The last piece of luggage was securely fixed and attached to the metal stroller. Compared to his fellow passengers', his baggage seemed much smaller, signifying a harried pack-up. He only had three bags and a clear portfolio anyway. To elaborate, he had a bag that was fixed in the stroller which contained some clothes that he'd possibly wear for a week or so, another that was secured at the stroller's handle which had his kojiki and his kendo fuku, a backpack settled atop his seemingly narrow shoulders which cased his personal items and finally, a portfolio clutched under his arm that protected his documents, important documents which will serve as a key to open the door to his brighter future-- to his better education.
This is the last smile that I'd fake for the sake of being with you.
His pale and seemingly delicate hands wiped the sweat from his brow as he straightened himself up from his previous crouching position. His fine blonde hair was now tossed and turned so he managed to brush it up with his free hand. As we would notice, his hair grew a lot finer compared to his hairstyle three years ago which had made him more like a perfectly delicate young boy. He now has this long-backed layered hair with some fringes gently touching the side of his tamed face. He had grown more like his mother whom he had stayed with almost his entire childhood years: prim, orderly, simply handsome… thoroughly-bred French.
An airplane sped up along the runway as it gathered force to impel itself up to the boundless skies, the five individuals observed this occurrence through the sunlight-streaming glass windows of the waiting area.
"So, here it is…" the flaxen-haired boy finally uttered to his peers as the speaker reported the departure of the first flight from Osaka to Paris… and that signifies the beginning of his voyage.
He shrugged, feeling helpless to the situation. He bent a little to retrieve the handle of his rolling luggage.
His comrades uttered nothing, looking at his form with wary eyes. One pair of eyes was different for the reason that they were due to lack of sleep. No words came out of their mouths no matter how hard they tried and no matter how strong their revolts were against his decision. No blames, no regrets, no shown heartbreaks, nothing. Everything was calm as if they were meant to be that way. They seemed to have suffocated.
"That does it…" his voice broke as he turned away, his feet carrying him to the passengers-only area.
"Excuse me, mister. Daijoubu ka?" an assistant in the package counter asked him.
He replied, "Oui… daijoubu desu." as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"The promise, minna. Remember."
"But how could we keep that promise? Tell me!" Kouya was about to bang his hands on the table, but it just ended as loud tap.
"Kuroudo really doesn't want to tell it to him, huh? I can't see the point why he wants to because he'll just know it in the end."
"I believe," Lilica entered, "that he's doing it because he doesn't want Jin to be hurt, at least this instant."
"Probably, but he hadn't said sorry to him. Won't that hurt more?"
"Just keep your mouths shut in front of Jin." Kuroudo explained to them in a raised voice. "Is that so hard to do?"
"I won't take it when he'll know it right now. Probably you should find some time… sometime when everything's all right." He reasoned out.
"I know it's hard but I just want to ease his pain." Sunlight streamed through his flaxen hair.
"There's nothing I can do, is there?" He grinned at them but still pain is reflected on his features.
"Yes, but I can see in his eyes that he wants to amend all these wrong things he had done." Someone seemed to understand the message that he contained.
"Amending? By escaping?" Kaoru interrupted the army-dressed guy. She seemed pretty annoyed about his so-called indecision.
"Maybe you're not listening to him, were you? Jirou gained his position to speak.
"Remember his line---?"
I tried like you to do everything you want me to.
"I had made Jin cry almost all the time since he knew me. I can conclude that I am the reason for his loneliness, therefore I should be banished just so he could be happy again-just so I can feel him smile although I won't be able to see him anymore." The blonde's olive-green shirt was wrinkled due to his strong clutch at its side. There, he answered Lilica's former question.
Kouya suddenly grew uneasy upon listening. For the first time in his jealousy over Kuroudo, he felt ashamed of himself, ashamed of being so selfish that he had always wanted something for himself yet won't accept any reason from the other party.
There, he most likely understood what letting go meant.
"He is so unreasonable…" Kaoru just mumbled as she fixed her seating.
"But I don't get it… he lied to Jin. I mean, he could have lied to all of us, but why didn't he tell it to Jin in particular?" Jirou frowned, concentrating on the question his curiosity pulled out from nowhere.
