Minty-chan: GAH I'M SO SORRY I COULDN'T FINISH THIS! ... I PROMISED AN UPDATE THAT NEVER CAME... ;-;

I'M SORRY!

Please enjoy! :)

"Choose, Aoi! Choose your fated one, the one who will accompany you on your journey to success. Choose one, and only one. Choose the stronger, the more important one. The useless must be tossed away into the forest of failure. Choose!"

The clock struck midnight as the face flickered between Kuuga's serious face to Akashi's smiling face, both with a look of desperation in their eyes.

"I will help you. I will take your hand and lead you past the hardships you will face." They said in unison in robotic voices.

"No! I won't choose! I can take both of them!"

"Then both will be branded as useless!"

I woke up to a start. I was sweating and shaking with fear. Why was I getting that stupid nightmare again, for the umpteenth time?!

I didn't have to choose. I won't choose. Like I said in my nightmare, I can take both of them. I will take both of them with me. Besides, what was I choosing in the first place? Why was I choosing between them? I don't need to, it's not a necessity, so I won't choose. I sighed. This really was driving me mad. Luckily, it was the weekend, so I had no classes. I might as well go out with Kuyuki today.

"Kuyuki-chan, wake up!" I said, shaking her.

"W-what is it, Aoi-chan?" She said, her words half slurred.

"Do you have anything to do today?"

"Yeah, why?" Kuyuki asked, yawning.

"Nothing, just wanted to know if you had free time. So, where are you going?" I replied, slightly disappointed.

"... Sachio-kun wanted to go watch a movie..." She mumbled, blushing slightly.

"AWWE!" I yelled. That was so cute! "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then." I said, winking. She blushed even more. "Well, I'm going to go change now." I walked away.

When I reached my closet, I looked for something cute and pretty. I found the perfect thing, a frilly white blouse. I put it on, and got out a pair of navy blue skinny jeans. I put that on too. I then got out my combat boots, and leather bag. Good, all set to go! I brushed through my messy brown hair and walked outside. I texted Kuuga and Akashi.

Me: Are you guys free today?

Kuuga: Not me. I have to study for the french test.

Me: Okay then~

...

Me: Are you free today, Akashi?

Akashi: Yep! :)

Me: Do you want to go somewhere today?

Akashi: Sure!

Me: I'll meet you by the statue then!

Akashi: Okay! :)

Phew, I got someone to come with me. I walked over to the statue and sat down. I saw someone walking in the distance. Most likely Akashi. I got up, and dusted my butt off.

"Hi~!" I said.

"Hi Aoi!" He said, smiling like usual.

"Where should we go?" I asked. "Do you have any place in mind?"

"No..." Akashi replied.

"Then is the park okay? I know a really nice park nearby..." I trailed off.

"Okay, let's go!" He said, grinning.

"Let's bus there then." I said, taking his hand and running to the bus stop. I blushed at what I realized I had just done, and let go. "Sorry!"

"I-it's okay, Aoi! I'm sure it was just an accident..." He said, looking away and blushing. Watching him do that only made me blush more.

"Y-yeah, it was, Akashi!" I said, stuttering.

"O-Okay! Oh, the bus is here! Let's get on." Akashi said.

"S-sure!" I said, my heart still rapidly beating on. I swear, Akashi can hear the drumming in my chest. I felt really dizzy. We walked up the stairs, and into the bus. I opened my bag. "Oh no!" I cried.

"What's wrong?" He replied, looking quite worried. "Is there something wrong?"

"I forgot my bus ticket! What should I do... I can't go back otherwise I'd hold everyone up... But I really wanted to go out today..." I trailed off, thinking.

"Aoi, you can use one of my bus passes." Akashi laughed a bit. "It's a simple solution!"

"Really?! You'd do that for me...?" I said.

"Of course! We are friends, right?" He said, smiling.

"Yeah~ I'll pay you back later!" I replied. Akashi was such a good friend.

"No need. Let's just get on for now, we're holding everyone up!" He had a silly grin plastered onto his face. Now that I think about it, he is really cute when he smiles. I blushed. What was I thinking? I hope he can't see me...

