Woo, new chapter! I'm sorry this one took a few months to get out, but I had a lot of obligations the last few months. Fortunately or not I've been sick this last week and it's given me some forced downtime I've tried to put to good use.

Thank you to everyone who continues to read this! This is the longest chapter I've ever written (Electric Daisies was written in two parts originally then compiled together for FFnet) at a little over 10k words. A lot happens here so I hope it was worth the wait!

The title of this chapter comes from the song Immortal by Marina and the Diamonds. It's an incredibly powerful song and I listened to it a lot while writing this.

Act 4: Liftoff

Scene 3: From The End To The Start

The classroom feels like a ghost town. I imagine having almost half the seats vacant would do that, but the way they're scattered around makes it feel even emptier than it actually is.

Winter break started yesterday, so I know not everyone who is missing is gone until March. Those that are, I won't see until they come back for the graduation ceremonies. Regardless of who's here and who isn't, I'm sure the feeling of relief over finishing our exams is something that will bind all of us together for at least another few weeks. At least the teachers were kind enough to give us an extra day to rest before trudging us back into the classroom this morning. Heck, maybe that's why there are so many empty chairs. I bet a few of them belong to people still catching up on sleep.

Despite it being Christmas Eve, it's been a fairly uneventful morning.

After the bell rings, Mutou takes a few minutes to straighten out his desk and apparently his thoughts. He approaches the front of the classroom and hands the first person in each row a few papers, instructing us to take one and pass the rest behind us.

"First off," he states, "congratulations to all of you here for surviving the final exams. I'm pleased that all of you ended up getting good enough scores to graduate at the end of March." He gives all of us a warm smile. "I know you all worked hard, so if you're staying until graduation take the next three months to spend as you see fit."

Since Taro is gone, Molly only hands me a single sheet over her shoulder.

"Myself and the other third-year teachers will be available to go over any individual or group tutoring you may need or want to brush up on. If that's something you want to take advantage of, you won't be gathering here by default each morning. Instead, you'll go to that teacher's homeroom. I'll be here tutoring science. You'll go to Mrs. Miyagi's classroom if you want help with English, and so on."

I'm already ahead of him on the page, looking at the list of restrictions. There are fewer than there were in the packet I got when I first transferred in, but the big ones like curfew and no sleeping over are still there. I'm sure they'll be adhered to just as much as they have been.

"It's pretty common the last few months for those that stay to help the younger classes," Mutou drones on. "A few of the first and second year teachers could use some aids, and clubs will still be meeting up after classes until the end of the year."

There's not much else on the paper I couldn't have guessed at, given what I've heard about how summer break was handled. There's a short blurb saying that the cafeteria will keep the same hours, and things like the library and pool will remain open as well.

Mutou soon pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and switches to a topic most of us are much more interested in. "So now that that's out of the way, let's have a show of hands. How many of you are planning to go to the city tonight?"

I raise my hand, along with most of the other classmates. Miki and Suzu are among those who have their hands up, so I'm hopeful we'll all be able to hang out together at least part of the night. We haven't really talked about doing so since the time we ran into each other at the pool, but maybe they're like our group and keeping plans loosely open.

Maeda also has his arm in the air, but I tell myself not to worry about it and just enjoy one last night with my friends before we all see each other again in March. I mean, if we ended up at karaoke together I wouldn't leave the building...but I would move to a different room.

Mutou seems to make a mental count of all the different students who just answered his question and gives a slight nod. "Good! Just so you all know, here are the staff members going tonight." He reads a list of names off of the paper in his hand, starting with Nurse and himself.

There's only two names that I recognize, those being Mrs. Miyagi and Mrs. Sakamoto. The latter name surprises me a bit because I wasn't sure if she was coming or not. The other names must be staff members that teach other years or different clubs.

"Everyone who goes is free to eat wherever they like, but we've called ahead to Soroumoni so they know to expect us. Everyone's invited and I hope to see at least at least some of you there."

Saki and Chisato both mentioned that they wanted to go to the dinner, as long as our group would be able to split off and do our own thing afterwards. We still hadn't decided what that might be, although we'd been kicking around ideas to each other. Maybe that's changed?

"Don't forget about curfew. After dinner you'll have a few hours to spend however you want, but make sure you're back at the school by curfew." Our teacher then picks up a piece of chalk and writes a phone number on the board. "This is my personal number for those of you that don't have it. I would like everyone here who is going tonight to send me a text message when you get back to the school for safety reasons." He then pauses slightly and smirks. "If something happens and you can't make it back in time, just give me an idea of what's going on and what time you'll be back. We need to know when and where to send out the search and rescue parties."

"Wahaha~!"

Mutou looks up at the clock. While only a few minutes have passed, he seems content to let us enjoy the rest of our morning. "That's it for now. Remember, we'll be meeting up by the front gate at two for a final headcount. I guess the only thing else to say about tonight is...have fun," he finishes with another one of his soft smiles.


"Get all your packing done, Noriko?"

Noriko turns from Saki to look back at Chisato. "I finished most of it last night...just another two or three boxes I think."

"What time did you say your folks were going to be here?" I ask, checking my watch.

"My father gets off work in about half an hour, so another forty minutes after that if traffic is good," she finishes with a yawn.

Our group is sitting together in the cafeteria, enjoying the first stress-free lunch we've shared together in weeks. Over the last month or so the cafeteria had changed from a place of laughter and lively conversation to one of soulless pragmatism. Students would trudge in and simply spend as little time as needed to fuel their bodies with sustenance and caffeine in a brutally rigorous schedule, or try and stretch the process out to steal a few moments of respite from the world around them.

It happened so gradually, I never realized how much had actually changed until I was shocked by how much laughter, relief, and life you can feel in the air.

"Do you think we'll need one trip or two?"

"Umm…"

"Three?" Saki asks.

"Not that many, I mean, at least as long as all of you can help me."

Noriko, like a lot of other third year students, is dealing with the logistics of how and when to leave. More than once over the last few days when I've ventured to take a walk or go down to the cafeteria, I've seen students with their parents carrying boxes and other belongings out to the parking lot. She's been trying to recruit us into helping her with the same thing.

