Chapter 42: Ignorant Goodbye
Earth: July 19, 2014; 9:12 AM; Airport
"Thanks for coming out here with me." Vince grunted in thanks to Raph as the two of them dumped the last of his luggage bags onto a pile on a cart. They let out a great big sigh and leaned onto the massive assortment of bags.
"…you're really going." Raph muttered, his tone as if still in half-disbelief. "It feels really weird when I think that it's really happening."
"Yeah." Vince replied, sighing with a bitter smile on his lips. "I know what you mean. I had this strange feeling for a while. That somehow, you guys would find some way to stop me from going."
Raph laughed. "This isn't a TV drama."
"I know." Vince looked down at the pile of luggage solemnly, running his fingers over it. He shot another glance back at the car that was being parked by his parents, and then he shot another look at Raph. "…thanks for coming here with me."
"No problem." Raph replied, and then he narrowed his eyebrows. "But…you sure you didn't want the others to come here? I mean…"
"Well, it's not like I can do anything about it now." Vince replied, his laugh sounding even bitterer than he sounded earlier. "My flight's gone in an hour."
"…you really don't know when you'll be back?"
"…I might not. I dunno. College is the earliest I might be able to manage, but…"
"You didn't even want to say goodbye or anything to the others?"
"I don't wanna make it so dramatic, man. Besides, there's always Skype and shit."
The silence was heavy and more than a little awkward, with Vince having averted his gaze to the concrete of the sidewalk as if his very eyeballs had been anchored with steel chains. Raph felt the oppressive atmosphere weighing on his mind like a truck full of iron bars, but he knew he couldn't say much to help his friend.
Raph simply wasn't the kind of person who was good at this kind of stuff. And the others, who would be better, weren't there to assist him in any way.
The sound of a van driving up nearby them didn't stir them at all, and the two didn't say anything as the air got harder and harder to break. Raph felt his throat eat up all the words he could say, as if Pac-Man were gobbling his uvula up.
The sound of the unknown van's door being slammed open didn't motivate Raph to do anything, either.
But suddenly, he felt the air around him change. As if the awkward, depressing atmosphere had been lifted if only a little bit.
Sure enough, when Raph dared a glance behind him, he couldn't help but let laughter begin to leak out of his throat. "You just might be surprised." Raph wheezed out as he tried to catch his breath. "Skype can't do stuff like this."
"What are you-?" As Vince was about to ask him what the matter was, he saw what Raph had just seen and widened his eyes in shocked reply.
Everyone was there, grinning.
"Yo." Grape said, walking up to Vince and bumping his fist against Vince's shoulder with a grin. "We set up an ambush."
"Hey, man." Matt greeted Vince with a smile, nodding in his direction as he waked over to Vince and high-fived the still-stunned boy.
Vince, however, wasn't sure what kind of sense to make of his situation as the rest of the guys and girls surrounded him with grins and smiles all around.
"Trying to leave without a proper goodbye?! No fair, Vince!" Himawari complained immediately, smacking Vince on his arm. "I'll accuse you of attempting to walk in with explosives if you try it!"
"Hey, hey! That's not a joke!" Vince replied worriedly, trying to hush the lilac-haired ditz.
"We all came to see you." Sakuya replied, smiling gently and placing her hand on Vince's shoulder. "It wouldn't be fair, especially after having you put up with us for this long."
"At least let us say goodbye or something, man." Kyle added, grinning to the brim and patting Vince on the back roughly. "You don't get to make a quiet, cool boy exit with us."
"…you guys are awesome." Vince replied, and everyone almost gasped when they saw his eyes reddening.
"Whoa, whoa! No crying allowed here!" Ayase said, grabbing a Kleenex from Shino's bag after quickly unzipping it and smashing it into Vince's face. She crossed her arms afterwards and turned away. "I'm a sympathetic crier, so I'll kill you if you do anything to make me cry!"
"…thanks, guys." Vince said, his voice filled to the brim with emotion. He sniffed once and blinked the tiny tears out of his eyes. "…I'll be sure to come back, guys." He said, nodding to everyone once.
"Just remember, bud." Grape said, slinging his arm around Vince's shoulder and grinning. "We always have Skype."
"Gotcha." Vince shot back, and the two bumped fists. He looked up, and he realized that his parents and his little sister had already taken the luggage without his noticing them, and they were all standing at the entrance to the airport and waiting for him. "Oh, crap. Uh…"
"We got it, we got it." Raph laughed, smacking him on the back forcefully enough to send him forward a few steps. "C'mon, get outta here. The last thing we need is to have you bawling on the street in front of the airport."
