"Yuki, we need to talk."

Yuki looked up from her book to see her father standing in front of her. She was sitting crosslegged on their leather couch, her dark blue sandals resting on the old and scruffy carpet for everyone to trip over. The sun was setting behind some buildings and the air was slowly cooling. In the distance of her neighbourhood, she could hear a dog barking.

"Yeah?"

He sat down next to her and rested his hand on her shoulder, brushing her chocolate hair aside. His breath shook nervously, yet his face remained calm.

"I got a job offer. It's a really nice office job and the pay is a lot better than the one I'm getting now."

"What's the catch?" Yuki inquired, her thick Australian accent piercing through each word.

"Well," He began, "It's back in Japan."

"What?"

He took a deep breath.

"We have a few options here, and I want your honest opinion. I could decline the offer and stay here or-"

"Or we all move to Japan." She said as she dropped her book on the coffee table, "Dad, I have the show. Mrs. Li really thinks I could get a scholarship after the performance! And on top of that, my Japanese is pretty rusty now."

"Honey, you didn't let me finish." Her father suddenly interrupted her, "Or I go alone."

Yuki frowned, the thought of being countries away from her dad concerned her. She didn't want to go but Yuki didn't want to feel like she was forcing him to stay. She was torn.

"What did mum say?"

"She was willing to move. She'd be closer to her family and the company she works for could have her transferred to their office in Japan."

"So, now," she murmured, "It's only me who's holding you back."

"Don't say that! I'd be fine staying here. Just... Think about it Honey."

Yuki sighed and nodded. She slipped her sandals back on and walked out into the garden.
She'd talk to Rin about it, if he would answer her emails or pick up her calls. He hadn't responded since he left and Yuki was giving up hope.

Yuki pulled a little note with a black scribble on it from the back pocket of her shorts and punched the number into her cell phone. She paced around on the rough gravel path before groaning and shoving her phone and the note back into her pocket. No reply, again. Why did he even give her his number if he wasn't even going to reply? The timezone difference wasn't an issue as it was late evening in Sydney and Japan was only 2 hours behind.

She hoped he was alright.

"Yuu."

Yuki stopped swinging on the swings of the primary school's playground and looked at the red headed boy sitting on the other one. It was a sunny evening in early July and Rin had just picked her up from ballet practice. Each Saturday they would meet up after their respective sport's practices and head to this park together, chatting about life and just joking about. But lately, Rin started being more distant and cancelling the Saturdays Yuki held so dear.

"Yup?"

Rin rocked from side to side. His hair bouncing into his well-structured face every now and then. He had the kind of face that made you think he was a lot older than 15. His defined jawline reminded Yuki of those of a movie star. Rin could've easily been one, based on his looks. He was incredibly handsome, it wasn't a surprise all the girls at school made such a fuss about him.

"I'm going back to Japan."

Those words hit Yuki like tiny bullets to her chest. In fact, she had to stop herself from falling of the swing in shock. Her hands clenched together as she turned her head away.

"Oh, I'm happy for you I guess. I'll miss you a lot though Rin."

Her words of happiness were forced as all she wanted to say was: "Stay here."

"When are you going?" She spat, trying not to sound desperate.

"This summer. I- I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"That's-" Yuki spluttered as she stood up and took a step towards Rin, "That's in less than a month!"

Rin looked away, avoiding all eye-contact with the tall brunette. He felt guilt stabbing into his chest. All his thoughts were drowned out as Yuki asked the one question he was praying she wouldn't:

"When will I see you again?"

Rin didn't answer, as all the responses he was formulating in his head seemed worthless and confusing. Silence filled their surroundings like an unwelcome guest, making the closest of friends seeming more distant than ever. She dropped her pride and threw herself into his arms, taking both of them by surprise. Yuki buried her face in his neck as he wrapped his arms around her back. She shut her eyes and pressed her lips together. As they slowly pulled apart, the girl could feel unwanted tears filling her eyes.

"I- I have to go. And don't worry, you'll do fine in Japan." Yuki excused herself, trying her best not to sound sarcastic and turned to exit the playground, but Rin called after her.

"Wait." He hissed, "Take this. I'll call."

He pushed a crinkled up note into the pocket of Yuki's hoodie before walking out of the park in the opposite direction. The news had hit her far too fast, far too soon. She wanted to talk about it more with him as this exchange had only been a few minutes, but she was also glad he walked off as now she could express her true feelings. Yuki stood their idly, watching him walk away. And as he left, she cried.

"Please don't go... I love you." She whispered helplessly after him, knowing he neither heard nor knew.

It was a usual sunny afternoon in Sydney, about 6 or 7 months after Yuki's best friend went back to Japan. Every possible limb that could possibly hurt ached after a long afternoon of ballet training. Her trainer, Mrs. Li, had stopped her after class briefly to praise her work in class. Nothing out of the ordinary as Yuki was used to praise.

"Hey Yuki, we're getting ice cream. Coming?" A fellow dancer named Laura called out to her after practice.

Yuki thought for a second before shaking her head.

"You guys go ahead. I'm supposed to be on a strict diet." She smiled softly, "I'll see you later."

Laura chuckled and waved her off.

"Oh screw you and how serious you are. I'll send you pictures of us eating."

Yuki rolled her eyes and kept walking. It was true, she was very serious about being in optimal strength and condition to dance; to the point of her ignoring the troubling pain she had been suffering in her knees. Yuki couldn't afford any injuries, ballet consumed most of her life. She didn't even go to school all day, the ballerina always left at noon to make it in time for practice.

She plugged her headphones in and listened to the music for her routine to distract her. In her head, she went through the steps.

Arabesque... Developé...Step, step...

TRUCK

Truck?

Yuki was so focused on internally rehearsing steps, she walked straight into the busy road. For a single moment in time, the whole world around her stopped. All the city noises she knew and loved faded, her sight blurred and distorted. The last thing she remembers with clarity was the feeling of hitting the concrete with her hip with heavy force.

The next thing was hearing the loud wailing of an ambulance.