Just Hours Before, She's Stood Before Him.
The One She'd Painstakingly Tried To Crush, As To Nurse Him From His Sadness.
Endrance.
He Looked Bored With Her, A Glare Of Unfeigned Indifference On His Radiant Face.
She Adored That Face.
Deep, Soulful Eyes That Brimmed With Some Unspoken Pain,
Thin, Elegant Lips That Hinted At His Refined Nature.
Long, Flowing Hair That Gracefully Accentuated His Flamboyant Looks.
"Did You Need Something, Saku?"
She Smiled; Just Hearing His Voice Rise And Fall Over Each Syllable Was A Pleasure.
She Took A Deep Breath In Preparation.
"Master En!" She Cheered, The More-Girlish Side Of Her Showing.
"I Love You!"
It Seemed Like Such A Comical Gesture, Now That She Thought About It.
Just To Lay It Out There, So Blunt?
Why Hadn't She Given More Thought To This Kind Of Thing?
The Man's Piercing Stare Stayed Unmoved,
"Saku," Endrance Said Softly,
"My Heart Belongs To Haseo, Can't You See?"
The Words Were Medicine.
Like Some Revolting Concoction She Couldn't Bare To Swallow.
She Didn't Want To Face Him.
She Wouldn't Give Him The Satisfaction Of Seeing Her Cry,
She Wouldn't Give That Right To Anyone.
She Left The Field.
She Hadn't Really Planned To Run Into Him, In Town.
In Fact, It Was More Or Less A Mad-Dash To Get Out Of This World.
Haseo, The Man Who Stole Endrance's Heart From The Beginning.
He Stepped Closer To Her, Like There Wasn't An Air Of Tension Between Them,
Like She Didn't Have The Ability To Ruin Him Without A Second Glance.
She Could Feel Herself Knot Around That Cold Reality That Endrance Had Spoken To Her.
"Saku."
Her Name Sounded So Much More Like A Question In Disbelief.
"Lay Off." She Said, Her Voice Cracking Under The Exhaustion Of Her Previous Feelings.
Haseo Looked Taken Back, Was He Stupid Enough To Think Everything Was Fine Now?
"What?" He Asked.
"Just Go Away, Or I'll Tell Everyone!" She Cried, Waving Her Only Tool Around In Blind Exasperation.
"Saku, Just Talk To Me."
She Barred Down At Him, Holding Her Threat Like A Cornerstone.
"No!"
A Group Of Glancing Bystanders Seemed To Gaze By, Leaving,
While A Couple Of Other Spectators Began To Crowd Around The Two.
Saku Wiped Her Welling Eyes With A Sleeve.
"I Should Leave," She Said, Finding Up A Bigger Threat,
"I Should Make Bo Forget Me."
Haseo Started Towards Her, Making Small Baby-Steps To Her Side.
"...Make Them Leave." She Quietly Begged, Addressing The Growing Crowd.
Haseo Took A Breath To Call Out To The Crowd, But Saku Had Beat Him To The Punch.
"Get Away!" She Screamed, The Group Thinning Out With Disgruntled Gossip And A Murmur Of Discontent.
They Were Alone Now, Saku's Breath Was Coming Back In Sharp Gasps.
Haseo Looked At Her.
She Was As Broken As Him, On The Verge Of Tears, And Very Clearly Angry.
"Saku, Please-"
"-What?" She Snapped, Cutting Him Off Before He Could Speak.
Haseo Sighed, And Laid An Arm Gently Against Her Shoulder
In A Pitiful Replica Of A Soothing Gesture, That Probably Would Have Pacified A Sobbing Bo.
"Why Would You Want To Leave, Again?"
Saku Folded Her Arms, And Hugged Them As Tightly As She Could Against Herself,
Her Body Almost Trying To Exhaust Itself In Order To Free Itself From Sadness In Sleep.
"Just Like Before. No One Would Miss Me."
Haseo Shook His Head Angrily,
"That's Not True, I'd Miss You."
With His Free Hand, He Tried To Brush Her Hair From Her Face.
She Batted His Hand Away, Like A Queen Offended With A Meager Offering.
"I Love You, Still, Saku." The Boy Asserted, Quietly.
The Young Girl Stopped Long Enough To Catch Her Breath,
Then Flashed An Odd Look Of Disbelief, And Spite Upwards.
"Do You Think I Want To Love You, Haseo?" She Questioned, Her Voice Growing With Each Syllable.
"Bo's Probably Told You. He's So Loud." She Grated Miserably.
"But, After You Take Everything?"
"You Take All The Recognition, And All The Fame,"
She Paused To Catch Her Breath Again,
"And All The People, Like Bo, And Endrance."
For The Second Time Ever, Haseo Had Seen Her Cry.
A Single, Fat Tear Rolled Down The Side Of Her Face.
"What's Left For Me?"
Haseo Hid His Astonishment.
Saku Loved Him.
Saku Loved Him.
Bo Wasn't Just Trying To Raise His Spirits.
Haseo Knelt Down, And Gently Kissed The Spot Where The Tear Had Come To Rest.
"I'm Sorry."
The Girl Waited For Him To Move, Before Smearing Away The Kiss And The Tear With The Back Of Her Hand.
"Yeah? Well It's A Little Late."
Haseo Smiled Sadly.
Something About That Slangish Way She Talked Still Seemed So Catching.
The Girl Looked Up Angrily.
"You're Not Taking Me Seriously, Are You?"
Haseo Gently Rested His Forehead Against Her Shoulder,
He Would Have To Make Sure To Not Make Anymore Of Those Self-Directed Gestures.
"Of Course I Am." He Whispered.
"I Could Still Make Everybody Hate You."
She Whispered Still Clinging Helplessly To Her Threat.
The Boy Stay There On His Knees, And Gently Caressed Her Back, To Soothe Her.
"Doesn't Matter."
She Was Taken Back, Like A Killer Too Afraid To Pull The Trigger.
How Could He Say That?
He Must Be Lying.
If She Could Have Pulled Him This Far, There Was No Way It Didn't Matter.
But, There Was Something About All This,
The Fact That He Was On His Knees, In Front Of A City Of Still-Glancing People,
Holding Her, And Comforting Her That Made Her Weapon Useless.
She Looked Up Into His Eyes, To See That Same Look That Endrance Had Had.
A Deep Gaze Of Fatigue And Sadness. A Wistful Smile Of Lost Sleep, And Worry.
Had She Caused All Of This?
He Gently Kissed The Side Of Her Cheek Again.
"People Are Looking," She Whispered.
"Let Them," He Said, The Warmth Of His Breath Let Her Know He Was Smiling.
"And Just Because You Love Me, Doesn't Mean I Love You." She Said.
"I Believe You Sort Of Already Said You Did," He Said.
She Hadn't Stopped To Think That She'd Let That Slip.
He Never Was Bad, In The First Place. Just So Unknowingly Selfish.
But She Needed To Have Someone To Protect, She Needed A Reason For Being Here.
She Didn't Need Someone To Protect Her, She Could Do That Alone.
"I Don't Have Anyone To Protect," She Admitted, Miserably Stained In Doubt.
"Protect Me."
