Chapter Fifteen- Choosing Sides

Chapter Fifteen in the "Hina's Tears" series

Chapter Fifteen

Choosing Sides

Saturday morning, Angel lay on her bed and looked up at the ceiling.  

Well, it wasn’t a dream.  Did Ryo confess his feelings to me last night?  What am I going to do?  Who can I talk to about everything?  

She sat up quickly as someone popped into her head.  

Why didn’t I think of her before?  I’ll talk to Skyler!

She reached over and grabbed her phone from her nightstand.  After searching through her contacts, she pressed Skyler’s number and waited.  It rang three times before Skyler picked up.

“Hello?”  

“Hi Skyler, its Angel.”  

“Oh hi.  What’s up?”  

“Can we hang out today?  Just us?”  

“Oh sure.  Bryan had plans anyways.  Where do you want to meet up?”

“Um, let’s meet up at the small café on Founder Street.  Do you know where that is?”  

“Yep.  When do you want to meet?”  

“Give me like thirty minutes.  Is that okay?”  

“Sure.  I’ll see you then.”

“Okay, bye.”   

Angel hung up and looked at her phone.  On it was the small bunny charm.  Angel gave a small smile and sighed.

I liked it when things were simple.  I want that back.  

She got out of bed and got dressed.  After brushing her hair and teeth, she went downstairs and saw her mom sitting at the dining room table and reading.  

“Good morning, are you heading out again?”  she asked as Angel came into the room.  

“Yep, I’m going to go have brunch with a friend of mine.  I won’t be out late tonight.”  Angel slipped on her shoes and stopped in mid step.  “Oh mom, would it be alright if I went on a summer vacation with my friends?  We want to go inland to a summer house.”  

Her mother thought about it and looked Angel over.  “What friends?”

“Skyler, Kai, Elizabeth, and Bryan.”  

“I only know Kai.”  She replied and rested her head on her hand.  “I will have to meet the others.”  

“Okay.”  Angel tried to keep from frowning and gulped.  

“Will there be any parents there?”  

“Yes.  I’ll explain in more detail when I invite everyone over.”  

I don’t know what to say.  Oh man, I hope mom likes the others.  

“Alright, let’s say tonight.  We can have dinner.  It’s been awhile since you’ve been home for dinner anyways.”  She smiled and went back to her book.  

“Alright.”  Angel took a deep breath and left the house.  

What am I going to do?  There’s no way Kai will be able to be there!

Angel walked to the café and saw Skyler sitting down at a table outside.  Angel walked over and sat down across from her.  

“Hey, so what’s up?”  Skyler asked when Angel sat down.

“So much.  I needed someone to talk to about everything.  If that’s alright with you?”  Angel asked as the waiter came over.  

“Can I get you anything?”  he asked.

“A tea please.”  Angel replied.  The waiter left and Skyler sipped on her water.

“So?”  

Angel blinked and sighed.  “Let me start from the beginning.  I came to Anicon only seven months ago and have never had a friendship, relationship, or anything intense because I was homeschooled far away.  The first friend I made was Ryo.  He saved me from some boys that tried to attack me.  He’s really quiet but very sweet.  Then, I met my friend Anna.  She’s very active and amazing.  Afterwards, I met Kai and eventually became friends.”

“Alright, so you have Ryo, Anna, and Kai as your first friends. Please, go on.”  

“Well, at the spring festival months later, Anna confessed to Kai.  I accidently saw it and my power kind of blew up.”  Angel frowned when she thought about it.

“Blew up?”  Skyler laughed and tilted her head.  

“I literally caused that explosion.  Ryo saved me from it and kept me out of trouble.  He thought it was from a kerosene container.  Anyways, Kai made me talk to him that night and told me everything about who I was and about the war.”

“Wait, why did your power explode when you saw them?”  Skyler asked.

“I don’t know.  Apparently, my emotions control my powers right now.  I don’t know if I was afraid that it would ruin what we all four had, or if I was jealous.”  Angel felt her cheeks get warm.   “Well to be honest, Bryan and I thought you two were a couple until you bluntly denied it.”  

