Distraction

[Densetsu Karu]

The following take place on May 9, 2003, at 3:06 PM.

Despite his pushing and shoving, making a clear path between the students was a difficult task. He was a lone human caught in a current, a river, a tide of people he couldn't care less about. The cause of this challenge Karu faced was the ending of the school day. On any normal day, he would wait for the barbaric display to subside before leaving. But not today. Today, he had to meet Sakagami Tomoyo outside in the courtyard. He could not be late.

He had arranged the meeting the previous day. Between classes, when Sakagami wasn't at her desk, he had snuck into her classroom. He left an envelope in her desk, with a message detailing his invitation to speak to her in the courtyard after school the next day. However, his haste to traverse the dangerous flowing crowd could be for naught; Sakagami could very well decide not to meet him. Karu wouldn't blame her if she did. He was rather cryptic in his note, plus this wasn't exactly an urgent meeting.

The reason Karu had requested the after-school encounter was to learn the details of Sakagami's past. It was a petty reason, now that he thought of it. When he had been at the hot springs, he had witnessed a group of thugs flee from her with barely any intervention. Naturally, this made him curious. But, the question could remain unanswered, if she were to decide not to tell him. His eyebrows dropped into a glare as he thought.

Finally, fortune was in his favour: he had made it to the courtyard alive. He walked over a bench in the shade of a tree... He realized with irony that this was the same bench he had met his first acquaintance in school, Aizawa Shou. Sitting down, he waited, a little nervous, but also excited. Sakagami probably had some sort a meeting, since she just became the student council president that morning. He would wait.

[Sakagami Tomoyo]

ooc; Not sure if you remember, but we agreed that Karu would wait at the bench, but he would have fallen asleep? If you want me to change anything in this post, just tell me. This post takes place at 5:00pm or something.

Sakagami Tomoyo
______________________________________________________

By the time the golden sun was already sinking low in the sky, the council was wrapping its second and last meeting of the day. A soft, contented sigh escaped the president’s lips. She learned so much about her duties in a single day and she wouldn’t forget the joy she felt during the inauguration ceremony. No matter all the hardships that lay ahead, the work that the student council did was meaningful. She was so busy already... but it was a nice feeling.

Tomoyo was neatly filing away the notes she’d taken during the meeting when a white envelope slipped out from her bag and drifted to the floor. Her brows rose curiously and she stooped down to pick it up.

Where did this come from?

Tomoyo turned it over in her hands, slipped a finger underneath the flap, opened the envelope, and procured from it a hand-written note. Her eyes darted across the writing and her contented expression transformed a little more into a frown with each character she read from it.

She’d totally forgotten about this...

Tomoyo had found the letter on her desk that very same morning. To be honest... being reminded of it was troublesome.. The letter was one of the last things on her mind that day, overshadowed by the excitement of the election results. She only remembered opening it, finding it annoying, and then shoving it away into her bag almost immediately afterward. The elation that followed the announcement of the new student council officers only served to further the letter into the farthest reaches of her memory, and very soon, Amidst all the excitement from the announcement of the election results, the obscure note that had appeared on her desk had been shoved to the farthest reaches of her memory. She only recalled opening it, finding it annoying, and then shoving it away into her bag immediately after she read it in the morning...

And then she realized it was already late. Had she left this stranger cold, waiting in the courtyard? Deep down inside, Tomoyo was relieved.

She didn’t want to have to deal with something as troublesome as this. Smiling wryly, she discarded the letter on her way out of the meeting room. Still... she couldn’t shake the feeling that the signature at the end of the letter sounded distantly familiar.

Tomoyo cut through the school’s courtyard on her way out. However... a troubling sight awaited her there. Under the shade of the tree was a boy she knew, snoozing away. It was a peaceful scene, but a pang of guilt shot through Tomoyo’s heart the longer she gazed at him. He was the one who’d written the letter. Densetsu Karu. She remembered now. She might not have recognized his name at first, but faces were among the things Tomoyo rarely forgot.

