"You're what?" Nakatsu fairly tripped over himself in a desperate attempt to grab Mizuki. He ended up in a heap at her feet under the desk, due in part to his own clumsiness and in most to Sano's tripping him. He sat up on his elbows. "For how long? When?"
Mizuki tapped the scrollbar, skimming through more of the email. "The plane takes off Friday. It's one-way."
Nanba raised an eyebrow. "One-way? You're not coming back?" Even Sano appeared disturbed.
She shrugged. Inside Mizuki felt cold and suspicious. Was this another one of Shizuki's schemes to have her come home? Shizuki didn't like the idea of his only little sister staying in a boy's school, but she thought he'd put that argument to rest after his last visit. And why had he sent her all that technology if he was just going to pull her home? A thought struck her: maybe he had been trying to gain her favor, thinking that if he gave her so much, she'd be more willing to do as he asked and come home, and stay there.
Sighing deeply, Mizuki rubbed her temples and brushed her hair from her eyes. A headache began to beat an annoying tempo behind her eyes.
Nanba, for all he was a bothersome playboy, knew how to read people. He grabbed Nakatsu by the collar and all but dragged him to the doorway. "Lights-out is in a few minutes," he said by way of explanation over Nakatsu's loud protests. "I'll just take blondie here on home on my way to make the rounds." He waved and stepped into the hall.
"Let me go, you giant prick!" Nakatsu yelled, struggling. "I live next door, dammit, I can walk myself home!" In his fighting, he managed to kick the door closed.
Sano watched her from the bed, oddly grateful for the respite. He too sighed. "What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know." Mizuki leaned back and tilted her head so he was upside-down from her perspective. "What should I do?"
"You could not-go," he suggested with a shrug.
"But it's his wedding, and I'm supposed to be the best man. That's a very important position."
Sano scooted back so he could lean against the wall and picked up his book from the headboard. "Just because the ticket is one-way, it doesn't mean you won't be coming back," he said rationally. "It's your last year; why should they uproot you? Isn't continuity of education important in America?"
She nodded slowly. "That's true. Besides, they can't keep me there. If nothing else, I could hawk the laptop and buy a ticket home!" Now she was grinning and pumping her fists, determined.
He blinked at her, momentarily taken aback. "You think of here as home?" Hawk?
Instantly she flushed and lowered her eyes. "Well, yeah… I mean, we've lived together for three years now. How could it be anything else?"
A warm glow spread through Sano's blood, and he smiled at her, but when she glanced up, he turned his eyes and coughed a little. Standing, he ruffled her hair. "Let's go. I'm hungry."
"But Nanba said lights-out…"
Sano stopped in the doorway and turned to her. Leaning at the waist so his lips were by her ear, he whispered, "If we don't get caught, who's to know?" He winked sensuously.
Mizuki blushed and turned her face away. "Okay," she mumbled and stood, still staring determinedly away from him, but when he hair shifted, he saw she was smiling.
"It sure is pretty out here." Mizuki's eyes shifted out of focus as she stared absently at the moon. Sano handed her a can of peach juice and a bun they'd bought from the vending machines. "I've never snuck out after hours."
He nodded. The companionable silence stretched between them. In the sky the moon hazed into obscurity behind the translucent clouds. For a few moments, the twain was plunged into darkness.
From the darkness to her left came a disembodied voice she could barely identify as belonging to Sano. "Why did you come here, Mizuki?"
The question caught her off guard, and she stared at him, wondering how to answer it without giving anything away. "I wanted to see you jump," she said slowly. "I told you that when I arrived three years ago."
"Tell me the real reason." His fingers brushed hers in the darkness. "That may have been part of it, but by no means all."
She laughed, a tad too forcefully. "What would make you think that?" Her voice sounded strained, even to her own ears. Mizuki changed the subject. "Brr! It's kind of cold up here, isn't it?" Sitting up straight, she wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her knees to her chest. "Guess I shouldn't have worn shorts, huh? I don't understand, it was so warm earlier."
Silence from the darkness beside her, then a few muffled sounds. A warm cloth fell over her head and draped over her shoulders. "Don't stay up here too late." Muffled footsteps, then the door to the inside opened, casting his silhouette across the flat roof. The black shape of his shadow brushed over her toes, and then it was gone as its caster disappeared behind the heavy door.
Mizuki slid her arms into the jacket, reveling in the warmth and scent of him. "I made him angry again," she sighed to the stars. "I have that talent, just ticking him off."
