BLURRY EYES

Shinobu and Sakuya ran through the long corridor that leads to the gym.

"Eh? Nobu-aniki! Isn't the gym this way?" Sakuya pointed to the other direction.

"I changed my mind. I'll going to my room. Enjoy yourselves ok?" with a small wave he continued to run to the direction of his room. Leaving a confused Sakuya in the corridor who just shrugged and continued his way to the gym.

*

Shinobu stopped in front of a beautifully carved door. With a turn of a knob, he entered the room and locked the door.

The room looked like a normal boy's bedroom with blue as its motif. No posters of rock bands or sport idols can be seen, instead beautiful paintings of the oceans and seas, both still and moving, hang on the walls. A large bed placed in the corner and a desk beside it. A large screen TV, VCR, DVD and VCD player across the bed. Oh, and don't forget the PS1&2 and dreamcast units in the cabinet.

Shinobu went to the bed and collapsed on it. He stared at the ceiling for awhile and turned his head to face the picture frames on the desk beside the bed, looking specifically to a picture of two ten-year-old boys, smiling like there's nothing wrong with the world.

"But there is...Sadly, there is..." Shinobu said to himself.

"Hey, there. How are you?" he said talking to the boy in the picture. "It's been a very long time. I wonder where you are now, Kaji."

He turned to lie on his back, his arms spread wide open and stared again on the ceiling.

"I thought all of the people are bad...evil. My family is the only one I can trust..."

*FLASHBACK*

A playground.
A group of children.
A child in the middle...crying.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"I became cold to others. My brothers doesn't notice. I tried not to feel. I tried to be unaffected. They don't hurt me anymore. But that's what I thought. Then you came."

*FLASHBACK*

A smiling chestnut haired boy.
An extended hand.
An invitation of friendship.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"We became best friends. You showed me how it feels to have someone else caring for you. I started to open up to others. Your friends were my friends too. But we have to move. Father's business is important. We promised to write but I have moved so often and you too moved to another place. You would be proud of me, I had made friends on the places we moved and schools we transferred to. I guess I have to be really grateful to you huh?"

Shinobu rolled off the bed and stretched.

"I guess I'm off to join the two to play basketball. How can they play without me anyway?"

He then ran off the room with a loud bang of the door and ran back to the corridor that leads to the gym.

"HA! NO ONE CAN BEAT SHINOBU UMEDA!"

Chapter 4