“Hey... wake up.”

Had he been waiting here the whole time?

[Densetsu Karu]

“Hey... wake up.”

Wha... what? His mind groggy from sleep, he wondered if he had imagined the voice... Then, he realized Sakagami Tomoyo was standing in front of him. His half-closed eyes snapped open, and he stood up, feeling slightly ashamed. He had fallen asleep! It was rather clumsy of him to fall asleep when he had arranged the meeting in the first place. A yawn escaped his lips. "I..." He looked around, surveying the scene. He grinned to hide his embarrassment. "A thousand apologies, Sakagami-senpai. It seems I had fallen asleep."

Karu looked down at the bench, then back at Sakagami. What had he wanted, again? Gah, if only he wasn't so sleepy. "Please, take a seat," he said, buying himself time to remember what he wanted to say. Oh yes, he was going to ask her a question her history, was he not? Sitting down himself, he collected a proper group of words in his mind. "Congratulations on becoming student council president," he praised. Courteousness was first. There was no need to be so quick to the point.

"Quite frankly, I didn't think you would show up," he admitted. "I thought that maybe your student council duties, or possibly my cryptic note, would prevent you from coming." There was good in his nap; if he had not fallen asleep, he would have given up and left by now. "Admittedly, I wouldn't have waited this long if I had not fallen asleep," he said, making no attempt to hide his brutal honesty. There was no reason to beat about the bush, was there? It was time to bring up the topic of this meeting.

"Anyways," he started, clearing his throat. He was starting to feel nervous. "I arranged this meeting to ask you about what I saw the other day. One of my upperclassmen was being attacked by some bullies, and they fled immediately after seeing you. I guess... I guess I just wanted to know what could have happened in your past to have triggered that effect." Karu's curiosity overcame logic in this situation. He had left a note for Sakagami just to ask such a simple question as that? What if it was nothing, just a coincidence? Well, after falling asleep like he did, there wasn't anything he could do to embarrass himself further. "I realize this is an odd question and odd reason to arrange a meeting for... you don't mind, do you?" Of course she minded. He was just digging this hole for himself deeper with every word.

[Sakagami Tomoyo]

Sakagami Tomoyo
______________________________________________________

Like a conscientious honors student who’d just been caught sleeping in the middle of a lecture, Densetsu snapped to awareness, stood quickly, and glanced all around before apologizing with a sheepish grin. Tomoyo took a seat like he’d asked her to, but it wasn’t without hesitation. She considered her options at that moment. If what the boy had written in the letter was true (and there was no reason it wouldn’t be), then she’d be in for a troublesome interrogation... or something of the sort.

Thankfully, he didn’t jump right into the question. Like any socially competent person, Densetsu started with a conversation starter, an icebreaker. He congratulated her on her inauguration, something Tomoyo was still so joyful over that she thanked him sincerely, even to the point of momentarily forgetting that it was just a lead in to more difficult things.

“Quite frankly,” the first year student continued speaking, “I didn’t think you would show up.” He worried that her new duties and the cryptic nature of the note would have proven to be obstacles. And honestly, both of those were valid. The only reason Tomoyo was here was because she’d finished everything she needed to do. She hadn’t been waiting around to meet Densetsu, nor had she hardly given him or his note any thought. Thankfully, she had no place to feel too guilty. The boy admitted that the only reason he was still waiting was because he fell asleep.

Then came the question. The air went flat and Tomoyo folded her arms over her chest. She stayed silent and considered how to answer him.

...

“I do mind,” she told him plainly. “But I figured this would be unavoidable.” Densetsu wasn’t exactly someone she could trust. She barely knew him, which was why it felt so awkward trying to explain it to him. If it were anyone else, she would have declined immediately. The problem was, unlike the majority of the student body, that he'd already seen enough to have his own suspicions.

She sighed through her nose, letting her indecisiveness escape with the stream of warm air.

