NO DISCLAIMERS, REALLY, CONSIDERING THAT THIS STORY BELONGS TO ME. ^_^

A/N: This storyline was one of the supposed plots for the Irvine X OC, but since I've chosen something else, this is now officially a HinaRu. There you go, Tower, are you happy?

*~Lines That Are Not Spoken~*

~Shohoku High~

Rukawa quickly swept through the hallways of the school on Monday morning. He had to find her. But she wasn't in her classroom. She wasn't in her favorite spot by the old tree either, since it was raining. Neither was she in the library. Rukawa swept a hand through his hair and sighed. A group of girls, presumably his fangirls, swooned and stared dreamily at him. Rukawa rolled his eyes. Oh come on, so what if he wasn't sleeping in class yet? He wasn't the type to go out and look for people. He knew that. His fangirls knew that. Besides, if he was sleeping, they'd have more chances to glomp him, much less suck up to him. Even the mere thought of it made him shudder involuntarily.

He looked at the clock at the end of the hall. Almost seven. The first bell was supposed to ring in three minutes and he still hadn't seen her. He sighed again.

Where are you, Hinata? he asked.

~Hinata's House~

At Hinata's, Hinata was piling her books and placing them in suitcases. The rain outside pounded on the windows, startling her every now and then. She zipped the last one and sat down on her bed. Her room was totally bare. The different drawings that covered her walls were packed away in one of the suitcases that stood by the door, along with her books and study materials. Her clothes were in another. All her stuffed toys were in boxes to be kept in the attic, save for a few special ones Hinata really loved. Her last suitcase contained all her treasures.

There was nothing left to do except wait for the taxi her friend had called for her. Hinata sighed and looked at her watch. Eight-thirty. Class must have started already. Hinata closed her eyes and imagined herself in her old seat, watching the homeroom teacher take attendance. Her imagination shifted to Hinata, who sat on the seat behind her. Hinata felt her cheeks turning red.

"Hinata, the taxi's here!"

Hinata stood up and picked up her bag. It was time.

In a few minutes Hinata's bags were in the trunk of the taxi. Hinata watched the taxi guy open the door for. Then she faced her friend and "big sister", Yukaeshi. "So, I guess I have to go," Hinata said uneasily.

Yukaeshi smiled, and hugged her. They stood like that for a while, as though never letting go. At long last, Yukaeshi pulled away and wiped the tears in her eyes. Then she took out a small envelope from her pocket. "Here's your ticket, Hinata-chan," she said, unable to keep her voice straight. Hinata looked away. She didn't want to see anybody cry.

"Hinata!"

Hinata turned around and saw a short girl with glasses running under the rain in a blue jacket. The girl stopped at Hinata's doorway and removed her hood. It was Saeko.

"Saeko-chan?" Hinata said. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at school."

Saeko shook her head. "I'll be going to school on second period. Besides, once you leave, I'll be the only ROW member in this area." Saeko smiled sadly.

"Oh, Saeko-chan..."

"I'll be all right," Saeko said firmly. "I'll tell them you went. I'll be the one to tell them what's going on over there. Along with Yukaeshi-sempai, of course," she added, beaming at Yukaeshi, who smiled back.

Hinata smiled too. "Thanks, Saeko-chan," she said softly.

"Now, go on, you don't have all day," Saeko said, wiping her eyes. "Say hi to the Fellowship for me."

"I will." And with that, Hinata turned around and got into the taxi. Saeko and Yukaeshi stared after her. It would be a long time before they would see her again.

"This isn't goodbye, Hinata," Saeko called after her.

Hinata nodded to show that she understood. As the taxi drove away, Hinata looked back. She saw Yukaeshi run out onto the road and wave frantically under her umbrella.

"This isn't goodbye," Hinata repeated to herself. Oh how she wished it were true.

~Shohoku High~

"Attention, class," the teacher said, tapping his stick on the blackboard. "I have an announcement."

The students yawned and groaned. Rukawa, as usual, sat on his seat, snoring quietly.

"As you may all know, Kidou Hinata is absent today. She will not be studying here anymore."

The class started whispering. Rukawa, who a minute before was fast asleep, jerked awake. Hinata? Gone?

"She will be attending high school in the USA. Let us hope she does well. And now, back to our lesson." The teacher turned around and began writing something on the blackboard.

Rukawa slumped again in his seat, but not out of boredom. He was still in a state of disbelief. Hinata went to America without telling him? Was he that untrustworthy for her? Did he drift away that much? How come Hinata didn't tell him? How come? And why?

~Owari~

I made this short on purpose, minna, okay?

~ Saeko