After the Nightmare Ends

by JadeHeart

With no memory of her time at ‘school’, Mashiro finds herself drawn back there and searching for what she had lost.

Title: After the Nightmare Ends

Author: JadeHeart

Fandom: After School Nightmare by Setona Mizushiro (manga)

Pairing: Sou/Mashiro

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Summary: With no memory of her time at 'school', Mashiro finds herself drawn back there and searching for what she had lost.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this, they belong to the creators of 'Sailor Moon', nor am I making any profits from it.

-oOo-

Sou.

The name again drifted into her consciousness, tugging at her mind as it had first done when she had heard it called out on the train platform as she alighted. Something was familiar about it…something. She had seen the boy who had turned in answer to the call. She knew that she had seen him before as she waited to catch the train. Had she met him before then? Was that why the name had seemed familiar? Or had she known someone else by that name once?

Mashirostared out at the river, leaning on the hand rail, the setting sun casting a golden glow over the glistening waters beneath her but she didn't see any of it. Her gaze was fixed at a point beyond the reality before her, searching for something more. The sounds of the evening city faded away, growing fainter with every passing heartbeat as she deliberated.

School, she thought to herself, images of desks and classrooms coming to mind. There was a school. But I don't remember going to one that looks like that. Perhaps she had just visited once?

Another memory - fleeting glimpses of other teens dressed in what could only be a school uniform though not one she was familiar with; a flash of a kendo dojo. I've never done kendo, she thought, frowning slightly, yet her hands felt like they knew the shape of the shinai, the weight familiar in her grasp.

She kept her gaze focused inward, groping for further clues. A headache was beginning, pressure building at her temples. What does it matter if I can't remember, she considered and immediately the pressure receded. She frowned. It was like there was something that didn't want her to remember. She pursed her lips stubbornly and instead concentrated harder. She wouldn't give up. She had promised herself from the time she had been old enough to understand that she had once had a brother who had not survived to be born that she would never give up on anything. For both of them. So this was not going to stop her now. Not until she could recall those elusive images.

In her mind's eye she could see a classroom, the vision so real. The scene then changed to corridors, just like any other school corridor. Now it was as if she were walking them herself. People passed her but they were nothing more than featureless figures for she could make out no distinctive faces on any of them.

She watched in confusion as this faceless chattering crowd swept around her, unable to discern any of the conversations clearly. Then in the distance her eyes were drawn to one figure in particular; a tall boy, dark haired, distinctive in the sea of vague figures, standing out amongst the rest. For some reason her heart clenched tightly, swamped by a feeling that she had to call out to him. A name seemed to struggle to be voiced but when she opened her lips she called nothing .

The scene swirled away and now she found herself looking down a stairwell. A sign on the wall indicated it led to a basement level. She began to walk downwards watching as each foot lifted and lowered to the next step. Why was she wearing trousers, she mused as her steps took her lower. She felt a pressure in her chest, an anxiety beginning to fill her. What was happening now? What was this about?

She suddenly found herself in a room filled with beds, draping curtains surrounding each. The feeling of trepidation filled her completely now, freezing her in place.

I…know this place. I know it.

The beds vanished abruptly and she was once again standing in the corridor.

"Mashiro!"

She heard the call and turned as someone grabbed her hand. There was a girl, hair tied in pigtails with ribbons.

"Come and have lunch with me!"

She felt the smile on her face at those words but she still couldn't see the girl's face, nothing but a white blur being where the features would have been. Yet even without that she could feel the warmth of the other's hand, knew that she had a beautiful smile and lovely eyes. She knew that this girl had been important to her – once. So why couldn't she picture her face?

The scene changed again, the girl disappeared. Now chilling distorted beings stalked the silent hallways of the empty school. A single human arm, stretching to impossible lengths, lay coiled in a corner like a serpent before swiftly slithering away. In the distance on the roof of another of the school buildings she could see a child, a girl dressed in black clutching a teddy bear, a cruel smile on her lips that made Mashiro shudder. A loud clanking sound preceded a walking suit of armour, broadsword crashing through a desk, fragmenting it immediately, making her jump in surprised shock.

