The Concept of Forever

~x~

Author's Note: I wanted to finish this earlier, but with the semester ending, it got a little hard... Still, I hope you like it! Oh, also, I tried not to go into too much detail, but this is a relatively adult scene in this chapter. Like I said, I didn't make it too detailed or long even, but you'll get the idea. I tried to keep it so that the story could continue being rated T, but if anyone feels that it should be bumped up, let me know!

~x~

Chapter Nine: Graduation Day

As the months passed, what had threatened to become an obsession was slowly forgotten. After telling Elie and Belnika most everything that they had overheard, the group of six found themselves constantly talking about it, trying to make sense of his words. None of them could think of anything concrete, so after a few weeks of talking about it, it began to fade away.

Besides, as seniors, they had other things to worry about. The last semester of the year had been spent rigorously preparing for graduation, making sure that everyone had the right amount of credits and that no one had any upstanding fees that would prevent them from walking across the stage. Out of the six of them, only Belnika intended on continuing her education; Let and Julia intended on joining the police academy on the mainland immediately after graduation, Musica planned on following in his grandfather and mentor's footsteps and continue their silver work, and Haru and Elie had decided to take a trip around the world.

It had gone unspoken, but the group of them knew that their graduation day might be the last time they would see each other for some time. Everyone was, in some way, leaving the Island. Every time Elie found herself thinking about not seeing everyone every day, it made her heart ache, so she – and everyone else – decided not to bother talking about it.

And while that plan had worked for the last five months, graduation day was only three days away now. Plans had been finalized. Haru planned on leaving the evening after, intending to go to his grandfather near Ribeyla Village so that he could live with Cattleya and Shuda. He would return about a month later, and after a few days of resting, all of them would take the ferry off the Island together and eventually go their separate ways. They would pass through the mainland Song Continent, leaving Musica in Blues Town so he could meet up with his old friend and mentor, Rize. When they reached Experiment, Haru and Elie would bid Let, Julia, and Belnika farewell as they continued to travel. It would be sad, to put it as mildly as they could.

For now, however, the group of them was simply trying to enjoy what little time together they had. Classes were over, exams had been turned in, and with just one more day of complete relaxation before the ceremony, they had decided to spend it together.

"How about we explore the Island?" suggested Haru, sitting in a chair backwards and resting his chin on his crossed arms. "That could be fun."

"Yeah sure," said Musica with an eye roll. "Let's explore the Island where three of us have pretty much spent our entire lives, and the other three had lived here long enough to see literally everything there is to see."

They were spending time together, certainly, but there was a problem; they didn't know what to do.

Elie giggled at his sarcasm. "We could go to the beach," she offered. "I heard Reina and Jegan talking about it, a lot of students are going there for a party."

"Party?" Julia asked, perking up. "With alcohol?"

"If Reina is there, there's probably more booze than you can handle," Musica said with a smirk, rising to his feet. "Though if Reina and Jegan were talking about it, Lucia's probably going to be there as well." A sort of sneer went around the group at the prospect; just because they had given up their search for what he had meant, didn't necessarily mean they liked him. "Did you hear how many other people were going?"

The brunette shook her head. "Not really. But they were talking about it like it was going to be a big thing," she said thoughtfully.

"You know, I think I remember hearing about that," said Haru, straightening up some. "Yeah, Shige was telling me about it the other day. It's supposed to be this huge thing, everyone is invited. There's going to be bonfires and barbecues and, of course, a whole lotta' alcohol."

The six of them exchanged a look for a second before they all scattered. "See ya' guys at the beach!" they called as everyone began to make their way home to change. With nothing else to do, a beach party sounded wonderful.

Ten minutes later, they were at the beach, welcomed by loud music and the sound of a lot of people having a good time. "Hey guys!" Reina called when she saw them, waving happily. A red solo cup was in her hand and the blush on her cheeks indicated that it was not her first. "I'm so glad you could make it!" Musica smirked, immediately sauntering over to her to flirt. She giggled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the water.

As promised, the party was quite large. Students from all grades were there, though the bulk of them were the seniors, drinking beer and soda and munching on chips as they waited for more burgers to be done. "Look," said Julia, pointed towards a long table. "Beer pong." Without another word, she stormed over there, determined to keep her title as the beer pong champion. Let followed behind her, not much of a drinker but still careful to keep his eye on her.

The other three decided to follow Musica and the others in the water, joining in a game of water volleyball, laughter and the mouth-watering smell of meat frying filling the air. By the time it was dark, most of the party was pleasantly drunk, Haru and Elie no exception. Bonfires had started as soon as the sun went down, and slowly people began to gather around them.

