AN: I am so sorry about the wait. I moved to the other side of the world, so I didn't have time to work on this… and then I didn't have internet. The good news is that, during the time that I didn't have any communication means (LOL), I had more free time, so I was able to script more chapters of this story.

Chapter 5: His goodbye

Maybe it was the New Directions performance from yesterday, but the air between us is much better than it had been at the beginning of the week. At the very least, we are actually talking, and, even more amazing, we are looking at each other while we do that. It hurts to think that we used to be so close all the time, without so much as a second thought to it before, and now we can barely see each other.

However, because of last night's development, our songs are definitely sounding better this morning. Somehow, "Candles" is coming out prettily and "Raise Your Glass" is definitely worth standing for. The council is really happy with the results so far, but is still pressuring the group into doing better. Honestly, they are really good in bringing out the best efforts from a big group of high school boys, which is saying something. If it weren't for the fact that Kurt is only talking to me when strictly necessary, things might have been labeled normal.

As it is, however, he is still acting a little recoiled, and, despite the fact that I can't blame him, the situation is really bothering me. It isn't exactly my fault that I can't reciprocate his feelings, and though it is hardly Kurt's either, it was really unfair that I was losing my best friend because of something I have no control over.

To make it worse, Regionals is this Saturday – aka, in three days – and the chemistry between us really isn't flowing so perfectly.

"Something is still visibly off, though it wasn't so bad as to fault everything completely." Wes says, as he schedules the last rehearsal for tomorrow afternoon, looking firmly at Kurt, but with a soft gaze.

But the countertenor never showed up the next day.

~!Glee!~

The last rehearsal before the real show was a disaster. When it became clear that Kurt wasn't going to come at all, despite the clear warning from the previous day, the Council was thrown in a state of panic. Though it had been a relatively short time since my friend had transferred to Dalton, we all knew him to be responsible enough not to skip on practice without prior warning.

It was unlike him to disappear like that, and none of the Warblers knew what had happened. Those who were also his classmates said he hadn't shown up for classes at all that day, but he hadn't called in sick either – or, at least, no teacher had mentioned it.

The group still tried to rehearse, but, without half of the duet, it was a little pointless to do "Candles", so we only practiced "Raise Your Glass". However, no one really had their head on what they were doing. About half an hour later, when the thunder outside called attention to the heavy raining that had started – which was crashing violently against the large glass panels of the windows in the Warblers Room – Jeff, Wes and I were especially distracted, making so many mistakes that, eventually, the Council was forced to cancel any further rehearsal. Despite that, most of us weren't so keen to do anything else, so, for a while, we just sat in the room, looking out the window or at each other.

Maybe it was the unsettling silence, but when someone finally decided to say something to break it, I found myself wishing he'd stayed silent.

"You know, we might be worried for nothing. Considering tomorrow's Regionals, and he was a member from our competition, this might have been one of those classic moves where they infiltrate, gain our trust and then completely leave us behind. Maybe he will never come back here as a student again."

There was only more silence after that. It was obvious in everyone's faces that none of us wanted to believe that – not even Trent, who was the one to voice the idea – but none of us could completely discard it either. I wanted to be able to, but when Kurt just disappeared without a trace, one day before the competition, I am ashamed to say I wasn't totally confident that he wouldn't leave us. Both the fact that I wanted to believe that I knew him better than that, and knowing that Karofsky was still a threat prevented me from assuming the worst.

At that precise moment, the noiseless room was suddenly defiled by a discrete sound that all of us knew well: a mobile phone was vibrating. A few more seconds and Wes picked up his, and euphorically answered. "Kurt!"

If the name alone didn't turn a little more than ten heads turn to him, maybe the uncharacteristic tone in his voice did. "What happened? Are you OK?"

As Kurt replies on the other end, I feel a strange pull tug me inside. Something is not right, and I can feel it.

