Disclaimer: I do not own HYD nor any of its characters

Disclaimer: I do not own HYD nor any of its characters...
/ This is my first try for a one-shot... I am currently on vacation so time is in my hands... Ha! It took me one whole day to finish this, with editting and all. Whew... Anyway, readers, I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this... Here goes.../

By the way, for those who have already read this before I edited it, I am sorry if the quotation marks were missing. I have already fixed it. To SarahNThatcher and addieXmitsume, thank you for your wonderful reviews. Thank you, everyone for your support. It makes me want to write more. Enjoy…

- A Walk to Forever -

by: chocopeanutplease

21 year old Makino Tsukushi was fumbling through the pages of the magazine her dear friend Yuki brought her earlier that day. It features everything a bride needs to know about wedding preparations, bridal stuffs and family planning... Little did she know the surprises in store for her that day...

Earlier that day…

Makino Tsukushi was woken up by the sound of heavy thumping on her door. It was not even her bedroom door but the main door of the house. She could hear the thumping as if it was merely inches away from her ears. She squeezed her head between two soft satin-clad pillows to lessen the disturbing sound perceived by her sense of hearing.

The noise magically stopped, and Tsukushi was in dreamland once again. Just when she was about to relax her hold of the pillow covering her ears, a loud buzzing rang through the whole house.

The unexpected guest was witty enough to find the door bell and ring it.

"Damn it! Who the hell needs me at this time in the morning?" Tsukushi cursed as she got up, grabbing a jacket along the way. She lazily slipped the jacket on her body as she let her feet lead the way to the front door of the house to see who the 'very' unexpected guest was. She was even too lazy still to keep her eyes open.

"Tsukushi!" A very eager Yuki embraced her friend the moment she opened the door. Tsukushi recognized her friend right away even with her eyes shut.

"Yuki, I am truly grateful for this surprise visit, but why should you do it at this time of the day?!" Tsukushi tried to cover up the rudeness of her words with the soothing tone of her voice.

"What are you talking about, Tsukushi? It is almost noon!" Yuki looked indignantly at her sleepy friend.

"Eh?" Tsukushi opened her eyes and found the sun at its zenith.

"It's either you overslept or you barely slept at all. Daijobu ka, Tsukushi?" Yuki offered her friend a pat on the back and a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She put on a worried smile as Tsukushi looked at her. Yuki, having been best friends with Tsukushi since elementary school, knew that Tsukushi barely slept at all, probably because due to nervousness or worry.

"I'm sorry I seem to worry you Yuki. I am just really nervous with the wedding and all," Tsukushi offered her dear friend a smile in spite of the stress the upcoming wedding has brought on the two. They hugged each other tightly until Yuki remembered the reason why she came over to Tsukushi's house.

"Oh! I almost forget! I brought you a magazine. Kore," Yuki handed over to Tsukushi the magazine with a young woman featured in the cover. The young woman was wearing a long white gown reaching the floor. The white silk was adorned with intricate designs made of diamonds and sequins. On her neck hung a silver necklace with a cross pendant. Her hair was elegantly tied up in a bun, with a few strands hanging loose to complement her pretty face. Her face was covered with light makeup, just enough to bring out the beauty in her and the sparkle in her eyes. What captured Tsukushi most was the smile plastered on the bride's face. The smile signified content and pure happiness, as if the world was hers for the taking as she would walk down the aisle to wed her only one.

"Read that, Kushi. Memorize it cover to cover. It will help you a lot, trust me. Now don't stress over the wedding; it has all been taken care of. Just relax, my dear friend. Ja ne…" Tsukushi barely registered what her friend spoke about. She barely noticed as Yuki waved at her as she said her goodbye.

Makino Tsukushi was simply stunned, stunned at the picture right before her eyes. Then her heart was suddenly filled with a certain emotion which shouldn't be felt at a time like that. It was only two weeks before the wedding, after all. The invitations had been distributed to everyone that has meant something to her and her groom's lives. All preparations were already done.

Yet...

Why is that feeling present deep within her heart?

The feeling of…

Doubt.

'Doubt?' Tsukushi thought. "No, no, no, no. of course not. I am not doubtful regarding this marriage. I love him and he loves me. That's all that matters. I am just being attacked by my usual bout of paranoia."

'Really, now?' a silly voice in her head asked her. She just brushed it away, though, as if not hearing anything.

Tsukushi scanned the magazine Yuki brought her. Just when she was midway an article telling the story of a bride who ran away when she was about to say her "I do", a knock came from the door.

