The bullet flew through the air, as if in slow-motion, straight towards him. But Shintaro didn't seem to have the strength to move away. Someone jumped up in front of him obscuring his faint view of the piece of metal, and as his blurry vision focused he realised who it was. Konoha. Konoha, the sweet and innocent boy for whom he gave up his dignity to look for two random kids on the street. Konoha, the sweet and innocent boy for whom he gave up his pride and fell in love with. It seemed so wrong to let someone that perfect die like this. When it was up to Shintaro, not him, to take the bullet. It was like it was his own blood that splattered over the floor in front of his knees. His cries of agony that pierced the silence of the room. His body that crumpled to the floor in pain. His impending death. It was only once Kenjirou decided he'd had enough and sat back to watch Konoha die that Shintaro did anything. He crawled clumsily over to his friend's shaking body, curled up in a fetal position on the floor, one hand clutching at his side. The rest of the Dan copied him. Konoha hadn't been with them for that long, but he completed the group. He brought humour to the Mekakushi Dan. Even as he raised his head ever so slightly to look Shintaro in the eyes.

"I'm… r-really hungry, he stated, can I have some… ramen, please?" as the first tear ran down the brunette's cheek, he smiled fondly.

"Of course you can. We'll get you healed up… then you can eat-" he was interrupted by a choked sob that escaped his lips. Not bothering to dry his tears, Shintaro reached shakily to hold Konoha's blood-stained hand. The albino smiled. It was strained, but still a smile.

"I w-won't die." he stated uselessly. The brunette nodded, but couldn't hold back all of his tears any longer. He heard Marry on the other side of the room sobbing gently, and looked up at the rest of the group. Seto was hugging Marry comfortingly, holding her away from the sight of their friend. Kido was crying into the sleeves of her hoodie, yet trying desperately to not show it. Typical. Kano was just watching in disbelief. Ene was in his phone, and probably crying too if she knew what was going on. Momo and Hibiya were kneeling on either side of him, the young boy clenching his teeth and scrubbing away his tears, the idol hugging Shintaro's sleeve and crying into it.

"H-hey. You'll get snot on my jacket. Don't do that." he tried to sound harsh, but with the sobs ripping themselves from his throat it really didn't work. He felt a pull on his hand and immediately spun his head around to look at the boy holding it.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing. I just wanted… to know that you were still a-alive." Konoha murmured, and Shintaro smiled again.

"Silly. You're the one who's-" but he just couldn't say it. You're the one who's dying. He gently pulled Konoha up so his head rested on his shoulder and stroked his hand through silky white hair, for what would probably be the last time. And the first. He was surprised when the other boy leaned into his hand, and continued with the small gesture. One of his hands travelled downwards to find a heartbeat, and much to his delight, he found one. Shintaro decided to keep his hand right there, over Konoha's heart. His barely-beating heart.

"Hnn… i-it hurts." the albino muttered gesturing with his head to his bullet wound. Shintaro's eyes widened as blood spilled out of his mouth, further staining his white shirt.

"Y-yeah. It does, Shintaro muttered, you can go now, if you want." it was so hard for him to pronounce those words, it felt as if his vocal chords were being squeezed. Konoha weakly shook his head, earning himself a smile from Shintaro through his breathless sobs. In a comforting gesture, the brunette wiped the blood from Konoha's chin. The heartbeat under his hand faded suddenly.

"No! he shouted, Konoha!" the albino's eyes widened at the pulling, faint feeling that enveloped him. But he fought it away and craned around painfully to look Shintaro in the eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks at the sight of his dark-haired friend. He was really going to miss Shintaro.

"I will never go. Because I-ugh! I… love you, Shin… " his voice trailed off at the end and his soft pink eyes began to fade. Shintaro's widened in surprise.

"No, you'll never go. You're right. Because I love you, Konoha." he replied softly, and leaned down very slowly. HIs lips touched Konoha's cold ones, yet somehow he knew that the other was still living. Then the heartbeat disappeared. The boy lying in Shintaro's arms let out one last long, calm breath before going completely limp, a peaceful expression adorning his features. Shintaro completely froze. Everything seemed so unreal. This can't be happening. Slow clapping filled the almost-silence. But the brunette didn't pay any attention to Kenjirou sitting at his desk. It was just Konoha. It was just Konoha. He could barely hear Momo and Hibiya's desperate sobs in his ears. Konoha just died. His cries turned from sad and regretful to angry. It was his fault. The bullet would have hit him if Konoha hadn't moved in the way. The bullet should have hit him. He hugged the boy in his arms even tighter, his entire being shaking uncontrollably. Konoha is gone.

He was surrounded by white. White floor, white walls. Although he wasn't sure whether there were any walls or floor. A voice rang out around him.

"You have made two wishes. Strange, normally victims are only granted one, it chuckled, guess they must have had a soft spot for you." it had a somewhat kind ring to it, but it still made him uncomfortable.

