"You're different."

Time passes quickly for her. Sometimes, she would wonder why people would always age faster than her, why she still remained the way she was, and why she could never age like they could.

It was hard meeting new people.

They always died in the end.

"I am."

Once, she fell in love with a young man. Maybe, she thought, maybe this time it will be different.

It wasn't different.

He died, just like the rest of them.

"I like different."

She had never cried as much as she did then.

"...Really?"

She swore that she would never love again.

"Really." A soft smile. "My name is Kamui Gakupo, what's yours?"

Time passes quickly for her. She can't count how many wars she's seen, how many rebellions she's watched succeed or fail.

Sometimes she'd take part in the rebellions.

Sometimes she'd take part in the wars.

But the helmets, the yells, the screams.

It was too much for her.

"My name is… Sakine Meiko."

The glint of a blade always reminded her of him. The traditional samurai garb dredged up painful memories she'd rather forget.

But sometimes she'd be reminded of the happier times she had spent with him.

The cherry blossoms reminded her of the calming effect he had had on her, the way he would gently caress her cheek and smile and call her name.

She found herself drawn to the flowers whenever they were in bloom.

"Sakine Meiko. That's a pretty name."

People began to notice her presence more and more. They realized that she was not like them.

She couldn't die.

She was always there.

She scared them.

They called her cruel names.

"...Th-thank you."

Demon.

Monster.

Cursed immortal.

"Would you like to see the cherry blossoms with me?"

So she hid from them.

They never found her again.

"That… would be nice."

Time passes quickly for her. They all forgot about her. She merely became a legend, a myth that no one bothered to acknowledge anymore.

Everything changed. People moved on, made new things, created history. She stayed the same.

Sometimes, she'd go and visit his grave.

One day, she went to visit it, but the grave was gone.

In its place was a building she had never seen before.

She felt as though she lost the last thing that connected him to her.

An offered hand.

She cried.

She takes it.

Time passes quickly for her.

He smiled.

She hates time.

"Come, let us go see the cherry blossoms."

She hates everything.

Even the cherry blossoms.

"...Yes."

Time

passes

quickly

for

her.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she sat up in her bed. The sun shined brightly through her window as her fingers combed through her short hair. Outside, the sounds of the city slowly woke her from her sleepy state. Pushing herself up, she slowly made her way to the bathroom and started to freshen herself up in front of the mirror. She examined her image in the mirror.

Everything about her was different. Her hair was no longer down to her waist - instead, it was cut close to her chin. She wore a stoic mask, hiding her emotions instead of wearing them on her sleeve. Makeup littered her sink, and her clothing choice was much more revealing than it was 100 years ago.

This time, she made sure to fit in with the crowd. She looked like a normal person with a normal life span living a normal life.

She wouldn't think about the old house she abandoned up in the mountains.

She wouldn't think about the young samurai who was killed in battle.

She wouldn't think about his missing grave.

She wouldn't think about her past.

The past is over.

It was over nearly 1000 years.

She was definitely not keeping track of the years.

Stretching and yawning, she finished getting ready for the day and left her apartment. She grabbed her coat and her keys on the way out, closing the door behind her as she made her way out to the streets.

There was a flower shop that she liked to visit. The people who worked there were nice (at times), and plus they had great singing voices. She had been to their band's concerts a few times. Who knew that short florist had such a voice? The bell rang as she entered the store. A long-haired blonde sat behind the counter, waving to the brunette with a bored expression on her face.

"Sup. Here for some flowers again?" Meiko shrugged.

"Not really. Just here to admire the flowers I suppose."

"Okay." Lily turned her attention back to her phone, idling playing whatever games she had on there. Meiko browsed around the shop, looking at the various bouquets available for sale.

"You know, I think the color red suits you."

"Hmm?" She turned around and came face to face with a bush of hair. Flapping her hands at the intruding bundle, she looked down at her friend and grinned. "You never seem to get any taller, V."

"That's because I'm older than I look, which means I'm not going to get any taller. Though, I don't really see what the problem is." The florist looked up at Meiko with a stoic expression, her hands delicately holding a newly made bouquet. It seemed to be red-themed. She handed the bouquet to her. "Here."

