slowly opened her eyes.

She was on a single bed, inside a white-painted room. Beside her was a neatly organized desk, and in front of her was a big, big white cupboard. She blinked her eyes.

    'Where am I...?'

zutto soba ni...
~always by your side...~

She went out of the room, looking left and right. She did not recognize nor remember anything at all. She should get out from here, she thought as she searched for wherever the exit door was. Ah! There it was. And it was left open too, lucky~!

She walked there soundlessly, and ran outside as soon as she reached the door. She stood still in front of the house she just came out from. Wait a sec – she knew this house. She always passed this house everyday while going home. But just to make sure... she gazed upon the family name. Ah, she was right! It was clearly read "Yagyuu"! But... why was she there?

Maybe she should call Yagyuu-kun first. She tried to get her cell phone, but she could not find it anywhere. Maybe she left it at home. How careless of her!

She strolled to her house – only one block away from Yagyuu's. To her surprise, she found many people in front of it. She did not remember that their family was going to throw a party at their house. She ran to them, and realized something.

It was no party at all.

People there were everyone she knew – her classmates from Rikkaidai, her teammates from tennis club, her cousins, aunts, uncles – all wearing either black suit or black kimono. And most of them were crying, while some others were trying their best not to cry.

What had happened?

She made her way to the front door. She saw Bunta and Akaya were hugging each other, and it seemed like they were going to cry forever. Yukimura were wiping some drops of tears on his cheek, and Sanada was trying to calm him down.

She walked to the redhead at the sophomore, tapping their shoulders, "Hey, why are you crying like that? What hap –" She could not finish her sentence when she saw what was in front of the two.

There was a picture of her in a photo frame – and decorating beautifully on top of it... was a black ribbon.

Marui residence, 7:06 pm.

Knock, knock. "Bunta, I cooked your favorite dish for tonight..." Marui Bunta's mother called for outside the redhead's room, but his reply was unexpected,

    "I don't need it! I don't want to eat tonight!"

His mom knocked the door one more time worriedly. "But you can get sick... Listen, I know how precious -chan to you, but –"

    "Shut up! I said I don't want to eat!" he yelled and threw one of his pillows to the door. His mom sighed, while his brothers tapped her shoulder and shook their heads. It was best not to disturb Bunta right now.

flew across the room. "Bunta? Marui Bunta? Hey, what's with that face?" she lowered her head. "Bunta, I'm right here..."

    "..." he sobbed under his pillow. "Why did you – why did you have to – I –" he broke off there as he could not hold his tears anymore. "I thought... We were best friends... And you said – you said we were going to be together forever... We were going to the same high school... We would play doubles together again... Why?!"

felt tears filled up her eyes. She bent down, patted his head. "There, there, Bunta... Didn't you promise me that you'd never cry again?" She sobbed, hugging him from behind. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise..."

Kirihara residence, 7:47 pm.

    "Kirihara Akaya! Stop that ridiculous howling! You're disturbing the neighbors!" Kirihara Akaya's dad shouted from outside the black-haired youth's room. "Stop crying! You're a man aren't you?!"

As soon as that sentence reached Akaya's very ears, the door was fiercely pushed open, and his dad was faced with probably the most terrible look of his son. "How dare you say that, you worthless dad! Do you know how I feel right now? Do you?! What would you do if Kaa-san dies because it was your fault?! Now shut the hell up and leave me alone!" With that, he slammed the door and locked it from inside, leaving his stunned dad outside the door.

    "Akaya, it's not your fault..." said anxiously when Akaya slid down the floor, covering his eyes with his arms, sobbing. She tapped his head. "I'm here, Akaya. Can you hear me?"

    "Stupid... Why the hell did I ask her to go to my house... I could go to hers... Then she wouldn't have... That car wouldn't... This wouldn't happen... I'm so stupid... I'm so stupid..."

took a deep breath, and embraced him in her arms.

Yukimura residence, 8:12 pm.

The blue-haired sighed and narrowed his eyes at the picture he was holding. There were eight of the regular players – plus -san.

In that training camp, as expected by him and Yanagi, -san asked Yagyuu to be her boyfriend. She was so happy when Yagyuu said "yes" that she had hugged Yukimura so tightly, because he had let her join the training camp.

