Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! This author's note doesn't really have anything to do with the story though.

Just an announcement. Those who are following my BlazBlue fanfic SAVE ME, please visit my page. I have a new poll regarding what I should name my sequel fic for Ragna and Rachel. Give it a look and please vote for any of the choices you see fit.

Thanks again! Enjoy this new chapter!


Kanata led Miki through the glowing field of lilies. It felt so surreal. Like she was in a dream or some faraway place that only existed in fantasy.

She didn't feel dead, nor did she feel the slightest bit of peace. Quite the opposite actually. She felt alive…

…and so troubled.

A thousand emotions ran through her. With everything that's happened she could barely keep herself calm. Even with a lifetime of experience she could feel herself breaking any time now.

Her heart ached. Not just with her accident, but with her family. She had seen herself on that bed and she had seen her family come in and rush to her side.

Everyone was there. Her eldest and youngest daughters. They were all there.

All except her husband…

She clutched her chest and gritted her teeth. How could he? After what's happened he couldn't even come to deny his company's orders for once and come to see her?

It was a selfish thought, but that's how she felt. Just once could he just think about her emotional needs?

All this time she's felt alone. For so many months she had no one to lie with her in bed. To warm her up in the cold nights.

The blankets provided her no comfort. She found none at her own home. Not until her daughters would come home to take away her loneliness.

They were her only source of comfort now. Well…were. Now she was gone, stuck in a sort of "limbo" that gave her no clue as to how to get back into the world of the living.

Not right away anyway. Kanata had told her to only observe for now. Observe what she knew not.

What is it that she needs to observe? Her family? Her friends?

"Miki," Kanata pulled her out of her thoughts. "Please don't think too much on it. It would do you no good."

She blinked. "A-ah. Sorry, couldn't help it. It's just…it's painful to merely watch my family and not be by their side. And Tadao…"

"Bear with it. For now you should try and get used to this place."

"Get used to… Kanata, there's nothing to do here."

A giggle escaped her lips as she looked at her. "There is a lot to do here."

"There…is?"

"You'd be surprised."

Just then, a bright light appeared before them. Miki was nearly blinded by the intensity that she had to shield her eyes with her hand. Kanata seemed to be unaffected, supposedly because of her time here for so many years.

She felt the shorter woman grasp her hand. "Come, Miki. Let me show you the life beyond."

Kanata pulled her and Miki made no effort to resist. Even after all these years she felt trusting towards her old friend. Why it was so was beyond her.

Then again, the woman had done so much for her before.

They both entered the light, and Miki had heard no rustle of lilies, nor had she felt the softness of the soil. The ground felt hard. Concrete.

She looked down on her feet and saw pavement. She blinked and let her hand down to her side and looked up. What she saw hit her with surprise.

They were in the middle of a street. An unfamiliar one at that. On parallel sides were a row of houses.

It appears they were in a suburban district.

"Kanata…what…?"

"This is what's in heaven, Miki," Kanata answered. "Nothing so different from the world we live in. The streets, the houses, the sky…

She turned to her with a smile. "It is as if you have never left Earth."

Her surprise turned into awe. The more she took it all in the more relaxed she felt. It really didn't feel different at all when she was alive.

She looked up at the sky and saw a flock of birds flying. Their beautiful singing filled her ears, and her heart felt at ease. She allowed herself to smile at the familiar peaceful atmosphere she had felt down there.

"It really doesn't feel different at all," Miki whispered.

"The only difference is that people are much kinder here. In heaven there is only good. Peace. You will love it here, Miki…"

Her smile left her face. "I…shouldn't get used to this place too much though. I mean, I still plan on returning to my family…"

It may have been her imagination, but despite maintaining her smile, there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Had she wanted her to stay?

"I see… Well, like I said, just observe for now."

She said it again. Those four letter words. Just what is it that she wanted her to see?

