salut et quoi de neuf (hi and what's new)! for ch. 7, there are a few things that i need to address. first of all, this is rated T, so if you are a little disturbed by blood/language, you have been warned (although i think it's only blood in this chapter). also, i wrote this pretty quick, so désolé if i repeat words, have some typos, or grammar bugs (i did proofread, but sometimes i miss things). lastly, i would recommend keeping some tissues close by... merci beaucoup to everyone who favorited/alerted this story. read, review, and enjoy Like Snow ch. 7, s'il vous plait.

disclaimer: i do not own full moon wo sagashite, but all new songs mitsuki writes are mine

Love Chronicle:

Why? I've completely forgotten how to love

Meetings will come someday with the beginning of parting

Somehow, I have decided upon that idea

It felt like a dream. That one perfect run and the snow that was sparkling like expensive gems - there was no way that it could be real. But as he was feeling the exhilaration swell in his heart, he knew that there was a chance that it could be over nothing at all.

"You have saved me

Even though I can't see you now

I feel the shadow covering me

But the light of you is still shining."

His music pulsed through his ipod and into his ears, but directly connecting to his heart. Mitsuki was singing to him, and he was sure that she was waiting for him at the base of the mountain. How come he had a sense that they would never meet? Was he being worried that after they had gotten so close, they were still very far away?

The wind rushed past his body and he skis were slick on the slushy snow. Even though the conditions seemed difficult, he was confident that he would make it - he had done harder runs before. After two years, he would do anything or go through any obstacle just to see her for a brief moment. With her words echoing in his head, he had no clue that someone was waiting for him.

Izumi watched with amusement, following Eichi down the hill. "If Miki knew what I was doing, she wouldn't like me anymore…" he said, his conscience screaming at him. "But Miki's not the boss of me…" he hopped off of his post and floated next to Eichi as he continued to descend down the mountain, gaining speed. The shadow of a snowboarder nearby caught Izumi's attention. A sly grin spread across his face. So this is what fate has in store for him…interesting.

Eichi's face was determined and focused. Izumi studied the skill and movement he used to navigate through anything blocking his way. It was impressive, and Izumi almost felt guilty to be taking his life - but then again he didn't end it.

"Mitsuki…I'm coming." He heard Eichi say, almost out of breath. Izumi wasn't sure how many runs he had went on before this one, but he knew that Eichi was exhausted. The things people do for love, he shook his head, remembering the experiences he had where he acted exactly like Eichi was. Desperate, hopeful, and worried were feelings that he noticed caused a situation similar to this, and he knew how to avoid it.

The snowboarder was rapidly gaining behind them and Izumi could feel himself almost flying into a vertical dive. The clock was almost to 9:00. His lips pulled into a smug smile. There was no way out for Eichi now.

"Just like a guardian angel

Always with me

You mean too much

For me to forget you

My angel in my heart…"

"Mitsuki!" Eichi called out, only seconds before the snowboarder lost balanced, and landed face-forward in the snow, the force strong enough to fling to board off of his feet. It flew right at Eichi, hitting him exactly in the back. He began to fall forward, his legs hopelessly tangled. To make the situation worse, he had been pushed by being hit by the board directly into a tree.

And with that, it was all over. Izumi had pulled out of his dive and hovered above Eichi's limp body for a few moments, waiting for any signs of breathing or a heart beating…

You tied my loose shoe laces of my dirty sneakers

Your shy smile suddenly shone in the sunlight

"EICHI?!" Mitsuki screamed again, and out of panic, she began to run up the mountain. Takuto spun around and noticed that Eichi wasn't skiing down anymore - instead, he saw Izumi next to a tree by what he assumed was Eichi.

"This is not good…" he said in frustration as he flew up ahead of Mitsuki. "Mitsuki, stay here!" he ordered.

"No, I have to go!" Her tears were overflowing and she continued to run, the snow the continued to fall, blinding her vision.

"Mitsuki, stay," Meroko whispered from behind her. She had stayed with Ooshige-san, but returned when she noticed a new word in the book: snow. "If you don't stay on your own will, I'll have to make you."

Amy had taken off to get help in the lodge and rescue teams were already working on finding a way to bring Eichi back down. Mitsuki did not stop running, and her coughing was acting up.

