A/N: Hi again! I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far. You are making my first fanfiction experience a great one! As always, please read and review, and don't be afraid to point out anything you don't like. Just don't be mean about it :).

I hope you enjoy it!

Yuiko and Ritsuka walked hand-in-hand on a secluded path on the outskirts of Yomiuri Land, the crisp autumn wind gently touching their warm cheeks. The leaves had finally begun to turn beautiful shades of saffron, amber, and auburn. They seemed to celebrate the couple as they made gentle footprints in the dust behind them.

At last, they reached the end of the path which stopped at the foot of a large tree, its branches reaching greatly above them, providing them with a small sanctuary.

"It's so….beautiful" was all Yuiko could sputter out at the amazing sight. Her happiness was beyond imagination when Ritsuka quietly pulled her aside and led her down the isolated path. Who knew where Mei and Hitomi were, probably desperately running around the park calling out their names as Hitomi ran down a list of horrible things that could've happened to them. The thought made Yuiko smirk inwardly.

Suddenly she felt warm hands cup her cheek gently, pulling her face up to see Ritsuka smiling sweetly at her. As she struggled bring her face up to his, he gently leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

Sparks flew in Yuiko's mind, and she questioned whether she had died on the way to the park. Her shoulders relaxed, her eyes closed, and she began to return his gentle, but somehow strong, kiss. It was then that she was finally able to feel the kiss. It was the most fantastic thing she had ever experienced in her life, the way he made her feel like nothing else mattered in the world, like they were the only people in the world. Yet still, it was somehow strange now. His lips were so…cold, like they had been brought in from the cold snow on an early December morning. And the taste! Almost…revolting, a taste that she could not completely recognize at first, but soon guessed it as metallic.

She slowly opened her eyes, and found her lips succulently locked onto her small, black, cellphone. She opened her mouth to let out a large yell, but quickly stifled herself when she saw the various sleeping girls around her. That's right, she was at Asuka's house, they had planned the sleepover earlier in the week, and Yuiko couldn't cancel on the risk that they would become suspicious. She was staunchly keeping her trip with Ritsuka, and those other two people, a secret. They would rip her to shreds if she told them that she was going on a date with Ritsuka. Well, it wasn't a date yet, but if her dream was any indication, it would become the most romantic trip of her life.

Yuiko gently tiptoed in between the snoring girls, opening the door silently, and praying that none of them would stir. She took a long step out of the room and listened carefully for any strange noises, but all she heard was gentle snoring coming from two of the girls. Yuiko sighed in relief, and silently crept down the stairs, grabbing her bag, and heading quickly out the door. She would have to get dressed in the bushes.

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Mei's docile Sunday morning sleep was rudely interrupted by the blunt blaring of the alarm clock on his nightstand. He slowly raised himself painfully by his elbow and brushed the cobalt hair from his eyes. His blurry vision caught the red glow of the clock, which displayed 7:00, before his hand wildly flailed at it until the alarm went silent.

He stumbled across the room, yawning loudly, to his bathroom, where he promptly flung cold water on his face, a decision he regretted a moment later. He searched blindly for a towel, shaking his face madly, until finally his fingers found a soft fluffy object to dry his face on.

Mei's periwinkle eyes drifted up from the soft towel to look at himself in the mirror. Cold droplets of water still dripped from the tip of his small nose to the sink below, and his ears were, as always, hid by his mesh of hair. But there was something different about himself, nothing that could be noticed by anyone's eyes but his own. His eyes seemed to shine more brightly than before, and his face seemed to show, not the poor helpless boy that they it had always shown, but something…different.

He brushed the thought out of his mind and walked downstairs, his slippers making a soft thump as he landed on the last step. He turned on the television, which displayed a young 20-something year old woman who was pointing to a digital map which was plastered with several different cartoonish icons.

"Today will once again bring a sharp drop in temperatures for the entire Tokyo prefecture, as well a slight chance for rain. If you are planning any outdoor activities, please remember to dress appropriately. That is all for the weather, now we turn to…"

The newswoman's words were drowned out as he went into the kitchen to eat a short breakfast, checking the clock constantly while stuffing food into his mouth. By the time he set his chopsticks down, fifteen minutes had passed, and he had only 10 minutes to get dressed, brush his teeth, and all the other tedious activities that come with the morning.

