"...hey."

"Hmm?"

"If there was one thing in the world that you could have, what would it be?"

It was a warm summer day in the middle of a Japanese February. Two children, one with teal hair and one with banana-blonde hair, sat swinging side-by-side on a green swingset. The teal haired girl, whose name was Miku, was eight years old at the time, while her friend, Len, was six. Len took a chubby hand off the swing chain to rub the back of his blond head thoughtfully.

"I'll have to think on that one, Miku-onee-chan."

Miku glanced over at him. "Why? Just say the first thing that comes to mind."

Len poked out his lip and furrowed his brows. "But I might want to change it later!"

"It's okay if you do, just speak what's on your mind and you can edit it some other time."

"Edit? What's that mean?"

Miku sighed and smiled at her companion. "It means to change something for the better."

Len looked up at the blue sky, which had a few wispy cirrus clouds drifting lazily across it. Glancing back at Miku, he made his desicion.

"I'll get back to you later, onee-chan. I can't thing of anything right now."

Miku sighed again, scraping her heels against the ground to stop herself. She got up, stretched, and offered a hand to Len, who was climbing down from his own swing.

"Fine; I guess I can wait for you. Come on, or Okaa-san will start to worry."

Smiling, Len took the hand, marveling in its warmth.

Already a wish was beginning to formulate in his mind.

~::*::~::*::~

A twelve-year-old girl excitedly led her ten-year-old companion through the colorful crowd of the Japanese New Year's festival. She donned a teal-and- white flowered kimono and a chibi side-head mask, while her blonde friend wore a festive orange-and-yellow kimono that matched his banana-themed side-head mask. The latter struggled to keep up with his companion and stumbled, nearly losing his balance.

The teal headed girl released his hand and turned around worriedly. "Are you okay, Len?"

Len bit his lip and readjusted his sandals. "Of course, Miku-chan. I just tripped, that's all."

Miku grasped his hand again, more hesitantly this time, and once again began to lead Len through the noisy throngs of multicolored people. "I'm sorry, Len; I'll slow down this time."

Len nodded nervously. "O-okay, onee-chan."

After weaving and ducking and dipping through the crowd, the pair reached a small secluded area under the shelter of a long-tressed willow tree. Sighing happily, Miku sat down, motioning for Len to join her. When he attempted to voice his confusion, she silenced him.

"Len, shhh, onegai! You'll miss the fireworks!"

Len quickly whipped his head foward just in time to catch the beginning of a fireworks display. He watched, awestruck, as a plethora of fireworks illuminated the sky, one after the other, scattering beams of red, white, green, pink, and many other colors across the night sky. Len turned to Miku yet again to voice his delight but was again shushed by her.

"Quickly, look! You'll miss the best part!"

And Len was wiped speechless as four sparkling words irradiated the sky.

Happy New Year, Len!

A leek and a banana appeared briefly on either side of the words before the entire display shattered into fading white sparks. Len turned to Miku yet again, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Why...? That must have been so expensive ..."

Miku grinned. "Darn right it was! That cost my entire allowance."

Len quickly blinked back the swiftly building pressure behind his eyes.

"But I though you were going to buy the Ultimate Leek Plushie from the mall-"

Miku placed a finger on his lips, smiling secretively.

"Yeah, but I figured you were more important, so I made a few, ah, edits ..."

Len threw his arms around her and sobbed.

~::*::~::*::~

"But it's not fair, Miku!"

"Life isn't fair, Len."

"Rin always goes to the mall; why can't I go to the arcade?"

"She always finishes her homework before you and never has missing assignments like you do."

"Yes she does! There was one back in second grade ..."

"Len! You are not going to the arcade with Piko and that is the end of it!"

Len clenched his fists, glaring angrily up at his sixteen-year-old best friend. He growled as he saw her level gaze staring right back at him.

"And who are you to say that? You aren't my mother!"

Miku's eyes glinted dangerously. "Len ..."

But Len was too angry to register the warning. "I already have one, thanks! Just because you don't doesn't mean you have to act like mine!"

"Len!"

Len regretted his words as soon as they left his lips. An expression of utmost pain and shock crossed Miku's face, followed by unfathomable betrayal. Her eyes darkened and sealed over. Len stuttered.

"M-M-Miku, I-I didn't m-mean that, y-you know I d-didn't-"

But she had already swept out the door.

"..." Tears pricked at the corner of Len's eyes. He'd just brought up his best friend's worst memory; what's worse, he shoved it in her face like a peice of rotting fruit. She didn't deserve this, but he'd forced it on her anyways.

A choked sob filled the room, and Len collapsed to his hands and knees, staring uncomprehensively at the floor. He tried to swallow the dry lump in his throat.