She felt intense horror fill her heart as each twisted monstrosity greeted her, drifting in and out of her distorted vision. Her head hurt more, fear making her heart pound. She turned and ran then, hearing the slapping sound of her feet hitting the floor. Ran from everything she was seeing. Ran from what it might actually mean.

She found herself outside although she knew she hadn't gone down any stairs or passed through any doors. She stopped, looking around. The sky above was blue, cloudless, it felt like spring. She stared up at the cherry trees in full bloom. For a moment she wondered why it seemed there was something wrong and then realized that the falling petals were frozen in midair. It was then she realized that she felt no breeze although some of the trees looked like they were bending in the wind. There was no touch of warmth on her cheek from the sun above. All was still, silent. Eerily so. She shivered. The absence of such simple things, things that she had always simply taken for granted now made this nightmare even more frightening.

She turned her head to the left and for the first time caught a glimpse of her reflection in the ground floor windows. She started. Who was that?

She lifted her hand and the image did the same, mirroring her actions perfectly. She touched her face, watching as the image did the same. She jerked back. She was a …boy! A tall, slim boy with a beautiful face. This wasn't her.

Frightened she glanced down, seeing again the trousers covering her legs. She felt a jolt of shock go through her as she brushed her hand over the front of the blazer she wore. Her chest was flat; she no longer had breasts. She touched herself again hesitantly. They were definitely gone. She wrapped her arms around her torso, shoulders hunched, eyes squeezed shut. What was happening to her? She felt so strange, this body unfamiliar and yet at the same time…not.

She shook her head violently, trying to banish the image before her by sheer will-power alone. She looked up again and started once more. This time her reflection showed a new image, revealing the same figure only now in a girl's school uniform yet when she hurriedly looked down at herself again she was still dressed as a boy. She was still a boy.

She moaned and dropped to her knees, hands clutching at her head which felt like it was about to split apart. What was happening here? Whose reflection was that she saw? Why would she look like that?

She dropped her hands to the ground, fingers digging into the dirt as her head pounded harder. She didn't understand any of this. Not where she was, nor why she was here, nor what she was seeing. She remained on hands and knees, panting. She had to remember. For some reason it was desperately important for her to remember. If she didn't she felt she would lose something very previous forever even though she didn't even know what it was she was seeking.

She determinedly focused on her thoughts, pushing through the pain that still threatened to overwhelm her. Sitting back on her heels she took slow deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. I have to think this through properly, she thought.

Something soft touched her face and she now saw that the sakura petals, released from whatever binding that had held them had now began to fall, floating down lightly. She stood, brushing down her trousers, then straightening her shoulders. She had to keep going. She'd figure out what this meant later.

Turning she began to walk, making her way across the courtyard towards the buildings on the other side. She didn't know how but this place was familiar to her. She knew it well enough to know that in this direction was a special place. When she reached the large shady tree she felt a flood of warmth, her lips curling in an involuntary gentle smile. This place made her feel good; something special had happened here. She saw the fleeting image of the girl who had called out to her before but again couldn't make out her features or remember her name which saddened her. How could she not recall any of that when this person had obviously meant so much to her?

She reached out a hand, resting it on the trunk, feeling the hard gnarled wood. Suddenly she was gripped by a horrific image. There was a girl, face indistinct just like they had all been only this time she could see the eyes, eyes that burned with hatred. A red raincoat dripped water that pooled around the girl's feet, looking like blood, tinged by the colour of the coat. The girl laughed manically, sending ripples of fear through Mashiro.

No, she whispered in her mind, her throat tight. Stop. Don't do it.

The girl continued to laugh as umbrellas stabbed viciously into a body lying face down on the ground.

"DON'T!" Mashiro screamed, finally able to voice her despair.

