Betrayal

19

A/N: I suck, sorry. -_-

Harsh sunlight filtered in through the slight opening between the two dark-grey curtains. The bus was silently mostly. Apart from the noise of the engine and the slight whir of recirculating cold air, the only thing that could be heard was the slight snores and occasional yawn of the passengers. The passengers, Thirty or-so middle-school students and their accompanying teachers, had long since depleted their energy from all their hyper-activity and sugar inhalation, leaving them passed out just past the halfway point into their long journey. All of them, except one, it seemed.

Just a few moments prior, a young girl had awoken and, after taking a few seconds to become fully alert at her situation, shot straight up in her seat. A warm blush rushed onto her face, batting away the fatigue that had just been dragging on it. When she woke up, Akari had been drooling onto Nishikata's shoulder. Her hands shot to her face, hiding herself from the mammoth amount of embarrassment that she now felt. Opening a slight gap in her fingers, she looked over to her right and peeked at him, checking his condition. 'Still asleep, good' she though to herself. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, maybe a moment too long. She felt her face flush up again, and she darted her eyes forwards.

A sudden wave of drowsiness swept over her, leaving her body limp for just a few seconds. Seeing her face suddenly start to close the distance with the hard wooden tray-table that lay extended in front of her, she closed her eyes and braced the best she could for the painful impact that she was about to suffer. So she waited, and waited... for an impact that seemed to never come. Cautiously, she opened her eyes, focusing on the tray-table, seeming floating below her. It took her a second, and then she realized, someone was holding her head up for her.

"You okay Akari-San?". His voice was clear, worry present. Finally feeling her body coming back under her control, Akari raised her head up from his hand, looking to her right and seeing Nishikata, now awake. The two locked eyes for a moment, and she nodded her affirmation. Without even trying, she found herself captivated with the look in his eyes. She found herself trying to search into his soul, see if there was anything left for her to find. It seemed for a short moment like he was almost about to open up to her, like he had finally let go of the past.

But, as quickly as the moment had come, Nishikata turned away. He just couldn't face her. He could forgive her for what had happened, but he would never be able to forget. It would forever be imprinted in his mind, a lesson on trust that would stick with him for what he assumed would be the rest of his life. But, the past year of his life had taught him lots, and he knew that he wouldn't make the same mistake again.