"I also wonder, Jirou." Lilica nodded, "He'd been hiding it all along. Remember when he first told us all about it?"
There was complete silence in the air as it time had stopped.
"You can't be serious, Kuroudo." Lilica almost dropped the cup of tea she's currently sipping. It happened at a time like now, and that news caused entire loss of appetite for all of them.
"How about us?" Kaoru, pained with the word of mouth, asked.
"I'm sorry, guys. This'll be my last fight with all of you, this coming Osaka Cup. Don't worry; we're all soulmates so I'll always be with all of you." He smiled as if the matter is nothing for him.
"Did you tell Kouya about it?" Jirou lost hold of his ginger bread.
He nodded, his blonde fringes tossing toward his face as he did. "Yes, I sent him the message on his mobile."
"How about… Jin?" Kaoru paused and stated the phrase most deliberately.
He didn't reply.
"Take care, guys. We'll never know when it will push through." was all he said as an ender.
"He did it on purpose." Kaoru managed to pick it up somehow. "Since he doesn't want him to get hurt, he didn't tell it even on the first time so it won't be obvious. What he did was a white lie"
"You have a point." Jirou complied while preparing cups of tea for all of them. It's only six-thirty in the morning and they haven't had breakfast yet. It's been one and a half hours since he left, and every minute that has passed brings them heavier burdens.
"Jirou, we're only four…" Kouya stated in a correcting tone as he pointed to the extra cup in front of a vacant table. He concluded that in one way or another, Jirou is also affected, although not directly as he was.
"It's for Jin, in case he wakes up early. But, I think it's a distant wish…" he sheepishly chuckled over his serving blunder. It's hard to admit that from then on, there'll be no more Kuroudo who'll criticize the way his tea's made.
"Darn. He's a total liar." He murmured as he stooped down the unoccupied chair.
"No, he isn't!" Kouya this time proceeded to bang his fists on the table. Everyone was caught dumbfounded as half of their teas were spilled. If Kuroudo was there, he'd surely take the initiative to change the soiled tablecloth immediately.
"He is not a liar! You don't know what pain he goes through now."
"Kouya." The tall guy grabbed Yuhya's matured brother on his wrist. The latter's heart thumped and throbbed. He felt guilty for maybe he'd found out the hideous crime he had made.
"Y-yes?" he stuttered about.
"I know you've been listening to our talk all along." Cerulean eyes stared to confront him; thus making him feel all the more guilty.
"I-I'm sorry. I am just curious on why you should have to leave all of a sudden."
"Daijoubu. Just-just don't tell anyone about it, okay?"
This moment, the thought of loathing Kuroudo with his soul crossed his mind.
"Why are you so secretive? What you're doing seems so dumb of you!"
But that question just left him struck on how considerate and concerned Kuroudo was on everyone of them.
"It's because I don't want to hurt anyone, anyone especially Jin."
"What is that we don't know?" Lilica realized the loophole he had created and decided to inquire more about it.
Kouya chopped his tongue off due to control.
"N-n-nothing…"
"That's no nothing! We heard you talk." Kaoru claimed an elaboration.
"I…I…" It's all his faulty decision for being so clumsy and talkative. Should he suffer the consequence of being stuck between his promise to the one who left and the demands of the ones who were left behind?
Just the, the door opened.
"Ohayou, minna." The guy in eyeglasses mumbled almost incoherently as he made his way to the dining table with his flip-flops. All became eerily quiet as they saw the newly-risen guy as they were in deep thinking and recall of the promise.
"What's the matter with you guys?" He looked at the wall clock. "Am I too late for breakfast?" He eyed searchingly on the table for remnants of any finished meal, but found none. He seemed to the typical him, so they grew afraid of spoiling the mood for him.
"Iie. You're pretty early." Jirou offered his amiable smile to fortify their vulnerabilities.
"Then why do you seem so… weird?" His eyes trained around the table. They really seemed to down.
"We're okay, Jin. We only had tea so there's no breakfast yet." Kouya explained in a happy-go-lucky way, another way to evade the gnawing feeling on his stomach
"Hey, where's Kuroudo? I need to say sorry about yesterday's fight."