The scene immediately vanished and she crumpled to the ground at the base of the tree. She shook her head, trembling, feeling tears in her eyes. The sadness that filled her wasn't for herself but it was crushing all the same. That poor girl, was the only thought in her mind. No matter how terrifying that vision had been, no matter that the girl was responsible for that horrible macabre death still all she could think was 'that poor girl' and weep for her.

She scrambled to her feet and began to run again, running and running, praying to outrun the horrors around her. The scenery changed around her as she ran, changing with no rhyme or reason, flowing from a classroom to the basement, from the courtyard to a dorm room, to the cafeteria, back to a school corridor. Ever changing, constantly moving. As she ran through this dizzying kaleidoscope she was forced to watch strange and disturbing visions, images that filled her with fear and trepidation. A tall boy being berated by his father; a younger boy being picked on by his peers; a girl with no face and hole in her chest; a beautiful dark haired girl being chocked to death in water.

Why, why, why?!, she screamed internally. Why must I see all this,!, as tears slipped down her face. Still she could only keep running, trying to flee them.

There was only one constant in this swirling maze. In every place she was thrown to she would glimpse that boy with dark hair; always in the distance. Always moving away out of her reach. His image didn't fill her with fear.

Suddenly the image around her settled into a place she hadn't seen yet. She stood there, breathing heavily, sweat running down her face from her exertions. Before her was a door, ornately carved and gilded, imposing in its majesticness. She felt something swinging from her hand and looked down to see she was holding a chain. Lifting it, she gazed at the key on the end. It looked like a bird cage – a tiny bird cage. That was exactly how she felt. Like a caged bird frantically fluttering clipped wings, seeking escape. She looked back at the door noticing the tiny key hole. Was she supposed to unlock this door to escape this nightmare?

She lifted the key and inserted it in the lock when a faint sound behind made her glance over her shoulder. She was no longer alone for in the distance stood the same dark haired boy who she had seen so frequently before. He still stood with his back to her, unmoving this time. She watched him for a moment longer but nothing changed. She turned back to the door, taking a deep breath. She just wanted to get out of here.

Just then the door shimmered and suddenly she could see herself clearly like looking into a mirror. The same tall stranger from previously stared back at her, pale fine features with light hair. She reached out, the image mirroring her gesture so their palms looked to be touching.

Sister, she heard the whisper.

The emotions that flooded her then broke open a dam of tears that drove her to her knees, sobbing. As the deep sobs wracked her frame memories flooded back. She remembered. She remembered what it had been like before. Not everything, there were still gaps, parts that were nothing more than vague images but she remembered.

Now she understood what the school had been. It was a place to learn just as a school should be. It was a place for souls to learn to forget who they had once been; forget the things they had been or done or had done to them. It was a place for souls to grow strong and move on so when they forgot everything else when they were reborn with no lingering tendrils of their past lives that could hold them back.

That was what graduating had been about. That's why she couldn't remember the faces or names of those people, those souls she had spent her time with. They had moved on or disappeared, choosing to fade away rather than be reborn and live through the cycle again, unable to grow beyond the problems that had weighed them down prior.

Now she understood why the teacher had said she had been a special case. The others had been fighting with their pasts but she had been fighting with her future, fighting with her twin brother. All that time they had been at war. Had it always been inevitable that one of them would lose – that only one would survive? Or had it been a chance mishap that they had been separated into two yet trapped in the one body in this school, each struggling to be themselves. She had been the only one of all the students who had been fighting for their future, not just to win the key, but to win the battle of very existence.

She looked up through tears at the image kneeling before her. Now the reflection wore the girl's uniform. She lifted a hand, grabbing the front of her blazer. She could feel the roundness under her touch. She was female again. Behind her reflection stood her male version.

"It's okay," the boy said with a crooked smile. "You just wanted it more than me."