"I'm going to miss you," Chisato pouts, leaning over onto her friend's shoulder in a sing-song whine.

"Me too...but it's not like we're not going to see each other the next few months. Just give me a call whenever you guys come down to the city and I can meet you."

"You couldn't do this in a few days?" Saki asks. "It's just kind of a bummer, what with it being Christmas Eve and all."

Noriko yawns again. "This is the only day my father could take off early this week."

"I, um...is it alright if you call me when your dad gets here?" Chisato asks. "Mitsuru's packing, and I...uh…"

Her friend instantly picks up on it, then assures her. "That's not a problem. I will."

"Thanks."

"Speaking of tonight," Saki interjects, "what are the plans? Did you want to go to karaoke, the arcade, or what? Did Miki and Suzu ever say what they were doing?"

"I haven't had a chance to talk to them about it yet," I answer. I haven't run into either of them outside of class except for a handful of times where one of us was busy and couldn't really stop to chat.

"Better make a decision soon."

"We'll bump into each other when we get ready to head into town. We can figure it out then, or at dinner. We're all going tonight, right?"

Everyone else gives their agreement, and after a few more minutes of finishing up our meal, we start walking back towards the dorms. With afternoon classes happening for the underclassmen, we practically have the campus to ourselves.

"You get any packing done the last few days?" Noriko asks.

"Nah, not much," I reply. "I'll do most of it when I get back up here from winter break."

"Did you figure out when that would be?" Saki asks, giving my arm a light squeeze.

I walk up the steps to the dorm courtyard, coming to a stop with the rest of the group. I can already feel a crispness in the air; a subtle indication of the evening to come. Truth be told, I haven't come up with any answers yet, not even as part of an if-then exercise. While I know I've been worrying about how the appointment this week will go, it's been rather convenient to throw myself into studying in order to take my mind off it. Now however, without the distraction, my subconscious has been chewing on the situation and not liking the taste.

"I guess it all depends on what my doctors say. If everything goes well I may be back after a week or two," I say with a heavy sigh, adjusting the strap of my bookbag on my shoulder.

Saki's hand slides down my arm and squeezes mine assuringly...as if to tell me that no matter what comes of it, we'll figure it out and be okay.

"Don't forget to call me, alright?" Chisato says while turning slightly to break off from the rest of us, no doubt eager to help out her boyfriend.

"We'll text you," Saki answers.

Chisato gives us a small smile of thanks, then a wave as she makes a beeline straight for the male dorms.

"You know, I don't mind carrying an extra box or two if it means that she gets to spend some more time with Mitsuru," I idly comment as I watch the door close behind her.

Noriko's phone makes a chirping noise, and she pulls it out of her purse to check it. "That's probably a good idea. My dad just texted me and he's going to be here in about thirty minutes. His boss must have let him leave a little earlier…"

"What more do you have left to pack?"

"Just a few more papers and some clothes. I left a few things out because I'm trying to figure out what to wear tonight..."

Saki brightens up at this. "Ooo, need help?"

Noriko smiles. "Maybe."

A few moments, hallways, and stairs later, Noriko opens the door for us and we step into her dorm room. I'm actually taken aback a bit when I see it; it's not the first time I've been in here, but seeing the room stripped down to the bare essentials is shocking. All that's left on the walls of the colorful posters that used to be there are a few small spots of residue left behind by the tape that held them up, and only then if you know where to look. Books, electronics, pictures; all of them are crammed into about a dozen boxes along the far wall. Even the sheets have been packed away, leaving the green mattress exposed on its frame. The only signs that anyone actually lived in this room except for those boxes is a stack of papers on the corner of the dresser.

"Give me a minute," Noriko says, tossing her purse onto the bed and opening the closet.

"Uh, we might need to get Chisato's help after all," I say, evaluating how many boxes we're going to have to move. "Either that or a cart."

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about those. All I'm taking home today are the ones over there," she answers, pointing towards a much smaller pile near the door. "My parents will be coming back up here again with me to finish loading the rest of it."

"A santa hat?" Saki suddenly exclaims. "Really?"

While I've been distracted elsewhere, it seems the two girls have pulled out about half a dozen various articles of clothing and laid them out on the bed. Saki's already putting the hat in question on.

"Well, I wasn't sure if I was going to wear it tonight or not," her friend answers. "It could go with the right outfit."

"What's this clipped to it?" Saki asks in puzzlement, reaching up to feel something attached to the fur trim right above the center of her forehead.

"The only ones they had left at Aura mart had mistletoe pinned to them."

"Oh really?" Saki grins, bringing another hand up to the small adornment to fiddle with it. "Trying to get the attention of someone tonight?"

Noriko laughs. "I was planning on taking that off, actually."

Saki frees the mistletoe and holds it up, looking towards me. "Good thinking. I think this is broken."

"Why's that?" I ask.

"Because if it worked you'd already be over here."

I smirk and bend down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Better?"

"Getting there."

"I was thinking of wearing this," Noriko says, getting us back on track. She holds up a long skirt to her waist, and a blouse to the front of her chest to give us an idea of how it will look. I think the black and white go together well, but Saki objects.

"The blouse looks nice, but that skirt doesn't work with it. Do you still have the shorter one?"

Noriko shuffles around a few different clothing options, holding things up against others while Saki gives commentary. The two girls eventually agree on a knee length black skirt with black leggings for warmth, the aforementioned white blouse and a large cream colored scarf.

"See? Much better. The hat even makes it cuter."

"You sure you don't secretly want to wear it?"

Saki laughs. "Nope, I already know what I'm wearing tonight. I found a bow to go along with the green coat I bought on clearance last year."

"Wait," I ask. "You bought it a year ago?"

"Yeah, and at a great price too. It went on sale when Plus Two brought in their spring lineup. I've been waiting to wear it all year. It just hasn't been cold enough."

Noriko's phone rings again, and she answers it this time.

"Hey dad! Yeah, we're ready to go...you are? Alright, I'll meet you in front. Yep! See you in a minute," she finishes, hanging up the phone and turning towards us. "Do you want to come down with me?"

I look at Saki, who looks at me and nods. "Sure."

