Nai and shopping

A/N: Many many thanks to my new beta reader, TigerCritic who has been following this fic for a while now and has given me some good suggestions and helped me to improve. Much love to her and all my readers. Just don't forget to leave a review. Peace out

"That will be 620 yen."

"Thanks" I told the butcher as I paid him.

"Hey how's your friend doing?"

I didn't answer.

He continued. "You know, the girl who comes with you to the shopping district on weekends."

Could people stop asking me about her?

"Yeah I don't know where the hell she is. She just disappeared off the face of the earth."

Of course I didn't tell him this but I had every urge to do so whenever someone had asked me about Elma's whereabouts.

I smiled nervously and picked up my bags. "She's just busy. See you later!" I left his shop immediately.

I was getting tired of having to lie to people about Elma's whereabouts. I just couldn't tell them I don't know where she is because apparently everyone had noticed how close we had become.

"She's busy" I would say or "She's gone to visit her family" I tried to avoid any mention of her at all costs.

The amount of people who asked me about her was surprising. I didn't know she was that popular.

Maybe there's a lot I don't know about her.

Do I even know her? Like, really know her?

Maybe that's why I didn't deserve her. She's probably in someone else's arms who knows more about her and understands her better. Something I probably wasn't very good at.

And it's not like Elma was talkative or a social butterfly. She was the opposite actually. Although she was a confident individual, she could be shy at times. She was never uncomfortable being by herself but she also wasn't antisocial. Her complex personality is one thing I loved about her.

I wondered if half the people who had asked me for her would ask about me if I had gone AWOL.

The least she could have done, was tell me truthfully. That's one of the things I did not like about her- her own denial. I knew she was not fully honest with herself yet I accepted her for who she was.

So where did I go wrong?

As I pondered on these thoughts I passed a familiar teppanyaki food stall. I noticed a lady with short black hair and purple highlights, standing in a crowd at the stall. I found myself forcing my way through the crowd, to the annoyance of some people.

No way. Is that… Could that be…? But why would she…?

"Elma?" I touched her shoulder and she spun around.

"Who?"

To my ultimate embarrassment and disappointment, it wasn't Elma.

The woman glared at me.

"Sorry, wrong person" I said and hurried through the crowd of people to my apartment.

The shopping district was busy on Saturdays since many people didn't have work. However it was compulsory for all employees at my company to work half day on Saturdays. So on Saturdays after work, Elma and I would normally do the grocery shopping together.

As I exited the gates of the crowded market, I noticed another female with short black hair and purple highlights entering the market but I didn't get to see her face because she was surrounded by a crowd of people who were also entering the market. I barely made out the back of her head.

Am I going completely nuts? Was her very existence a part of my imagination? Am I in some nightmare that I can't wake up from?

Why am I seeing her everywhere I go? What the hell, Nayura? Get yourself in order, girl.

Elma is gone and never coming back. Elma is gone and never coming back. Elma's gone…

I continued this mantra as I walked to the apartment building.

I wonder where she is. Wait what the hell? Why do you even care where she is? She doesn't care about you. You're thinking about her but is she thinking about you?

Has she returned to her real home?

Has something bad happened to her?

Wait, no! Shut up brain! Stop thinking about her for peace sake.

But I couldn't.

Upon entering my apartment, I dropped every single bag on the floor which I had held. I reached for the chocolate fudge ice cream in the fridge. It still contained her blue spoon. I turned on the television to the anime channel. Some reruns of "Azumanga Daioh" were on. I rapidly ate the ice cream from the container and sang along to the opening song of 'Azumanga' but the ice cream wasn't the only thing I had tasted. The sweetness of the ice cream combined with my salty tears had reminded me of the taste of her mouth.

And for the first time in a long time, I cried alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Song: Alan Walker's "Faded"

You were the shadow to my light

Did you feel us?

Another star, you fade away

Afraid our aim is out of sight

Wanna see us alight

Where are you now?

Where are you now?

Was it all in my fantasy?

Where are you now?

Were you only imaginary?

Where are you now?

Atlantis, under the sea

Under the sea

Where are you now?

Another dream

The monster's running wild inside of me

I'm faded

I'm faded

So lost, I'm faded

I DO NOT OWN THE SONG