"But why?" she whispered. "Why couldn't it be both of us?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps it's just not my time yet." He smiled warmly at her. "Don't worry about it anymore. It's not like I blame you or something. It's not your fault. As long as you always remember me it's not like I'm really gone."

"I would have liked a brother I think," she said sadly.

"Maybe next time, huh? There'll be another chance."

"But I don't understand why it was me. You were always the stronger. You really did want to be you, a boy. So why was I the one…" Her voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Like I said - you wanted it more."

She shook her head in confusion. "Why did I want it more?"

"Turn around."

She did as instructed, looking over her shoulder. The dark haired boy still stood there, still and silent, his back to her.

"There's your reason," her brother's voice said to her. "He's what gave you the reason to go on and become stronger."

"He did? Who is he?"

"You know who he is," her other half replied. "You know him from the very bottom of your soul and in every fibre of your being. He made you."

"Made…me?" she mused, staring at that back.

It's not that she truly doubted the words being said. Somewhere deep inside she knew she knew this person – something inside her sang at the sight of that figure, tugged at her heart

"I…know him?" She struggled, trying to sift through the jumbled fragments of memory, searching but nothing came to her. "Why? Why can't I remember?!" she cried out in frustration, pounding a fist on the floor.

"He's leaving," she heard and looked up to see the figure begin to walk away just as he had been doing through those myriad of times previously.

Her heart clenched. "No," she whispered, one hand automatically reaching out as though able to hold the person back. She didn't understand why she was feeling like this, so bereft as though a part of her soul was being torn away. "Don't go. Please."

The figure kept walking.

"Don't go," she cried out. "Please! I beg you!"

Tears streamed down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut and screamed out, "DON'T LEAVE ME, SOU!!"

Her eyes sprang open in surprise. Sou? She had called him Sou?

She looked up to see that the figure had stopped. "Sou?" she called hesitantly.

Slowly the head began to turn, the profile first coming into view and her heart began to beat rapidly, pounding in her chest. Memories began to surface, good ones and bad. Ones that made her shake with rage or flush with embarrassment.

"Sou," she breathed. He was Sou. Her Sou.

Now he had turned to face her fully and she could recall everything about him, the tears wetting her face those of joy, heartbreaking joy and relief at seeing him again when it should never have been. He stood there blinking as though waking from a deep sleep.

"Mashiro?" he questioned as though not certain.

With a cry she scrambled to her feet and ran to him. "Sou!" she cried, reaching for him. Her arms wrapped round his neck, clasping him tightly even as his arms circled her waist drawing her in close.

"It is you, Mashiro," he said into her neck. "How though? What's happened?"

She couldn't answer, her throat closed by her tears, instead just burying her head in his neck, breathing in his scent that was so very familiar to her. She trembled in his embrace, her body recalling his touch and she ached, wanting to be closer to him, to be one with him again. To affirm who she was, who he was.

He drew back a little so he could look at her though not releasing his hold fully. "Why are you still here?" he questioned then looked around frowning. "This place was destroyed so how come it's still here?" He rubbed one hand across his eyes. "I don't get it."

She reached up and took the hand away, drawing it to her lips and placing a soft kiss on the back. "I don't understand either," she admitted. "Do you…know what this school is really?"

"Huh?" Sou looked around again. "It's just school."

She shook her head. "Sou, it's more than that. Much more. It's where souls, waiting to be reborn, learn to be stronger."

"Souls? Reborn?" Sou looked at her in disbelief. "Are you nuts?"

She signed, eyes sad. "I know you probably don't believe me," she said, lifting his hand to place on her cheek. His touch felt so good against her skin, so right. "I went through that door," she explained, eyes still shut. "I took the key and went through and then I forgot everything. In the real world I don't look like this anymore." Now she opened her eyes. "I went through the door and I was reborn. My twin brother…"

She faltered then started again. "My brother wasn't. I fought him here that last time. Only one of us had the chance to live again. The strongest one."

"And that was you."