Vince just smiled again, and he nodded before jogging over to his family. After a final wave of goodbye, he and his folks pushed the revolving doors open and disappeared behind them.
It took a while, with everyone standing there, before the airplane actually took off. But everyone watched it fly up into the sky and vanish behind the clouds, without another trace.
"So, on that note, let's get back to patrol!" Himawari suddenly cried, breaking the tension like a taekwondo expert would break wood. She immediately began marching towards the car merrily, as if nothing had happened. "C'mon, let's go! We got baddies to find and beat up!"
"Calm down, or you'll disturb the citizens here." Ayase groaned, grabbing the Planeptune CPU by the head and steering her in the direction of the car. With a heave of strength that rendered everyone speechless, Ayase lifted Himawari with her hands and then tossed her into the car.
"…that reminds me, I'm hungry." Sakuya blurted out loud, glancing at everyone else as if expecting an answer.
"I didn't want to say it, but I am hungry." Yuki agreed, a slight hint of embarrassment in her voice as she nodded. "Where should we go?"
"Oh, there's a great place that we passed by on the way here." Javy remarked, pointing down the road they came from. "If we double back, we'll get there."
"Yay! I want food!" Shiina cheered, running for the van and leaping in as well. Shino immediately followed behind her sister, hopping adorably into the passenger seats.
For a very brief while, the rest of the guy just stood there in disbelief.
"…seriously?" Matt wondered out loud.
"So much for an emotional goodbye." Kyle grinned, laughing.
"The moment is gone." Raph continued, laughing as well.
"Not like I'd expect any less from you guys." Grape muttered, shrugging with a smile still on his face as he began walking towards the van. "Hey!" He immediately began waving and talking to Sakuya and Yuki. "The restaurant you guys are going on about? It's in a mall close by! I can give you my personal recommendation: that one eatery is five stars!"
You have no room to talk, Grape. The three guys all thought to themselves, staring at him as he went back into full swing.
"In fact, shouldn't he be the one depressed?" Kyle remarked, laughing. "His childhood best friend just left, and he has no idea when he'll be coming back."
"I dunno, man." Raph sighed, unsure of how to feel about the whole thing. "I just hope Vince never hears about what happened here."
"Yeah, I'd feel bad if he knew." Matt agreed, laughing apprehensively as if he were unsure if it was safe to do so.
We will never let him know.
The three had that silent agreement, looking at one another.
For the benefit of their friend.
Earth: August 5, 2014; 10:51 AM; Visionary School
"You know…I think the girls don't even need our help anymore." Javy blurted out, flipping a coin idly for no reason besides keeping himself occupied.
"They're straight out of a video game world." Raph replied, shrugging. "I'm not surprised that they're so popular with everyone."
Matt nodded in silent agreement.
The three of them were sitting in the school's cafeteria, which was outside. Around them, their other classmates were eating their food.
It was lunch break after all. The trio had already finished their food, leaving them nothing to do and no one to talk to except for each other.
"I heard they're called the Fabulous Eight." Matt muttered, unsure of whether or not to laugh at what he just said or to remain indifferent. "I think they even have a fanclub."
"Well, at least they're having fun." Raph replied, shrugging.
"Yeah, I guess." Javy agreed, nodding nonchalantly. "They can hang out with whoever they want. I mean, take me for example. I don't hang out with you guys all the time."
"Even though you're telling me this, I know you think differently." Raph shot back. "Something like why aren't they hanging out with us anymore?! and we're their guides, aren't we?!"
"The only things they need help with is when they find something about Earth they don't know." Javy replied, looking up as he spoke. He faced the ceiling for absolutely no reason at all, avoiding Raph's gaze.
"Really, now?" Matt asked, his prying voice carrying a hint of mocking.
"Yes, really." Javy replied curtly, not even looking at Matt as he shot back those words.
Matt grew a wickedly mischievous grin, inching away from Javy as if preparing himself. "Says the guy who was cozying up with one of 'em on the bus."
Javy shot him a glowering glare, to which Matt just laughed and ducked to hide from. "I didn't do anything! I just woke up and she was on top of-"
"Shush!" Raph hushed him, grabbing another coin out of his wallet and throwing it at Javy. "Want someone to hear you?!" He then cast his own accusing gaze at Matt. "And you! You have no room to talk when you were out by the pool! Do you know how many people were talking about you since then?!"
