The tears would not stop even as she slept. Everything was coming back to her. From the first time she met the other boy, to their first kiss, to the moment she lost him. For some reason, she felt that no one should get close to her, for fear of dragging them into some life-threatening situation. She had had enough.

But Nishiya seemed to offer her the comfort that she needed for the longest time. Japan was not a militaristic nation like it used to be. Times had changed. It was less likely that Mikasa would lose anyone close to her. She remembered one of the conversations she had with the other boy before everything.

Before the war started.

Before she lost him.

Flashback: January, 1904

"Hey," said the boy. "Do you believe in reincarnation?" Mikasa shook her head.

"No," she said. "What's that?"

The boy began an in-depth explanation of what reincarnation actually was. Mikasa laughed, putting the topic aside as rubbish.

"But it makes sense, right?" the boy retorted. Mikasa shrugged.

"Sure, but," she said. "People only live once. I mean, sure some living things can live a LONG time, but even they only live once."

The boy laughed.

"I only believe in this stuff," he said, inching a bit closer to Mikasa, "because I can't live as long a life as you can. But even if I can't be with you forever," he inched a bit more closer, "at least I can come back to you." Mikasa blushed at how close he was, but didn't really care.

"Then you better come back," she said, inching herself closer to him this time.

"Of course I will," he replied. "I love you."

Their lips finally met...

... and Mikasa finally awoke from her dream, tears making puddles on her bed.

Nishiya was slightly depressed when he got to school the next day. He personally felt that he made Mikasa cry somehow and wanted to apologize. When Nishiya got to school, however, he found that Mikasa was not there. He continued through the day as normal, but once school was out he immediately went to the naval base. Once he got there, however, he did not know what to do.

He sighed.

Nishiya did not know what he did wrong. Depressed, he walked back home. Then he stopped.

Someone was walking across the street towards the naval base. It looked like a Latin-American girl. Nishiya quickly forgot about her, however, putting her aside as some sort of tourist.

There was a knock on Mikasa's door. When she opened it, she half expected Akagi at the door. Instead she found a tan-skinned Latin-American girl standing at her doorstep. Mikasa's expression brightened.

"Canada!" she exclaimed. The girl sighed.

"It's Almirante Latorre," she said. "Get it right for once." Mikasa put on a pouty face.

"That's too long," she said. "Can't it just be Latorre?"

"...fine..."

"You can't fool me," Latorre said. "That smile of yours is fake." Mikasa frowned.

"... How did you guess...?" Mikasa asked sarcastically. Latorre rolled her eyes.

"Because Mitsubishi Heavy Industries used MY parts to repair your hull, superstructure, etc..." Latorre sighed. "Seriously, onee-chan, I'm not stupid."

"True," Mikasa replied with a lack of energy. Latorre turned her head to one angle.

"Is this about a boy?" she asked flat out. Mikasa's face immediately flushed red.

"W-What are you talking about!?" she exclaimed. "Of course not! Where did that idea even come from anyway!?" Latorre smiled triumphantly.

"Looks like I was right!" she said. "So what happened? Did he dump you or something?" Mikasa's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

The next day...

"So Latorre, how was your first day of school?" asked Mikasa. Latorre hung her head.

"Ugh... Muy mal," she replied. "Everyone kept on bugging me to speak Spanish or English and asking where Chile is on the map." Mikasa laughed.

"At least your Japanese is getting better," she said. Latorre nodded.

"Yeah... the kanji though..." Mikasa chuckled nervously.

"You're not the only one." Latorre blinked.

"But weren't you raised in Japan?" she asked. Mikasa nodded.

"True, but I was still born in England."

"Oh," said Latorre. "Forgot about that..."

"It's fine," Mikasa said. The two arrived at Mikasa's room. Then her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the message.

Nishiya: Can we talk?

Mikasa: Why?

Nishiya: My emotional state is as stable as the Balkans in 1914.

Mikasa: That can't be good.

Nishiya: I know.

Mikasa paused. Was this actually a good idea? Then again, Nishiya was her friend. And friends help each other.

Right?

The two agreed to meet near the Mikasa memorial ship (for obvious reasons) mainly because it was rather close to their respective homes. It was a rainy day. Latorre remained in Mikasa's room to catch up with studying (and chat with her friends in Chile) as Mikasa walked out the door.

There was still some time to kill. She walked about the lower decks of her warship self, playing some of the few audio tour stations, walking about the employee only areas, and other stuff. All the while pondering.

For all intensive purposes, she was more concerned about Nishiya's safety for some reason or another. Maybe agreeing to meet at the park was a bad idea. But a friend with an unstable emotional state is more dangerous. She didn't want him to try and kill himself or anything.

There was a knock on the wall next to Mikasa. She jumped in surprise and let out a small "eep!" Then she heard chuckling from behind her.

"Sorry," Nishiya said. "Couldn't help it." He tried to muffle his laughter a bit more, but it was still noticeable.

Before long, Mikasa started to laugh as well.

"Sounds like you're doing all right," Mikasa said.

"That's my line," Nishiya replied.

The two walked onto the deck of the ship. The salty air whistled across the ship, howling slightly as it flowed over the twelve-inch main guns.

"Okay, now to business." Nishiya turned around. "What the bloody hell did I do wrong?"

Mikasa blinked.

"What?" Then she remembered that she had been sort of shunting him for the past few days.

"Oh, it's nothing," she replied. "It's just that... you reminded me of a friend."

"What happened to... actually never mind," Nishiya stopped himself. Maybe not a good idea to ask questions about someone who probably died.

"I mean, you weren't at school the other day so..." a faint blush appeared on his face. "I was worried, I guess."

Mikasa's face slowly flushed red.

Well.

This is awkward.

"A-anyway," Nishiya stuttered. "Feeling a little better?"

"Yeah," Mikasa replied. "Thanks."

The two walked off the ship, but not before walking around for a bit below decks. They stopped at the gift shop, where Nishiya bought a Z-flag keychain.

"Oh yeah," Mikasa remembered. "Did I forget one of my notebooks at your house?" Nishiya blinked.

"Maybe," he replied. "I'm not sure." Mikasa smiled.

"Good excuse to go to your house then," she said. "C'mon! Let's go!"

Mikasa skipped across the street as Nishiya followed, a smile on his face. Then there was an extremely loud skreech. Nishiya's eyes widened. He ran towards Mikasa, who had a look of shock on her face. He pushed Mikasa onto the road.

The next thing Mikasa knew a car had stopped right in front of her and Nishiya was flying across the road.

Author's notes: Jeez... I'm horrible XD I feel like Yoshiyuki Tomino when he was directing (?) Victory Gundam. Killing off characters left and right.

Please review and such. It keeps me writing.

Keep on keeping on,

-SPSH Karl