Uhm, hey, yeah I know I should be doing chapter 18 but this came up, and this can be a prequel of A Shot From Me to You in Yukimura's side, if you have read the latest chapter of that story and wondered who was 'her' that I was referring to.

But you can read this even if you haven't read that story.

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT and Mary Poppins. Haha

He was the 'Child of God.' A biblical title destined to be his… or at least used to be. He was paralyzed, everything taken away from him forcefully. The looks of admiration given to him became looks of pity, and-

-he could only stand in one place , because try as he might, Yukimura Seiichi's limbs are slowly dying on him… and ironically he could do nothing about it.

"Uh, Yukimura-kun," The girl with magenta hair was grinning sheepishly at him. They were making noodles in their home economics class, and he was assigned to her table. He gave an inquiring look. "You have flour on your face." She giggled when he wiped it with the back of his hand only for it to spread on his cheek. She laughed like a child,.

He couldn't help but be drawn to it… because he wished he could just laugh at his disease, hoping that it was just a joke, like it was the flour that though it can easily spread, it can be cleaned later on.

Bad dreams nii-san, bad dreams! His little sister would tell him, all bad dreams

But this was reality, and dreams are what good left of him, and sweet adorable little Hina will not understand that.

O~O~O

Yukimura hated being cooped up inside a hospital room, but his body needed to, else things important to him will truly disappear.

"Niou had been awfully kind to me." He offered the girl in front of him a smile. Her cousin would update her one in a while about his teammates, but never about tennis. She couldn't even look at him in the eye in fear of reading the look of pity, and he'd rather not see it, so he didn't bother looking at her too.

His room gave a stunning view of the hospital garden, and he wished Mary Poppins would go fly in his window and save him from his suffering just as how she saved Mr. Banks.

"-and Taneda-sensei is getting married!" That absolutely brought Yukimura from his train of thoughts, and looked at her with utter disbelief. His cousin laughed as she clutched her sides. "Who knew, right?" Yukimura was still waiting for her to say that it was a joke. Their 60-year old teacher in home economics is getting married for the first time? "It will be next week!" She exclaimed, as if she wasn't a little bit surprised.

O~O~O

Kids have been visiting him despite the fact that it's prohibited. He found their company more welcoming than those looks of pity his acquaintances give. As usual, his door was left ajar, and sooner or later, the nurses will find out.

"Nii-san, can I hide here?" Kaito-kun asked with cute pleading eyes.

Yukimura blinked in confusion. "Is this a means to escape your chemotherapy, Kaito-kun?" He asked suspiciously. Last time, nurses were running around looking for him.

Kaito-kun shook his head-

"Kaito-kun, it's time for your chemo!" Yukimura heard a familiar high pitched voice, but he knew that it was impossible. Being away from people that one grew acquainted to, makes him imagine that they are just around them.

"It's scheduled tomorrow!" Kaito answered, puffing and huffing. "They promised!" The boy bit his pale lower lip.

"Aha! There you are!" The girl opened the ajar door, as if she has the right to do so.

Kaito-kun attempted to escape by running to the door only to be restrained by the red haired girl. She hugged him tightly, and both were laughing. "And that's how you win in hide-and-seek!" She declared proudly.

Yukimura was taken by surprise to actually see her in the gloomiest place on Earth. The girl in Home Ec who smiled brightly, who laughed at simple things, who wouldn't accept anything but smiles, and daisies, and happiness.

"Let go of me, Midori-nee!" Kaito whined when she started tickling him. "Seiichi-nii!" He yelled for help.

Yukimura regained his composure and immediately wore his smile. "It's a surprise to see you here, Natsume-san." The girl turned to him, gasping at the sight of him. "It's been a while since Home Economics."

Midori got on her feet and smoothed her skirt, giving him a curt bow. "Sorry to intrude, Yukimura-kun." He already expected the gaze filled with pity, sympathy-

-except when her lilac eyes met with his blue eyes, her gaze did not falter. She looked at him as if he wasn't wearing a hospital gown, as if he did not grow thinner, as if there were no dark circles under his eyes for all those sleepless night (Bad dreams, bad dreams nii-san), as if nothing changed about him.

