Indemnification
[inˌdemnəfəˈkāSHən]
(in-DEM-ni-fi-CAY-shun)
NOUN
Noun form of Indemnify.
Indemnify
[inˈdemnəˌfī]
(in-DEM-ni-fy)
VERB
Compensate (someone) for harm or loss.
• • • • •
My chance didn't come until three days later, and even then I almost missed it. I hadn't seen Shirou all weekend since Friday afternoon, which was unusual to say the least. Therefore, my objective was pushed to Monday. It was hardly conducive to confront him at school seeing as I had next to no classes with him, so I was forced to wait until afterwards. I knew he had soccer practice on Mondays. I also knew that unlike most people, rather than immediately resting after exercising, Shirou preferred to let his adrenaline level fall more gradually. His most constant method was climbing, trees being his usual way of accomplishing this. 87% of the time, at least. The other 13% was composed of various options ranging from rocks to buildings. If today was one of the outlier days that happened to fall in the 13%, I was out of luck. However, all probability said it was not, so I was not unduly worried. Now, all that was left was to determine which tree he would climb, or at least the general vicinity in which he would turn up. After analyzing several possibilities, I settled on the southwest corner of Spring Park. It wasn't far from his practice field, it was rarely occupied, and it was full of sturdy trees, perfect for climbing.
It took me an hour, twenty-seven minutes, and fifty five seconds to walk there, meaning I arrived approximately 7 minutes before I estimated Shirou would. I took the opportunity to look around in the hopes of determining which tree he would be likely to climb, and was quickly able to narrow it down to only a small handful. It then occurred to me to take a closer look, and I realized that the grass at the base of one of them was sparser than expected judging by observation of the surrounding area. Perfect.
I didn't bother with any elaborate hiding strategy. Instead I simply walked around to the side of the tree opposite the direction Shirou would be coming from so I would be effectively hidden from view. I leaned against the tree and waited. He should be arriving in approximately 3 minutes and 17 seconds.
My calculations were incorrect.
It took 37 seconds longer than predicted.
Hmm.
His arrival was given away by the crunch of cleats on dirt. They got closer and closer, finally stopping on the other side of the tree I was standing behind. Perfect.
I heard the rustle of clothing as he bent over to take off his cleats, shinguards, and socks, then a soft thump as they were dropped in a pile to the side. He began climbing the tree, but I didn't move yet. I waited until he stopped, then waited several seconds more to make sure he was settled. I then quietly slipped off my own shoes and padded around to the place where Shirou had gone up. Looking up into the branches, I saw how high Shirou was. I almost whistled, but restrained myself. It would be unwise to give away my presence just yet. I grabbed a branch and easily swung myself up into the tree, sticking close to the trunk and avoiding leaves when possible in order to minimize noise. It was a good thing that I read in trees often, otherwise I may not have been able to accomplish this task nearly as efficiently. As I made my way higher and higher, I realized I was hearing singing. My first thought was, That cannot possibly be Shirou. My second, more logical thought was Of course it's Shirou, he's the only one other than yourself for several acres, at least. In light of this realization, I thought it only practical to listen.
I continued to climb until I was on the same level as Shirou, only a few branches away from his back. I wasn't at all surprised that he hadn't seen me, with the amount of branches this tree had. There were at least three convenient blind spots on nearly every level.
I finally settled there and listened. I realized I had somehow never heard Shirou sing before. I didn't even know he could. There was a significance in that which, in different circumstances, I would have deciphered immediately. However, this was not other circumstances. Right then, I was captivated by the pure voice of the friend that I realized I might not have known as well as I thought.
This is what I heard:
I'm lonely again
nega bogo sipeunde
neomu meolli meolli meolli gabeoryeosseo
Please come back
dorawajwo lonely lonely lonely
nal anajwo lonely lonely lonely
nareul hollo hollo hollo dugo gan
nega miwo dorawajullae
It took me a moment to process the fact that he wasn't singing in English. At least, not for the most part. Once I realized this, I was easily able to translate the melodic flow of words.
I'm lonely again
I miss you
But you're too far away now
Please come back
Come back, lonely lonely lonely
Hold me, lonely lonely lonely
I hate you for leaving me alone
Will you come back?
