The walk home was the longest Sena could ever remember. Sure, there had been darker days than these, but this... A small hand clenched in resolution. To dwell on these things would lead to me falling further, and that's not what the people who depend on me need right now. Shove it further inside...his mind whispered mournfully and he reluctantly obeyed, adding the depression to the ever-growing locked off room in the back of his mind.
The brown haired teen glanced to his right at where the sun was setting behind the riverbank. Below a couple lay intertwined on a quilt laid on the grass, their bodies seemed to meld and become one, encasing one another in their warmth. Sena's expression darkened with jealousy behind his messy hair.
That's right, he said to himself, the days are shorter at this time of year, luckily mom works late so she won't miss me... I didn't realize how long I had been hiding out in the locker room. Sena distractedly glanced at his watch hanging off of a scarily thin wrist. It read six thirty, causing Sena to wince guiltily.
, he said to himself, Sena distractedly glanced at his watch hanging off of a scarily thin wrist. It read six thirty, causing Sena to wince guiltily.Strong footfalls approached him steadily from behind, and the smaller boy tensed in anticipation, holding his black school bag to his chest and he winced. The footsteps slowed and a large dark figure stopped just feet in front of him.
Sena slowly lowered his book bag and opened his eyes, staring in awe at the formidable figure standing before him. Shin pushed his hood back to reveal his handsome face, eyeing the smaller boy and furrowing his brows in concentration. Sena sweat dropped and squirmed uncomfortable under the scrutiny, putting a hand behind his head and smiling sheepishly in hesitation.
"Ano...Shin sama.."
Starless eyes snapped to his amber ones and Sena cringed back a bit before swallowing,"W-what are you doing out this late?"
"Training."The other boy simply replied, looking over his shoulder as if he were impatient to continue.
Sena took the hint and bowed,"Well, sorry if I took up your time due to looking like someone you knew, I'll stop bugging you and-"
His babble fest(Awesome word..XD)was halted as Shin's eyes snapped back to his mercilessly. "Do I know you?"
"N-Nani?"
"Never mind."
Sena blinked in confusion and opened his mouth but Shin was already jogging away, hood pushed back over his hair. Flushing in embarrassment, Sena adjusted his bag to fit more comfortably to his side and shuffled in the same direction Shin had disappeared.
'Once again, the infamous Eyeshield 21 is considered too strong and courageous to be timid Sena...'A wry smirk grotesquely twisted the boy's features before fading away as he continued home slowly.
-----
Hiruma tiredly tossed his sweat-soaked jersey into his locker and ran a hand through stubborn blonde spikes. With a sigh he turned and eyed the bathroom stall that now stood empty and shadowed, Sena long gone.
A slight twinge in the back of his mind caused the blonde to growl in frustration before taking long easy strides to the abandoned stall. Hiruma stood there for a few moments in silence before turning to go, dismissing his psychic twinge as exhaustion. A dark brown blot on the floor caught his eyes, drawing them to further take in the scene of evidence. A small trail of blood pooled in generally the same spot just beside the toilet where the small teen had been standing.
It wasn't a lot of blood, but it peaked the pointy-eared blondes interest considerably. Where and why was Sena bleeding? How had he gotten the wound? The brothers image popped up in his mind but was quickly shoved aside, as much as they loved to manipulate Sena, they wouldn't resort to bloodshed.
Hiruma 'tsked' in annoyance and bent down, eyeing the blood curiously and ignoring the concern that wavered at the edge of his conscience. Damn little pipsqueak, he made Kurita and that frivolous female worry over a little cut? Sheesh... Hiruma's eyes lazily scanned down the blood splats to hesitate on a small glinting object. Light brows furrowing in bewilderment, the elfin teen attempted to pick up the object only to hiss in pain. He jerked his hand back quickly and eyed his finger in bafflement before his eyes widened. A thin line of blood welled from the small paper cut-like wound to trail down his finger.
"Shit.." He cursed in annoyance, smearing the blood onto his football pants, bare skin along his arms and back rising in goose bumps as he stooped to once again, though more carefully, retrieve the offending object.
Hiruma bit his bottom lip, holding it between his fangs as he examined it, eyes slowly narrowing further and further. A razorblade. Why the hell would that damned pipsqueak be carrying a razorblade in his backpack? Didn't he know that he could accidentally cut himself or...
The razorblade slid from limp fingers to clatter on the floor, resting beside the dried droplets of blood. Hiruma growled lowly and turned, walking from the stall and jerkily finishing his changing before stiffly striding from the locker room.
-----
Sena twisted the key in the lock before halfheartedly pushing open the barrier to enter the shadowed house. Silence flooded his ears and the awkward creaking of the door's hinges jerked him back to reality.
Swearing softly, he stepped all the way into the room and pushed the door shut behind himself with his free arm while sliding his bag off the other to land unceremoniously on the hardwood floor.
His cellphone trembled violently in his pocket, causing the small boy to jump. Making a sound of dismay, Sena fished through his too-big pockets and retrieved his cellphone, flicking on the light next to the entranceway.
Mamori's name and number flashed persistently on the screen, and he turned off the phone's silent mode, wincing when his unique American rock music echoed throughout the empty household.
With a sigh, Sena pressed the talk button and held the phone to his left ear, balancing on one foot while his free hand worked clumsily to un-do his shoelaces.
"Mamori chan?"
"Sena!Where were you for Football practice today?"The older girl admonished.
Sena winced at her tone and paused in undoing his shoelaces,"Gomen, Mamori chan, I had something that came up and I couldn't-"
Mamori huffed at the other end of the line, resilient against his sugary sweet tone,"I had something I could have done after school too Sena! But I decided that helping the team and helping you was more important! Honestly, I wanted you to join after school activities, but if you can't handle the responsibility-"
Amber eyes widening, Sena held the phone from his ear, staring at it in hurt before narrowing his eyes. Tone not changing, he calmly replied."As I said before, Mamori SEMPAI, I am deeply sorry. If you had other plans, you should have gone and done them. I don't need you to watch after me every moment when we're at school. I also don't need you telling me what's more important and what I should and shouldn't do."
There was a brief silence at the end, and Sena winced internally at his own words, opening his mouth to apologize before he was cut off.
"Gomen, Sena kun...you're right... y-you know what's best for yourself, not me... I d-didn't r-realize.."The soft voice at the other end paused for a choked cough,"I-I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Wait-!"A click signaled the end of the conversation. The small boy trembled in sadness and flipped his phone shut, tossing it onto the counter before violently kicking off his shoes.
"Gomen, Mamori chan.." He murmured before retreating into his room, sobs filtering through the door moments later.
, he said to himself, Sena distractedly glanced at his watch hanging off of a scarily thin wrist. It read six thirty, causing Sena to wince guiltily.