"Sensei do you love me?" asked in a quiet voice a single tear escaping her green eyes. She didn't notice it.

"No I don't" Shishio sensei answered in a low voice. He could feel his heart squeeze. He couldn't bring himself up to look at her face, so he stared at the floor. The painful silence stretched between them. Shishio couldn't stand it any longer. He opened his mouth to say something. But before he could utter a word he felt Suzume slowly walking past him towards the door without a word. He heard the door open and close quietly behind him and Suzume was gone, probably forever from is life. He stood there for a moment before the thought sunk in him. He has lost her, the most loved person from his life.

He sank in the nearest chair in the empty staff room. He clenched his hands together and touched them to his forehead. It was so painful. He felt a dull pain near his heart and a lump in his throat. He closed his eyes for some moment and let the silence sink in. A few moments later he felt his eyes hot behind his eyelids. He stood up, grabbed a pack of cigarette and headed outside. He needed some fresh air and some peace of mind.

X-X-X-X

When he heard the bell rung he knew recess was over and he needed to go to his class for his next lesson. The thought that he had yet another lesson with Chun Chun's class made his heart sink a bit more. How could he stand in front of her after what he did? He sat on the bench at a quite corner of the school, taking his time. Her question played in his mind over and over again.

"Sensei do you love me?"

He clenched his hands together and gripped them tightly.

"Yes I do…. How could I not..." he answered truthfully to the silence. He stood up slowly and walked towards his next class with an ache in his heart.

X-X-X