[English] ~𝒟𝒶𝓇ℯ 𝓉ℴ 𝒟𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂~ Kenma x OC

Chapter 38: Good times follow bad times

I wasn't aware about what happened the next few hours. Everything around me seemed muffled and unreal. 

What I did notice clearly, however, were Kenma's gentle touches. Again and again, he would put his hand on my waist or back or take my hand to make sure I was okay and guide me into the right direction. It wasn't until dinner that my mind cleared up again. 

We had sat down in a really cute restaurant to celebrate our victory. I even managed to concentrate on the table conversations and make a comment now and then. After we were all well fed, we made our way back to the hotel. My aunt and uncle wanted to see a show on Broadway with Osamu and Atsumu, which meant that Kuroo-san, Kenma and I were left alone in the hotel.

"Want to go to the pool?" Kenma asked me. 

I thought for a moment, nodded and answered: "Sure." The cool water would do me good. My gaze fell on Kuroo-san and I hesitated. "Can we meet downstairs in twenty minutes? I'd like to do something first," I asked Kenma.

 He gave me a little kiss on the tip of my nose. "Sure. I wanted to go live on YouTube for a bit anyway. My followers are worried because I hardly get in touch with them." 

I had to grin. His inner streamer and YouTuber came through which was incredibly cute. 

Nevertheless, he was down to earth and extremly relaxed about his fame. Online he was KenKen, the popular YouTuber, offline he was just Kenma. I admired that about him. He managed to separate his two worlds brilliantly. When he was offline, I didn't have to share him with anyone and his full attention was mostly on me, at least when we were alone. 

I waved at him as he headed for the elevators, then gathered my courage and walked up to Kuroo-san. I had waited far too long to do this. 

"Kuroo-san? Can we talk?" I asked him. 

He was silent for two seconds, then sighed softly. "We should."

------

We sat down in the hotel lounge. I nervously played with my skirt. I honestly didn't know how or where to start. So I started with what had been on my mind for such a long time. 

"I want to apologize to you." 

I could see confusion in Kuroo-san's eyes. "You want to apologize? For what?" he asked me. 

Wasn't it obvious? "For everything! For my shitty family, for Hikaru, for my blindness because I didn't notice how bad you were affected as well..." The words bubbled out of me like a waterfall. 

He listened to me in silence. For a few seconds there was an oppressive silence between us. Then he cleared his throat. 

"You don't have to apologize, Izumi. You don't have to apologize to me on her behalf. Everything that happened is not your fault." 

He continued. "Do you know how grateful I am to you? Without you, I would never have realized that Hikaru is an abuser and that it wasn't my fault she behaved like this. I always thought that her behavior towards me was completely normal. And then I saw how you treated Kenma. Only then did I understand that Hikaru's relationship with me was not normal. Without you, I would still be trapped in this relationship. I wouldn't have dared to fight for my freedom. And for that, I have to thank you, you and Kenma."

As he spoke, tears welled up in my eyes. 

"We can't choose the families we are born into. But you can choose who you want to spend your life with. You are not like them and you can choose what you do with your life. Don't let them destroy you," he said to me. 

Kuroo-san didn't hate me. No, instead he even comforted me. And yet he had suffered the most. 

"I still feel bad." 

He immediately silenced me. "You have nothing to do with it, Izumi. We are in the same boat. We both suffered from the situation." He was right. We both had bad experiences. He smiled slightly and then said, "You are definitely better than your sister. I hope we can become good friends."

------

I leisurely floated in the blue water of the pool. I had actually made it to the pool before Kenma. After talking to Kuroo-san, I felt a lot lighter. Humming, I glided through the empty pool at ease. It was already late, which meant that I could enjoy the warm water completely by myself. I enjoyed the peace and quiet. It felt absolutely refreshing.

The day after tomorrow we would fly back to Japan and the day after that I had to go back to school and therefore to volleyball training. We would soon be taking part in a tournament to qualify for the spring tournament, for which we still had to improve our tactics. And I had promised Rose that I would spend the next day with her. We wanted to visit some places where we had spent time together just a few months ago. I was looking forward to having my best friend all to myself again.

The glass door opened and Kenma appeared in my field of vision. I smiled slightly and swam to the edge. 

"Have you spoken to Tetsuro?" he asked me. 

I nodded. "Yes. How do you know?" 

He smiled at me and sat down on the edge of the pool. "I know because Tetsuro smiled when he came back into the room earlier. I think he sensed that you were blaming yourself for his misfortune," he said. 

I looked up at him. "I'm glad I talked to him." 

He nodded in agreement, then slid into the water. A few drops hit me and I squeaked. 

"Are you afraid of water, kitten? Doesn't seem like it", he teased me. Slowly he moved towards me. 

I giggled and tried to avoid him which I only managed to do so for a minute, then he caught up to me. His warm body pressed against mine. 

"Watch out kitten, we're going on a dive," was the last thing I heard before he pulled me under the water.

We surfaced again, snorting. I pretended to pout. He laughed and pulled me back into his arms. 

"Don't be offended, kitten." I had to grin. He pressed a feather-light kiss on my lips. "We haven't spent much time together in the last few days," Kenma said. 

I nodded sadly. "The last few days have been really stressful. I missed being alone with you." 

A cheeky grin crept onto his face. Without warning, he pulled me into his embrace and lifted me onto the edge of the pool. I let out a startled sound. Kenma's hand grabbed my neck. He gently pulled me down to him before putting his lips on mine. 

He really was full of surprises. He seemed shy and embarrassed in front of other people, but when he was with me, he was not afraid to show his adult needs and behavior, and showered me in unconditional love. I closed my eyes and enjoyed this kiss. 

A few months ago, I wouldn't have believed that a kiss could trigger so many emotions inside of you. Well, if someone had told me a few weeks ago that I would one day kiss one of the most popular boys in Japan, I would have laughed at that person too. But now I was here. And I would never be able to live without his kisses again, that much was clear.