Thank you everyone for reviewing. This time it's Shinobu's first (and only) chapter. Remember Miyagi rushing through the university in the last chapter? Here's the reason. Edited to smooth out some mistakes.

Let there be a storm

- Shinobu -

XX

"I broke up with Kamijou," Miyagi said. "Well, it was more or a mutual thing. We both agreed to it."

"Why?" I looked him at oddly when he told me this latest piece of news.

Miyagi laughed a little, though it wasn't funny at all. He's always laughing at unfunny things. "Well, it's just one of those things, isn't it?" he said. "People grow close, they drift apart, they decide they're not right for the other. It's just one of those things and it was no use letting it drag so we broke up."

"No, why are you telling me this?"

He looked at me, confused. "I thought you'd be happy. Oh, and don't go harassing Kamijou anymore, okay?"

Honestly, the way he talks you'd think I was some sort of terrorist! I never harassed that guy anyway, except for that one time maybe.

Though Miyagi says it's all over, that doesn't really mean anything to me because nothing is happening on my side. At least they had something to end. Me? There's nothing at all.

Those odd touches and strange looks which could be meaningful don't amount to anything, do they?

Miyagi's always looking so cheerful and friendly when he talks to me that it's sort of depressing. I want to grab him and shake him by his collar, yelling; 'Feel something dammit! Feel something!'

Even if it's hate, at least feel something for me!

Yet sometimes he gives me these looks that linger just a little too long, sometimes he smiles in that sort of way that makes me feel like it's okay to hope. Then the next day he'll be the same as always and I won't know how to react. Is he teasing me or something? Stupid Miyagi! Or am I just seeing more than there actually is?

It's tiring. It's confusing. I don't know what to think.

Maybe it's time to go back after all.

XX

In the airport the noise washes over me. People come and go all the time, they call for others, children run around playing and speakers make lost child and flight announcements every five minutes. Strangely, I prefer all this commotion to silence.

I've been on flights by myself so many times, arrived and departed by myself so many times before that sitting alone waiting for my flight isn't lonely at all. I've already checked in all my luggage and stuff, gone through the normal procedures and so on. It's just really boring. It's the boredom I hate the most, because when you're bored you begin to think about things you don't want to. Like my stupid attempt to win over Miyagi for instance.

Someone hails me and I stand up out of curiosity but it's no one I was expecting, or wanted to see for that matter.

"What are you doing here?" my eyes narrow upon sight of that man. Usami-san, wasn't it? Why is he here? I left a message for Misaki, not him. Besides, he looks sort of unsociable.

"You're going back to Australia?" he lights up a cigarette. The smell of smoke reminds me too much of Miyagi. He stares at me as I step back, waving away the smoke, and a small smile crosses his face. "You know, when Misaki introduced you to me, I thought you were sort of spunky but you're just a spoiled brat after all."

What the hell?

Is that something an adult says to someone about eleven years younger than them? Show some maturity, idiot!

"Don't call me a brat!" I snap at him. He just smirks.

"What's wrong with calling a brat a brat? You can't get what you want so you're going to run away and sulk."

"That's not what I'm doing! That's not it at all!" I yell. Who the heck is this guy anyway? I know he's a great novelist and whatever, and he's probably Misaki's tongue wrestling buddy but, seriously, he's coming here just to abuse me! "Besides," I shout, "I called your place to say goodbye to Misaki, not you! You can go home now. I don't want to speak with you!"

"What is it you're doing then?" he says, calmly taking out a pen and a notebook.

"Where's Misaki?" I ask.

"He's coming. He said he would meet me here," he waves me down, indicating that I should probably take a seat. I don't, just to spite him.

"What are you doing?" he asks, not particularly caring whether I sit or not.

"I'm…" I pause. What am I doing? "I'm going back - "

He begins writing something. "Because you've given up?" he asks.

"Because I - what are you doing?"

His pen scribbles furiously across the lined sheets.

"Tell me, how do you exactly feel?"

Is this an interview or something? Though he's done nothing but annoy me, I answer him honestly. Maybe it's some writer's trick, but when he asks I feel like giving him a straight reply.

"I…I think if I go back to Australia I can gain some perspective on it. You can't force love on someone, right?" I glance at him but he gives no indication of whether he agrees or not. "I'll - I don't know - I'll better myself or something, and then I'll come back. It's not like I've given up or anything."

He nods absently and continues writing. Honestly, what kind of response is that? Tired of standing around, I decide to go to the check if my flight has been moved up or not.

"If Misaki comes, I'll tell him where you are," Usami-san waves me away, deadly focussed on his notepad.

At the board, I notice that my flight is on schedule as well. I'm not sure if I'm glad or not. Do I want the flight to come faster or do I want it to be delayed? I can't tell anymore.

Some loud American stands besides me, totally absorbed in the times and flights. He probably doesn't notice me staring. He's an old guy. Well, not old really but he's older than Miyagi at least.

I think he's American since he's talking in English and he has that accent. He looks at his watch - it's an expensive watch, he must be a businessman - and sighs.

"It's almost time. Where is Kusama? We're supposed to be leaving soon!"

Another man with him, who looks like a dwarf besides him, says, in badly spoken English which grates my ears. "I sent him a letter and a ticket on your behalf, but whether he will turn up…" he sighs and shrugs his shoulders.

The first man sighs as well. "Well, in the meantime, I'll go back to the waiting area," he says and starts marching in my direction.