"Yeah. That's right. My first one was… to be with my friends." he replied uneasily.

"And your second one was… "

Taimu skippu! Six months later…

Shintaro glumly closed the door behind himself and stepped out onto the street. Everything had been so boring and dull without Konoha, but out of all of the Dan he was the one missing the albino the most. He was taking one of his reluctant weekly trips into the outside world to run errands for the group. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he began the soul-suckingly boring walk to the supermarket. They would really have to buy a car one day. As in, one day very soon. Suddenly, he collided with something and was sent tumbling onto the concrete path. A sharp pain shot up his back and Shintaro cursed under his breath.

"I'm sorry." he muttered and stood up, brushing dirt of the back of his jacket. He looked up at the person he walked into and gasped sharply. That white hair, those eyes, that smile…

"A-ah. Excuse me, he apologised again, you… um… just remind me of someone I knew." much to his great embarrassment, a small tear slipped down his cheek at the memory of Konoha. Before he could wipe it away, however, a pale hand was placed there and fluttered over his skin, drying the tear. Ha stumbled back slightly and stared. He had just walked into a random stranger who started touching him like they knew each other for years. Then he saw the look in the stranger's eyes. The exact one in the eyes of the boy he ran into on a street corner asking him to look for kids with him. The exact look in Konoha's eyes. Something snapped into place inside Shintaro's mind the second the person in front of him whispered, "Shintaro-kun." and smiled. They had known each other for years. Well, maybe one. Without any second thoughts at this point, Shintaro threw himself into Konoha's arms. The other boy was knocked back onto the pavement and they fell together, wrapped in each other's embrace.

"I… Missed you." Konoha stated bluntly, but the brunette could see the tears that slipped down his cheeks. A few people strolling down the street gave the two boys strange looks, some smiled fondly. As if witnessing two people reuniting in the middle of the path was something they did everyday. Shintaro stood up shakily and wiped the tears from his eyes, Konoha following.

"Ah. You've grown, Shintaro-kun." the brunette looked at him, surprised. But he was right. They now looked eye-to-eye. Konoha pouted slightly.

"You were so much cuter shorter than me. I don't love you any more now that you've grown." Shintaro laughed, then stopped all of a sudden. He had almost forgotten their last verbal exchange.
"Love? Wha- oh yes… " things seemed mildly awkward between them for the few minutes that followed, before Shintaro grabbed Konoha's hand and dragged him back to his house. As they walked towards the stairs, the brunette's mum called out to them.

"Oh! Shin, you've got a friend over? I didn't know you had friends." Shintaro scowled at her bluntness. Of course, she didn't know about him being with the Mekakushi Dan. She didn't even know he left the house.

"Yes mum, I do have friends." he replied and stormed past her still dragging Konoha behind him, who bowed politely and continued to stumble up the stairs.

Upon arriving in his room, the brunette collapsed onto his bed and Konoha onto the floor.

"Wha! Konoha don't lie down there, it's the floor!" he exclaimed, but thought it would be obvious anyway. The albino stood up awkwardly and looked Shintaro in the eyes.
"Uh… where do I lie then?" the brunette smiled fondly, and patted the space next to him on the bed.

"Here." Konoha walked over and sat down, grinning at the bounciness of the mattress. Shintaro turned to face opposite him, and started to bring up a subject he had wished to since they first ran into each other on the street.

"Hey Konoha? Do you… uh… remember before, when we…" he strayed off and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"... Kissed?" Konoha completed for him, and Shintaro nodded.

"How did you guess? But yeah, that. Did you… like it?" he blushed. Konoha nodded enthusiastically.

"Mm hmm! It was really nice. But… uh… it was… very… gentle?" Shintaro's blush intensified and he hung his head.

"You have no shame, Konoha… " he muttered. They didn't talk much following that conversation. But then Konoha thought back on what Shintaro told him. No shame, huh? Well then, I'll continue to have none. He grabbed Shintaro by the collar of his jacket and spun him around so they faced each other.

"Can I kiss you, Shin?" he asked, before gently pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss. Shintaro's eyes widened in surprise, but soon closed blissfully. He pulled away for breath and pouted.
"I didn't give you permission." he stated bluntly.

"Doesn't matter."

"Yeah it does."

"No it doesn't."

"Well, yeah it does! Duh!"

"You still haven't given me ramen." Shintaro's breath caught in his throat. Memories rushed back to him again.

"What, you mean you've gone six months without eating ramen?!" Konoha nodded quickly.

"I wanted you to be the one to feed it to me." the brunette jumped back in shock.

"There is no way I'm feeding you Konoha!" THe albino put on a fake expression of sadness and turned away.

"Okay… not if you don't… want to." the last words were said in a whisper, so Shintaro had to strain his ears to hear them.

"Gyah! No don't cry, I'll feed you ramen!" he jumped forwards and wrapped Konoha in a tight hug, earning himself an earnest smile from the other boy.

"Thank you Shintaro. I… love you"

"I love you too."

… to be loved."