"Kanata…is there something you know?" She kept quiet, and this irritated her a bit. "Kanata—"

"I cannot say, Miki!" she nearly yelled, yet her voice carried a tone of desperation. "Please, just…trust me on this…"

This was the first Kanata had ever used such a voice. She wasn't angry, but it was close to a yell. In all the years of knowing her she had never seen her this way.

"K-Kanata…?"

The woman looked away. "I'm sorry. It saddens me that you had to end up like this. And yet, God has given me this task to help you see things you have never seen your family has done when you aren't present.

"But don't worry, it isn't anything bad. Well, it depends on how you see it really. You can watch your family once a day and you have done so right now. You will have to wait until tomorrow to see them again."

Miki still felt uncertainty yet decided to agree with her. For now. She still wishes to see her family again, so she should bear with just watching them from above until she's seen enough to have God grant her the freedom to come back.

She can't say she likes it, but things don't work so easily. Not even in paradise. True peace does not exist in life and the world after.

It was cruel for her to think this way of the Lord's realm. She should be thankful for the privilege of being let into heaven when she is merely stuck between life and death. She had the chance to see the world many have dreamed of seeing before her time.

"Alright," Miki said. "I'll be patient. I don't want to give you a hard time after all."

"It brings me great joy to see you again though," Kanata said so kindly, her smile returning to her lips. "I have dreamed of seeing my best friend for so many years."

She laughed softly. "I thought Sojiro was your best friend."

"He is my childhood friend and my husband. You are the one next to him that truly knows me. Understands me. Who cried tears for me when I passed on.

The bluenette walked up to her and placed a hand on her cheek. "You are just as dear to me as he is. You know that very well, Miki."

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "I see you haven't grown out of your habit to tease…"

"Tease? You believe I'm teasing you?"

"You always have, especially in high school."

She sighed and lightly pinched her nose. "What I say is always true. I have never lied to you."

"I know you don't. But the way you say these things…"

Giggling, she stepped back. "My dear, have you forgotten those two years when we…decided to "experiment"?"

And to think she was flustered enough, her face was now beet red. Of course she remembered. Those two years were made the highlight of her high school life.

It was magical. Thrilling. And yet…a part of her feels regret…


Several years ago…

It's been four months since Miki's meeting with Kanata. The two had hit it off on the first day, and now they were the best of friends. Miki being a freshman and Kanata being a junior mattered little to them.

No one seemed to mind in the slightest anyway.

The two girls were sitting under a tree on a hill not far from campus. They had a good view of the school from where they were. It was lunchtime, and the students were free to do as they please until next period.

Lunchboxes on their laps, they merrily enjoyed their delicious meals. No offense to the school, but their cafeteria food was unbearable. Barely edible at all.

Kanata happily chewed on an octopus wiener. "Mm! Mom's always had a knack for putting a lot of effort on the simplest things. She must've found a new spice."

Miki gave her a questioning look. "Spice…on an octopus wiener?"

She shrugged. "It's good. Do you want some?"

"Oh…is it okay if I do?"

"Sure!" She picked one up and held it out to her, hand underneath in case it were to fall. "Go on, say "aah"."

Her cheeks flushed, and leaned forward and opened her mouth. "Aahhhh…"

The bluenette joyfully placed the piece of "meat" in her mouth. The velvet-head chewed and felt delicious juice seep onto her tongue. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the taste.

It was…different. She could hardly believe this was even an ordinary oncto-weiner. It tasted different.

…"Good" different.

"This is…" she trailed off.

A giggle escaped her lips. "I know. Mom really outdoes herself a lot. But I'm glad you like it."

"Like? Kanata, this is heavenly!"

"Hee hee! I see. But hey, since I shared my lunch with you think you could return the favor?"

She swallowed and stared at her blankly. "Eh?"

"What? I think it's fair that you'd do the same, right?"

"Oh, well it's just…"

"Just…?"

"…This lunch is nothing special. I just made it from scratch."

Without warning, Kanata had leaned in and opened her mouth. "Aahhh~"

Her cheeks turned beet red. "Ka-Ka-Ka-Kanata?!"

