Disclaimer: FoR belongs to Anzai Nobyuki.

A/N: Well, I'm continuing as planned ^_^; well actually a bit slower now… you see, (And here I start the excuses) I'm working on my friend's RPG's special anniversary project () and well… it's taking me forever to complete! ^_^; So this may be delayed slightly… I don't think I'm following my every second Saturday schedule very well either.

Chapter five

Your Tragic Loss Hurts Me

Dedicated to my best friend who helped me on this one.

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Her friends were there for her… all the way; Recca insisted that she stayed at their house with Kagerou, Yanagi waited on her; Domon and Karou waited outside the door for her to come out… and Ganko sat in the room with Fuuko, crying with her. Then there was Mikagami… he arranged the funeral for her, and opened up Fuuko's own house for her relatives, and did everything he could; whilst staying as cold and distant as possible.

"Fuuko nee-Chan…" cried Ganko. Fuuko wiped looked away from the window, her hair in a mess and her eyes all puffed up making her skin look deadly white.

"Yes, Ganko." She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"W-w- I-I I shouldn't have gone to Hana's house that night should've I … if you had gotten the news then… and you'd been alone… then I-I-Y-you…" her words were cut off as Fuuko reached out to grab her and hug her tenderly.

"Shhh… It's okay Ganko. It's okay." She whispered, yet it seemed as if she were saying it more to herself than to Ganko.

**********

Mikagami stood at the airport entrance and looked at Gretchen with a slight look of disgust. She'd dyed her hair orange… again… French… weird people. Yet so enchanting too. He managed a half-smirk, half-frown for Gretchen when she turned to him and winked playfully.

"I have weird cousins," he said looking at her. Gretchen laughed and then turned on the radio of his car.

"It's been so long since I last heard Japanese music!" she said then turned to Mikagami. "So, my dearest, coldest cousin. What's on our agenda today?" she asked. Mikagami put out a hand to turn the radio off.

"A funeral." He said calmly as they stopped outside his apartment. Gretchen made a face.

"A funeral… that's terrible sweetie… who died?" she asked.

"Somebody I know, her parents…" he said getting out of the car. Gretchen looked at him and frowned.

"Mika…"

"I'm okay." He whispered, but not to Gretchen.

**********

"I'm in love ma." Said Nikki as she put her head in her mother's lap. Her mother sighed and put a hand on Nikki's head.

"And who's the lucky guy?"

"Mikagami, Tokiya." She said sighing.

"That lonesome boy? Nikki, you can do better than that."

"But Ma." Protested Nikki. Her mother silenced her.

"Look Nikki. I had a talk with your guidance counselor and I have to tell you something now. I'm going to Sydney for a week… and I'm leaving you here alone." She said. Nikki looked up at her mother and smiled happily.

"Really? You mean it?" she asked. Her mother nodded.

"That's great Ma!" she said. Her mother looked at her daughter then smiled.

"I ordered Japanese food tonight, let's go to our secret room and eat it." She said. Nikki nodded and they got up.

**********

Fuuko sat away from the others who came to offer their sympathies. They stayed away from her, respecting her privacy. Relatives and old friends looked at her from a far and shook their heads in sympathy; first her twin sister now her parents. The people they got to know after Yuriko's death were mixing with the old and slowly everybody was going to find out what she and her parents had tried to hide under their once fascinating homely surfaces.

"Fuuko…" Fuuko stared at the tree in front of her and tightened her expression. "Fuuko, your relatives are saying weird things." Said Recca. Fuuko said nothing but walked off into the trees.

"The scent of essence sticks getting to you too?" asked a voice behind her. Fuuko turned around to see a young strange woman standing behind her. The woman looked at Fuuko's white clothes and sighed.

"You must be the predecessor of the deceased. I'm sorry…" she said. Fuuko looked at her and bowed her head to accept the condolence.

"Kirisawa, Fuuko. I do not believe I have met you before." She said. The girl opened her mouth to speak just as a voice shouted out:

"Gretchen!" Fuuko and Gretchen turned around to see Mikagami walk towards them, dressed in a Western style of mourning… a black suit, like some of the other mourners. He stopped and looked at Fuuko who stared at him, with a quivering bottom lip and shaky hands.

**********

Mikagami could feel him self sink deeper and deeper into Fuuko's gaze. She looked so vulnerable, so intensely… small. Not like Fuuko. All presence of everything else had disappeared. He took a step towards her and in just two steps she was in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. His arms wrapped even tighter around her as she went on crying.

"I'm sorry Fuuko." He said, closing his eyes as he watched her crumble into his arms. The wind blew softly, making the brownish autumn leaves rustle and fall off from the trees and slowly drift towards the ground. Small beams of sunlight finally made their way through the thick cover of the trees and made pretty little patterns at their feet.

There was a snap of twigs and Mikagami turned around to see Gretchen edging away from the two, almost in tears. Mikagami tried to let go of Fuuko but she just fainted into his arms, probably of exhaustion. Gretchen chose that moment to run into the forest… Mikagami sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around Fuuko and lifted her up. He carried her to the parking lot where he released her onto his backseat. Closing the door her ran off into the woods to find Gretchen.

**********

Fuuko woke up much later when the sun had almost set, she was back in Recca's house. Yanagi sat opposite the bed mixing the tea, and when she saw that Fuuko was awake she spoke;

"The cremation has been done, Mikagami brought you back." She said. Fuuko buried her head in the pillows. Yanagi bit her lip. "The lawyers are inquiring about you… Fuuko tell me, do you want to stay in Japan or would you prefer to go away with your relatives." She asked. Fuuko turned around, her eyes surprisingly dry.

"My parents grew up here and lived here all their lives, I'm staying here. I'll be 18 before I know it." She said. Yanagi nodded. Fuuko sighed and hoisted herself up. She had Ganko to take care of now. That was the only family that remained…

**********

Nikki looked over the grave that read Kirisawa, Fuuko. She closed her eyes and then looked up at stars above. She'd also been in the forest when Mikagami had held Fuuko. She's watched him take her back to the car. Instinct had then led her there. She'd read the name yet had not understood it. Yet she was sure it was the one thing that could destroy Fuuko Kirisawa. Couldn't she understand? Mikagami was going to be hers.

To be continued…

A/N: So sorry about the late update. And because it's so short too ^_^. I was held up.