Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story that sounds/looks/tastes/feels/smells/screams familiar.

Prologue

The bright and vivid colors of Japan were a nice change, for Haruhi Fujioka, to look at after being surrounded by a sea of continuous whites, lights, and brights her whole life. But she wasn't sight-seeing over the edge of a cloud for her own amusement. No matter how interesting life was down below curiosity wasn't what had Haruhi scooting closer to the edge of the cloud as she watched a couple embrace each other in the middle of a packed park – openly showing affection for each other. It was determination that had her snapping mental images of the two and silently taking notes of their every movement without the need of a paper, pen, or pencil nearby. Her chocolate brown eyes watched intently as the male caressed the female's cheek and the way the female stared so deep into the male's eyes that Haruhi would've been willing to bet her high position and title as the top student in the Angels' Academy that the female saw and felt more of the male's soul than she could. Haruhi could tell and sense that the two loved each other unconditionally even though she was as far away from them as the clouds, the sky, the Heavens.

But what kind of love was it?

That, she didn't know.

Haruhi gave out a frustrated sigh as they just stood there and continued to just stare at each other. Haruhi had an amazing grasp on what everyday life was like for a normal person and how it work (thanks to the amount of studying she's done) and if she was ever given the opportunity to prove it she'd probably fit into normal society pretty well. In fact, Haruhi felt more in tuned with the regular people down below, whom she's never or come in contact with once (just silent studying in the backgrounds on Haruhi's part.), than the angels and celestial beings that surrounded her every day. But it was only because of hardcore studying that she knew so much about them. If she was going to graduate from the academy and earn her wings then she needed to know everything about the everyday human. She already had animal life, plant life bacteria, evolution, math, magic, history, and everything and anything that came with the package of need to know information that came with being and angel. She even had most of everything that she needed to know about humans absorbed into her brain that will be forever kept into her memory but…

For the love of all things holy, she couldn't fully understand this "love" thing that humans had and shared so often!

No amount of studying or researching helped her grasp this annoyingly complicated concept. She'd watched as people fall in and out of relationships that they thought was love, as inseparable friends suddenly drifted apart as they got older, as humans weren't there for their family as Haruhi had assumed they should be, and as strangers had meaningless sex (to which Haruhi quickly and embarrassingly diverted her eyes and attention).

But why?

She'd seen one sided, reciprocated, childhood, first, familial, friendly, lustful, shallow, fantasized, undying, unconditional, and true love.

And she still didn't understand it. She could barely even tell those loves apart. The only reason why she knew what type of loves she's witnessed was because they were outright declared.

"You're the bestest friend I've ever had."

"He's the one I've always dreamt of!"

"She's my soul mate."

"I couldn't ask for a better brother."

"You're the sexiest chick I've ever meant."

"I want to grow old with you and have lots of kids!"

"I do."

And Haruhi was 100% sure that she's even misinterpreted some of those judging by the disapproving and sympathetic look her best friend, Renge Houshakuji, to most of Haruhi's theories when she's presented one to her.

"But they've got be in a romantic relationship," Haruhi has insisted to Renge one morning as they both watched as a couple made their way to school. "Look at how tightly they're holding each other's hands!" She just had to be right about this one. She didn't want to put off her exams any longer but she didn't want to jump into them without being absolutely certain that she was going to ace them. "They even said that they loved each other!"

Renge shook her head in disagreement, her long locks shaking with it, without hesitation. "They just don't want to lose each other, silly."

Wasn't that the same thing?

But friendship meant that too…

And being a family.

"They've both lost important people in their lives and they just don't want to lose any one else. They both love and care for each other deeply but only as friends."

Haruhi blinked blankly. She thought that saying stuff like I love you was going to cause a lot of unnecessary and unwanted trouble and confusion for the two in the future but she listened to what Renge said intently and wholeheartedly. Who better to learn about love from than a Cupid?

But everything Renge told her gave her a headache of confusion nonetheless.

