A/N: Hey sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but I hope it's worth it! It's a lit longer than I was originally planning but oh well! So please read and enjoy the first chapter! :)

Chapter 1 It's so Hard to Say Goodbye

"Where is she?" I asked as my foot tapped impatiently on the cool concrete. "She was suppose to be here ten minutes ago!"

"It'll be alright Miss Shina," Nana said as she stood beside me outside of the airport. Above us a plane started to ascend, filling the air with loud noise. "She wouldn't miss seeing you off."

As if on cue a familiar beetle green car came up from the parking lot. It stopped long enough to let out a small spiky haired girl, before it screeched off again. She looked up at me and grinned. "Sorry I'm late!"

"I see took your time Liz," I smiled back at my friend. "Now come on!"

The week had gone by faster than I had wanted it to and now I was at the airport waiting for my plane to arrive. I had already passed through the scanners, having little difficulty with security, though it took forever since there were other insane people getting on a flight after dusk. But after waiting a few hours I was finally at my terminal where my maid and my best friend waited with me.

The airport was a fairly large one with glass windows lining the walls just below the ceiling. The sun had set for the day so the only light came from the florescent lights that were scattered across the ceiling. Most of the shops were open, though some of them were beginning to close since the flow of people was decreasing. Despite the number of people that were here the airport was relatively quiet except for the occasional cry of a baby.

"I need coffee," I decided, feeling completely exhausted from the lack of sleep all week.

"Come on we'll go get some!" my friend, Elizabeth, said as she pulled my arm toward the small café nearby.

"Alright," I agreed as I placed my bag next to my maid. "Do you want anything Nan?"

"A small coffee with a couple creams please," she answered. "But are you sure you don't want me to get them Miss Shina?"

"Nah, it's cool!" I grinned. "We can get it, just stay here and relax while you watch our stuff ok?"

"Yes Miss," She said. "If that's what you want."

"Now come!" Elizabeth urged, dragging me away with little difficulty for someone that was at least a foot shorter and a couple pounds lighter than me.

"Ok, ok I'm coming!" I laughed as I pulled my arm free and matched her pace, which to be frank was too fast for someone to walk at this time of night, but we really wanted that coffee.

The café was small and roomy. Lights hung from the ceiling giving off a dim glow. There were clusters of couches and coffee tables, giving room for passengers to relax and chat. On the outskirts of the cafe were high tables with bar chairs surrounding them. And there were three cash-registers, each with a long line of people behind them. 'Great.'

We stood for a good half hour before it was finally our turn to order. Walking up to the cashier I noticed how bored this guy was. I mean really he looked like the poster child for boredom. And if you could die from boredom he would have long since been dead.

"Hi, can I help you?" he asked in a flat tone.

"Yes uh…" Elizabeth squinted to read his name tag. "…uh Chad, I would like a medium latté and a blueberry bagel with cream cheese!"

"Would you like that toasted?" He asked as he rolled his eyes.

"No thank you!" She chimed, giving the boy her famous smile, but he seemed unaffected.

After a few taps on the register he looked at me. "And for you?"

"I would like a large coffee, as black as you can make it, a small regular coffee with two creams, and two blueberry muffins." I told him with the same enthusiasm he had shown us. He punched a few more keys and asked for the money. Digging in my purse I found my wallet and gave him exact change.

"Thanks," He said as he handed me a ticket with a number in black ink printed on it, "Your order will be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay!" My friend dragged me to a table on the edge of the dimly lit café where large clear windows acted as walls. "You know if he could smile a little more I think he'd be really cute!"

"You think any guy with blue eyes is cute," I rolled my eyes as we sat on the high bar seats.

"No! I like any guy with blue eyes and has that skater/surfer look." She corrected and we both laughed. Then it got quiet and for an instant a hint of sadness danced in her green eyes, but then it was gone. Smiling she asked: "So are you excited?"

"Not exactly," I replied as I studied her face. It dropped a little before it returned to a smile.

'Something's wrong', I thought but said nothing.

We chatted as we waited for our number to be called. Mellow music played from the speakers attached to the tan walls around us and the smell of cinnamon hung in the air like cigarette smoke.

"Order number 53?" Chad's dull voice called out and I looked at the little paper in my hands.

"That's us," I told her and we got up. Leaving our table we grabbed our food and headed back to where Nan was sitting with our stuff. When we got there she was reading some fashion magazine.

"We're back!" Elizabeth said in a sing song voice, startling Nan.

"Was the wait long?" Nan asked when she recovered.

"It was ok, though the cashier could have been a bit friendlier," I said as we sat in our seats. Then I handed Nan her coffee and a blueberry muffin.

"What's this?" She asked sounding a bit surprised.

"A muffin coated in sugar, I thought you might want something to eat before the long plane ride," I shrugged as I ripped open a few packets of sugar and dumped them into the dark liquid.

"Thank you," She smiled and took a bite of the moist bread. For a moment everything was a peaceful kind of quiet as we ate our food. The sugar mixed with the coffee was pure heaven to my taste buds and I savored the feeling for as long as I could. Already I could feel the caffeine waking up my sleep deprived brain. Finally every crumb was gone; all that was left was the wrapper and half of my coffee. Sighing in disappointment I took another swig of coffee before adding another packet of sugar.

"I don't understand how you can stand that crap!" Elizabeth exclaimed loudly as she finished the last few bites of her bagel. "It's loaded with enough sugar that your teeth are just begging for cavities!"

"It's the only way I can stay awake right now," I explained simply. "And anyways I've gotten use to the sweet taste."

"I think you're just crazy!" She decided, crumbling up the wrapper her bagel came in and stuffed it into her empty coffee cup.