As he slipped on the long-sleeve taupe shirt, he heard the faint television voice say:

"As we begin this half-hour, a lawsuit has been filed against the-"

"Damn" he breathed, running downstairs to grab a scarf from the closet. The train station was at least a 20 minute walk, and they had all agreed to take the 8:00 train to Yomiuri Land. He, almost violently, shut off the television, and rushed to the door, opening it madly and running out the door while turning around to check that he hadn't forgot anything.

"Eh? Whoa!" He heard a familiar voice shout as he slammed violently into something and fell head-first to the ground.

"Mei, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" He felt something warm grasp his hand and lift him up shakily to his feet once again. After regaining his mind and vision, he looked at the familiar raven haired boy who was still grasping his hand and asking if he was alright.

"I'm fine…Ritsuka? What are you doing here?"

"Since we live close to each other, I thought we could walk to the station together. I was about to ring the doorbell when you rushed out. You sure you're alright? You look a little rattled, why don't you sit down for a minute?"

"There's no time for that! Besides, I'm alright. Come on, we've gotta get going if we're ever going to make it on time!" Mei said, grasping Ritsuka's hand, then immediately pulling it away, blushing. "S…sorry about that"

The taller boy simply smiled and took Mei's hand in his, while the other boy lowered his head, trying to hide his glowing face.

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"Where the hell is he? The train leaves in five minutes!" Yuiko grabbed Hitomi by the arm, pulling viciously on the sleeve of her shirt, threatening to rip it.

"Yuiko, please calm down! Isn't that him over there?" Hitomi scolded, pointing towards two figures paying for their train tickets. Yuiko pushed her aside and sprinted toward the two boys, who had just entered the station.

"Ritsuka! I knew you'd come!" Yuiko shouted, jumping at him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Er…hi Yuiko" Ritsuka responded, straining the free his body of the hug.

"Come on, there's no time, the train's leaving like right now! Hurry, hurry!" Yuiko grasped his arm and pulled his violently toward the train, whose doors had just opened.

"Well, Mei we should probably follow them, huh?" Hitomi said, smiling brightly at him and waving her arm in the general direction of the open doors.

Mei gently nodded his head and walked slowly behind her, his feet dragging on the hard pavement below him. He softly placed his hand on his chest. What was that feeling just now when he saw Yuiko hug Ritsuka? It felt…horrible. Like someone was dragging their nails against his heart.

His footsteps went from a faint pitter-patter to an echoic clanking as he boarded the crowded train, looking for Ritsuka and the others among the sea of people.

"Mei, over here!" Hitomi's usual sing-songy voice rang out over the cellphone conversations and the hands traveling across their phones furiously, texting and dialing numbers.

He pushed past the other occupants, whispering silent 'excuse me's and 'sorry's before he reached the front of the train where Yuiko, Mei, and Hitomi were sitting. He spotted an empty seat nearby, but it was quickly occupied by an old woman who painfully pushed herself onto the seat, sighing once she had settled in.

"Oh dear…I don't see any seats around here, Mei…er…" Hitomi strained her eyes, looking for any empty seats nearby. His eyes drifted toward Ritsuka. Yuiko was sitting uncomfortably close to him, talking happily in his ear. There was that feeling again.

"Um…I saw some seats on the other side of the train, I'll just go sit over there." Mei tried his best to smile and walked innocently to the other side of the train. He found a lone seat at the back of the train, sitting in it as the train start moving towards their destination.

Mei found his mind moving too, at a speed exponentially greater than that of the train. Yuiko was one of the most popular girls in class; he wondered what her feelings toward Ritsuka were. He remembered the way Yuiko jumped onto Ritsuka, the way she was inching closer to him on the train now. Mei brought his legs up to seat, burying his face in them. It was going to be a long train ride.

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As he watched Mei walk to the other side of the train, his ears drooping low, Ritsuka had the urge to follow him. He knew that something was wrong with him, something more than having to sit away from them on the train ride. Yuiko gently wrapped her arms around his, however, keeping him from even trying to get up from the now moving train.

An hour later, his right ear was painfully red and ringing from Yuiko talking insanely into it about useless things, like television, movies, and gossip from around the school. Ritsuka sighed in relief as the train slowed to a halt and the announcer crisply stated.

"We are now approaching onto the Yomiuri Land stop. Any passengers planning to get off here, please be ready to quickly exit the train."

Several people stood up, including Ritsuka, Hitomi, and Yuiko, who was still grabbing desperately onto Ritsuka's long arm. As the door opened, he found himself pushed and pulled at the same time by the masses of people coming into, and coming out of, the train.

