It didn't take long for everyone else to leave after the very strange and mysterious Mia Yakitoshi had. When they had turned their attentions back to themselves, it was right away noticed that Hiei had mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a melting pool of ice cream in his place.

Yusuke, finally noticing the shaky state his best friend was in, decided it was also time for him and Kuwabara to leave. This left only Kurama, Tenchi, and Maya.

"I'm sorry about my friends," Kurama kept apologizing profusely as they settled into an empty booth. But in fact, Kurama really wanted to leave as well. Not only did he want to think about the girl with the deadened eyes, but he also wanted to get as far away from Maya Lain as he could. A terrible guilty feeling hit him, but it wasn't only about wanting to stay away from this sweet girl of his childhood. It was much deeper than that. So it was a relief that after an hour of talking about the upcoming Spring Blossom Festival happening at Asahikawa High School that Tenchi decided that it was late. He needed to be home for his elderly grandfather.

"I'll talk more with you about the Festival later, right?" Tenchi asked Kurama as they were leaving through the entrance of the Star-Crossed Arcade.

Kurama nodded and smiled, acutely aware that Maya was standing quite close to him. With his demonic senses, he could smell her shampoo. It smelled like kiwi.

Tenchi waved to them and began to walk away. "I'll see you on Monday, Maya!" he called.

And this made it plainly aware to Kurama that he and Maya were standing next to each other. Alone. Without meeting her eyes, Kurama said goodbye and began to walk the opposite direction Tenchi had went, but Maya quickly caught up to him a moment later.

"I'm going this way as well," she said cheerfully. "We can walk together for a while. I haven't seen you in a long time."

Kurama wordlessly nodded and smiled half-heartedly down at her. She doesn't remember, he thought half in relief and half sadly.

They silently walked down the streets for a while, neither talking to the other. However, Maya didn't seem to mind for she hummed softly and contentedly underneath her breath. From time to time, their arms brushed against each other as they walked. Her head just barely reached his chin.
They crossed a fork in the sidewalk. One was going deeper into the city and the other was going off into a more suburban setting. Kurama walked closer to the one going into the suburbs before turning around to face Maya. He noticed that she was softly chewing her upper lip with a dreamy yet contemplative look in her lost eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked in spite of himself.

Maya slowly shook her head. She took a deep breath before looking deeper into his emerald eyes. She almost felt like she could drown in them. "It seems like we were once closer," she suddenly said.

Kurama started. "Pardon?" he asked nervously.

Maya nodded and took a step closer towards him. "I remember you in grade school. . . . seeing you and being in the same class, but other than that, I can't remember ever being near you or talking to you. But for some reason, I feel like I've really known you before." Maya laughed and lightly hit her head. "I'm sorry, Suichi. I must be imagining things," she said apologetically. But in fact, there was a familiar tugging feeling in the back of her head that told her that she wasn't imagining and that Suichi Minamino was more familiar to her than she knew right now.

Her carelessness, the way she laughed, Kurama couldn't help smiling. His earlier feelings of guilt and the need to get away from her were diminished. He stuck out his hand. "Well, this is goodbye until we meet again," he said warmly.

Maya came closer to him and took his hand. There was no electric jolt this time, but Maya could sense something from him. She didn't know what it was, but it gave her the same weird feeling she got when she was around Mia. It made her a little apprehensive, but unlike with Mia, this feeling from Suichi also made her heart peacefully still in her chest. Maya sniffed. "You smell nice," she said quietly as their hands parted.

However, Kurama heard her as if she had shouted it and felt an invisible icy hand grip his insides as a distant childhood memory of him carrying this same girl on his back, giving her dream pollen to make her forget that they had known each other more than just being classmates, that he had rescued her from a demon beforehand, and that she had loved him.

Even after all those years, he still had feelings for her. But for fear that her sixth sense might make her remember these lost memories, he'd protect her once more by staying away.