Storm

Conundrum

"Better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all."

Takagi thought about the infamous quote deeply, pondering her own conundrum in relation to it.

She had loved, but had she lost? That part, was what she wondered the most.

Weeks had passed by since that day, and it was all but normal. 

Weeks. It had been weeks.

Ever since that day he had acted in a very peculiar manner, and it wasn't pleasant to say the least.

Whereas a flustered and burning Nishikata had once filled the desk next to her, now was a distant and old friend.

'Where did we go so wrong?'

----------------------------------------------------------------------

He heaved open his eyelids, and slowly sat up. 

Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the clock next to him.

8:00 AM.

It had been 3 weeks since his sleepover with Takagi, and every day that passed by seemed to separate them more and more.

He had woken up from a dream, a bad one at that. One where he and Takagi left eachother, and never talked again.

'Well, its not like its different from now.'

Ever since that day he had been undergoing a metamorphosis of some kind. Takagi still teased him yes, but he rarely looked towards her. He had become more empty, yet more flustered. More hushed, yet outspoken. Every movement had plauged his mind.

'How do I really feel about her?'

It was quite the conundrum, really.

Here there were two people. They both loved each other dearly, but the hesitation between them that resided continued to crumble their once pure relationship.

But when he woke up from that moment, he knew that he had to make it right.

*Flashback*

"Hey Nishikata, wanna walk hom-"

"No thanks, Takagi-san. I have some...stuff to get for my mom today."

She knew it was a lie, but she didn't want to prod further into the situation. 

Her gaze shifted to the ground and her smile weakend.

"Okay, Nishikata. Maybe tomorrow..." 

Putting on her shoes to get out of school, she felt a pang in her chest. 

It had been that way for the past 3 weeks. They used to be best friends, but now they were strangers. Everyday, every minute, and almost every second she sat beside him, she was running through her thoughts. What could she have done to provoke this attitude? What was going through his mind right now? 

She continued through the entrance of the school, passing by a Mr. Tanaka, their homeroom teacher.

As he guarded the gates to the entrance, seeing his students off he peered upon Takagi passing by. He might have been a very disciplined teacher, but he still cared for his students. 

He had seen the most troublesome pair in his break.

Instead of making him happy, that the interruptions stopped, it had only worried him. 

To see one of his best students once filled with cheer become a dark cloud of gloom.

It almost scared him.

"Takagi-san" he called out to her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned her almost lifeless body towards him.

"Yes, Mr. Tanaka?"

He paused, "...Get home safe today."

She gave him a weak smile. 

"Hai."

As she stumbled through the streets of Tonosho, every painstaking step inched her closer towards her destination.

She reached the entrance, of the shrine.

Walking around back, she sat at the base of the structure, setting down her briefcase next to her.

She looked up at the grey clouds in the sky, and looked down to her feet.

Her vision blurred, and her hands clasped together.

She looked back to the heavens as tears ran down her face.

"Please. Please bring things back to the way they were."

"I just."

More tears rolled down her face.

"I just want him back" she whimpered.

She let it out, the confusion, the discomfort, the sorrow.

If anything could have broken Nishikatas heart more then a rejection of Takagi-san, it would have been the sight in front of him.

And at that moment, it was more like someone took his heart, pulled it out of his throat, and stomped on it, all in front of him.

All because he had went to the shrine, and saw her there.

She looked up to her left, her eyes glazed from tears and puffy from the sobbing.

She managed to stutter the word, with whatever hope or strength she had.

"Nishikata?"