"Midori, what are you doing here?" Doctor Natsume Hiroki came, a stern gaze directed to the girl.

Then, it occurred to Yukimura… she's Doctor Natsume's daughter.

"You are disturbing Yukimura-kun." Her father scolded.

Midori bowed down, her red hair flowing with her movements, like a waterfall of red. "Sorry Yukimura-kun, sorry!" She repeated like a mantra

Yukimura laughed, and she stopped. Midori grinned at him.

"I hope you can still grin like that after I ask you about your high school-"

"Kaito-kun, what are you doing disturbing other people?!" Midori directed her stern gaze at the kid. "We'll go on ahead, Yukimura-kun!" She ran away with an amazing speed.

Doctor Natsume had a smile on his face as he watched her off.

"She's very cheerful, Natsume-san." Yukimura commented.

Doctor Natsume cleared his throat and put on a professional look. "I'm sorry about that, Yukimura-kun." The younger boy shook his head.

"Is she?" He asked regarding the comment Yukimura has made about his daughter. A nod was his response. "I'm glad that she can be happy in her own way." The older man had a hopeful gleam in his eyes, as he put his stethoscope to examine Yukimura.

Yukimura's brows furrowed in wonder. "What do you mean, Natsume-sensei?" He inquired when the doctor was done with him, and was just writing down the observations. "Since her mother left, she wouldn't talk to me unless necessary." Yukimura noticed that pang of guilt. "She has the right to hate me, I guess."

O~O~O

"Uh hey, Yukimura-kun!" Midori entered his room without even bothering to knock. She grinned at him sheepishly before presenting him piles of papers she was hiding.

"I got a bad feeling about that smile, Natsume-san." Yukimura sat at the edge of the bed when she waltzed in and sat comfortably on the chair near his bed.

Midori's violet eyes became stern, but mischief was gleaming within those orbs. "I am the bringer of bad news, Yukimura-kun." Her tone lowered an octave, slouching down as she finally cracked into a fit of laughter. "I can't hold it, I'm sorry!" She clutched her sides, letting some of the papers fall from her lap. "I was about to make a joke about Taneda-sensei's divorce four months by now."

Yukimura's lips curved up in a smile, and he tried not to, but it was a good joke if ever she said it with a straight face "That's not a very good premonition, Natsume-san." But his amused tone betrayed him. He bent down to pick up the scattered papers, only to stop midway. It was hard to move, and Yukimura cursed his body for it.

Midori saw his discomfort and understood that kind of gaze, and-

That grudge fell back deeper than the ocean. Those blue eyes spoke of the unexplored trenches under the sea, and looking at it was danger and yet, Midori wanted to explore, even if it meant she would fall down, down, down…

"Yukimura-kun do you want to study with me?" Midori asked, sitting still in her place. 'He's perfectly capable, perfectly capable, perfectly capable.' She repeated inside her head like a mantra. She made no move to help him pick the papers. If he didn't bother, then she would have done it, but it was too late.

"I would love that." Finally, he was able to reach those papers, and he handed it to her. She did not move to make him feel worse than he already does because the nurses and doctors do not understand that the 'help' they say is not really the help he needed.

Midori beamed at him. "Thank goodness!" She sighed in relief. "My art needs some overhauling."

And Yukimura genuinely smiled at her. For the first time, he found some salvation in this prison. "Will you come back here every day?"

Midori stopped sorting the papers, trying to process what he said. "If you wish to, then I'd fly in. Not literally though." She laughed.

'Perhaps,' Yukimura thought, 'Mary Poppins flew in his life.' But this Mary Poppins is in a form of a red head with lilac eyes glowing with life and lips curled up in a smile. And he'd rather not have a Mary Poppins holding that ugly umbrella with a fowl's head.