Meiko accepted it with a confused stare. "Wha-?"

"Red suits you." Without a word, V Flower left her with a gift randomly handed to her. It was nice looking, she'd give the florist that much credit. Meiko cradled the bouquet in her arm and turned to Lily to pay for the bouquet. The store bell rang behind her as another customer came in. Ignoring the other living person, she took out her wallet and was about to ask Lily how much the gift was until the aforementioned other living person in the room rudely bumped into her and knocked her wallet out of her hands.

"Wha-" She spun around angrily to confront the person who turned out to be a rather charming looking man. He looked at her with a shocked face before slowly smiling at her.

Even his smiles were charming.

"Might I say, you have a lovely rack."

Minus ten thousand charming points.

"...What did you just say to me?" Meiko let out an audible growl while Lily whistled from behind her. She handed the bouquet over to the blonde and cracked her knuckles.

"Hold my flowers." Lily cheered as she held her flowers.

"I got your flowers hun! Go kick his ass!"

And thus, she proceeded to kick his ass.

By the time she was done with him, no more than five minutes had passed. She brushed off her clothing and picked up her fallen wallet, giving it a gentle brushing off as well.

"How much was the bouquet again?"

"Twelve dollars seems like a fair deal."

"Okay." With that, she paid for her flowers and left the store with a great flourish that no normal human could possibly pull off. Lily laughed her ass off as she looked at the other customer. He groaned on the ground and slowly pulled himself up.

"That's what you get Gakupo! You can't just compliment a woman based off her boob size!"

The man groaned and leaned against the counter, brushing his ponytail out of his face.

"But… what else am I supposed to say? She was so pretty I couldn't come up with anything better!"

"Maybe something like, 'Hey, I think you look really nice!' or 'Sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you!'"

"…Oh right."

"You goddamn fool." Gakupo flapped his arms up and down uselessly as he tried to defend himself.

"B-b-but look! I'm a man okay? Sometimes I don't think with this head," he knocked his noggin with his knuckles, "but I think with this head instead!" He then proceeded to point at his nether regions. Lily merely rolled her eyes at the male's poor excuses.

"Uh huh. Yeah. Okay."

"I mean it!"

"Yeah. Okay. Sure." He let out a frustrated cry and plopped his booty on the nearest thing he could plop it on- the ground. With a surprised yelp, he landed harshly on his bum while Lily continued to laugh at his expense. V Flower poked her head out to see what the ruckus was all about.

"What's going on?"

"Gakupo messed up on asking out a girl again."

"I did-!"

"Oh I see. Was it Meiko this time?"

"Yup. The great part is that he didn't ask for her name. He just complimented her boobs."

"Okay, now look here-!"

"Classic Gakupo."

Gakupo made a very frustrated noise. It sounded like a mix between a whine and a groan, with a little bit of desperate man mixed in. A recommended beverage for any charmed young lady in the mood for watching mankind (just the man part) crash and burn.

V Flower decided enough was enough with the joking, and so she turned to the faux samurai wannabe.

"So what are you doing here Mr. Kamui?" He stopped making his pained man noises and looked at her with a lonely look. Probably. With his kind of personality, it was hard to tell if he was actually lonely or if he was being overly dramatic once more. It was most likely the latter.

Although there was a chance that he actually was lonely.

Then again, his sister seemed to be forcibly attached to his hip, so maybe he wasn't actually lonely.

Maybe.

"Me? I'm uh, here to… Well. I'm kind of just, here."

"Oh?"

"I was bored."

"I see."

"So I wandered here."

"I see." Lily snickered off to the side, muttering something about how he was forever alone. Gakupo let out a sad sounding sigh.

"It's hard being me."

"You sound like a spoiled prick."

"I do. Fuck. Wow I suck."

"You do."

"Ugh." He laid down on the ground and stared at the ceiling. V Flower kneeled down next to him and poked his cheek.

"Maybe you should go out on a date."

"Maybe. But no girl likes me." It was a definite fact of life.

"That's a lie, and you know it. Gumi likes you. And we kind of like you." …That was also a definite fact of life. "You can't just give up like that." The poofy-haired shorty was right. He couldn't just give up just like that.

