"Natsuki! No fair!
Natsuki pulled her lower lid down, sticking
her tounge out at Shinji. "Tough, little guy, I'm faster than you!
Be-DA!" She continued to run down the street ahead of him, till she
ran headlong into someone who she knew all too well. "Ack!
T-t-t-TOKI!" She collided with him, unable to stop and they both
spilled across the ground.
"Natsuki, are you okay?!" Shinji
asked, skidding to a halt beside her. He reached down to help her
up, but his hands were slapped away. Internally, he winced.
"Toki, gomen, I didn't see you..."
Natsuki said, brushing off her skirt.
Toki smiled charmingly and scooped up her
hand. "No need to apologize, Natsuki, running into you is always
a pleasure..." He planted a kiss on her hand and saw Shinji cringe
in anger.
"Get your hands off her you slimy..."
He started, then saw Natsuki wearing an odd expression. He flinched.
"..."
"Shin-chan, be nice." Natsuki said,
smiling back up at Toki, rather embarassed by the fuss he always made over
her. Especially in front of Shinji. She flushed awkwardly.
Aw, crap...Shinji...
Shinji backed away slightly, seeing the
blush. "I...Thanks for the race, Natsuki..." He said softly.
"I guess I'll see ya when you're done with...Toki." He turned, heading
back to their home. Unconsiously, he hugged himself, his eyes hurt.
He'd grown up with Natsuki. It hurt to see her with Toki, even if
he'd grown up down the street. She'd been his neighbor. Their
parents were best friends. Harshly, he shook himself. That's
all they were. Friends. Why the hell should she love him?
Love?
The word echoed in his mind chaotically.
He covered his mouth, stopping as the realization hit him. I'm
in love with her...? He swallowed painfully, his eyes wide.
He was already 18. He'd never
had a girlfriend, because he didn't want one, but now he realized the real
reason. He was in love with his best friend. The one person
he'd been with since childhood. The one person he'd stood beside
through everything.
His hands clenched into fists. She
must like that creep, Toki. He winced internally. With
a soft catch in his breath, he ran towards the mansion at his top speed.
Damn her...damn HIMSELF! He took the stairs two at a time
and slipped into his apartment, which Maron, his mother's best friend and
Natsuki's daughter, had given to him as a birthday gift. Harshly,
he slammed the door and leaned back against it. He put his hand to
his forehead and slid down the wall, his body shaking. Something
warm and wet made tracks down his face and he lifted his face quickly.
Slowly, he lifted his hand to his face
and lifted a tear with his finger. "Tears...?" He asked softly,
his voice slightly muted with despair, longing, pain. "What am I
crying for...she's just a girl..." He looked away sharply, then shook
his head. She's not just a girl...He corrected himself.
She's...
"Natsuki..." He whispered, his head
dropping to his cradling arms as he finally let his breath shudder in and
out of him in ragged sobs.
-------------------------
Maron knocked on the door to Access's,
oops! Shinji's new home and opened the door, peeking in, smiling.
"Shinji-chan? I brought you some gratin!"
There was no answer. Slowly, she
slipped into the apartment and reached for the light switch. "Shinji...?"
Still no answer.
She flipped the switch and gasped at the
sight. The room was in shambles. There were pillows tossed
everywhere, the futon was laying at an obscure angle with the sheets torn
off of it, cushions and such were laying in places they did not belong,
as if thrown there in anger. "Shinji-chan...?"
In the middle of it all, he knelt, his
face blank, his eyes spilling forth tears for god only knows what reason.
His clothing was ripped, his hair in disarray.
She walked towards him slowly, setting
the food down on the counter. "Shinji...?"
He didn't respond.
A worried look passed over her face and
she disappeared out of the room. She hurried back to her own apartment
and leaned against the door, her face weary with worry. "Chiaki,
where's Natsuki?" She asked, her voice rather tense.
"She's in her room, last time I checked..."
He said, uncertainly. "Is something wrong?" He approached her,
putting his hands on her shoulders.
"It's Shinji..." She said shakily.
"His apartment's a mess, and he wasn't responding when I said his name."
Chiaki guided her to a chair and sat her
down. "I'll send her over to see him. She should be able to
snap him outta whatever slump he's in." He grinned confidently, and
it made her feel moderately better. When he turned away from her,
he saw Natsuki standing in the doorway of her room, wearing a worried expression.
"Something's wrong with Shin-chan...?"
She asked, her eyes bright with worry. She rushed towards the door.
They didn't stop her. She went next door and pushed open the door
to his apartment. Her breath caught. "Oh, Shin-chan...what's
happened to you..." She whispered, going towards him.
He flinched at the sound of her voice.
Deep down, she hoped that was a good sign.
She closed the door and walked over towards him, her hands raising to touch
his shoulders. At the contact, he tore himself away from her, falling
to the ground.
Her eyes widened in shock. "S-shin-chan...It's
me...Natsuki..."
He stared past her, his eyes blank, tears
still rolling down his cheeks.
Gently, she helped him sit and embraced
him, stroaking his hair. "Tell me what's wrong...it's okay, you can
tell me anything, Shin-chan..." She felt him sobbing harshly and
stroaked his hair gently.
But all he could do, was let her embrace
him...
And cry...
To be continued.........
When Time Runs Short
By: DemonSaya