"Feed me~!" she said, mouth opening wider.

After staring at her a bit more, she picked off a piece of sweet fried egg and gently placed it in her mouth. Her senpai happily chewed and mewled softly as her hand went up to her reddening cheek. Miki watched in awe as she watched the older woman enjoy the simple piece of egg she had made.

Did she enjoy it that much…?

She finally swallowed and looked at her with glimmering wide eyes. "Delicious! A job well-done, Miki!"

All she could do was blink and mumble, "But…it's just a simple—"

"It's homemade. A meal that was prepared with a lot of effort and care. I could literally taste the hard work you put into this meal."

"That's a little too much…"

"But it's true." She scooted closer to her. "Miki, trust in the words of who is most fond of you."

The way she had said those words let her know just how sincere and genuine she was. She was honest, holding no reservations to whatever she tells people. No matter how embarrassing.

Still she felt herself well up with so much joy over the praises her senpai had given her. And the words she had said, "Trust in the words of who is most fond of you". Those words ringed repeatedly in her head.

She allowed herself to smile. "Thank you…"

"No, "thank you". It was delicious. I am honored to have tasted your cooking."

"Hehe, oh you. You have a knack of making me all flustered."

"Well all I say is true."

She nodded. "I know what you say is sincere. After all, you have never lied to me once."

Kanata looked down, her own cheeks reddening. "Then…would you believe me if I told you that you affect me so much?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Pardon?"

"Well you see…" The girl looked back up with nervous eyes. "Meeting you has awakened something in me. Something that I cannot even comprehend for a while until now.

"There are times that, when you look at me, I find myself trying to keep myself in check. And whenever you smile at me, I have the sudden urge to just…touch you. Hold you. It's scary…"

Miki listened on with surprise etched on her face. This was the first time she had ever seen the girl look so nervous. Kanata always kept up a cheerful and collected air around her.

Seeing her this way made her a bit uneasy.

She continued on. "I've struggled with it for so many days since I've met you. It took me a while to realize what this was, but now I know. I know I am not wrong.

"It's undeniable…I'm attracted to you."

Miki gasped, her eyes widening. No wonder Kanata was nervous. This was no casual conversation.

This was a confession.

"A…attracted…to me?" she stuttered out.

"I know it's a lot to take in! Believe me, inside I was in turmoil. But with time I have grown to accept the fact that I have felt this way about you. I cannot tell whether it's but mere attraction or love, but what I do know is that being with you brings me great joy.

"You are my best friend, Miki. And I felt that it is only fair that you knew about how I felt about you. You deserve to know, since all you've done is given me color to my life."

Her hand went up to her chest. She took all she had said in, struggling with mixed emotions. What was she supposed to say?

For all her life she was raised to be the "perfect child". One who was pure and, in every sense of the word, straight. Her parents had told her that someday she would meet a man and she would marry him and be the best wife she could ever be.

She was to become a woman. A woman with morals. A woman who followed the norm.

She never went against their wishes. They were quite a religious family, and it really had done no harm to anyone to not go against them. So she never said anything about what they wanted for her.

But now…now she was stuck in a dilemma. It was a tight situation and it involved with her best friend confessing her attraction to her. This was quite a surprise and yet…

Something in the back of her head told her that this was not a big deal. That this was nothing to worry about. Because…it wasn't at all wrong.

She had someone who liked her. Someone who cares about her. And she had wanted that.

Even if it was another girl she felt happy. Plus, it was Kanata. She was the one she trusted most in the world.

So this should be okay, right?

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, she placed her hand on top of Kanata's. The girl looked at her with mild shock, yet her face softened a moment later. Miki gave her a kind smile.

"Kanata," she whispered. "That…makes me happy. More than you ever know.

She looked down. "But…how will this work? I've been raised by such a religious family. I have no knowledge of being in a relationship with another girl."

"It's not at all different from being with a guy."

"How do you know? Have you dated other girls before?"