“Right, he’s dating my friend Anna.  Although, he said that he liked someone else, but she denied his feelings.”  Angel paused as the waiter returned with the drink.

“Is there anything else I can get you ladies?”  he asked.  

“No, thank you.”  Skyler replied and Angel shook her head.  He left, and Angel sighed again.  “Alright, go on.”

“Alright, that night I also had my first demon fight, and you guys showed up.  After that, everything about my life completely went hectic.”  Angel sipped her tea and swallowed.  

“I can imagine.  I grew up knowing everything about my powers and this war.  You were thrown into it.”  Skyler smiled.  “At least, you’re not alone in all of this.”

Angel smiled and nodded.  “I know.  I keep reminding myself that every day.  So then the whole demon capturing me thing happened.  Which, by the way, was very strange because he said he didn’t want to hurt me and that I had to follow my heart to get out of the spell.  It was like he had no choice but to do it to me.”  

“That’s strange.  I’ve never met a good demon before.  Maybe, you have met him in his human form and made a good impression on him.”

“You think that might be the case?”  Angel widened her eyes.  

“Sure, why else would a demon working for Akuma want to protect you?”

“Good point.  Alright, Kai got hurt because of me.  I know the demon made me do it, but I can’t stop feeling bad about it.  The first night when Kai woke up, something happened.”

“So now we get into the juicy stuff.”  Skyler giggled and waited.

Angel frowned and took another sip.  “Well here’s where I’m an awful person.”

“Oh, I hardly doubt you can be awful.  It’s just not in you.”  Skyler stated and took another sip.

“I don’t know.  Kai didn’t want me to leave so I stayed behind and sat down next to him.  He said that I was wrong about what I said.”  

“When you said bluntly that you were useless and weak, and he could never fall for you or something like that?”  Skyler asked and Angel nodded.  “I don’t believe you are useless and weak either for the record.  If you were, Bryan wouldn’t be training you.”  

Angel smiled.  “Thank you.”

“Alright, so Kai said you were wrong.  What exactly did he say?”  Skyler leaned forward and waited.

“He said that I was not useless and weak, and he said that he already feels that way.  I don’t know if he was referring to what I had said, or if his injuries making him so delusional and confused?  I just don’t know.”  Angel sighed and took a big gulp.  

“Well it’s obvious what he was saying, Angel.  Did you ever say that you weren’t interested in anyone to him?”  

Angel thought about then sat straight up.  “I did!  At the festival, Anna asked if there was anyone I was interested in.  I told her there wasn’t, and Kai and Ryo were sitting with us!”

Skyler laughed and shook her head.  “You really are innocent.  Kai took that as you didn’t like him, but, on that night, he didn’t care anymore.  Angel, Kai confessed to you his feelings.  You are the girl that denied his feelings, but the important thing is what you told him when he said that”

“I didn’t.  He fell asleep immediately after telling me.”  Angel frowned and looked at her half empty drink.   

“So that’s all that happened?”  

“Well no.”  Angel looked up at Skyler and felt her cheeks get even warmer.  

“This shall be interesting, go on.”  Skyler sipped her drink and motioned for Angel to continue.

“This is why I’m awful.  I thought about how someone can know they like someone.  I remembered Kai and Anna kissing and thought that if I kissed Kai while he was asleep then I would know if I liked him or not.”  Angel gulped and bit her lip.  “When I went to lean forward to do it, I thought about Anna and stopped inches from his face.  I had my eyes closed and when I opened them, he was staring at me through half opened eyes.  I’m not even sure if he was fully awake, but I tried to jerk back.  Then, he grabbed me and kissed me!”  Angel groaned and put her head on the table.    

“I don’t see how you can be confused about how he feels anymore.”  Skyler stated and reached over to pat Angel’s head.  “I think it’s wonderful that someone feels so strongly about you.”  

“That’s not all.  He fell back asleep afterwards!  I don’t know if he meant to do it or not, or even if he remembers it!”  Angel replied sitting back up.  “On top of all of this, Ryo hasn’t been showing up at school so I was extremely worried about him.  When Kai kissed me, I thought about Anna and Ryo.”

“Alright, did anything else happen?”  Skyler finished her drink and leaned back.  