"No, that's OK. Stay there. We can have an extra rehearsal tomorrow, as a warm-up for the competition. We'll need you here at two o'clock." The voice of the Council President sounded, before hanging up and turning back to a load of expectant teenage boys, whom he immediately fills in. "He had some sort of emergency this morning and couldn't leave before it started raining, but he's fine. He'll explain tomorrow after Regionals."

A collective sigh is heard throughout the room as most of the guys begin gathering their things, only to be interrupted by David.

"Hey, where are you going? Practice is still on." The Secretary says with a smile, which is met by some half-hearted groans, but no one objects.

This time, a rehearsal actually does take place. During the whole time, however, I can't help but to think, "Why didn't Kurt call me?"

~!Glee!~

The following afternoon, my friend shows up on time, as usual. He looks normal, and I am sure he is trying to seem so, but I can tell that something is up... something big. The strange looks he keeps throwing me, when he thinks I'm not looking, speak for themselves. I decide to question him later, though, because whatever it is that is going on, I am quite sure he is trying not to let it interfere with our performance.

Throughout the extra rehearsal, no one mentions anything about the suspicions that were raised the day before, and, apparently, no one else notices that Kurt isn't quite himself… Or, maybe, they are noticing, but are either lumping his current behavior with the strange one that we'd both been portraying since the alcohol fiasco, or are choosing no ignore it. Whatever the case, practice feels almost good, and no disaster strikes.

Most of us already have our timings and rhythms down. Nick sometimes steps out of the formation, and John once in a while forgets which role he is playing in some parts of the second song – which is understandable, since he is both a harmonizer and our only beatbox. Kurt and I already know our parts, and we both manage to sing rather nicely, especially if we take this week's continuous strings of disappointingly poor performances into account.

When the clock strikes five, the Council declares rehearsal over and we all head to the bus, some of us stopping for a drink on the way. Again, Kurt seems to stare at me differently as I drink from my bottle.

"Sorry, do you want some?" I offer, aware that thirst was not the reason he was looking, but unable to think of anything better to say.

He shakes his head. "No, thanks. I'm good. I've got some natural water in my bag. Honestly, I advise you not to drink cold water before a performance. It affects your voice, you know."

I nod. "I know. I just can't help it. I really like drinking cold water after more than an hour of singing. The feeling is good… But you are right, I shouldn't be drinking it this way."

"Of course I'm right. When have I not been?" he asks with his usual sarcastic tone, which is normally not directed at me, but, at the moment, I'm glad that it is. It feels almost nostalgic. It hasn't even been a week since he invited me to Rachel's party, since we were best friends and were able to talk anything to each other, but it feels like a few years have gone by in this short span of only a few days.

"Do you really want me to answer that, or was it a rhetorical question?" I reply, seriously trying to remember the few times when he wasn't. It is no easy task, and, mostly, what I can remember consists instead of times when he wasn't completely wrong, or when his opinion was overruled by others' in a voting situation.

"I'd dare you, actually, but I'm against wagering… or such childish behavior."

I smile, unsure if I'm relieved or disappointed… or offended. This mixture of feelings is the usual outcome of any argument with Kurt, no matter who is it is. I'm glad, though, because it means he is not treating anyone any different.

"Blaine?" he says, after a few moments of no response from me.

I know he wants to tell me something important as I look at him. Afraid that anything I say might discourage Kurt, I urge him to go on silently. He bites his lip uncertainly, but smiles back before he replies. "We're going to be late if we linger here any longer, and then Wes will be on our tails."

I repress the urge to frown before I answer. "Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Definitely not."

I grab his hand and pull him along as we run through the halls, vaguely aware of our first encounter as we roam those long and beautiful corridors.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a tear trailing down his pale cheek. By the time we reach the bus, however, it is gone.

I can only question myself if I imagined it there in the first place.

