Replacement
Prompt: They see you but not as you at the moment, rather as someone else they once knew in their life (SPOILER) Chiaki?
Gender: gn!Reader
A/N: Since we don’t know who Chiaki is, I am going to add: assume Chiaki is not related to any of them and doesn’t think of them as a sibling.
Prologue:Â
He was kind to you, cared about you, and was there when you needed him, but why did it feel like he wasn’t doing this for you? His eyes would be looking at you, but they seemed distant.
Sometimes, you heard him almost calling you “Chi-” but quickly changing it. What was going on?
Then he slipped and finally called you, “Chiaki.” You stared at him expressionless, waiting for him to apologize and say your name correctly. But he continued to smile and wait for your reply.
Chiaki? Did he see you as someone else? This entire time…everything made more sense now. Without saying a word, you turned on your heels and dragged your feet as far as they took you.
He rapidly blinked as he watched you walk away. Why did you leave without answering his question? Was it too soon to ask you such a question?
“(Y/n)?”Â
Why were you walking away from him? Were you startled by his question? He simply asked if you – Kei’s eyes widened as he realized what he had done.Â
“Do you love me, Chiaki?”Â
“(Y/n)!” He bolted towards you and tightly wrapped his arms around you from behind, and to his surprise, you didn’t struggle. “I…I apologize. That was a…I didn’t mean to call you by a different name.”Â
“Are you sure, Kei?” You whispered in a cracked voice, “This isn’t the first time. Who is Chiaki?”Â
His arms around you slightly loosened, and you felt his heart pounding against your skin, but Kei remained quiet. A drawn chuckle escaped your lips, “You can’t even tell me, huh? Since the day we met, you saw me as a replacement for Chiaki…you hurt me deeply, yet you still can’t tell me who they are.”Â
Silence. That was all he gave you.Â
Kei bit down on his tongue until a metallic taste filled his mouth. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to tell you, but unraveling the scrolls of his past would mean dragging you into a hell you didn’t deserve. It would mean making you a soft target for his enemies and anyone who wants to learn about his past. As long as you knew nothing about his past, you were safe, and Kei preferred to keep it that way.Â
“Forgive me, (y/n). I cannot answer your question. Please forgive me for my mistake…my mistakes.” He tenderly pressed his lips on top of your head and released you from his hug. “Please take care of yourself. Cry until your heart feels light, but please move on with your life.”Â
With each word, Kei backed away from you, step by step. “Lastly, if you can, erase me from your memories…but please keep me in your heart. Take care, my love.”
Spinning around with full force and nearly losing your balance, you searched the area left and right. “Kei?”Â
He was gone. As you searched for him, Kei watched you from the shadows, desperately holding himself back from running to you to wipe your tears. He had made more mistakes than he realized. First, he treated you as a replacement; then, he played with your emotions. But his biggest mistake was letting you develop feelings for him. Kei had forgotten that he didn’t have the luxury to fall in love with someone, at least not without endangering their life.Â
Hm. He should have seen that coming. Why did he bother to ask you, knowing you would either say no or walk away? No, that wasn’t true. He genuinely thought you cared about him and shared the same feelings as him, so why? Kokuyou felt stupid.
He dug his hands into his pockets and pulled out his pack of cigarettes along with his lighter. Taking out a single stick, he placed it in his mouth and tilted his head down to light the tip of his cigarette. His eyes landed on his dog tag, and for a moment, the breeze tussling his hair stood still. Chiaki. He called you Chiaki. No wonder you walked you without answering – what the hell was wrong with him?
“Idiot.” Kokuyou stooped on the unlit cigarette and slammed his right fist onto the metal railing.
For weeks, he attempted to get in contact with you. You heard your phone’s notification go off every hour, but you couldn’t bring yourself to check his messages or voicemails. You knew this could not go on, and at some point, you had to confront him.
“Stop calling me, Kokuyou. I don’t want to talk to you.”
Your words were harsh, yet he felt relieved to hear your voice again. “But I want to talk to you. Look…about what I said. I’m so-”
“Sorry? Are you sure? Tell me something, Kokuyou. Who am I to you? (Y/n) or Chiaki? Because I swear, you see me as Chiaki…you always have.”
“That’s not-”
“True? Yes, it is. I can’t tell you how happy I was when you asked if I loved you, but you just had to ruin it. Kokuyou, my name is (y/n), not Chiaki. Remember that. Also, stop contacting me because we are done. Go find Chiaki and ask if they love you.”
“(Y/n)! We are not done talkin’! Hey, s-stop runnin’!”
He tried to chase after you, but you disappeared into the crowded streets. “F*ckin’ hell…(y/n)…just come back.”
Hours. Days. Two entire weeks and no contact from you. Heath panicked – did something happen to you? You were okay, right? What if you also disappeared like Chi- wait. “D-Did I call them Chiaki? Is that the reason they are ignoring me?”
“Heath.”
“(Y/n)…a-are you okay? You look tired.” He couldn’t make eye contact with you, especially not after realizing the mistake he made weeks ago.
“No. I am not okay. I really cared about you, Heath, and I thought you cared about me.”
“Cared? Why are you saying it in the past tense? I still ca-“
“No, Heath. You don’t care about me – you care about Chiaki. Whoever that is. Either you see me as Chiaki or a replacement, and that is NOT okay.”
“(Y/n)…please…”
“Let me answer your question – yes, I loved you. I loved you with all my heart, but you,” you bit down on your lower lip to hold back your tears. “Goodbye, Heath. I hope you find Chiaki.”
He stood powerless as he watched your figure disappear into the distance. What had he done?
Who is Chiaki?: Yakou, Gui, Unei
Thinks Kei/Koku/Heath is cheating on MC with someone named Chiaki: Yoshino, Akira, Hari, Mizuki
Doesn’t care. Not his problem: Menou, Kasumi, Ran
Things Chiaki might be Kei/Koku/Heath’s ex: Taiga, Rico
Feels bad for MC: Ginsei, Sin, Rindou, Sinju, Qu, Kongou
Grabs popcorn to watch the drama unfold: Sotetsu, Takami, Nekome, Zakuro, Iwami
Wants to slap Kei/Koku/Heath for calling MC by the wrong name: Maica, Mokuren