"You're right. I should go apologize to her for being a stereotypical man and show her the proper respect that she deserves!" He stood up like a man and thumped his chest with his fist, attempting to act and seem more manly than he actually was. Lily and V Flower cheered in the way that only supportive friends could cheer when they knew their friend was kind of acting like an idiot.

The whole group of them continued this little act for a few minutes, before Gakupo looked over at V Flower with an innocently confused look.

"Uhh, what was her name?" Lily sighed and slammed her head against the counter.

"He's useless! Just let him die forever alone. Nobody else but Gumi would care!"

"Now now Lily, we have to be good, supportive friends." The florist walked over to the counter and wrote down Meiko's name and address. "Here's her information." Gakupo took it from her, glancing over the address before looking back at her with a suspicious stare.

"…Why do you have her address?"

"One time she and I had a drunken one-night stand together at her place. I still come over sometimes for a friends-with-benefits kind of thing. It's fun." The stoic florist calmly watched the man sputter and squeak in shock as he took in this new detail. Lily guffawed behind the counter.

"Wh-what?"

"I'm kidding. I come over for tea and cakes, and we talk about the weather and how mankind is going to eventually kill itself. Other times, she calls me up and I have to take her home after a night of drinking."

It was hard discerning V's lies and truths when she kept a rather emotionless mask on her face.

(One time Lily asked why she always looked like that, and V merely shrugged, informing her that making her face contort into the emotions she was feeling was too much effort, and she'd rather leave her face blank and stoic in order to preserve her energy to work on her florist duties. Lily later found her curled up on a table taking a nap, a half-finished bouquet abandoned next to her.)

Gakupo was quite sure the woman in front of him enjoyed making people rake their minds over determining whether or not what she had just said was a true fact.

"I'm serious."

"Oh. Okay."

"You should leave." V Flower pointed to the door.

"I should."

"Maybe you should get her a gift!" Lily gestured to the various single flowers they had for sale.

"She likes the color red. She's practically red-themed!"

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Here." V Flower handed Gakupo a red carnation. "If you give her a red rose, then she'll think you're a creep who's trying to get in her pants."

"Oh. Okay."

"That'll be two dollars, Gakupo."

"Okay." He paid Lily and waved goodbye to his two friends. Looking down at the paper he held in his hand, he gulped and went over the address again and again in his head. With a sigh, he pocketed the small scrap and began walking down the street, his hand carefully holding onto the carnation.

"…I have no idea where this place is."

Meiko had just finished eating her dinner when she heard a knock at her door. It must be V again, she thought to herself, getting up quickly and answering the door.

"V-?" The purple-haired man from the flower shop stood in front of her, leaning against her doorway and holding a red carnation in his fist.

"Hey, um-" Meiko immediately punched him. It was a very nice uppercut. The man cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, whimpering and trying to form a sentence. "W-wait!"

"YOU CREEP!" She was rearing up for another punch when he held his hands up in surrender.

"I just came over to say sorry!"

"Oh really? How did you find out where I lived? Why do you have a flower in your hand?" The woman prepared herself for a very one-sided fight, fists up for punching and legs ready for kicking.

Somehow, Gakupo sensed that he was probably going to be in grave danger soon if he didn't explain himself quickly. So of course, the next few lines were made of gibberish as he attempted to save his skin by rapidly yelling out smashed together sentences that comprised of maybe-words.

"IWANTEDTOSAYSORRYVTOLDMEWHEREYOULIVEDANDTHEYTOLDMETHISWASAGOODIDEA!"

"…Eh?"

"DON'THURTME!" His hands flew up to his face, and then down to his groin when he realized that she also had working legs that looked very, very strong. Meiko frowned and put down her fists.

"Can you repeat that? Only go slower?" Gakupo nodded and sucked in a deep breath, willing himself to be brave and confident.

