Author's Note: Second chapter's up! Please, read and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters portrayed in this story.
Chapter 2: Too conceited to admit defeat
Athena and Kensou have just finished their training.
"OK, I'll see you", murmured Kensou and headed quickly for the exit.
"Sie, wait!", called Athena. He stopped reluctantly.
"Yes?"
"Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Uhm… sure…"
"Is there something wrong? I've noticed you've been acting differently lately."
"…Nothing, really."
"Come on, Sie. I know you. I can see there is something. Are you still angry about that thing on your birthday?"
"No… I was never angry about that…"
"Well, I can see there's something wrong. Please, tell me. Is it something that I've done? Come on, I'm your friend, and whatever it is, I would like us to work it out."
Kensou just stood in front of her for a while. When he finally spoke up, he was stuttering:
"Yeah, well… you said that you're my friend. The thing is… I don't want us to be friends anymore…" He turned to walk away.
"Hey, hold it right there!", she shouted. He stopped, but he didn't turn around. "And I would appreciate if you would turn around. You should at least look at me when I'm talking to you", she said angrily. He turned to her slowly, but he didn't look at her, his eyes were fixed on the floor. "What's wrong, Sie?", she asked in a more gentle manner. "We've known each other for so long, I think I deserve an explanation."
Kensou remained silent for a moment. This time, when he started speaking, he wasn't stuttering. Words were pouring out of him as if he wanted to let it all out as soon as possible. "Listen, you know… you know the way I've been feeling about you all these years. I don't look at you as a friend and I could never be a true friend to you, because… because I will always want something more. And you let me know clearly that I could never have more than friendship. But our friendship… was never just that… at least for me it wasn't… and I… I…", he started stuttering again, but this time quickly. "I can't be your friend and… well, I've already said that… Damnit, I'm repeating myself. It's best for me to just distance myself from you… At least for a while, you know… Until I get over you… And it will probably not happen soon, maybe even never…", he ran out of breath, so he stopped talking briefly.
"Well, I knew you felt something like it, but I think you're being too extreme. I mean, we've been friends for so long, surely we can work something out? You were a great friend to me, and I would really hate to lose you."
"No, Athena, no… We can't work anything out. Don't you realize, as long as I'm around you, I'll never be able to move on. I need to move on with my life. Being around you is just not good for me. So, I think it would be best to keep our relationship strictly professional. We will be teammates and that's all."
"I never realized I was affecting you so badly. No matter what you say, I still consider you my friend, and I want what's best for you. If you need to get away from me for a while, I guess I can understand that. But I still think you're overreacting a bit…"
"No, I'm not. You probably haven't noticed that, but I've been neglecting every other aspect of my life besides training and spending time with you. I barely have any friends… I don't count Bao… I need to have my own life… Life not connected with you… I want to become a whole person. And I can never be that if I am defined by being your friend and teammate. I know that's how other people define me, at least. Hell, I've been defining myself that way sometimes. And it's about time I changed something about it. As much as I lov… khm, liked you, I can't be defined by you anymore. I should be independent, if you know what I mean. Now, I really have to go. I'll see you around, I guess…"
"Well, I really don't know what to say…"
"Actually, it's pretty simple. Loving someone who doesn't love you is not good for you, Athena. If you realize that that person will never change their mind, you should move on. If you don't, then you're just wasting your time. And I have already wasted too much." Kensou wasn't a bad person, but, like most of us, he had a mean streak. And that mean streak had awakened at that moment. "And so have you, Athena." For the first time during that conversation, he was looking Athena in the eyes.
"Beg your pardon?"
"You… with Kyo. You are also wasting your time with him. He will never look at you the way you look at him. Do you really wanna spend the rest of your life waiting for him?"
"What? No! I mean, yes… I mean… You have no right to talk like that! It's not like that between me and Kyo…"
"If you say so… I should really go now. Bye, Athena. I'll see you next week on our training." He left the room quickly before she could say anything to stop him.
Athena was just standing there, stunned into silence.
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Fifteen minutes later, Athena was walking down the street, fuming.
How dare he!, she thought, completely infuriated. How dare he tell me what should I do with my life! What the hell does he know about me and Kyo?! That bastard…
"Oh, my God, it's her!", screamed a voice.
"You're right! Hurry up, she'll get away! Athenaaa!", shrieked another voice.
The voices snapped her out of her thoughts. Oh, not again… The last thing she needed now was a couple of over-excited fans. Hey, remember… You must always have time for your fans. They're the ones who keep your career going., she reminded herself. With what seemed to her as an enormous amount of self-control and willpower, she managed to turn around, put a fake smile on her face and greet the fans.
"Oh, hello… Sure, I can give you an autograph… Yes, I'll sign that picture for your little sister, too… Oh, thank you, I'm so glad you liked that outfit… So, you like my music? …Oh, that's so sweet.", and so on and so forth, it took her about ten minutes to get rid of the two teenagers politely.
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When she finally arrived home, she just sprawled on her bed. After the encounter with her fans, she didn't feel angry anymore, she felt nothing. She was drained completely and there was a void inside her chest that kept spreading.
Is my life really a lie? The image of myself that I've had over all these years… that I tried to show to the world… is it really based on an illusion? Is this life worth living like this?
