Dance Partners || N.NK ||

Part 62/S2

"That night...you mumbled something that I couldn't quite understand clearly... then you said my name with a shaky voice before falling in my arms—unconsciously" Ni-ki said, his voice still as low as it was in the beginning.

"I immediately admitted you to the nearest hospital, but you never healed..." his voice was now starting to get shakier by the moment.
"You stayed in a coma for months...every single day that passed without you near me felt like a year...".

"My manager kept complaining about my lack of effort in the idol industry—especially durning dance practices. Even the hate comments, the false rumours were already spreading at that time. But that was not what affected me...it was you, the state you were in." he explained, his head now hung low.

"A week or so later, I returned to Japan to see you in the hospital—once they said you might wake up soon. But you didn't." he muttered, his words coming out slow and soft as if afraid it would crush your heart to hear them.
"I stayed here, visiting you everyday, each day with a new hope that you would wake up. But you never actually did, it only felt like a dream I wished for within my reach. And just like that, I started isolating myself from everyone and everything...I didn't care about my schedules anymore, I didn't attend any photoshoots or interviews. It went like that for several months that the company had no choice but to make an announcement declaring me going on an hiatus"

You stayed quiet.
That was all the explanation you needed—to know why he was on a hiatus—because of you.
It was all because of you and your fate had interfered his.
But what could you do?
You were basically disabled to do anything at that time.
You laid unconscious in a hospital bed for months.
Your body was trying to heal in the meantime while it only hurt his—mentally.

"I'm sorry..." you spoke, the words that you've been waiting to say—finally rolled down your tongue.

He looked up, his eyes meeting yours before he could even process the words that slipped out of your mouth.

"what?" he simply asked, brows frowned.
"I'm sorry... for the mess I dragged you in and the trouble I caused" you sincerely apologised, eyes darting anywhere but his face.
You felt too guilty to look at him.

He stood up and crouched infornt of you, eyes unreadably soft.

"It's not your fault Yn... you might be the reason behind it," he spoke, his eyes meeting up at yours once again.
His hand held yours in a firm yet gentle grip—his thumb tracing lazy circles on the back of your palm.
"But that doesn't mean you are the one in fault."

You breath hitched.

"Don't apologise for something that you didn't start." he added.
"What do you mean I didn't start..?" you muttered, knowing clearly everything started because of you.
You had caused all the hassle to be created.

"You didn't. You didn't get kicked out the industry for nothing. You didn't isolate yourself from me for no reason. You didn't cause your group to shatter apart. You didn't start it. It was your parents...and everybody knows that." he spoke, but his voice became muffled the moment he mentioned about your group.
Your mind diverted as the word escaped his lips.
You no longer heard his voice after that, nor the rest of his sentence.

"J-Jia" you muttered the name with a trembling voice.

Ni-ki froze.

"Yn?" Ni-ki called.

But his voice stayed muffled in the back of your mind.

"UGHH STOP DOING IT WRONG PLEASE !!" you heard yourself shout in your mind at someone who was lowering her head, her hands intertwined together.
Then an image of you feeling guilty flickered in your mind. "I-I am sorry Jia !! I didn't mean to shout at you."
A moment of silence.
The silence was louder than ever, it felt like it would destroy you whole.
"It's okay , I should've done it correctly..." the girl mumbled, the faint image of her head still hung low playing in front of your eyes.
You felt yourself fall onto the floor, face buried in the palm of your hands, a few tears falling to dry immediately on your cheeks.
Even an average day in the old times felt like a trauma to you now.

"Yn?" you heard someone call, the soft voice slowly fading into a deeper manly one.
"Yn..what's wrong?" you heard him call you again, the voice of his finally snapping you back to reality.

He quietly held your wrists tight in his warm hands, understanding you needed some time, while yours covered your face and the silent tears quietly slipping down your eyes.

He stood up, his frame towering over you as he pulled you up by the arms—in a silent hug that felt almost too comfortable to be just a warm embrace.
"N-Ni-Ki" you tried calling him, but your voice cracked.
"It's okay. Everything's okay," he spoke, his voice gentle and steady, comforting you as he softly patted your back—like you were baby he was trying to lull to sleep.

He was worried, eyes filled with nothing but concern.

You immediately wrapped your arms around his torso, burying your head in his chest like he was the only source of energy left in you.
And...maybe he was.
He was the only one who brought a light into your life so warm, that it slowly healed all of your wounds without you knowing.
He was no longer the boy you used to hate back in high school.
But rather, a man you never thought you would ever need in your life.
He stood in your life like a tall pole that you could grip tightly onto in a swarm of a wind that could easily blow you off in seconds.
He was the only armour to your almost melted—broken heart.

And you were more than just grateful to have him, not just as another person in your life but as someone who stood strong to protect you from all the pain, from all the suffering, from everything that you could never really carry on your shoulder all alone by yourself.

He meant to you a lot more than he ever would to somebody else.
You felt empty without him around.
His presence was the only thing that could heal you when you were at your weakest point.
And you never realised that...until now.

Now you knew who you were.
You were nothing.
Nothing without him, nothing without his presence slowly healing you unnoticeably.
Nothing without the boy who you used to call by his birth name just to annoy him.
You were just an empty broken heart without him—the boy who brought a warmth of light just with his teasing smile.

He was the only person you learned to love.
Truly love.
He was your first lover, and you were more than just sure he would be your last.

"I love you...Ni-Ki."

~ THE END!!

I hope you enjoyed the story! I know there are some things that are unsolved and they unfortunately will remain unresolved, I hope you loved this story and I hope you are looking forward to the next Ni-ki story I will be writing!! See you in the next storyline—HAHA okay, just kiddin' I wouldn't leave y'all hanging!! Get ready for the next chapter because im more than happy to write stories more often with an broken leg that's healing durning the summer break that just started for me!! 😭