…Ha ha no that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"U-uh, um, well… I wanted to say sorry earlier for making that comment earlier. You know? In the shop? That was uh, very, very rude of me and I shouldn't have said that. V wanted to help, so she uh, gave me your address, and Lily suggested that I bring a gift, so I got this uh, carnation for you as well… and um, yeah. I came here to apologize and give you a gift." He thrusted the flower at the brunette, staring down at the ground and looking all too much like a little boy confessing his love to his one-time crush. Meiko took the carnation from him and looked at it. The flower seemed a bit droopy for some reason, but the color was nice and bright.

"I see. Well, I suppose I can accept your apology." He looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

"Really? That's great!" Meiko scoffed.

"That doesn't mean I like you though."

"Ah. Right…" The man scratched his head nervously before looking back up at her with a sheepish smile. "I um… never introduced myself. My name is Gakupo."

"Meiko." He looked familiar for some reason, like she had seen him in the past before.

"Meiko… that's a pretty name." He offered his hand for her to shake. She took it with a bit of apprehension while he gently squeezed and shook her hand.

"Gakupo is an… I don't know name." He laughed and released her hand.

"Lots of people just tell me my name is interesting or it suits me. That's the first time anyone has responded that way about it."

"I don't hear that name very often." She shrugged. "Do you want to come inside? Unless you want to go back home, at like," she checked the time on a nearby clock, "seven thirty. Wait, why did you come here at a rather late-ish time?"

"I uh… got lost."

"When did you leave…?"

"...Maybe at… 11…?"

"You've been wandering around in a car, right?"

"Uh, no."

"...Oh God."

"...Can I come in please? I'm kind of um… hungry and tired. Please."

"Yes. I have some leftovers, you can eat that. Did you eat anything while you were out there?"

"Maybe some snacks. I was thinking about getting lunch, but then I was like nah." He took off his shoes and placed them neatly next to hers. Meiko went straight to her small kitchen and began warming up the leftovers of her dinner, placing the flower carefully on the counter besides her.

"I thought men had huge appetites. Why didn't you stop to get some food?"

"I kind of believed that I would find your house soon."

"How many times did you tell yourself that?"

"I stopped counting when I reached eight." She laughed and brought out his food. "It's not that good, but here you go." He smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you for the meal!" He then quickly began to stuff as much food in his mouth as he could. Meiko left to put the carnation in a vase, and she placed the vase on her desk. Coming back out to him, she sat down across from the feasting male.

"...You seemed to be starved." He swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah. A little." It had been a while since she had seen someone enthusiastically eat her food. Granted he was starving but still.

"Is the food alright?"

"Yup, no worries." He continued eating. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she shifted her gaze over to the carnation. Since he had been walking around with it since late morning, it would explain why the flower seemed droopy when she received it.

Gakupo… his name sounded exactly like the samurai's name.

They were complete opposites though. While her past lover was gentlemanly, kind, and gentle, this look-alike was lewd, rude, and highly off-putting.

...Well he did redeem himself just a little bit when he came all this way to her house to apologize. And he did give her a flower (a red one at that).

"Um, Meiko?"

"Hm?" She was quickly taken from her thoughts as the purple-haired man waved a hand in front of her face.

"I was just asking if you wanted to go view the cherry blossom trees with me tomorrow, since they are blooming and stuff-"

"No."

"...No?" He tried his best not to look disappointed, but Meiko noticed immediately and felt a pang of guilt. "I understand, you're probably busy and we just met so-"

"No no no! It's not like that!" She waved her hands in front of her to get him to look at her. "...It's not that I don't like you or anything like that... It's just that I don't really like the cherry blossoms that much." Gakupo looked surprised.

"Not like them? But everyone likes them."

"Yeah, well, I don't like them!" She snapped at him and stood up quickly, jostling a few things on the table. "If you're finished with dinner, then I would appreciate if you left!" Gakupo looked at her with a panicked face. The whole point of him being here was to make up with her, not upset her even more! Gulping audibly, he raised his hands once more in surrender and spoke in a calming tone.

"Look, I didn't mean to get you upset. It's just that you're the first person I've ever met that hasn't liked cherry blossoms. If you really feel strongly about this however, then I will leave. I'm sorry to have intruded on you like this." He got up and made his way to the door, pausing slightly to put on his shoes.

