Call me out
You stayed inside
One you love
Is where you hide
Shot me down as I flew by
Crash and burn
I think sometimes you forget where the heart is
Answer no to these questions
Let her go, learn a lesson
It's not me, you're not listening now
Can't you see something's missing?
You forget where the heart is
Take you away from that empty apartment
You stay and forget where the heart is
Someday if ever you love me you'd say it's okay
Waking up from this nightmare
How's your life, what's it like there?
Is it all what you want it to be?
Does it hurt when you think about me?
And how broken my heart is
Take you away from that empty apartment
You stay and forget where the heart is
Someday if ever you love me you'd say it's okay
It's okay to be angry and never let go
It only gets harder the more that you know
When you get lonely if no one's around
You know that I'll catch you when you're falling down
We came together but you left alone
And I know how it feels to walk out on your own
Maybe someday I will see you again
And you'll look me in my eyes and call me your friend
Take you away from that empty apartment
You stay and forget where the heart is
Someday if ever you love me you'd say its okay
It's okay
It's okay
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Empty Apartment : CTS 04
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She sat alone in an empty apartment. Pictures adorned the walls, but pictures were just memories. The rain washed against the glass, windows that spanned whole sections of walls. The sound echoed as she sat there, forehead tilted against the glass. The lights were turned down low, the sunset although setting, couldn't be seen. Clouds rolled over the city, creating a gray overcast misery.
Eyes shifted as she heard the phone ring, but didn't move an inch to get it. The sound was annoying almost, but an indication that she was indeed late. The answering machine picked up and she waited, wondering if it would be his voice she'd hear. Would he break the rules this time? No, of course not, always some precaution, some scare he'd never break. This exact option that drove her away, this exact instance... that prevented him from going after her.
Waiting wasted. Silence recorded for the first moments as she heard rustling in the background and finally a click. He was waiting for her, after two years. She had forgotten where the heart was, but he had never learned it's location in the first place without her guidance.
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" How can you just walk out like this, through all we've been through?"
" It's not that hard Keisuke, we've been through this time and time again! You dicate your every decision by that man, family honor or not, it's unsafe for any of us to be together.. "
"Don't even start this again! Skip to the end so we can make up."
A smirk as he tried to lighten the situation, his unwillingness to fight over something that he knew couldn't change was showing through.
" Be serious! Don't you understand? He could walk in at any moment.. and because you won't let me shoot the bastard what the hell am I supposed to do? Watch him remove us from each other? Watch him terrorize everything? I'd walk out on you before that happens. "
" What do you want me to do Yuuriko?! Leave the Firm and just run away having them track me down and kill me? You agreed to the conditions a long time ago, when we took vows remember?"
" What do vows matter when you're never home? What kind of marriage is this if I never see you?"
Her eyes closed as she leaned against the wall. She hated fighting with him just as much as he did. But this was point she couldn't escape.. he had been away for almost two months without so much as a word... Tseng's doing and Keisuke's inablity to stop it.
"Yuuriko please.."
His eyes were soft now, hands moving to brush against her face.
"Don't let this get to us.."
" You promised me.. you promised.."
He stepped back now, knowing that she had him beat..
" And a promise is a promise.. the door is open.."
Tears filled her eyes... and he turned away, trying now to act as if he couldn't care.. as if.. nothing had ever happened.
"I won't go after you.."
" Liar... I know you too well."
" Mm... it's what a do for a living."
" Shadow of a man... a non-existant idenity. It's hard to love a shadow, Keisuke."
" Then consider mine banished.."
Footsteps.. and finally a slammed door..
She was gone, he was alone.
------------------------------------
Perhaps if she ignored his phone calls, he would just leave her be. She didn't want to go back to that. A restrained love, her whole emotion died in memory of it. Never had she loved since, but the pain was slowly fading. Not unless things had changed, not unless that man was dead.. not unless. So many impossibles. A shake of the head before she stood, moving from the window.
She was strong, she could continue on as difficult as it had been. It had been that promise, his word that he held himself to. If ever he got distant.. if ever his work prevented his love... she could walk out without him stopping her. Any other situation would be different, but not this one. She refused to fight between his work and his love, as intertwined as they were.
Stepping across the room, she leaned against the wall, pressing the play button on the answer machine. Silence proceeded, but she could hear his breathing. Even that was enough to bring her down to tears, but not this time. She couldn't. Unless things had changed, she had promised herself that she wouldn't go back. Suffering the chill of the same dead heart he said he chose against.
The machine beeped, indicating the end of the recording. A sigh before she deleted it and moved to the side table. Digits snatched up a picture, one of her and him together. Smiling on that Florida beach. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. He had proposed to her, on the first meeting. It was bliss from that day forward... until work become overpowering. The nightmares became more frequent.. and the more she knew, the less he was around. Eyes closed for a moment as her grip on the picture loosened. Memories plagued her even here, in this empty apartment. Spacious and wanting of new memories. But who would she make them with? There was only one she had, and one she ever wanted.