“If you’ve heard any of the rumors about my past, I’d say some of them are true,” Tomoyo said, staring down at her palms. “I used to be wild, so I’ve made more than a few enemies.” Things got better after she enrolled in Hikarizaka High School, but events like the aforementioned hot springs incident made it difficult to fully move on.

“... But what about you?” She asked, turning the tables on him. It was her turn to make him feel uncomfortable. “I heard some interesting things happened at lunch a few days ago.”

[Densetsu Karu]

He knew he had put her in an awkward place. He knew it would seem odd to explain herself to a near-stranger. Incidentally, that was the story of his time in Hikarizaka; all these people he knew, who knew nothing about him. He had no friends yet, only near-strangers, most of which irritated him, even though he wasn't so sure why.

Then, an equally cryptic response to his cryptic meeting terms. He couldn't say he expected one of those highly-emotional, information-dumping scenes you see in the media (those don't really exist, as far as Karu knew). The question was answered, but he remained unsatisfied. Not because he wanted to know more. Instead, he was unhappy with how the turn of events went. What had he done this for? There was no point to this meeting. Was he really so bored that he had the gall to waste his and Sakagami-san's time to ask such a stupid question? Karu sighed, resting his head on his hand. "Dammit," he murmured. "I'm afraid I've wasted both of our time." He had become the type to act on a whim, and in this situation he had thrown all to the wind. It was the very definition of stupidity.

To his surprise, Sakagami dropped a bombshell: asking a question of his misadventure in the cafeteria from several days ago. It seemed it had spread quicker than he thought it would. Not only that, but it also seemed he would not live it down. An expression of dreading fury appeared on his face, but it was not directed to Sakagami; instead he directed it at the school building itself.

"Yes," he said, still glaring at the building. "Depending on your outlook, you could say some 'interesting things' happened that day. Was there something you meant by that, Sakagami-san?" He turned to her, a deranged smile on his face. "So I kissed someone in public. Is that so 'interesting'? Are you the type become curious at relationship gossip? Your heart starts beating at the thought of x and y?" Something had snapped. His stupid actions in the cafeteria that day had caught up to him, and now he was lashing out. Karu didn't think Sakagami really was all these things, but e was hoping the mockery intimidated, or at the very least, unnerved her.

[Sakagami Tomoyo]

Sakagami Tomoyo
______________________________________________________

Tomoyo’s stiff posture loosened quickly now that the spotlight was off of her. Instead, she was putting the pressure on Densetsu.... only to have the pressure placed on her again.

She didn’t remember the seemingly mild and compliant Densetsu as being so audacious. It was surprising; not because he wasn’t how she remembered him to be, but because his attitude was rare to begin with. She was taken aback by the victorious smirk plastered on his face. She had only met him once before and already he was bantering with her as if they were friends.

She found it difficult to keep a straight face.

“You’re only asking me that because it’s embarrassing for you, right?” Tomoyo insisted, the corners of her mouth lifted into an almost-smile.

She wasn’t particularly interested in knowing the details (and considering the fact she only connected the face to his name in the past two minutes or so, there was little time to actually care about the gossip), but it had been a convenient way to slip a new topic into the conversation.

“I know you’re a foreigner,” she said, recalling that detail from their first meeting, “but kissing someone in the cafeteria is a little... over the top, don’t you think?” She was lecturing him like a teacher would.

“I guess it can’t be helped...” Tomoyo yielded, her eyes filled with laughter. “But, don’t you think it’d be better in private? It’d be embarrassing with everyone watching.” It was a tad awkward smiling so humorously with someone she considered a stranger... but it was a good, cozy kind of awkward, no matter how contradictory that seemed.

[Densetsu Karu]

What was this? A smile? So his sudden lectures induced an amused reaction in her? How interesting. Was she trying to break any further ice that may have frosted over from her pressure shifting-question? In Karu's eyes, it seemed that she was trying to redeem herself. Then she asked him if he was embarrassed. He chose to ignore the question, pretending not to hear it. He wasn't exactly embarrassed, but he wasn't too fond of what happened either.

