•Book 1 • To Defy Fate • KageHina•

•21•

The following days are cold. Gray. Empty. It's back to the way I used to live life. But this time, I can't stand it.

Hinata has never been so quiet. He doesn't talk to his friends anymore. We haven't exchanged a single word with each other, either. This is the life I was wishing for when we arrived in this city. Funny how things have changed.

Meanwhile, Fortuna has been gone too. I haven't seen her or Pepromene at all. It is almost as if nothing ever happened, and Hinata never was a loud kid at all.

A whole week flies by. The most boring one of my life. Everything feels surreal, distanced. As if I am watching someone else go through it all. And meanwhile, I still have to fear for my life.

I wonder how long it'll take to fix things? If Fortuna needs years... I don't even know if I want to live a life like that.

It's been a week since then. And if it wasn't bad enough already, I got my math exam today. I failed it. Not the part Hinata taught me. Just, everything else.

I bury my hands in my hair with a deep sigh. This scares my mother a little, who is sitting next to me on the couch.

My parents and sister haven't been updated at all. I haven't told them anything, and Fortuna is gone more often than she is not. Maybe they would appreciate it if I talked to them more? And maybe it would make me feel better, too..

'How are you?' I ask my mother, sitting up straight again.

She looks at me, a bit surprised that I finally decided to say something to her. 'I wonder if I could be any better in a situation like this.' It comes out as monotonous as always.

'Would it help if I talked to you?'

Her eyes widen just a little bit more. 'Umm... Would you?'

I'm glad she's still her usual self, despite all this. Still quiet and a very non-emotional face. It calms me down a little. 'Of course. But don't get angry.'

Calmly, I start telling her about my first meeting with Hinata. I repeat Fortuna's warning: Don't get close to him. Of course, I also tell her how I failed. How I got chased by Pepromene, while he was with me. How I ultimately had to hurt him by rejecting him.

My mom stays silent during all of this. I appreciate that. It really helps lift a bit of the weight off of my heart.

But after my story ends, she takes over. 'And how do you feel?'

'I don't know.' I allow myself to fall back in the couch. 'Would you hate me if I told you I want to give up?'

Though I can see the pain flash through her eyes, she shakes her head no. 'It must be tough on you. But please hold on. For us.'

'You don't understand,' I sigh, knowing she means well. 'That boy, he.. He is an idiot. He has too much energy for his own good. And he doesn't realize when he is being too truthful. But I have never had my heart beat for someone else before.'

She takes one of my hands in her own. Both of us stay silent. Though this may seem like a pretty cold and distant conversation to other people, it is a way of bonding between us. We're not the people to talk or show emotion. We communicate differently.

I am about to ask where my dad and Miwa are, when Fortuna storms in. 'Tobio. I have some good and some bad news.'

'Alright. I have some as well,' I tell her.

She eyes my mom. 'Do you want to go somewhere else, or...?'

'If it's alright with you, I'd like my family to be more included in all of this.' I hope she'll understand. 'They are going through a lot at the moment as well.'

My grandma lets out a small sigh. 'Fine, but you know I can't tell them everything. Just like I can't tell you everything.'

I nod. After we made this small "deal", Fortuna starts. 'So, you did something that Pepromene absolutely hated. I was following her, and damn, she looked mad!' It makes her grin a bit.

'And that's the good news...?' I frown. 'So what's the bad side?'

'I lost track of her yesterday. No matter how hard I look, I can't find her! I don't know what she's planning, but I hope it doesn't have something to do with Zeus.'

'Zeus, too, huh... Aren't there way too many gods involved in a stupid fight?'

Fortuna laughs. 'Sure seems like it. But go on, tell me. How was your week? What did you do to upset Pepromene?'

'Hinata confessed to me.' That single sentence wipes the smile off her face. 'I don't know why. I didn't expect it either.'

'You rejected him. She thought she had you, but you rejected him.' Fortuna makes more sense of it then I did.

I don't reply. I just sigh. 'Rejected is a bit of a harsh word... But you're right. I didn't say yes. And now I'm all alone again.'

'Don't tell me he turned into some quiet emo kid,' she says, a bit too nervous for my liking.

'Haven't heard him say a word. He's just been staring at his desk.' I frown again as I say this. I still don't like this...

Her forehead also starts to show inconsistencies. 'I know that I told you to stay away from him before, but that's too late now. You can't fall for him yet, but you also can't leave him alone anymore.'

'I can't do both at the same time!' I raise my voice at her. 'It's too late. I failed already. He told me we can't be friends anymore.'

Fortuna starts biting her thumb's nail. 'That can't be true. Otherwise, Pepromene would've probably looked really happy instead.'

'How much longer until it's over?' My mom joins in.

The blonde woman has to think for a while. 'I'm trying my best. I hope it'll take one year, two max.'

So, I need to befriend Hinata again, and fully ignore everything I think and feel. Right. Sounds like a great and doable idea. Let's see how long it takes until I break.

Though I haven't said it out loud, I'm sure it shows on my face. 'I'm sorry, Tobio.' Fortuna sounds honest.

'Whatever. How urgent is it to talk to Hinata? Isn't he better off without Pepromene chasing him?'

'That boy is more fragile than you think. Don't forget, he thought you were his very first real friend. Him, of all people!' she emphasizes.

'So...?'

'You might not want to leave him all alone. Just trust me on this, okay? No matter what happens, if you do it alone, it's certain death.'

'But I thought there was only one way to survive. And I messed that up already.'

'I don't know. All I know is that you absolutely can't fall for him. That's all.'

I scoff. 'If there's one thing I absolutely cannot control, it's that. I think it's too late already.'

'Just... Please try, alright? We need to take every chance we have.'

My mom seems to agree with her mother-in-law, as she squeezes my hand tightly.

'Fine. But remember, if I screw up, it's on you.' With those words, I leave the room, as annoyed as ever.

~Yaaaaay another chapter that is just people talking yaaaaay -J~