Next one's here! Who's excited? I know I am! This one's such a sweet chapter, and that's all I can say without spoiling anything... even though there's the most obvious spoiler in the, um... yeah. Okay, this chapter is dedicated to Akemi and me-chan! So now you can't hate me/hunt me down... o.o

Born Again
Three, Kiss
Written by: Makami

It wasn't until they had gotten onto the bus that Misha realized how much she disliked them. The entire vehicle was fake, made mostly of metal. She hated it, the feeling of being trapped in this 'coffin'. The only thing that eased her mind was being able to hold on to Kotarou's arm. He was the only thing that calmed her then.

"Ko-Kotarou-kun..." She smiled softly and leaned against him.

With one hand he was holding on to a poll, and his other arm was claimed by the pink-haired girl. She held a death grip on his arm. As amused as he was by this scene, he did his best not to laugh. For Misha, this was just like the first time she was on a bus, and she was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. It was only understandable that she wasn't enjoying it.

It took a little maneouvering, but Kotarou managed to get his arm around Misha without her letting go. She refused to let go of him. He was okay with that, though. He didn't mind having her that close.

Her back was to him now, so she couldn't just look up and into his eyes, but his arm held her and gave her the reassurance she wanted. At each stop total strangers shoved them back and forth as they passed, and Misha always took the opportunity to check out their surroundings outside the bus. Most often she didn't recognize where they were, but Kotarou always explained it.

"Shino-chan lives far away, doesn't she?" Misha asked.

She felt Kotarou nod, "Yeah."

"It's nice of you to take her to school. We even got up early."

His arm tightened around her and he softly rested his head atop hers. Her smile grew.

"I was hoping you'd like to go for a walk?" he suggested. "After dropping of Shino, that it."

"Okay," she agreed, busy watching the passing scenery. It was all just a blur until they came to the stops.

"Baibai, Oniichan, Oneechan!" Shino called back as she made her way towards the elementary school.

"Bye, Shino-chan!"

Misha waved to the girl as she still clung to Kotarou's arm. It was the greatest feeling she could think of. Kotarou hadn't even complained about her clinging to him, either, so she assumed that it was fine with him.

"So now you have to go to school?" she wondered, looking up at him.

He gazed down at her, looking a little shocked.

"I, uh..."

She smiled up at him, "I think I know the way back. I should be fine."

"I can't send you back on your own!" he protested.

She laughed off his worry.

"Kotarou-kun! I said I'd be okay! I remember how we got here and everything!"

"I won't leave you to wander the streets on your own, Misha!" he repeated, his expression full of utter disbelief.

"But if you take me home first, you'll be late!" she countered.

He started walking away from the elementary school, making sure that the confused girl was still holding on to him. He knew that she meant well, but he couldn't leave her alone yet.

"Kotarou-kun...?"

He grinned down at her, "I made a promise, didn't I?"

"A... promise...?" she repeated unsurely. "What?"

"We're going for a walk," he stated very matter-of-factly. "And no more arguements, got that?"

There was something soft in his voice that made her blush deeply, though he was being firm.

"I understand, Kotarou-kun."

They walked around for a while. Misha couldn't recognize any of the stores of landmarks, as usual, but she did keep getting the feeling as though she'd been there before. And just as always, Kotarou told her about the places and any significance they held to her.

"Want to go to the park?" he suggested. "There's a small lake, and lots of flowers. I'm sure you'll love it there."

Misha stood boredly and the park entrance, waiting patiently for Kotarou to return. He was standing in line to buy them ice cream at the concession. She had been with him at first, but all of those strange people and faces had overwhelmed her. She hadn't been able to stay in the crowd.

"Misha, here you go," Kotarou offered, holding out a chocolate ice cream waffle cone.

She smiled at him and took the waffle cone from him. The cone was cold from the ice cream inside. She tasted the cold sweetness cautiously, and decided that she liked it.

"It's sooooo good, Kotarou-kun!" she squealed. "Yummy! Su!"

"Misha, you"

She stopped, blinked cluelessly a few times, then settled for staring at him curiously. What had she done? What could she have possibly done to earn that look upon his face?"

"Did I... say something wrong?"

Panic crossed his face for a moment but he quickly recovered with an elated smile.

"I used to think that was weird," he began, "but just now, hearing you say it again..."

"S-Say what?" she questioned. What had she said?

"'Su'," he replied.

She almost fell over.

'Over... that?' she wondered. 'Did I even say it? I guess I did, if he heard me...'

He laughed at himself, and at her reaction.

"Forget it, forget it."

"B-But..." she tried to protest. 'I don't get it...'

He offered his arm to her once more. With one hand holding her treat and the other momentarily free she accepted the gesture. She watched him as he led her into the park by the cement pathway. His ice cream was white. She wondered how differently it tasted from her own.

'Is something wrong?' she silently wondered. Glancing up at his face she noticed that he was struggling with his emotions. But why? What would make him unhappy?

'He probably wishes that I was me at this moment,' she concluded. 'Yeah. That must be it. It's not the same with me. I can't remember anything. How... How pathetic.'

"Is something wrong?" Ironic that it was he who asked the question.

