Thank you, NourGwenn, lhotshot83, Lalilaloli, angelofgig and dookie565! Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while – see, prom happened and we're approaching our final weeks as high school juniors, so yes, I have been pressed for time. Enjoy!

There were there three weeks to go, two more and finally they counted only one. Time elapsed in a horrendous montage of summer rapidly losing its luster as the fall started to usher itself in. The season that had once held a glorious promise of endless days to laze away now seemed harshly ephemeral. It was also one of the hottest days ever, the weather swelling well past what was considered lukewarm. So with the choicest timing as always, Domyouji relented to what Makino had been bugging him to do for weeks – pack.

It was Wednesday, and Makino was currently fanning herself with a crumpled page of Domyouji's immediate itinerary upon arriving in Boston, which was one of many copies. A light sheen of perspiration gleamed on her forehead, and after the first couple of hours wherein she tried valiantly to sweat it out, she had yanked her hair violently into a messy ponytail. It wasn't only the damps strands of hair that clung to her neck that irked her to no end; Domyouji was being particularly difficult about the clothes going into his two suitcases. He rejected almost every article of clothing she held up, and rolled his eyes so much that Makino was fighting the urge to pull him by the curls and shake him into complacency.

"Are you serious?" he raised an eyebrow, topping off the haughty appearance he had assumed, arms and legs crossed tightly. Makino dropped the light blue long-sleeved shirt she was holding up to glare at him.

"What? It doesn't suit me," Domyouji said, heaving an impatient sigh.

Makino just about stamped her foot. "What's wrong with you? Why can't you just choose something?"

He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "Because you have absolutely no taste."

On any other day, she would've stormed out angrily and so she was fully prepared to do so, had this day not marked the five-day countdown to his departure. Makino swallowed hard, biting back her retort and the pride that went along with it. "Listen, Domyouji. You can criticize me all you want – I'm used to your pigheaded ways," she said. "But in America, you'll be dealing with different people who might not appreciate your constant nitpicking."

He eyed her balefully. Makino made a show of sighing and knelt on the floor to fold the discarded clothes. "It's for your own good, you know."

To her surprise, Domyouji lowered himself beside her. Even on the floor, his form was graceful with a polished finish that looked as if it came as naturally as breathing to him. His slender fingers tugged the light blue polo from her grasp. He contemplated the shirt for a while before holding it up against his neck.

"How do I look?" Domyouji seemed to have trouble forcing the words out.

"Not bad," Makino shrugged, only letting her gaze rest on him for a second.

"Not bad?!" He caught her smirking. "Why you –"

The rest of his words were smothered none too gently in a rush of gray material that covered his entire face. Before any rational thought could form in his head, two hands lifted the rough material above his eyes. Makino was beaming. "You look handsome."

Domyouji tore the offending material from where it rested on his head. "What the –"

It was a gray beanie that instantly punctured his memory, a long-neglected and well-forgotten remembrance of a night spent in febrile bliss. Well, bliss on his part anyway.

"You should definitely pack that," Makino looked at him meaningfully.

"I don't think I'll take it with me," said Domyouji, hiding a smile. "It's just a waste of space."

She tried not to feel disappointed that he had shot it down in a heartbeat, but it was hard not to. It stung her that he did not appreciate the meaning the beanie held for them both.

"Hey, dummy, do you think I'm stupid or something?" His taunting voice jarred her thoughts, and Makino was tempted to say yes, that was exactly how she thought of him. "Of course I'll pack this – it's my lucky cap, you know? Good times, good times." Domyouji chuckled.

You don't realize how much it means to me when you say that you remember, Makino thought, wistful and pleasantly contented. She would never admit that to him out loud, though, and subsequently snatched the beanie away from him. "You idiot, how can this be lucky? If you don't remember, you had me worried sick all night while you ran a fever."

Domyouji grinned smugly. "Say what you will, but I got lucky that night."

She turned bright red and covered his mouth with her hand. "Shh! Don't let anyone hear you say that!"

"Why not?" He mumbled indignantly against her palm.

"It sounds… off, that's why not. You're using the expression wrongly."

He stared at her. "… Okay, Makino. Anyway, what are you talking about? That was a great night! One of the best ever," he said, a dreamy look glazing his eyes momentarily.

