Note: ooohhhhh! Sorry about the long wait! Please forgive me! bows repeatedly Enjoy the reading! XD

Chapter 5 – Ever So Slowly…

Long time ago, it would have been much easier if the feelings weren't there, but lately they have stuck on to him like a wet paper towel. No…more like a wet paper towel soaked in glue. Before, it began as a gesture between friends, but lately for him, it meant more than just that.

He watched her sleep throughout the dinner hours until…Takashi glanced at his clock on the bedside table. It was already close to midnight. He hadn't really eaten yet, neither has Koboshi, but he would trade anything to keep this moment as long as possible.

She stirred.

He stroked her golden hair.

She opened her scarlet eyes and smiled.

Takashi looked down at her, slowly removing his hands. "Hey"
"Hi." Koboshi slowly rubbed her eyes. He could tell, it took her a while to adjust to her surroundings before glancing at the clock. "Oh…it's eleven forty." She sat up slowly and glanced outside the window. "I guess I should head back. Shia-san and Misha….-san…must be worried about me now"

Takashi got up from bed and gathered her sweater and her purse from the floor. "Come on, let me walk you back…" He handed her her belongings and led the way out of the room.

The night wasn't as cold as Takashi thought it would be. They walked down along the quiet sidewalk of the campus, silently contemplating on what to say to the other. It took the bravest of the stomachs to start growling, breaking the silence. Both blondes glanced at each other and laughed out loud.

"I guess we should get something to eat," Takashi suggested, after the laughter died down. Koboshi nodded.

"Yeah, but what place is open this time of night"

"Come on, who do you think you're talking to"

"Um…the guy who barely goes out late at night, because he has to study"

Takashi snorted. "I don't think you know me that well." Without thinking, he took her by the hand and began leading her somewhere.

As minutes passed by, Koboshi found herself sitting inside a restaurant filled with young people their age. The restaurant looked as though they had entered a midnight lounge, but the chairs and the counters were designed to look like they were dragged back in time…into the 50s. "You like it?"

Koboshi turned her attention towards Takashi and nodded. "I didn't think anything would be open at this hour."

"Come on, give this campus a little credit!" Takashi raised his hand and a young man donned in white trousers and a polo shirt that included a red tie around his neck. His nametag was also red, written in white: Seiji. He approached them with a gentle smile on his face. Koboshi noticed he was quite young, maybe about two years younger than them and had dark brown hair. "Good evening you two, here are your menus." He handed them two red menus with "Lounge 1950" written in the front. "Any drink to start with, Takashi?"

Koboshi stared at Takashi. "Everyone seems to know you here, don't they"

The blond grinned. "What can I say? I AM friendly! All right, Seiji, I'll have the usual"

Seiji nodded. "All right, then iced tea it is. What about you, honey"

Koboshi thought for a moment then said, "I'll have a pina colada"

"Woah, a virgin I hope," Takashi said with a little chuckle.

She smiled at him. "With two shots"

The young waiter did not protest, then nodded and left to fetch their drinks.

Takashi leaned back in his seat, surprised by Koboshi's boldness. Well, he knew there was a little bit of boldness in her, but he had no idea HOW bold.

"What? Shocked that little Uematsu would order such a thing?" She was looking at the menu as she said this. "I mean with all the things that's been happening, I need something to help me forget"

Takashi frowned. He could tell she was trying to hold back her tears. He reached over and took her hand. "You don't need something like that…you have me." He squeezed her hand gently.

Koboshi glanced at his hand on hers. It felt warm and when he said those words, she felt even warmer. Without even noticing where their boundary of friendship lies, she curled her hand in his, flipped it over so hers were on top. She never realized how big his hands were. Did she ever hold Kotarou-kun like this? And if she did hold his hand, was his hand as warm as Ten-chan's?

Suddenly Takashi pulled his hand away. He cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest. "I mean you know…as a friend of course"

Koboshi looked at him. "Yes I know…" Did she just see a blush on his cheeks? Odd…she thought.

"Here are your drinks." Seiji handed Takashi his iced tea and Koboshi her pina colada with two shots. "Are you both ready to order?"

Koboshi nodded. "I would like to have the American burger please and I think he'll have the same." She smiled over at Takashi.

Seiji glanced over at the blond boy. "Sure, whatever she said," Takashi replied. The young waiter shrugged and took the menus away from them. "American burger, huh? What, are you homesick already?" The blond young man took a sip of his iced tea and found it to be bitter than usual.

Koboshi shook her head. "I just thought maybe you could give it a try." She took two big gulps from her drink.

Time went by so quickly. Takashi enjoyed talking with Koboshi about the good ol' days when all three of them…Kotarou, Koboshi and himself would make all the days worth remembering. It was great seeing her laugh again. He missed her laughter or even just a hint of curve of her lips when she smiled. It was just the two of them, ignoring all the other people who were slowly leaving the restaurant. Koboshi finished her fourth drink, setting it aside as she continued to reminisce those good times. "Do you remember when I fell off the swing, because it was so high? Kotarou-kun pretty much had to help me up! That was so embarrassing!"