A shake of the head. "No. But I have a feeling that it is no different. I mean, you like someone and when they like you back you start a relationship. You date, you kiss, you make love. That's what people usually do when they're a couple right?"

Her cheeks reddened at the words "make love". "I…see…"

Kanata leaned in a bit, looking into her eyes. "Do you…want to experiment?"

"Huh? Experiment?"

She nodded. "Mhm! I mean, it won't hurt to give it a shot right? If we both feel comfortable with it then we can pursue a relationship. Makes sense, right?"

"Heh, you make it sound so simple."

"It is simple."

Miki bit her bottom lip. "Okay. What do you have in mind."

She tapped her lips. "How about a kiss?"

Her eyes widened as her face turned as red as a tomato. "K-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-kiss?!"

"Uh huh. I mean that's a good first step if we want to see if we're comfortable with doing this."

"…Where do you get all this?"

"My childhood friend, Sojiro, has a lot of anime involving…this stuff. I thought it weird at first, but then I found a lot of insightful things that make a lot of sense. One particular anime that really reeled me in is called "Revolutionary Girl Utena."

She quirked a brow. "Utena?"

"Yeah, quite an uncommon name."

"Yeah. And the title…quite a mouthful."

"Yes. So…" She smiled sweetly. "…do you want to try?"

Miki thought about it. It seems like a sound idea. After all, a kiss can bring about good results and let them know whether this is possible or not.

Plus she was curious as to what a kiss would feel like…

With a nod, Miki moved forward. "Okay. Let's try it…"

Both girls close their eyes and slowly moved in. Their breathing low, their hearts thumped against their chests as they anticipated the contact. They were both nervous and excited at the same time, both for the same reasons.

After what seemed to be forever their lips finally met. It was just a light brush and yet it seemed to give out a pretty strong effect. They could feel warmth gradually course through them, and that brought them to press against each other a bit more.

Their breaths tickled, yet they paid little mind. The feeling of each other's lips was enough to make anything other than that seem so trivial. Nothing can ever amount to what they were feeling right now.

It was a kiss, yet it held so much power. Miki could feel herself getting lighter as she continued to brush her lips against Kanata's. The other girl let out a soft moan as she caressed her kouhai's cheek.

The velvet-head sighed in content at the soothing feeling of her fingers brushing against her lightly. She was so gentle. So tender.

She began to wonder if this was truly her first time…

Kanata gave her nose a light peck before moving away. Her lips formed a small smile, eyes glimmering with delight. Miki's own lips quivered at the absence of contact and yearned for more, yet she knows not how to ask for it.

"How was it, Miki?" Kanata asked sweetly.

"It was…" Miki began and opened her eyes. "…breathtaking."

"Does this mean—"

She cut her off with another kiss.


Present…

Miki sighed at the memory. After their first kiss their relationship took flight. The time they spent together was beautiful, and it affected Kanata greatly when they had to break up when she graduated.

The younger girl had told her about her growing feelings for the boy named Tadao, her classmate, and she had a hard time picking between her and him. It was a hard decision, yet her senpai had suggested that she went with him since she knew the hardships of being in a relationship with a graduate when the other still hasn't finished her schooling.

College was right around the corner, so Kanata figured she should focus on that as well. But Miki knew the pain the bluenette was going through. She saw it in her eyes.

A while later she brought news that she had hooked up with Sojiro. He had confessed to her when she was feeling down, and he was the closest source of comfort.

She had grown to love him, and he had showered her with his own form of love. Be it something he learned from an anime or something he had thought of, his love for her was unique. She was happy with him, and Miki was relieved to have heard about the wedding.

Kanata looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. Seeing her, walking down the aisle that day, felt like she was watching something out of a movie. And yet…

A part of Miki felt hurt as she saw them seal their marriage with a kiss. She knew then that she was all his, and nothing could ever break them apart. It scared her to feel that way.

It hurt, and she didn't know why…

She didn't see Kanata much after that. They were both busy with their own husbands. Miki felt lonely.