"Your newspaper, Tsukushi-chan," a young boy holding the day's paper greeted Tsukushi with a wide smile.

Tsukushi had subscribed to the daily paper to update herself regarding current events. She was already on her fourth year at Eitoku law school. She was working part-time at a local restaurant to fund for her schooling at such a prestigious school. She didn't know, however, that her groom has already paid for all her expenses until she would graduate as a lawyer. She was still a hard-working virgin, like she was when she was in high school. Four years have passed, but she was still the same old Makino Tsukushi. Though at the moment, she was about to adopt a different family name in a week's time.

"Arigatou Hiro-kun," Tsukushi has always been fond of the little boy. She treated him like her own younger brother. "Can I offer you anything, juice probably?"

"Ahh. No, thanks." Hiro was waving his hands in front of his body as a sign of a negative reply. He turned her body, ready to take his leave as Tsukushi stared at his back.

Hiro made a sharp turn-around and bowed. "Omedetou on your upcoming wedding, Tsukushi-chan!" He waved his hand to bid her goodbye.

"Arigatou!" Tsukushi shouted back at Hiro's diminishing form before she turned to close the door. She glanced at the folded spreadsheet she was holding. Another picture caught her attention, a second for that day. This time, a young man. His eyes caught her eyes. Something about those eyes stirred something on her memory. It was years ago, but she could remember it like it was only yesterday.

"No. It can't be…" she whispered as she unfolded the spreadsheet. An image of a seemingly respectable young man with hair of unruly curls adorned the whole front page of the day's newspaper.

"Domyouji…" Tsukushi mouthed but no sound came out. It has been about four years since she last saw Domyouji Tsukasa. Memories of the past suddenly flashed right before her eyes. She then noticed that her eyes were in a daze. She violently shook her head and headed to the bathroom to wash up. She changed to her usual daily clothing and lay on the couch to laze the day away.

She decided that she was in no mood for reading so she flicked through the channels in the television. The news is the only show that she watches in the television. It was the only matter in the realm of her interest. When she was too busy or tired to read the newspaper, she just relied on the info from the television. However, something caught her ears. The reporter said:

"The heir of the Domyouji Corporation returns to Japan after four years of studying Business Administration in New York. He is now ready to take over the realms of the Domyouji Group..."

Tsukushi could see Tsukasa walking with a confident countenance and a smile plastered on his face, shaking the hands of other businessmen that had the potential of contributing to the earnings of their company.

"He still hasn't changed… ano baka otoko…" she spoke with a tinge of fondness on her voice.

She turned off the television and picked up the magazine lying on the couch to continue her light reading. Just then, another knock came from the door.

"Another unexpected guest, huh? I never expected this day to be full of surprise guests…" Tsukushi turned the door knob as carefully as possible as if expecting a robber or an alien from outer space.

The sight that unraveled before her, though, was something beyond her wildest expectations. Tsukushi stared at the towering man before her. Her mouth was shaped in a perfect 'O' that denotes pure awe and utter amazement. Her eyes widened to their maximum area. Her eyebrows were shot up, hidden behind her hair bangs.

The man before her found her countenance quite amusing. It took almost all his energy to stifle a hard blow of laughter, and just forced a weird smile instead, making him look like he was undergoing severe diarrhea.

"Yo!" he muttered with the wave of a hand.

Meanwhile, Tsukushi was still stunned by his mere presence, though her features have already smoothened up: no more bulging eyes and the like. She absent-mindedly hugged the magazine she was holding in such a way that the man was able to see the title: 'The Bride in You'.

"Makino, it seems that you are completely taken in by my charms. Did I become so gorgeous, you couldn't even speak?" the young man uttered in a vainglorious manner.

"I… I…."

"Am I so handsome and stunning that all you can do is totter?"

"I can see that you are still as stupid as before! I have been hoping that four years of education abroad would do you good. It's 'stutter' not 'totter', baka!" Makino yelled at him like she used to, four years ago.

"And I can see that you haven't changed at all. Baka onna!" Tsukasa smirked, staring into the depths of the eyes of Makino Tsukushi.

"On what terms do you call me a baka?"

"Terms? What terms are you talking about? You really are a stupid woman!"

Tsukushi stared at him indignantly, her mouth gaping wide at the growing stupidity of Domyouji Tsukasa.

"You are unbelievable! After four years, you are still a hopeless moron! What hell are you doing here anyway?!" Tsukushi demanded an answer from Tsukasa while pointing her hand at him, her hand carrying the magazine.