O~O~O

Yukimura stared at the charm that Marui and Kirihara gave to him when they visited that day. He held it in his hand as he bit his lower lip, eyes narrowed at the little thing that somehow offended him. Funny, how such little and cheap thing could cause much hurt to him. Good luck charms, wishing cranes, prayers (may he be forgiven by whoever god out there), but those things cannot help him (perhaps it could, but not enough to make him feel better and get him out of the frustration of self-pity).

He knew that those charms were given to him without offending him in mind, but still…

"Yukimura-kun!" Midori entered the room, without bothering to knock, and placed her things at the table near the bed. She brought out the snacks she had bought from a nearby pastry shop, and set it at the bedside table. "Let's eat!"

Yukimura raised a brow at the pile of books she just placed at the corner in favor of the food she brought in. "Aren't we going to study?" He asked as she pushed the table near him.

Midori laughed. "But how about survival?" She asked, presenting him a slice of strawberry shortcake. "How can you ignore this temptation? Aren't you seduced by it?"

He laughed at her childishness. He rose from his seat, and headed to the trash bin just outside his room. "Let me dispose of something first."

Midori saw the charm, and rushed to him. It's really hard to deal with older patients than with the kids. The kids could have some false hope if they were given charms, unlike adults who can think rationally and knew that despite the efforts, if there's no chance, then there's nothing left of them. "Yukimura-kun, good timing!" She snatched the charm from him, and grinned at him. "I really, really need to improve my math and history grade." She raised it to her eye level. "This saves me the time."

Yukimura blinked in confusion. He regained his composure, and looked away from her eyes. Her being unreasonable and selfish, but it's better than keeping up a broken mask. "Luck is not something to believe on, Natsume-san." He turned his back on her, so he won't see how she would react. "Because there are times that no matter how hard you work, everything will just keep on drifting away. But still, you need to keep on working." It's really dark, and that charm won't really guide him out of that darkness. And he knew this was like pushing her away.

Midori tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and heaved a sigh. "This charm is not just relying on luck. This is not just because you already gave up and wait for a miracle to happen. It's an assurance that there are people waiting for you, hoping that you'd get back what you have lost, that there are people who cares." She gripped at charm tightly. "And I think that alone is a drive that will make you work harder even if everything is gone." She bowed her head, letting her hair veil her face.

Yukimura turned to her, eyes wide, and somehow feeling a bit guilty. No one has told him that before. Either they would give him comforting words, or they'd apologize for being so nosy. Somehow, he felt quite relieved about that charm, because his team are not just visiting him just to see if he can play again. It's because they really care. He cracked a smile, and patted her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Natsume-san, but can I have it back?"

Midori looked up and smiled at him. "Here you go." She placed it on his hand. "I can always look for a four leaf clover."

"And I'm sorry for how I have acted." He apologized, holding her hand as he bowed.

"Don't worry about it, Yukimura-kun." She smiled brightly, and he wondered if he ever had that kind of smile.

O~O~O

"So will you pursue a career in tennis, Yukimura-kun?" Midori asked when they were walking by the garden of the hospital.

"I don't think I might pursue it." Yukimura halted his steps. He was becoming slower, and he became angrier at himself. He turned to her, head slightly tilted to the side. "How about you, Natsume-san?" Yukimura threw back the question, clearly making it a point that he doesn't wish to talk about it. "What do you plan to do?" 'Plan,' because things happen in between that makes it impossible for attainment.

Midori smiled chastely. "A doctor." Yukimura knew she was good at science but he did not expect that as an answer. She shrugged and walked ahead of him also being clear that she doesn't want to talk about it. Looking at her eyes, it clearly told of a lot of things, but some sort of hatred was overflowing from it.

O~O~O

Midori picked up fallen sakura petals and placing them in a small vial. Yukimura watched from the benches as she eagerly selected the most beautiful ones, and then she stood up to head back to him.

"Hey, Yukimura-kun." She grinned sheepishly at him.

He tilted his head slightly to the side, giving her an inquiring look. "What is it, Midori-chan?"

"Paint these!" She raised the vial to his eye level, smiling expectantly at him. "With the sunset! This looks better with the sunset!"

