"Life's a bitch and then you die."

Whoever said this was a genius. Mikuo wished he could take credit for it Hell, he had said things like that before realizing someone quotable already had.

This quote seemed to fit Mikuo's life to the last useless second. While his life could've been a lot worse, it also could've been a lot better. This fact was what prompted Mikuo to make the final decision.

Mikuo Hatsune's last day on earth was spent at school. It was Spring, edging towards summer, and he felt no need to wear a jacket, though the winds on the roof were fierce. He liked the chills of the spring breezes across his skin, how those delicate wafts played with his mop of teal hair. It was all very relaxing. Which was nice. Dying would be better if he was as close to "at peace" as he could get.

He had been up the roof the entire day, from eight in the morning to one now. School would be let out in another hour and a half or so. By then, Mikuo would have the courage to jump off that roof.

He had spent hours thinking. Just thinking. There would be no note or will or any of that nonsense. No, Mikuo wasn't going to make his death any more dramatic than necessary. But he thought being able to reconcile with himself and his thoughts would be a nice way to spend his last day. And yes, it had taken hours. Mikuo had a lot of thoughts, contrary to popular opinion.

Lunch had ended not too long ago. He had chewed on the end of a leek for a while, not really looking for nourishment. Leek would be a good last thing to taste.

Wow, he was saying a lot of things would be good as his "last."

Mikuo expected someone to catch him. At lunch, many students ate on the roof. However, none came that day. Usually, teachers checked the roof to make sure no one was ditching class. But today seemed like his lucky day. Or unlucky. It all depends on your point of view.

However, just as Mikuo accepted the fact that he wouldn't need any of his concocted excuses, the door to the roof banged opened. Mikuo looked over from his lazy seat against the low wall. Just on the other side of that wall was a deadly drop, one Mikuo intended to greet with open arms.

In the doorway of the roof entrance stood a very serious-looking teenage girl. She wore the girls' uniform; a dark grey skirt and light blue blazer accompanied by a white undershirt and navy tie loosened around her collar. The girl was a bit scrappy, her blazer hanging unbuttoned and loose like her tie, one or two buttons of her undershirt undone. Her skirt was longer than most of the other girls', reaching just below her knees. Her white socks were falling around her ankles in a crumpled mass of cloth. But the most prominent things about her were the teal twintails hanging all the way to her shins. Her eyes were nearly as odd; a piercing green so very similar to his.

"You!" the girl exclaimed. Mikuo recognized her from a few of his classes, as well as some sports clubs. Which ones, though? Basketball? Volleyball? No, she seemed too short for those.

Mikuo blinked up at her as she moved from the doorway, walking over and leaning towards him, hands on her hips. Well, what hips she had.

"Mikuo Hastune!" she declared. "I have something to tell you!"

Mikuo waited in a mild state of confusion. This girl was really weird.

"I have a crush on you!" she announced forcefully and confidently, gesturing sharply at him with her forefinger.

Mikuo was startled but didn't let on that he was. Who was she? They didn't know each other at all; there was no friend-of-a-friend business involved since Mikuo didn't actually have friends.

"And?" he asked.

"Gah! You jerk! 'And' nothing!" the girl exclaimed. "I just skipped my English class, which is a horrible class, by the way, to come up here and tell you!"

"That seems pretty stupid," Mikuo stated.

"You're stupid!" she shot back. "I just heard from some dumb freshman that you've been up here all day. Since I clearly wasn't born yesterday, I'm pretty sure I know why. So I took my chance."

This was a surprise to Mikuo. People, or, more specifically, students, knew he was up here? And no one had come to drag him off to class?

Well. That was kind of depressing.

"So, why am I up here?" Mikuo asked.

The girl looked irritated. "You're catching fairies," she snapped sarcastically. Mikuo resisted a chuckle. "Dumbass, you're going to jump."

"Huh," Mikuo said. "You're not as stupid as I thought."

"What was that?"

This time, Mikuo did chuckle. Her reactions were amazing.

"Kidding," he reassured.

The girl muttered to herself quite audibly in response. "Idiotic jerk," she fumed, "you aren't funny."

Miku had never been very proud of her joke-telling abilities or his humor, anyway.

"Is this how you talk to every person who's about to kill themselves?" Mikuo asked pointedly.

"What, is this a common occurrence?" she replied standing up straight and crossing her arms, yet refusing to move that hard stare off him.

"You tell me," Mikuo said with a patronizing smile on his face. She turned a violently angry shade of red and glanced away, turning her nose upward in a vaguely snooty way she probably wasn't aware of.

"God, you're an ass," she stated.

"Thanks. That really makes me feel better," Mikuo replied sarcastically.

"That wasn't what I was trying to do in the first place," the girl snapped.

"Then why would you tell me you like me?" Mikuo asked leaning his chin into the palm of his hand. "Were you going to try to save me? Sorry, but love doesn't always save the day, princess."

She snorted, though her cheeks had taken on a pinkish hue. "As if. Do what you want," she replied. "Like I'll make a difference. But I was pretty sick of waiting around for your pathetic ass to notice me. Better late than never, right?" She allowed herself a small laugh. "Anyway, I guess I'll be seeing you in the afterlife."

With an interesting, eye-catching smirk, she started to turn around and away. Why Mikuo stopped her from leaving, he didn't know.

"Wait a second," he said, causing her to halt for a moment. "So you're completely okay with me dying?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't say 'okay' but I learned a long time ago that you can't control anyone without consequences."

Mikuo knew this all too well. Control was something many, especially his family, had forced on him in his youth. Perhaps this girl had a similar experience hidden in her past.

"If you want to die, go ahead," she continued with a challenging tone in her voice. "Personally, I think it's a coward's way out. I'd rather not suffer caring for a coward.

Such an interesting girl, really. Despite his death being so near, she didn't hold back at all. Such confidence was radiated from those green eyes; such natural courage. Wasn't she afraid at all? Sad? The idea of losing a crush would destroy a lot of girls her age, probably making them resort to begging and pleading if they had a similar opportunity. But not this girl. No, Mikuo could feel her self-confidence and strength from where he sat against the cold stone wall. It was so intense, her aura of pure existence, that Mikuo felt as though he could be swallowed up into it.

That made him curious.

"So I guess I'm proving I was never worth your thought," Mikuo decided.

"Quite the contrary," the girl offered him her first smile. "Thank you for living long enough for me to meet you."

"No problem," he replied. It wasn't many seconds after that she left, teal twintails swinging behind her as the door shut.

Mikuo felt himself smirk. Suddenly, the urge to end this silly dance around life had become so much less pronounced. Although a steady numbness he couldn't deny still beat in his chest, curiosity fueled a discontent mind. He certainly felt the need to know this girl. What was her secret? What made her special? Most of all, how had she sparked his interest? How had she made him care, if only for the shortest moment?

Such questions could not be left unanswered. So Mikuo sighed, stood, glanced over to the edge of the roof, and turned to the door.

Perhaps this decision would be the start of something great. And, if not, he could always go back to his original plan.

But this girl, her confidence, her overwhelming aura; the secrets to these things seemed so much more important than his death now.

Who knows, maybe she would eventually change his mind permanently.

Or maybe not.

There was no use getting ahead of yourself, was there?

/

Hello those of you who read to the end! What did you think? Any good? I'm not too proud of this one myself, but I'm posting it anyway. I hope someone has enjoyed this.

I have a brilliant idea if I were to continue this, though I have no plans to do so. It'll probably remain a one-shot.