“I know you’re a foreigner, but kissing someone in the cafeteria is a little... over the top, don’t you think?”

Another topic he would never escape, his supposed foreign origin. It began as a joke, and by now, had spread as a strange rumour that wasn't true at all. A foreign player, is that what he was to this school? Even if he had been a real foreigner, what did being a foreigner have to do with his actions, anyways? He resisted arguing; he did not want to start anything at this time. Frankly, he was only still sitting there with her to keep up the conversation. Somehow, he was interested in what Sakagami had to say. He was interested in another's life, for once. It felt... different. He couldn't pinpoint it all right now; he needed more time to think.

"If you really must know," he said in an even tone, "I didn't kiss her out of affection. If I had in private, the effect I required would have been ruined." He left the statement open to interpretation. If his reasons were eventually revealed to her, she would probably think of him as heartless. He thought himself heartless. Maybe she was more empathetic than he thought. Maybe she would be able to understand what he was going through, judging by the fact that she had a tough past as well. Or maybe she would just be repelled by his selfish, bold actions.

"I have no affectionate intentions with Aizawa Shou, despite what I did. I know, I was needlessly cruel." She hadn't heard the actual circumstances for the event yet. He was waiting for her to ask, if she wasn't already put off by what direction it had gone.

[Sakagami Tomoyo]

Sakagami Tomoyo
______________________________________________________

“If you really must know, I didn’t kiss her out of affection. If I had in private, the effect I required would have been ruined.”

What Tomoyo merely meant to say as a light comment turned out to be weightier than she ever would have guessed. It was uncanny to see how quickly the mood could change.

Tomoyo blinked and leaned back against the back of the bench, not fully understanding the implications of what the boy just said. She had an idea of what he meant... but the reason was almost too inconceivable to actually fully wrap her head around.

He said it so calmly, too. What did he mean, “effect”?

Densetsu had no affections for the girl he kissed...

For a split second, a critical expression crossed Tomoyo’s face before melding into one of loose concern.

“Playing with a girl’s heart?”

She felt a pang of pity for Aizawa, although for some reason, the name seemed somewhat annoying... but Tomoyo shook the strange feeling off. The name was vaguely familiar, but since she couldn't remember why it seemed to ring a bell, she decided it was best to ignore it. She could only agree that Desnsetsu was cruel; even he recognized that fact. A girl’s heart was delicate. Toying with someone like that was... well....

He must have had his reasons for going so far. Tomoyo couldn’t say she approved of the way he went about it... but she kept her mouth shut. There was no point in judging something she didn’t fully understand.

“... Those are desperate measures just to reach a desired effect, no matter what your reasons are,” she gave a tired sigh. “But, I suppose I can’t say anything. I know so little about the situation.”

Who was she to judge his actions? The world was never black and white. Still, curiosity nibbled away at the corner of her mind.

“Speaking of which,” she said, “Why did you do it?”

[Densetsu Karu]

Even though he was waiting for her speculation and questions, he wasn't welcoming them. It was nosy, and he had no reasons to tell her. His past was his, wasn't it? What kind of rights did she have to hearing it?... Then, with a sense of self-deprecation, he realized he had put her in the same position only moments ago. Inadvertently, she had flipped the table on him.

A flash of judgement formed on her face that soon turned into a form of concerning worry. Was she concerned about what him, or the girl he had tricked? Most likely the latter. He didn't want her concern. It was simply unneeded; there was nothing wrong with him. Unless she could send him back to Tokyo, somehow, there was nothing she could do. He conveyed a disproving look, again not directed at Sakagami, but at the world around them. He muttered a few simple words under his breath, loud enough that Sakagami could hear, but quiet enough to make her wonder if she heard correctly, "wouldn't be the first time..."

