I closed the car door behind me, breathing in the fresh air of the outside world after the two hour drive to the airport. Several doors and footsteps followed as I stretched out her legs. Evan handed me a dufflebag that contained my clothing and other assorted things. I lifted it over my shoulder and followed him inside the large glass doors, one of my hands clenched around my plane ticket, the other holding protectively onto Ian. The others followed, their own bags by their sides. The marquee read the times for flights and we found that our flight was boarding in just a few minutes. I turned around to face Evan and gave him a tight hug. He returned it solemnly.

"Don't get hurt out there..." Evan whispered in my ear. I nodded.

"I know." I said. I wasn't in the least bit concerned for myself- it was leaving them behind that I was worried for. Evan knew that. I bent down and pulled Ian into a tight embrace. "Take care of Evan, will ya?" I smiled down at him. He grinned back, nodding eagerly. I turned back to my friends and we made our way to the plane.

I sat down, staring out the window. It was no surprise to me that I was sitting next to Kurama. I tried to avoid his gaze as he put his things into the overhead carry-on. He sat down in the seat beside me, smiling. I didnt even try smiling back.

"Oz..." He mumbled at me. I felt the sadness I felt in my heart reflected in his voice and for a moment I wondered if he felt the same way I did. For a split second, I hoped that maybe someday it would change- that maybe, if I was so lucky, we could try to make something out of our awkward friendship. You're crazy. You've only known him for like, a month... I shook my head, but I couldn't help but smile. 18 years old and falling head over hills like a middle school kid. I finally brought up enough courage- or curiosity, or stupidity, or something like that- to look over at him. He was looking in the aisles, but noticed I had finally looked at him just as the plane began to take off.

"You've been very distant lately." His smile was very faint, but existent. I tried to think up an excuse, but Kurama was too intelligent for any clever ruse I could muster up.

"I know... I'm sorry." It was the only thing I could do- be honest. There wasn't any excuse that would be good enough. Kurama deserved better than lame excuses anyway.

"Don't be- it was my fault. I-"

"Kurama, you've never done anything wrong." At these words, he chuckled. You know how wrong you are about that. He's a criminal. Yet, the danger is such a big part of how attractive he is... His laughter died and he looked at me as though analyzing my thoughts.

"I know I've hurt you." It came just above a whisper. It became obvious, if it wasn't already, that I wasn't the only person who'd been put in pain by the situation.

"I, uh..." My fingers fidgeted with one another for a moment, looking at them in my lap. I tried to say 'It's okay.' Yet all the same, I couldn't say the words. Maybe because it wasn't okay.

"I don't want us to be avoiding each other. I like you. You're a good friend. I don't wanna lose that." I looked back up at him, a sudden lack of air coming on. He studied me for a moment, but nodded.

"Believe me when I say I understand." I couldn't help but find myself smiling. I turned away from him, not harshly, but simply to look out the window.

I sat in that seat for what felt like forever. Over the course of that great time, I found myself doing many tasks just to make the time pass: I watched things move beyond the window, read half of my book, engaged in conversation. The sky was dark when I realized that I was very tired. Kurama was reading a book next to me and I peeked at the pages over his shoulder.

a dream - making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is of the very essence of dreams. . .

"Heart of Darkness?" I turned my head to look at Kurama. He smiled at me and ndded. He'd taken that book- and several others- from the library in our home. I had too- I remembered searching for Heart of Darkness in the library and being disappointed that it was missing. I hadn't realized Kurama already took it. I sat back in my chair, watching Kurama read. Something about it was interesting enough that I couldn't look away. I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand. I sat back, staring up at the button-covered ceiling. My eyes drifted shut and I listened to the sounds of the plane. Before I knew it, I drifted to sleep.

Kurama paused at the end of a sentence, looking over at Oz. She'd fallen asleep, her eyes closed peacefully. He couldnt help but smile at her as her body leaned towards him. He rested the book down on his leg, keeping it open to the spot he'd left off. He gently reached over to her and tugged on her just enough that she leaned into him, her head on his shoulder. Kurama blushed, knowing full well that when she awoke she would apologize yet he couldnt help himself. He picked the book back up and kept reading, weary of the girl on his shoulder.

Darkness overtook the air around the plane and many passengers were fast asleep. Kurama, having finished Heart of Darkness, found that he could not manage to fall asleep. He was amazed that the girl beside him had managed to be for so long. All the same, Kurama remembered that the girl had lost one of her older brothers and probably hadn't slept much recently. He hadn't moved from his spot in hours. A flight attendant was walking down the aisle, giving drinks and pillows to the sleepy passengers. In front of him, he could see Yusuke snoring and Kuwabara leaning against the window. The flight attendant paused next to him. She glanced at Oz and then at Kurama, a smile on her face. Kurama felt himself blush.

"She's pretty. You must be lucky." She held out a bottle of clear liquid Kurama assumed was water, which he took graciously. He didn't bother to correct her- In fact, he didn't mind in the slightest. It was a feeling he wished for, but he knew deep down that when Oz woke up, it would vanish forever. His fantasy of being with her would disappear and they would return to their friendship. He felt a pang of sadness in knowing there was nothing he could do that would change it. No matter how much he wanted to call her his own, there was simply too much at risk. Instead, Kurama savored the long flight back to Japan, occasionally glancing at the beautiful girl sleeping on his shoulder.