"N-No," she replied, forcing a smile up at him. "I think I'm just a little tired, though."

"Do you want to go home?"

She shook her head no.

"I like it here. It's really nice."

'Yeah. What a let down for him. This would be sooo romantic if it wasn't for me.'

"Oh, there's the lake." He pointed it out. "It's man-made but it's still pretty, isn't it?"

She smiled and nodded.

The 'lake' was small, but still too large to be called anything less. Along its shores were assorted trees and shrubs and colourful flowers. Most of the trees were big and old, the kind that had to have seen at least a century pass them by. And on the far side there was a willow tree, it's long tendrils swaying peacefully on the wind. Even the shrubs had colour, spotted white or blue or pink or purple from their blossoms. It was really pretty.

"It's sooo amazing, Kotaro"

She froze when she realized that he was staring at her, and not at the lake.

"Kotarou-kun?" she questioned. "Um, thank you for being so patient with me." She looked away and back to the lake. "It really means a lot to me. I jsut with that I could remember something."

She gasped softly as his arms wrapped around her body tightly. Their ice cream fell to the ground with a sickening plop. the warmth of his arms filled her. It was alive. He was alove, and so very gentle.

"Just let me hold you," he breathed.

His voice was filled with so much pain she nearly cried out for him.

"Please. Just let me," he pleaded. "Misha, I love you. I love you."

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt against him. Soft splashing filled her ears, as did the melodous laughter of a young man. She could see his image faintly in her mind. She could see such soft, sorrowful eyes and a bittersweet smile.

Her eyes opened slowly, 'What is that...?'

Kotarou held her a little tighter as though he had noticed that something was wrong. She was happy in his arms, yes. It felt right. Even so, she felt as though something was off. Something wasn't right. Something was missing. She couldn't shake the image of that young man from her mind. He was Kotarou, but he wasn't.

Kotarou pulled back and stared down at her. Her heart fluttered. He was looking at her with such a loving expression, and his fingers softly brushed against her face and through her hair. He leaned in slowly, awkwardly and unsurely, but he didn't pull away.

Her first thoughts were unclear. She wanted him to kiss her. She didn't want to kiss him. She didn't want to do this while she didn't know who she was. What she was. How could she possibly give him everything he needed when she didn' teven know what she needed?

Regardless of her thoughts, she let him tilt her chin up, and his soft, so very warm lips brush over hers before he kissed her for the first time. His lips, his warmth, his scent... she knew those things. She was in bliss.

"I..." She was speechless when he pulled away. Already her lips missed his warmth.

Silently he pulled her back into his arms and he held her close. Neither of them spoke. Misha closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She'd been waiting for this, she knew. In her heart she knew what she had always felt for him. She loved him.

"Stay with me forever?"

She nodded slowly.

"Yes. Yes, Kotarou-kun," she breathed. 'It want to be with him... forever.'

She waited until she was sure that Kotarou was asleep in the livingroom before she changed her clothes. Out of all the clothing that Koboshi had given to her to borrow she liked the dresses best. She chose a cream coloured one, short sleeved, that came down to around her knees, and was ruffled at the hems. It was cute, but not childish.

Just perfect.

She peeked over at Kotarou on her way to the door, just to make sure that he was actually asleep. He was, and very soundly from the looks of it. She tip-toed her way to the front door and left, closing the door softly behind her. She stopped and fced the door.

"I'll just be a little whle, Kotarou-kun. I want to know what it was I saw earlier. Don't worry about me, I know the way."

Kotarou's eyes fluttered open as he felt a soft breeze pass over him. He was still while his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the room. When he finally sat up he saw that the curtains were billowing. As the wind from the opened windows carried the curtains, a lone figure was revealed upon his balcony. He couldn't make out any features, though. Maybe it was the lighting, but the figure appeared to be made of several shadows moving over and around one another.

"She's ours this time," it said to him. Its statement was possessive, but it sounded happy and a little relieved. "So you have to take really good care of her. Watch her. Love her, as I wish I could have."

Kotarou was confused, but he was sure he recognized that soft, sad voice.

"Kotaroh-san."

"She's out now. Go find her."

He smiled softly.

"I will."

Kotarou's eyes opened slowly. It took him a second to realize that he was in his livingroom.

'What a weird dream,' he thought.

He heard a soft click. He turned to face the front door. Was it his father? No, no it couldn't be. His father would still be at the office, either working or sleeping there.

"Misha...?"

"She's out now. Go find her."

"Oh..." He strung a few colourful words togetehr under his breath and got to his feet.

He checked the room she was staying in. No one. He then checked his father's room and then every other possible room in the apartments until he was sure that she wasn't there.

Another beautiful series of words escaped him.

'Where did you go?'

Okay, first off, I know swearing isn't really Kotarou's thing, but I figure he'd be a little panicked, and, well, no one really knows what else to say besides thos colourful little expressions. Unless you stay calm. But I didn't want to make him calm. So THERE! XD Just kidding. And what really sucks is that the dividers don't stay anymore. Want to read versions that are actually as I intended them? The link to mai fanfiction site is in my bio.

Makami