Kaito x Miku – One More Kiss
By Ikuto-sama
It was a beautiful, hot summer day. The sky was a striking bright blue, not a cloud in sight. The sun reflected off of the sapphire-blue sea, making it sparkle, and heated the fine, white sand. A blue-haired boy and a teal-haired girl, both in their teens, stood in their swimsuits sharing a triple-scoop vanilla ice cream, huge smiles beaming across their faces. It was a perfect day…if only later it hadn't gone horribly wrong.
How are things up there, babe? Kaito thought wistfully as he gazed into the photo, the only piece of that fateful day he had left. God, I miss you… It's all my fault. If only I could apologize and hold you once more…
"Oi, Kaito-kun, your shift is over," Gumi said, tapping Kaito on the shoulder. "You can go home."
"Oh, okay. I'll head out then," Kaito nodded, quickly stuffing the photo into the left pocket of his bright red swim trunks. "Today was a slow day. Not many people came to swim on the beach. I guess because it's only 75 degrees…not warm enough for swimming…"
"But a slow day's better than a busy day, right?" Gumi laughed. "A lifeguard never wants a day that's too busy…"
"Of course," Kaito chuckled. "Hope it'll be an easy shift for you too. See you tomorrow, Gumi-chan."
"See ya, Kaito-kun," Gumi replied, smiling.
Kaito gave a slight wave, and began to walk away.
Why did I even stay a lifeguard when I failed my duty? Kaito thought morosely, gazing off into the distant horizon. I could have easily saved her. I was selfish. I put my own safety before hers…not only am I a failure as a lifeguard, but as a boyfriend.
"Ah, Kaito-kun, I forgot to tell you this!" Gumi called, running after Kaito. "Kaito-kun, wait!"
"G—Gumi-san!" Kaito exclaimed as Gumi rammed into him, trying to stop herself. "What's wrong?"
"Kaito-kun, I forgot to tell you this, but Miki-chan left a message for you," Gumi panted. "Meiko-chan came by earlier today during her shift. She wanted to see you. She said she'd be waiting for you out by Hikari Point after your shift finished today, so she's probably there now."
"I see. I wonder what Meiko-chan wants with me?" Kaito mused. "I guess I should go meet her, though…"
"You know it's been a year, right?" Gumi asked softly, gazing up to meet Kaito's eyes. "Since Miku-chan…"
"Oh," Kaito breathed, his heart sinking. "That's right…maybe Meiko-chan wants to visit her…" He tried to keep the tears from falling, but a few salty drops escaped.
"You tried your best, Kaito-kun," Gumi said, hugging Kaito. "It's okay. That day was just her time to go. A life guard tries their best, but you can't save everyone. Sometimes…they slip away. Don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"
"Thank you, Gumi-chan, but don't worry about me," Kaito said, turning around. "I'll be going then."
It didn't take long for Kaito to reach Hikari Point. It wasn't far from where Miku had drowned that day. The beach had been so busy, Kaito hadn't even noticed that Miku had gone outside of the public swimming area. Someone had shouted that a young girl with long, teal pigtails was drowning. Kaito sprang into action, but by the time he got there, it was too late.
"Kaito-kun, you came," a familiar voice chimed. "I thought you might not have received my message."
"Gumi-chan told me," Kaito replied, forcing a smile. "How are you doing, Meiko-chan?"
"I—I'm….fine…" Meiko sunk to her knees, immediately bursting into tears. "It's all my fault, Kaito-kun. I shouldn't have asked Miku-chan to go out of bounds with me when her swimming ability wasn't the same, and it was too deep for her and I couldn't save her—"
"Meiko-chan! Meiko-chan, it's okay," Kaito said, his voice quivering as he tried to fight bak his own tears, giving Meiko a squeeze. "If anything, it's my fault. I failed my duty as a lifeguard. Because of me….she's gone."
"Don't you ever blame yourself ever again, Kaito-kun," Meiko sobbed. "I hate it when you do that. You know everyone does. You tried your best. It's my—"
"And yet it's okay for you to blame yourself?" Kaito snapped, which only made Meiko cry harder. "Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh."
