• CHAPTER 154 - WRONG IMPRESSION

    I've been hurt...physically hurt...but...it couldn't have been from abuse...

    As soon as Matsuda had seen me run out of the house, chasing after Kai, he soon followed me. I stood at the fountain of the driveway and watched as Kai's car rode off in the distance and I kept my eyes glued until the taillights disappeared out of sight. Was Kai coming back? Why was he running off? What came over him to suddenly want to suffocate me?

    Matsuda's hand gripped my shoulder and turned me around, "Arisa, what happened? Where is Kai going?"

    I stared at Matsuda for a moment before the tears started billowing down my cheeks, "I-I don't know..."

    "What happened?" he interrogated again firmly.

    "I..." I clasped my hands around my throat, which was throbbing in pain. "He-he started to suffocate me."

    "Let me see," Matsuda removed my hands from my neck and he cupped my neck, observing it closely. "It's bruising already."

    I started sobbing, "I don't know what's wrong with him. H-he was choking me and his eyes...they were such an evil red, as though he were possessed. He snapped out of his senses and just ran off."

    Matsuda paused for a long moment. He rested one hand on my back and started leading me to the house, "Kai will return eventually. Go dress yourself in a turtleneck. Don't speak of what happened."

    "It-it's hard not to when I'm crying," I wiped a tear off. I was so scared; I didn't know what was going on with Kai.

    "Take as long as you need to," Matsuda granted. "We'll keep Chi entertained; don't worry, you're in shock right now so you don't know what to do."

    Instead of responding verbally, I merely nodded and made my way into the house. Once I entered the living room, Chi tried to start up a conversation with me but I merely ignored her and power walked upstairs. Matsuda distracted Chi by starting up his own conversation and led her away from the staircase as I entered Kai's bedroom. I pressed my back against the door and slid down it, sitting on my bottom. My throat was throbbing and tender to the touch; Kai could very well have killed me if he'd have kept his hands on my throat any longer. I knew how he managed to snap back into his senses, but what was it that made him lose control of himself?

    I pushed aside different possibilities and changed my shirt into a turtleneck. I wanted Kai to return soon; every second of his absence that went by worried me further. Even though Matsuda said he would return eventually, I was convinced he wouldn't. Considering what he did to me, I wouldn't imagine he would want to return for days or maybe even weeks. Never was continuously ricocheting through my head.

    Wiping off the remainders of my tears, I left the bedroom and slowly made my way downstairs. Chi was chirping happily with Matsuda and Orihime, obviously warmed up to them. Kira probably ended up too exhausted to stay up any longer. Once the audience downstairs spotted me, I donned a smile and sat on one of the chairs near the couches.

    "What have I missed?" I asked, trying my best to smile. Only Matsuda knew what exactly had happened.

    "I've just been telling them about myself," Chi smiled back, completely unaware. "I told them about the orphanage and what I remember of my mom."

    "Chi is a very sweet girl," Orihime smiled. "It's hard to believe she's never been adopted."

    "I'd rather not," she shrugged. "I'm almost eighteen and I'll be out as soon as I can."

    "You're invited here anytime," Orihime allowed. "Kira needs more friends."

    Chi smiled and blushed a little, "He's nice,"

    "He's kind of a pervert," I almost whispered with a small smile, trying to cheer myself up. "But that doesn't mean he'll be all over you. He just likes to make perverted jokes."

    Chi stared at me, "What's wrong?"

    I shook my head, "I'm just tired," I looked over at Matsuda and he never nodded for approval of allowing me to tell Chi what really happened. I didn't want Chi to know. I didn't ever want her to know. She found out about the contract not to long ago; I couldn't let her think what Kai did was part of the contract. Was it?

    "Where did Kai go?" Chi asked.

    I looked down, "Errands," but I honestly didn't know if he was coming back.

    "Arisa, come assist me in making dessert," Matsuda proposed. "Allow Chi and Orihime to converse some more."