Yukimura smiled genuinely at her. "When I'm out of the hospital, I will." He held her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I will, just for you."

Midori saw the hope, that finally light is escaping the canopy that's obscuring it. She pulled her hand from him and placed the vial on his hand. "You will get out of here, and then I'll watch you paint this with the sunset's light." She let his hand enclose the vial while he raised his free hand to rest on hers.

"I will." His blue eyes lit with determination. Yukimura was finally getting his game back. Finally fighting that disease, finally rising up once again so he could get back what was taken away from him.

O~O~O

Midori held a potted plant as she approached the garden. Yukimura was crouching down beside camellia, caressing the delicate folds of its white petals. He tilted his head ever slightly to the side, sun pooling in his eyes. For Midori, she looked like Apollo, all glorious, mighty and fitting to be loved by people. So gentle, so kind, so…

…frail.

She knew she couldn't do anything to regain the strength he once lost. She may be able to bring sunshine, warmth, but she can never drive the person to their prime health. She hated it… but still she couldn't help but come back to this forsaken place every day.

"Seiichi-kun!" She presented the pot to him, grinned at him sheepishly. "You seem to like plants, so yeah, uhm I heard that magnolias are great… uh yeah. I don't really know what that look like for someone who collects petals…" She trailed off.

"It's a yellow flower, that sort of looks like little roses…" He looked up in thought, and she wondered what he could see. "I'll show it to you when this blossomed." He gave a shrug. "Midori-chan, thank you." He tilted his head slightly to the side, a smile reaching up his eyes.

"But you know," Midori at the potted plant. "I've been wondering, why do you not like bouquets and are rather fond of having a potted plant?" She asked, putting her hands behind her. "It's just, well flowers brighten up someone's day." She supplied, looking elsewhere as if she was talking to a much older one, and she hoped that she could have his approval.

Yukimura rose up, dusted his pants with his free hand and headed to the pavilion. He halted his steps and waited for her to catch up. They proceeded to the pavilion and sat there for a while.

Midori used her arm as a pillow as she watched him tend to the potted plant. The plant looked so lively under his delicate caress. How can he make something plain look so much beautiful? The last time she received a potted sunflower from her friend was during a Christmas party when she was in her first year, it is still in her walk in closet up to now. She stifled her laugh. She needed to clean her room.

"You see, this is rather delighting, isn't it?" His eyes were still trained on the plant. "Giving life to other things, that is. Besides, if you receive a bouquet of flowers, it's only momentary happiness because when they wither, you can only throw them away."

Midori blinked before she sat up straight, suddenly getting the interest in his words. Her eyes narrowed as she waited for him to continue. "But isn't it the same for potted plants? They wither too, and we have no choice but to throw it, like my sunflower in my walk in closet that I need to throw when I go home." She murmured, looking down in shame.

"It's a dead end for the bouquet, Midori-chan." His eyes narrowed in spite, but then his gaze softened immediately. "But for things that are still alive, you can do something, anything to make it live in its prime health."

Hope… perhaps he hasn't lost it, only clouded in his eyes because his days are so dark, darker than the covers of the canopies, darker than the midnight storm, and darker than the night without stars in the deepest part of the forest, but then there's a light flickering somewhere within, though faint.

O~O~O

"Midori-chan, why were you named Midori?" Yukimura asked one spring night where it was nice to just simply watch the stars. The rooftop was not the best place, but it can do for the mean time.

Midori giggled as she sat beside him, leaning her head up. "My mother gave birth to me when the Sakura were in full bloom. I should be named Sakura, don't you think?" He seemed confused. "Then, my father was so nervous that he got green paint all over his coat. How that happened, I did not fully understand." She leaned her head up, gazing at the stars. They looked like dots in the sky. "Then, they named me Midori."

After that, no more words were said. Midori clasped her hands behind her, and drew out a breath. "What's wrong?" Yukimura asked, sensing her tense a bit.