The sound of a knock on the door startled her from her thoughts, picture frame dropping to the floor. She stood for a moment, hesitant. Obvilious to the door, focusing only on the precious memory that she had carelessly broken on the floor. Crouching down now she scooted the broken pieces of glass into a pile atop of the picture. Annoyance marked over her face as she heard the door knock again.
" Go away.."
There were few who could be at her door and none that she wanted at the moment. Probably some co-worker from work checking up on her. She hadn't been to work in several days, taking leave off for no reason. Her excuse was a family emergency.. of course, if wounded family memories counted.
Hand retracted as jerked it away, blood seeping from her hand.
"Goddamnit.."
Moving she stepped over crunching glass, into the kitchen, searching for a towel. Various cabinets opened and shut in haste and echoed through the large apartment. It seemed like all towels were in the laundry.
" Just fucking great.."
Moving hand to the side she brought palm to her lips to keep the wound from bleeding unneccesaily... but stopped short when she noted the figure standing in the doorway.
" Still haven't lost your mouth I see."
" Still haven't lost your ablity to show up unexpected, I see."
She skirted around him, afraid that if she looked at him just too long.. his prescence was intoxicating. Moving back to the picture, she bent down to finish cleaning the mess.
" But I knocked. Not my fault you're having a bad day. Even started throwing pictures around I see."
She shot a glance upward at him, before she shut up, moving down to the floor with her. He took her hand for a moment, and she moved to pull away.
" Just hold on a second, you have to take the glass out from where you cut yourself."
Eyeing him for a second she let him pull the piece out, as tiny as it was.
" Hello.. that hurts.. ow.. ow.. ow! OW! Keisuke!.."
She struggled, pulling her hand back.
" Oh I love it when you scream my name. Just hold on, don't be so squirmish."
" Ugh, I'll show you squirmish. You done yet?"
" There.. done.."
He moved her finger up to his lips, tongue running over the wound to remove it of any blood. Letting her hand go, he offered her a hand up. She denied, standing on her own.
" Cut to the chase, what are you doing here?"
"I've come to take you away from this empty apartment."
She gave a heavy sigh, moving now to the window.
" Don't play the same game of charades. You broke your promise once, don't bring me back to do it again."
" And you enjoy this life? How's it like here? Is it all you've wanted it to be? Does it hurt when you think about me?"
She diverted from him now, surprised by his questioning, but doubly hurt.
" You know everything, you tell me."
Palms pressed against the glass as she watched the rain tap harder against the glass. The storm brewed on outside, as well as within the confines of the apartment walls. He had advanced now, his lips whispering from behind into her ear.
"Not everything. Come back, you've been alone here far too long.."
" It's either alone here or alone in your house. Which one is less torture?"
" For you or for me?"
He spoke into her neck now, chin rested there as his arms came around to hold her. Her hazel hues shut tight.
" It's okay to be angry and never let go. It only gets harder the more that you know. When you get lonely if no one's around. You know that I'll catch you when you're falling down. We came together but you left alone. And I know how it feels to walk out on your own. Maybe someday I will see you again. And you'll look me in my eyes and call me your friend."
She swallowed now, whispering.
" And how long have you been practicing that?"
" Two years.."
She choked back a laugh, but moved away from his grasp as he began to kiss her neck.
" No Keisuke.. don't..please.."
He reached for her hand.
" You believed in love all those years when you couldn't see me, what makes you so inable to believe in it when I'm right infront of you?"
" There's a difference in not seeing you and knowing I cannot see you... and not seeing you and knowing I should see you."
He shut his eyes now, still keeping grip on her hand.
" But you promised me, Yuuriko.."
She looked upward, apparently she had forgotten.
"Promised what?"
" You'd never give up."
" I promised I'd never give up if you prevented me from doing so."
He gestured now.
" Exactly what I'm doing. A promise is a promise remember?"
She counteracted.
" The door is open.."
" And if I closed it?"
"Make sure you lock it.."
A smirk came from his lips as he moved to the front door.. a click as he locked it.
" I can't leave you.. I won't leave without you.. not again."
"Then what are you waiting for, Mister Romeo..?"
" For you to say it's okay."
He stood infront of her now, an inch from his lips meeting hers.
" It's.. okay.."
Lips pressed gently against hers, as she fell into him.
Suddenly, both remembered.. where the heart is. In the hands of each other.
[ Mwhahah. Story inspired by the song, " Empty Apartment. " - by Yellowcard. I know I promised I wouldn't but bite me. Feedback please. Thanks -Courtney ]