Takuto scooped Mitsuki up in his arms just as she was about to faint. "Izumi's up there," he muttered in Meroko's ear. "You take her back to Ooshige-san - I'll see what I can do." He handed her over to Meroko, who nodded, understanding how serious the situation was.

"I'll take care of her," Meroko promised as she took off.

Takuto returned his focus to keeping Izumi from taking Eichi's life. "I can't let him go…" he stepped on a ski jump that would give him a good enough take off to launch into the sky.

Izumi couldn't tell if Eichi's heartbeat was slowing down or speeding up. The breathing was slow, and uneven, as if he were struggling. He's close, he thought as he heard Takuto slicing through the air, coming closer to them. "Didn't I tell you that you would want to know?" he asked when Takuto had reached them.

Takuto ignored him and carefully picked up Eichi's near to lifeless body, trying his hardest to not injure him any further. "Good, you're still alive…"

"But he won't be for much longer," Izumi added, pointed to the large amount of blood that stained the pure white snow. "He's been beaten up pretty badly - even if he gets to a hospital in time, can they save him?"

Both of the Shinigami paused as they heard the ski patrol arriving with snowmobiles. Takuto put Eichi back down gently as the emergency workers loaded him on a sled. They were responsible for his life now. Takuto was about to follow them, but Izumi grabbed his arm, leaving him hovering in the air.

"Why do you want to save someone who will take her away from you?" he asked, seeing the determination Takuto was displaying. Izumi didn't understand Takuto. Even though he was a Shinigami, why would he care so much for a human life he was supposed to take?

"Although she's precious to me, if Eichi is who she wants…Eichi is who she'll have," Takuto finished painfully and Izumi let go of Takuto's arm. He continued to follow the snowmobiles as Izumi stayed right by the bloody snow.

"Sorry, Miki," he murmured as he unclipped the bracelet and knelt down to dip it in Eichi's blood. He watched the red liquid stain the golden chain and began to realize that while he was being punished, maybe he was supposed to learn the value of a life. Because he ignored the value of his life, maybe that was why he was a Shinigami. He didn't know, but as he stood back up and clipped the blood-soaked bracelet onto his opposite arm, he watched it glimmer in the artificial light for the night skiers. "But things aren't supposed to be this way…" He flew up into the darkness to track down the hospital where Eichi would be taken.

It's not that I love for the want of love

You gave me the courage to love straightforward

The shock - everything happened to quickly for her to process it. Nothing else had ever hurt more than what she had seen. And now, she was positive that it was all over.

"Mitsuki…please eat." Meroko offered a tray of foreign, but tempting smelling food. Mitsuki turned away in disgust - the thought of eating anything at the moment made her feel absolutely sick.

"No…" she weakly refused, curling up in her chair in the emergency area's waiting room. Amy was using the hospital phone to call everyone she knew. I know they're not dating…if they were, she'd be acting like me. "Where's Takuto?" she asked, her pale face and red eyes almost making Meroko cry.

"He went to get Eichi before you fainted," Meroko assured her, looking at the plate of food. Wow, she's really a mess now. "Don't worry - Takuto's trying his best to help him."

"I doubt it…" Mitsuki said with a sigh. Takuto was always upset when Eichi was brought up, so why would he want to save him?

"Mitsuki, think positive," Meroko insisted, picking up a food that was called "pizza" and slowly began to chew on it. It was hot, but Meroko enjoyed its unique taste and scent. "You should eat something, even if it's only a small crumb." She attempted to push the tray a bit closer to Mitsuki.

"I'm good," Mitsuki muttered, covering her mouth with her hand and shoving the food away. She could feel her body and soul rejecting everything. What will I do if he is dead? She thought, as she was about to close her eyes to rest - but she noticed someone floating through the hallways. It was Izumi and all of a sudden, her heart sank. He's here for him…but her eyes caught the bracelet that she gave him - covered in blood. Please, Izumi…wait a little bit longer…

The two sear to the journey from now

That no matter what occurs; the two hands will never part

"He's lost a lot of blood," the surgeon said as they wheeled Eichi into the operating room. "No clue how much we can fix - if there's anything we can fix." They prepared their instruments and gave him anesthesia to put him to sleep. Takuto floated in through the wall and saw how badly his body had been beaten up.

