Chapter Seven:

She leaned against the door, trying to make sense of everything, and brushed away the lingering tears at the edges of her eyes. After allowing herself a few seconds to regain her composure, Akari padded softly across the tatami mat to her prepared futon. She took note of the light spilling out from a crack in Mizuki's doorway, casting haunting shadows on the opposite wall, and decided that in her state, she was better off sleeping.

The box-shaped ceiling light overhead flickered on just as her back made contact with the futon. Akari sat up automatically and peered warily at the figure beside the light switch. "Mizuki? I thought you were going to sleep soon? I didn't want to bother you."

"Oh, you may not want to bother me, but I want to bother you. No, I think you need to be bothered." Mizuki studied Akari's face. "What's going on? You come back here with that look on your face, like you had attended a funeral, you leave abruptly, then you come back again... and with the same depressed look on your face."

"I'll go back tomorrow morning," she answered levelly. "I think the flight's scheduled for Friday."

"Two days, huh." Mizuki made her way over to Akari's futon and found a place to sit at the edge of it. "Why, Akari?"

"...Why?"

"You know what my question is."

A silence descended upon both of them. Akari glanced away from Mizuki's startling dark eyes, fixing her eyes instead on the darkness of the night outside. How could she explain... how she would still believe in Yuuchi's lies? How, perhaps, if you close your eyes and only focus on your trembling heart, the tainted rest might fade away?

"I still care for Yuuchi," she admitted softly.

"But he doesn't care about your feelings, that bastard!"

Akari reached forward to lower her friend's raised, angry palm. "Maybe he doesn't, but he cared enough to try to make everything better."

Mizuki frowned as she worked Akari's words around in her head. "The other guy's better for you. Tohno."

She had not expected Mizuki to say those words. So few people were approved by Mizuki, that the thought of a male being approved by her was almost not a reality.

"I mean, if you take the time to catch him before you leave, if you went out of your way to say a proper goodbye... that's already so unlike you, Akari. And especially..." There was hesitation in her voice. "Especially if you've cried about it." She stood up from her little seat and shut off the lights. Akari did not have to try hard to know that Mizuki was pausing at the doorway of her own bedroom. "Akari, you know I'm right."

Akari fell back against her futon, twisting her head against the pillow to see the streetlamps from the street outside. But that only reminded her of her walk with Takaki. Mizuki was right; Akari had gone out of her way tonight. She brushed a hand tentatively across her lips. His taste was still there;he tasted like the feeling of nostalgic winter night, of the fluttering past, but more masculine now. But what did it matter? Her engagement to Yuuchi was intact, it did not matter what he had done with Hatsumi... She shut her eyes, willing sleep to come to her.

Despite the warmness of the blankets and the heaviness of her eyelids, thoughts of Yuuchi and Hatsumi swirled in her mind. Yuuchi's arms around Hatsumi, Hatsumi's willingness, the job in United States because Hatsumi was there... her heart twisting...

The taste of winter lingered on her lips...

Akari bowed deeply, the weight of her bag swinging forward. "Thank you for everything," she said sincerely.

As she had expected, Mizuki scoffed and leaned casually against the doorway. "All I get is a 'thanks?'"

A laugh escaped her mouth as she knew that was Mizuki's way of accepting her gratitude. "See you sometime, Mizuki."

"Same goes for you." Her expression hardened. "But if you need somewhere to stay, come back here, got it?"

Akari nodded. Turning around, she made her first step down the stairs when Mizuki called out with her usual lighthearted tone, "I'll watch that boy of yours for you!" A blush settled across Akari's cheeks, she smiled unknowingly, and rushed down the steps with a more hurried pace.

The trip back to her own apartment seemed a long one, but maybe her frayed nerves were to blame. After all, she could be walking into a den of lies. Again, she waited at the same train passing. Wilted cherry blossom petals were scattered all over the place, among the train tracks, along the street as their life span was only short-lived. Vibrant, but short-lived.

And again, there was a memory tugging at the edge of her mind as she crossed. Unfurling, vibrant, quick snapshots of what had happened here. A man in a light brown jacket, walking past her with his hands in his pockets. His hair falling loose and those eyes snapping up with a spark of realization. She had always thought it had been Takaki; she remembered stopping as she did now, pausing as the train swept past behind her, but ultimately leaving in the end.

Sighing, Akari continued walking, unknown to the fact that Takaki had paused in the same spot before. Before long, she caught sight of her apartment building. She slipped in quickly, took the elevator to the fifth floor, and hesitated in front of her door. Rummaging around her bag, Akari found her keys and unlocked the door. The apartment itself was quiet with stillness and dark.

Dark? Akari frowned. She was sure Yuuchi had said he was home.

Cautiously, she checked every room as she made her way to the heart of the apartment, the room they usually ate in. The bag on Akari's shoulder slipped off, dropping to the floor in surprise as she took in the candle lights on the middle of the table, with cherry blossom petals artistically decorating every spare inch of the surface.

Hands wrapped around her waist from behind in the darkness, and her body was pressed firmly against another's. She tensed as his voice murmured in her ear, "You're finally back." He sounded wistful, as if he had waited for her every day, but that was a lie. She had seen him with Hatsumi...

His voice took on a level of concern when Akari did not respond. He tightened his arms around her, and leaned his head against the crook of her neck. She closed her eyes as she felt his warmth affecting her. "Say something please."

Damn Yuuchi, she thought resignedly. Him and his sweet words... always, always these sweet words when he wanted something.

"How much longer do I have to apologize?"

But always with that same arrogance...

Timidly, she used her right hand to touch the side of his face, hearing his relief. She knew without turning around that he was smiling, but turned around just to make sure she was right. The light filtering through the windows provided enough light for her to see. Akari froze when she saw his familiar face, sadness mixing into her feelings.

"Yuuchi," she managed.

How can I forgive everything that happened?

He leaned towards her, pressing his forehead against hers. She was immediately reminded of Takaki and her eyes widened. "What's wrong?" Yuuchi asked, his mouth dangerously close to hers.

Thinking hurriedly, Akari turned her face away and hugged him. Yuuchi laughed, but complied.

"How do you like the table?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement. "We missed the cherry blossoms the other day."

"It's nice," she said, though Akari barely heard his words. Her mind warred with the scent of Yuuchi and the faint taste of winter.

"That's my girl." Yuuchi separated himself from her. "We have to get ready for tomorrow's flight."

His eyes sought her own brown ones, trapping her, "You do know the new job will be amazing for us, right?"

This love hurts badly.

Author Notes:

I will repeatedly apologize for this long update, but I have noticed that I update every month or so.

(I also apologize for this chapter.) But never fear! (The future of this story will satisfy those who are wishing for Tohno and Akari ^_^)

Once again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!