“... Those are desperate measures just to reach a desired effect, no matter what your reasons are. But I suppose I can’t say anything. I know so little about the situation.” That's right, she didn't actually know the circumstances, and he didn't want to tell her. The way she spoke, making a bold statement, but almost taking it back or sugar-coating it with another sentence... was that the mark of council president, or just the way she spoke in general? No matter how flowery she spoke, he knew she was curious, and he didn't intend to tell her anything.

"I'm sorry, Sakagami-san," he said sincerely, in his attempt to get out of this uncomfortable situation, "It seems I have said too much for my own good. Alas it is something I need to learn to control." He was contemplating changing the subject, but he wasn't sure what to change it to. And even if he did, she might pursue it, seeing it as gossip. Wasn't that how it worked in this school? Find the gossip, spread the gossip? With a hint of a smile, he added, "Since I will not inquire into your past any longer, and since you are obviously finished inquiring in mine, I must bid you good day." Of course, this was an presumption, but by being assertive in this way, it would discourage further argument.

[Sakagami Tomoyo]

Sakagami Tomoyo
______________________________________________________

It wasn’t the first time he played with a girl’s heart...?

Was that what she heard? It was hard to say for sure. Naturally, as any person would have been, Tomoyo was interested in the vague words he'd muttered under his breath, but when she pressed on and Densetsu refused to answer, she knew it was high time to let the conversation suffer an immediate death. With that being the case, what was the point of this meeting? Was there even a point to it in the first place?

Tomoyo stared down into her lap.

Like the boy had said, it really was a waste of time. If anything, the only thing they accomplished was making each other feel uncomfortable.

They had talked, but at the same time, they had only said words to each other; nothing was revealed. It was comparable to saying the sky was blue, or that the grass was green. Those sorts of things were obvious.

One had to wonder, though... Were interesting stories really so rare that a freshman had come crawling to her for one?

As if she could find her answer in his appearance, she watched him. If there was one thing she was feeling grateful for, it was the fact that she’d been able to avoid satisfying his misplaced curiosity.

Even so, she was torn. While Tomoyo was eager to end their chatter and cease all thoughts of what had transpired between them, Densetsu's way of saying goodbye bothered her. It was as if he was trying to get away from the rift of awkwardness that had opened up between them.

The president wouldn’t have any of that.

“Wait,” she said suddenly. She roused herself from the bench, and almost as an afterthought, gathered her schoolbag at the last moment.

“We’re going the same way, aren’t we? Saying ‘goodbye’ now would be strange, since we still need to walk together for a while.” Logically speaking, there was no point in separating until the road split.

[Densetsu Karu]

He smiled. His escape was now. He wouldn't have to deal with the uncomfortable hole he had dug for himself. He could almost feel his own distaste in the situation uncomfortably prickling on his skin. Karu took a last glance at Sakagami. She looked thoughtful. Had he said more then he meant? Casting it from his mind, Karu started off, a spring in his step after escaping from judgement.

However, this meant he had to be careful. One careless act may have ruined his entire reputation. The story would be on the minds and tongues of the student body for quite some time. He himself had fallen into the trap of gossip, taking the rumours of Sakagami's past life and combining it with the incident from the hot springs. This place was hungry for stories to tell. Both he and Sakagami were victims, of rumours and each other's own inquiring minds.

Of course, things are never that easy; his much-desired escape was wrenched from him by Sakagami. “Wait,” she said, walking up to him. He listened, but continued walking. “We’re going the same way, aren’t we? Saying ‘goodbye’ now would be strange, since we still need to walk together for a while.” It made sense. It was a perfectly reasonable statement, but Karu couldn't help but feel trapped. This maneuver of hers was on the fine line of logic and excuse. Either way, he couldn't stop her.

Internally, Karu welcomed her company, but he ignored the sensation. He didn't want to start becoming attached to someone. Was there a reason to make friends here? No. There was no reason in anything. His life here was a sweet, yet brutal, gift. It didn't matter what he did here, because one day he'd leave this place and never come back. Anything he did, anyone he met, wouldn't matter in the long run. He needn't worry about such petty things as gossip, so why was he? Human nature, of course. His biggest enemy was the natural instincts of the human mind and body.