A few seconds later, somehow, he found himself onto the platform of the Yomiuri Land stop, along with Hitomi and Yuiko, who also seemed stunned to be there. He quickly glanced around for any sign of Mei, and soon smiled as he saw him walking slowly toward him. He jerked Yuiko's arm from his, and rushed to meet Mei.

"Long train ride, huh? I felt pretty squished in there." Ritsuka laughed and gave Mei a sly smile.

"Huh? Oh...y…yeah" Mei hadn't noticed the time passing, to be honest. He was drowned in his thoughts for the majority of it.

Ritsuka frowned slightly at him before leading him to the escalators where Hitomi and Yuiko had already stepped onto.

"Alright" Yuiko stated while handing each of them a ticket as they all neared the front gate "Make sure you ask the guy for a re-entry permit, 'cause you can't get back in the park if you don't have one." The others nodded in understanding and took their respective tickets, standing in line for entrance into the park.

"I wonder what we should do first" Hitomi pondered

"That's easy! Yomiuri Land is famous for its Ferris wheel; it's a must for anyone coming to the park for the first time! Plus you'll get a great view of the whole park. It's pretty cloudy, so I doubt you'll be able to see Mt. Fuji, but on clear days you can see it." Yuiko responded in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Is that…the Ferris wheel?!" Mei responded frightfully, pointing to a giant structure that was currently slowly spinning its gondolas. Yuiko nodded as she gave her ticket to a portly man at the window, followed by Hitomi, Ritsuka, and lastly Mei.

"Come on, come on" Yuiko urged them "It's still early, so there should be no line at the Ferris wheel" She broke out in a run toward the large wheel, and was followed, more slowly, by the others.

As they reached the entrance for the ride, which only had about 20 people waiting for it, Mei could see the true monstrosity of the structure. He didn't try to estimate the height; in fear that it might cause him a heart attack, but he was surprised oxygen masks weren't provided on the gondolas.

His eyes drifted lower to a sign at the entrance that read "Please pair up with someone before boarding the Ferris wheel." Yuiko grabbed onto Ritsuka and proclaimed

"I've got my partner!" Mei's ears dropped, and he went so sit on a nearby bench.

"Mei, what's wrong? Come get in line." Hitomi asked.

"I'm sorry, sensei, I'm terribly afraid of heights. I'm…Just too scared to go on."

He dropped his head, feeling guilty that he was leaving Hitomi without a partner for the ride. He felt someone sit down next to him, and looked up to apologize to Hitomi. He was met instead with a compassionately smiling Ritsuka.

"Mei, why don't you just try to go on it once? You'll only be up high for a few minutes" Ritsuka said, speaking in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry…I just can't…"

"Come on, I'll go on with you and you can hold my hand if you get scared" Ritsuka winked at him as he said this.

"Ah…" Mei's face become red and he buried it into his own shirt.

"Come on" Ritsuka placed his hand on Mei's back and lifted him up, leading him back towards the Ferris wheel.

Mei still wasn't too sure about the whole thing. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to judge how safe the ride was, considering asking the operator how many accidents had occurred in the last year.

"Ritsuka, come up here, we're next!" Yuiko shouted back to him.

"Oh, Yuiko. I'm going with Mei, I'm sure Hitomi would happily be your partner" he shouted back at her.

There was a few seconds of silence followed by a loud 'hmph' and a few giggles from Hitomi as the gondola shook and shaked while beginning its travel to the top.

A few moments later, a giggling couple exited from the gondola as they ended their trip. The gondola stood in stern awkwardness, beckoning the next passengers into its lonely confines. Mei shook as he was placed into the small, unsteady structure, silently praying that he wouldn't die.

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Hitomi giggled and gushed as the gondola went higher and higher. How long had it been since she'd been on a Ferris wheel? Too long, she now concluded. Her eyes widened as the objects on the ground grew smaller and smaller.

Yuiko, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly annoyed by Ritsuka today, and Hitomi's childish amazement was not helping to cool her head. She looked onto the tops of the trees as they continued to go higher. What was she doing wrong? Was she coming on too strong? One thing was clear, if she wanted to get Ritsuka, she would have to do something drastic.