Then he takes a huge step towards me. His stride is so wide that I don't have time to move before his body collides with mine, knocking all my things - and his things too - on the floor.

"Ah!" he drops to his knees. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's my fault," I reply, getting on my knees too in order to gather my things.

"Here, sorry," he hands me my flight ticket.

"Thank you," I bow and rush off before another accident can happen.

I don't get very far, however, before another voice stops me. I recognise the voice this time. I can recognise Misaki's voice anywhere.

As I turn, he comes running up to me, slightly breathless. He's not the athletic type, I suppose.

"You're going back to Australia, Shinobu-kun? Why?" he asks as he reaches me, hauling a plastic bag full of homemade rice balls and sandwiches for the trip, which he dumps in my arms.

"Well - "

"Isn't the - the guy you love here?" he says before I can thank him for the gift.

The very thought of Miyagi makes me feel sour. "I didn't tell him I was leaving."

"Ehh? Why not?" he looks shocked and confused and worried all at once. It must be nice to be in a relationship where you're so sure of the other person's love.

It's not that I want to leave. Not really. However, I'm smart enough to know that dragging things around will get me nowhere. Even though I've been so persistent, Miyagi's moved less than a rock and even when he shows signs of caring it only confuses me. Is he doing it just because he's been told to, because I'm a kid who needs to be looked after perhaps, or is he serious? Which one is it?

"Think about it, it would have been awkward, wouldn't it?" I shrug and open up the plastic bag so I don't have to look Misaki in the face. Such an open guy…it's admirable.

"Are you sure?"

"About what?" I look up.

"Leaving," Misaki waves a hand in the air. "Well, I'm probably totally wrong about this, but I get the feeling that if you leave things just like this you'll just end up regretting it. Well, that's sort of how I feel anyway." He stutters and laughs, embarrassed for saying something so deep.

So I say; "I'll miss you," because I don't really want to talk about anything 'deep' today either.

This makes him brighten at least. "We can keep in touch. I'll write to you or something!"

"Email me. We're living in the twenty-first century after all."

"I'll try," he nods.

I check my watch. It's almost time. I feel a pang of dread as I realise that soon I'll be on a plane, travelling miles and miles away from Tokyo. It's stupid, isn't it? I mean, I can come back whenever I want and it's not like I can't see my family again.

Except, I know it's not leaving my family that makes me feel so reluctant to get on. This is even stupider though! I'm the one who decided to go back to Australia after all. Angry with myself, I glance at the gate number on my ticket. K37? Fine! I'll go to K37, I'll get on that plane, I'll go back to Australia and I won't even look back!

"Well, I better go," I say hastily to Misaki.

"Eh? Wait a minute, I'm sure Usagi-san wants to talk to you," he catches my sleeve.

The thought of seeing that man again makes me pull a face. "You say goodbye to him for me."

He offers to help me with my luggage but it's not necessary. I've already put all the heavy luggage on the conveyer belt, which will end up in the bottom of the plane or on some separate flight, and the only hand luggage I have is my bag and the food Misaki gave me. It's hardly a difficulty to lug around.

"Well, in that case, have a safe trip, Shinobu-kun. Oh, and come back and visit any time!" he sends me off with a smile. His bright, cheery face somehow makes me smile a little too. I think everyone, when flying, should have someone there to send them off with a smile.

It's too bad it's not Miyagi. Then again, if Miyagi was smiling and waving when I was about to go to Australia I would probably throttle him for being an insensitive jerk.

I wave my ticket to the staff at the boarding gate and they nod accordingly.

"This way please," an air hostess ushers me into the plane.

I find my seat quickly and store my luggage in the overhead compartment before taking my seat. Glancing out of the window, I can see all the other planes and the people running around the runways in bright orange jumpsuits. So, I really am leaving Japan after all. I'm leaving him. I wonder if I'll see him again.

"Hello everyone, this is the pilot speaking, we hope you have an enjoyable trip," the intercom crackles as the hostesses go through the usual safety procedures and the plane begins to travel down the runway.

I buckle myself in and prepare for a long and boring flight as the pilot speaks again.

"We want to take this moment to thank everyone for flying with us today. This is a JCL Atlantic flight headed directly from Tokyo, Japan to New York, America."

"New York!? America!?" As if there are pins under my seat, I leap up, unbuckling my seatbelt before the light above me says that it's okay to take them off.

"Sir, what's wrong?" one of the hostesses asks, alarmed. I'm the one who should be alarmed, I'm on the wrong plane!

"I've got the wrong flight! I'm supposed to be going to Australia!" I cry. It's a little scary to think that I'm going to a country I've never been to before completely alone.

The hostess looks at me as if I'm either crazy or an idiot. Personally, I feel like the latter. What kind of person heads out to Australia and ends up going to America?

"…I'm sorry sir, the plane is almost in the air, we can't stop now and it's a direct flight," she says, urging me back into my seat.

"But - "

"I'm sorry sir. When we land we'll help you contact your parents and sort out a ticket back for you," she says and I realise that there really is nothing I can do.

I sit back down and buckle up, sighing to myself. What kind of mess is this? How could I have been so careless as to end up on a wrong flight? Did I accidentally take that guy's ticket when I bumped into him? How embarrassing!

So, I'm stuck on a plane heading straight for America when I should be on my way to Australia. A little bubble of panic rises but I manage to squash it and think about it logically. I have money, I can speak English, I have a phone that I can use to make overseas calls; it'll be okay.

Except that my father will probably kill me.

Next chapter: Miyagi. Please look forward to it!