    "Seiichi-kun, it's all because of you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you sooooooooooooo much!! I'd do anything for you! Just tell me if you need anything, I'll come right away and do whatever you ask me to!!"

    "Seiichi-kun..." sat beside the captain, who was smiling sadly at the picture.

    "If I... If I ask you to come back to life now... Will you do it?" he whispered quietly.

    "Seiichi-kun..." she leaned over to him and placed her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry... But... it's too late now..."

In front of Yagyuu residence, 8:54 pm.

stood still in front of the white-painted house. Bunta, Akaya, Seiichi-kun – no one could see her. Maybe... Just a probability, that her boyfriend could.

She hesitated a bit before flying off to the second floor, where Yagyuu's room was. True, they were boyfriend and girlfriend. But... nothing had really changed although Yagyuu had agreed to go out with her. Everyday, she thought that maybe he just didn't want her to feel bad if he had rejected her. Maybe he did not have any feeling for her...

She shook her head. No, she was wrong. Yagyuu loved her, and she believed that. With that, she flew away to his room.

What she saw there surprised her.

While everyone else was crying, or at least, felt sad of her demise... Yagyuu was doing his math homework calmly, like nothing had happened at all. As soon as he finished, he went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and went back to his room. He got ready for bed and... slept.

She left Yagyuu's house without trying to say anything to him.

    "-san's death – it was too sudden..." Yukimura said the next day, putting off his headband then sat down on the clubhouse's chair. "When Marui called me yesterday I was – well – shocked..."

Tears nearly came out from the redhead's eyes, remembering what had happened the previous day. "But I – I mean – she was – she was here, with us, just two days ago but now – she's – she's..."

    "Ssh, Marui, there's no use crying now," his doubles partner patted his head slowly. "I'm very sad of what has happened too, but..."

    "It was my fault!" Kirihara suddenly shouted out, his eyes were redder than ever before, caused by crying and howling all night long. "I – I asked her to come to my house but – that happened! It was all my fault!"

was silently sitting down at the corner of the room. She did not want this to happen either. She was still fourteen, for God's sake. She still wanted to hang out with her friends, spend time with her family, and...

Yagyuu-kun...

    "Kirihara-kun, there's no use of blaming yourself. It was an accident," the violet-haired boy spoke up, adjusting his oval-framed eyeglasses. "It wasn't anyone's fault. Now, Yukimura-kun, will you excuse me? I'm going to practice now."

Kirihara snapped as soon as Yagyuu went out of the room. "Did you hear that? That was – so cold! So cruel! And he was her boyfriend..."

    "Kirihara, don't say that. I'm sure he's very sad about it, deep in his heart..." Yukimura calmed the sophomore who looked like was about to burst out crying anytime soon.

The door was suddenly pushed, and a certain silver-haired boy came in while tying up his hair. "Sorry I was late, Minagawa-sensei just couldn't shut up – ah..." he broke off there, realizing that he'd come at a wrong time. "I'm sorry."

    "That's okay Niou, come in," Sanada said. Niou nodded a little, walked into the room, and...

He narrowed his eyes. He looked right and left, then waved slowly at where was. She blinked. Was Niou waving at her? But that couldn't be! She was trying to talk to everyone yesterday, but no one seemed to be able to neither see nor hear her. But now...

Niou waved again. pointed at herself, asking him soundlessly,

    "Me?" Niou nodded and gave a sign for her to follow him while saying to Yukimura, "Yukimura, I think I need to go to the bathroom."

    "Ah? Alright..."

He walked out of the room, and flew to him, still not believing that someone could actually see her.

    "Oi ! What on Earth are you still doing here?!"

Her eyes widened in startle, but then, like seeing an angel came down to Earth to save her, she shed tears and fell to the ground, due to the power she suddenly lacked after hearing that sentence. "Ma-Masaharu-kun... You... You can see me?"

    "Well – yeah... I'm that kind of person who – y'know – can see spirits and all..." he scratched his head. "But that's not important now. I know that your – your death was sudden but... I thought..." his sentence was put into an abrupt halt, as if he just realized something important. "Is it because... Yagyuu?"

