Rating: T
Summary: Yako knew Kanae. And she knew Sasazuka too. But she wouldn't dare to let them meet.
Pairing(s): none.
Genre: General, Angst
Warning: Spoilers manga, character death
Disclaimer: Not mine, never mine.
AN: Sequel to 'From beyond the grave'. Cookies to the people who solve the math problem :P It's a very simple one I picked out my book and made before. Too bored to look for a harder one XD

Innocent Sin

'Human kind owns nothing, not even themselves'

Yako knew Kanae didn't like Sasazuka. Sure, she tried to hide it, but Yako worked with criminals, how could she not notice? She knew Kanae didn't want to hurt her feelings and thought it was nice she was so considerate of her.

Yako felt a bit guilty for twisting the truth so often and thought back to the times she didn't had to do that. Thought back to the times when everything had been known, where everyday had been the same.

"Yako, did you read my message? I'm so~ happy!"

Kanae had been so excited when the class president had asked her out. She had also been very sad when they broke up and had dragged Yako to karaoke right after, ranting about how boys were the worst beings in the world.

"Hey, want to go shopping? There is a really cute boy at that one shop, you know! Oh, and their hair ornaments are so cute, they will suit you!"

Kanae was always the one who knew everything of fashion and making it her own style. She tried very hard to make Yako understand something of it and to 'take those absolutely horrid hairclips off, that is my mission!'. She hadn't known those clips were the last gift her dad had given her. But Yako smiled and said she liked her clips, and- no, take that thing away!

"Look, when 0,15X + 7,50 = 9,90, you have to take- Yako, are you even listening to me?! Oi!"

Kanae was brilliant. She once told Yako she was a really good friend for not caring for that. Yako thought that was normal. When Kanae told her what had happened to her in middle school, she had been silent at first. Then she told Kanae that she would always be her friend, even if she had all F's instead of A's, at which Kanae blanched and told her that that would be her grade if she didn't shut up and listen to her.

"Hey Yako, don't tell anyone, alright? But I have to tell someone…"

Kanae always told Yako everything, even the those things that Yako didn't want to know. So she felt even worse for telling Kanae nothing about Sicks. She knew that when she told her she couldn't tell her anything, that that had been the moment Kanae absolutely loathed Sasazuka.

She understood why Kanae hated him, but she couldn't bring herself to just get up and let her meet him, to let her form a better opinion of him. She just couldn't. She told herself she was afraid for the same type of conflict between Godai and Sasazuka. She told herself Sasazuka was very busy and didn't had time. But she knew what she actually felt and she was ashamed of the feeling. She wanted to have a friend besides Kanae, just like Kanae had more friends besides her. Sure, she knew Kanae was her best friend, but she too wanted someone Kanae didn't know. Yako knew it was a bit of an oddball, but despite that, Kanae had befriended her. But no one else did. She wanted Kanae to know she had someone else, someone who was also a little bit odd. And Sasazuka defiantly was a little bit odd.

"I don't need much to live. A bit of salt, alcohol and sunlight and I will be alright. And a bit of sleep, of course. Twenty minutes a day is enough,"

"What?! Photosynthesis? Wait- You aren't a plant, eat some more! And sleep more!"

"Yako, please, I'm really alright like this…"

"Please?"

"…I will try,"

Yako had been really sad when Sasazuka had died and had, once, briefly cursed him for doing so. She felt guilty for the fact she was using Sasazuka and that she had never told him. But she decided to live on, because wasn't that he what he would want her to do? And she had to shine, for when Neuro would come back.

She smiled and looked at Kanae. She was glad she had taken up her fashion advice (Kanae had been so happy that she had cried and missed her date with her boyfriend), but her clip would stay, no matter what! She wouldn't do it for whatever buffet in the world! Or, maybe…

"Kanae, are you there? You were being really spacey!"

Her best friend looked up and smiled before replying, "Nothing. Didn't you had to go somewhere?"

Yako looked at her watch and gasped at the time, "Ah, shoot! Yes, I'm going to the graveyard,"

"To visit your dad?"

"Yes, and Sasazuka too,"

Yako saw Kanae's smile falter a bit at that. She decided to tell Kanae that she knew what she thought of Sasazuka.

"Kanae? I know you didn't really like him…"

"And I never will," Kanae muttered under her breath. Yako decided ignored her in favor of saying something, another twisted truth, "But I really respected him and I think you would have liked him if you knew-Kanae?"

Kanae had drawn her in a tight hug and muttered in her hair, "I know. Just visit him, alright? Just don't cry anymore,"

She smiled and hugged back, "I won't. I have to shine,"

'For when Neuro comes back,' she added in her mind and she stood up and left. When she looked back and her heart almost stopped. She saw him. Him, with a cigarette in his mouth, a little smile on his face. She blinked and Sasazuka was gone.

'Must be tried,' she decided, but there was a trail of smoke, the smell so familiar, in an area of 'No Smoking' and she couldn't explain it otherwise. She smiled, so tired, so little, I feel so guilty, and turned back.

She whispered, so soft so that nobody could hear her, "Hello, my odd friend. Please forgive me for not telling you?"

And she could swear she heard him smiling to her, assuring her that he wouldn't hold it against her, but then again, you can't hear smiles and there were no ghosts. Right?

She was fooling herself and she knew it. But Kanae and Sasazuka would forgive her anyway.

It's good to have friends.