"I'm going to America."
The single sentence seemed to bounce around the room, echoing through each of their ears, freezing them in their tracks. They all turned to look at the source of the noise. "What?" Someone managed to whisper.
"I'm going to America. I'm leaving Seigaku." It was said so calmly, as if it was merely an announcement of simplicity, that he was going to the restroom or something, but the statement carried a certain weight to it. He meant it. This was no joke; he was really leaving. But…why?
The lack of understanding must have been conveyed in their eyes, because he responded, still speaking in that indifferent tone. "I'm bored." The boy shrugged, "Nationals was fun, but now that it's over…there's nothing left to do."
The answer startled them, hurt them, but finally, one of them recovered. "I see." The team's captain and leader said slowly. "Will you be competing in the US Open?"
The boy in question merely shrugged. "I might. I don't know yet." With that, he shut his locker, pulling his cap down over his face, and left the club room.
After a while, the others began to return to reality, to recover from the shock, and Kikumaru Eiji burst into tears. "Nya, how can he leave us? He says he's bored, does he really hate us so much that he doesn't care?" Kikumaru clung to his friend's neck, sobbing into Oishi's chest.
"How could he!" Momo exclaimed, slamming his locker shut in irritation. Kaidou let out a hiss in agreement.
"…" Inui was silent, choosing not to reveal how likely his data said this was.
Fuji walked over to Tezuka and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He'll do well in the US, at least." He said with his usual grin, though there were some clear signs of sorrow underneath them. Taka nodded with him, not even bothering to hide the stream of tears that ran down his cheeks.
--
When Kikumaru Eiji arrived at practice the next morning, he looked dead on his feet. The normally hyper sempai made no effort to do anything and blinked tiredly at anyone who inquired his state. Oishi followed his friend, full of worry, but Eiji kept insisting that he was only tired from lack of sleep. Oishi didn't need the words to know he'd stayed up crying over their precious kohai.
Eiji wasn't the only one that was bent out of shape over the whole deal. Every regular member showed signs of wear, even the Tensai, whose mask cracked, even just a little, and the stoic captain, whose lips had taken a serious downturn. It was obvious that the boy's decision had hit them hard, but no one voiced their discomfort as they waited for the prodigy to arrive. Their wishes were never granted as Ryuzaki-sensei walked up to them, her face a mask of sorrow, and informed them of the news.
"Echizen's gone." She barely whispered it, but the court was so quiet, they could hear every word. "He left for America this morning, without even saying goodbye."
After that, there was silence for a long while, no one even making the slightest move to practice, until Momoshiro slammed his fist into the wall, grounding his teeth together and ignoring the tears flowing down his face. 'How could he?' Momo screamed to himself, 'Why didn't he tell us? Weren't we his friends? Does he even care?' Each thought coursed through him, jolting him with a cold stab to the heart. The boy was supposed to be his friend, his best friend…so why? Why had he left?
Practice was ended early for the day, and everyone moved through their routines in a robotic-like motion. Even one's who never expressed their emotions had a noticeable lack in feeling. It was like a void had been left behind, chilling them all to the bone. It attacked them and hurt them and sucked them into its vortex, haunting them with concern and worry, and that ever present doubt. Had the boy ever really liked them if he was able to leave that easily?
--
In the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Ryoma let out a sigh as he breathed the open air again. Ugh, being cooped up in an enclosed space like that was trying and ever so wearisome. Now, all he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep and forget what he had done. Sleep and be free of the guilt that haunted him, the thoughts that followed him all the way from Japan. Yep, he really needed to sleep.
--
Don't get too mad with Ryoma yet. There may be more behind his departure than just boredom.
Please review and tell me what you think.