After Story: Compassion

Chapter Thirty-Six: A Fresh Perspective

"That's...really good," Ryou said as she studied our kouhai.

"W-Welcome to the Reference Room," Yukine greeted as she grabbed my arm and half-dragged me to the table before heading to the counter where her cooking supplies waited. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Thank you, I would," Ryou replied as she took a seat...in my lap.

"I'm glad to see you're safe," I said, a little more level-headed. "What happened?"

"I was kidnapped," she explained, her back still to us. "Apparently a bad man from America wanted to force a deal that my dad's company was trying to make, so he had me and some other kids kidnapped."

"How did you escape?" Ryou asked.

She paused in her movements. "A tall man named Knight-sama and his talking car rescued me and all the others."

"Wait a minute," I said, my head buzzing. "Was it a black car? With a red light on the front?"

"It was!" she chirped as she turned to us with mugs in hand. "How did you...know...?"

"I saw it when I was visiting your parents with Pastor Jeff," I said, the buzzing starting to go away. "In my mind, I mean."

"Th-That's interesting," she said, the mugs rattling as she set them on the table before straightening. "Tomoya-san? Are you and senpai...dating?"

"We are!" I replied cheerfully...then remembered our last interaction. "Oh. I-I'm sorry; do you, uh, want us to leave?"

"N-No, that's all right," she said as she settled into the seat across from us.

We drank our coffee in awkward silence, Ryou having moved to the chair next to me, and when it was time to leave I stopped her by the door. "Listen, could you go on ahead? I promise there won't be any funny business, but I need to set things straight with her."

"She's in love with you," Ryou said simply.

"Yeah, I figured," I replied with a heavy heart. "I'd just like to take care of some damage control, okay?"

She glanced into the room with a distrustful look. "All right Tomoya, but only because I trust you." The emphasis was not lost on me as she brushed her lips against mine again before heading back to our classroom, and I smiled at her level of possessiveness as I stepped back into the Reference Room.

"Listen, Miyazawa..." I rubbed my neck as she watched me with hesitant eyes, "...I didn't bring her here to rub your nose in anything, it's just that...well...our summer break was kinda exciting and we wanted to look around the school to see how our perspectives have changed."

"My summer break was 'exciting', too," she replied quietly.

"I'll bet," I said. "I really am glad you're safe."

She rose from her seat and approached me, putting her hands on my chest. "I wish you could have been the one who rescued me."

I took her hands and held them between my own. "Thank you. If I could have, I would have."

"I love you, Tomoya-san," she said quietly, a tear escaping from her cheek.

"I know," I said. "I'm sorry." Then something shifted in my perspective. "I do love you, just...not in the way you want. I'm sorry."

"How can you say you love me while you're with her?" she scolded as she pulled her hands from mine. "Are you into harems or something?"

How could I explain something I didn't fully understand? "I'm not sure how to explain it. I guess I see and appreciate your uniqueness...kinda like family, but not."

"Please leave, senpai," she said, folding her hands and turning her back to me. "I need to be alone for a while."

"Okay." I opened my mouth to apologize again, but thought that getting out was the smarter thing to do, so I turned and left, closing the door to the sounds of crying.

***

"OKAZAKI!"

"HUH?" I leaped from my seat to stand next to my desk."Yes, sir!"

"Pay attention, please!" the teacher barked.

"Sorry, sensei," I replied as I retook my seat amid a cloud of laughter.

As the teacher turned back to the board I looked over at Sunohara, still asleep in his desk. I hadn't seen him all summer, and it looked like he hadn't changed a bit; that really pissed me off. "Hey," I whispered, poking him in the side. "Wake up; loser now, loser always."

He simply grunted and shifted position.

"Hey dumbass, you're going to end up a taxi driver at this rate," I hissed, poking him again. "You're better than this."

"Let me sleep," he whined, shoving my hand away.

I was damn-near furious; this guy had mad skills in soccer, but he'd rather sleep his life away just because his own attitude came back to bite him in the ass? "WAKE UP!" I yelled, overturning his desk and him along with it. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled at his blinking, terrified face. "You're awesome at soccer but you're letting life run you over! At least I can't play basketball because of my busted shoulder, but what's your excuse?!"

"Okazaki!" the teacher bellowed.

"You want to mooch off of some girl, huh? Well, what girl's gonna want your good-for-nothing ass!" I dropped down, straddling him and grabbing his collar to bring his face right in front of mine. "You're better than this, Yohei! You've been made for great things, but you're pissing it all away! Don't give up on yourself, don't give up on life, do you hear me?"

"O-Okazaki..." he gasped and I realized that I was holding his collar too tight.

"You don't have to be the best at everything," I told him as I relaxed my grip. "We've each been given different strengths and weaknesses, and it's our job to find out what they are and learn from them. Stop running away!" I yelled, shaking him.

"Tomoya!" I heard the voice of my girl cry out, and I felt a 'snap' from within me; not like I had broken something, but like I had been 'in the zone' and was coming out of it. I quickly released Sunohara, stared at my hands for a moment, then got to my feet and held out my hand to help him up. "S-Sorry about that."

"What's gotten in to you?" he demanded as he got up on his own. "Who the hell are you?"

Who was I? The 'Tomoya' from before wouldn't have cared whether he slept or not, and might have even had some fun with it, maybe involving a marker, but now... "I...I don't know..." I looked to see everyone staring at me with wide eyes, the teacher included. "I'm...going to go to the nurse's office...and then to the main office for whatever discipline is appropriate." I felt a little light-headed, so I leaned on the wall to keep from toppling as I headed toward the door.

"I'll go with him," I heard Ryou tell the teacher. "I want to make sure he gets there okay."

"Go ahead," I heard our teacher say.

***

"What happened back there?" she asked as we made our way down the hall. "I've never seen you so angry."

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "When I saw Sunohara sleeping, I felt angry and sad and frustrated, all at the same time. He has so much potential in him, but he's wasting it with his antics."

"You sound like Ashton-sensei," she remarked with a giggle.

I blinked; I sounded like Jeff? He was supposed to be my mentor for winning Ryou back, but...were there other ways that he'd influenced me?