Death of My Love

Akiko Chan

Info- This is told from Omi's point of view.

They say it is better to have loved and lost, then to never have loved at all. I can't tell you if that is true. It's like a two-sided knife; you get hurt either way. My eyes close and the memories are crystal clear. I look down to the picture in my hand. One of those from those photo booths in the mall.

She wanted me to go to the mall with her. She took me to a lot of stores. She made me stand outside the dressing room so I could see them. Then she'd ask me what I thought of them. We went to a place to eat. After we left the restaurant, she spotted a photo booth. She pulled me over to it, almost causing me to drop my pop.

Her eyes met mine before the booth. They were sparkling and she asks

"Do you want to?"

She had both her hands around my hand. Standing at arms length and smiling. I walk towards her, her hands letting go. I put my arm around her and lean in.

"Of course."

She pulled money from her purse, put it in the machine and pulled me inside. We set with my arm around her shoulders and her arm around my waist. The area was small and the sides of our faces were touching. It took the pictures and the screen in front of us goes black. Then orange letters appear. "Your pictures are printing out now."

We leave the booth and watch it print out 6 little pictures on a strip. I grab the strip when it is done printing. She pulls scissors from her purse.

"Let me cut it in half." She said.

I held the strip out and she cuts. She smiled at me and said.

"I'll take the top half, you take the bottom. This way we'll always remember this day." I smiled and handed the top half to her.

I hold the bottom half in my hand right now. The ocean was the background we selected. I flip the picture over. I remember now, we wrote a message on each other's half. It seems as though the writing is already faded. To Omi, Remember Always, Ouka. It saddens me to know I may never hold her again. She is in her final resting-place. I feel the tears in my eyes.

In my mind I know our relationship was wrong. I loved her very much. Even after we found out we were brother and sister*, we still loved each other. I held her in my arms and kissed her. We were going to say together forever. I know in my heart that it was right. And a shot was fired hitting her in her back. Her eyes looked up at me in pain. She died in my arms. Bleeding from her back. I screamed out her name multiple times and cried as the rest of Weiß stood around and watched.

I cried then as I am crying now. I lean my back against the side of my bed. I put the picture to the side of me not wanting to get it wet with tears. A soft knock is heard at my door. I try to quiet my sobs and get myself to the point where I can speak.

"Come in." I say, my voice telling whoever was at the door that I had been crying.

The door opens and in walks the blond.

"Is everything all right Bishounen?"

I wipe the tears from my eyes and begin to say yes but I stop.

"No... no...everything is not all right. She's dead and I'll never hold her again."

He shuts the door, walks over to me and kneels down. I know he knows I'm talking about Ouka.

"It's hard to lose someone you loved. I'd like to tell you, you'll get over it, but I don't believe that."

"How can you understand? You've never lost anyone you've loved."

"I've never! I understand perfectly well because I've lost my lover. Did I ever tell you I was a Private Investigator before I joined?"

I open my mouth to answer but Yohji just went on as if no question was ever asked.

"My partner's name was Asuka. We loved each other. If she wasn't killed during a blotched assignment, I think we would of gotten married. But like how it is with you and your Ouka, I will never hold her again. She did not die in my arms but she was killed right in front of me and I couldn't do anything about it. I can replay the whole scene in my head and it will never go away."

A long awkward silence, where we just set there thinking to ourselves. Then it broke.

"Yohji-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think it's better to have loved and lost, then to never have loved at all?"

"I do, because no matter how much it hurts to remember her, I wouldn't trade her memory for the world."

"I agree with you. Earlier, I was unsure but I know now."

* They aren't really brother and sister. They are cousin, but all that is confusing. Otherwise I would explain it more.