"Because you gave me that strength," she said looking into his face. "I wanted to be with you so much so that made me strong so I could achieve what you wanted me to do. That's why I could defeat him."

Sou reached up and brushed the hair from her eyes. "So why are you here now?" he asked. His stroking halted. "You're not...dead?"

She shook her head although her heart had fluttered with panic at his words at first before calming. "No, I'm sure I'm not," she assured him. "I think I would know if I was."

"So then why?"

"I don't know."

She suddenly recalled what had begun this nightmare. "It was you!" she exclaimed, clutching his hand tightly. "It was because I heard your name!"

"My name?" he said. "I'm right here so how could you have heard it some place else?"

"But I did hear it. I heard someone call out 'Sou' and it kept bothering me as though I should be remembering something. Then when I started trying to think about it and I ended up here."

"That's not good I don't think," Sou said intently.

"Why?"

"If what you have said is true this place isn't for the living," he said, sounding very sure. "You shouldn't be here. You've got to go back."

She reached out and clutched the front of his blazer. "Not without you!" she cried. "I don't want to lose you again!"

He cupped her face with both hands, looking deeply into her eyes. "Mashiro, I don't remember much about what happened when you graduated." His eyes clouded for a moment. "But what I do remember isn't good. This whole place was collapsing and we were trapped. I don't see how any of us left could have survived."

"What…are you saying?" she whispered, eyes wide.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, chin resting on her shoulder. "It would have been a miracle if any of us made it out," He squeezed her tighter. "And if this place was destroyed how would any of us have been able to graduate after you?"

She realized what he was saying now and tears dripped down her cheeks. He was right. If this place was gone how could he have been reborn? And if he hadn't got that chance then that meant…

"No," she whispered brokenly. "That can't be true." Her hands clenched in the back of his jacket, holding him with all her strength. "How could you still be here then?! How could I hold you like this?!"

She felt him tighten his grip, also almost crushing her "I…don't know," he admitted. "Perhaps I'm nothing more than one of your memories, an illusion."

"You're not an illusion!" she stated emphatically. "No illusion could feel this warm! You're real!"

Suddenly the ground lurched under their feet and the silence that had surrounded them till now filled with the sounds of falling masonry, splitting concrete, and twisting metal. They were both thrown to their knees, hands still clasped, refusing to let go.

"What's happening?" She looked around in horror.

"Don't know," Sou answered. He helped her to her feet, pulling her in against his side. He looked up at the ceiling.

"It's just like last time." She heard him mutter, going cold.

"This…is what happened…to you?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah."

"Oh my god," she whispered despairingly, watching the destruction continue. Although she couldn't remember the others names or faces the thought of something like this happening to them horrified her.

"Look out!" Sou suddenly shouted, leaping away and dragging her with him just as a large portion of the ceiling came crashing down where they had been.

"You've got to get out of here!" he shouted.

"How?"

"Through the door!"

She shook her head vehemently. "No!" she said. "I won't leave you again!"

"You fool! Do you want to die?!"

"Do you?!" she fired back matching his glare.

They stood like that for a moment more then Sou suddenly reached out and embraced her hard, crushing her to him. Pulling back he framed her face with both hands claiming her lips in a bruising kiss that stole her breath and the immediate response in her body to his touch made her moan softly, hands clutching at him. He suddenly released her, pulling her back into his embrace once more.

"I love you," he said hoarsely in her ear. "I love you so god damn much it's killing me!"

"Me too," she replied, clinging to him.

He pulled back to look into her face and touched her cheek lightly. "Don't forget about this," he said, making her frown and then gently he placed a hand on her chest and pushed. She had a momentary sensation of being suspended in air then suddenly she was falling backwards, horror filling her as she gazed up at Sou's rapidly receding figure, the graduation door standing wide open and realizing that he must have unlocked it whilst he had embraced her.

"Sou!" she screamed in despair. "SOU!"

"Don't forget me!" he called out, watching her fall.