Angel nodded and took a deep breath.  “Friday afternoon after my training with Bryan, I got off the train and Ryo was standing there waiting for me.”  

“Oh, he better have a good excuse for running off and making you worry.”  Skyler stated.

“I didn’t wait.  I was so full of emotions.  I started to cry, ran up to him, and wrapped my arms around him.  I didn’t want to be away from him again.  We started walking to my house, when I asked him why he was waiting for me.  He said I was the only one he wanted to see when he returned.  I asked why.  He said that I was the only one he wanted, and I was the only one he had.”  Angel leaned towards Skyler with her eyebrows raised and eyes wide.  

“That doesn’t mean that he likes…”  

“There’s more!  He asked if that was okay with me, took a step forward and touched my cheek.  I started to nod but thought about Kai.  I pushed him away and ran home!  I’m the worst!”  She groaned again, sat back, and put her head back on the table.  

“Oh, Angel.  What have you gotten yourself into?”  Skyler chuckled and grabbed Angel’s hand.  “So, here’s your main problem.  You have two boys that have, for the most part, confessed their feelings for you.  One of them is a fragment and knows about you, and the other is a normal boy that knows nothing.  However, Kai is with your friend Anna.  You don’t want to hurt her or ruin the friendship.  Ryo can’t know about what is going on, or he could get seriously hurt.  I imagine both situations have gone through your head, but you know what?”

Angel shook her head on the table without looking up.  

“Neither situation matters.”  Angel slowly lifted her head and looked at Skyler.  

“How?”

“The only thing that matters is who you like.  That is the only way you will be happy.  Don’t make a decision based on the situation.  Listen to your heart and go for the one that matters the most.  If you absolutely can’t decide, than don’t choose either.”  Skyler sighed and put her hand up for the waiter.  He came over and gave Angel the check.  “Water is free.”  She smiled as Angel slowly gave the waiter the money.  He left after a moment.  “Now, close your eyes and stop thinking with your head.  Think with your heart.”

Angel blinked and closed her eyes.  

Don’t think about the situations.  Who do I like?  

Kai and Ryo appeared in her head.  

Kai is friendly, and funny.  He’s a great leader and friend.  However, Ryo has been by my side through everything.  He has taken care of me many times and waited for me.  In fact, through all of this, when I’m with Ryo I’m happy.  I forget about all the worries with the war and smile.  With Kai, I’m constantly thinking about fighting and demons.  I would be happy with a normal life!  I get it now!  I will protect him as he has done for me!  I will be strong enough to do that!

Angel snapped open her eyes and felt tears fill them.  

“I guess you figured it out.”  Skyler smiled and stood up.  

“Yes, thank you.  Oh, can we get everyone together at Kai’s room now?  I have to talk about something.”  Angel smiled and wiped her eyes.  

I want to go straight to him, but I don’t know where he lives.  I will have to take care of this matter first before running to him.  

“Sure, I’ll call up Bryan and see where he’s at.”  Skyler flipped her phone open and dialed his number.  After a moment, he answered.  She told him to meet up with her at the room.  A brief moment later, she hung up.  “Alright, let’s get over there.  Though, I don’t know how to get a hold of Liz.”  

“I’m sure we will run into her.  Let’s go.”  Angel stood up, and they started walking towards the inn.

When they got there, Angel stopped at the door and took a deep breath.  

“Don’t worry.  Just because you didn’t choose him doesn’t mean you can’t still be friends.  Just be you, it’ll be fine.”  Skyler said as she knocked on the door.  Liz opened the door with Bryan leaning against the wall behind her.  

“I ran into Bryan on the street.  What’s the rush?”  she asked as Skyler and Angel walked in.  After shutting the door, Angel took another breath and looked over at Kai.  

“My mother won’t approve me leaving without meeting everyone.”  Angel stated firmly.  

“That’s it?”  Bryan asked with a frown.  

“No, she wants to meet everyone tonight.  She asked if there would be parents there.  I didn’t answer her.”  Angel said with her cheeks warm.  Kai watched her silently before smiling.  