"Dr. Nord, what will we do first?" a nurse asked with a look of worry on her face. "With injuries this extreme, what can we do without hurting something else?"

"We'll start with an incision here…and then we'll investigate the damage there…" As the doctor explained his plan of action, Takuto couldn't help but feel that the situation was similar to something he had experienced.

"Takuto, we'll have to start by operating here…and then when it's removed, we'll see what else has been harmed…" He shook his head as the image of him on the operating table flashed before his eyes.

"You may have gotten here first," Izumi said as he entered through the wall behind him. "But I will leave with Eichi."

Takuto pushed his memories that were beginning to resurface into the back of his mind. "No, I made a promise to Mitsuki." They watched as the doctor started the operation.

"It's not possible for him to survive," Izumi stated confidently. "No one will interfere with his death." His stare was dark and threatening.

They watched in silence as the surgery progressed and Eichi's heart rate became stronger. While Takuto struggled with his memories, Izumi fought with his conscience. Only when Eichi's heart rate dropped, did they speak again.

"Suction! And I need some more blood!" Dr. Nord ordered, and the surgical team rapidly did as they were told.

"The end is near…" Izumi said with a sly grin. "I guess whoever gets to him first wins."

Takuto said nothing and hoped for Eichi to stabilize. Unfortunately, his wishing was not enough, and as he continued to watch in pain, he heard the common beep of flat lining. "No…" he called out dimly, as the tone rang in his ears. Finally, they saw the bright image of Eichi's soul, and Takuto knew that he had to fight for it, no matter what.

"Sakurai Eichi," Izumi started, his attitude calm and smooth. "You need to come with me-"

"No! Don't listen to him!" Takuto shouted, wondering what would happen to Mitsuki if Eichi were taken away. "Mitsuki's waiting for you outside…so, don't die."

Eichi studied both of the Shinigami, unsure of whom to believe. "Mitsuki…is waiting for me?"

"Yes," they both answered in unison.

"But, she's with me," Izumi lied slyly.

"Don't listen to him!" Takuto repeated, just about ready to punch Izumi. "She's actually with me!"

"Why would you lie?" Eichi asked, his attitude confused and innocent.

"I'm not here to lie to you. I'm here to take you where you belong." Izumi shrugged and pointed to Takuto. "He is in love with Mitsuki, and wants to steal her from you."

"Liar!" Takuto's fists tightened, and he wasn't sure how to answer Eichi. "I do love her, but she loves you…I can't take you away from her."

"Mitsuki wants you to come with me," Izumi added with a calm tone in his voice. "So you two can be together."

Eichi's eyes widened. "Mitsuki is…dead?" he fumbled with the words, wondering if it was the truth.

"She's alive! I can prove it!" Takuto was growing exhausted of competing with Izumi. He was clearly more experienced in taking lives, so he knew exactly what to say.

"I can prove that she's dead. You see this bracelet?" He pointed to the gold chain dipped in blood with the moon-shaped bead still a shiny black. "She gave it to me when she died."

"No! She wrote that song for you - Angel In My Heart. She's right outside the operating room! Even though she came all the way from Japan, you would just die before she saw you?" Takuto didn't know what to say anymore. "She wanted it to snow when she met you again…why does the snow have to be soaked in blood?" He dropped to the ground and pounded his fist on the ground.

"You want to protect her, right?" Izumi asked Takuto, ignoring Eichi for a moment.

Takuto nodded, but kept his eyes on the ground, knowing that they were filled with hate for Izumi.

"Then Eichi needs to come with me. If he doesn't, Miki will die for sure."

He couldn't make that decision. Mitsuki's happiness for a little while versus her sadness for an entire lifetime - what was he supposed to chose? Was it his decision? "Mitsuki…"

random babble...i listen to music all the time when i write. sometimes, if i'm really into the music, i'll be proofreading, and wonder why i wrote a certain sentence or paragraph (it's been happening more and more lately...). for this fanfic, i'm listening to more japanese pop or rock so that i don't have three languages swirling around in my head (it can get confusing). a bientôt et au revoir (see you soon and good-bye)!