Tsukasa glanced at the magazine with a sad eye. Tsukushi noticed the change in Tsukasa's expression and hurriedly hid the magazine behind her.

"Let's have a walk." Tsukasa invited as he held Tsukushi's hand into his.

"Walk?! What walk?" Tsukushi asked, or rather, demanded for the lack of a better word.

"See how stupid you are? You don't even know what a walk is? You know… One foot in front of the other, alternatingly."

"What made you think I don't what a walk is?"

"Why ask?!"

"Argh!" Her blood pressure was increasing wildly as their conversation lengthens.

'If I keep this up, this guy's stupidity is gonna rub off on me!' Tsukushi widly thought.

"Let's have a walk." Tsukasa invited once more.

"Domyouji Tsukasa, I am not going on a walk with you!"

"And why is that, Makino Tsukushi?" Tsukasa asked in an uncharacteristically calm voice.

"Because… because… I still have to prepare for my wedding." She waited for Tsukasa's reaction to that statement. Tsukasa, though, merely curled his lips into a wry smile.

"Domyouji, I am getting married in a week's time. I have to-"

"Will you deprive an old friend the pleasure of your company?" Tsukasa grinned inwardly, hoping that his choice of words and tone of voice would somehow stir Tsukushi's emotions.

Tsukushi was moved by Tsukasa's question. 'Oh screw it! It's just a walk anyway…' she thought.

"Fine, then! Let's go. But just for an hour, okay? I still have a lot of things to do..." Tsukasa's heart danced with joy as Tsukushi agreed to his invitation. They headed in the direction of the Makinos' garden.

His name was Domyouji Tsukasa. Her name was Makino Tsukushi. One should have noticed that by now. They were childhood friends. Tsukasa had been good friends with Tsukushi even before he met the F4. Tsukushi and Tsukasa were next-door neighbors.

Tsukasa was four years old back then. He was overly bored with his life. His parents were both in New York while his Tsubaki nee-chan was in school. He lived in a huge mansion but it felt horribly empty without his family around. The only place in the mansion where he felt like home was the garden with a bed of carnations. There was a covered wooden bench in the middle of the garden where he usually lies down to clear his thoughts. It never ceased to give him a feeling of serenity and solace. For once, he felt nice with himself even if he was alone.

Just when he was about to catch some sleep, he heard a noise coming from beyond the tall wall of the garden with trellises. Tsukasa approached the wall as the noise grew louder. Then, a petite young girl with an age about the same as his came tumbling down from the top of the wall, falling right on his arms.

That was when the two met. They've been best friends ever since.

The two were walking together, one foot in front of the other, alternately.

"Do you mind telling me the reason why our walk has a limit of an hour?" Tsukasa cynically asked a smug Tsukushi.

"I have already implied the reason, but I guess your simple-mindedness hinders you from comprehending and reading between the lines. I am getting married with Hanazawa Rui in a week's time. Understand? Or do you still need me to simplify that statement?" Tsukushi heatedly asked. She didn't want any conflicts with her wedding. She wanted her head clear, without images of Domyouji Tsukasa taking its toll on her mind.

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I love him! Why do you think I would marry him?"

Silence ensued. The two only exchanged stares, not knowing how to have a decent conversation.

"Let's not ruin our walk." Tsukasa declared and proceeded to walk.

They walked silently, each clouded with his/her own thoughts. They walked some more, one foot in front of the other, alternately, until they reached the wall separating their two houses.

"Remember how we first met when you went tumbling down from the top of this wall?" Tsukasa asked, eyeing Tsukushi with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Tsukushi nodded her head slowly. She placed her hands on her waist and surveyed the wall. 'It has been a long while since I climbed this wall, huh?'

"After that incident, you deliberately placed a ladder at your side of the wall so you can easily reach me in the garden. You had a HUGE crush on me back then, right? It's okay... You can confess it to me now." Tsukasa insinuated, bringing to the surface his conceited attitude.

"Like hell, I will! There is nothing to confess! Hmmm... You were cute back then, though, I have to admit that."

"Hah! Just as I expected…" Tsukasa smirked at Tsukushi's hesitation to admit the truth of his charms. What Tsukasa thought to be the truth, at least…

"What about you? You also placed a ladder on your side of the wall. You were the one drawn to me. Just admit it, why don't you?" Tsukushi accused him.

"I just placed it so you wouldn't have a hard time reaching me to fawn over me."