"Yuiko! Yuiko, look! We're at the top! The view is so beautiful; you can almost see Mt. Fuji! How high do you think we are, huh?" Hitomi squealed as the gondola stopped near the top of the Ferris wheel, swinging slightly as it halted. Yuiko rolled her eyes and continued to look towards the gray sky in the distance.

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"A…aa…haaaaaa!" Mei screamed, tears streaming down his face as the gondola swung violently back and forth, making horrible squeaking sounds as it rubbed against hard metal.

"Mei, Mei! It's alright, it's supposed to do that." Ritsuka assured him, grabbing his hand and rubbing it gently. After a few moments the gondola slowed, now only swaying slightly in the November wind.

Mei raised his head slowly, still frightened that the gondola might suddenly come crashing down, bringing their lives to an end. The fear slowly diminished as he looked upon the skyscrapers of Tokyo.

"It's a pretty nice sight. I'm glad you came on." Ritsuka released Mei's hand, and brought his own hand to wipe a stray tear from Mei's face. The action made Mei feel…calm, but confused somehow. There was a new feeling gnawing away on the pit of soul, but it made him feel happy somehow. He closed his eyes as the gondola jumped forward, preparing for descent.

"That was more fun that I could have imagined! Hey Yuiko, let's go on that rollercoaster next, ok?" Hitomi giggled and pointed to a large nearby ride.

"We have to wait for Ritsuka" Yuiko said through gritted teeth. Hitomi was supposed to be a teacher, yet she was acting like someone that Yuiko would babysit. Hitomi suddenly waved her arms at the Ferris wheel.

"Over here! Over here! Hurry, we're gonna go on a rollercoaster next!" She shouted Ritsuka and Mei, who were just exiting the ride. They quickly pushed through the mass of people now gathered there to meet the glowing Hitomi.

"Did you have fun, Mei?" She asked, patting him on the head.

"Yeah, I think I overcame my fear of heights, at least a little" He brought a hand up to nervously rub the back of his head. Yuiko interrupted the friendly moment by grabbing Ritsuka and yelling.

"We're going to the rollercoaster…NOW!"

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"Attention. The park will be closing in fifteen minutes. All guests, please begin making your way to the exits. All employees, please begin shutting down the rides. I repeat…"

The huge clock that hung above the front gate shone the time of 4:45 as the four rushed to make the 5:00 train back home. The day was spent eating sweets, riding rollercoasters, and enjoying the small sputters of rain that would come throughout the day. Even Yuiko, whose day had started off rocky enough, was now smiling with Hitomi as they retold each other various events of the day.

"Remember that drop? That was so insane, I didn't think it would ever end!"

"Yeah, but do you remember White Canyon? I hear it's a direct replica of a ride in America!"
"Really? I've gone here tons of times, and I've never heard that!"

"Yeah, I think I read it in a magazine…"

The discussion still continued as they traveled down the escalator and entered the nearly vacant train. They sat directly across from Mei and Ritsuka, who had already entered the train a moment before they had.

The whole day was finally taking its toll on everyone, most specifically Mei. The lack of sleep the previous night, along with the various walking he had done today had made him very tired. He gently rested his head on a nearby window and closed his eyes.

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Mei laughed happily as he rolled in the tall grass and played in the cool water of the nearby stream. He had finally found it. Paradise. The field stretched out as far as the eye could see, and the flowing water of the creek was always cold and fresh.

He crawled over to it and dipped his hands in the water, bringing them up to bring the cool liquid to his dry mouth. He quickly drank it and brought his hands to receive a second helping running of a large rock. Rock? Trees. Clouds. The gray clouds. Rain. It had rained. Where? Where had it rained? The park. What park? Yomiuri. That's right, he had gone there. He remembered the way the track of the rollercoasters would make violent turns. The tracks? The train! He was on the train!
He suddenly became conscious, though he had not opened his eyes. He could hear the calm "thump-thump" of the train as it hastily made its way to its destination. His head was on something warm and soft; it felt so good against his cold face. He snuggled his head against it, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep before he was forced to walk the, seemingly eternal, length home.

As he rubbed his head on the object and happily sighed, he heard a slight snicker from above him. Mei froze. He couldn't be….Opening his eyes, he was met with the torso of a black jacket that was going up and down rhythmatically.

"Ahh! I'm so sorry!" Mei shot up from Ritsuka's chest and wiped the spot where his head had been furiously while repeating 'sorry, sorry, sorry…' Ritsuka just smiled and grabbed Mei's hand.

