This chapter took awhile ...

Chapter 6: despair

The whole time on his way Shindou felt torn between the other Nishizono and Kirino. He looked at the hair tie he picked up at the soccer field. His friend must have been there, watching him the whole time … Why didn't he notice him? Yeah, it was the fault of the other Nishizono, who had distracted him all the time. The brown haired boy sighed again. He wanted to know more about the Silent Stikers captain, he wanted to talk to him again, to touch his graceful body. Wait, touch him? He shook his head; that definitely was to much.

Right now Shindou only wanted to think about Kirino. Kirino, who had seen him staring at another boy. No! Kirino who had acted strange lately, who seemed to be so distant to him – he should worry about the Kirino who had been his best friends for ages. After all, that was what friends would do. But the more he tried to think of Kirino, the more the other boy came into his mind …

As he finally came back to reality his feet had led him to the Riverbank. What did he want here? Shindou's home laid at the opposite direction … Great, now he would have to go all the way back … maybe he should call the chauffeur to pick him up. Then he stopped. His eyes had spotted a familiar shape in some distance from him. Nishizono? No, this long hair, even as they were untied, Shindou recognized them. Without a doubt, it was Kirino.

As he was about to call his friend's name, he saw a second person next to the pink haired boy. Tsurugi? He felt a stitch in his heart as he saw the two together. What were they doing? Dating? Maybe that explained why Kirino wanted to avoid him at all costs.

Suddenly Shindou realized something. He was the one who wanted to have a date with Kirino. He was the one wanted to be close to the pink haired boy. And seeing Tsurugi having what he wanted for himself made him feel more uncomfortable than he would ever admit.

'Fine then! Kirino obviously doesn't need me anymore', he thought defiantly. 'This makes things only easier for me.' But despite of his cold thoughts, tears ran over his cheeks. It had always been so naturally be for him to be together with Kirino, that he had never realized how precious this time had been to him.

Then he saw an image of the other Nishizono before him. Why? This was about Kirino wasn't it?

###

"Why is it always me?", Tsurugi asked. "You know I have other things to do then watching you crying."

"I'm not crying!" Kirino answered, trying to stay calm. "I just don't know what to do anymore!"

Tsurugi looked bored. "Then talk to Shindou, I told you that a thousand times. You only had good intention, I'm sure he'll understand that. Aren't you best friends?"

"Not anymore." He hesitated to continue. "My team destroyed the Raimon stadium! That was a place Tak- err Shindou loved! There is now way he could forgive me." Now he really was crying. "Tsurugi, tell me what I should do!"

Even the addressed boy couldn't stay untouched as he saw the Kirino's misery. "Am I angry with you? You know I liked that stadium too, after all I'm a member of Raimon too."

The pink haired boy looked up as Tsurugi continued. "You did what was necessary in order to save the club. After the match everyone was happy. It's a pity that we lost the soccer field, but that wasn't your fault, your team members are the one to blame."

"Yeah, I only wanted Shindou to be happy. He was so down because no one really wanted to play anymore and I thought a new opponent would bring them back. Well, at least that was a success … ."

Tsurugi looked for his cell phone. "I'll call the captain now. Then you can explain all that to him."

"Wait!" Kirino's eyes widened. "I can't do that!" He grasped after the other boy's cell phone but it was too late.

…

"You're lucky, he's not answering."

Kirino felt relieved and worried at once. "Shindou is probably avoiding me now … ", the pink haired boy muttered depressed. "I think he has seen through me anyway. He behaved weird before the match started and during the game he continuously stared ad me."

###

The next day Shindou did something unbelievable – at least for him: He skipped school. Instead the brown haired boy went to the Steel Tower Plaza, where he had seen Kirino yesterday. Lost in thoughts he stared into the blue sky. He knew skipping school wasn't a good thing to do and that it would be a big surprise for his parents if they found out, but he just didn't know how to face Kirino.

As to speak of the devil Shindou spotted the pink haired boy at the nearby playground, sitting on a swing and starring into the sky like he did some seconds ago. At first the captain of Raimon hesitated but then he decided to pay his friend a visit.

"Skipping school?", Shindou asked as he was near the other boy. Since the it was still morning the place was empty besides the two and his voice disrupted the silence.

The addressed boy turned around and lost balance. It seemed like he would fall down but then Kirino managed to grasp a rope. "Shindou! Don't startle me like that! Why aren't you in school?"

"I could ask you the same", Shindou answered smiling.

Kirino looked into the sky, avoiding the glance of his friend. "I might transfer schools anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

Yesterday one of my task was to draw with one of the patients here and I made a really cute ShindouXKirino picture. Unfortunatelly my tutor liked it so much that she pinned it at the wall in the entrance hall. Every visitor will see it now, it's embarrassing ^^° Good that nobody seems to know Inazuma here.