Takashi watched her. He couldn't remember much about that time, but he could've sworn it was him who aided her up on the swings, because he was a lot taller than Kotarou.

She chuckled, and then suddenly dropped her head on top of the table. "Ooohhh…I don't feel good. Waiter! Seiji! More pina colada please! Make it THREE shots"

"Okay, I think you've had enough that for one day…" He lifted up his hand to call for Seiji and said. "We'd like our bills please."

Seiji nodded and quietly left behind the counter for their checks.

Koboshi lifted her head up and cringed. Takashi noticed that the alcohol in her was beginning to take its toll. It took her a while to focus her eyes on him before replying in a loud voice, "Don't tell me what to do, Takashi Ayanakouji!"

"Koboshi, I should take you home now." He fished for his wallet from his pocket, just as Seiji went around the corner and handed them their bills. "Thanks Seiji…" Takashi took out his money and quickly handed it back to the waiter.

"Wait! I haven't paid yet!" Koboshi exclaimed. She opened her purse, struggling with shaky fingers and unfocused eyes to find her wallet.

Takashi sighed and stood up. He walked over to her side, grabbed her wallet and put it back inside her purse. "Hey, don't worry about paying. I got it..."

The blond girl looked up with a big wide smile on her face. "You are so good to me, Ten-chan!"

"We're friends, Koboshi…it's part of friendship." He helped her up, catching her by the waist when she was about to fall to the side. "Thanks, Seiji," he said as they walked out the door.

"Thanks Seijiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Koboshi yelled, just as the door swung shut behind them.

He ended up carrying her on his back for it was beginning to be a hassle catching her every time she missed a step. Her breath smelled of alcohol, but she felt warm and at least even the stink of alcohol assured him that she was a lot calmer than earlier.

"Where are we going?" she suddenly said.

"Taking you back to Shia-san's place."

"Whyyyy?" she whined.

"Because that's where you're staying."

Koboshi buried her face on his back. "I don't want to go there. I don't want to see HER." For some reason he smelled good to her, but then again, she didn't know what she was thinking. Her mind was everywhere.

Takashi felt her going heavy, so she adjusted her on his back. He heard her moan, followed by the sound of crying. Startled, he slightly turned his head at her. "Uematsu?"

"How come he has never looked at me the way he looks at her? I've tried YEARS to make him love me the way I do. It hurts, Ten-chan. It hurts so much!"

Takashi felt tears soak through his shirt. No longer could take her own pain, he decided to find a bench nearby and was lucky enough to notice one just a couple of steps. He gently settled her there and sat down beside her. Koboshi toppled over to the side, suddenly resting her head on his shoulder and continued to cry. The young blond man sighed. "I know Uematsu…I know."

And they stayed silent throughout the night.

She felt warm.
All around her, red roses bloomed. She sat amongst them, her golden hair the only thing standing out. She felt the wind blowing and it felt nice.

"Hey!" She looked up and noticed a figure just far ahead. He lifted up his hand to wave and gently tossed a single rose to her. She smiled and reached out her hand to catch it as it floated to her. She held it close to her heart. Suddenly, she felt a warm and gentle hand caressing her cheek. It moved below her chin and she lifted up her head to look at the figure. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell by the size of his hands that he was definitely a man. The sunlight behind him prevented her from seeing his face. She lifted up her hand to block the sunlight and sighed…

Koboshi opened one eye. The sunlight was beaming through the window and practically giving her body warmth. She looked around, trying to focus her eyes before she noticed a familiar looking poster in the room. It took her a while to realize that she was back in her room. 'How did I get here?' she wondered. She sat up slowly, but cringed when a huge headache forced her to lie back down. 'What happened last night? I don't remember'

She heard a knock on the door. "Koboshi-chan?"

It was Misha.

The blond girl slowly turned her head towards the door as it opened slightly. She could see Misha's head peeking through the door and she turned her head to look at her. "

You're awake…" She gave a wide smile of relief and when she knew it was the right moment, the older girl stepped inside her room, carrying a tray of breakfast. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast!"

Koboshi glanced at her hands. She was surprised to see uncut fingers when normally they would be covered with band-aids. However, she was still unsure whether she should try out her breakfast. It was the fact that she ONCE never tried it for the sake of surviving and because this was Misha…the girl whom Kotarou loved. It was hard to really like her, but it was also hard not to. "How…did I get here?" were the blond girl's first words.

Misha placed the tray down on her desk and glanced at her. "You don't remember? Wow, you MUST be really sick. Ten-chan brought you here!"

NOW she remembered…just barely. "Oh…he…he didn't say anything to you did he?"

The pink haired girl shook her head and thought for a moment before saying, "Nothing really. I was shocked though when I saw him knocking on the door carrying you. I asked him what happened and he told me you just fell into a fever when he was walking you home."

Koboshi looked down. "Oh…" She smiled inwardly. 'So he carried me home and then what?' Suddenly, the blond girl cringed, burying her face in her hands. "Ooohhhh!"

