THE FALLEN ( the GazettE Tale )

Chapter XVI : Tied by a Wicked Knot

   I woke up disoriented. The ceiling of my bedroom was the first thing I saw and I let my gaze stay there even if my alarm clock was ringing on and on. The sun's rays reflected on the window were harsher, indicating that I should jump out of my bed if I didn't want to be late from school. Then I was suddenly aware that someone was standing at my door. I whipped my head to turn and see who it was.

   Uruha.

   My heart lurched forward, beating again from its break when he was away.  Coming alive, when it died during the hours when he was missing.

   Uruha was back. The angel was standing at my doorway with all of his gloriousness. He was watching me carefully. There was nothing on his face to give away what he was thinking. I wanted to climbed out of this bed and run and bring our body together, I wanted to feel his warmth. But I didn't. I stayed here, lying down as I stare at him.

   "Hi." He said his greeting without its usual tone of happiness.

   "Where have you been?" I asked slowly.

   He didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked to my nightstand and clicked my alarm clock off. His gaze didn't leave me, and then he nodded his head to the door. "Breakfast is ready."

   I wanted to ask him more, wanted to ask the truth out of him but I kept my mouth close and just nodded. Uruha turned and went out of the room while I traveled my gaze back to my ceiling.

   There was something wrong in here, I could feel it, but I couldn't figure it out. It was looming between me and Uruha, more like an invisible wall suddenly built to keep us from each other. I didn't like it, but it was there, big and proud, strong and thick.

    I took my last bite of the egg and stood up.

   "That's all you're going to eat? Three spoons of rice and two bites of egg?" Uruha asked me, looking up through his lashes.

   I looked down on the still food full plate and nodded. I wasn't hungry at all. My appetite was nowhere near, to make me eat all of the food my guardian cooked for me.

   "Where did you go?" I heard myself ask again. It sounded like a whisper.

   When seconds passed and I thought that he didn't hear me, he suddenly sighed deeply.

   "I'm back aren't I? There's no reason for you to know where I went." Uruha answered calmly but the way he said it felt like a sharp slap to me. It sounded like I should not give a damn about him.

   I pursed my lips and nodded down. Taking my plate with me, I threw the untouched food to the trash bin and head to the sink where I wash in a hurry to lock myself in the bathroom.

   I leaned on the door and closed my eyes. I was in the verge of breaking. I couldn't keep this up. I wasn't use of this sudden distant feeling. A lone tear escaped from my eye and I wiped it hurriedly with the back of my hand. I willed myself to get ready and head to school.

   "Where'd you go yesterday?" Aika asked me as she sat down my desk. I looked out to the field and stared at the Sakura tree where I planned on taking a petal sometime ago. I hadn't done it yet.

   "—I mean, you just went out and didn't come back." She continued when I didn't answer.

   Yesterday. Yes, I didn't come back. Because I went looking for my angel but after a few failure attempts, I just went home and worry myself to sleep.

   "I wasn't feeling good." I murmured. That wasn't a lie. I wasn't really feeling good. Until now. Even worst, I thought.

   "Yeah, you look like shit." Aki said somewhere beside me.