I laughed, "Well I've accepted that I was crazy a long time ago, but you're insane for being best friends with a crazy person!"

She laughed, but it was a sad laugh and her face fell: "Yeah..."

Finally I couldn't take it anymore, something was wrong. Even though I had a feeling about what was making her upset I still asked. Looking her straight in the eyes I made it hard for her to look away. "Sparky, what's wrong?"

"O-oh nothing's wrong!" She stuttered as she tried to avoid my gaze. "Why would you say that?"

"Because I know you well enough to tell when something is wrong," I pressed, grabbing her shoulders. "Now look at me and tell me what is wrong!"

Just then the airplane came and docked at our gate. Soon its passengers poured out of the exit and scrambled into the airport, most looking around for the way to baggage claim while others were greeted by friends and family. Elizabeth looked at the plane and her green eyes were brimming with tears as she watched the flight attendants and pilots getting off the plane. After a moment she mumbled, "I-I just don't want you to leave."

"Sparky," My tone softened as I spoke. "You know I have to take care of my grandfather."

"I know," She said, her voice breaking. "But I'm afraid that you'll forget about me."

"Are you stupid?" I asked and she turned her head towards me, showing me the tears that were beginning to well up in the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall. "You know that I will never forget you, I've told you at least a thousand times that we'll stay in touch!"

"But that's what they all say!" She protested. Sighing I pulled her into a hug and she wrapped her arms around me, burying her face into my shoulder. Her spiky sun bleached hair tickled my nose, but I ignored the feeling.

"Sparky you know better than anyone that I don't let people down, and that I never go back on my word," I tried to reassure her. "I will never forget you, and I'll try my hardest to talk to you everyday if I have too!"

She never answered me, just silently cried into my shoulder, soaking the fabric of my shirt, but I didn't mind. Like Nan always said, sometimes a girl just needs a good cry. So I continued. "Sparky you are my best friend; you're like a sister to me! It'll tear me apart if I ever lost the relationship between us! So please don't cry,"

"Y-you pr-promise?" She stuttered after a while, lifting up her head to reveal a tear stained face.

"I promise!" I smiled and held out my pinky finger; even though it was a silly, childish gesture I knew that it would make her feel better. Grinning slightly she locked her pinky with mine and wiped the remaining tears away with the end of her sleeve. I knew for sure that it'd tear me apart, and I never want to feel that kind of pain again…

"We'll be boarding the plane shortly so will all first class passengers please start lining up and getting your passports and tickets out. Thank you," A female voice politely announced by the gate.

"Miss Shina?" Nan, who had been silently watching, came up behind us.

"Yeah, I know." I said as I got up. She handed me my carry-on bag and I searched it for my passport. When I felt it I grabbed it and pulled it out of my bag. "You got the tickets right?"

"Yes ma'am," She replied and showed me the papers. Sighing I turned back to Elizabeth. She seemed like she was on the brink of tears again and I smiled.

"Please don't cry," I handed her a tissue from my bag. "Because then I'll start crying too."

"I-I'm sor-ry!" She wiped her eyes with the soft tissue. "I just hate saying good-bye!"

"So do I," Gently I placed my hands on her shoulders. "But we'll see each other again, even if I have to buy you your ticket and shove you on a plane to Japan!"

"I know." She hugged me. "You know you're my best friend ever, right?"

"Yeah, you too!"

"We are now boarding, so please all first class passengers starting lining up at the gate," The voice announced again.

"Goodbye, Shina, I'll miss you!" Elizabeth said. By now my attempts to keep myself from crying were beginning to fail.

"I'll miss you too," I smiled and added. "And I promise I'll call you as soon as I land in Japan and as soon as I arrive to my grandfather's house. Alright?"

"Yeah," Her expression was a mixture of hope and pain, her eyes shining with moisture. "I'll be waiting!"

"Miss Shina we need to go now." Nan said, her voice hinted with sympathy.

"Okay," I told her. Then my friend hugged me for the last time and I told her after a few moments, "And tell your brother I'll miss him too."

"I will," she sniffled and released me. Pushing me towards the gate entrance she added, "Now go, before you miss your flight!"

"Bye Sparky," A tear fell from my eyes and I tried hard to keep the others from following.

"Bye Shina," She waved and I waved back. Then I turned to walk with Nan to the small line of first class passengers. When we got to the front the lady looked at our passports then at us.

"May I have your tickets?" She asked with a smile. Nan handed her our tickets and the woman tore them and handed us the studs. Before I walked forward I turned and saw Elizabeth, still waving her hand as tears streamed down her face. I waved back and tried to smile, letting a few more tears loose. Turning back around we boarded and soon found our seats.

Sitting down on the soft chair I leaned back and gazed out the window. In the reflection of the mirror I saw a worried expression plastered on Nan's face as she sat in the seat next to me. "Will you be alright, Miss Shina?"

"Yeah," I said, weakly giving her a small smile, I doubt she believed me but she said nothing.

Outside, just above the horizon you could see the last hint of the setting sun as the colors faded from the darkening sky. When everyone was seated the plane began to start and move down the run way.

Soon we were in the air, soaring in the fluffy clouds, on our way to Japan half way around the world. Taking out my music I placed my headphones on and tuned out the world around me, letting the tears fall silently. Looks like it's goodbye New York City, and hello Japan.

A/N: I hoped you enjoyed reading this and I'll get the next chapter out soon, I promise! And please feel free to comment on the story, give me your thoughts on it so far, I'm curious to see what you guys think! I accept both criticism and praise. Thanks for reading! :D

~Haru Eclipse