"Shit, I didn't even bring any flowers that we could throw over the cliff or something," Meiko sniffled. "Ever since she died, I've prayed to her every day, hoping my messages would reach her. Wondering if she was okay. God, I miss her so much…"
"I do too," Kaito sighed, helping Meiko back up onto her feet. "I miss her every day."
"What do you miss about her?" Meiko asked, leaning in closer.
"I miss the brightness of her smile. The smooth touch of her skin. The softness of her lips. And her voice…when she spoke, even angels envied her voice. And when she sang…it was with such a delicate beauty that I can't even explain," Kaito said, his voice cracking. "If anything, all I want is one more chance to touch her, one more kiss…"
Meiko paused, then said, "If you want to kiss her, why don't you pretend I'm her and kiss me?"
"Meiko-chan, you know I can't—" Before Kaito could even object to Meiko's offer, she crushed her lips into his.
"Mmm…" Kaito tried to pull away, but something was stopping him. He melted into Meiko's kiss, their lips moving in perfect synchronization, her soft lips molding into his. He pulled Meiko closer, clinging to her as if she would fly away if he let her go. He couldn't help but want more. He knew what he was doing was wrong, and hated to admit it, but the way Meiko kissed almost felt like…Miku.
"Meiko-chan…please…" Kaito breathed as Meiko finally pulled away, leaving a thin string of saliva between them.
"Who said I'm Meiko?"
Suddenly, Kaito could smell Miku's familiar sweet scent, and could feel her long, silky tear hair brush up against him.
"It can't be…" Kaito opened his eyes and gasped. "Miku?"
"You remembered, Kaito," Miku said, smiling.
Kaito was speechless. It just couldn't be. But there Miku stood, wearing the same swimsuit she had worn that day—the one Kaito had picked out for her, the one with the teal-and-white stripes—and her beauty….Kaito couldn't describe it. She was an angel.
"I'm not supposed to visit people like this, but I saw you were hurting," Miku said softly. "And I couldn't help but drop in. It was all thanks to Meiko. I said hello to her earlier, and she said I should surprise you."
"Miku…" Kaito breathed. "I…Miku, I'm sorry. I couldn't save you. I was selfish, and—"
"Don't you ever apologize or blame yourself again," Miku said, putting a finger to Kaito's lips. "It's not your fault. It never was. And I never blamed you. It was an accident, and it was my time to go. My 'exit point' in life, you know?"
"Miku…I missed you so much," Kaito whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I missed you so much…I just wanted one more time with you…"
"And here I am," Miku laughed, taking Kaito's head in her hands and gently planting a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you, Kaito. I always will."
"I love you too, Miku," Kaito said.
"And because I love you…I want you to live for a long time, Kaito. To finish school, get a good job, raise a family, and become happy and successful in life. Things I was never able to do," Miku said softly. "Meiko loves you, Kaito."
"You want me to…with Meiko?" Kaito gasped, flustered.
"You don't have to think that far ahead, but I can see you two being happy together in the future," Miku giggled, ruffling Kaito's hair. "I won't be jealous, because that makes me happy too. Because you're both my 'bestest' friends in the world, and I want you to be happy."
"Miku…"
"It's been a year, hasn't it? Since that day," Miku said.
"Yeah, it has," Kaito replied. "It was a hard year…"
"While I was up there, all I wanted was one more kiss," Miku sighed. "And now I have to go again…."
Kaito leaned in and kissed Miku once more—a kiss fueled by both of their sad and happy memories; a kiss fueled by the moment; a kiss…of love.
"I love you, Miku," Kaito said, giving Miku a tight squeeze.
"You made my life happy, Kaito," Miku said, smiling. "And I don't regret dying early just for the moments I got to spend with you. I love you…and thank you."
"Miku…"
Just like Miku had suddenly appeared, she faded away. In her place was two flowers—one blue, one teal. Kaito picked them up and carefully tossed them over the cliff.
"Miku…thank you," Kaito said, wiping away the last of his tears. "I will try my best to live out my life for you too."
Kaito looked over the cliff and into the sunset. He didn't regret anything…because one more kiss was all he needed.
~KAITO X MIKU – ONE MORE KISS – END~
© 2011 Ikuto-sama