DISCLAIMER: Must I write you? N-a-d-a. So if you get the hint…Not mine.

This is the second part. Guess y'all weren't expecting me to continue this, now weren't you? Anyways, as I said, this part focuses on Koko. The last part will focus on Neji. (And by "focus" I mean it's told from the point of Gai/Koko/Neji. In all truth, this story in general focuses on Gai and Neji.)

As for the sequel, I'll give you a hint. The only Gakuen Alice character (Neji does not count as GA even though he attends it in this universe) that really appears (as in shows up and has a major part) is Narumi.

…that hint actually really doesn't help you. Well, maybe.

*Note: I switched it up. Bold is the letter, italics the flashbacks. And sorry if Koko comes off all OOC. I tried.

"Koko? What are you-get off of me. Now." Neji states in a flat voice as the afore-mentioned blonde flings his arms around his waist, clinging tightly with his face pressed against his shirt. He carefully attempts to peel the mind reader off of him-to no avail-then sighs, looking tired. "Koko, what's wrong?"

"…I have a bad feeling." he says quietly, voice missing the chipper tone it holds even when he fakes his perpetual smile.

Neji frowns, carefully sliding an arm out of the bone-crushing grip to gently wrap it around his young charge's shoulders. "About what?"

"I dunno…but I just feel like something's gonna happen."

XXX

He's still mildly surprised by the sudden appearance of the man with the sad eyes and the unsmiling-face meant to smile, but at the same time he's really not surprised at all. He'd been expecting him, only more cheerful, more a man of blinding white smiles and glowing black eyes.

But he's not like that. Or at least, he's not like that anymore.

Koko props his chin up in the palms of his hands, blank brown eyes closely following the man as he's directed to a seat in the back of the room. He refuses to let this man, this man who holds all the answers to his questions, out of his sight. Or at least refuses to let him out of the range of his mind.

XXX

His breathing is labored, chest swelling and collapsing in his desperate attempts to fill his exhausted lungs with even a little bit of air. He's "safe" for the time being, ducked behind a pile of boulders with his back pressed up against the rough gray rock. He coughs; sticky red liquid dribbles from the corner of his mouth to land with a silent 'splash' on the grass.

He feels sticky and red, just like the substance trickling from his lips and the numerous wounds marring his body. He's tired, he's weak, he's absolutely drained.

He knows he's not getting out of this alive.

XXX

"And since the x is congruent to the y…"

Koko could care less about math, eyes still fixed on the black haired man he's sure hasn't realized he's sitting there, boring holes into the back of his head.

In Neji's memories, the hazy, dark ones full of confused mist and muffled words, he's seen this man. In Neji's room, when he spends the nights and Neji thinks he's asleep, when Neji goes to his desk and takes out paper to jot down a letter to the man, Koko's seen this man-even though Neji can't. He sees the man silently standing off to the side, beaming that proud, dazzling smile down at his student as he writes. Koko knows Neji doesn't see these things, doesn't remember these things, but Koko knows because even though Neji's the reincarnated Neji, the memories of the "original" hide in the back of his mind, burrowed in the gloom of dead remembrance.

XXX

He can feel what he guesses is his essence struggling to slip out of him, thrashing wildly against the blackness he can feel slowly creeping up. His breath comes in short, shallow gasps, the bloody trickle now a stream. A numbness has overtaken his limbs; he can't bring himself to move, but that's alright. He doesn't think he'll be going anywhere any time soon-if ever.

He thinks he can hear shouting, loud, begging voices pleading him to stay with them. But why would he leave? He can't leave. He's too tired…

His eyes start to shut against the warnings of the little voice in the back of his head. He's just too tired. He hopes they'll forgive him.

They're all around him, hands desperately pressed against his torn skin, pumping chakra into him like his life depends on it. Now that he thinks about it, his life probably does depend on it. But he doesn't care. Their voices are still loud, even as the sounds around him begin to dim. Something falls onto his cheek, cold and salty. It's a tear.

He attempts to look at them through slitted eyes. Their faces are stained in mud and blood, tears streaking through the coat of filth. He can tell they're yelling at him through their sobs. They haven't given up hope. Not yet, not ever.

He shuts his eyes one last time, lets his head fall to the side. He's sorry he's doing this; he hopes they'll forgive him, but he's lost all hope.

Besides, he knew he was never getting out of this alive.

XXX

Black eyes suddenly brighten when the man turns his way. Koko isn't stupid, Koko can read his mind. He knows how thrilled he is to see him just because he's Neji's friend.

So this is "Koko", he reads. Short, simple, to the point, yet quirky, silly even. Yes, that seems to fit this rowdy-looking boy with an eternal smile fixed on his lips.

That childish grin of his widens as he eavesdrops and he can tell Gai notices this. But it's when he hears Gai wonder how much he'd read, what he'd read, does that smile grow sad.

He's read so much-from Neji and now from Gai. He hopes that has been conveyed across his face.

Apparently it has as Gai abruptly turns away. Koko keeps watching him, though, wishing he could somehow tell him what he knows.

Then it hits him.

He scrabbles around madly for a sheet of paper, drawing more than one odd look and roll of the eyes. He finally finds one, whips it out, and lays it rather messily on his desk. So what if it's a little crumpled? It'll still serve his purpose. His steals one of Permy's pencils with mild protest from the cat-dog-girl and begins to scribble down everything and anything that comes to mind.