The question they were all afraid to answer has finally come.
"He's…"
"I'd better go and check his room. I'd better wake him up for you so we can have an early breakfast." Jin beamed shortly then turned away. He began heading to the second door at the right side of the walkway. Kouya abruptly stood up and tailed Jin after three wide steps, a symbol that Jin had scurried upon going there.
"Jin!" The First World Champion's brother cried out as Jin took hold of the knob.
"Hey Kouya. What's the fuss?" Jin managed to grin at him who was then rushing just to stop him.
Suddenly, Kouya hugged him from behind, let the guy's head sink on his chest and locked his hands with the smaller boy's stubby ones that were then clutching the knob open.
"What're you doing?" Jin leaned back and saw his forehead leaning against the small of his back.
"Let go, Jin. Don't open that door." Kouya's hands traveled down to the boy's waist and held the white material of his pajama top tightly, containing his hidden feelings for him in that grasp.
"Demo… doshite? Kuroudo must be with us this morning, right? Besides, I must say sorry."
He knew he's never good in keeping secrets that's why he must break it then and there.
"Kuroudo ga soka ja arimasen." he murmured over Jin's shoulder.
"WHAT?" His voice displayed panic. With that revelation, he tried breaking free from their okashira's tight grasp but just ended up spiraling further into his being.
"Hanase, Kouya, hanase… ima da!" Their other members were there, standing far from them, looking at the guy's turmoil.
Letting go… that's the hardest phase of loving.
Knowing that hiding the truth won't do any good, he let his limbs drop by his side. Instantly, the door creaked and there, Jin's eyes widened in surprise to find the half-empty room. He rushed forth and opened Kuroudo's drawers which supposedly will contain documents and pens but found none. Instead, what it contained is his dilapidated Shooting Phantom, the gear he had made specially for him. In his subconscious, this action meant that he'll return after a long time or worse, he'll never come back. Fear enveloped him as he rushed to the corner where the blonde's kojiki lurked but found it nowhere. Tears were already welling up in his eyes due to loss of hope. Finally, he darted to his drawer and gruffly opened it. The doors flung wildly. To his surprise, all of the blonde's clothes weren't there.
"How… How could he?" He questioned. The whole Tobita club minus Kuroudo was by the door, staring at the hapless guy, the most hapless of them all. Kouya was there behind him, stooping down and tears rising up the corners of his eyes as well.
"Jin. " He ended up muttering his name, and only his name.
"How could he leave without sending me any word?" Tears broke free and committed suicide on the floor and on his pajama.
"You knew this all along… all of you knew this all along!" his voice turned brutal and stirring. He eyed other members who were the standing by the entrance.
"He told us that he doesn't want to tell it to you--"
"You're lying!" he cried out loud. "He won't do that. He promised me that he'll never leave…"
"You knew that he'll leave?" Lilica sliced in.
"But WHY? Why did he hide it all to me, to me… his best friend?" Jin appeared deformed and crumpled on the floor. He shook his head from side to side.
"He doesn't want to hurt you, Jin. Please understand." Kaoru prepared her hanky by her left hand.
"Was he expecting that I won't be hurt if he lied?" Jin's voice grew loud, such loudness they never expected to come off from him. "To tell him, I was hurt even more…"
"Jin. " Kouya bent down to Jin's level. He wanted to erase all the pain that lingers on his friend's soul, but he doesn't know how.
"Kouya… how could he?" he sunk once more to his confidant's being. That question lingered endlessly.
As for Kouya, he wanted to let Jin know how much Kuroudo cared for him but this topic should be stored, as what his intuition dictated. It's too early for him to understand everything the other party felt. As for him, he understood it very well and realized that he won't be able to surpass that level of concern.
It pushes me away.
But for now, he enjoyed Jin's pain. His arms tightened around the feeble boy's being, not minding all the others' presence.
"Cry, Jin. Cry it all out." He muttered.
In the middle of the occurrence, someone had cried not because he's one being sympathetic, but because he felt cheated and that something's being taken away from him so harshly.
Someone walked out, feeling pain that he'd never felt the past three years of them being together.
Chocolate-brown hair fluttered through the air as its owner walked away, more heartbroken and unnoticed than ever.