    "Probably," she smiled dejectedly. "But my God, Masaharu-kun, you didn't know how desperate I was last night – I didn't know what to do... I went to everyone's house and tried to talk to them but –" she stopped suddenly, remembering the situation at Yagyuu's room. "Yagyuu... kun..."

    "Anyway," Rikkaidai tennis club's trickster broke 's thoughts off as he reached over his cell phone and wrote an e-mail. "I'm skipping practice today. Let's go to my house and talk 'bout your problem, 'kay? Well, y'know, people can't go to Heaven if they still have something left behind in this world. We'll think of a way."

stared at him. "Masaharu-kun... you'd do that for me?"

    "Well, of course! Why wouldn't I?" he chuckled. "I'm going to get my stuff. Do you want to come too?"

    "Of course, I mean, you're the only one I can talk to," she said as she floated away. "Hmm~ There's a benefit too being a ghost~"

    "Oi oi," Niou sweat dropped. "Remember, you – we – have to fix whatever your problem in forty days, or you'll never be able to reach Heaven."

    "I know, I know," she sighed. "I know..."

    "So? What's holding you from leaving this world?" the trickster started, straight to the point, drinking a can of coke he took from the refrigerator a minute earlier. They were at Niou's house – room, to be exact. "Well, I'm guessing something like... you're worried about Yagyuu's new girlfriend, right?"

    "Right – what?!" she screamed. "Yagyuu-kun... has a new girlfriend? B-b-but how? When? Where? It's only been two days since my death... Don't tell me... he'd been cheating on me?! Is that what you're saying?!?"

    "E-eh, no, calm down..." Niou sweat dropped at the accuse. "Of course not, he was your boyfriend, right? He's not the type of person who'd do something like that when he has a girlfriend, but..." he sighed. "You know, Yagyuu is quite popular, believe it or not. So as soon as the girls heard that he was free, they came to Yagyuu and told him that they were sorry of what had happened though, I'm pretty sure that they did that so he'd 'see' them in some way. I already saw five girls coming to Yagyuu's classroom today."

    "Ah, I see..." he let out a sigh. "Ne, Masaharu-kun... Does he... does Yagyuu-kun love me? I mean – I mean, though we're in a relationship, it seems like he has no initiative at all, and we even still call each other with last names..."

Niou raised an eyebrow at the little twist of topic. "Huh? Well I – don't know. But –" he quickly added, seeing the changing expression on 's face, "He wouldn't accept you if he doesn't, trust me on this. He's that kind of a man. And about that last name... I've never heard of him calling someone with first name... I think he's just not used to it."

    "Hmm..." she said, staring blankly into the thin air. "Masaharu-kun... See, on my funeral, I came to my house, and I saw all of you, but I don't think I saw Yagyuu-kun anywhere... Did he... Did Yagyuu-kun come?"

Niou gazed softly at the girl. "He was there – he was beside me all along. Well, we were at the corner of the room, so probably you wouldn't really see us at that time. I didn't see you either."

    "How did he react?" added a question bluntly, still gazing at nowhere. "When he heard that I passed away... how did he react?"

    "He was surprised," he replied, playing with his hair. looked down, a sorrowful look decorating her face.

    "Oh, I see..."

    "On the funeral day," Niou vocalized suddenly. "On the funeral day, I thought he was going to cry, like everyone else. Well, considering it was Yagyuu, I thought he would cry more gentleman-like. I mean, you were his girlfriend. He even cried a little last year, when Yoko – y'know, Sanada's girlfriend and also a close friend to him that time – died. You saw him too, right? I remember you came to the funeral too. Ah, anyway, what I meant is, when he came yesterday, I thought Yagyuu had to cry, no matter what. But..."

asked impatiently at the unfinished question, "'But'...?"

    "But he didn't," Niou continued while walking towards the trashcan and threw his coke can. "He just stood still and stared at your picture silently with no expression at all. Really, that was the first time I've ever seen him like that."

looked at Niou. 'Why...?' she asked herself, leaning over to the bed. 'Am I that worthless to you? Do you not need me anymore – that you don't even care a bit about my death?'

    "Ne, Yagyuu-kun! Do you have anything to do this weekend?" asked when she and tennis club's regulars were going home after practice. "I've got two tickets to the amusement park, and I was thinking that maybe we can go together!"