"It's alright, Mei, I don't mind. You actually look pretty cute while sleeping. Besides, it's not like we're the only ones" Ritsuka motioned toward the two sleeping females across from them. Yuiko was spread out across the seat, her torso and neck hanging on Hitomi's leg. Hitomi simply had her head back, her mouth open, and eyes shut.

"I'd let you keep sleeping, but it appears that we're here." Ritsuka pointed to an electronic sign that stated that they would be arriving at the stop in a few minutes. Mei's heart was still pounding, and somehow, the question slipped out of his lips.

"How do you feel about Yuiko?"

"Hmm? She's alright I guess, I used to find her annoying, but she's ok. Why do you ask?"

Mei's mind suddenly caught up with his mouth.

"No reason!" he sputter out nervously "Just wondering!"

Ritsuka was about to follow up but was interrupted by the train.

"We are now arriving at our stop. All passengers getting off here, please watch your step on the platform, as it is raining considerably. Have a nice day.

Hitomi jerked a little, and then drearily opened her eyes and adjusted her glasses. She looked at Mei and Ritsuka for a few moments, and then looked down. She shouted and jerked her legs, causing Yuiko to suddenly wake up.

"Oh…oh dear, I must have fallen asleep" Hitomi said, trying to keep her professionalism, though all three of her students had already seen a less than professional side of her earlier that day.

"Yeah, I think we all did" Mei stated "We should get off before the doors close though."

They all gathered themselves and sprinted towards the doors, getting out just as the doors were beginning to close. On the empty platform, Hitomi suddenly went further into teacher-mode.

"ahem Yes well, I'm glad you all had a good time. I expect you all to get a good night's sleep and be alert and ready to learn tomorrow, understood?"

They all nodded, too tired to even think of objecting.

"Good. Yuiko, you live near me, so I'll walk you home. I trust you boys can take care of yourselves."

The boys nodded, and she walked away from them, giving a polite goodbye as she led Yuiko with her. Yuiko already appeared to be falling back asleep, half-waving to them as she stumbled alongside Hitomi.

"Well, shall we go then?" Ritsuka smiled while pulling an umbrella from his bag.

"You brought an umbrella?"

"The weather report said it would rain a little, so I brought one just in case. Good thing I did"

The rain was pouring heavily, making small creeks on the edges of the road. Mei stepped under the now open umbrella, and they began the long walk to their houses.

The rain pounded hard on the tiny umbrella. Mei thought it sounded like large nails falling onto it, but it kept him dry, and that was all he cared about. They made small talk along the way, mostly talking about the rain, and the day that they had just left behind.

Soon they appeared on the sidewalk of Mei's dark home. Though he enjoyed spending time with Ritsuka, Mei was very happy to be home. He was unbelievably tired and couldn't wait to flop down on his soft bed. He turned to say goodbye to Ritsuka when he suddenly felt Ritsuka's free arm wrap around his body, pulling Mei toward him.

There were no words spoken. Ritsuka's strong embrace remained for several moments until Mei returned it, wrapping his arms around the taller boy. He was so warm and so soft. Just like on the train. Mei gently buried his face into Ritsuka, his nose invaded by the raven-haired boys scent mixed with the smell of rain that had permeated all of Tokyo.

Mei's heart was filled with so many emotions, but only one phrase was entering his mind: 'Don't ever let go. Please Ritsuka, don't ever let me go." Ritsuka's head bent down slightly, his lips touching the soft skin of Mei's forehead. The shorter boy's heart was racing madly; all those emotions he had felt throughout the day seemed to invade it, fighting with each other for who would dominate.

As quickly as it began, it was over. Ritsuka hesitantly removed his arm from Mei and removed his lips from his skin. Mei's heart dropped and he gave Ritsuka a questioning look. He just smiled at him and whispered a 'good night' before leading him up to the porch and leaving to go home, giving Mei one last smile as he walked along the sidewalk.

Mei fumbled with his house keys before he finally slipped it into the keyhole and opened the large door. Closing the door behind him, he walked up the stairs, opened the door to his room, fell onto the bed, and cried for several minutes before gradually falling asleep.

It was the first time he had ever cried tears of joy.

A/N: The first thing I have to say about this chapter is 'eh'. I feel I was a little 'off' for a large part of it, but I'll let you all decide how it went. Did you like the last part? I tried to make it as sweet as I could without it getting too heavy. It's my first 'romantic' scene, so please let me know what you thought. Thanks!

-Pie