"Ahh, Kurokocchi seems to be doing just fine~" Kise said, hands ghosting—get it—over things in his room. Things had greatly changed in just a year, hadn't they? Tetsu himself had grown. He looked more mature. It was…nice to see him. He looked really healthy. Pfft—healthy. "I sound like an old man." The blond laughed, cafe colored eyes just taking everything in. "Kurokocchi's older than me now, and it shows."

The blond took a seat on Tetsuya's bed, a soft sigh escaping him. "I'm not so much an idiot as to realise that I'm probably pretty full of regret right now, huh." His eyes were locked onto a picture of his best friend and…well, his best friend. "I thought being dead would make this easier, but I'm not dead. I'm still here. I'm just..invisible." He leaned forward, elbows connecting with knees, and his face burying itself into the palms of his hands. 'I have no problems now, just myself,' he thought. In all honesty, he didn't know which was worse. If he had to choose all over again, he definitely would've stayed.

Getting up, the blond's eyes immediately trained on a single medal, hanging. There was a picture tacked right next to it.

"No…are you serious?" Kise could feel…an incredible joy bubble up in him. "Never doubt Kurokocchi when he's serious, huh?" The blond smiled and looked the picture over.

"You guys defeated the Kings." He sucked in a quick breath—it came out as a slight whistle. "I feel sorry for anyone who had to go up against that." He laughed.

But then, he felt guilty. This was what happened when one had all the time in the world. You had time to think, sit, regret. Regret it every second. How many times his mind had played out the same scenario, over and over, how many times was it?

"I knew you guys could do it—"

"I've returned," the voice came out softly. It was deeper too.

"Kurokocchi—" Kise covered his mouth. "Damn—I have to hide somewhere—Where though?" Curse Tetsu for having such a spartan lifestyle when it came to his room—his body became immediately paralysed the moment the blunet entered the room. He came in, set his bag down, his phone went on the nightstand.

And another cellphone.

"My cellphone…but I left that…"

'…wow, he actually kept that? Ah, my heart could melt,' Kise smiled to himself.

"Hm?" Tetsu looked at Kise. Looking at Kise? What?

But he really wasn't, was he?

Tetsu only walked past him and readjusted that medal, and in that moment, he thought he had heard "idiot." That was all, really, before the other left the room for whatever reason.

"I wonder if this is how Kurokocchi feels sometimes," the blond chuckled to himself as he walked over to the phones. The thought of 'fuck ghost logic,' floated in his mind as he slid open his phone and looked up Tetsu's address.

—

"Coming," Tetsu said—despite the fact that no one else was at the house. He rushed—and stopped himself in the doorway. "Kise…what…" The whispers left him as he crossed the space between himself and the phones. It had been Tetsu's that rang. He absentmindedly slid Kise's closed as he lifted his own.

The phone was flipped open and the message was there.

【From: 黄瀬 涼太 Congratulations! I'm so jealous. (个_个) How have you been?】

A gasp left his lips.

This was something cruel, wasn't it? There was no way that Kise…Kise…

Yet he found himself replying?

【To: 黄瀬 涼太 I just keep moving. One step at a time.】

The message sent, and Tetsu saw it arrive at the phone on the nightstand. He walked away from it then.

Kise's fingers touched the screen, a soft smile on his face.

—

Tetsu saw no sign of Kise. He didn't even know why he had been peeking into his own room like that. He had merely blinked and heard his phone ring again.

【From: 黄瀬 涼太 Good.】