There was an uncomfortable aura in the air. It unsettled him, and he guessed it had the same effect on her. "You don't give up, do you?" he said, avoiding her gaze. His own words gave him courage to confront the immobilizing aura. "An excellent quality for council president. At least you know what you want."

[Sakagami Tomoyo]

Sakagami Tomoyo
______________________________________________________

Taking long and easy strides, Tomoyo managed to catch up to him effortlessly, only allowing herself to be faintly aware of the fact he hadn’t even bothered to slow down. For a few long seconds, it was only the dull sounds of their shoes against the concrete road.

Why was she even trying to associate with someone who obviously didn’t want to talk?

She thought on it for a moment, and then settled on the conclusion that she didn’t really care either way. It wasn't that she was trying to befriend the boy, nor was she trying to acquaint herself with him for any ulterior motives. Instead, the sole thing that fanned her simpleminded desire to break the barrier between them was the simple dislike of an awkwardly staggered walk between two people (which wasn’t really a walk together, but was more like two separate walks that should be single walk).

Then, Densetsu's voice broke those few seconds of silence to rationalize the girl's motives in even simpler terms.

“I don’t give up?” Tomoyo repeated after him, her schoolbag swinging at her side like a pendulum as she walked. Taking his words into serious consideration, a heartened smile spread on the girl's face.

“I guess that’s true,” Tomoyo reflected, gazing up ahead at the road. That was why she was here now, wasn’t it? Not giving up; was it perseverance or was it persistence? Whatever it was, it was working. “I'll take that as a compliment,” the student president chirped, firmly grasping her bag in front of her with both her hands. “So, thanks.”

Tap, tap, tap...

Again, the only sounds around them were their own footsteps. They continued their quiet procession most of the way down the hill, or at least until Tomoyo grew tired of staring straight ahead, listening to that repetitive, rhythmic soundtrack while her own thoughts, filled with images of the student council, practically began their fifth loop.

Finally, she looked at him from the side. A foreign first-year who didn’t look too foreign. He had a fairly small build, though his features were sharper than most Japanese. Even so, Tomoyo knew she wouldn't have been able to distinguish him as such had she not already known of his origins.

After a long moment of thoughtful silence, Tomoyo spoke up again. “I was just thinking,” she said, abruptly changing the subject, “that you look like the kind of person who blends in easily. That makes being here easier, doesn't it?”

[Densetsu Karu]

The rhythm wasn't consistent. The walking wasn't together, wasn't simultaneous, or any other sense of the word. He was moving at a fast pace, shoes clomping in a mixed manner of speed and dignity. It was almost a chase, the way her feet and legs trying to fall into rhythm with his, only to reveal his pattern had changed.

And her words... it was small talk. Both a tool used to break the ice between two strangers and to pass time. Filler, if you will. Why was she trying so hard to... befriend him? It was wasted effort. Obviously, he did not want to make friends with her. His desperate grabbing at rumours was the only thing he has met her for, and now it was also a waste.

"You are assuming that blending in makes life in a new world easier. That is wrong," he jabbed, not bothering to slow down. "While it is true I am of a similar appearance to your native people, I am still an alien. An observant person may easily notice I was not born here, from my speech to my use of polite gestures and terms."

It had become an elaborate lie. He wanted them to think of him as foreign. His original joke, at Aizawa's expense, to come across as a foreigner had turned into a mask for him to hide behind. A way for him to drive the wedge further between himself and the general population at Hikarizaka. He had come from Tokyo, but to them, he might as well be a Westerner. They did not understand his way of thinking or his patterns of speech. He was an outsider in this world.

He felt there was something else he had to say. Deep inside of him, a trace of a conscience was attempting to return her friendly advances, but he was fighting it. He didn't want to make friends, he didn't need any friends. People were disgusting. His own parents were disgusting, and so were his so-called "friends." Mostly everyone he had met so far at his new school were full of rumours and artifice.