"Seiichi-kun, I think it's about time I actually say 'hi' to father." The feeling of remorse was present in the atmosphere. He put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It's not really his fault. I just… wanted to blame someone. It's easier you know." Her voice shook, hair veiling her face as she embraced herself protectively, as if there were those who want to harm her. "I messed up."

Yukimura pulled her closer to him and hugged her. "Shhh…" He soothes. "It will be fine." He drew circles on her back and she-

-she buried her face on his chest because she couldn't bear look at him.

"Seiichi-kun," Her voice was muffled but still audible. "The rain is getting your clothes wet."

Yukimura shook his head, embracing her tightly. He understood perfectly. "I don't mind." He let her cry out those kept emotions, those tears that were hidden by a perfectly crafted masked of happiness.

His Mary Poppins was also in distress and he failed to see that…

She, like him, felt alone inside.

O~O~O

"Mary Poppins?" Yukimura nodded at his cousin's question. She raised a brow at him. "As in Mary Poppins? The umbrella nanny? One who sang that stupid spoonful of sugar and that ridiculous supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?" She rolled her eyes as she let out a growl. "Goodness, I hate that musical!"

Yukimura smiled. "Why?" He asked as he watched her peel the apples.

"Her umbrella's shaft has a decapitated turkey's head, penguins don't dance, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is not a word, a spoonful of sugar makes it worse if you try that to keep the taste of medicine out, and the kite won't fly just by patching up the-" She paused then her brows furrowed. "Who knows how she'd gotten that poor fowl's head in her umbrella's shaft?!"

Yukimura chuckled as she practically stabbed the apples instead of peeling them. "You know, for someone who hates the musical, you have such a good memory on the details." He dodged a slice that was thrown to him.

"I do not!" She pouted as she turned away, cheeks puffed. "What about her?"

Yukimura only smiled, leaving it as an unanswered question as he grabbed a slice of apple from the plate, one of those that were spared from her rage. He only stared at the fruit, eyes trained on the red peel that was left.

"You know, we'd go bankrupt if we hire Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews is expensive you know." She was smiling uncontrollably. "And she's a package deal. Bert will come too, and those penguins." He raised a brow at his cousin's words. "It will be a musical every day, even if you are to sleep. I didn't know you have that side."

They both laughed at the hilarity of it.

Avery looked out the window, smiling somehow. "Her presence would be welcomed though." She muttered, staring at the faint reflection the window gave her.

Yukimura played with the slice of apple. "But you see," He started, earning the girl's attention. "I found mine." He said with such soft and gentle voice, his eyes gleaming with joy.

If he had paid attention to his cousin, he could have seen the look of envy on her face as she looked at him. Despite that, she was happy for him. "I'm glad for you." She muttered, hands clenching on her lap.

Between the two of them, he needed it more than she does.

O~O~O

Midori was about to push the door that was left ajar. She heard from her classmates that it was almost the day of the finals of the Kantou tournament. Though he seemed to be longing for those things, it was a sensitive topic.

"Please wait for Doctor Natsume for a while longer." The voice of the nurse in charge can be heard outside. Midori pulled back her hand and instead hid beside the door. "He is talking with his wife about an important matter." The nurse lowered her voice a bit, and Midori couldn't hear what she said.

Knowing that her mother was there, without her father telling her somehow gave her a bad feeling about this. Yes, she had seen it coming, when she was nine, she was anticipating it. The thought of her mother going back to them one day just so she could ask her father to sign some divorce paper scared her to death.

Midori slapped herself, shaking her head to keep those thoughts away from her. Her friends told her that sometimes her positive attitude is annoying, but she couldn't move forward if she keeps on thinking of those monsters that haunts her. She pushed the door open, grinning widely.

"Seiichi-kun!"

Both their attention went to the door where a smiling girl whose hair was in a mess due to running.

Her eyes widened and she bowed down in apology. "I'm sorry! Are you doing some check-up?"

The nurse laughed as she headed to the door. "No, don't worry about it Midori-chan. I'm about to leave anyway." She stopped by the door, holding the knob and giving Yukimura a smile. "Yukimura-kun, Doctor Natsume will check on you later and give you updates about your operation." She whipped her head to the side where Midori stood. "I'll leave him to you, okay?"