"If you consider having to spend the night with you a good time, sure, it was fantastic," said Makino, wincing at the memory. Domyouji was about to refute the insult made on his company when Makino's phone rang. Almost childishly, she stuck her tongue out at him before turning away to answer. Domyouji put on the beanie – never mind that it was sweltering hot – imagining the smile that would undoubtedly curve Makino's mouth when she saw him wearing it.

" – be there as soon as I can. All right, I'll catch the earliest train out." She snapped her phone shut. "Domyouji, I – "

"What is it?" He was all business, the beanie forgotten.

"That was my mother. She said my father's been sick for a week now," Makino spoke in strained tones. "She asked me to come and stay a few days to help take care of him. I'm sorry," she said regretfully.

"No, don't be. You should go," he nodded with an understanding he did not possess until after the staged suicide of Ken. It had marred him horribly, and had forced him to grow up – at a price that may have been too terrible to pay. "We have five days. We can make it."

Makino blinked hard – when he put it that way, the brevity of their remaining time together mixed with worry for her father balled into a hard knot in her throat. Domyouji smoothed her hair back with fluid strokes, a small smile lifting his lip in one corner. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. Stupid girl," he added fondly. "Come on, I'll take you to the station."

She nodded without saying anything, the surge of love she felt for him blocking all the things she wanted to say.

Two days later, it was a slow, lazy Friday, Makino realized she was very much mistaken in thinking that having so much time to herself was a good thing. She was so bored it was ridiculous, seeing as her only duties were to keep near her father in case he needed help. When she had arrived, pale and overwrought in a tumult of emotions after a hasty goodbye with Domyouji and the long, uncomfortable train ride – she had gotten the cheapest fare – her mother had embraced her hard, while Susumu looked on wearily.

Her father constantly asked for beer and someone to fluff his pillows. That first night, Makino slept for a grand total of two and a half hours. Her father's fever somewhat subsided early in the morning, spiking again in the afternoon. After another fitful night, he was recuperating, wan and thinner than before. That was how Makino came to be sitting idly by, while Susumu helped their mother with the fishing down by the docks.

She traced the heavy scent of saltwater in the humid air and sighed as a gnawing sensation clawed at her patience. The night before, her mother had asked when she planned to leave, knowing Domyouji's flight was slated for an early Monday morning departure.

Makino bit her lip as she watched her father's deep, even breathing and thought of how Monday crept stealthily upon them so quickly, it was almost unfair. The idea that Domyouji was to be wrenched from her side for so long a time in a few days refused to lodge itself into her mind firmly, something for which she was thankful. She knew that once the enormity of the situation registered, the ball of panic in her stomach would metastasize and explode. Makino was torn between her filial instincts to be a good daughter and wanting to go to Domyouji.

Once again, his smile fluttered into her wandering mind, and she felt the fatigue of the past few days catch up with her. She was simply too tired to think about anything any longer, and closed her eyes, just for a few seconds…

" – so glad you're here – "

" – keep quiet, you'll wake her up – "

Makino opened one eye slightly. Blurry silhouettes flitted in and out of her vision: her family and a very familiar-looking curly head. The faint tang of roses tickled her nose, and she lay quietly for a while, trying to make sense while the voices continued to carry a casual conversation, sounding far-away.

"You look good, little bro," said a deep voice with quiet pride. "Seaside living fits you."

"Thanks, big bro," Susumu's voice cracked, caught within the opposing reaches of childhood and puberty. "And thanks for the computer, this will help me a lot when I enter high school in the fall."

Their chatter darted alternating bouts wherein she fleeted between sleep and consciousness, still too tired to try and comprehend. Scuffling footsteps indicated people moving around her, and many times a sharp "Shh!" jolted her from sleep. Each time she attempted to wake, the glow of the afternoon darkened in small doses, and when she at last decided to open her eyes, it was undoubtedly night.

"Makino?"

She blinked hard into the white fluorescent light, before Domyouji's face came into focus. He had a gentle hand on her back, and supported her into a sitting position. She opened her eyes fully and drank in the most welcome sight of Domyouji, in a black blazer and a red tie over a white polo. Makino stretched to shake the last vestiges of sleep from her limbs.

"You're awake! Finally," he smirked. "I don't think my ears could stand any more snoring."

She hit him lightly on the arm, but her heart pounded hard. "Shut up!" Her eyes fell on the bouquet of roses he had in one hand, and the big basket of fruits and canned goods on the floor beside him. "What are you doing here?" said Makino, suddenly feeling shy.