Meiko groaned to herself. Not only had she made the guy feel bad, but she also blew up in his face for a reason he didn't know. She seemed to be digging herself a ditch filled with guilt raining down from the skies.

"...Wait."

"Hm?" He turned to her, one foot still trying to slip a shoe on.

"...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react like that." He smiled kindly and nodded.

"It's alright. I didn't mean to bother you at this time anyway, so it's best that I leave before it gets too dark." Meiko didn't know if it was the guilt or the fact that he resembled her past lover to an extent that made her feel this way, but she just couldn't leave him to wander the streets alone in the dark. Who knew what could happen? He might get hit by a drunk driver or something!

"You don't have to leave! I mean, I think it'll be best for you to just stay here, for now. And uh, plus, it'll make it easier for us to go see the cherry blossoms tomorrow...?" Gakupo blinked slowly as the comment slash question registered in his mind, before the corners of his mouth pulled up into an ecstatic grin.

In all honestly, she really didn't think this through at all. However, she found the smile on his face to be quite... rewarding.

Maybe she had been feeling lonely lately.

"No it's fine, really! I can't just invade your house like this. I mean, you already gave me food."

The sound of screeching tires and the blinding glare of headlights filled her mind as a person screamed in her head.

(For some reason, she could only imagine herself screaming. Weird.)

"Look, it's already a bit too late for you to return home, and it'll be easier for us to just wake up and go there together. It's not like we have somebody over there to stake out a spot for us under the trees, and I don't even have any food planned for the viewing anyway. At most, we'll probably just walk over to the place and stand around like a bunch of losers." She sighed softly as he placed his shoes down and immediately returned to the table to clean it up. He chuckled as he placed some dishes in the sink while Meiko grabbed the rest of the dirty dishes.

"I can see your point. But where will I sleep? Surely not in your bed. I mean, even though you're hot as he-"

"Don't even finish that sentence." The brunette approached and dumped all the dishes in the sink and started to wash them. "You can sleep on the couch. I have extra blankets and pillows." Gakupo joined the dish washing in attempts to help her.

"Sounds like a plan to me. What about clothing?" She paused in her washing to look the tall man up and down.

"...Sleep in your boxers for all I care. Just don't touch me, and don't do anything stupid." He sputtered and nearly dropped a plate while she resumed working.

"B-but we hardly know each other! Why would I sleep in my boxers in your house?!"

"Do you want wrinkles in your clothes?"

"I'd rather that than boxers!" She smirked.

"Then that settles it. Couch for bed, cherry blossoms in the morning. No complaints?" The man stuttered once more. "I'll take that as a yes. Mind handing me those pans?"

The two of them worked quickly through the dishes, chatting amiably and enjoying each other's company. Once the dishes were done, they relaxed on the couch and watched some TV, laughing and criticizing the terrible writing for each show they came upon. By the time it was 11, the younger man yawned and stretched, and Meiko took it as a cue to grab the extra blankets and pillows. By the time she returned, Gakupo was already passed out on her couch. She couldn't help but smile as she draped the red comforter over him.

Even though he was a bit perverted, she had to admit that he was a bit cute.

When she woke up the next morning, she had completely forgotten that Gakupo had slept over.

Which was why he was waking up with a knife against his throat.

"GAAAAAAAHH!"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!"

After much confusion, Meiko hurriedly apologized and quickly made him breakfast to make up for the near accidental murder. He grumbled that breakfast wasn't enough to make up for a near death experience.

She immediately apologized once more.

After breakfast, the pair was off to view the blossoming cherry blossoms with Gakupo recovering from his morning horrorfest. He sniffled pitifully as they made their way to the park.

"How does one forget that there's someone sleeping over on their couch?!"

"I swear I didn't mean it!"

"I COULD FEEL THE BLADE! IT WAS GOING TO BREAK THROUGH THE SKIN!"

"I'M SORRY IT'S JUST THAT... I'm not used to having guests stay over for long." She looked down towards her feet, avoiding the stare of the man next to her.

"...So I'm the first person you've had that's slept over?"

"...In a way."

"...What kind of childhood did you have?" Meiko thought back to the village whisperings and the ostracized life she led by herself.

"Not a nice one."