Noriko takes a few minutes to frantically and haphazardly throw the clothes she's not wearing tonight into one of the open boxes along the wall, and we retrace our steps down to the dorm courtyard. When we step into the afternoon sunlight, we see a tall man sitting on the edge of the mural wall. Noriko confirms it's her father by waving to him and eliciting a similar response.

"Hello again, Mr. Mimura," Saki says with a bow as Noriko's dad father takes a step up to meet us.

"Miss Enomoto," he smiles, returning the gesture before looking confused. "Is Miss Souma here as well?"

"Ah, no..."

Mr. Mimura looks a bit sad when he hears this. "That's a shame. I would have liked to see her again. Is she well?"

"She's helping her boyfriend pack right now."

"I see," he smiles again. "Perhaps later." He then turns his attention to me, assessing me with a quick glance. "I don't think we've met," he says with another bow. "Yoshitoki Mimura. Pleased to meet you."

He's holding his tie in his hand, having removed it in preparation along with rolling up his shirt sleeves. He's as tall as one could be without being considered lanky, but there's no mistaking where Noriko gets her hair and eyes from. I greet him in kind. "Hisao Nakai. The pleasure is mine."

"Ah! Noriko's mentioned you before," he replies, his tone a lot more friendly. "Thank you for giving us a hand with this."

"Happy to help," I say, turning to keep pace with everyone as we all fall into a lockstep back towards the dorm.

Strangely enough, that's pretty much the only words we speak to each other. It's not like I'm getting the vibe he dislikes me, but more that there's a task at hand to focus on. While we quickly work, Noriko and her father spend some time talking about winter break and mention a few things involving the time leading up to graduation, but for the most part I have no idea about the things they're referencing. Saki is exempted from all duties except moral support, a role she fills enthusiastically. With the rest of us carrying, we finish in two round trips. There's one more box, but Mr. Mimura insists he can carry it back out to the car himself.

"Give me a call when you leave tonight," he reminds his daughter.

"I will! Thanks dad."

"Nice meeting you, Nakai. Thanks again for your help. Miss Enomoto," he finishes, nodding towards all three of us and starting to carefully make his way down the steps.

"He seems nice," I mention to Noriko as she walks by him.

"He really is," Saki vouches.

I check my watch. "We have about an hour before we need to meet at the front of the gate. I was going to go shower and get changed."

When she hears this, Saki becomes visibly distressed. "Oh shit! I left something at the band room."

"Is everything okay? I ask, concerned.

She hesitates for a second, the wheels turning in her brain. "Yeah. Yeah, it should be. We'll have to swing by the band room on the way to meet everyone else so I can grab it."

"What did you forget?" Noriko asks.

"I was supposed to give sensei the sheet music we're using for tomorrow so she can drop it off at the studio. I was going over it with Chisato yesterday and I'm pretty sure we left it on the piano."

"Doesn't she already have a copy?"

"Not the one we were working on," Saki grumbles.

"Are you sure that's where it is?" I ask.

She closes her eyes and furrows her brows in concentration. "Yes. We were making one or two last changes and she was playing them to see how they sounded." She gives a sigh of frustration. "I can't believe I forgot…"

"I can go get it while you get ready," I volunteer.

Saki's shoulders drop in relief. "Thank you. It really helps."

"If you run out of time to do your hair you can always wear that santa hat," Noriko teases.

Saki fires right back. "I've been waiting all damned year for a chance to wear this dress and I'm not going to have bad hair while wearing it, thank you very much."


The subtle hum of the lights powering on reaches my ears when I hit the switch. One of them flickers for a half second before remaining steady, casting the band room into a bright artificial luminescence. The room looks far more orderly than it should. For the most part, all the chairs are arranged towards the front of the room in orderly rows in proof with a cluster off to the side. Both are equal proof as to how the room has been left for winter break and how often it's being used.

My footsteps are loud and slightly echo as I cross the room, heading towards the piano against the wall. Sure enough, I find a stack of papers propput up right where they're supposed to be. A quick glance confirms they're the ones I'm looking for by way of the three names scrawled across the top corner.

Saki Enomoto. Chisato Souma. Kayoko Sugimura.

This isn't even the original sheet music from months ago. It's been copied over and rewritten several times since then, but Chisato or Saki always write down Kayoko's name on the newest versions.

Over the last few months, I haven't really learned anything about her besides what I already know. She played the violin with Saki. She wrote the basis for the piece that Saki and Chisato are playing.

She had cystic fibrosis, and passed away during first year.

I've never intentionally pried, but the few times she's come up in conversation the other two are quick to change the subject, or tend to shut down. To be fair, I've done the same to them when they've asked details of my life before Yamaku, especially when the memories are less than happy.

It's something that the two of them experienced together, and it remains a private thing for both of them. I can respect that.

With the sheet music in hand, I idly make my way over to the picture wall. It's been awhile since I've taken a look at it, judging by how many new pictures are pinned to it under the current year. The board is about three quarters of the way full, having been filled by photos and articles detailing the passing of time the last few months. There's candid pictures taken of band members while practicing in the music room, coordinated shots of friends out in town together, and there's even a few from the Halloween party. I cringe a bit when I see the two of us together in one, even though we thankfully aren't the focus of it. I still can't believe Saki talked me into wearing that.

The blank space at the bottom of the board will no doubt get a few additions from tonight, judging by how the full the sections of the last two years look. I can see the pictures taken from this night last year, judging by the festive atmosphere and how some of their subjects have santa hats similar to Noriko's.

There's one group photo featured prominently that all the related photos seem to branch off of; a dozen students sitting at a long table, all raising their glasses for the camera. Mrs. Sakamoto is in the foreground, with Chisato sitting right across from her. The cafe they're in is familiar too. Unless I'm mistaken, it's the one in the same center as Takamura's recording studio and karaoke club. I don't see Saki in it, nor in any other photo that looks like it was taken that night. That would make sense, seeing as how she said tonight was her first time going. Chisato's not in the oldest set of photos from two years ago, so this must be her second year doing this.