Just before her vision failed and her consciousness fled the last thing she saw was Sou standing there on the edge as the doors shattered and crumbled around him before he fell and she saw nothing more.

Mashiro shivered as a cool gust of wind washed over her. She blinked her eyes, the scene before her coming into focus. Gone was the graduation door, gone was the destruction. She was still standing on the bridge, exactly where she had been at the beginning. The sun was only just dropping below the horizon, heralding the start of the evening. It seemed like no time had passed at all. The wind lifted her hair, blowing it over her face. Reaching up she brushed it aside, feeling the dampness on her cheeks even as fresh tears fell.

Sou, she mourned, her heart aching.

She could still remember what had happened in that strange place though parts were already fading, drawing away from her, hiding once more in her sub-consciousness. But the memory of Sou and what he meant to her - that still remained firmly fixed in her mind and heart.

Her hands clenched. She wasn't going to forget, she swore to herself. She wouldn't. Ever.

A tear fell on the back of her hand, cool against her skin. She bit at her lip as more followed. Crying did no good, she knew that yet still she couldn't stop the tears. She dropped her head to her crossed arms on the railing, hiding her face. How could she go on without him now? Now that she could remember everything about him and what they had had before. Now that she could remember how much she loved him.

"You'll get red eyes if you don't stop," a voice suddenly said from nearby.

Startled she jerked upright, automatically brushing away any evidence of the tears. Before her stood the boy she'd seen for almost a year now as they caught the same train every day to and from school. The one who she had heard called 'Sou'.

She turned away, embarrassed that a stranger had seen her like this and angry he was acting so nonchalantly. If he didn't really care then he shouldn't have said anything.

"You're right. You do look different now," the boy continued.

She looked back at him. "Different? How? We've never even met properly!" she retorted, flicking her head and lifting her chin stubbornly.

He sighed then and rolled his eyes, taking a step towards her. She wanted to draw away but instead chose to stand her ground. She wasn't going to be intimidated. He shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

"Didn't I tell you not to forget?"

She stared at him agape. Could it be…

She searched his face looking for something…anything. Perhaps the features were a little similar. He wasn't as tall as before but neither was she. No, she must be imagining it.

"You always were so stubborn; never wanting to face the reality in front of you. Will this convince you?"

He reached out, taking hold of her chin and leant in, brushing her lips with his. It was very unlike Sou's usual kisses which had usually been fierce and passionate, almost desperate. Only sometimes had they been gentle like this after they had been together for a time. As he drew back, she clapped both hands over her mouth, feeling her face flush, wondering if anyone else had seen.

He chuckled, sounding pleased. "This time I got your first kiss," he said. "I was always kind of jealous that I hadn't before." He then frowned at her. "That was your first kiss wasn't it?"

"Of course it was!" she exclaimed hotly then covered her mouth with her hands again, blushing harder.

"Good." He gave a sharp nod of satisfaction. "So that settles it."

"I…" she muttered behind her hands, thoughts still racing.

He raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Do you need me to prove it again?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

"No, no!" she said hurriedly, waving her hands. "You don't need to do that!"

They stood looking at each other in silence before Sou finally broke it.

"Do you believe me?" he asked, not moving.

She looked at him again. Could this be true? Sou had said it would have to have been a miracle if any of those she had left behind had survived which included him. So how could he be here now? Yet…

She couldn't ignore the way her body had responded to his kiss or the way her heart was racing even now just by being this close to him. No matter what her mind might be thinking, her heart knew for certain it was Sou.

She looked again, her eyes now not just seeing the young boy before her, dressed in a school uniform with glasses. Interposed over this person was another figure; tall, long black hair, chiseled features and piercing eyes. The other person was a mature looking young man, different from the fresh faced spectacled youth. Did Sou also see her past self when he looked at her? Did it matter?

She took a step forward, reaching out to touch his face lightly, almost afraid that he would vanish again before her eyes.