"Domyouji! Can you please stop thinking that everyone in the whole wide universe admires your so-called charm?"

"You know what they say…"

"No. What do they say?" Tsukushi asked. 'Argh! I bet this idiot is going to say something stupid again…" she thought wildly.

"If you have it, flow it!"

"What the hell! It's flaunt! You idiot! Can't you even get your quotes right?"

"Yes! Flaunt! That's what I said, baka onna!"

"Whatever! It is such a waste of saliva talking to you…"

Tsukasa snorted. "What's the point in saving your saliva? You really are stupid..."

Tsukushi was about to argue back but Tsukasa was already starting to climb the wall. He steadied the ladder to make sure it was safe.

"Ladies first," he said tersely as he held Tsukushi's hand supporting her as she climbed the wall adorned with stems and leaves. Tsukasa quickly followed suit. In a minute's time, they were both on the Domyoujis' side of the wall.

"Sugoooooi!" Tsukushi's continual whisper filled the air around the garden. She was filled awe. She couldn't believe her eyes. "It was even more beautiful than I last saw it four years ago…"

"You mean you haven't been intruding in this garden for a whole four years' time?" Tsukasa put emphasis on the word 'intruding' just to tease Tsukushi. She displayed a remarkably cute pout on her face that made Tsukasa pinch her cheeks.

As they reached the bed of carnations, Tsukushi closed her eyes to let the serenity of it all sink unto her. Tsukasa picked a single pink carnation flower and trimmed the leaves off it. As Tsukushi opened her eyes, Tsukasa's face was inches away from hers. He gently thumbed her hair back over her left ear and placed the carnation over it.

He directed his soft eyes at hers for the longest moment and held both of her hands. He diminished the distance between their lips and laid a soft kiss on her. It was the most fleeting moment for the both of them.

"I love you, Makino Tsukushi. I have loved you for an incredibly long time; it drives me crazy keeping it within me." Tsukasa declared for Tsukushi to hear.

To say that Tsukushi was shocked is an understatement. She was stunned by Tsukasa's kiss and his profession of love. It was beyond her wildest dreams. It was beyond her craziest imagination.

"Will you marry me, Makino?" Tsukasa proposed with a smile as soft as silk.

"Hahaha! You and your VERY funny jokes… I see you haven't changed at all, Domyouji-kun." Tsukushi said mustering a fake laugh.

"I am serious, Makino. Will you marry me?"

'He indeed appears dead serious.' Tsukushi thought marveling at Tsukasa's eyes.

"Uso darou?" Tsukushi laughed humorlessly.

"Uso ja nai…"

"No way! No way in hell am I marrying you! I am marrying Hanazawa Rui! I am getting married in a week! A week! You come here, breaking and entering into my life, after a ceased communication for four freaking years, and then you propose to me! Ha! What in the hell is wrong with you?"

"Is it wrong to profess my love for you?"

"Yyyess!" Tsukushi was infuriated by the course their conversation was taking. She was exhausted with just talking to Tsukasa.

"Hmmmm…"

"Drop it!" Tsukushi screamed. "I am so freaking tired of talking with you!" she was still taking deep breaths just to stabilize her breathing.

"I need to take a nap." Tsukasa was surprised by the suddenness of her statement. She lay down on the covered wooden bench, the same bench Tsukasa usually lays down back when he was still young.

Tsukasa quickly sat on the bed to offer his lap for Tsukushi to sleep on.

"Dream of Hanazawa Rui." Tsukasa whispered right to her ear.

"Thank you. I will." Tsukushi closed her eyes but she was way, way far from sleeping. Her thoughts were wandering to what transpired just a short while ago.

'What the hell was that? Did he just kiss me? Did he just tell me he loves me? Worse, did he just ask me to marry him? I must be going crazy… HE must br going crazy...' She thought as she was lulled to a light sleep.

Tsukasa stroked Tsukushi's hair, letting smooth strands pass between his fingers. 'I love you, Makino. You need not reply. I can see in your eyes that you love me too.' He thought with an inward grin.

Tsukasa leaned back and faced the sky, savoring the familiar smell of the garden he once knew. Memories of childhood were all coming back to him.

'It feels so good to be back. Back home, in the company of the one I love.' He thought, as he traced the contour of Tsukushi's calm sleeping face.

Makino Tsukushi and Domyouji Tsukasa were friends since four years of age, best friends at that. Friendship was all they have shared until Tsukasa left for New York four years ago. Love was never a topic of conversation. Never. They never spoken of one's love for the other, even though the emotion was evident with every glance and every hint of smile the couple shared.

