Advocated Wars

Chapter Ten

                                                                                                                        X

I had sat with Nozomu for a while longer, longer than I really intended to. But, I think I was just waiting a bit longer to gather the strength to walk back home. 

Nozomu waited. 

But, when I did finally get up to leave, he didn’t move. I noticed then that there really wasn’t anything left to his cigarette, just a long line of ashes that have long since burned out. And, yet, I could remember him taking another hit after the first. 

And, when he noticed me staring. Nozomu used that half-smile he always worse. It was never significant enough to make him look any happier, though. It had always only been just the gentle curving of the lips, barely there. 

“I thought you were leaving?”

“Aren’t you?” The man shook his head, absently looking at the burnt out line of ashes in his hand. And, after a moment’s deliberation, flicked it away. 

His black eyes met mine. “You always give me something to think about. Which is never really a good thing when you’re me. Not really.”

“Sensei?” My voice was small, a bit unsure. And I felt uneasy. “Can I ask you something?”

He nodded. 

“The reason you left….your village….something….something happened, didn’t it?” Nozomu’s black eyes stayed on me. And, I thought that, maybe, I had been out of line to ask such a personal question. 

His lips twitched. 

“Yeah, Champion, it did.”

I nodded, turning around to leave. Because, I thought that maybe, I had been satisfied with his answer. He answered my question, and that should have been enough. But, it wasn’t. And, the curiosity burning at the back of my head was too strong to ignore.

One more question wouldn’t hurt. 

“You won’t tell us, will you?”

He shook his head. “No, Champion, I won’t.”

“Was it bad?” He didn’t answer. And, instead, opted to simply staring forward. I noticed then that his eyes weren’t really seeing what was there. But, where rather glazed over. They looked so vulnerable. 

So pained they hurt me. 

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“Where have you been?” The voice surprised me, almost making me drop the bottle of water I had been holding. It was true I hadn’t of been expecting anyone to be home, tonight. At least, not for awhile. That’s why it had been so easy for me to sneak out. 

But, I think what surprised me the most was Surge. Not the fact that he had been the one who had caught me, or even that he was in my house — alone.  It was just that — it was him. The way he sounded. 

So angry. 

“Surge!” I exclaimed, “You scared me!”

The boy’s hard expression didn’t waver as I continued into the house, expelling my sweat-filled shirt. He didn’t say anything as he followed me into my room and I searched for something clean to wear. 

However, before I could leave the room to continue to the shower, Surge grabbed a hold of my wrist. 

“Surge—”