Alarmed, Misha ran to her side. "What's wrong, Koboshi-chan?"

The blond girl looked up with a tired face. "I just hope I didn't say anything stupid to him!"

"To who? Ten-chan?"

Ignoring Misha, Koboshi stood up from bed and walked over to the window to look outside. It was a nice sunny day, but to her a dark cloud was hovering above her, making it rain. 'Did I say something weird to him? What if I mentioned something about Kotarou-kun…? Wait? Why do I need to worry about what I said to Ten-chan about Kotarou-kun? He KNOWS I still love him and….and.'

"Koboshi-chan?"

The blond girl blinked and turned around, only realizing that the pink haired girl was still there. "Oh…I'm sorry, Misha-chan. I guess I was thinking a little too deep there. Thank you for the breakfast."

Misha smiled. "You welcome! If you need anything, just call me okay?"

Koboshi nodded. The pink haired girl seemed to be tending to her needs unlike the usual. The older girl would be in the kitchen all the time, listening to all Shia-san's instructions about how to bake or cook certain stuff. Today, Shia-san must have gone grocery shopping since it was a Saturday and Saturdays were the days that Misha would waste a dozen eggs, hoping to improve her cooking. The blond girl watched as Misha left, just in time for the phone to ring. She heard her answer the phone and just as she sat down on her bed, the pink haired girl came rushing into the bedroom. "Koboshi-chan!"

Startled, Koboshi stood up and glanced at her. The pink haired girl's wrinkles were beginning to crease her forehead, showing the worries in her face. "What is it?"

"It's your aunt…"

This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Part of her felt like dying, but the rest felt like struggling to survive. She didn't know what to feel. Someone was pulling her down, yet at the same time, someone was trying to push her back up as she began to drown in her own tears. She wanted to do something, yet she wasn't a god or an angel to make things right again. All she could do was watch through the slightly ajar door and listen to the beeping sound of the machine. The doctor and some nurses were passing messages to each other, deciding on what to do and just as the doctor yelled 'clear!' and a 'thump!' sound was heard, a long beep was soon to follow.

Koboshi glanced at Hinari, whose tears flowing non-stop from her eyes. She turned to her husband and buried her face in his chest. She wept as quietly as she could, trying to muffle any noise that many would most likely hear from the other rooms. The blond girl stood there, staring through the door. Her heart was beating fast and she could see the door open and a middle aged doctor soon came out. He glanced at Koboshi, and then turned his attention at the daughter. "I'm sorry…" was all he said, before approaching Hinari and her husband, Yoshi.

Koboshi clenched her fists at her sides. "No…she's not dead."

Everyone present in the room looked at her. "Koboshi-chan…" Yoshi sighed and squeezed his wife gently in his arms to calm her.

Hinari wiped her tears with the back of her hand and nodded at the doctor. "Thank you, Hiashi-sensei."
Hiashi-sensei nodded and left without a word.

The blond girl turned and left, ignoring the calls of her cousin. She walked outside of the building where the weather seemed to have remembered her feelings. The rain poured heavily upon her shoulders. She didn't know where she was going, but all she wanted to do was forget everything this ever happened. She wanted to escape from it all. She felt like everyone had abandoned her. Aunt Minako was always there for her. Her parents were too busy with their work to pay attention. The only time they did was that she did well in her classes and that they would pay for her schooling in America. Her aunt was the first person to listen to her problems…the first person to remember her birthday and the very first person to ever know her fears and her doubts that not even her own parents knew about. And now…the only person whom she felt she could relate to was gone.

"Uematsu?"

The blond girl looked up. Takashi was standing there, shocked and at the same time relieved. "Ten-chan? I…I don't know why I'm here."

Takashi sighed. "Come on in…you'll catch a cold." He led her inside gently and closed the door behind them. "I was beginning to feel worried about you. Misha-san called me and asked me where you were. She told me you left so suddenly. How is your aunt?"

Koboshi did not answer. The blond girl walked over silently to the couch situated in front of the television and sat down. Somehow, she heard him, but she was trying to block out the question from her mind and pretend that she could answer him without lying.

The blond man knew the answer and he need not say a word. He walked over to her and sat down beside her on the couch. He took a quick glance at her before slowly putting his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

Koboshi immediately leaned her head on his shoulder, but it seemed she was trying to hold back her tears.

Takashi knew that and he squeezed her shoulder gently, signaling her without a word to let her know she was able to cry as much as she wanted. Koboshi took a deep breath and on que, her tears began to fall like large pearls from her eyes and began to weep without a care in the world.

After about ten minutes, Takashi heard the last sob and the sound of her soft breathing before her head on his shoulder began to feel heavier than usual. The blond man knew she had fallen asleep. All the crying must have exhausted her and stayed with her throughout the night. "Everything will be all right. I'm here….Koboshi," Takashi whispered.

Koboshi smiled as she slept and could have sworn, just for a split second that she heardthe sound of Takashi's voice saying her name.

Note: Hee! Hee! He said her first name! All RIGHT! XD Sorry for the long wait! Please bear with me! I can be lazy! LoL :P