    "Oooh Marui-san, don't you think it's so hooooot around here?" a black-haired popped out between the couple and said mischievously. "It's summer alright!"

    "It's summer, it's summer indeed!" Marui grinned at , who looked like was ready to kill them anytime soon.

    "I'll go," the gentleman, to their surprise, answered while adjusting his glasses. "I'll go to the amusement park with you, -san."

    "You'll—"

    "GO?!??" Marui and Kirihara cried out instantaneously before could even put a finish at her sentence, startled at the answer. "B-bu-but... Yagyuu and amusement park don't match at all! And it's a date! Oh my God! Yagyuu's going to have a date at an amusement park!! What would happen to this world from now on?!"

    "Bunta, do you want to be get a hit from my racket that much?"

    "Well, obviously no but still—" Marui stared at the ex-golf player fearfully. "They don't match! I can't imagine – Yagyuu – amusement park – date... My God..."

    "Stop saying things like Yagyuu-kun's an alien from Amusement-Park-Hater Planet. He's human," said, reaching over to flick both Marui's and Kirihara's forehead for making such ridiculous theory.

    "Hey! I did nothing!" Kirihara protested after pouting over his severely wounded forehead. "Marui-san was the one saying all that!"

    "You started it, stupid," poked the sophomore on the shoulder, though her attempt was dodged completely by him. "If you didn't go all 'Ooooooh it's so hoooooot here!!', Bunta wouldn't say something like that."

    "But -san, he would," Yukimura suddenly said with a chuckle. "Ne, Marui?"

    "Hmm~ Who knows?" the redhead grinned at the captain. "I am an unpredictable genius, after all."

    "You are so very narcissist..."

A day before their very first date, could not sleep at all.

It was 2 am, and she was walking forward and backward busily, too nervous thinking of the upcoming date. She had prepared the clothes she would wear. She had prepared everything she should bring (wallet, tickets, cell phone, etc) so she wouldn't forget, because she was just the sort of person who would leave something important at home on an important day. Well, for now, she had nothing else to worry about, right?

In a second difference, her cell phone rang, and she almost jumped from the place she stood on out of startle. She quickly reached over it, and to her surprise, the name "Yagyuu-kun" was blinking on the screen. Not thinking of why he'd called her at this hour, she quickly pressed "accept". "Yagyuu-kun?"

    "-san. Yanagi mailed me just now that you'd be nervous and not able to get a sleep around this hour. Is that right?" Yagyuu asked anxiously.

blinked. Yanagi? Just how...?! "Ah, that's – well –" she looked aside. "True, but..."

    "Thank goodness, I was afraid that I'd be bothering you," heard a sigh of relief. "Actually I – got worried because of that and... -san, could you please open your curtain and look down?"

    "Eh? What? O-okay..." she nodded briefly and quickly did as she was told and – "Ya—Yagyuu-kun?!"

The gentleman lowered his head and placed a finger on his lips, a sign to tell her not to disturb the resting neighbors. She nodded understandingly, closed her curtain, and quickly made her way to where her boyfriend was.

    "Yagyuu-kun! Why-why are you here?"

    "I told you didn't I? Yanagi mailed me," he answered rather succinctly. "That you can't sleep because you're too nervous..."

    "Eh?" a slight pink flush crept over her cheeks. "I – well – yeah... But not only that," she turned her head at the boy, tugging the sweetest smile of hers. "I'm too over-excited about tomorrow! Eh, I mean, today!" she laughed merrily, and Yagyuu replied the answer with a small smile. looked at Yagyuu, then suddenly said," You know, I really, really like you!"

    "Eh?" he mumbled. The darkness that night and the dim light helped him from hiding his slightly coloring face that time, though he unconsciously looked aside after hearing the sentence anyway. "Why suddenly..."

    "I mean, you're the coolest guy in school, but you're really nice!" she patted his head, grinning. "I reaaaaaally like that personality of yours! I also like your expressionless face, coz it makes you look so... you!"

    "A—ah, is that so..." he had to look away once again. Not having enough courage to show his face to her, he said, "Ja, I'll be going now."

    "Ah, okay!" she nodded and waved at the walking away boy. "Yagyuu-kun, thank you so much!"

