Chapter 25

Tsukasa

I run to the park, panting for breath, not caring how ridiculous I look. Considering I'm not a very fast runner, I think I've done OK. I don't know how Konata's getting here, but hopefully, she won't be as out of breath as I am. Konata's a good runner, so if she's getting here by foot then she'll be fine.

I sit on the nearest bench, staring at the few flowers that have survived. All of them looked wilted and hardly able to stand. In fact, half of them are lay on the ground, the wind whipping off their petals. It's a shame really. I am suddenly snapped out of my thought as I hear a faint whirring. I look up to see Konata, her long blue hair soaring behind her as she cycles. I didn't even realise Konata owns a bike - let alone rides it. But that's not important now. That's small potatoes at right now.

As she reaches my bench, Konata swings one of her legs on the other side of the bicycle before sliding off. She leans the bike on one side of the bench, propping it up against the side. She sits down beside me and smiles faintly.

"Hi Tsukasa…..What did you want, I mean, I wasn't expecting….." She trails off and smiles at me nervously, which I find unusual. Konata is usually so laid back, seeing her look nervous, is a whole new thing.

"Konata…" Where do I start? "I found some emails…on my sisters account.."

She gives me a look of surprise. A look that say everything. How did you get in to Kagami's email? Why would you do that? What do I say now? How can I explain this?

She suddenly takes an interest to her fingers, staring at them as she clasps them together. I see a slight blush take place on her unusually pale face.

"Well…..I…..likeyoursister." She says in a rush, a little embarrassed. I doubt that she thought about how to explain all this. Especially to me. But honestly, I myself, don't know what to say. I don't know how to feel. I've always stuck by the basics that if it's love, then it OK but….1, is this love? And 2, this isn't just any love situation, this is my sister and my best friend. The two people who I thought I shared everything with.

"How long were you two…well together..?" I ask, hoping I don't sound nosy.

"Not…very long…" She says quietly, quickly trailing off. " Just for about a day or two before she said goodbye.." She adds sadly, obviously deep in thought.

"Do you know where she went?" I ask hopefully. If they said goodbye then surely…

"No. I wish t-that I did…"

"You wanted to go with her, didn't you?" I ask quietly, already knowing the answer. Konata eyes remain on her fingers as she begins to sob quietly. I stare at her for a few seconds, not sure what to do. I've never seen Konata cry before so I have no idea about what to say. So I don't say anything. I scoot a little further across the bench - towards her - and wrap my arms round her. Finally, after a couple of long tense moments, I find the right words. Well, at least, I think that there right.

"Konata…..it's OK." So simple, yet so strong. Even though I many ways, lots of things aren't OK. It's not OK that we have no idea where Kagami is. It's not OK that Konata is crying. It's not OK that I never knew about my sister's feelings when we supposedly shared everything. But I can forgive her. OK will have to do at the moment.

"I'm sorry…" She says wiping her eyes and nose in turn, sniffing, even though she can't seem to stop the tears. I pat her shoulder comfortingly.

"Konata…it's fine…but…do you think we'll ever see her again..?"

She looks at me, her face red and unhappy after the crying. "Most definitely, I swear." She says, a look of determination in her eyes.

"Do you want to go back to your house…You know, for a chat?"

She nods, wiping her nose and standing up, picking her bike up slightly to turn it around.

I sit stiffly on Konata's bed while Konata brings in some tea. Which is good. Isn't tea supposed to clam you or something? The smell…or the taste…. I am suddenly snapped out of my thoughts as Konata enters the room with a tray.

"You OK?" I ask. We had both been completely silent as we walked to her house. The only noise was the faint tapping of my phone as I texted my parents to say where I was.

"I'm sorry for that earlier…." She says quietly, stirring her tea with a small silver spoon.

"It's fine Konata……..Your just upset….." That's completely true. Everybody's upset. We all miss Kagami. And seeing as Konata was so close to her - closer than I though anyway - then she has a right to be unhappy. To cry and wish that Kagami was still here. It's only natural.

She concentrates on stirring her drink, casually clinking the spoon against the side of the mug, staring into the deep brown liquid. She's deep in thought, which feels weird. Konata is so bubbly and seeing her like this makes my heart break.

"Konata…you know I'm always there for you right? And if you need anyone to talk to….."

She nods, acknowledging my answer. We quickly drain our tea, both of us saying nothing, just thinking.

"It's getting dark, huh?" Konata says, giving me a small smile.

I nod. "Yeah, I better go." She see's me to th door, and waves me off. Am I looking forward to going home? No.