    I followed Matsuda into the kitchen without another word and we tied our aprons onto ourselves. It was silent while we brought out the supplies for red velvet cake made from scratch. I ventured into the back yard to pick some strawberries and came back in to see Matsuda already making the cake. He wasn't even looking at instructions; he knew it all by heart.

    "You can start making the frosting if you desire to," Matsuda smiled at me.

    I nodded and pulled the ingredients over to me to make homemade cream cheese frosting. There was a long pause before I spoke up, "What if what Kai did was part of the contract?"

    Matsuda ceased what he was doing and paused, "You assume the contract is starting to take effect?"

    I shrugged, "Not necessarily, but I want to know why Kai did what he did,"

    Matsuda shrugged as well, "I have not a clue. You'll have to ask him."

    My heart dropped down to my feet; one of the worst things I could ever do to Kai would be to ask if the contract was being activated. His heart would break in two; I couldn't ask him such a thing. I'd rather learn about the contract's effects the hard way rather than have him tell me. Maybe I was in denial about everything.

    "Hey Matsuda?" I mumbled, looking over at him. "May I take a nap? I'm exhausted."

    Matsuda nodded, "Yes, you may,"

    I dropped the supplies and removed my apron, hanging it up. I advanced into the living room where Chi and Orihime were still conversing and I lounged on the couch parallel to them. They were about to ask me something but I merely sighed loudly to show I wasn't necessarily in the mood. My eyes drifted shut and I forced myself to sleep, trying to push the paranoia out of my head and still keep my bruises from being visible.

    My head was still spinning...either that or I was still dizzy from the lack of oxygen that transferred when Kai was choking me. He had never hurt me so much in so long; the last time he ever hurt me so badly was when he first attacked me. He promised he never would again.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    I could feel a pressure against my right shoulder that ended up shaking me lightly. I figured Matsuda was trying to wake me so I would sleep in a bed so I shrugged him off. After another second, my shoulder was shaken again and I covered my head with the blanket that was conviniently placed over me while I slept. The same hand slowly removed the blanket from my head and something pressed against my forehead...something wet and cold.

    My eyes cracked open to see somebody's face incredibly close to mine; their lips were on my forehead. I took a moment to adjust my blurry vision and noticed Kai's familiar clothing. He was back? I sat up, gripping onto his sleeve, "Kai...?"

    "Hey," he whispered apathetically. "Did I wake you?"

    Had the atmosphere not been so serious, I'd have reacted sarcastically, "Yeah, you did,"

    "I'm sorry," he smiled weakly.

    I paused for a moment to double-check that it was really Kai standing in front of me. I glanced around the room to be sure nobody else was around and I embraced Kai around his torso while I was still sitting, "I thought you weren't coming back..."

    "I had to," Kai rubbed my back.

    I held Kai a little closer but ended up flinching and wincing at the pain that reached my throat. Kai lowered himself onto his knees and kissed the palm of my right hand. He reached his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him as I was still seated on the couch. I hunched over so I could wrap my arms around Kai's neck and I pressed my lips against his right ear.

    "I thought you weren't coming back," I repeated myself. Was I really holding Kai?

    "I'm sorry," he mumbled and gripped my shirt. "I'm sorry for what I did..."

    "It's okay," I smiled weakly, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. "You got carried away."

    Kai shook his head and locked his jaw, "It's not okay, not in the least degree. Had I kept my hands at your throat any longer, I'd have choked you to death or even snapped your neck in half."

    "Where did you run off to?"

    There was a pause and Kai pulled back, looking down at the floor, "I went to confront Hisao,"

    I pursed my lips together, "What for?"

    "I needed to ask him something," Kai looked away.

    My hands were trembling and I locked them together to keep them from shaking off. My heart was throbbing erratically and my stomach was churning. I was fearing the worst but hoping for the best. Whatever Kai was about to tell me, it would be good news...wouldn't it?

    Kai cupped my face and kissed me gently before speaking again, "Arisa, they have officially activated the contract..."