At Elie's bonfire sat herself and her five friends, Celia, and Reina, as well as another student, Julius, and his cousin, Nagisa. They sat around the fire on large logs with towels or hoodies draped over their shoulders as the seniors reminisced about some of the funnier moments.

"Remember when the drama teacher wanted us to act out a scene from The Crucible," Musica asked, snickering in between his words. "And we decided to ignore her instructions and do the scene in the back of the book?"

Everyone that had been in the class – which was everyone excluding Belnika, Celia, and Nagisa – began to laugh as they recalled the moment. "Yes!" Elie cried, smile wide. "And you called me a 'mad murderous bitch' in front of everyone!"

"And the teacher just stood there watching us with her mouth open!"

"And everyone started laughing and they gave us a standing ovation!"

By now, the group were all laughing, holding their sides as they recalled the look on the teachers face as Musica had pushed Elie to floor, red-faced, while screaming the obscenities at her. Even Elie had had a tough time keeping a straight face to finish the scene; she hadn't been able to at all while they were practicing.

When everyone finally calmed down, Musica grinned at Elie. "That is probably one of my all-time favorite memories," he concluded, taking a swig from his beer. Elie nodded in agreement, leaning against Haru contentedly.

As the evening went on, everyone – excluding Nagisa – kept drinking, finding themselves relatively drunk. They exchanged stories and memories for hours, sometimes laughing until they were gasping for air, and other times fondly looking into the fire as they remembered. As the fire died, everyone began to head home, relying on someone a little less drunk to help them walk straight.

When Elie quietly told Haru that she should also be getting home, he pulled her closer, pressing his lips against the side of her hair. "You should tell Sieg that you're spending the night with Julia," he whispered, too quietly for the others to hear. Since their first night together, Haru and Elie had occasionally arranged to spend the night together, usually waiting until Cattleya and Shuda were out of town and by telling Sieg that Elie was spending the night with her best friend.

Elie considered his words for a second, cheeks flushing. They had been getting more and more intimate over the course of their relationship, and something told the brunette that tonight might mark a rather...important occasion. She looked up at him for a second before nodding. Still a little drunk, she struggled to pull her phone out, and had to have Haru double check the text to make sure she hadn't messed anything up before sending it. The couple waited impatiently for his response, Haru's hand absentmindedly drawing circles on her side. When he finally responded in the affirmative, they rose to their feet.

Drunkenness was replaced by anticipation as they announced that they were also heading out. "We'll see ya' tomorrow," Haru said to their friends, waving with the hand that wasn't holding Elie's. With friendly waves and 'good night's exchanged, they took off.

The couple walked in companionable silence, broken only by the sound of their footsteps. Elie could hear her heartbeat as it rang in her ears, nerves settling in. Not the bad kind, however. "Are you nervous?" whispered Haru as they reached his house.

"A little," she replied just as quietly, squeezing his hand. "Are you?"

The blond thought about it for a second, pausing at his door. Gently, he pulled Elie in front of him, holding her body against his as he leaned down to kiss her. Over the course of their relationship, Haru and Elie had exchanged all sorts of kisses; some of them were sweet and gentle, some of them had been filled with fire and passion, but there was something different about this kiss. It held a sort of passion that made Elie's knees shake a little, but an equal amount of gentleness that she had come to expect from him.

This kiss was definitely different, Elie decided. Everything that Haru felt for her was poured into this kiss, and any nervousness that she felt was quickly soothed. When they finally broke away, Haru pressed his forehead against hers, saying nothing but conveying everything. He was not nervous, he was sure. And so was Elie.

Cattleya and Shuda were already asleep, so the couple quietly sneaked upstairs, their bodies close together. As soon as the door was shut behind her, Haru turned around and kissed her fierce enough to have her stumbling back against the door. She threw her arms around him and returned the intensity, feeling his hands leave trails of fire as he caressed her sides and waist.

It didn't take them long to move to the bed, breaking their kiss only when they had to. As if the kisses weren't enough to make Elie's head spin, his mouth moved down to her neck, teeth grazing against her skin gently. Involuntary gasps left her mouth as he did so, every action leaving her breathless. She could feel Haru's excitement against her leg, pressing against her eagerly.

As the night carried on, Elie felt more than just soft gasps leave her throat. The air was hot and sticky, but neither of them could find the strength to separate from each other. Occasionally, one of them would quietly moan out a name, hands clutching the bed, arms, anything they could reach. The night was passionate and long, filled with a sort of lust that the brunette thought could only exist in movies.

Elie was certain that there was nothing in the world she would remember as vividly as the first time she made love with Haru Glory.