"Shut it!" Matt, blushing at the recollection of the moment, stood up and retorted to Raph.
Meanwhile, the girls were all chatting with their classmates. Surrounded on all sides with people they've only known for a shot while and chatting about idle things, homework and gossip, they felt guilt clouding their chests even though they returned conversation flawlessly with heart stealing smiles and giggles.
They weren't interested in the conversations at all, but they were forced to return words as if they were.
"That book you recommended was great, Yuki!" One female classmate, handing over a book to the Lowee CPU, said with great enjoyment. "I loved it!"
"Is that so?" Yuki, forcing her smile, took the book with a nod.
"Did you see the episode last night?" Another girl, sitting in between Himawari and Sakura, asked the Planeptune CPU in between bites of her own lunch.
"Nah, I was watching another channel." Himawari replied sheepishly, laughing. "Sorry, sorry."
But the girls could tell. Her laugh, Neptune's laugh, was forced.
And it wasn't a sound they were familiar with, nor one they liked to hear.
As they continued to eat, they were over-aware of the boys that were sitting together at the table a measly three meters away from them. But encaged as they were in a barrier of other people, the CPUs and their sisters could do little to speak with Raph, Matt and Javy.
The sound of the boys standing up and pushing aside their chairs sounded so loud and imposing that they blinked in surprise. The sound of the plastic of the chairs' legs scraping against the ground sounded heavy, as if the very noise had thrown stones into their hearts.
They watched reluctantly as the boys left the cafeteria. Then Himawari, Ayase, Yuki and Sakuya stood from their chairs one by one. Sakura and the others, also having noticed the absence of the Guides, took the cue and stood up as well.
"Oh, is lunch over?" One of their classmates, another girl, asked as she glanced at the clock. She began packing up her half-finished lunchbox. "I'll follow you inside-"
"No, it's okay." Sakura politely refused, shaking her head as she rushed over to her sister's side. "There's still time left for you to eat. I just need to head inside with my sister and take care of something."
"Uh…sure."
"I had the feeling you were here." Raph said as he walked over to a circular table where one person sat with his laptop on. The sound of his fingers tapping away on the keyboard at the same speed one would play a Hard level of Tap Tap Revenge occupied the otherwise silent space that he sat alone at.
Grape shrugged, glancing once at Raph and the others behind him and smiling in greeting before returning his gaze back to the screen in front of him.
"I always eat lunch at snack time, so it's not like I'm anywhere else at this point in time." Grape replied, grabbing his jug of iced tea and glugging a mouthful. He plonked the jug down onto the table next to his computer and resumed typing.
The three boys then sat down in various spots around the table, sighing as they did.
"…what are you doing, anyway?" Matt asked, focusing on the laptop. "We don't have much work to do right now, so…"
"Histoire wanted a report from us at some point, remember?" Grape replied, not looking up from his laptop. "I'm just taking care of that."
"Oh, that reminds me." Javy suddenly said, looking at Raph and Matt. "They're gonna head back to their world soon, right? Some sort of monthly switch to…what was it, Hyperdimension?"
"Yeah." Raph nodded.
"Should we be talking about this right now?" Matt asked worriedly, throwing his concerned gaze about the whole room. He watched out for nearby students and teachers, and then resumed speaking in a much quieter voice. "We're in school."
"Not like they'll care." Raph replied, gesturing to the scarce but still present teachers meters away. "They're obviously going to think that we're just talking about a game."
"Well…is that true or false?" Grape asked, still focused on his laptop. "That's debatable at this point."
"Hey, guys."
Matt and Javy turned around to see the eight girls standing behind them, looking strangely nervous and eager.
"Hey, guys." Ayase greeted, stepping forward and leaning on the table between Javy and Raph. She flashed a smile at Raph. "What are you guys up to?"
"Just resting." Raph groaned drowsily, stretching his arm up to the sky and leaning so far back his chair looked like it was going to fall backwards. "I hate this time of the day."
"He's just typing." Matt added, slumping over the table and pointing at Grape who sat opposite him.
"It's been a while since we've chatted here in school." Yuki commented, smiling bitterly. Her tone carried it as well.
"Yes, it has." Grape replied, returning the bitter smile with his own sad one.
Silence settled in to fill the gap of conversation that appeared then, a weight heavy that no one dared to break. Grape and Himawari, the only ones who would dare to break it in the way they normally would, did not; the former due to being occupied and the latter too lost in her thoughts to think about it.
