A Broken Man

Chapter 27: Trust

After Dante left and Dmitri when to go train with Nekoette, Kawaii-Chan took the chance to help Zane with his small wound behind his mask. She brought him inside, and nodded, telling him that it was just them. He slowly took off his mask and some blood dripped off his mouth. Kawaii-Chan handed Zane a napkin, he smiled a bit that Kawaii-Chan made sure that it was just them for Zane to take his mask off and help him with his small wound.

Kawaii-Chan: " Sorry about Dante-Kun."

Zane: " It's alright. Ah! Besides, I been through worse than this."

Kawaii-Chan noticed Zane blow his hair a bit, to get it out of his mouth and back on his right side of his face.

Kawaii-Chan: " If you want, I can cut your hair."

Zane: " What?"

Kawaii-Chan: " You're hair. It looks like it gets in your mouth when your mask is off."

Zane: " ..... It's alright. But I'll think about it."

Kawaii-Chan: " ... How did you get your scar?"

Zane: " You can thank Garroth for it. But to cut it shot, Garroth was showing off with a bow and arrow, and ended up shooting one of his arrows on something that caused it to fly towards me."

Kawaii-Chan: " Ow... I can see why you don't like Garroth-Kun as much, but you shouldn't hold a grug for an accident."

Zane: " I know, but it was at a time where my head wasn't in a good place, and I was just mad at everything. Besides.... I don't know if what he told me was true in the Irene Dimension."

Kawaii-Chan: " What did he say to you?"

Zane: " ... I don't remember it clearly because something happened to me, but he told me he loves me, even after everything I did. I didn't know if he meant it or not."

Kawaii-Chan: " I would say he meant it. He's your brother and he still care about you. Sure, you had ups and downs, but family is still there for you."

Zane was quiet and thought about his past, remembering how sorry Garroth was after the accident and he still did his best to help Zane before being pushed away.

Zane: ".... *sigh* I guess you're right."

Kawaii-Chan smile. She looked at his right side of his face, like with his freckles, she didn't noticed the scar or his missing eye when he showed his whole face, she was busy on focusing on what he had to say and finding a way to comfort him. And she got a glimps of it again when he was dangling off the branch with Nekoette and Dmitri.

Kawaii-Chan: " Can... I see it again?"

Zane was quiet.

Kawaii-Chan: " I know you showed it when you were telling me everything that happened, but like with your freckles, I was more focus on what you had to say and I was getting teary eye too before I tried to comfort you."

Zane: " Okay... Only because it's you.... and I trust you."

Kawaii-Chan's face warmed up a little bit. She came over and gently moved Zane's hair out of his face. The large scar on his right eye socket that started at his eyebrow and went near to the corner of his mouth. The two other scars on his mouth came from a different event, but Kawaii-Chan focus on Zane's larger scar. She gently run her fingers down it, Zane jumped causing Kawaii-Chan to pull back a bit, but Zane lean forward a bit and let Kawaii-Chan gently run her fingers down the scar a bit. After a while Zane covered his eye again and put his mask back on. Zane looked outside for a moment, looking at Dante who was trying to train with his children.

Zane: " Do you.... Actually, like him?"

Kawaii-Chan was quiet. She didn't really know how to answer that.

Zane: " I also notice Dmitri call him Dante instead of dad. But that's because he wasn't around... Right."

Kawaii-Chan nodded, Nicole raised Dmitri alone and he wasn't that bothered that she raised him on her own, he was furious at Dante at first when he found out the truth of Dante's past with Nicole, but he lighten up a lot since then. Kawaii-Chan turn to get ready to start baking, but she finally answered his question.

Kawaii-Chan: " I don't know if I do anymore."

Zane: " Hm?"

Kawaii-Chan: " I trust you and I guess I can tell you... *sigh* When I first met Dante, I would think he really like me when we first met, but he was closer to Nicole and I thought he was going to pick her at first because they had so much in common. After a while, Nicole had to go back to Scaleswind and Dante would spend some time with me more, eventually, he sweet talked his way in my heart. But..."

Zane: " But?"

Kawaii-Chan: " He would flirt with a few other women after we got married and when I was pregnant with Nekoette-Tan. Every time I brought it up, he would tell me that I was his one and only for him, but he kept doing it and coming up with other excuses why he did it. He said he did it to flatter them or something like that. He still does it now a few times.... I don't know why I stay with him... I don't even know if I love him like I did when I was young."

Kawaii-Chan started to shake a little and got a bit teary eye. Zane noticed this and glared at Dante.

Zane's thoughts: " Spinless F***er. Hurting his wife like this. She really does deserve better."

Zane came over and gently rubbed Kawaii-Chan's back. She started to purr a little bit.

Zane's thoughts: " I swear, if he tries anything to hurt Kawaii-Chan anymore, he's dead."

Zane: " Do you... Want help with baking?"

Kawaii-Chan looked at Zane for a moment, the warm smile came back and nodded. As Zane helped Kawaii-Chan, she blushed a light red.

Kawaii-Chan's thoughts: " He's really a big sweetheart, once you get to know him and get through his hard shell. What is wrong with you? You're a married woman, Na... Kawaii-Chan! Am I... falling for him?! No, he's just your friend, you're married to Dante and a mother! But... He does care about you and is someone to open up to."