"How horrible." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "At least the past is over with now." She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah."

They continued their walk in a comfortable silence, his hand never leaving her shoulder. Once they reached the park, the two of them stopped in their tracks and gazed upon the cherry blossoms as their petals floated lazily in the breeze.

"Wow..." Meiko had forgotten how beautiful the trees were.

"Meiko... hold out your hand." She timidly did as Gakupo instructed and watched as petals gently landed in her palm. Her face lit up in pure delight as cupped her hands together, watching as more petals drifted into her hands.

Gakupo watched the endearing scene besides him and smiled. She was absolutely adorable. It was almost as though she had never seen cherry blossoms before.

"It's so pretty…" She hummed softly as she looked up, watching the wind gently jostled the trees in front of them. Pink petals landed in her hair as they continued to enjoy the feeling of serenity that usually accompanied those who gazed upon the cherry blossoms.

(Unless you were in an anime, then it's a completely different story.)

They remained standing there for a little over an hour before realizing that sitting at a park bench would be a better idea.

Another hour later, they realized it was time for lunch, as cued by the synchronized growling of their stomachs. They laughed awkwardly for a bit before Gakupo cleared his throat and stood up. He offered his hand to her, which she took happily and allowed him to pull her up to her feet.

"What do you want for lunch? I'll pay, since you've been providing me with delicious food for the past meals."

"Hmmm…" She tapped her chin in thought and grinned. "How about that little cafe next to V's shop? I know the owner of the shop, so he'll probably give us a discount. As long as, well, we buy him ice cream." He laughed and nodded, letting her lead the way.

"Sounds good to me. " The two of them walked in complete silence for a bit before the purple-haired man piped up again. "Sooooo… does this count as a date?" Meiko laughed and punched his arm playfully.

"Hahahahano." While the man pouted, she picked up the pace with the intention of leaving him behind (as a joke). He cried out in displeasure and jogged back up to her side, huffing quietly before swatting at the top of her head. This time, she cried out in displeasure and then proceeded to swat his hand away. "What are you doing?!"

"Cherry blossoms."

"What?"

"Cherry blossoms." He picked a petal out from her hair and showed it to her. "Your hair is covered in them." She looked him up and down before brushing off his shoulder.

"Looks like you're covered in them too."

"Huh." He watched as the petals drifted down to the ground as they walked. "I guess I am." Meiko laughed and grabbed his hand, tugging him in the direction of the cafe-next-to-the-flower-shop.

"Come on! I'm starved!"

"U-um, yeah, okay!" He fought back the blush that threatened to show itself on his face. This wasn't some shoujo manga! It wasn't like he was a potential love interest or anything…

Right?

"Hey, wanna hang out for the rest of the day? I think having having sake with company always tastes better!" She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

They were sparkling like a hopeful female love interest's would.

...Scratch that, for some reason, there were sparkles surrounding her face.

Her FACE.

Holy shit they really were in a shoujo manga.

"...Weeeell?" She frowned a bit, still waiting for a reply from the dazed looking man. Gakupo shook his head, trying to ignore the strange impending feeling of future doom (maybe).

"Uh, um, of course! Yes! That's a good plan!" He brightened up, dismissing the idea that they could possibly be a product of some person's imagination and misguided confidence.

Hopefully that person likes happy endings.

In an attempt to regain his composure, he ran forward and immediately stole the tugging role from Meiko. She yelped in shock from the suddenness of his actions as he laughed ahead of her.

"I thought you said you were starved!" The grip on his hand tightened as she laughed along with him.

As they ran to the cafe, everyone wondered why floating sparkles and flowers seemed to be following the couple around.

It was the start of a very loving relationship.

~*~ Four years later ~*~

Lily straightened out Meiko's dress, dusting off her shoulders and smiling at her as they looked into the mirror..

"You look beautiful, Meiko." Meiko smiled weakly at the compliment.

"Thanks, Lily." The blonde gently patted her back before putting away some hair care products (produced and sold by Miku Hatsune: for that leek-y freshness that everyone loves!).

"Don't be so nervous. It'll be fine."