The only thing constant in life is change. True.

Four years was indeed a long time. Change in people should be expected. Changes, both for the better or for the worse could be evident. It was even worse to have four years pass without any communication with each other. Misunderstanding could ensue. People could easily grow out of fondness in the span of four years. People could easily forget. The feelings of belongingness and the memories of fun times could dissipate into thin air, given the considerable length of time.

This may have happened in the case of this couple, but Tsukasa was still hoping. He believed in Makino Tsukushi. He believed that her unspoken love for him would never change.

Ten minutes later, she was awoken with a start and got up from the bench mechanically.

"Ow!" she complained, massaging her head with the palm of her hand.

"Come sit down. It happens. Abrupt motion can send your head whirling. It's normal. Just close your eyes for a while." Tsukasa said, as he took over the task of massaging Tsukushi's head.

"Thank you, Domyouji." Tsukushi said as the aching pain in her head subsided. "I never knew you had some useful knowledge in you." She patted Tsukasa's shoulder like a first grader who has just answered a simple Arithmetic problem.

"Now that you have noticed my illustrious knowledge…" Tsukasa started.

"Illustrious knowledge about mundane things at that." Tsukushi snorted.

"Mundane things can be unexpectedly useful, you know? Anyway, let me finish, will you? Now that you have noticed my illustrious knowledge... Makino, will you marry me?" Tsukasa proposed once again.

"No... Not again… Let's just walk, okay?" She said as she grabbed Tsukasa's hand and led him to nowhere in particular.

Their feet led them to the fish pond adorned with smooth rocks and grass-like organisms of unknown species. Tsukushi marveled at the number of fishes sleekly swimming in the pond. The diversity of the aquatic animals present in the pond filled her with awe.

"I love you, Makino." She heard him say once again as he held her hand between two of his.

"You've already told me that…"

"Obviously, you haven't responded yet…"

Tsukushi relocated to a stone fountain, leaving Tsukasa standing at the edge of the pond. She was deliberately avoiding him, his declarations and proposals. She stared at the stone figure as the female angel with a bucket of water was pouring the contents to the bucket of a male angel. She let the water hit her hands, feeling the cold liquid pass her frail fingers. She pointlessly pondered on what the two angels were doing. She focused on that to keep her mind away from Tsukasa's words.

"Averting?" Tsukasa asked tersely.

"Thinking…" Tsukushi answered back tersely too.

"Just tell me the truth." It was a order coming from the lips of the Almighty Domyouji Tsukasa.

"About what?"

"Do you love Rui?" Tsukasa asked directly.

"What the hell?! Of course I love Hanazawa Rui! Why do you think I would be marrying him?" Tsukushi retorted incredulously.

"Why do you love him?" Tsukasa was definitely in the mood for terseness in his manner of speech at that time.

"Why?! He is a certified gentleman, unlike you. He can soothe me with just a single stroke of his violin. His silence calms my senses instantly. He is a master of protecting me and rescuing me in the most impeccable timing imaginable. He…" She was exhausted at reasoning against Tsukasa when he seemed as still as calmest sea.

"You love him, huh?" Tsukasa smirked and smiled humorlessly.

"Of course I love him! What makes you think I don't?"

"Oh nothing… Just the fact that you were biting your lower lip; I'm surprised it doesn't bleed yet with the applied force." He pleasantly smiled, his eyes facing straight at Tsukushi.

'Shit! I forgot that this idiot can read me like an open book.' She mentally cursed herself at her stupidity.

Tsukasa merely smiled at the tension evidently building up on Tsukushi.

Tsukushi was out of ideas on how to get rid of Tsukasa's intense questioning. 'I need to get out of his intense gaze. I feel like I'm drowning in it!' she thought as she decided to relocate once again.

As Tsukushi was in a state of panic, trying to locate a place to relocate to, a pair of soft lips found hers. She was shocked at the primary contact but her body was starting to respond while her mind was forcing her to stop. Tsukasa parted his lips from hers and found her eyes closed, in a dazed state.

She quickly opened her eyes, widely in doing so. She hastily surveyed her surroundings trying to find something to distract her.

"Kawaiii!" she exclaimed as she reached a rose shrub to pick up a rose flower. It was a plain red rose that could also be fawned at at their garden. There was nothing extraordinary about the poor flower. Anything to distract her from dwelling on what just transpired would do.

