"On second thought, let's take a walk instead," Kaji said sheepishly, his arm around Ayu's shoulders. Ayu looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and laughed. "Let me guess. You forgot your car keys again," she said firmly. Kaji nodded and ducked when Ayu tried to hit him.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he laughed, covering his face with his hands. When he looked up again---the hitting had stopped---Ayu was gone. "Ayu?" he asked. Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind. "Got you!" she giggled, giving a whoop of delight as he swung her up in his arms.
She gazed into his amber orbs and smiled, twining her arms around his neck possessively. "You're mine," she whispered, drawing him close. Their lips met, his mouth soft and warm against hers. Ayu pulled away first. "Come on, let's go," she said impatiently, and tried to get down from his arms. He didn't let her and tried to snag another kiss, but she only laughed at him and got free, running to let him chase her.
"Look at it this way---we get to pass the park," Kaji said after a few minutes, walking casually beside her. Ayu nodded. "It's always such a beautiful sight..." she mused silently. Kaji stopped walking to give her a tender kiss. "Just like you," he murmured.
Finally they reached Ayu's house. "So I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Kaji asked Ayu. Ayu nodded. Kaji reached down and kissed her passionately, caressing her smooth cheeks with his hands, as a goodbye. "I love you, Ayu," he said, releasing her and walking away.
Ayu skipped up the stairs like a kid and called up Nina.
"Konichiwa!"
"Nina-chan! I just had a good date with Kaji."
"Is that unusual, Ayu-chan?"
"Well...no..."
"Then why do you seem so surprised?"
"Because... my life with him seems to have been so perfect nowadays."
"Is it bad?"
"No..."
"You're funny, Ayu-chan."
"I guess I'm just used to having so many conflicts."
"Right."
"And whose fault is that? YOURS!"
"What?!"
"Just kidding. Good night, Nina."
"Good night, Ayu-chan..."
Ayu hung up and collapsed into laughing fits on her bed. "Why the heck am I being so paranoid? It's almost as if I want bad stuff to happen!" she said aloud. "And look; now I'm even talking to myself!" Shaking her head, she got ready for bed and fell asleep with a smile creeping across her lips.
The next morning she practically emptied her whole closet on her bed trying to find a perfect outfit. Finally she chose a red and blue off-shoulder shirt with elbow-length sleeves since it was cold. Then she slipped on a red pleated skirt with matching red sandals and was ready to go, just as the doorbell rang.
She clattered downstairs and swung the door open. It was Kaji with a bouquet of red and pink roses. "Oh, how sweet!" she said, breathing in the sweet scent of the flowers. "Does it really smell that good?" he asked, leaning in to sniff. When he came close enough she turned her head sideways and quickly kissed him, giggling and skipping ahead.
For some reason he didn't laugh and chase after her as usual.
"Hey, Kaji is there something wrong?" she asked him. He glanced away.
"You can always tell me."
He sighed and took her hand. "Let's find a better place," he said wistfully, walking slowly off. Ayu followed soundlessly.
When they got to the park, he sat down with her. "Listen Ayu... my Dad was offered a job last night. He accepted it because it's worth so much more money, a nicer house, a better life for my family. And a better college for me," he added.
"Good! Now you have a better life! I'm glad for you," she said to him, smiling,
"The thing is... his job is in a different country and my family is going to have to move with him tomorrow already," Kaji said. He refused to meet Ayu's eyes.
She froze.
"Wh-wha? A different country?" she whispered, turning white. "Ayu, Ayu, are you okay, you're so pale!" Kaji said hurriedly. Ayu shook her head slowly, staring straight ahead of her.
"No! I'm not okay! How can I be okay when you---you're going to a different country?!" she cried, her eyes brimming with tears. His arms around her, she sobbed for what seemed like hours. He held her close, quiet yet comforting, and ran his hand through her hair, gazing wistfully away from her.
She sniffed and looked up at him. "But how about us?" she said in a small voice still choked with tears. He shook his head. "I'd never, never replace you, Ayu," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.
The kiss started out tender, Ayu still in too much pain and shock to realize what was happening. She came to her senses and started moving her lips faster, giving him permission to deepen the kiss with passion and hunger. She pulled away for air and then pressed her lips onto his once again, arms around his neck, his strong hands holding her up.
He finally pulled away and looked at her. Her cheeks were streamed with tears. "Oh, Kaji, I can't believe what I'd do without you," she whispered. He nodded. "Me too..."
"Kaji's moving! There's nothing we can do anymore!" Ayu cried to Nina over the phone, wiping her eyes with her free hand. There seemed to be no end to the pain. She didn't want to think of Kaji leaving because it made her feel such grief that she'd always collapse into tears. But it was hard...
"I'll come over tomorrow to say goodbye with you, okay?" Nina said gently. "Okay," Ayu replied, and hung up. She stared out the window. "How can it be such a beautiful day when Kaji is leaving tomorrow?" she whispered, throwing the curtains shut and turning away.
It was the day of Kaji's leaving. The airport was quite far from his house so he had to leave early in the morning. But Ayu woke up early to see him, and so did Nina.
Nina said goodbye to Kaji with false cheer. He ruffled her hair like a big brother would and turned to Ayu.
"Listen, Ayu, I--"
"Shh..." she said softly, putting a finger to his lips. Leaning forward, she kissed him tenderly, arms around his neck. He brought his hands up to cup the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. She pulled away and rested her head on his chest, locked in a tight embrace as if they would never let go.
He had to release her, and she was crying by the time he did. "I love you," he said. "I always will." Ayu brought out a flower, a single sky-blue forget-me-not."
"Do not forget me," she whispered. Kaji shook his head. "Never." He kissed her for the last time and she broke the kiss first, turning away with a choked sob. He sadly climbed into the car and shut the door, not looking back. If he looked back, he might not be able to leave.
As the car drove away in a cloud of dust, Ayu ran. She ran blindly after the car, screaming.
"Kaji!"
It was hopeless.
"Don't leave..."
She stopped already, giving up although her heart wanted to go on.
"No..."
Nina came up behind her and hugged her best friend as Ayu cried her heart out.
They stood there for what must have been about thirty minutes when they heard a car's rumbling, coming back.
Ayu lifted her head.
A boy stepped out of the car. A boy with brown hair and hazel eyes.
"No... Oh God, please don't do this to me... Nina I'm hallucinating..." she whispered.
Her friend looked at her with a smile. "No, you aren't."
"You mean...?!"
Nina simply nodded.
Ayu broke away from her friend and ran to the boy, ran into his arms, sobbing wildly, beating her fists on his chest just to check that he was solid and this wasn't all a dream.
He let her cry and then gazed deeply into her eyes.
"You came back..." Ayu whispered. "Why?"
Kaji smiled. "I was about to leave when I said to myself, 'You stupid ass, what did you do that for?' I knew then that I could never, ever leave you, Ayu," he said, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her tenderly.
"But where will you stay now that your parents are away?"
"I'm going to board at Tsujiai's house and pay his parents for what it costs to feed me," he replied.
She smiled through her tears. "I love you."
"I love you too. Maybe too much," he replied, embracing her as the sun set below the horizon.