Oh, stop it!, she reprimanded herself mentally. Listen to yourself, you sound so cheesy. Of course it's worth it! You have a great life! Any girl (and more than a few boys) out there would trade places with you in a heartbeat! So what if you sometimes have to deal with a few boring fans! The advantages certainly exceed the disadvantages!
Really? Having my entire life arranged by managers, not having time for friends… Really, how many friends do I have? Kensou is not one of them any more… Bao, I guess… But, he's just a kid. How many girls who are my age, who I can call true friends? …None. My entire life is just singing and training, going on tours and fighting in KOF… Not to mention that I've never had a real boyfriend. Kyo? I don't know… Could Kensou be right?
OK, stop getting on my nerves and pull yourself together, NOW!, she switched to her angry mode again. Your life is fabulous, and Kyo loves you. He just hasn't realized it yet… You are ten zillion times prettier, smarter, more interesting and more popular than Yuki will ever be. When he sees that, he'll dump her and hook up with you for sure!
That's just wishful thinking. Come to think of it, he's never really done anything to show me that he likes me, he's always been pretty arrogant. Maybe I should forget about him and find a guy who really cares for me… Maybe I've been deceiving myself all along. Maybe I should face the facts and change something, like Kensou…
NO!, she screamed mentally. Kensou is a loser! There's no way I'll do the same thing he did! He's just a wimp, that's why he has given up on me! If he wanted me, he should have tried harder. Not that I would ever be with that loser, but still… And now he's jealous of what Kyo and I have and he wants to ruin it!
What exactly do you and Kyo hav…
Shut up! I am Athena Asamiya and I always get what I want! Kensou was right about one thing - I'm wasting my time! I should change something. But not give up like a total loser! Kyo will be mine… She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She quickly got up and went to her closet. She needed to put on something different. I'll show him… I'll show all of them who I am.
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Later that day, Kyo Kusanagi dialed a phone number. (Author's Note: words in italics represent the speech of the person on the other end.)
"Hello?"
"Hi, Yuki, it's me, Kyo."
"Oh, hi, honey, what's up?"
"Listen, you won't believe what just happened. I still can't believe it myself. Athena just came to my place and she was acting so weird, as if something had gotten into her. She had this blouse that I've never seen her wear before, and it revealed her cleavage… It was so bizarre, like she was trying to copy Mai Shiranui… And then she gave me this speech about how we were ment to be together, how she loves me… She said that she had always loved me and that I should dump you and be with her, and then she tried to kiss me. I was in total shock!"
"Oh, my God, that is so not like Athena. …I'm not even that angry, I'm more worried about her. What did you do?"
"Nothin' much. I pushed her away when she tried to kiss me and told her to get out of my house. I also told her that she's weird and that I want nothing to do with her. And then she went away."
"Jeez, Kyo, you didn't have to be so hard on her…"
"Well, what was I supposed to do? Would you rather have me cheat on you with her?!"
"No, of course not. It's just that I've never seen her act like that before. Maybe all that stressful way of life is finally getting to her."
"Whatever. Let's not talk about her anymore. Listen, do you wanna go see a movie tonight?"
"Sure…"
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When Athena returned to her apartment, she slammed the door shut so hard that a few pieces of plaster fell off.
"I hate Kyo Kusanagi! I hate that f…" (Author's Note: At this point, Athena let out a string of curses, which I will not mention here, so that I wouldn't have to change the rating of this fic to M. It's that kind of language that usually makes people ask: "Do you kiss your mama with that mouth?") When she was done with the obscenities, she screamed again: "And I hate Sie Kensou! This is all his fault! I'll make him pay for this! And I certainly won't let him in my team again! I hate him, I hate them all!" Infuriated, she grabbed a glass from a nearby table, and threw it across the room. Shards of glass flew everywhere. I probably shouldn't walk over there until I have somebody to clean it up, she started making a mental note, but her rage took over again. She hit the wall in front of her with her fist, using all of her strengh, and soon regretted it. The pain was quick and sharp. She let out a deafening scream. She leaned her back on the wall and slowly slid down into a crouch. She just couldn't take it any more. She started crying. Long howls seemed to tear their way out of her chest. At times like these, most regular girls her age would call their best friend to comfort them. But she had noone to call. Kensou wasn't her friend anymore… and neither was Kyo. Who could she call? Master Chin? Of course not, she could never talk to him about something like this. In spite of millions of people around the world adoring her, Athena Asamiya was all alone…
The sun was setting, but she had no energy or desire to get up and turn on the light. After a couple of hours, the room was completely dark. Nothing could be seen anymore, but bitter, muffled sobs could still be heard from the place she was crouching.
THE END
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OK, that's all. You might think that this kind of behavior is out of Athena's character, but that's the way I see her. Very cheerful, perky and polite on the outside, but with tons of frustrations and pent-up emotions on the inside, that are just waiting to erupt. It's because she's rarely able to do what she wants and always trying to fulfill somebody else's expectations of what she should be like. Having to constantly maintain the clean-cut pop-idol image, you know… And before I get flamed by some off you Athena-fans, you should know that I actually like Athena, her work and character, so to speak. Why did I do this to her then? Well, it's for her own good. She needs to face the truth, no matter how unpleasant it might be. Until next time, guys, please, read and review! Yours truly,
ALLRRPRP