Makoto was busy shuffling the papers on his desk, and reached over to grab his cup of coffee. He brought it up to his lips and took a sip of the delicious, warm liquid, before setting it back down with a satisfied sigh.

"Hey."

Makoto looked up when he heard her voice. He smiled as his eyes met beautiful purple ones, as well as a small smile.

"Kyoko!" He said as she walked over. "I can't believe I didn't hear you come in." The door to his office was very loud, so he was surprised she'd managed to open it and slip inside without making a noise. This was Kyoko, though. She always found a way to do stuff like that.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she walked over behind him, and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him. He smiled as he felt her warmth against his back. As usual, she was wearing her black gloves, which rested against his chest. He could smell her perfume, and it smelled like lavender. Wait, did she always wear perfume? He couldn't remember…

"Oh, I'm looking at the applications for the next class of students." He said as he lifted up two of the papers to show Kyoko. "We've got some interesting ones this year: the Ultimate Chess Player, the Ultimate Archeologist, the Ultimate Songwriter…"

"Seems exciting. You've gotten really good at this." Kyoko said, snuggling up even more against Makoto. Makoto couldn't help but blush. He couldn't believe how long it took for him to realize his feelings for her. They'd always been there, but he just hadn't realized it. Thankfully, he'd realized it and said something…before it had been too late…

"Thank you. I'm just lucky to have you to keep me sane while doing all the paperwork." Makoto said with a laugh, and Kyoko smiled. She pulled away from him, and moved in front of him. She cleared away some space on the desk and sat on it. Makoto gave her a puzzled look before she grabbed his tie and yanked it, causing him to fall forward, where she met him with a kiss.

Makoto gasped in surprise at first, but he quickly closed his eyes and kissed her back. Her lips were warm and soft. Every single kiss they shared felt magical, unreal, and perfect. More perfect that he could imagine. He looked forward to every single one.

But then, her lips suddenly became cold, and dry. Makoto furrowed his brows, and opened his eyes. He cried out and leapt away from Kyoko as he saw it.

Half of her face was decayed and purple, like she'd somehow gotten choked out, but it had only affected half of her face. The other half of her face was a pale grey. Her eyes were no longer a bright purple, but were instead dull and lifeless.

"Makoto?"

Makoto blinked and Kyoko's face was back to normal, her expression one of concern. Makoto felt cold sweat dripping down his spine as he struggled to regain his breathing. His body shivered in terror. Kyoko went silent, and simply got off the desk, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him once more. Almost immediately, he put his arms around her as well, and began to sob into her shoulder. She rubbed his back gently, doing her best to try to calm him down.

"I-I'm sorry, Kyoko…" Makoto said through his sobs.

"Makoto…"

"I'm sorry…it…it was all my fault, I…I should've…" Makoto blubbered out the words as Kyoko continued to comfort him.

"Makoto…" Kyoko said again. "It's okay…I promise you it's okay…"

"But…"

"Makoto…it was years ago…you have to let go…"

Makoto fell out of his seat as Kyoko was suddenly gone, leaving him nothing to lean against anymore. He winced as he hit the wooden floor harder than he would've liked. He immediately felt her absence, the missing warmth and love he wanted, that he needed.

Now alone, Makoto curled up into a ball right there on the floor, and cried, and cried, and cried, trying desperately to hold on to a fleeting image of the woman he loved as she drew further and further away from his aching heart.