“Well, I’ve been ready to get out of this room anyways.”  He stood up and stretched.  “I can walk now.  Tried it out yesterday.  It’s still a bit sore, but I’ll manage.”

“I guess we don’t have any choice.”  Bryan mumbled after Skyler gave him a glare.  

“Of course we’ll go.”  Skyler smiled.

“Alright, then my security can pretend to be the parent.  We can say we are going to my villa on the inland.”  Liz said as she got up and went to the door.  “I’ll be right back.”  She left.  

“Thank you so much.”  Angel replied and smiled.  Kai tilted his head at her without saying a word.  

I’m sorry, Kai, but I would be happier with Ryo.  I hope we’ll still be friends when you find out.

“So it’s tonight?”  Bryan asked.  “Where?”  

“Oh, I can just take everyone there.”  Angel said and sat in the chair.  

Elizabeth returned and smiled.  “My security, Jason, will pretend to be my dad.”  

“Does he know about us?”  Skyler asked.  

“Oh yes.  Jason is a lesser.  He was appointed my security by Ender because he is the best at fire power.  Well as good as one can be when not a fragment.”  She stated and put her hands on her hips.  

I think I like her better.  Angel thought while looking at Liz.  

As the afternoon came, everyone walked towards Angel’s house and talked about various things.  Jason followed closely behind Liz in silence.  When they arrived, Angel’s mom was waiting at the front door with a smile.  

“Oh welcome!”  she said as she walked down the steps to meet them.  “I’m Angel’s mom.”

Immediately, Jason put on a smile and walked forward.  

“Good afternoon, I’m Elizabeth’s dad.  I wanted to meet you and inform you about the summer vacation the kids wanted to have at our summer villa on the inland.”  He smiled and Angel’s mother blushed heavily.  

“Oh, we can talk about that inside.”  She giggled and walked back inside with everyone following.  “Dinner will be ready shortly.”  

“May I help you set things up?”  Jason asked as he followed Angel’s mother into the kitchen.  

“He’s very good.”  Skyler whispered to Liz.  

Angel nodded and took everyone to the living room.  

A few moments of silence, Angel’s mother came back into the room with a smile.  Jason followed behind.

“So Mr.  Klein explained the detail, but I still want to meet everyone.”  She stated with her hands on her hips.  

Angel swallowed hard and was about to start introducing when Liz stood up and announced herself by shaking Angel’s mother’s hand.  

“My name is Elizabeth, but you may call me Liz.  Angel has become a close friend of mine so I really hope that you allow her to come to the villa.  Also, thank you for inviting us to dinner.”  She released the hand and smiled.

“My, you are polite.  You’re welcome.”  She smiled and looked over at Skyler and Bryan.

“I’m Skyler, and this is Bryan.  We go to school with Angel.”  It was simple and short, but worked well as Angel’s mother nodded and let her eyes meet Kai’s.  

“Well you already know me.”  He smiled and caused her to laugh.  

“Alright, enough with the introductions, let’s eat.”  They went to the table and sat down.  Dinner was hamburgers with sides.  After dinner, Bryan and Skyler excused themselves and, after thanking Angel’s mother for dinner, said goodbye and left.  

Jason helped with cleaning up the table then looked at his watch.  

“I think it’s about time to go home.  Elizabeth, are you ready?”  he asked as she nodded and said thank you for the dinner.  They left leaving Kai and Angel alone in the living room with Angel’s mother in the kitchen.  

Angel left the room quickly and went into the kitchen.  

Please be a yes.    

Her mother faced her and smiled.  

“Well you are growing up.  I suppose you can go, but I want you to call me once a week to let me know you are alright.  I mean it.”  She stated firmly.

“Oh thank you so much!”  Angel exclaimed and hugged her mother.  “You’re the best!”  

“Uh huh, now go entertain your last guest.”  She winked and turned her back to continue with what she had been doing.

Angel nodded and ran into the other room.  Kai blinked at her and tilted his head.  She nodded, and he smiled.

“I’m glad.  Shall we go outside to talk?”  he asked.  She nodded slowly, and her smiled started to fade.  

“Mom, I’m stepping outside for a bit.”  Angel called as she followed Kai out of the house.  

Once the door shut, Kai frowned and looked at her.