Dear Gai,

Yeah, Gai. That's right, I know who you are. Or at least, I know your name. And I know you know me. Neji told you a lot about us. It's Koko. I also know why you're here, but it's okay, I won't tell anyone. Look, I know a lot about you even though we haven't met. And I know you're guessing that I probably do know a lot about you.

Neji hasn't ever told anyone about you (Naru already knew…maybe Tono, too), but then again he doesn't know very much. Well, doesn't know very much about his situation, I guess. So…I know a lot more about it than him. I've read his mind enough times to know about the letters and all that stuff.

I was never going to ask about them, and I mean I still don't plan to, but you're visiting, so I decided to write this.

If you're wondering, you're right about Neji not remembering anything. He doesn't remember anything, and I guess that's a good thing. HOWEVER, he does still have memory. It's just...hidden. He can't remember it, but a mind reader can still find it; it's just a little hard.

Lucky for me I'm a pretty good mind reader.

Anyways…I know about you. You know about me. We care about Neji. Not that much different right? But I was wondering…why don't you smile anymore? In all of Neji's memories, you smile. In your recent memories, it looks kinda fake. Not obviously but just enough for me to tell. Just thought you should know.

Ummm…if you can't tell I didn't really plan this out. But I guess I'll tell you a little more about Neji. He mostly likes it here, but you know all about his current life. So I won't tell you that. I'll tell you other stuff.

He's been…reborn, I guess. Reincarnated? Something like that. Anyways, his memory is pretty patchy from earlier on, before the Academy. It's weird, like he couldn't fully form it and stuff. His first really whole memory is of when they brought him in when he was, like, five.

But the other stuff, the stuff from before isn't patchy. It's completely whole. It's just…well, I dunno how to explain it. It's dark, kind of shadowy and hazy and misty. Also, sounds and stuff are kind of muffled. It's weird. Sorry, I can't explain it well. Or…well…I guess his mind's full of something like broken memories and fragments of dreams. I'm not sure what that should mean but it sounds right. I mean, he's kind of like a piece of cracked glass (or at least his mind is) and I'm scared of the day that glass goes from a piece to a shard.

Sound confusing? I bet it does. Well, it makes sense to me anyways.

I realize that it kinda sounds like I'm saying Neji's gonna go nuts, but that's not what I mean. It's just…yeah I don't know. I guess…sometimes he remembers stuff-like not completely and not much, just little things. I don't know what would happen if he forgot entirely or remembered everything.

Sorry for rambling. I didn't really know what to write. I guess all I wanted to tell you is that Neji's ok and that you don't need to worry about him. We're taking care of him. I know it doesn't help much but I hope that at least reassures you. Or something.

I'm sorry he died because of how it's affected you, but I'm glad he's with us anyways. He's pretty cool, I just wish it didn't have to hurt people that he did get reborn? How would I word that?

…anyways, I'm sorry and I hope one day you can, like, talk to him/see him again. And I'm sorry, again.

-Koko :)

P.S. Neji would've wanted you (and everyone else) to know he's sorry he died and hopes you all will forgive him one day.

He's not quite smiling, not quite frowning as he leans back in his chair, folding the paper over and over until it fits into the palm of his hand. Permy's shooting him an irritated-concerned look; she noticed the smile-frown and, as the one in the class who understood him the most, could discern that something was wrong. He shook his head and forced a "better" smile. It half-worked; her eyes flashed (something's up and I'm gonna figure out what), but she turned her head back to the front of the room, left him alone.

Good. He was glad that she left him alone. He may never be completely alone (one of the drawbacks with being a mind-reader was that you were constantly barraged with the thoughts of others), but sometimes he preferred to be ignored.

XXX

"Another mission? Didn't you get back from an S-class last night?"

"They're not very complicated, Gai. Besides, you're always telling us to challenge ourselves."

"Well, yes, but even your youthfulness-"

"It's fine. I told you, these are simple missions. I'll be fine; I always am."

"Still…"

"I'll be back on Thursday."

"…fine."

XXX

Koko slipped over to the table the man had been sitting at moments before. He was at the front of the room, speaking with Narumi. Now was his chance.

With the lightning-quick reflexes customary of a prankster such as he, Koko forced the briefcase open, shoved his letter on top of the papers neatly arranged within, and slammed it shut.

As he turned to leave, his eye briefly caught Gai's; he'd looked up just in time to see him. Koko smiled. I'm sorry, it read, but you have to know.

He ran.

XXX

"I'll be fine, Gai. Stop worrying."

Gai doesn't say anything, but there's a strange ache forming in his heart. He doesn't know why, but it makes his stomach churn as he watches his precious student depart, turn and coolly walk out of the gates without so much as a backwards glance.

It doesn't feel fine. Gai has a bad feeling.

People like to be right, but for once Gai wished that his gut had been wrong.

I'll be fine, Gai…

Except this time, he wasn't.

Again, not my best work. Sounded way better in my head. I didn't really do an outline or anything for this, though, so yeah…I guess I forgot much of what I meant to write. Sorry. Oh well, I hope you all liked it. And I promise the next part of the "trilogy" will be better. Or at least I hope it will be.

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…:U