Even though I'm already studying the pictures from back then, some compulsion urges me to take a few extra seconds to look closer. The group picture from that year still has Mrs. Sakamoto in it, but...I don't see Kayoko. Looking a bit further up the board. there's a shot of her at Halloween with Saki and Chisato, all three with their arms around each others' shoulders to pose for the camera. Her red hair is pulled up into the same twin tails she has in all the other photos on this wall, and a similar trademark smile that makes her green eyes sparkle.

I let out a sad sigh. Saki had mentioned she passed during the middle of the year. I've never asked her when it happened and she's never brought it up, but it must have been between Halloween and Christmas...unless she didn't go on the Christmas trip...

I shake my head slightly. I can see that all three of them looked like they were good friends, and Saki and Chisato hold her in high enough regard to record the music that they wrote together. It's not really my place to speculate, and while I know the two of them would probably answer any questions I had, I feel that even having a question along those lines would be an invasion of privacy.

Heck, I feel that way right now for even entertaining this train of thought. Still though…

I wish I could have met her.


Nurse lets out a long, loud whistle to get everyone's attention. It works, with a few students like myself amazed that he's capable of making that loud a noise. There's about thirty of us here by the main gate, if I had to take a quick guess. Mutou, Nurse, and five other faculty members are doing their best to keep everyone herded together.

Our group is already together, the five of us dressed for the evening. Mitsuru and Chisato are both wearing longer coats that seem to match each other perfectly without being identical, and Noriko is in the outfit she picked out earlier, complete with santa hat.

Saki entwines her arm with mine. She's wearing a beautiful green coat that flares out like a skirt near the bottom, adorned with gold buttons and several snowflakes embroidered in silver thread. She has a large red bow done up in her hair above her left ear, which matches the one at her throat.

"Thank you," Mutou says to Nurse, before turning to address the rest of us. "Looks like everyone is here who's going tonight! I'm glad to see such a large turnout this year, so let's just go over a few things and we'll get out of here."

I glance around, finally finding Suzu and Miki through a gap in the other students. Miki and myself make brief eye contact, acknowledging that we're paying attention so we can figure out when exactly all of us can hang out later.

"If you're sticking with the group tonight for dinner, we're heading to Soroumoni when we get to the city. If you don't want to eat with the group, there's plenty of other restaurants downtown. After we all eat, each staff member will be leading their own groups to a few different places tonight. Afterwards I'm taking whoever wants to go to a karaoke club where the owner has been nice enough to give us a few rooms."

I whisper in Saki's ear. "Is that-"

"Yeah," she nods, cutting me off. "Takamura does this every year as a favor to sensei."

"Mrs. Miyagi," he continues, the teacher in question raising her hand so everyone can see her, "will be heading to the cinema. I don't think she's decided on a movie yet, so anyone who wants to do that can discuss it with her."

This process repeats itself a few times, with Mutou calling out a name, the staff member raising their hand, and a brief discussion of where they'll be headed. Mr. Hayashida and his wife are going to the arcade, Mrs. Nakagawa is taking a group further downtown to go shopping, and Mrs. Sakamoto along with Nurse are going to supervise down at the ice skating rink.

Mitsuru leans over to talk to Chisato. "Wanna go there?"

Chisato smiles back at him. "I'd love that, but we couldn't stay too long. Sensei has plans for later."

"What's up?"

"I'll tell you later," she answers, turning her attention to Suzu and Miki who have chosen that moment to walk up. Both are wearing loose sweaters and jeans, a ridiculously cute look for the two of them.

Miki greets us all in a friendly manner. "Hey ya'll! You got all that, right?"

"Yeah," Saki answers. "What's on the agenda?"

"Well, Suzu and I were wondering if you'd like to at least sit near each other at dinner. After that, what were you thinking?"

"I'd love to hit up the ice skating rink," Chisato says.

Suzu gives Miki a side hug, a rare display of public affection for the two of them. "I'd like that."

"It wouldn't be for too long though," Chisato continues, picking up her line of thought from earlier. "Mrs. Sakamoto-sensei wants to take the band members out to the cafe this evening."

Ah. That would explain some of the photos I saw posted in the band room.

"What time?"

"Around six."

Miki thinks for a second. "Get down there, eat dinner, then have what, about an hour before then?"

"Yeah. It's not for the whole night though. It's probably only going to take half an hour or so." She turns to look at me. "Sorry boys. You're going to be on your own for a while."

"I believe we can manage," Mitsuru says.

"That cafe's the one right next to Takamura's studio, right?" I ask Saki.

"I wouldn't know. Ask Chisato."

"Hey, Chi-"

Chisato cuts me off, laughing. "I heard the question. Yeah, that's the one."

"Let's have fun tonight," Noriko says, readjusting her santa hat.


As far as dinner goes, we do exactly that.

The walk down the hill was a pleasant one, as was the bus into the city. It didn't take long to make our way downtown and to Soroumoni, even if we had to wait a bit for everyone to show up for various reasons. Almost everyone ended up there, and true to our plans, Suzu and Miki ended up sitting at our table. After a round of toasts from the teachers on the varying successful milestones of the year, we take part in another Christmas tradition of eating too much. What else is there to explain? Good food, good vibes, and good company can give you one hell of an appetite.

After about an hour where the conversation covers everything from the new clothing line at Plus Two in their winter catalogue to ranking the types of desserts the cafeteria makes, the general volume of the entire group tends to drop considerably. There's a brief moment of confusion over the bill when the waitress drops it off at our table, but we manage to settle it like the other tables that make up the Yamaku group. I throw a few paper notes down that more than cover my share, leaving a large tip for the staff that put up with our shenanigans.

As our party starts to leave the restaurant, students tend to gravitate towards the different faculty members. The girls all decide to take a minute to use the restroom on their way out, so when Mitsuru and I walk out the door it only takes a moment to spot Nurse off to the side.

"Ah, Sasagawa and Nakai," he greets us. "Are you having fun tonight?"

"Dinner was great," I say. "I've been down here a few times but I've never eaten here. I'll have to do it again."

"Happy to hear it."

Mitsuru takes off his glasses and cleans the lenses. "We have a few more coming."

"No worries," Nurse smiles. "We'll probably have a dozen or so, if it's anything like the turnout last year."

"Do you skate?" I ask.