Midori returned the smile, and waved goodbye at the nurse. "Leave it to me!" She exclaimed as she watched the nurse left.

Yukimura's mouth hung agape when he saw that her free hand was clenched to a fist. He saw how she visibly exhaled, as if letting out her frustrations, though she tried to keep it as silent as possible. It took her about half a minute to turn, all smiles that did not reach her eyes. Lately, she had darker lines under her eyes, and somehow she looked tired. "Did you hear it?"

"Yes, I did."

There was a long pause, one that made uncomfortable. The silence as sharp as the blade crafted by the best blacksmith.

"Seiichi-kun," She grabbed his hands and pulled him up. Her eyes still remained void of emotions. "Let's go outside. The weather's nice!"

For the span of months, they became close friends from just 'classmates.' It became a routine, where she would head straight to the hospital, even if it is a train ride away from school, and then go home just after dinner. She would bring him school work, and he would work on them. She would teach him some parts he missed, and for someone who claimed not good at math, she's good at it.

But what became a habit in those days is when she would drag him out of the garden just in time for the sunset.

And now, she was beaming at him but her eyes reflected dark smoke, ones that come out from the chimneys Bert cleans.

O~O~O

The next day, Midori found Yukimura sitting on the grass in the garden. The sky has its early stars showing up already, though the sun was still there. Doctor Natsume talked to him that morning. He wanted to run, but his feet led him to the place that may deceive his senses, a place that gives him an illusion that he's anywhere but the hospital.

"Seiichi-kun!" Midori's voice snapped him back to reality. He scooted to the side to give her some space. She sat beside him, hugging her knees closer to her as she watched the sunset in the horizon. "So, when is it?" She asked, clenching her fists. She could feel her heart wanting to burst out of her chest.

"The day after tomorrow." Yukimura informed.

"I see." She looked down, staring at the grass blade beside her. She couldn't look at him in the eye. She heaved a sigh, fishing out something from the pocket of her vest. "Seiichi-kun, I'll give you this." She showed him a vial filled with red petals.

He noticed that she has a thing with petals, not the flowers itself. Though she liked that particular petal, she didn't bother knowing the names of the flowers she plucks out. He could remember the day when they first met. She had given him a vial of yellow carnations, though she didn't know it was carnations and what the meaning was.

"I'm scared." He told her honestly. "I've decided that I'll take the risk, but now that it's near, I'm scared." He looked away, not daring to look at her. "In the end, I'm just a coward."

Midori grabbed his hand, letting the vial fall to the ground scattering the petals. "Seiichi-kun, you want to play again right?" She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Her brows furrowed as she pursed her lips, waiting for his answer. This time, she would push her luck. "Everyone is waiting for you. You've endured the horrible four walls of your room, and if you don't put your trust on that operation, then everything that you've worked hard for will disappear." Even before he officially knew what her name was, she has been watching him. To her, he was the gentle boy that somehow made its way to the ruthless tennis club and the boy who sat in the corner near the windows at the front row of their classroom to becoming 'Seiichi-kun.'

"It's either wait for that disease to eat you up or try at least something." Midori added, leaning her forehead on his hand, and holding it tightly as if he'd get lost. "All you have to think about is how to recover after this. I'll be the one who will be scared for you."

Yukimura's gaze softened. Oddly, he was smiling yet tears were trickling down his cheek. He leaned his head against her shoulder, happiness replacing his fear. "Thank you, Midori-chan."

Though a lot of people cried in his stead, it was out of pity for him. But she cried because he was scared … and he was happy someone understood him, that pity is not what he needed but someone that will walk with him in this darkness. And though she was having a problem of her own, like the conversation he had overheard in the nurse's station about the divorce of her parents, she smiled just for him…

… just for him.

And for him, she became more than Mary Poppins.

O~O~O

The next day, they agreed to meet up at three o'clock that afternoon.