The stars twinkled their knowledge back at her, trying to explain the reasoning behind the complexity of human emotions, perhaps, but the wisdom escaped her understanding.
Then an odd thing happened. A warm wetness struck the back of her hand where it rested atop her knees. She hadn't noticed her body trembling until she started to cry. Four days left, and he was angry with her. Mizuki hugged her knees closer and wrapped her arms around her shins, dropping her forehead onto her bare knees. For a moment she allowed herself to cry, then stood and dusted her overalls off. Boys don't cry, she reminded herself sternly. They fix the situation. Mizuki rubbed her eyes hard with the palms of her hands to eradicate any trace of the womanly weakness. That's what she would have to do: fix her relation with Sano.
Again.
The diamonds dangling in the velvety night smiled at their child as she found her strength.
He leaned against the closed door and shut his eyes, silently berating himself. Why do I always do that? he asked himself. Now she'll cry. Staring at the ground in silent thought, he began the trek back to their room.
No matter what he did or didn't do, she always ended up crying. He never even knew he was hurting her until he saw the tears. They fell like acid on his heart.
"Dammit!" His fist connected with the wall with somewhat less force than required to fracture the bones. "Why do I always hurt her? It shouldn't happen this way! I lo… I…"
He sighed and sank to the ground in a corner, the heel of his hand pressed against his mouth. Sano glared into the darkness, the truth radiating from him in waves. "I love her," he whispered to his palm. The walls supported his truth.
Suddenly a bright light shone into his eyes. Sano lifted his wrist to his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision. "Who's there?"
"Students should be in their rooms after lights-out. What are you doing out here?"
Inwardly he groaned. The vice principal, a small, robust man, usually roamed the halls, checking for fugitives sneaking out. It seemed night watch was his only job—he was never seen during the day. Umeda said his weight was the reason, while some of the other teachers said he was an anti-social insomniac. The students called him a vampire.
"I needed some air," he said vacantly. "My roommate and I had a fight."
"Where's he?" Beady eyes gleamed from the cast-off of the flashlight.
"In our room." All he had to do now was pray Mizuki didn't stumble along to ruin his story.
"If you have a problem with your roommate, take it up with your RA before lights out," the vice principal snapped. "I'll let it go this once. Get back to your room. But be warned," he added as Sano picked himself up from the floor, "if I hear anything else from you, you'll be suspended. This school takes discipline very seriously."
Sano nodded and bowed. "I'm sorry. Please excuse any inconvenience I may have caused." Though his words and actions were respectful, his attitude and body language said "hardass." When he turned the corner and was out of sight of the principal, Sano stopped and leaned against the wall. He could hear the principal continue down the hall towards the door to the roof. He wasn't being followed. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Sano began towards the vending machines at the end of the hall. Arguing with Mizuki make him thirsty again.
He stopped short; his heart skipped a beat. The roof! Mizuki was still on the roof! He turned to go to her, to help her somehow, when he heard the door open.
The vice principal shouted. Sano sighed: she'd been found. But the principal kept barking at her to halt. Sano almost began to laugh. She was running. Then he sobered. While the vice principal had little to no chance of catching her, he could still corner her somewhere, and then it didn't matter how fast she was. Sano reached out as she ran past and caught her up tight. Mizuki rammed into him with a solid whump and a stifled gasp. Immediately she squirmed to get free, but he shushed her softly and melted into the shadows of the corner. He could barely contain his laughter as the pudgy principal shuffled past, panting hard and still shouting raspily for Mizuki to stop running. The door to the stairs crashed open and closed again.
Sano burst out laughing. He clung to her shoulders for support as he gasped for air. "You little fool!"
"What?" Mizuki blinked. Stepping away from him, she began stretching her legs, trying to keep the acid from building in the muscles. She wasn't even winded from her short sprint.
"You ran! If you'd gotten caught, you would've been suspended for sure!" He anxiety at her returning home, his unexpressed feelings for her, his frustration at Nakatsu's thick-headedness—it all found an outlet when he thought of the irony of a possible suspension when she was going halfway around the world in a few days anyway. Their situation wasn't funny, but for some reason he found it hysterical.
Awkwardly she patted his head. "We're okay now, you can stop laughing… Hey… Are you even listening to me? Oi!" She thumped him solidly on the back of the head. "Stop laughing, you'll wake up the whole dorm!"
Slowly he straightened and coughed to clear his throat. Eyes bright, he smiled and touched her hair. "Let's go home."
Though still somewhat confused, she grinned and followed him. I guess we're okay now…