"Yes," she said feeling a sense of relief. A smile touched her lips. "Oh yes!", and she threw herself into his waiting arms, laughing and crying as he embraced her tightly.

"But how can you be here?" she asked, drawing back a little and searching his face.

The arm he still had around her shoulders as they leant back against the railing tightened. "I remember some more now," He gazed down at her. "About when you graduated."

He looked away, gazing into the distance. "When it all went to shit we knew it was all over for us. There wasn't anything we could do but we really wanted you to get out. So we stayed there and prayed like crazy that you'd make it. At some point we passed out. I don't know how long for, but when I came to I was lying on the floor, half buried. The others...well, I didn't know if they were still alive or not. I...remember thinking they didn't look it. I noticed that you were gone from the bed so I knew you had made it through. I was really glad about that."

He shifted a little. "I then tried to find a way out; not that I really believed I would but I couldn't just stay there and do nothing. I could hardly stand let alone walk and I hurt all over. There was so much dust I could barely see anything. Everything was just falling apart. I don't know how or why but suddenly I found myself in front of the graduation doors. They were standing ajar. Some rubble had fallen down and prevented them from closing. I knew that the only people allowed to go through were those who found the key but I had two choices; stay where I was and die without a doubt; or take my chances with what was on the other side. So that's what I did."

Sou looked down at her. "Deep inside I wished in my heart that I might be able to follow you but I didn't really believe I could. Yet here I am."

"So you didn't remember anything about me either," she said, leaning against his side. She could hear the steady thump of his heart under her ear, comforting her. It had been so long since she had had this feeling. It was familiar and yet new at the same time.

"Nope. I remember seeing you on the train but the only thing I had was this vague feeling that maybe I had met you somewhere before perhaps." He pressed his lips against the top of her head. "I'll never let you go again," he murmured against her hair. "Never." His voice was fiercely protective sending a shiver of pleasure through her.

She looked at him, meeting his eyes for they stood much of a same height. "Neither will I," she affirmed seeing the flash of fire in his eyes at her words. This promise between them was a pledge for all time. They had already proven they could transcend the normal boundaries of time and spirit. They weren't about to let anything else get in their way.

"I think you were right you know," Sou said. "About the school and all that stuff."

"You believe me now?"

"Guess so. I remembered what my mother had told me once. How I had been born really prematurely and almost died. They really had to work hard to keep me alive. I was really sick for the first couple of years because of that." He pushed his hair from his eyes. "I guess that's what it all meant back at the school. Why only the person with the key was supposed to graduate. If it wasn't your time, or you tried to force it you'd probably die because it wasn't your time to be born yet."

"But what about when you have the key and don't use it," Mashiro queried, thinking about how she had turned aside.

Sou shrugged. "Perhaps it's something like false labour pangs," he said. "As the teacher said, you have to be ready to go through the door first which probably means that if you don't it's because the conditions aren't right for you on the other side yet. Of course, that means that if you didn't go through you had to be prepared to stay in the school and keep trying, waiting till the next time."

"What about those that wouldn't stay in class? I remember…someone like that." Mashiro asked still unable to recall the name of the girl she was thinking of.

"Yeah, I do too." Sou was silent for a moment. "They gave up their chance of graduating for good so I guess that might cause something like a miscarriage."

They were both silent, thinking it through.

She snuggled into his side feeling sad. "I'm glad you made it," she said quietly.

"Me too."

The night wrapped around them, two young teens side by side on an overpass, workers hurrying on their way home passing them by without a single glance. The sounds of the evening traffic could be heard, street lights flickering into life.

"Do you think we'll always remember this?" she asked. "We'd already forgotten once. Is that going to happen again?"

"It might," Sou agreed. "It's not really something we should remember I don't think. We're hardly starting over again if we can remember our pasts."

"You're right," she smiled at him. "You don't exactly sound like a junior highschooler."

She saw Sou grimace a little, glancing down at his short stature. "Hey, I'll be in high school next year! Though it does feel rather weird at the moment. I suppose I'll get used to it."