It wasn't until the the moon was beginning its' descent back down that they collapsed next to each other, breathing heavily. Elie's legs felt like jelly, burning from the use of muscles in a way she hadn't before. She could only imagine how they would feel later. Next to her, Haru clumsily reached for her hand, gripping it tightly. Both of them were covered in a sheen of sweat, but Elie snuggled closer to him anyways, thankful that he had thought to turn the air conditioning on before they really got heated up. "Elie," she heard him mumble through a sleepy haze. She hummed in response, turning her head towards him when he didn't answer immediately. "I love you. I love you so much."

"And I love you," she promised, reaching up to kiss him. He returned the kiss passionately, and for a second, Elie thought she could feel him debating on whether or not he wanted to continue. He decided not to, however, content with just lying there with her head rested against his bare chest, bodies naked and entwined.

The two of them, both exhausted, silently began to drift off to sleep. "So," Haru said, clearing his throat after a few seconds. "It was good? Er, I was good?" he asked nervously, cheeks flushed at the question.

"Extremely," Elie assured him with a laugh, kissing the top of his chest. "What about me?"

"You were the best," Haru said immediately. They had already taken the time to learn each other's bodies, to know what the other enjoyed and what they didn't care for. "I loved every second of it." The brunette blushed at the praise, kissing his shoulder again. The two fell into silence again, Elie beginning to drift off to sleep as Haru's hand gently played with her hair. She finally fell asleep with her cheek pressed against his sweaty chest, a smile on her cheek.

When the two of them woke the next morning, it was on account of Shuda relentlessly pounding on the door. "Wake up, Haru! You're going to be late for your own graduation!" he called, sighing. The couple shot awake at his words, jumping out of bed and quickly grabbing their scattered clothing as they formulated an escape plan for Elie so that she would not be detected by Cattleya and Shuda.

In the end, she climbed down his window with Haru watching nervously from his room, not satisfied that she was safe until she had steadied herself on the ground. "I'll see you soon!" she called, blowing him a kiss before darting away from the house.

The run home was breathless and exhilarating, and Elie found that she couldn't stop laughing at her own inability to wake up in time. She burst into her house a few minutes later, storming to the bathroom to shower and wash away the night so that it would still be a secret. When all was said and done, she had finished showering, styling her hair and make-up, and dressed in about fifteen minutes; a record. "What on earth took you so long getting home?" asked Sieg when she presented herself downstairs. "You're supposed to be at the park in four minutes!"

"I'm sorry," Elie said with a grin, graduation cap and gown strewn over her shoulder. "I had a late night."

Thankfully, due to Hilda's almost manic driving, they made it to the park just in time for Elie to hear the final reminders not to throw your cap into the air after the ceremony had concluded. Elie pulled the white gown over her shoulders and zipped it up quickly, going to Julia and Belnika so they could help her situate the cap. "There you are," said Belnika in relief, clearly worried. "Haru just got here too."

Elie grinned, apologizing quickly before turning around so they could pin it up for her. "I have to tell you guys something later," she said, bursting with excitement. The girls exchanged a look of mild apprehension before the call to line up sounded. "It's good, I promise!" the brunette told them as she made her way to the back of the line.

As the seniors slowly filed onto the stage where they would wait for the opening speeches, Elie searched for the rest of her friends. They had been separated by their last names, but the graduating class was small enough that it almost didn't matter. Soon enough, the principal had said his piece and was beginning to call up the students one by one.

Watching her friends walk across the stage to receive their diploma's was perhaps one of Elie's happiest memories. She found herself nearing tears as her own name was called, and when the ceremony had concluded, she threw her hat into the air just like everyone else.

When they had collected their hats and filed off stage, the first thing that the brunette did was find Haru and throw her arms around him. "We did it!" she cried, laughing as he returned the hug by lifting her off the ground. "No more school ever again!"

"No more homework!" added Haru with a laugh, setting her down.

"No more copying homework," Musica corrected, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Or pretending to copy homework."

"No more waking up early every morning," Julia said, placing her hands on her hips. "No more summer reading or staying up all night writing papers."

While the group continued to list off all the things that they would never have to do – excluding Belnika – their respective families had come forth for pictures. "Let's get one of all of you," Cattleya said, already holding up the camera. The six of them did as they were instructed, posing for picture after picture – some with all of them, some with just the girls or just the guys, some of just Haru and Elie, some of just Let and Julia, some of every imaginable picture pose they could think of. By the time they were done, the graduates had thrown off their gowns and refused to put them back on. "We were planning a barbecue," Cattleya said, finally handing the camera off to Shuda. "You're all welcome to come if you'd like."

"We'll meet you guys there," said Haru, handing his cap and gown to his sister. "The six of us kind of wanted to hang out a little bit."

It went unsaid, but it would be the last chance they got together before they all left. The parents and siblings all nodded and gave them their space, following Cattleya back to her house to set up and wait. Still buzzing with happiness, the graduates made their way towards the small park that they had spent so much time at together. By the time they reached it, everyone had grown somber, forced to face the reality that they had all avoided for so long. "So," Musica said, breaking the silence. "Everything's settled?"