"Perhaps my attitude is what needs an edit ..."

Let the homework burn in a pit, Len thought as he dragged himself over to his bed. He had much more important things to think about.

Unfortunately, the next day, Meiko-sensei didn't seem to agree.

~::*::~::*::~

An excited twenty-year-old college sophmore chatted excitedly to her small, eighteen-year-old freshman best friend as they walked across the college campus.

"...And to think that Luka would have married Gakupo, of all people! But I suppose that's the way the chips have fallen."

The eighteen-year-old continued tweeting on her phone, only to look up when she noticed the absence of the endless flow of babbling. "Uh?"

Miku sighed exasperatedly. "Rin, you're supposed to be listening to me!"

Rin rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Eh, well, Neru just wouldn't shut up so I had to multitask and listen to you while tweeting her."

Miku scowled. "I still don't understand how you can be friends with that idiot."

Rin rolled her eyes. "It's not that hard if you ignore everything she says."

At that moment, a boy who looked identical to Rin popped up beside her. "Ignore everything who says?"

Rin scowled this time. "Len, why don't you stay out of our business and go play video games?"

Len grinned. "Because what you guys are way more interesting." He shot a fleeting glance at Miku, who was ignoring the whole conversation.

Ever since that one argument and a few following, Miku had drifted farther from Len and closer to Rin. Len tried desparately to regain his best friend, but Miku had already formed a strong friendship with Rin ...

But he'd be danged if he lost Miku to her.

"Well, I'm hungry. I'm off to the smoothie store! Oh, and I'll bring you guys something back."

And with that, Rin skipped off, leaving Miku and Len quite alone. Len cleared his throat nervously.

"So, um, how's ..."

But Miku didn't give him a chance to finish, turning and starting to walk away. Sudden anger filled Len.

Here he was, trying to be the prince for the girl of his dreams, and she was going to turn her back on him? Well, here was three words for her.

Not. A. Chance.

In an instant, he'd grabbed her and spun her back toward him. Miku squeaked indignantly.

"How dare you-!"

But Len's lips cut her off.

When he pulled away, she stood there, speechless. He just ... he just ...

"You just kissed me..?"

Len nodded, half-smiling. "That's right."

"B-but why?"

Len now took his hands in hers, his eyes never leaving the teal orbs in Miku's face. "Remember that day in grade school when you asked, 'If you could have anything in the world, what would it be'? Well, I said I'd get back to you, but I already knew what I wanted, Miku. You. I've always wanted you. I don't want you to love me like a little brother anymore, onee-chan. Because I don't love you like you're my sister. And I want something more."

Miku was silent, and Len felt a stab of fear. What if she rejected him? After all, he'd hurt her so many times in the...

His thoughts trailed off as he felt soft lips on his own.

"So do I."

Len pulled away yet again and grinned. "So, shall we incorporate a date into our schedule?"

Miku grinned with him. "Yes, let's edit."

An utterly surprised Rin came back with leek, orange, and banana smoothies to witness her best friend making out with her little brother.

"?!"

Her screech woke up everyone on campus.

~::*::~::*::~

Miku stood, twenty-four and tall, on the balcony next to her twenty-two-year-old husband, Len. She watched as his hair blew in a blond dissarray around his face, the wind throwing it in all directions.

"...hey."

He glanced over at her. "Hmm?"

"If there was one thing in the world that you could have, what would it be?"

Len smiled as nostalgia flooded through him. "I'll have to think on that one, Miku-koi."

Miku smiled. "Why? Just say the first thing that comes to mind."

Len placed his hand over hers and turned back to the sunset.

"I'd say I have everything I could ever want right here."

Miku scooted closer to him and laid her head onto his shoulder.

"And I'd say that I need no more edits."

Len kissed her forehead, brushing hair out of her face.

"Believe me you, I've had enough of them."

"Agreed."

As the sun sank below the horizon, Len whispered four words.

"Oyasuminasai, watashi no koi."

Goodnight, my love.

~::*::~::*::~

Starri: What a touching tale. I'm sure that many of you know that onegai means please in Japanese. I tried a new, softer style of writing, just for the fun of it. :P

What do you think? Tell me in your reviews!

I want to thank my wonderful reviewers for Barriers. Everytime I see a review or story alert, I have a small heart attack~ ;.;'

I hope Ventus-sempai likes this story! It's for her contest, after all!

Thank you for taking the time to read it, all of you!

(P.S.: Just so you know, this is my very first oneshot. Usually I add like a million chapters. I just needed a break from Barriers for a bit, but as soon as I publish this I'll finish the next chapter of Barriers! Please be patient!)