"Do you know how much two kisses would cost me?" Tsukasa asked at the trying-hard-to-look-extremely-busy Tsukushi.

"Kawaii yo ne... kore…" she exclaimed more loudly than before to drown Tsukasa's words reaching her ears.

"Hmmm… let me see… A whole day worth of nagging from the witch (Kaede), a kicking spree from nee-chan and a ton of unaccomplished work… hmm… I guess that's about it…" Tsukasa pondered aloud, making sure she heard every single word he uttered amid her exclamations of an incredibly cute flower.

"Look, nobody asked you to come in here. You came on your own accord! Don't go blaming-"

"I am not blaming anyone. I am merely stating the fact of the matter. Why are you so defensive, anyway?"

"I… I… uhm…" It was needless to say that Tsukushi was out of words.

"Makino," Tsukasa cupped Tsukushi's reddish cheeks with the palm of his right hand while his left hand was traveling through the strands of her silky hair. She was once again in a state of daze as he did this.

'God, this girl keeps getting in a state of daze as I do things to her,' Tsukasa was amazed at Tsukushi's gullibility.

"No matter how many times you tell me you love Rui, your eyes betray your words, baka onna."

Just when Tsukushi was about to retort to deny the truth of his words, he said, "Just tell me you love me too and get it over with! Is it so difficult to admit that you are indeed in love with the handsome guy right before your eyes?"

"Nani? Did you say something? I'm not hearing anything…" Tsukushi said loudly as she used all her energy into covering her ears and walking limply, making her look like an over-sized penguin.

She headed straight to the butterfly heaven to flee from Tsukasa once again. Tsukasa watched her fawning over the butterflies of various colors. A butterfly with lavender wings landed on her index finger as she held out her hand. He saw her display a genuine and serene smile as the butterfly flapped its wings and made contact to her finger.

"Are you still going to marry Rui?" Tsukasa asked Tsukushi, knowing that it was the last time he would ever ask her.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, but she was nervous if he noticed that her voice had a tinge of doubt in it.

"Will you marry me?" Tsukasa asked once again.

"How many times do I have to answer you?"

"I promise you, this is the last,"

"No." she said more confidently than she felt

"I see…"

Silence ensued for one whole minute. They two were lost in their own world, staring at each other's eyeing, trying to extract the emotions the other feels.

"I love you, Makino, please remember that…" Tsukasa whispered on Tsukushi's ear as he gave her one final hug before he took his leave.

"Unh. I will remember…" she replied as Tsukasa released her from his embrace, reluctantly in doing so.

"Ja ne!" Tsukasa waved and turned to leave.

'Eh?' Tsukushi was stunned by the suddenness of his goodbye. Tsukasa was slowly walking towards the wall were they came from. 'Is that it? Am I going to lose him forever? Think, Tsukushi! Think!'

'That's it... I can't believe I let her go just like that...' he thought, frustated with himself.

"Ok. If you will stop, if you will turn around and face me, if you will smile a genuine smile, if you will call out my name... I guess I have no choice but to run to you." Tsukushi whispered to herself as she watched Tsukasa's retreating back.

Just when he was near the bed of carnations, near the covered wooden bench where she slept a while ago, he was reminded of all the memories he shared with the young girl she just left from. Would he let everything be put to waste?

Tsukasa did stop. He picked up a single pink flower. He did turn around to face her. He did smile his genuine boyish smile that made her heart flutter. He did call her by her name, not Makino but Tsukushi.

She ran, as if to save her own life, into the arms of the man she loved and loved him back, where she belonged.

The only sound that rang through both their ears, amid the rustling of leaves and the twittering of birds, was the exchange of a single line both longed to hear from the other but couldn't say after all the years they were together.

"Aishiteru yo..."

Please review...
Thank you...
Oh. For readers out there who don't quite understand some Japanese words, here are the translations:

daijobu ka - are you okay?
kore - here/this
ja ne - bye
arigatou - thank you
omedetou - congratulations
ano baka otoko - that stupid guy
baka - idiot
baka onna - stupid woman
Uso darou? - you're joking, right?
uso ja nai - it's no joke
kawaii - cute
nani - what
aishiteru yo - I love you

I'm not actually a Japanese literate myself. I just thought using some Japanese words would make the story seem more real...
The Japanese words I used were similar to those used in the jdrama featuring Jun Matsumoto...
kawaii yo ne!
Please review if you don't like it if I use some Japanese words...
Thank you so much...