"Tenshi-kun," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We can't see each other anymore."
"Huh? Nani?!" This was the last thing Tenshi expected Neko to say. "No," she shook her head in disbelief, "Wh- why? Koneko, is this about the other night? 'Cuz I'm sorry, and I thought-"
"No, it's not about that. It's just that it's� it's not a good idea for us to continue dating." Neko kept her gaze down. This was hard enough without having to look at Tenshi's face.
But Tenshi wouldn't have any of that. "Koneko, look at me!" She grasped Neko's shoulders, but Neko looked pointedly to the side. "Koneko, I love you with all my heart. And I know you love me. And nothing can stop that. So why should we break up? If we love each other�." Tenshi's voice was strangely small and pleading.
Neko knew she couldn't argue with Tenshi. Tenshi believed in all that "love conquering all" stuff. Truthfully, so did Neko, she just couldn't completely trust it right now. But she only knew of one way that she could manage to break up with Tenshi and have her believe it. *You have to say it! If you don't look her in the eyes and say it, she'll never let you go.*
Neko slowly looked Tenshi in the eyes. The startling aquamarines pleaded to her. But she knew what she had to do, though every moment was tearing at her heart with excruciating pain. As calmly as she possibly could, she said, "I don't. Gomen nasai, Tenshi-kun, but I don't love you."
"No, you do!" Tenshi insisted. "You told me you did!"
"I thought I did. I'm sorry." The lie burned deep within her soul, but Neko knew she had to stay strong. She couldn't take it back, she couldn't start crying yet. But she couldn't bear to continue looking at Tenshi anymore. The horrible lie told, she turned her head away again.
"No, it's not true! Koneko, tell me it's not true!"
Neko squeezed her eyes shut and pointed out quietly, "When have you ever seen me lie?"
Tenshi released her and took a step back. It was true, Neko didn't lie. Occasionally, she'd avoid the truth if she needed to, but Tenshi had never seen her flat-out lie. "Koneko," she whispered, "I love you."
Now that she had been released, Neko turned her back on Tenshi. She didn't think she was going to keep from crying much longer, and she didn't want Tenshi to see that. "I know. That's why I didn't want to lead you on, knowing� knowing that it can't work out. It- It'd probably be best if we didn't see each other except at pole vault and Kempo. Gomen nasai."
*Move! Get out of here! Just go!*
She listened to her head, rather than her heart, which was screaming at her to return to Tenshi and tell her the truth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenshi just stared as Neko left her in shock. "No, it's not true. It can't be true," she said, her voice rising with each syllable. This wasn't happening. Neko loved her, she knew she did.
"It's not true!" she finally screamed, as she turned and punched the lockers, ignoring the twenty people in the hall who turned and looked at her. She laid her forehead against the lockers and punched them a few more times for good measure as she began to cry.
After a few moments someone, a guy, came up behind her. "Tenshi-san? Are you okay?" It was Rika's boyfriend, Toyuke.
"No. Leave me alone," Tenshi snapped at him, not bothering to look at him. She pushed him away from her as she ran off. The first empty classroom she found she ducked into, unwilling to face anybody in her current state.
Tenshi felt sick to her stomach. She leaned against the door after closing it and sunk to the ground, laying her head on her knees. She sat there crying, ignoring even the beep of her communicator watch, until the janitor opened the door much later and made her leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Tenshi!" Puroko whined out loud as she waited next to the bike rack. Friday was Tenshi's day to pick her up because she didn't have any sports after school. She did have voice lessons, but usually she dropped Puroko off on her way. Today she was going to be a little late because of the fencing thing, but she promised she would stay less than ten minutes.
Tenshi used to take Puroko home on Mondays and Wednesdays too, but now she had Kempo on those days, so if Puroko wanted a ride home with her, she would have to wait over half an hour. So her papa and mama had started picking her up on those days too, unless they couldn't, in which case, she'd have to take a bus home. But Friday was supposed to be Tenshi. So where was she now?!
Puroko jumped onto the now empty bike rack and sat there, swinging her feet above the ground. "It's been like an hour!" she sniffed, feeling sorry for herself. Looking up at the clock tower, she realized it was only about half that time, but even so, Tenshi should have been there by then. She was going to be late for voice lessons!
"Puroko? Is that you?" A red convertible drove up and stopped in front of the bike rack. In it were Amber and some older guy - probably her brother. "Whatcha doin'?"
Puroko put on her best pity-face. "Tenshi hasn't come to pick me up. She's supposed to come right after school, but she's not here yet."
"Oh? Hmm�," Amber said pensively. "Could she have forgotten you?"
Puroko shook her head. "Tenshi'd never forget me. She always remembers to pick me up. Every Friday, in front of the bike rack. She always remembers me!" It was inconceivable to Puroko that Tenshi might have left her behind.
But Amber didn't seem to agree. "But here you are, and she's not here." Puroko looked down, crestfallen.
"Hey, Amber. Why don't we give your friend a ride home?" the blue-haired guy in the car suggested, to Puroko's surprise.
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