"Me? Nope. I never learned how to," he winks. "But given it's the one activity tonight that people could hurt themselves at, it makes sense for me to be the one who goes, doesn't it?"

"Has anyone hurt themselves before?"

"Nothing worse than a twisted ankle or a few bruises from falling down. What about you, Nakai? Feeling up to it?"

I've only managed to go ice skating a handful of times where I lived, and most of those times were in a similar situation to this one, where an ice rink would pop up for a few months in the city around winter time. Even then, I would only get enough time on skates to remember how not to fall down in them and vaguely propel my body forward.

"I haven't decided yet," I answer, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. Fortunately Miki, Suzu, and Chisato choose that moment to show up.

"Hello boys," Miki says, addressing not just me but Nurse as well. "Hope you're all ready to get crushed out there."

Mitsuru laughs. "We're not playing hockey, Miki."

"Who cares about that? I'm gonna try to see how fast I can do a lap around the rink."

"Do you skate a lot?"

"Every year! Gotta do something over the winter in addition to running. That track gets boring after going around it a hundred times."

"Try not to run anyone down, Miura," Nurse clears his throat. "I admire your enthusiasm though."

Miki beams at this, then turns towards me. "Saki and Noriko should be out here soon. They were only two places in line behind us."

"You'd think this place would have more than two stalls in the bathroom," Suzu grumbles.

More people end up joining our group until we have around fifteen total, with Noriko and Saki making up the last two stragglers. Saki links her fingers in mine the second she comes near, leaning into me and taking some pressure off her cane.

"You're not thinking of, uh…" I ask her, letting my voice trail off.

"I don't think they'll have a skate that fits the bottom of my cane, Hisao."

"...right."

"Besides," she continues, warming up. "I want to see all the Christmas decorations down there too, and it's closer to the studio."

Nurse waits a few more minutes until it's clear nobody else is going to be joining us tonight. With that, all of us start to walk down to the main downtown plaza, and as we reach the stairs leading down into it, we're greeted by what we're looking for.

The rink sits in the plaza at the base of the stairs, a white square about twenty meters across. A waist high barrier surrounds it, acting as both as a means of corralling the people inside the rink and giving them something to lean on to talk to those outside it. There's a few rows of benches arranged around it, with a white canopy off to the side labeled "Skate Rental".

A few students run ahead, eager to jump in. Our group is a bit more casual out of necessity, and Nurse sticks near us.

"We only have about half an hour before we have to leave to meet up with sensei," Saki warns, checking her watch when we reach the bottom of the steps.

"That's enough time if we start now," Chisato says. "Hurry up, Mitsuru!"

"I'll find a place on the bench for us to put our stuff," I volunteer.

It only takes a few minutes, but in the end Saki and I end up guarding our bags. Miki and Suzu are skating side by side, their motions slow and deliberate. Chisato and Mitsuru are doing the same, but going a bit faster. Noriko's having a heck of a time keeping her feet under her, but she manages to hang on to the wall for balance. Nurse is attentively leaning on the other side of that wall, looking out at and observing all the Yamaku students in his charge.

"I'm glad they're having a good time out there," I say to Saki, squeezing her hand.

She leans against my shoulder. "Hisao, would you like to go skating?" she asks, a playful lilt to her voice - something that always puts me on alert. A litany of objections start coming to mind.

"Uh...are you sure? You mean after the band me-"

She cuts me off by putting a finger to my lip, surprising me. "Shh. I'm asking if you would like to go skating."

"If we can't together-"

"If I could, which I assure you I can't, would you like to?" she teases.

I look back out at the rink again, and at Chisato pulling Mitsuru along. A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. "Yeah, I'd like that."

She shifts her body weight, bringing her hand to the back of my neck and pulling my head down. She gives me a quick kiss on my forehead, then presses hers against it to look into my eyes.

"Then get out there you idiot," she laughs. "I'll be fine here."

I know I could ask her if she's positive about this, but at this point her mind is made up and she'd get mad at me for questioning her...and besides, I do want to.

"If you insist," I say, standing up. "Thank you."

With a final wave from Saki, I head over to the rental tent and exchange one of my shoes for a pair of well-worn skates in my size. It only takes a few minutes to put them on, making sure the laces are tied as tight as possible. I can handle the circulation being cut off for a bit if it means I won't roll my ankle. I did that one time years ago and vowed it would never happen again.

I expertly dodge a group of children careening around me on their way to turn their skates in, and less expertly step onto the ice. My legs instantly start to lock up as they overcompensate the balance issues I'm having...but thankfully, I manage to keep my grip on the wall and not fall.

"Wooo, go Hisao!" I hear Saki's voice crying out. When I turn to look, I see her hands cupped around her mouth and a huge grin across her face. I also notice that everyone here from my class is staring at me, along with a few strangers.

My face turns red, but I smile anyway. Thanks, Saki. Fortunately, it only takes a few more tentative strides before the muscle memory kicks in, and I'm able to let go of the wall...still keeping it well within lunging distance.

Miki passes me on the left, laughing in my ear as spins in place and pulls up short in front of me. "Look at you! Not bad!"

"I told you I've done this before."

"Alright, I believe you! I thought you might have just been talking big for your girlfriend."

"Maybe you were doing the same thing to Suzu," I reply, but I know it's a weak statement as I say it.

"Not a chance. We've done this every year together since we started going to Yamaku, right Sooz?"

Suzu easily glides up next to her girlfriend and slips an arm around her waist. "Well, not together together…"

"Heh," Miki chuckles. "Sorry I made you wait so long," she says, resting her chin on top of Suzu's head.

Suzu nuzzles into it, holding her tighter. "You were worth the wait. Now come on, let's do a few more laps."

"Oh yeah, you wanted to hit up karaoke before we went back tonight, didn't ya?"

Suzu skates backwards and grabs Miki's hand, forcing her to speed up her pace.

"See ya!" she shouts over her shoulder.

We all skate for a few more minutes, my confidence on the ice increasing with every circle I make. I don't really keep pace with anyone specific, although I'll match with Noriko for a few seconds every time I pass her. She's also growing more sure of herself, but still shakes her arms jerkily every few seconds.

