Author's note: Written for Aishuu, who requested a YukinoxArima piece. A bit dark, but we all know that Arima's a psychopath, right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Kare Kano.

Untitled ArimaxYukino Piece

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She admitted that she wasn't perfect and she said that she was going to be true to herself, and at first, it was comforting to see her gradually change. The change was definitely gradual, as it took a few weeks for their peers to actually notice.

Then he felt lost, with walls springing up between them.

While Yukino had stumbled and fall a couple of times with her perfect image; she loosened up and enjoyed life. She had real friends, her laughs were genuine, she found joy and solace in acting, and she no longer cared too much about class rank. She was still number one; tied with him, but she didn't really care . She told him that her happiness was more important, and so was their relationship.

She looked more beautiful than ever.

It made him feel like a failure. They were suppose to change together, but from how he saw things, she was the only one blossoming. He was still stuck in his role; too terrified to take a step forward. What would his parents say? What if he made a mistake and he turned out like his parents after everything he worked hard for?

And dammit . Why did Aya's play have to hit so close to home? "Being perfect doesn't make everyone love you". How could such a simple phrase affect him so much? It was more than likely that Aya had Yukino in mind when she wrote that line down, but that didn't mean that it felt so strangely… directed at him.

Being perfect was what he built himself on. It was the foundation of him and the only thing he could feel proud of. He was top student, kind, athletic, and good-looking. The perfect student. The perfect son. The perfect boyfriend.

He strived for perfection so he could prove to his parents and to his relatives that he wasn't going to turn into his parents, but that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy the compliments from fellow students, teachers, and strangers. Each admiring glance was a soft whisper of reassurance that he was doing things right. He wasn't a failure. He had something to prove.

Was there life outside of perfect mask? Did he have a personality? Or maybe... that is his true self. What he feared most and what he tried to keep hidden away. His "dark" self.

Every time he thought things were going well, he'll see a reflection of himself in his mind. All his doubts manifested into another being, whispering and planting lies into his head; seducing him and taking over his sanity, saying things that made him doubt his judgement.

"Just because you made love to her, doesn't mean that she's yours. "

Everything seemed to boil down to one thing: Yukino was changing and she was happy. He hasn't changed and he feared the distance between them; afraid that she would someday leave him and while she would be heartbroken, she would move on. There was life without him.

But there wasn't any life without her.

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Reviews are welcomed, and constructive criticism even more so. Try to be more specific than "OMG i luv ur fic!1" because that just pisses me off. Thanks. Have a nice day. Should I mention that this is a one-shot? There will be no sequels/other chapters.