Not long after the wedding, Kanata and Sojiro were already "expecting". The news surprised her, yet brought her a great wave of joy and a small hint of sadness. They were already building a family, and so soon.

Yet again, why did she feel pain?

A picture was sent to them the day after Konata Izumi was born. Her old friend's daughter looked so beautiful, and she could see a lot of both parents in her. She so wanted to visit them and congratulate them.

But fate was not so kind…

Just as she was about to visit the hospital, she had been sent word that Kanata passed away in the night. Apparently the woman was suffering from a severe illness that she had kept from everyone she knew, with the exception of Sojiro,, and it had developed to a point where it had claimed her life. Doctors suspect that the stress of giving birth had exhausted her body and her immune system had given up, letting whatever she had end her.

Miki cried so hard that day. She had not shed that many tears in all her years of living. The loss of her best friend impacted her greatly.

It wasn't like losing a sister. No, it went deeper than that. With the history they had…

…she had literally lost a lover.

It took her many months to get over the news. She nearly lost it when she attended the funeral and saw them lower her casket down to her grave. It was like life was mocking her, rubbing in the fact of her dearest friend was no longer with them.

Time had moved on and she had grown to accept the loss and focused more on Tadao. About a year later she and her husband gave life to their first child, Inori. It was time that they made a family of their own.

Years went by, and they now had four daughters. Inori, Matsuri, and the twins Kagami and Tsukasa. She and Tadao cherished them over anything else.

She thought that it was fate that brought her twin daughters and Konata to meet one day. She was absolutely delighted when she got to see her friend's daughter all grown up. Since the funeral she never had a chance, or nerve, to even see the child.

Konata was the spitting image of Kanata. Looking at her brought her joy, and at the same time melancholy. It was like looking at Kanata herself, yet she knew her daughter was very different.

She was thankful to Konata for being such a good friend to her daughters. She had welcomed her in with open arms as if she was family. She felt that she had a duty to be her surrogate mother, even though they lived in different houses.

Sojiro knew what she was doing and had thanked her countless of times for accepting his daughter so willingly. Without a mother Konata was hardly the daughter his wife had wanted her to be.

Miki did not mind the unique personality Konata had. There was a subtle hint of spunk that she had gotten from her mother. Kanata was quite the adventurous type, though she too knew her limits.

Everytime Konata came to visit she would immediately give her a warm welcome and did her best to keep her there as long as she could. The sleepovers gave her enough time to get to know her more. They weren't close, but she was content with just talking to the girl.

She saw a lot of her mother in Konata.

Seeing Kanata once more brought her happiness she had not experienced in a long while. She wanted to stay with her and never let her go. But her duty as a mother was not over, so she still wished she could go back to her family.

But this situation seemed all too familiar. It was like the time she had to choose between her and Tadao. This time it was her or her family.

It was harder this time…

"I see you remember now," Kanata said, breaking her out of her stroll down memory lane.

She blinked twice before looking down. "Y-yes… Though it took me a while to forget about those times since it hurt too much to remember. Losing you…was the greatest pain I've ever felt.

Looking back up at her, she clutched her chest. "Kanata, you've given me so much. You helped me, you loved me, yet I've hurt you deeply when I let you go. Sometimes I wish that I hadn't made that choice…"

"Don't say that, Miki. Tadao is your husband whom you love very much."

"But does he feel that same love for me? He didn't even disobey orders from his company to come and see me. It makes me wonder if his job is more important than me."

Kanata rubbed her arm. "Just know that there are those who do care for you. Like your daughters, and I believe Konata will be visiting you as well. Right now, just stay here with me until you have seen enough to make your decision.

"You have enough time to do so after all. If you choose to leave, I will understand."

Nodding, Miki held her hand. "Okay. I trust you, Kanata. It saddens me that I have to leave you and return to my family one day. So, please take care of me until then."

She gave her a warm smile. "Will do~!"

And with that she led Miki through the district. Her perception of Heaven was going to be greatly altered with what she'll see during her time her. In fact…

…she'll feel right at home.


To be continued...