Chapter 2

"Alright, Mitsuki-chan. Are you all ready for the surgery?" Wakaoji-sensei asked, pulling on some gloves.

Mitsuki sat there on the hospital bed and lowered her eyes. No! She wanted to scream. I'm not ready! I never said I wanted to get surgery. But she knew she shouldn't. It was the only way.

"Takuto!" she heard a voice call. "What do you think you're doing?"

Mitsuki looked up and saw the boy from before, Takuto, running down the hall. A nurse chased after him and they both looked upset. "What are they doing?" she whispered to herself. Without thinking, she got up and walked out the door, looking to see where they were going.

"Mitsuki! Where'd you go?" she heard her doctor call. But she didn't respond or go back in there. She didn't know what came over her, but she suddenly felt stonger. She didn't have to get the surgery if she didn't want to.

Suddenly, she was running. She ran down the halls and into the front room. She looked over and saw Takuto running beside her. At first he looked startled, but then a small smile was on his face.

He grabbed her arm and rushed out the door. Mitsuki's eyes widened. "W-wait! What do you think you're doing?"

But Takuto simply smirked and continued running. They finally stopped at a bus stop. Mitsuki leaned over, breathing heavily. She wasn't used to running. "Where are we going?" she panted.

Takuto chuckled. "I'm escaping. And I figured you were trying to do the same thing." He gave her a wink. "So what's your name, kid?"

"Um, Kouyama Mitsuki." She answered, still totally confused.

"Mitsuki?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Pretty name. I'm Takuto."

I know, Mitsuki wanted to say back, but she thought that would sound too creepy. "Why did you run away?" she asked in barely a whisper.

Takuto sighed and looked up. "I have throat cancer."

"What?" Mitsuki shouted. "Me too!" then she covered her mouth quickly, as she realized she was being too loud. "Sorry."

Takuto laughed. "You're strange." Was all he said.

Mitsuki wasn't sure whether or not she should feel offended.

"So, you have throat cancer too, huh?" he asked, glancing at her. "I'm a singer. I can't sing anymore with it. But what's even scarier is the thought of losing my voice. I don't want that either."

Mitsuki was shocked at how much they were alike. "I'm not a singer." She said. "But I always wanted to be. So… it's the same for me. I don't want to lose my voice."

Takuto nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Mitsuki." He said in a soft voice.

This caught her by surprise. Takuto seemed to be the kind of person who would never show any emotion. But now he was acting as if he actually felt bad for her.

The bus pulled up and they got on. Takuto led Mitsuki to the back seats and they sat down. "Takuto, where are we going?" Mitsuki asked, getting more and more confused.

He smirked. "It's not fun if I tell you, stupid Mitsuki." He joked. Mitsuki narrowed her eyebrows.

"So now you're calling me stupid?" They continued arguing and teasing each other. But, suddenly, Mitsuki giggled. What were they even fighting about, anyways?

Takuto noticed her laughing and smiled. Mitsuki seemed like a strange person. But something about her seemed… different. Special.

The bus stopped and Takuto grabbed Mitsuki's arm once more. He ran along the sidewalk, dragging her.

"Takuto!" Mitsuki complained. "This again? What's the rush? Why are we running?"

"You ask too many questions." He said as he dragged her to a beach. The beach had a few kids playing, but it seemed peaceful.

Apparently, they weren't there yet. He grabbed her arm again and continued running. They ran through the beach and up a little hill. Then he stopped.

"Takuto, no one's here. Why…?" she trailed off noticing his expression. He was looking over the edge of the cliff. Mitsuki looked down and gasped at the view. The waves of the ocean were crashing up the sides and the sun was starting to set, causing the sky to be a pinkish color.

"It's beautiful…" Mitsuki whispered. Takuto nodded slowly. "Why are you showing me this?"

Takuto looked at her and smiled. "No one knows about this place. We can escape. We can do whatever we want."

Mitsuki looked at him. She had never ran away before. What would it be like. But then she smiled. "This is just what I need."