Yukimura waited in the pavilion. The sun's rays flooded the gardens, and he couldn't bear waiting by the grass field for the heat might kill him. Sanada and his teammates already went home after visiting him, reassuring him of their victory for tomorrow.

'She'll come' He thought as he leaned his head on the table, hands clasped on his lap. The gentle breeze was lulling him to sleep but he fought the urge to sleep. He faced the horizon, where she would come from.

"She will come." He muttered to fight that voice inside his head saying that no one will come.

O~O~O

"Seiichi!" A nagging voice woke him up. Someone was gently shaking him to the side, calling out his name. He couldn't get up immediately because of stiff neck. He must have slept for a few hours, because the last thing he remembered was a robin resting on the fountain, the brightest place in the garden for it is directly hit by the sunlight.

"Oh, it's just Avery." He slowly got up, removing the kinks in his neck.

"Sorry to disappoint." She pouted, crossing her arms on her chest. "Now," She let her hands fall to her side, and took a step towards the blue haired boy. "Let's go inside, it's getting cold." She patted his shoulder, and nudged her head towards the direction of the hospital building.

Yukimura only stared at the horizon for a moment, the setting sun about to disappear. The first stars appeared in the indigo sky. For a moment, nothing mattered aside from a wish that a girl with red hair would come at this instant.

"Is something wrong, Seiichi?" He was snapped back to reality, welcomed by his cousin's worried look. She heaved a sigh. "Hey, I know you are not really up to this right now because it's tomorrow, but you know, you need to face it." He smiled, a little fond of this endearing side of her. She looked up, thinking of what words may supply the silence. "Hey, can we go inside?" She narrowed her eyes, moving a little closer to him. "I got nothing. Please let's go, you are getting me worried."

Yukimura chuckled. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she exhaled the air she have been holding. "It must have been hard on you."

And she wasn't sure what to say. "Uhm, I should be saying that."

"You know," He turned her to the direction of the hospital, and they both walked towards it. "Oddly, I am more worried that a friend might be in trouble that's why she's not here, than what may happen tomorrow." He told her, the smile turning to a frown.

Avery let him push her to their destination, staggering to match his steps. She furrowed her brows. "That's not really nice. You know, you should somehow be worried about tomorrow." She shrugged. "Well, if you told me that you're worried about tomorrow, I might say you shouldn't."

He looked one last time at the pavilion, and then to the paved pathway where he knew Midori would come from. He looked down, heaving a sigh. His hold on Avery's shoulder tightened a bit. "I really don't get you on those things." He heard her giggle childishly.

-Perhaps things just got a little out of hand that Midori cannot come. Tomorrow, she'd be there, all smiles just for him…

Just for him

… just for him.

O~O~O

Yukimura snapped. They lost, and he overheard the doctor's conversation that it's still not successful. Nothing was coming back. Everything was lost.

"Seiichi," Avery busied herself with the flowers she had brought that night. She warily glanced at him, not oblivious of his breakdown when Sanada came to him, admitting their defeat. She bit her lower lip as she looked away. "You need to rest."

Yukimura looked out the window, his room having a stunning view of the needed someone who could tell him otherwise, that everything will be all right, and he would believe it.

And she's not here.

O~O~O

Yukimura came back to school as the 'miracle boy,' who became a model student to everyone. He opened his shoe locker, not surprised to find a colored paper that was slipped inside through the gap. He raised his brows, wondering who would give such.

He unfolded the paper, dried petals falling in the process. He picked them up, before reading the note.

It's a pleasure meeting you. Do your best!

He bit his lower lip as his hold tightened. It has been weeks, and he asked Dr. Natsume about her, but then he only said that she transferred schools, saying that she wanted to forget everything. He could see that she was finally mending her relationship with her father, but how about with him?

He changed shoes, and crumpled the paper. He looked at the petals once more before he threw them on the black bin, and headed to his classroom.

Just like how Mary Poppins left the Bank's when everything was all right, Natsume Midori left Yukimura Seiichi-

-the problem is, everything is not all right.