"Goodbye," bigla niyang sabi kaya napakunot ang noo ko. He walked away from me and somehow, it sounded more serious than it should be. I suddenly remembered his words before.
"I must return to my rightful place."
Sinundan ko siya hanggang sa makalabas kami ng kwarto at noong nasa hallway na kami ay tumigil ako sa paglalakad.
"That rightful place you were talking about . . ." He halted. "Are you going there?"
Muli siyang lumingon, but this time, instead of a serious expression, he was smirking. I thought he would say something but he continued walking away and I had no choice but to follow him until I got the answers I wanted to hear.
Sinundan ko lang siya at hindi naman siya nagreklamo. We were quietly trudging the hallway until we got out of the dorm. The sun has set when we stepped outside and when I checked the time, it was already past 6 PM.
'Are you just going to follow me?' he suddenly asked.
'Maybe,' I replied and I heard him chuckle. 'What's funny?'
'Your stubbornness.'
Naging tahimik ulit siya matapos niyang sabihin 'yon hanggang sa makarating kami sa Central Plaza. It was already dark and a lot of students were gathered to eat and enjoy the night, while here I am, tagging along with this guy. I really don't understand his way of thinking. It was frustrating.
Huminto naman siya nang makarating kami sa fountain area at umupo siya sa bakanteng bench. Naglaan siya ng pwesto sa tabi niya kaya tinignan ko siya at nang hindi siya umimik ay umupo ako.
"That guy . . ." I mentioned while looking at the fountain in front of us. The color of the water changes depending on the dominant mood of the people surrounding it. It was blue which signifies tranquility.
"You should not worry about it anymore," putol naman niya. "It's for the best."
"So it's really a confidential mission, huh?"
He replied with silence. Now that I think about it, was it related to what Kyo told him?
"You need to catch them immediately."
Was he talking about that guy? That Senshin? But it was really weird. Why would a Senshin act like that? He seemed . . . demented.
"You're really curious about that," sabi niya naman kaya napatingin ako sa kanya.
"Curiosity is a good thing."
"Curiosity killed the cat," he countered. Playing proverbs with me now, huh?
"Maybe the cat wasn't careful enough. It still depends on the individual." Tinignan naman niya ako na para bang may mali sa sinabi ko. "What? I'm just being realistic here."
Naging tahimik ulit kami at pinanood ko na lang kung paano magbago ng kulay ang tubig sa fountain. We remained silent for a few minutes but it wasn't awkward at all, in fact, it was comforting.
"Thank you for everything," bigla niyang sabi kaya napatingin ako sa kanya. He was staring at the sky with a relaxed expression.
"W-what was that for?" I coughed, trying to hide my confusion.
"Do you still like me?" he said while looking straight to my eyes and I was so dumbfounded that I shifted my gaze to everything but him.
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"W-when did I say that? Are you an idiot?" I retorted while looking at the kids playing at the left side. God, why is this guy so unpredictable? One moment he'd be like a raging tiger and then after a few minutes, he'd turn into a warm and honest boy.
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When I heard his timid chuckle, I glanced at him and saw him looking at me. I averted his gaze once again and focused on the yellow water.
"You're cool, clever and dependable," he said and I don't know how to react. Is this really Mitsuo? I'm getting goosebumps and my heart was pounding loudly against my chest. "Maybe if I am a normal Senshin . . ." His voice trailed off.
Nagulat naman ako nang maramdaman kong lumalapit siya sa akin. My body was petrified due to nervousness and when his hand fingers grazed my hair, my whole body tingled.
"I'm sorry," he whispered and when I noticed something was wrong with his tone, it was all too late. I felt a sharp sensation on my neck and the next thing I knew, my senses were already fading.
"M-Mit . . ."
'Thank you, but I shouldn't be loved. I might hurt and break you so give your heart to someone who could really protect you. But your feelings toward me, I'll treasure it.'
Even though my senses were dwindling, I felt the tears running down my cheeks and I saw his agonizing smile. I wanted to say something but my voice betrayed me and those were the last words I heard before my consciousness slipped away.
***
Nagising naman ako dahil narinig ko ang pagtawag sa pangalan ko.
"Nathalie?" I opened my eyes and Akira's face was the first thing I saw. "You're finally awake!"
Nagulat naman ako nang bigla niya akong niyakap at naramdaman ko ang pagpipigil niya sa pag-iyak. Doon ko lang din napansin na nasa hospital room ako at nandito rin sina Michiko, Mayu at Hideo.
Hideo was covered with wounds but his expression didn't reflect the physical pain. He was devastated because of something else. Then I realized that all of them were wearing the same expression.
"What happened?" I asked but none of them responded. Pilit kong inalala kung ano ang nangyari sa akin bago ako mawalan ng malay.
Mitsuo . . .
"Where is he?" tanong ko kaagad. "And Akemi?"
They didn't answer and that made me frustrated.
"Hideo," I pleaded and he looked at me with remorse.
"They're gone," he said in a soft voice but his words resonated across the room. "And they're not coming back anymore."