"…we're heading back to Hyperdimension in a few days."
That's the first thing you say after the silence? Grape thought sharply to himself, glancing at Sakuya.
"Y-yeah." Javy replied, faintly noting the strange atmosphere that was hanging in the air. "We were just talking about th-"
"Hey, Yuki! Ayase!" Girls' voices cried out as the door that led to the cafeteria swung open. "You left your lunchboxes back there! Here, we brought them!"
"Hey, Raph. Matt. Javy." The three turned to see their science teacher with an armful of experiment materials in her arms. She then gestured with her head back in the direction of where she'd come from. "Can you get the other materials that are still on my table?" She then looked at Grape. "And Grape, could you call the other third years while the fourth years gather in the experiment room?"
"No problem." Grape replied while the other three rushed out of the room. He quickly took his bag and strapped it onto his body, and then stood up while still typing with his laptop with one hand. He then began walking forward, somehow managing to go around the table and leave with his eyes still on the display.
And with that, the CPUS were left with their classmates again.
"Hey, Science will start soon! Come on, guys!" The girls cried out, rushing past the CPUs and the Candidates hurriedly.
"…sure thing."
As they began walking, Himawari leaped forward. "We haven't talked with the guys in a while, have we?"
"…yeah. We haven't." Yuki replied, her voice quiet and strangely cold.
Earth: August 5, 2014; 8:16 PM; Raph's House
"Jeez, why are they giving us this much homework?" Raph groaned to himself, looking up from his work.
He was sitting at a desk, surrounded by a pile of books, mountains of papers and his laptop. With various kinds of work like reports, essays and research around him, it would suffice to assume he looked like he was not enjoying his life.
He shook his head and leaned forward, engrossing himself in his work and focusing.
And a few inches away, the eight girls once again stood and watched from afar. They took care not to disturb him unintentionally, though they now watched him with apprehensive, torn eyes.
"…hey, Raph." Sakura called out, taking a step forward.
No response.
Sakura clenched her fist and took a step back, casting her gaze to the ground. He's…he is ignoring us after all.
After all this time, they've lost interest in us.
Shino and Shiina clung onto each other's hands as their big sister took the next step forward. Yuki narrowed her eyes as she looked at Raph's back as he wrote, typed and clicked away.
"…we're heading to Hyperdimension tomorrow, Raph. Tell everyone at school that excuse we told you about, okay?"
"Alright." Raph's voice, blank and monotone as he continued to work, spoke out.
Silence again.
Ayase took the next step forward, clenching her fist silently. "We won't be back for a good while, Raph."
And still he did not speak a word.
The silence felt terrible. Like a snake crawling down their backs and ice cubes dropping into their souls. The aura in the room was oppressive, unbearable and downright unpleasant.
"…Raph, we're leaving." Yuki, growing more and more upset by the second.
"Oh, sure."
Raph's deadpan, uncaring response only made Yuki grit her teeth. Without another word and clenched fists like she was going to make herself bleed, she stormed out of the room. The others followed her, silence hanging over their heads and zipping their lips.
The sound of the door slamming forced Raph to look up and remove the earphones from his ears.
…I thought I heard someone talking…
Dismissing it, he returned the earphones to his ears.
"Something wrong, Raph?" Grape's voice came in through the earphone's speakers. "Is your internet terrible like usual?"
"It already is." Raph replied. "No, that's not it. I just thought I heard someone talking."
"Is the house haunted or something?" Grape joked, and Raph could hear the young man laughing over the speakers. "I may have a third eye, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any over there."
"Nah, that's not it." Vince's reply over the Skype call was one that came in through laughter.
"Yeah, probably just nothing." Raph agreed, chuckling dully as he returned to his work.
Earth: August 6, 2014; 5:18 AM; Raph's House
"Hey, guys!" Raph knocked on the door of the CPUs' room for the nth time, his thumping so loud it sounded like he was trying to break it in half. "Come on, it's time to leave! We're gonna be late!"
No response.
…it's already been fifteen minutes.
A little frustrated, Raph quickly swiped a key and unlocked the door.
He felt his eyes widen when he was greeted with an empty room. Walking inside the bedroom, he noticed a piece of white paper on the bed.
Picking it up, he saw familiar handwriting on it.
Went back to Gamindustri already. We'll be back in three days. See you then. – Nepgear
"Oh, they went back." Raph muttered, pocketing the note and walking back out of the room. "Weird."
"When did they leave? They didn't say anything."
