Drifted Apart

Chapter 15

"Heya, folks! As we left off last time, Touko and Komaru were about to do some math for the next challenge! Now that you're all caught up, here they are at their starting tables!" Monaca stopped blaring her voice through the microphone and adjusted the camera to face them.

Komaru just rolled her eyes and whisper-yelled to her friend. "You know math isn't my forte, you're much better at the academic stuff, so you're sure to ace this one!" Touko smiled and nodded, still sore from the running. "Monaca, this is the last challenge right?" She yelled, but Monaca didn't respond.

Touko looked around the room, perplexed. She tapped Komaru on the shoulder. "Komaru, where'd Monaca go?" Komaru gazed around as well, but no Monaca in sight. The two looked each other right in the eye, thinking the exact same thing. "Let's escape!" Komaru scooped Touko up and hurdled towards the door, trying to make as little noise as possible.

They looked back to make sure Monaca wasn't following, and out of sheer luck, she was still nowhere in sight. They finally stopped near a wrecked building to relax. "Komaru, I can't believe we escaped so easily! Monaca won't find us here." Komaru smiled, slightly unsure. "I don't know...I feel like that was too easy. I mean, she wouldn't just leave us alone with the door wide open, right?"

Touko worriedly looked into her eyes. "Yeah...that makes a lot more sense, now that you mention it. Well, we have to find a way then." She grabbed Komaru's hands. "Komaru! Let's run away! Far, far, far away where Monaca can't ever find us again!" Komaru's face flushed entirely. "B-but...what about the others? Makoto, Aoi, Byakuya, Yasuhiro and Kyoko?" Touko shrugged it off, excited about the idea of spending time alone with her best friend after all this chaos.

"They can always visit, or the other way around. Besides, who ever said this whole thing was permanent?" Komaru smiled, taking Touko's hand as they hoisted each other up off the debris covered ground. "Let's go, get away and enjoy ourselves for awhile, just you and I." Touko didn't know how, but a confidence she had never felt overtook her in that particular moment, her strong feelings of wanting to be with Komaru must have inspired them.