A/N: As they unravel the mysteries behind the smiles of Hanamichi, the latter was trap in a world of grief, confusion, repression and anger. As every word they read slice through their hearts, the missing will be as it is…missing. His one final entry will be the last straw. Will they be able to get to him before it's too late?

Disclaimer: I don't own the poem here…copied it from an episode of As Told By Ginger™. I made one myself but I think the one from the show was better. I modified it a little to suit the situation.

"" are for dialogs and '' are for thoughts and texts in italics are for flashbacks and memories. Texts in italics-bold are for Michi while Text in bold are for Hana

The crimson rays of the fading sun punctuate every step he makes. It seems like he's telling a story with every fragile breath he take, with every move he creates. There's nothing brash about him anymore…for Michi decided to rest forever.

'I'll take over from now on Michi. Take your time to heal your wounds.' He murmured silently as he passed by the familiar places he and his alter ego used to go. He did not notice a certain someone who's lurking by an alleyway, eyes dark and vigilant, watching his every move.

"Sakuragi-kun!"

Someone called out, breaking his reverie. He turned around only to see Fuji's worried face. Hanamichi smiled sadly at the girl.

"Konbanwa, Fuji-san. What brings you to this part of the town?" he asked politely.

Fuji paled at the tone of his voice. 'This is not Sakuragi-kun. This is so not him.' She thought. "Um...well you didn't show up at practice today so we got really worried." The girl murmured as blush crept up her cheeks.

Hanamichi sighed. "Oh that… well I guess I just needed some time off." He replied.

"But you will play again right? It's not true what Anzai-sensei said that you emptied your locker yesterday right? You WILL be back right?" the girl fired her questions one after the other.

"Whoa! Slow down Fuji-san! What are you talking about?"

Fuji took a deep breath and held a shaking hand towards the redhead. "If you need someone to talk to… I'm here."

Hanamichi blinked in surprise at her statement. Never in his whole life he expected to be treated like this by someone he could hardly call a friend, much more from a girl.

" Ano…" Hanamichi muttered but Fuji already grabbed his hand.

"I'll be with you."

Sakuragi's residence

"Kami-sama! How could I do this to him!" Haruko sobbed. It seemed like all of Hanamichi's repressed emotions broke out because of her. Her rejection was the last straw. She realized that she is the reason the redhead finally snapped.

"Don't blame yourself Haruko. It's not all your fault." Ayako comforted the girl.

"N-no…no…I was the reason why he snapped. Oh god…" the girl continued to rapt.

Kaede was not paying attention to what was happening with the rest of the group. He sat down quietly and took the worn-out teddy bear from the corner and hugged it. 'Will you be too far away for me to reach Hanamichi? Will you let me heal your wounds? I want to….oh God you don't know how much I want to.' He took out the keychain that he bought earlier and clutched it close to his heart. "Hana…michi…" he murmured softly as he buried his head into the teddy bear.

"The boy needs medical care…" Akagi murmured under his breath. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug deep into his palm. Kogure's snapped up to look at his friend.

"What did you say?"

Akagi spun around to face the old lady, his face grim with anger. "That boy, Hanamichi, needs medical attention! Why the hell did you not do something about this right from the start?" he bellowed. The old woman just took a deep breath.

"Akagi! How dare you talk to her like that?" Yohei yelled at the third year.

"Gori…." The rest of the gundan gritted their teeth in anger.

"Oi Akagi! What the fuck are you trying to do now, letting your anger out on an old woman!" Mitsui spat. He advanced on Akagi, clutched his shirt and shook him violently.

"You guys…this is not the time for this." Ayako cried.

"The boy hates the hospital." The old woman announced. This got the attention of everyone, even Rukawa. Fuchikawa-san sighed once more and entered the room.

"His father died from heart attack… could've been saved but Hana-kun wasn't able to bring him to the hospital in time. How would you feel after everyone in that place assured you that everything will be fine, that he'll live through the ordeal then end up with a dead man in your arms? Would you still want to go back to such place that gave you nothing but false assurances?" she looked up to stare deep into Akagi's eyes.

Silence…a very long silence filled the room, as if noting an unknown understatement about the truth that they had unmasked.

In an empty park somewhere near Sakuragi's house

They've been quiet for quite sometime now, sited side by side in the swing. Hanamichi kept his eyes on the ground while Fuji swung gently in the amicable silence.