“Why have you been avoiding me?”  he asked bluntly.

“I haven’t been…”  Kai cut her off.  

“You’ve barely looked at me since I woke up.  You won’t sit next to me, you won’t talk to me, and you don’t want to be alone with me.  Why?”  he crossed his arms and stared at her.  

What am I supposed to say?  He clearly doesn’t remember!  I should just tell him the truth or part of the truth.    

“Kai, the night you woke up and everyone left, I stayed behind because you asked me too.  When you fell asleep, I leaned over you to get something, and you startled me because I wasn’t expecting you to be awake, or half awake.  Then, I jumped back and you…”  she felt her cheeks heat up and looked away.

“Don’t lie to me, Angel.”  Kai stated suddenly.  He took a deep breath and glared at her.  She took a step back and frowned.  “I know what happened.  You wanted to kiss me, but freaked out when I caught you.  So, I gave you what you wanted.  What I want to know is why you won’t look at me after that?  You wanted it.”

“I…”  Angel swallowed and looked up at him slowly.  “I’m sorry.  I was confused about something.”  

“Angel be honest with me.”  Kai let his arms drop and took a step forward.  

“Alright.”  Angel took a deep breath and thought about what Skyler said.  “I was confused about my feelings.  I thought that if I kissed you then I would know how I felt.”  She closed her eyes and thought about Ryo.  When she reopened them, Kai had moved close enough to that she could smell his body wash.  

“And?”  he asked in a low husky tone.  

“I learned that I was mistaken.  You’ll be happy with Anna.  I don’t want to ruin that.”  Angel replied.  Kai’s body tensed up.

“Is that the only reason you won’t be with me?”  he asked.  His voice now in a low tense tone.   “Well, no.”  Angel replied while returning his glare and her voice getting stronger.  “I have feelings for someone else.  I want to be with him and plan to tell him tomorrow.”

Kai’s eyes narrowed as he backed up.  “It’s Ryo, isn’t it?”  Angel nodded and waited for his reaction.  “You chose to be with someone who could never protect you from this war?  I’ve been with you from the beginning!  I freed you from a dangerous situation!  I risked my life for you!  He won’t be able to do anything for you!”

“That’s exactly why I want to be with him.  He’s normal.  He makes me happy and laugh.  I finally saw him last night, and the first thing I did was run into his arms!”  Angel shouted.  

“Normal?  When will you learn that your life cannot be normal?  What do I have to do to show you that I can and will always protect you and care for you?”  his voice broke and he quickly looked away.  

“Kai, please, I still want to be friends.  You have a wonderful girl who cares about you so much.”  Angel calmed down and felt her throat dry as she tried to talk.  “We have to work together to protect this world.  That hasn’t changed.  Please, don’t let this come between us and hurt our cause.”  

“No, it won’t.”  Kai didn’t look at her as he spoke.  “I learned long ago that this war comes first.  I hope you understand that it has to be that way.  I thought I lost you the first time, but you came back to me.  Now, I’ve lost you again.  Regardless, I will wait for you.  I won’t hurt Anna, but I will be waiting for the moment you realize that I have been here and in love with you from the very beginning.”  He started walking away.  Angel reached forward and grabbed his shirt.  When he turned, tears fell from his eyes.  He looked forward and walked.  His shirt slipped from her fingers.  She felt tears running down her face.  Kai walked down the street without looking back.  Angel dropped her arm and tried to wipe the tears away.  

Why does it have to hurt so much?

She sniffled and went back inside.  Immediately, she started going up the stairs when her mother called to her.

“Angel, is everything alright?  I heard shouting.”  

“Yes mother, we were shouting about how fun this trip will be.  Sorry for being so loud.”  Angel rushed upstairs and to the bathroom.  

Well that’s that.  I’ll tell Ryo my feelings tomorrow.  I hope Kai will still be my friend.  I know he said he would, but I need to see it happen.  Still, why can’t I stop crying?

She turned on the water, undressed, and stepped into the shower.  The sound of the water covered the sobbing that echoed the small room while the hot water did little to sooth Angel as she fell to her knees and covered her face while knowing her life was about to change once again.