So… I love you meant friendship?

Haruhi jumped a little when she felt Renge's hands land on her shoulders and excitedly began to pull her over to a different edge and pointed down to a male and female lounging at a café.

Renge stared at them with slight awe as she breathed, "See those two?"

Haruhi gave a slight nod.

"Watch."

Haruhi watched as the two sat there and talked – the woman doing most of the talking-, eat and each read their own separate newspaper.

"Did you see?" Renge suddenly asked her. "Did you sense it?"

"Just that they're really comfortable in each other's company."

Renge groaned. "And what else?" she urged.

"They're really close friends," Haruhi ended.

"No!" Renge practically shouted. "I mean yes! But that's not what I wanted you to see!"

"What else is there to see, Renge-chan?" Haruhi asked, using the Japanese honorifics that she had managed to pick up on during her studies.

"He," she says pointing at the male, "as romantic feelings for her!" she does the same for the female.

"Really?"

"YES! But she doesn't know it," she says hotly and then dramatically adds, "One-sided love is so tragic!"

Haruhi shakes her head softly. "But they seem too much like siblings for either of them to have more than a friendly love for each other…"

"Didn't you see the vital signs!" Renge clasps her hands together. "The way he looked at her and only her as she spoke-"

"Aren't you supposed to do that in a conversation?"

"The way he kept glancing at her as they read, making sure that she didn't notice-"

"She did have frosting on her cheek."

Renge stops her tirade and narrows her eyes at Haruhi. "You're completely missing the point."

"Sorry, but I was just being logical."

Renge sighed. "I bet you even missed the way he blushed as red as a newborn baby's bottom whenever she spoke to him or vice versa."

She did. "Maybe he was hot."

The Cupid ignored her as she looked back down below sadly. "But please don't tell me that you missed that."

Haruhi leaned over and followed her gaze, this time looking for anything she normally might've missed. Everything looked exactly the same as before.

"You're hopeless," Renge muttered as she stuck her hand out and bent her wrist slightly. "Let's shed some light onto this, shall we?"

The amount of sunlight coming down on the café's area suddenly increased and became brighter. Haruhi's vision then focused on a gleam flashing from the female's hand and gasped when she saw what it was.

It was the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen and certainly the biggest diamond she'd ever seen on a human's finger. The ring encircled around the female's left ring finger securely, almost possessively, and silently mocked the male who kept stealing pain filled glances at it.

"Oh," Haruhi breathed. Poor guy… The flashy ring must've been blinding him to death!

And as if reading her mind, Renge frowned at her and stood. 'She'll never understand… Maybe if she experienced some type of love for herself… Maybe not even then.' Renge brushed off the problem for now and held out a hand to help her friend up who looked at her innocently. "You're so dense, Haruhi…" she said affectionately.

Haruhi frowned and opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by Renge suddenly skipping and hopping from cloud to cloud with stars in her eyes. "Now let's discuss a love that I'm positive that you didn't learn about!"

Huh?

"The Forbidden Love!"

Haruhi quickly ended her the memory and went back the situation at hand. The couple below her couldn't have been dating. They were just looking at each other.

Feeling each other…

Maybe they were dating.

"Argh!" She didn't know.

But she was determined to find out. She was determined to get her wings.

Haruhi slowly leaned down further from the cloud than she normally would have to see if there was something she wasn't seeing. She even tried to listen for anything which was something that angels wouldn't normal. Human affairs were sort of a trivial thing to them.

"I'm in love…"

Haruhi's ears perked up. Love?

No.

In love?

Was there a difference?

Her face scrunched up and she slid even further to the edge so that she would be able to hear them more clearly. It wasn't like she could fall off…

Haruhi instantly took that thought back when didn't feel a thing beneath her. Not that you could feel clouds much to begin with anyway.

Haruhi was now falling towards a light and she was positive it wasn't towards Heaven.

Author's Note: Constructive criticism greatly appreciated!