During the next pass I make, I notice Saki standing against the wall, trying to flag down Chisato and Mitsuru. I'm on the far side of the rink when those two come around to where she is, so I cut across the middle to reach them.

"That time already?" I ask.

"Afraid so," Saki replies. "We're heading up to the cafe, as soon as Chisato changes back into her shoes."

"Already on it," Chisato salutes, turning and skating back towards the entrance of the rink.

Saki turns back to Mitsuru. "Come up and meet us in about half an hour, okay?"

"We can do that. I would like to skate for a bit longer, if that's alright?" Mitsuru asks. It seems he's asking me as well as Saki for approval, something we have no problem in giving.

I shrug. "I wouldn't mind doing a few more laps. It's actually kind of fun, now that I remember how…"

Saki laughs and leans over to give me a quick kiss. "Make sure Noriko has fun too, alright? Give her a hand. Let her hold your arm or something for a lap or two. Poor girl's trying as hard as she can but still looks like she's going to fall over any minute."

I laugh. "Alright."

Saki waves as she turns around, the bells in her hair jingling. "See you all soon!"

Mitsuru turns to me. "Well, you heard the lady..."

We scan the ice to find Noriko and spot her across the rink. She's doing better than she was but still not nearly as well as Mitsuru or I am...which in the case of myself is saying something. The two of us nod to each other and skate off in her direction, giving her a shock as we move up to either side of her.

"H-hey guys, what's up?" she asks us nervously.

"Just gonna go around a few more times," I answer. "You?"

"Probably...why?"

Mitsuru offers her his hand. "Need help?"

Noriko thinks about it for a second, then takes it. She does the same to me, and the three of us start to speed up - not as fast as Mitsuru or I were skating by ourselves, but much faster than she was managing. It only takes a few seconds before Noriko is laughing excitedly.


"Think they're done yet?" I ask, the three of us walking in lockstep through the crowded intersection.

"If they aren't, we can just stop by the karaoke club," Mitsuru says.

"I still want to do that anyway!" Noriko exclaims, her enthusiasm evident. It's no wonder, given how much fun she had the last time we went there. I wouldn't mind it myself, and Miki went ahead with Suzu earlier. Maybe there's a way we can talk Saki and Chisato into popping in for a song or two with our classmates.

Downtown is even more alive than it was earlier, a large throng of people making their way between the shops and restaurants, all of which are bustling with activity. The density drops a bit the further we get from the ice rink, but it's still fairly crowded.

We turn the last corner and see the cafe lit up down the street, the flashing lights of Takamura's karaoke club two doors down painting the dark night with a myriad of bright colors. There's already a few people standing in small groups outside either, and I can barely make out Saki's dress.

"Looks like they're getting out now," I say.

It takes another intersection to cross before we reach them, but when we finally do, Saki and Chisato are all smiles.

"Did you all have fun?" Mitsuru asks.

"I think everyone here did," Chisato answers. "You?"

"Ask Noriko."

Noriko nods cheerfully. "Yes! Did you guys want to go sing a few songs, now that you're out?"

Saki laughs. "I wouldn't mind. If you want to go I'll join you guys in a few minutes." She glances back at Mrs. Sakamoto, who is deep in a discussion with two other students. "Sensei was going to open up the studio so we'd be able to check that everything was ready for tomorrow."

"That seems like a good idea. More time for us together tomorrow morning," I say, moving next to Saki and draping an arm around her shoulders.

She leans against me gently. "That's the plan."

"How late were you going to stay, Noriko?"

Noriko checks her watch. "Probably another hour or so, or until everyone else starts to go back to the school…"

Saki picks up on her hesitation. "We'll all head to the bus station to see you off."

While it wasn't something that we initially discussed, all of us immediately agree. Noriko smiles at this, even if there's sadness behind it.

"Ah, hello again Hisao, Mitsuru," I hear Mrs. Sakamoto's voice, having wrapped up her previous conversation. "I hope I didn't keep them from you for too long."

"Oh, I'm sure they did just fine without us for a bit," Saki teases.

The older woman shakes her head. "All right. Let's get this done quickly so you can go back to having fun tonight."

"Mind if we get a head start?" Chisato asks.

"We're just dropping off the sheet music and making sure my violin is tuned," Saki answers. "It should only take a few minutes, so go ahead. Just save me a spot in line, okay?"

"You got it!" Chisato winks. She grabs Mitsuru by the hand and the two of them start to walk over to the karaoke club. Noriko hesitates for a second before following them, giving us a small wave.

"You're not going with them?" Saki asks me.

"Nah. I already ditched you once tonight. I'll stick with you this time."

"Only if you think the five minutes this will take makes up for it."

"Excuse me? You were the one that insisted."

Saki lowers her voice. "Well I guess you'll just have to make it up to me later, won't you?"

My face goes red, causing her to grin. She never fails at it, even after all these months together.

When we reach the door of the studio, Mrs. Sakamoto unlocks it and swings it open. I enter the darkened room right behind her, remembering where the light switch is. With a loud click and a muted hum, the lights flicker on and bathe the three of us in a harsh incandescent glow. Saki immediately sets her bag down on a table next to the piano, digging through it and pulling out the sheaf of papers I retrieved from the band room earlier.

"You're sure this is the final draft for tomorrow, right?" Mrs. Sakamoto asks, taking the stack from Saki and thumbing through it.

"Yeah, I am. I think that's everything," Saki answers, her voice a little shaky. It's so subtle yet unexpected that I pick up on it right away, and what I hear gives me concern.

I smile in an attempt to cheer her up. "Tomorrow's the big day, huh?"

She takes a seat on the piano bench. "Y...yeah, I guess it is," she says, adopting a tone equal parts relief and fascination. "It really is."

Mrs. Sakamoto sits down next to her. "You should be proud. You've worked so hard for this and you absolutely deserve it. I can't wait to hear what the two of you sound like tomorrow."

Saki says nothing for a few seconds, but I can see tears welling up in her eyes. She gives a small smile before the slight motion causes her face to crack completely, collapsing into her hands in a light sob. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry…"

Saki's mentor puts a patient hand on her shoulder, at once trying to comfort her. The gesture also seems to tell me that this isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I should let her live in this moment.

