Angst, Suoh, angst!

[sakon76]

Suoh had forgotten the speed at which things could happen at Clamp Campus. Within a hour the Chairwoman had tendered her resignation and turned the Campus over to her successor, a distant cousin of the main Imonoyama branch, one who coincidentally shared a name with her late protege.

The story was weak and the four of them shared a collective wince at how flimsy it seemed. Still, as Akira had thoughtfully pointed out, who would ever believe the truth?

They fell back into paperwork and schedules and reviewing student records and security procedures like the three of them had never left the offices of Clamp Campus.

Well, with one difference, Suoh thought, glancing up from his desk to Nokoru's. The newly named Chairman was no longer trying to dodge the paperwork, not even retreating within to let Idomu deal with it. A thousand times in the past Suoh had wished for that very thing, Nokoru to take his work seriously. Now that his wish was granted, he found himself regretting the lost slacker's work ethic.

As if sensing his thoughts, Nokoru raised his head and met Suoh's gaze. Suoh dropped his gaze back to his schedule for the next day, noting a meeting scheduled at Nokoru's request between Nokoru and the CEO of Higashikunimaru, Inc., and his secretary.

Nokoru stood up and crossed the distance between them, circling around Suoh's desk until he stood by the arm of the gray office chair. "Suoh," he asked softly, "what is it?"

Suoh met Nokoru's eyes and had no words. Mutely, he shook his head.

"Whatever's wrong, you will talk to me about it, won't you?" Nokoru pressed. "Or Idomu-kun or Akira?"

"I'm not your responsibility, Rijichou," Suoh said in a low voice.

Nokoru smiled though his eyes were still concerned. "But you are, Suoh." He returned to his desk.

***

Before, of the three of them Akira's schedule had always been the busiest. That hadn't changed; Suoh watched Akira bustle about cheerfully, cooking, teaching classes at the university, being a student there himself, going home to spend time with his mothers and wife, doing all the paperwork that running a multi-school campus required, and still somehow he managed to find the time to pull off one or two of Twenty Mensou's spectacular thefts a month. He made Suoh feel old, and tired, in comparison.

They didn't talk to each other. Or, rather, they talked, but never of things of importance. Schedules and budgets and deadlines and "as always, the cake is delicious, Akira," but never of any words of weight or meaning.

Once they wouldn't have needed to speak; such things would simply be known and understood.

Now the years stood between them and Suoh's refusal to speak of the deaths he had dealt as reprisal for Nokoru's murder hampered their efforts even further. Ijyuin, too, seemed to feel the strain, growing quieter, almost pensive at times when faced with talking to Suoh.

"Sempai," he said one day, laying a plate of Angel's Food Cake before Suoh.

"Yes?" Suoh asked.

Akira's gray eyes were troubled, then he continued forward, asking, "Would you like to come visit Nagisa-san?"

Suoh felt very proud that his fork did not clatter to the table. "I don't believe that would be a good idea, Ijyuin." To confront Nagisa-san, the way he was... no, it wouldn't be for the best.

Akira looked sad. "Are you sure, sempai? I thought that seeing you again might make Nagisa-san happier."

Suoh kept a tight lid on his emotions, asking neutrally, "She's not happy now?"

Akira's lips narrowed. "No, sempai. She isn't."