"Looks like it," Julia said, sitting down on a picnic bench next to Let. "Haru leaves in the morning, and when he gets back, we all leave."

The air around them grew sticky. "I'm going to miss you guys at ESU," Belnika sniffled, tears already in her violet eyes. "I know I haven't known you all as long, but you guys really are my best friends."

"We feel the same way about you, Belnika!" Elie promised, feeling her own eyes start to water. "I'm so happy that you moved here! We all are!"

Both girls now thoroughly crying, the rest of the group began to fight back their own tears. "It's going to be so weird, not seeing everyone all the time," Haru commented, hugging Elie. "But, I mean, it's not like we won't keep in touch, right? We can write, or whatever."

Agreement went across the group as they moved closer together, slowly forming a tight group hug one last time. "If any of you forget about me," Julia said, sniffling a little bit, "I'll punch you into the next week."

The following morning, the group met on the beach to bid Haru safe travel before he left for the mainland. Knowing that this wasn't the final goodbye made it easier, but Elie couldn't help but feel more than a little worried for him out there. "Please be safe," she told him, hugging him tightly. "Don't do anything reckless or stupid, okay?"

"Of course not," Haru promised, kissing the side of her head. "Come on, I'm not Musica."

The brunette laughed, ignoring the responding glare from Musica. "Good," she told him, reluctantly pulling away. "I'll see you in a month, then?"

He nodded. "It's a promise," he told her.

Exactly one month later, Elie was quickly making her way down to the beach to meet Haru's ferry. There was no real guarantee that it would arrive today, but the brunette had already decided on going to the beach every day to see if it was him. Much to her surprise, when she arrived, the ferry was already in the harbor, seemingly empty apart from the crew.

The brunette grinned, excitement bubbling up within her. Haru was back! She turned on her heel and began to half run, half skip to his house, a strange feeling coming over her. Elie hadn't expected him to come running over to see her immediately after he got back, but she did find it pretty strange that the ferry appeared to have been docked so long ago. I hope everything is alright, she thought, beginning to fear the worst.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Elie kept the smile plastered to her face as she made her way to his house, heart racing at the prospect of seeing him again. When she reached his house, however, she stopped. Something wasn't right, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. A little nervous now, she approached the house and knocked. To her surprise, the door quietly pushed open, having not been properly shut to begin with. "Haru? Cattleya?" she called, peeking her head in.

The sight of the dark house only made her worries grow. Skin crawling, she entered the house, looking around for some sign of life. "It's me, Elie. Is anyone home?" she called again, biting her lip.

Shuda appeared in the doorway leading into the kitchen, and although Elie could not see his face fully, she knew immediately that there was something very wrong. "Elie," he said quietly. "There's something...something you should know."

"What is it?"

The older man shook his head, ushering her forward. Feeling completely disconnected from her body by now, the brunette did as she was told and entered the kitchen, finding a soldier and Cattleya sitting at the small table. The solider looked up at her as she entered, but Cattleya just continued to stare at the table with large, unblinking eyes. "Cattleya?" Elie asked, her voice small. "What's going on?"

"You are a friend of Haru Glory's?" asked the soldier, rising so that she might sit. Elie did not move except to watch him, losing feeling in her fingertips. The way he said his name was all wrong. It was filled with dread, and Haru's name only ever brought forth sunshine and happiness.

"I'm his girlfriend."

The soldier took a deep breath, once again gesturing to the chair. Elie ignored him. "There's...no easy way to say this," he continued, looking at her sadly. "I'm terribly sorry, but your boyfriend is dead."

~x~

Author's Note: Phew, talk about a cliffhanger! We are officially done with all the filler chapters, and have moved onto the real drama that this story holds. Like I said before, I know exactly how I want this story to go from here, so I hope you all enjoyed it as much as possible as I kill a main character off! :D

Also, to Gangsta; you always give the best feedback, so I genuinely thank you for that. I understand that the chapter was pretty boring, and you were right in picking out the important parts; that is what I wanted the reader to pick up first and foremost, but I hadn't realized that it was as bogged down as it was. I don't remember if I had said this before or not, but the story does still take place in the Rave world, just a slightly altered timeline with some general modifications. Even still, I wanted the overall feel of the story to be that of something normal, even if it's mundane. Regardless, I really appreciate the constructive criticism, and I'll try to watch myself more carefully so it doesn't feel so sluggish from here on out!

That being said, I hope this chapter didn't go too fast haha.

I will probably not have the next chapter up by Christmas this time around, so I wish you all a happy holiday season and I will try to get chapter ten up as quickly as possible!