"It's just…I never really thought that I'd make it to this point," she manages to get out between her sniffles. "I owe you all so much, for helping me, for putting up with me, hell, just even believing in me…I know it sounds stupid, but...I'm really happy. I get to make something...leave something...and I would have never been able to if I wasn't lucky enough to meet you…"

She breaks again as her tears renew, giving her teacher a tight hug. I can see her visibly trembling.

Making something. Leaving something.

I finally get it.

All this time, that was the missing piece. The reason she's put so much effort into this from before I've even met her, while going through everything life has thrown at her. She's been granted something most people in life might not get - the chance to leave something behind.

Something tangible. Something she created.

Something she never let life tell her she couldn't have, after everything else it had forced upon her.

She knows exactly what this means. It's both humbling and terrifying.

"You earned this," Mrs. Sakamoto says.

Saki sits up and wipes the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "You're goddamned right I did."

Mrs. Sakamoto scowls, but there's no malice in it. "Language, young lady."

Saki laughs, pulling a tissue out of her pocket and using it to dab at her eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't forget that."

"You know…"

"Hm?"

Saki turns her head to look at me. "I...um...would you mind if I didn't go to karaoke?"

"Why's that?" I ask softly.

"I...kind of want to sit outside on the bench and play my violin...that's not too strange, right?"

I put a hand on her other shoulder. "Nope, not at all."

Saki nods. "Thank you. I just...thank you."

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she smiles, putting her hand on my arm so I can help her to her feet. When I do, she embraces me in a tight hug. "You better promise to sing a song with everyone though."

"Are you telling me to ditch you again?"

"Yep. I'm going to put it on your tab."

Mrs. Sakamoto clears her throat. "Just don't take too long. I still have to lock up before I can go home tonight."

"I won't. I promise."

"I think that will give me just enough time to go back and get another coffee."

Saki bows. "Thank you."

After Mrs. Sakamoto leaves, I hover near the door, one foot in the studio and the other on the concrete out front. I know Saki wants me to go with everyone else, but I hope she won't begrudge me staying for an extra moment or two to help her.

"Where'd you leave your violin?"

"Mr. Takamura said he put it on one of the bottom shelves."

I bend down near the large shelf along the back wall, and quickly locate Saki's violin case sitting by itself. "Found it."

"Oh good, right where he said it was." Saki says, taking her cane from its resting spot against the piano and heading towards the door. I hold it open for her, and when she sits down on the bench, I set the case down next to her. "Thanks, Hisao."

I can see the delicate precision she uses to open it and remove the instrument inside. She puts it up to the crook of her neck and draws the bow across the strings, making the violin sing a lone, solemn note. When I see her visibly relax at the sound, I can tell it's my cue to leave.

"I'll be back after a song or two, I promise."

Saki laughs, fixing me with her gaze. "Take your time, I'm not going anywhere. Have fun."

I turn and walk the short distance to the adjacent karaoke club, stepping through the propped-open door. The front lobby has a few students I recognize from earlier, along with Mutou sitting in one of the leather chairs. He nods to acknowledge me, no doubt trying to avoid shouting at the volume necessary to be hear clearly over what's happening in the rooms right down the hallway. Apparently enough students have been coming and going to no longer phase him.

Walking down the hall, I can see handwritten signs taped to two of the doors, both saying that the rooms in question are reserved for the Yamaku party. I crack open the door of the first one right as a song dies down, squinting to make out the half dozen faces inside. The only two I recognise are Misaki and Maeda. When everyone turns to look at me, there's a bit of confusion as they're the only two who know who I am.

"Hey Hisao," Misaki says. "What's up?"

"Sorry," I answer. "Was looking for someone else. You see Miki and Suzu anywhere?"

"Other room," Maeda replies in a deadpan voice, turning his attention back to the song book in front of him. It doesn't feel as much an act of interest as one of dismissal.

"Thanks," I mumble, closing the door.

All right, I did say that if I ran into him, I wouldn't leave the building, but instead give myself permission to go into a different room. Fortunately when I reach it and step in, the reception is much warmer.

"Hey Hisao! Glad you made it!" Miki says, a large binder balanced on her and Suzu's laps.

I watch as Chisato and Noriko scoot over on the padded benches, giving me room to sit between them. "Hope I didn't miss out on too much."

"You can sing a duet with Noriko if you want," Chisato grins. "Suzu and Miki sang one and I sang one with Mitsuru. You have perfect timing."

"You know, I'm not too good at those…"

"You'll do fine! I'll pick an easy one!" Noriko says, apparently making the decision for both of us.

"Where's Saki?" Chisato asks, leaning back and linking her fingers behind her head.

I watch as Noriko finds whatever song she's looking for, and starts to enter the numbers into the remote. "She actually wanted to spend some time playing her violin. She's sitting outside."

"Do you think she's nervous about tomorrow?"

"If she is, it's only a small part of it. I just got the feeling she needed it, you know?"

"I think I'll go check on her," Chisato says, leaning forward and using the momentum to carry her to her feet.

"Aw, no fair! You're going to miss our song!" Noriko protests.

"Don't worry, I'll be back before the first chorus," her friend replies, before closing the door behind her.

"You better be," Noriko pouts, causing Suzu and Miki to crack up at her reaction.

She rebounds quickly, tossing the second microphone to me as the first chords of the song start to play. It's a generic pop hit from the last decade that almost everyone knows, and fortunately I'm included in that number. At least I know how it's supposed to sound; whether that helps me actually make it sound like that is another thing entirely. Luckily I manage to stumble along in some semblance of passable singing...but it falters a bit when we first make it through the chorus, then second verse, and finally the entire five minute song without Chisato coming back.

After Miki and Suzu finish cheering the end of our song, Mitsuru and I exchange a brief glance. Maybe he sees my unease in my body language, because when he flicks his eyes towards the door, I can sense the message he's trying to send me.

"I'm going to grab a drink from the vending machine," I say, standing up. "Does anyone want anything?"

Suzu perks up and digs into her pocket for her wallet. "Can you please get me a ramune? You can keep the change," she says, slipping me a few coins.

"You got it. Back in a second."