"You know…sometimes it's nice to know that somebody cared, despite how much I tried to convince myself that it's ok that no one did." Hanamichi suddenly spoke up. Fuji smiled.

"Well you should get used to the idea now. That's not hard to do isn't it?" the girl asked him.

Hanamichi sighed deeply. "No…it's not hard at all but I don't have anything left for me to go on living here, Fuji-san."

The girl turned only to meet his gloomy eyes. Those eyes that used to radiate youth were now void…cold. She reached out to touch his shoulders. "What are you trying to say Sakuragi-kun?"

"Long story short, I'll be leaving Kanagawa tomorrow. Maybe make a little stop-over at Miyagi to pay my dear relatives a visit…then probably vanish into thin air." Hanamichi replied.

"But what about your life?" she asked.

"I do not have a life Fuji-san…" Hanamichi said.

There was a soft rustle on the bushes as a dark shadow emerged behind them.

"He's quite correct little miss. He will not have a life… after tonight."

The two of them gasped and stumbled off the swings in a tangle of limbs. They saw Ryou, one of the gangsters who tried to destroy the basketball club a few months back, stepping into the pale light with a knife in his hand.

"You know... you've been quite a pest lately Sakuragi-kun." His small eyes glinted in malice.

Hanamichi snapped back into reality and cried. "Run Fuji-san! Get out of here!"

Fuji was unable to recover from her shock. Her eyes grew wide as she stared in horror at Ryou's knife.

"I SAID RUN!" Hanamichi screamed and tried to push her up on her feet.

"Aww got yourself a little girlfriend, Hana-kun?" Ryou taunted as he advanced on them.

Hanamichi felt his breath caught up in his throat when Ryou held the knife just above them. Without thinking twice, he draped his body over Fuji and hugged her protectively just as Ryou's hand made its deadly descent upon them.

"SAKURAGI-KUNNNNNN!"

Sakuragi's residence

Kaede's attention was shifted to the writings on the floor. It was the most recent entry since it was dated today. He shifted into a prone position as he began to read.

And He Was Gone

He chose to walk alone,

Though others wondered why.

Refused to look before him,

Kept eyes cast upwards,

Towards the sky.

He didn't have companions.

No need for earthly things.

Only wanted freedom,

From what he felt were puppet strings.

He longed to be a bird.

That he might fly away.

He pitied every blade of grass

For planted they would stay.

He longed to be a flame,

That brightly danced alone.

Felt jealous of the steam

That made the air its only home.

Some say he wished too hard.

Some say he wished too long.

But we awoke one autumn day

To find that he was gone.

The trees, they say, stood witness.

The sky refused to tell.

But someone who had seen it

Said the story played out well.

He spread his arms out wide,

Breathed in the break of dawn.

He just let go of all he held…

And then… he was gone.

More tears well up in Kaede's beautiful eyes as every word pierce though his heart. He kept tracing and re-tracing the redhead's handwriting with fingers when he heard a faint sound of an ambulance siren. It was then he realized that no one among them tried to speak after Akagi's outburst.

'And he was gone…' he ran the thought in his head when he suddenly felt a strong tug at his heart. His head snapped up to scan the other's faces to see signs of worry on their faces. The sound of the siren seemed to be fading into the night. 'No…' his breath caught up in his throat.

He suddenly stumbled to get on his feet regardless of the lightheadedness that came over him, surprising everyone.

"What happened to you?" Noma asked.

"We have to find him now." The fox-eyed brunette murmured while staring back at their startled expressions.

"Excuse me?" Akagi asked.

"WE HAVE TO GE THE FUCK OUT OF HERE AND FIND HANAMICHI NOW!"

A/N: oh yeah…mwahahahahahahaha! I'm such a cruel, cruel person. There you have it….another cliffie….and don't worry, I don't mind if you get a personal copy of this fic. I won't sue. I'm glad I tweaked a heart or two with this story. I'm nearing the end. Oh yeah….to the ones asking for the RuHana (was there any?), there you have it. evil grin

Ok let me just explain the concept of dual personality. Basically, studies have shown that once the alter ego or the second personality takes over the weaker one, it gains total domination of the body. This gives us the idea of having the suppressed personality to be stuck in a void or something. For people with conflicts with their alter egos, it's usually a power struggle all the time; take the concept of Darwin's evolution theory for example. It's survival of the fittest. Unlike what we have in the story, there is a harmonious relationship between the two personalities. It is very similar to having an imaginary friend. Still confused? Not my problem anymore ne? Heheheheheheheheh!