"...Yeah." Meiko reached for her make-up, applying it as Lily moved in front of her to fix up her hair some more. The flower-named person with the blonde hair hummed softly to herself as she grabbed a comb and gently combed through her hair.

"You know, if you wore a hair clip, you'd look so much more cuter! I'm sure Gakupo would notice."

"Oh stop." The brunette placed her make-up down and looked towards the door. When will V arrive? It's been an hour already and-" The door swung open as a bushel of hair made its way into the room.

"I've got your flowers, Meiko." V Flower handed the woman a colorful bouquet. "It took me a while, but the spray paint finally dried. See, it's hidden right here." The florist pointed to the hidden flower amongst the other vibrant flowers. Lily glanced over to see the flower and gasped.

"Why that-?!"

"Please don't question it." Meiko quickly took the bouquet and headed towards the door. "We've gotta go to the wedding now. Don't wanna be late!" She rushed out of the room with the other two quickly following after her.

The wedding ceremony concluded without a cinch. There were cheers and tears galore, and the lovely bride and groom were now happily married.

Right after the ceremony, the groom and bride found themselves situated at the entrance of the reception area, greeting and thanking each guest warmly. After many "Hello!"'s and "Oh thank you!"'s, the bride was pulled away by her bridesmaids, the bubbly ladies happily telling the groom that they needed some bride-time themselves. He laughed and waved them away, quickly resuming his task.

It got dreadfully monotonous fairly quickly. Seeing no one else appearing in front of him, he stretched and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes to give himself just a little bit of a break.

This turned out to be a bad idea.

"Hey!" He yelped loudly and turned to face the source of the voice.

"Ah! Meiko!"

"Trying to sleep on this special day huh?" She smiled and playfully punched his arm. "What kind of groom are you?"

"Um, not a good one… so far."

"Indeed." He smiled sheepishly. Before he could respond to her, the brunette shoved her bouquet of flowers in his face.

"Ack! W-wha-?"

"For you, idiot." She looked away and blushed, folding her arms across her chest. "I know it's not traditional, but I wanted it to be special... from me."

"Thank you, Meiko…" He replied softly, his eyes darting from flower to flower until he noticed an off color hidden in the mix of bright colors. A gasp escaped him as he gently pulled the flower out of the bouquet. "Meiko…! This…!"

"I know." She took the flower from his hand and smelled it. "Smells like it was just spray painted this afternoon." She looked at him with a far-off smile. "Can we go somewhere to talk privately?" The man nodded slowly, leading her outside of the building and sitting down on the curb. Meiko plopped down next to him, twirling the flower between her fingers. They remained silent for a bit, ignoring the laughter and cheerful chatter behind them. Finally, Gakupo spoke up.

"You know, it could have been up you up there with me at the alter."

"You shouldn't be saying that. You're married to Luka now."

"Yeah, but-"

"You love her." She smiled at him and waved her rose at him. "You love her and that's why you married her."

"But…" He looked down to the ground. "I love you too." Her smiled dropped from her face, and she continued to stare at the rose in her hand.

"You have to move on."

"Why did we break up?"

"Because it would have been better for the both of us."

"Why? That doesn't make sense!"

"It does. And you know it." He fell silent, not wanting to say anything. Meiko laid the rose in her lap, before continuing her point. "I can't have kids Gakupo. It's physically impossible for me. And… we both know how badly you want kids." He gripped the fabric of his pants.

"...We could have just adopted." She shook her head.

"We don't live near any orphanages. And we don't have enough time or money to go travel to some." He bit his lip.

"We didn't need to have children Meiko, it would have been fine-"

"No, it wouldn't have been. You wouldn't be completely happy." She sighed softly and looked over at him sadly. "Luka… she can make you happy and give you children. What can I give you? Sake and bad jokes."

"Meiko…"

"Trust me, it's better off this way…"

They went silent. Several minutes passed before Gakupo cleared his throat.

"So um… why a black rose?"

"You mean this little thing?" She twirled the black rose once more. "Just because it's black, it doesn't have to mean a bad thing." She chuckled softly. "I wasn't wishing a good death or something like that."

"Oh." He laughed nervously. "I-I wasn't thinking that at all."