When the door closes behind me, I take a minute to think. I can't explain exactly why something doesn't feel right. Could it be the way Saki acted earlier, and that there's a sense I should be out there with her instead of in here? Perhaps Chisato just lost track of how long she was out talking with Saki or thought we wouldn't mind. Either one of those would be a much more likely reason, but with how high emotions are tonight, I simply can't shake how disquieted I am.

As soon as I step outside, my suspicions are confirmed, but not in any way I could have predicted.

I hear clipped angry voices in the middle of a heated argument...and they're voices I recognize.

"-we all worked on it, Maeda-"

"-that doesn't give you the right to record it, especially if you're using it just to pad your damned admission-"

I move quicker than I have all night to cover the distance between the door and the bench, where I see Saki and Chisato facing off against Maeda. Chisato is slightly in front of her friend, her hands positioned on her hips. Maeda's got his arms crossed in front of him, occasionally unfolding them to make a wild gesture with his hands. When I see Saki's face and the angry tears running down it, I see red.

"Hey," I say, placing a hand on Maeda's shoulder and spinning him around to face me. "Back off."

Whatever backbone I just found falters slightly as I see pain in his face - pain just as real as what I see in Saki's.

"This doesn't involve you, Nakai," he growls out, keeping his eyes boring into mine - something he's never done before, and something that makes me even madder.

"If you're going to yell at my girlfriend, then yeah, it does involve me. She's had enough shit to deal with the last few weeks without you acting-"

"Hisao!" Saki calls out to me, cutting me off.

"Oh, I know all about it," Maeda spits out. "I know about the project they were working on." He looks at Chisato. "You said you were recording it tomorrow, right?"

"What makes you think it has anything to do with you?" she shouts back.

Maeda's face twists in a complex cascade of emotions. Anger, shock, sadness, and finally a strained disbelief. He turns towards Saki. "You're kidding. They really have no idea, do they?"

"Maeda-"

"What are you talking about?"

"You didn't even tell them what you said to her? What you talked about?" Maeda challenges. "Does your new boyfriend even know what happened to Kayoko?"

"Maeda, stop!" Saki shouts.

"What does it matter, Maeda? She's gone," Chisato fires back, her voice fracturing from distress.

"Yeah. She's gone. If Saki hadn't put the idea into Kayoko's head-"

"It wasn't like that!" Saki practically shrieks, the sheer force of which causes Maeda to pause in his fury for a few seconds.

The lingering silence on all of our parts is deafening.

"It...it wasn't like that," she starts again, her voice small. "W-we talked, but..."

More silence follows as she trails off.

I scan all of their faces, not knowing what else to do. Maeda is still glaring at Saki, but his demeanor has lost its edge. He's still angry, but the look he gives is one fueled by an exhaustion and weariness. His eyes start to shine, tearing up from the sheer frustration he's feeling.

Chisato's glancing back and forth between the two of them, but her gaze eventually settles on Saki. Her face is a mixture of confusion and skepticism, her brow furrowing as she tries like me to process everything that's happening.

Saki can't look either of them in the eye. She's completely shrunken into herself, her shoulders slumped and trembling. She doesn't even glance in my direction, an alarming sign that stands out above everything else that's currently happening right now.

I have to do something, but what? How-

"Saki."

Chisato's voice makes all of us snap towards her, but she hasn't taken her eyes off Saki. Her friend looks at her with pleading eyes.

"What is Maeda talking about?" she asks, her tone firm.

Maeda starts to speak. "The same talk we had. She-"

"Shut up, Maeda," Chisato growls without even looking at him, leaving absolutely no room for argument or discussion. The combined assault of both her best friend and ex-boyfriend are too much for Saki to handle, and she wilts even further.

A sense of shock hits, a sudden clarity cutting through me so deeply that my chest instantly tightens up.

Oh God. Oh God.

I know what Saki talked to Kayoko about.

Saki's voice trembles. "Chisato, I...I talked to her, but I never said that she should...I…told her what I told you, what we had talked about...when I get older. I didn't," she stumbles, tears at the corner of her eyes. "I didn't think she would…"

Chisato still has a look of confusion, but it's now underlied with anger. "You...no. You didn't."

"Chisato," I say and try to put a hand on her arm. She shakes me off without so much as a glance in my direction, taking another step forward.

"Why? Why?"

"It wasn't like that, Chisato," Saki says, her cheeks stained a bright red from the shame she's feeling, tears rolling down them freely. "We were talking and she asked me how...how I deal with it, you know? And I told her. I told her." She fixes on Chisato's glare, a desperate look in her eyes. "Please Chisato, I never would brought it up if she didn't ask and if I ever thought she would do that to herself."

I was right. I wish I wasn't, but I am.

Chisato's voice and face both crack simultaneously, spiderwebbing into edges of raw emotion and pain. "She never came to me. She never...why? Not once...?"

"Chisato," I say again, this time with a bit more edge to my voice. I come up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders, and this time she doesn't squirm away. Instead, she doesn't react at all.

"When did you talk to her? How long before she had that episode in band?"

"Three weeks," Saki answers, all her willfulness gone.

Chisato whirls on Maeda, equally as furious. "You knew about this too and you didn't tell me after what had happened?"

Now it's Maeda's turn to look away, surprising me. "I couldn't."

When he doesn't offer anything more, Chisato takes a step towards him. "What do you mean, you couldn't?"

"I couldn't tell you that she had talked to me about it."

"What?" Saki asks under her breath, surprising me further. She didn't know about this?

Chisato notices it too, and is clearly hurt further by it. "Why?"

Maeda looks at the ground in front of him and closes his eyes, taking a large breath that he holds for an eternity before letting it out in a labored sigh.

"Kayoko was looking for you when she bumped into me first. I'm the one she talked to." He opens his eyes again and fixes Saki with such a hurt, contemptible stare that my blood goes cold. "Kayoko killed herself, and Saki's the reason she did it."

All at once, the fire explodes in Saki's eyes. With a strangled, anguished cry, she reaches back and slaps Maeda across the face as hard as she can, nearly knocking off his beret and causing him to stumble back…

...right in front of Mutou, who seems to have chosen that exact second to step outside.

"