"Take care of Aki."
The words he had spoken that night rung so vividly in her mind as she looked out over the rooftop of Gekkoukan high. A cool breeze reassured her that everything would be alright. She clung to the metal rings lining the fence, thinking about the decision she had made the day before in this very same spot.
"Will you be my girl?" Akihiko had asked, beaming with a noticable affection.
She wanted to blurt out, "yes!" As soon as he had popped the question, but something tugged at her heartstrings...
Shinji...
He may be unconscious, laying in a hospital bed, but she couldn't deny what she felt for him, even now. When his best friend was declaring his love for her.
Nor could she deny the fact that they had gotten extremely close the night before he was shot. She could never forget that night the two of them spent together. Or any night she had spent with him for that matter. He meant a great deal to her.
But she had to admit; she had deep, unaddressed feelings for Akihiko as well.
She couldn't ignore that either.
After a brief moment of internal contemplation, she had accepted Aki's offer. And she honestly had felt no regrets as he took her in a strong embrace. She had fallen in love with both of them.
And she knew that Shinjiro wouldn't blame her for getting closer to Aki. It was what he would have wanted.
Once again, she glanced out over the wonderful view, this time leaning back and looking up at the bright, blue sky that seemed endless.
"Shinji..." she whispered solemnly to the clouds overhead.
If he woke up, what would she say to him?
She sighed.
That was a big "if."
She slowly let go of the fence and pulled out the leather watch he had given her. Not wanting any extra attention drawn to it, she hadn't worn it.
She slowly placed it around her left wrist, careful not to fasten it too tightly.
"See?" She smiled at the precious item. "I haven't forgotten."
She held the watch close to her chest as if to embrace the memory that had been woven around it and then made her way back to the dorm.