(I kept forgetting to mention this, but this takes place in the winter, in January.)

"Where are they?" Stormy asked, looking for the boys. She, Darcy, and Ami were near the entrance/exit of the school, waiting. They were in their normal clothes, their makeup gone, and in Stormy and Darcy's case, replaced by their normal makeup.

Darcy shrugged. "I dunno," she muttered, "But they better hurry up!"

The boys finally came a few minutes later, also in their normal apparel. "Come on, let's go!" Takuya said. He and Darcy started off to their destination, a small restaurant. Koichi and Stormy followed soon after, with Koji and Ami behind them.

Koji looked at Ami, who had her arms crossed and her eyes on the ground. Is she crazy? he thought. Going outside, in the middle of winter, without a jacket or anything else? He took off his own jacket, having a turtleneck-sweater underneath, and put it around Ami's shoulders.

She looked at him, and smiled slightly. "Thanks," she said softly.

Koji nodded. "No problem," he said. "You did great tonight, really. I knew you could."

Ami smiled shyly, looking at the ground once more. "I almost didn't," she admitted. "I almost ran out in the middle of the play. Wouldn't have been the first time. But when we were backstage, when you kissed me like that...was it...Was it real, or not?"

"I saw your parents," Koji said quickly, changing the subject. "But where was Takashi?"

Ami stopped abruptly, staring straight ahead. She quickly took Koji's jacket off and gave it back to him, mumbling, "Before I forget." Her shoulders were shaking as she ran off as fast as she could.

Koji ran after her, calling her name. He could feel his brother's and his friends' eyes watching him, and he could just barely hear them as they wondered what had just happened, but he didn't care as he continued to run after Ami, eventually following her into her house.

Ami's parents weren't home; they had come back and left again, but had left the door unlocked for Ami when she got home. Koji found Ami up in her room. He was a bit surprised by what he saw...

It was almost completely dark, the only light was from a few small candles on a small wooden table. Also on the table was a picture of a boy of about 17 years old. He had spiky black hair and dark blue eyes, and it was obvious he was Ami's brother. Ami was kneeling in front of the small table, softly saying something Koji couldn't understand. He could see the tears rolling down her cheeks, and walked over to her.

When Ami realized Koji was there, she stopped whispering and looked away, hoping to hide her tears. But it didn't work. Koji walked over to her, put on of his hands under her chin, and gently turned her head to face him. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Ami turned away from him. She got up and walked over to her window. "Takashi..." she said, staring out the window at the slowly falling snow. "He...He's dead." She started crying harder. Koji quickly got up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, hugging her. "I should've known. That would explain why I never met him."

"He's the reason we moved," Ami said softly.

"Huh?"

Ami nodded. "He wanted us to get out of Sachito, but my mother wouldn't listen. Even after our parents got divorced, she wouldn't even consider moving. Then...it happened. Afterward, she finally gave in."

"It?" Koji asked.

Ami nodded again as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "We were on our way home from a park one night," she said, her voice shaking. "I had already crossed the street, but he hadn't yet. When he did, a drunk driver sped through. I yelled at Takashi to stop and wait, but he didn't hear me." She had been in a bit of a trance as she spoke, as if she was reliving that fateful day. She looked up at the moon in the now clear sky, then quickly turned away from something only she could see.

Koji hugged her a bit tighter. "It's okay," he murmured softly. "Everything's okay now."

"No, it isn't," Ami said sadly. "I could've pushed Takashi out of the way. I could have...I could have..."

"Then you'd be gone," Koji said. "Everything happens for a reason, even things like death. It just happens, and no one can change that."

Ami hugged Koji. "I know," she said. "But I just wish that somehow...that I could change that."

Koji nodded. "And I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I don't," he said, gently brushing Ami's tears away. "And no one besides you ever will know. But you have to remember: He'll never really be gone. His spirit will live on in your heart, in your mind, and in your soul. I know it must be hard, but life goes on."

Ami nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said quietly. She sighed, then added, "I'm sorry."

Koji looked at her. "Why?"

"Because you got pulled into my dumb soup-opera of a life," Ami mumbled. "You probably don't want to hear any of this."

"That's not true," Koji said. "I want to get to know you better. I want to hear what you having to say. I want to...to..." His voice trailed off.

"You want to what?" Ami asked, her head ever-so-slightly tilted.

"I want to tell you...To tell you how much...How much you mean to me," Koji said. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly so nervous. "And that kiss you mentioned earlier, the one that happened backstage, that wasn't fake." He looked into her eyes. "Ami, I...I love you."

Ami looked back at him, blushing. "I-I love you, too, she said softly.

Just like before, Koji pulled Ami as close to himself as possible, and kissed her. Ami felt a mix of emotions as he held her protectively. She felt happy, breathless, and safe. Safety...that was something she hadn't felt since Takashi died. She hugged Koji tightly, glad to be in the warmth of his arms. After what felt like a wonderful eternity, Koji gently pulled away from Ami. He smiled and said, "Come on, the others'll be wondering where we went."

Ami nodded. "Yeah, okay." She grabbed a jacket from her closet, blew out the candles, then the new couple left Ami's house and headed for the small restaurant they knew their friends would be in.