    "I'll go," suddenly got up and said, making Niou, raised one of his eyebrows.

    "You'll go? To where? What for?"

    "I just remembered something that happened after Yagyuu-kun and I went out... God, it happened not too long ago, but remembering it again..." she sat down on the bed again, smiling sadly. "Ah well, I don't really care about his new girlfriend or whatever, but there's something really important that I need to tell him no matter what!" She stood up and flew herself, pointing at Niou's room's door. "To Yagyuu's house!"

The trickster laughed. "Aye aye Sir!"

Yagyuu was staring blankly outside the window. A piece of blank paper was on the desk in front of him. He was holding a black-inked pen. He should be writing an assignment for Japanese literary class, but nothing seemed to be cooked up in his brain. Usually, at his time, he would –

    "Yagyuu!" his silver-haired doubles partner suddenly rushed into his room, to his very surprise. The eye-glassed blinked his eyes.

    "Niou-kun—"

    "Hold my hand," he promptly placed Yagyuu's hand over his, and this had, of course, made the gentleman let out a sentence of protest,

    "Niou-kun, what on Earth are you—"

    "...san?"

    "Eh, hi, Yagyuu-kun," , at this point, forced a smile at him. "How are you?"

"I'm fine – wait, that's not the problem!" he blurted out. "Niou-kun, what's -san doing here? Am I... Am I imagining things?"

    "Eh, no... It's a long story but basically – err – I can see and talk to spirits, and I happened to meet her today... Apparently, still has something in this world that's holding her from going to Heaven... And it seems like it's—"

    "Spirits? So – she's now... a ghost?" Yagyuu blinked his eyes, cutting Niou's explanation. "But... She's really... -san, right?"

    "Yes, I am, Yagyuu-kun. And I just want to tell you..." she said, staring straight to Yagyuu's eyes. "That I – all this time, I have always loved you. And I still do. And I always will. So although you have a new girlfriend, although you think that I was worthless to you – can you – can you not forget me?"

Yagyuu landed himself to the floor, staring at unbelievably. "'Worthless to me'? Why do you think I kept my image of being a 'cool' guy all this time? Why do you think I tried my best to always be a gentleman? W...why do you think... that..." he started sobbing as he opened his eyeglasses covered both his eyes with his hand. "Why do you... think that I... accepted you... in the first place?"

blinked her eyes. His answer was far beyond what she had expected. "Yagyuu-kun..."

    "That was why..." he tried to calm himself down. "That was why... I tried to look 'cool' in front of you even until the end, but why..." He could not stop the tears coming out from his eyes. "Why do you have to come at a time like this...? Now I can't keep it up..."

    "Yagyuu-kun, I – I'm sorry... I – I didn't..." looked down. "I wasn't a very good girlfriend, was I?"

    "No, it was me... I wanted to look good in front of you, that I – that I forget about being a good boyfriend... If I look back in time now, it really hurt me..."

    "There, there, Yagyuu-kun, don't cry... Come to think of it, it's the first time I ever see your eyes. They're beautiful," she said, trying to cheer her boyfriend up. "And ah, may I call you by your first name?"

    "Of course," he said while wiping a drop of tear in his cheek.

    "Then Hiroshi-kun, ah, no, Hiroshi..." she smiled. "I just want to tell you that I really love you, and all this time that we've spent together... It's been fun. Thank you for everything. Goodbye..."

    " – !" he called out as the figure of the girl started to become transparent, and her feet began to vanish. "I – I've always – all this time – I've always loved you too!"

    "Thank you," she smiled. "And before I disappear – Hiroshi... Happy birthday!"

    "Eh?" he looked up, only to find nothing left of in front of his eyes. Niou looked down, caught up between sympathy and a feeling of guilty that he had brought to him as Yagyuu let go of his hand. Still trying to wipe off all the tears on his cheeks, Yagyuu mumbled with a trembling voice,

    "Stupid... I even forgot today's my birthday..."

period.
akira @ 20061016

Aaaaahhh!! Yagyuu I'm so sorry!! TT_TT And this was supposed to be dedicated for your birthday... TT_TT
And I know I suck writing drama, so please do forgive me..
zutto soba ni... is a song from Kusuda Toshiyuki's Blue ~Kumo no you ni~ album