Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Call Me Onii-chan... Call Me Your Koibito ❯ Where Do I Go From Here? ( Chapter 1 )

Jou pulled back from the memories and sighed. How was it that he, the tough guy, could be so vulnerable? She'd stolen his heart, just like that. But he had refused to accept it. No, no, no. She was his imouto-chan, his little sister, the same way Shizuka was. She would never think of him as anything more, ever…

But now, ten years later, he was still in denial. He'd known it, hadn't he? From the first time she'd hopped over asking to see his drawing, when he was shunned by everyone else in class. By the way her smile made the sun peek out from behind the clouds. By the tenderness she showed whenever she helped him bandage his injuries. By the way she talked whenever she was excited about something, eyes bright and energy shooting off in all directions. The gentle touch of her fingertips on his cheek or shoulder, whenever she teased him about something. Her voice on the phone, reassuring him that everything was okay. All the little unconscious things he never noticed until she was gone and he missed them.

That was how he'd ended up with Mai, a pretty but rather airheaded blonde. He thought of the mornings he woke up next to her in bed at her luxurious penthouse, having absolutely no idea of what happened the night before. He never remembered sharing one single precious moment with her. She seemed all too shallow to remember that money and glitz wasn't everything. Jou knew it wasn't. He'd grown up on the street.

He'd shoved Nakomi away. Desperately, to try and stop from falling in love with her, he'd told her rather roughly that it was time they stopped being kids and grew up. It was time to make new friends, to stop calling each other stupid pet names, to each have their own life. He would never forget the way her eyes grew bigger with his every word, slowly filling up with tears that ran silver rivers down her cheeks. He'd almost stopped and told her the truth. He couldn't bear to see her cry, and felt like the worst bastard in the world to be the one making her cry. But he had to do it. For the sake of his heart, selfish as it sounded. She'd reached out one trembling hand to touch his cheek, and whispered, "Onii-chan…"

He had fled, running away down the hall, leaving his heart in shattered pieces behind him. Not onii-chan, not onii-chan, not onii-chan… he didn't want to hear that word again, ever…

Jou checked his watch and was surprised to find a few drops of bitter tears on it. Hastily wiping it on his shirt and rubbing his eyes furiously with his sleeve, he looked back at the restaurant. It was getting late, and over two hours had passed. She should have left by now. Had she left when he was off thinking about their past?

He sauntered casually across the street and walked quickly by the window, making a thorough check of the occupants as he did so. No Nakomi. He cursed himself for not watching her more closely, and jamming his hands back into his pockets again, started off in the direction of Mai's house.