Work Text:
“See you tomorrow.”
What a liar. The most painful thing is that Nirei had already known that. Suo lies all the time, however, most of his lies are obvious, well, obvious to everyone but Sakura. It was Nirei’s own damn fault that he didn’t realize what Suo said that day was a lie.
In hindsight, maybe he should've been paying more attention that day. He was the last one to see him, the last one to talk to him, yet he hadn’t noticed anything out of place. Nirei had burned the words Suo last said to him into his mind, trying to look for any clues of what happened to Suo. He even tried to think of every single conversation they had before that day.
Nothing.
A whole year has passed since Suo went missing. You would think that after one year of no news and no contact, Nirei would forget about Suo, but Suo is just an unforgettable person. Not just him, the whole school knows about Suo’s disappearance. He’s become somewhat of a legend. Nirei would walk through the halls, and every once in a while hear people talk about Suo and make up theories on what had happened to him.
It was hard to guess when no one really knows a lot about him. People from other classes that are curious about Suo had even come up to him a few times, to ask about what kind of person Suo was, and how well Nirei knew him. As much as Nirei wanted to proudly declare himself as the person who knows Suo the best, he can’t.
What right does he have? Back when Suo was only just gone for a few days and wasn't replying to texts or calls, he got worried of course, so he and Sakura were going to visit Suo’s place to see what’s up with him. That’s when he realized he doesn't know Suo’s address.
They ended up going to the school to request Suo’s address, since they should have it on files somewhere. Nirei had brightened up when they actually got the address, but that happiness soon disappeared. The address that Suo once gave was a fake one, and there was no house or apartment there or anywhere near there.
It was at that moment did Nirei truly start panicking. It was a dead end. He looked through his notebooks to find any information he could to see if anyone else that was close to Suo could maybe help them and tell them where Suo was.
Looking through the page on Suo, made Nirei realize he doesn’t remember the people he once asked about Suo. He doesn’t even know what middle school Suo went to, so how could he go ask his middle school classmates? It was on that day he realized, no one at Furin really knew Suo at all.
Well, what did they know? He knows that Suo's on a diet. That he likes tea. He hates natto. He’s a very graceful fighter. Someone who never gets hurt. Someone who cares for others a lot. But is that really it?
That's the extent of what he knows. There's more that he doesn't know than he does.
He doesn’t know why Suo is on a diet. He knows Suo hates natto but doesn’t know what kind of food Suo likes to eat. He doesn't know why he hates natto so much.
Suo is so good at fighting, but Nirei had never thought to ask what kind of person his master was. When did Suo start training with a master? How long did Suo train for before coming to Furin? His skills aren’t something that only takes a year or two, it must've been way longer.
Nirei doesn’t even know the reason why Suo had chosen to come to Furin in the first place. To be as famous as Suo is, but no one knows a damn thing about him, or the types of fights he’s been in before coming here, that's very suspicious, something he should've noticed way sooner.
Everytime he thinks of Suo, which is quite often, the more depressed he gets.
You would also think that he and Sakura would’ve already chosen a new vice captain to take his place already. It’s been a year after all. Both he and Sakura knew and agreed that no one could replace Suo. No one else can take his place. Everyone else knows that as well, so no one even tried to offer to take his place. That spot would be saved for him, just in case one day Suo decides to come back. He can take that role again, and Nirei would welcome him with open arms.
Nirei had noticed himself gotten a lot quieter since Suo disappeared. When Suo was still here, he hadn't realize just how much time he had spent with just him and Suo. It’s a thing he hadn't really notice until it’s gone, but Suo had always been by his side, listening to him talk. The one to walk him home after school, and train him in the evenings.
His walk home became so lonely, he started to text Suo way more often. He never got any replies, but he continues. It started off with simple messages, stuff like “I miss you.” and “ Please come back.”
The messages became longer as time went on. Anything he wanted to tell Suo, he wrote down and sent. Nirei had continued training on his own, occasionally with some of the upperclassmen and classmates. Whenever he learns a new skill, he texts it to Suo’s phone-number.
He texted Suo about every accomplishment he made. He wanted to hear Suo compliment him again, to be the one to tell him, “Good job! I knew you could do it!”
He texted him when he was sad. Hoping Suo was here right next to him, to comfort him and reassure him. His heart breaks every time he looks up to see him not there, everytime he doesn’t get a message back. It hurts, Suo used to be the first one to reply every time, and he never left him on deliver for longer than an hour.
He texted Suo so much, it had basically become like a diary to him. From who knows what point, there were so many messages that even if Suo were to come back one day, it would take days to scroll through and read every single message Nirei had sent. He had sent at the very least 5 every day. Nirei still hopes one day, he’ll open the chat he has with Suo, and the delivered status would change, would change into read.
Even if Suo were to leave him on read, it would be fine to Nirei. It will be sad of course, but he just wants a sign, any sign that Suo was out there somewhere.
There was one time on the street when he passed by someone who was wearing an eyepatch, one that looked super similar to Suo’s. That day, Nirei had nearly mistaken this person for Suo; he had tackled that person to the floor. He repeatedly apologized when he realized he wasn’t, and locked himself in his room for the next day.
Every time he hangs out with his friends, he has fun, of course, but it never felt the same. He feels like crying every night, and he does. Nirei has always been the type to cry easily, though Suo was always there to wipe his tears, but he isn’t here.
And it hurts him that all he can do is wait, and there’s nothing else he can do. But deep inside his heart, he knows, one day, the two will meet again. He will see Suo again one day, and he’ll tell Suo all the things he’s wanted to say to him, every single bit of it. Among all the things he wants to say, one of it, which is his love for him. Perhaps he should've confessed when he still had the chance, but it wasn’t that easy. After all, who could've predicted that one day Suo would just disappear?
So when he meets Suo again one day, he’ll be sure to tell him,
“I love you.”