~!Glee!~

The ride to the auditorium is quite fun, as always. Technically, most of the Warblers don't really need to be taken by bus, but it has always been a tradition to do so, as it enhances the group's teamwork spirit while everyone engages in activities during the short trip. It takes a little over half an hour to get to one of Westerville's neighboring cities, where Regionals will be held this year.

No sooner do we disembark in front of the City Events Center, Wes, David and Thad are already leading us to the green room reserved for the Warblers. It is no big surprise that Kurt is looking around, probably in search of the New Directions crew, but there is no sign of them yet. In fact, the group only shows up halfway through Aural Intensity's performance, which was the third group or so. However, as we are the next ones up, Kurt does not have the chance to even greet them.

I notice, only now, that he seems a little nervous. Scratch that, he seems really nervous: his hands are shaking and his face is a few tones paler. I have never seen Kurt Hummel nervous before a performance – anxious, maybe, but never nervous. I decide to confront him upfront. "Are you nervous?"

My friend shoots me a sideways glance, as if he is surprised that I knew, but smiles and responds anyway. "Please don't judge me. This is the first time I've had a solo in front of a competition audience. I have this nightmare that I'm going to forget the lyrics… I'm going to sing and nothing is gonna come out."

I try to stifle a small laughter at the thought that Kurt Hummel, who rehearses every role he gets day and night, may actually be able to forget something as basic as the lyrics. He can't, not even if he wanted to.

"OK, you can judge me." He says, maybe curious about the weird faces I know I must be making.

"I think it's adorable." I say before I can stop myself, although I quickly realize it is true. "I think you're adorable." I continue, and Kurt looks at me with a skeptical look.

I do think he is adorable, and the fact that he thinks he can forget lyrics, despite all the practice I know he has done – in and out of Warblers rehearsals – is kind of cute. However, now is not the time for such thoughts. We'll be on stage in a minute or two, so we have to get ready. In an attempt to pass some positive energy to him, I grab his shoulders firmly, giving them a little shake. "And, and the only people who are gonna be dying tonight are the people in that audience, because you and I are gonna kill this thing."

He still looks a little doubtful, but, averting his eyes, he replies in a low voice. "Yeah. I'm killing something tonight…"

At that moment, as if a bomb had literally just been dropped in my hands, I realize he wasn't that much worried about the performance itself. More than ever, I am sure something is up, and I am certain that he has been trying to tell me, that he wants to say something. Unusually, I can't quite understand what it might be.

"Come on, let's go." I call, before I dwell too much on the subject, knowing all-too-well that I will be talking to him about it once Regionals is over.

Before I turn, I see him breathe in deeply, right before the Warblers are announced. As we assemble on the stage, I catch sight of New Directions, and I notice that Kurt is trying to avoid looking at them. In fact, he is avoiding looking at anybody; those pretty blue-grey eyes are closed.

When the harmony starts seconds later, I am almost afraid, for a moment, that he will miss his cue. However, taking in a breath as if it were his last, Kurt starts his part.

"The power lights went out, and I am all alone…"

And he sounds different from all the other times I heard him sing this song. Discretely, I see Wes and a few others give me a sideways glance, knowing they are thinking the exact same. We knew he'd be better at the real thing than at rehearsal, because that is the kind of performer that Kurt is, but we didn't think that the difference would be this great. The notes he is singing sound deeper, as if there is a soul behind them, as if they are real.

I almost miss my lines, and that would have been very ironic, considering I wasn't the one worried about forgetting the lyrics. As I play my role and switch verses with Kurt, we also swap a few glances, and as we sing more of the song, I realize these lyrics are real.

This is his goodbye song to me.

TBC

A.N.: So I'm kinda bummed at the moment with this story, cause I can't seem to concentrate on it, but I have to write it before deadlines start jumping again. It is said that an author's mood reflects on his/her texts. I hope that isn't the case.

And now that you have your new chapter, I'm going to update myself with the newest chapters of my favorite fanfics.

Syaoran-Lover (KaiLi) signing out.