Domyouji grinned smugly, sensing her bashfulness. "Oh, I just came by to give your family some food," he trailed off, before reddening, remembering his real purpose. "And to – uh – I came to borrow you," he said sheepishly.

"Hmm, you're being sweet, huh," Makino smiled approvingly. "But Papa's still –"

"I'm well enough, Tsukushi," her father's weak voice interrupted. "Go ahead with Domyouji, we'll be fine."

She started to protest, but only half-heartedly. Her mother pushed them to the door, clucking. "Tsukushi, you've done more than enough for your father; now, go. And Domyouji, please take care of our Tsukushi."

The little brown door to her family's apartment shut behind them, leaving them to the witness of a dark cerulean sky that tittered with the life of a million stars, both young and old, sweeping into infinity. It was cold, and they realized the only thing separating them was air.

"So why did you really come?" said Makino, trying to make conversation to fight the awkwardness that hung heavily over them.

"I called you on your cellphone but you weren't answering," said Domyouji, shrugging.

"Oh," she cleared her throat, and for lack of something to do, checked her golden phone. 7 missed calls, it read, and 4 new messages. She opened the first one. Makino, when are you coming home?

Home. The word tugged at her heartstrings. Makino knew that although she would never admit it to him, Domyouji would always feel like home and she would always find her way back to him. That was how and where he stood in her life now, she mused silently.

"I missed you," Domyouji's voice broke in. "I also came because I missed you, okay?" He looked so sullen, like he was admitting to a crime instead of to missing his girlfriend. He reminded Makino of a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Stupid, you should've just said that in the first place. Look at you, playing hard to get," Makino laughed at the thought. All around them, the crickets' songs played nonstop, and the horizon was a midnight cobalt expanse. They were the only two figures against the quarter moon that peeped through the clouds.

Domyouji had his hand in his hair, stopped in mid-ruffle. "I wasn't playing hard to get! I was just – well, forget it, we're going back to the city now. Come on," he grabbed for her hand.

"Why are you in such a hurry, anyway?"

"Because I have our weekend all planned out for us, and if we don't get going, we'll be behind schedule. So for once in your life, try to keep up with things," he said meanly, not bothering to look at her.

Makino stuck her tongue out at his back just when he turned on his heel to face her. He looked so indignant that she burst out laughing. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

For a moment that seemed to run the length of a day, Domyouji's face struggled into different expressions, fighting an internal battle. Makino was caught way off guard when he pulled her roughly to him. They stayed that way, neither one talking, unafraid of the raw feelings that slept beneath the surface.

"You idiot," Makino smiled into his shoulder, surprised to find wetness in her eyes. He, too, tried to compose himself before pulling away, and it was a while before he spoke.

"Sorry," he said in a thick voice. "It's just.. three days. Even less," Domyouji gestured wordlessly with his hands. She couldn't call it desperation, but she knew what he felt was something bordering on that. And what he felt mirrored her own sentiments.

"I know," she said, trying to saturate her voice with as much understanding as she could, but her mind was screaming with panic. Three more days and then four years of nothing. It seemed surreal, but to dwell on that would just cost them precious time together. Then, to lighten the mood, Makino asked in a teasing voice, "So, what was your plan again?"

"My plan?" Domyouji paused before a glint sparked in his eye. "Let's capture how we feel right now and keep it forever."

Makino nearly doubled over in laughter. "And just where did you get that line from?"

He had the grace to look properly embarrassed that his flirting had not elicited the desired reaction. "Shut up! Shut – oh, never mind! Let's get going. Oh, by the way, these are for you," Domyouji announced with as much dignity as he could muster in the face of his plan backfiring on him, thrusting out the bouquet of roses, his timing a little off-key, as always.

She took the flowers, and held them to her face, inhaling deeply. It was a pleasant feeling to be breathing in a sweet, floral scent in the midst of the evening chill. "Hmm, and why am I receiving flowers?" Makino peered at him over the roses suspiciously.

"Well, uh, I got you flowers… just because it's a Friday," Domyouji finished lamely.

Her laughter echoed into the night, soft peals of pure delight. "Nice try, Casanova, but forget it. You are such a nut." She shook her head in amazement. "Come on."

Retreating from the porch where they stood, the fluorescent lamp's dirty luster faded as the two walked to the secret warmth of the car that was waiting for them, holding hands and lightly bickering all the way.