"You're different," he whispered, stopping in his tracks. He was almost afraid to admit it. "You are not... the same. As them. At the school." What was he trying to say? He wasn't sure. Instead of try harder and look like a fool, he decided not to continue. "...Forget it," he said dryly, taking the lead again.

[Sakagami Tomoyo]

Sakagami Tomoyo
______________________________________________________

Densetsu’s harsh reply roused only silence from Tomoyo. There was something about the freshman which had bothered her from the beginning, although it was only now that she managed to place a finger on what exactly it was.

The boy was bitter. She could see it now... but why?

Her interest rose to a low simmer at the bottom of her mind. Densetsu’s manner of speech was odd; she already knew that. Anybody could notice it; it wasn't something easy to miss, and it just couldn’t be helped. After all, like he said, he was an alien.

Was that was he was bitter about? Being in a strange country?

Tomoyo ran a hand through her hair, thinking it was best to leave the matter alone. She didn’t have any business to wonder about the boy’s life. She was only meaning to make conversation; she didn’t intend nor did she have the time to delve or pry into the personal matters of a student whom she doubted she would speak to again.

Despite that, it was her duty as the student council president to ensure the happiness and wellbeing of the students in the school, and so, if they had problems, wasn’t it her task to help resolve them?

Wondering this, Tomoyo looked down into her open palm, flexing her fingers as she thought about her new status.

As the president, she had one ultimate goal, but that didn’t mean it was her only goal. Tomoyo wanted to serve as a beacon of light for her peers. No matter how hopeful and happy she was with her purpose, it didn’t change the fact that this was the first time she’d been put into a position of leadership.

Caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice Densetsu suddenly behind her. She’d gone on ahead of him without knowing, and if it hadn't been for his voice, she would have continued walking ahead without him. His words came out softly enough to attract her attention, and they were weird enough to slow her pace.

"You're different," was what he said. "You are not... the same. As them. At this school."

Weird...

“What’re you going on about?”

Looking over her shoulder, her skeptical gaze followed him as he trudged on ahead of her to regain the lead. "As long as it's a good thing, I won't get angry."

Finding it best to ignore it, she shook her head lightly and started walking again, her dark silver locks swaying with her movement as she caught up with him once more.

"Are you going the same way as me?”

Among the late afternoon sounds of ringing bicycles, distant buses, and the fluttering of birds' wings, they stood together at the foot of the hill where the road split off. Without waiting so much as a second for him. Tomoyo was already on her way. She only peered back to see which direction the boy was headed.

[Densetsu Karu]

He was confused. This hard outer shell he was attempting to maintain was weakening. The stream of Sakagami's friendliness was lapping away at him, softening the rocky shield. Deep inside of him, a nice person was striving to emerge, to feel human again... Battling himself; was that an accurate definition? It was a stupid thing to do. For the umpteenth time, he wished the feeling would subside, and for the umpteenth time nothing changed. He was so fed up with it that he wanted to scream, or isolate himself... to leave this place.

If only things had gone differently so many months ago... his life would be entirely different. Maybe in some form of a parallel world, there was a happy Karu, enjoying every second of his life. He longed to be that Karu.

"Are you going the same way as me?”

It was the end of their jumbled walk. It took a second for her question to properly register. Not staying to hear his reply, Sakagami set off down the opposite direction in which he was intending to go. Still standing there, Karu realized he could now escape the heavy yearning to make things right between them. He stood, watching Sakagami move farther and father away. He turned to leave.

...No. This wasn't a good feeling to walk away with....

Without thought on it, as though his heart was trying to escape the rationalizations of logic, he ran towards her. He stopped in front of her... there was no turning back now... he shuffled his feet awkwardly, then... a smile.

"Th... thank you, Tomoyo Sakagami," he said in jumbled English. His hand found hers, and he shook it. Abruptly, he broke the gesture, and started down the opposite road.