think we could be friends anymore. It’s going to be so awkward being with her now.” She slouched into the couch, her eyes finally trailing away from the ceiling.
Other than the sound of the wall clock ticking away, there was no one inside of her house. Her mother kept herself busy by cooking up meals at the restaurant as usual. It would take another few hours until she arrives home, and that would be way past midnight.
“…?”
A doorbell rang. She glanced at the time, narrowing her eyes.
That’s not mom for sure… Yuki got up from her seat and looked out of the living room. Another ring came from the front. Since she was alone in the house, her mother had warned her not to open the doors for strangers. Yet that does not mean she cannot spare a peek through the peephole.
That single peek through the hole had Yuki throw open the door faster than she could have imagined.
“Mayu!”
The junior, who leaned against the door, slumped forward. Yuki quickly caught her into her arms. As she hastily closed the door, locking it, her eyes were drawn to her friend’s features.
“Are those… bruises on you?” she whispered, touching her cheek. “What happened to you?”
“Ow! Don’t touch me there,” Mayu slapped her hand away, glaring at the older girl. “That really hurts, you know.”
“Sorry, sorry… but I need to know… what happened.”
Mayu barely bit back a groan as she straightened her back, holding the side of her head— Ah, there was blood from the scabbing cut on her head dripping to her chin… Mayu roughly grabbed Yuki’s wrist as she harshly whispered, “Don’t you dare go. I don’t need any help.”
“But Mayu!”
“This is nothing.” Mayu forced a smile. “Did I mention that I’m really good at martial arts? Learned it from the best teacher.”
“…you better not mention a video game character.”
“Oi, Ryu is not a video game character, okay. He’s the real deal.”
“Right, right… I think you’re losing a lot of blood if you’re spouting nonsense…”
“You’re such an Ice Queen.”
Their banters almost made Yuki forget about the awkward situation that she brought upon the two. A failed confession that she wished it never happened in the first place. Yuki’s smile dropped as Mayu leaned into the older girl, her face resting against her chest.
“Anyway, I’ve earned my delinquency starting today,” she mumbled. “Had to beat up some boys that were in the locker room.” Mayu shakily breathed, her hands gripping ahold of Yuki’s arms. “I’ve heard of the rumors, but I didn’t think some of the boys would actually try to rape you.”
“Mayu…”
Yuki slowly embraced her friend, feeling Mayu tremble. “I’ve never felt so mad in my entire life. I’m angry at the way people treated you in this school, but this?” she snarled. “There will be Hell to pay.”
Compared to Mayu, Yuki… felt a sense of peace. If she was going to be honest, she had already accepted her fate as the bottom of this school. The students had already treated her poorly, so this was to be expected. However, for Mayu… her Mayuyu… she was always against the mistreatment everyone brought upon to Yuki.
The older student tightened her hold, saying nothing as Mayu continued, “I gave them a beating of their lifetime. I made sure that they wouldn’t touch you nor any other girl ever again.”
“You didn’t have to go that far. Why not tell the teachers?”
“And have them pounce on you on your way home? No way.”
“I… I see…” Yuki softly sighed. “Thank you… for helping me.”
But there was one question she wanted to ask.
“Mayu, is there… um… about my confession…”
“Oh, that?” Mayu parted from their hug, though still in Yuki’s embrace. She glanced up at the older girl, frowning. “Sorry, I actually wanted to tell you the truth of how I felt once I was done with the boys.”
“…why not there?”
“Yukirin, I didn’t want there to be another rumor that you’re a lesbian in this school, let alone with me.” Mayu thinly smiled. “Our school isn’t exactly comfortable with people entering into same-sex relationships, don’t you think?”
To dispel the heavy atmosphere, Mayu leaned up to gently kiss Yuki. Yuki’s eyes went wide as Mayu chuckled.
“But we can do this outside of school’s ground… away from everyone’s sight.”
“So, that means…”
“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Mayu stared at her with a deadpan expression. She held Yuki’s head, pulling her in for another kiss despite her injuries. Their cheeks flushed as Mayu replied, “I love you, Yuki. I love you so… so very much.”
Topic: LoyalFlutist's OS Haven - Trapped [Mayuki] (08/08/21) (Read 117855 times)