I sidled silently onto the branch beside him. It was thick and sturdy, so I knew I didn't have to worry about any noise or movement it might have otherwise made. Shirou still hadn't noticed my presence, as he had his eyes closed and his head resting on the trunk. This was the point where I had planned to alert him to the fact that he was not alone, but I uncharacteristicly decided to continue listening rather than immediately saying what I had come here to say. I knew this was foolish, and a part of me urged to simply disregard this strange feeling and go ahead with the plan. But another part of me, the part that had instructed me to do this in the first place, wrestled the first part down, tied it up, and duct taped its mouth.
neon hangsang nae pyeoni dwaesseo
negeman buteoyagesseo
moduga nae gyeoteul tteonagado
neomaneun nae yeope isseo
geuriwojyeo urideurui chueok
honjan gaeuri neomu chuwo
neomu bogo sipeo
nege mutgo sipeo
neoui daedabeul nan deutgo sipeo
You were always on my side
I need to stick with you
Even when everyone else left me
You stayed by my side
I miss our memories
This autumn is too cold by myself
I miss you so much
I wanna ask you
I wanna hear your answer
The logical part of me was making a valiant attempt to escape its bonds.
I'm lonely again
nega bogo sipeunde
neomu meolli meolli meolli gabeoryeosseo
Please come back
dorawajwo lonely lonely lonely
nal anajwo lonely lonely lonely
nareul hollo hollo hollo dugo gan
nega miwo dorawajullae
I'm lonely again
I miss you
But you're too far away now
Please come back
Come back, lonely lonely lonely
Hold me, lonely lonely lonely
I hate you for leaving me alone
Will you come back?
My logic finally struggled away from my emotions and brought me back to my senses.
"You're late." Shirou's head shot up. He saw me, but he said nothing. I waited, but he remained silent. After 34.7 seconds of us simply looking at each other, he asked,
"Why are you here?"
"I came to apologize," I told him. He looked surprised. Understandable. I rarely apologize to anyone, seeing as the matters they tend to seek apology for are often their own fault.
"There's no need. It doesn't matter, anyway," he said, starting to climb off the branch.
"Wait," I said. "I came to apologize and to explain. Please allow me to do this, as I have forgone reading to intercept you here."
"You gave up reading time just to talk to me? Wow, I feel important," he said, traces of his usual humor surfacing. "Go ahead. I'll listen, if this is so important to you."
"You are incorrect. This is not important to me," I informed him. "It is important to you."
"No comment. Just talk, okay? I said I'd listen. I'm listening."
"I will start with my response to the question you asked on Friday. I asked you if you knew what floccinaucinihilipilification meant, and when you responded negatively, I proceeded to define the term. Floccinaucinihilipilification is a noun meaning the action or habit of estimating something as worthless. Succeeding this, my exact words were as follows: Coincidentally, that happens to be my precise view on this matter. I do admittedly have this feeling about many things, some of which- This is where you decided you had had enough, and cut me off before I could finish."
"I'm sorry, but-"
"No. I will complete my intended response, and then you may say what you wish."
"Fine."
"I do admittedly have this feeling about many things, some of which have proven my initial assumption to be incorrect. Having taken into consideration the various sides of your proposal, I will do as you ask. One day only," I finished.
"...Oh. Oops," Shirou said sheepishly. "Sorry. But you'll do it? Really?"
"Was I unclear? I can take it back, if you prefer."
"No no no, you're fine," he grinned. "I'll keep in mind to let you finish your sentences in the future."
"How prudent of you. Do you have a specific day in mind?"
"Uh... no. I hadn't thought that far ahead," he confessed, running his fingers through his hair. "Would next Saturday work for you?"
"That date seems to be conducive with my itinerary," I affirmed.
"I'm... assuming that's a yes?" he said.
"Correct," I confirmed. "Now that this issue has been sorted out, why were you late?"
"I... what?"
"You arrived 37 seconds later than I predicted. Why?"
"I don't- oh, wait. Someone was trying to talk to me," he remembered.
"Trying?"
"Yeah, it was just something stupid. I wasn't in the mood, so it wasn't really a conversation. Mostly I was making excuses to leave," he told me.
"I see. Thank you for explaining, I was curious. Now, the books I left to confront you are sorely in need of a reader, so if you'll excuse me." I began climbing down, but before I was out of earshot, I remembered something. "Your singing voice is really quite alluring," I called up to him. "You should use it more often."
"Wha- Hold on!" he exclaimed, clambering down after me.
I was long gone by the time he reached the ground.
Walking home, I pondered what would be in store for me on Saturday. I never would have agreed to this proposal coming from someone else, but Shirou was special.
When we were very young, we had many friends. We were no different from any others our age, but when my intelligence became apparent, I no longer fit in. Many people who I considered myself close to started avoiding me, but not Shirou. Shirou didn't care that I was smarter than the average child. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter. He stayed by me, and eventually, people started avoiding him, too. He didn't care. I was his best friend, and no amount of peer pressure was going to change that.
For all my cold and calculating appearances, I don't know what I would do if Shirou left me. That's why I had to explain myself to him. Because although I may not act like it, Shirou is my best friend, and I am rather disinclined to change that. And there is always the slim possibility that Saturday will prove to be enjoyable. Very slim.
After all, what could possibly be better than books?