"I'm sure you'll grow as tall as you used to be."

"I sure hope so. I don't want to be a shrimp all my life."

"Well, I'm short now too," she said.

"Yeah, but that's cute in a girl."

She blushed at the compliment then sighed. "But I don't want to forget again," she said a little desperately. "I don't care about remembering all the rest but I don't want to forget you!"

"We can still be together even if we do forget," Sou said holding her reassuringly. "We've already met in this time kind of. I mean we've seen each other on the train every day. We just need to foster that connection between these selves now whilst we do still remember who we used to be. So even if we do forget we've already got a bond to hold us together."

"You really think that will work?" she asked worriedly.

"If we really want it, it will work," was his answer, his firm voice holding no doubts.

She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. Sou was right. They could do this. They just had to integrate their current selves into each other's lives so it was completely natural for them to be together. And the sooner they began doing so the better. They had no idea when their memories might begin to fade. So how to begin? She could always invite Sou to…

She suddenly grew shy and dropped her eyes to look at her shoes. "Do …you want to come over to my house?" she asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"I'd like you to meet my parents," She glanced at him, flushing. "If they know about you then you can visit again. I mean we both catch the train at the same station so we must live close by. That means we could visit each other after school, or on weekends and holidays maybe. We can even sit together on the train if you want."

He smiled at her. "Yeah, we can. Okay." He pushed away from the rail and took her hand as they began to walk off. "Do you think your parents will like me?" he asked, self consciously tugging at his tie.

She held back a smile. Now he did look like his age instead of the Sou of before. "I'm sure they will," she reassured him. "You're not as intimidating as you were before. If they had met you then I'm sure they would have banned me from seeing you ever again."

"I wasn't that bad," he denied.

"Oh yes you were! Who was it who forced themselves on me? On more than one occasion!"

A slight flush coloured his cheeks. "Well, who was the one who demanded that I make her a real girl!" he shot back.

Now it was her turn to blush and fires ran through her entire body at the flood of memories. "Who was the one who was so clumsy that it hurt like crazy!" she flung back at him, trying to cover her embarrassment.

"I wasn't clumsy! You wouldn't let me show you properly what I could do to make it feel good!"

"Who was in such a hurry that he came so fast?"

Sou's face was bright red by now and he was breathing heavily. "That's because I had been holding back for so god damn long and then you got me all fired up by acting that way and begging for it! What was I supposed to do?!"

"Oh, so you're blaming your lack of control on me now? Some man you are!" She sniffed, stalking off in front of him.

"Hey that's not fair!" He caught up with her, reaching out to grasp her wrist and spinning her around, jerking her arm so she stumbled and fell against him. His other arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders keeping her close.

"So will you give me another chance to prove myself?" he asked quietly.

She grew hot at the thought. "I…"

He stroked her hair gently. "It's okay," he said softly. "We can wait." He kissed the top of her head then lifted her chin, placing a kiss on each eyelid, the tip of her nose, each cheek, then finally her lips. "We have our whole lives ahead of us."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him in a deep kiss, gazing into his eyes as she drew back. "May that life together be a long one," she said with a soft smile.

"That's a promise." He smiled back, taking her hand again and they began to walk off. "I really hope your parents do like me," he said again. "It'll be a bitch if I have to try and sneak in your window or something."

She giggled. "I'll leave it unlocked," she promised squeezing his hand finally feeling fully complete for the first time in her sixteen years. That gap in her life that she had always thought was due to her missing brother she now realized was actually due to the absence of Sou.

She looked at his profile as he strode confidently by her side and smiled. He really hadn't changed much after all. Perhaps some things do stay the same no matter how many times you might start over again.

She faced forward again, her stride lengthening to match Sou's. Well, that was okay. She could face what ever she needed to now that Sou was at her side. There was nothing in this world, or the next, that could tear them apart – of that she was certain.

~end~