"Yeah right, you totally were! ...Not that I blame you." She held the rose up to her face, examining the paint-stained petals. "...You know, black roses have lots of meanings."

"Like every other flower." He grumbled. She punched his arm. "Ow!"

"As I was saying," she turned to glare at him for a bit before returning her gaze back to the rose, "black roses have many meanings. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is death and mourning." She gently poked the hardened petals to point out its obvious discoloration. "But, they can also represent a new beginning. With death comes new things, like, for instance, the end or so-called "death" of a relationship, it can bring about a newer relationship that can prove to be a more happier and fulfilling one."

She turned to him and stared deep into his eyes, smiling as she waited for her words to sink in. "...You're going to have a great marriage, Gakky, I just know it."

"Mei-chan… I…" He rubbed his eyes, pretending that there was something in his eyes. "Um… thanks for the thoughtful gift. Or, deeply thoughtful gift that probably involved a hefty amount of research."

"I just Googled it."

"Ah."

"So… I think it's about time for you to go back inside. Your bride is waiting for you."

"You're right!" He stood up quickly, before bending back down to retrieve the bouquet. "Almost forgot about this, heh." Meiko stood up as well, dusting off her dress.

"Have fun Gakky."

"Wait a minute, you're not coming in as well? Why not?"

"I've got some stuff to do."

"...Really?"

"Totes."

"...I can't believe you just said that."

"Totes." She giggled to herself and patted his head. "I already said congrats to your wife, and I need to go meet someone." He tried to hide his disappointment.

"I see… well, I'll see you again soon?" She hummed thoughtfully.

"Perhaps."

"Alright." He reached out for the black rose, but she held it away from him. "Um…?"

"I'll hold onto it for now." She gave him a cheeky grin. "But don't worry, I promise to give it back to you in the near future, or something like that." He smiled and nodded.

"Alright. I hope to see you again soon then."

"Right. Well, see ya, Gakky."

"Bye, Mei-chan." He walked off, leaving the brunette by the curb. Once he entered the building, the grin dropped from her face as she sighed softly. Walking away from the happy celebration, she wandered around the streets until she came upon a park and sat down on a bench. Quietly, she gently pulled off the outer petals of the rose, uncovering the natural color of the rose. She laughed bitterly, twirling the rose like it was her little twirly toy.

"That stupid V Flower… she purposely chose this specific color didn't she?" She sighed and leaned her head back until it was resting on the edge of the bench. "I'm not so sure I like the color red anymore…"

Time passes quickly for her.

After that day, she never saw Gakupo again. She heard that he had kids, and then grandkids, but that was all she heard about him. The flower shop was a destination she avoided on a daily basis. Eventually, she moved away to a different city.

She only lived in one place for five years.

Somehow, she could deal with the pain. She figured it didn't hurt as much as it did before.

Of course, she was lying to herself.

Before she knew it, 150 years had passed since she last saw her friends. With that revelation, she moved back to her old city

Everything was different.

The flower shop had been demolished; in its place was a mall that seemed to be on the verge of demolition itself.

Her old apartment had been replaced by a park. Apparently, the property was too old and dangerous to be formally called a building, so the city destroyed that building and replaced it with a kid-friendly park.

All her usual hang-outs had all disappeared. The only thing that remained was the park that held the cherry blossom trees. However, she wasn't there to see the trees.

She was here to visit an old friend.

It wasn't hard to find the cemetery, and it wasn't hard to ask where his grave was, but it was hard not to cry when she eventually found his grave.

Quietly, she took out a dried, black-tinted rose and laid it down on his grave.

After all these years, she finally had the guts to return the rose.

Without a word, she left the cemetery and returned to her home.

…

Time passes... quickly... for her.

A/N: This is the longest fic I've ever written so far. *fanfare* Anyway, this was written for the prompt "immortal". *insert "My Immortal" joke here* There wasn't as much foreshadowing here. Yay. Also, in regards to the title, it can be easily seen as Meiko's innermost thoughts about Gakupo, which can give some insight as to why she broke up with him, if it wasn't already obvious enough. (if you have any questions regarding fic, plz feel free to ask I don't bite)