"Our tickets have been validated. Let's find a seat, Aoi." He said. His voice snapped me back to reality.

"Sure." I said, smiling a bit.

"Woah, it's so pretty here!" Akashi exclaimed, looking around. He was right, it was pretty. The crisp colours of autumn were popping out everywhere. The fiery orange leaves fell from the oak trees, creating a beautiful scenery. The cool fall air tickled your nose every time you took a breath. It was radiant. It was appealing. It was reality.

"Come on, lemme show you my favourite place!" I said, running off while beckoning him over. I saw him start to run towards me. Before I knew it, he'd caught up. "You're fast." I huffed out.

"Maybe you're just slow~" He replied, winking.

"Mou, meanie!" I pouted, puffing my cheeks out.

"I was kidding, baka." He said jokingly. I shot an icy glare towards him.

"Well, we're here!" I said, letting him get a good look at the place. I saw his mouth gape a little. Every time I saw it, I still thought the same thing. That it was breathtaking.

The vibrant roses stood out, even in the middle of fall. The colours were stunning, beautiful shades of red and pink, from as dark as the deepest cherry red lipstick to the lightest cotton candy pink you can imagine. That wasn't all though. The leafs of the bushes that the roses stood on were still a vibrant green, a whole colour palette of green shown on them. The sky was painted a light, fading blue, and that still isn't the best part. The best part was the old gazebo. You might be thinking, what's so good about some creaky old gazebo?

It wasn't just some old gazebo. It was the gazebo. It was the gazebo where you could spend all your time in, and never get bored of. It was the gazebo where all your memories were held in. The gazebo where all my memories were held in. The real memories of my family. Of my friends. Of me.

Although the gazebo was old, it was still quite elegant looking. A faded green was painted over, the paint starting to peel. The golden metal of the frame was slightly rusted. Inside, was a bench that lined the glass that was inside the frame. A small wooden table was inside, perfect for some afternoon tea.

Luckily, I had brought some snacks. I laid out my tablecloth on the slightly dirty table, and opened my picnic basket. Inside lay plentiful sweets, which I had made last night with Kuyuki. A variety of macaroons greeted your eyes as the bright colours waved out. A container of sandwich cookies filled with seedless raspberry jam lay untouched, not a crumb dropped. Two sandwiches were wrapped in plastic wrap, and finally, a teapot with a thermos of hot water was inside, a small jar of Earl Gray tea awaiting us.

"Are you fine with this kind? It's my favourite." I asked him, seeking reassurance. I saw a small nod of his head, and another smile.

"I like Earl Gray too." He said. "Did you make those cookies? They look good." I nodded as I got out some napkins, teacups, and paper plates, giving us each one. I unwrapped a sandwich and put it on his plate.

"You must be getting hungry." I said. My stomach grumbled, and he giggled a bit.

"You seem to be getting hungry as well~" He said. "Here." Akashi unwrapped the other sandwich and held it to my mouth. "Say ah!" He said.

"Y-you're going to feed me?" I said, bewildered. I blushed, looking away.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Akashi asked curiously. Apparently, he didn't get the message.

"N-no, just a bit nervous is all..." I trailed off, looking away.

"Okay then. Say ah!" He said again. This time, I obeyed.

"Ahh..." I said, opening my mouth a little. He gently pushed the sandwich in my mouth and I bit a little and chewed it. Akashi looked away, blushing. "Neh, Akashi, aren't you hungry too?"

"Yeah, I guess." He replied.

"Say ah!" I said, smiling with his sandwich positioned in front of his mouth. He looked away bashfully, blushing even more.

"A-ah!" Akashi said. He looked really cute. I put it in his mouth and he took a small bite. He smiled at me.

"Is it good?" I asked.

"Yep, really good, especially because it's made by you!" He replied. I blushed.

"A-Akashi!" I said, looking away.

"It's so pretty..." He said. He was looking at the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and the sky was painted a pastel blue. It was true, it was pretty.

"You're right, but you haven't even seen the best part yet! It still has to come, just wait a little longer." I replied. I giggled a little. He was such a kid.

"Okay, Aoi~" Akashi said. He seemed fine with the idea of waiting, definitely more patient than a child.

A few hours were spent playing tag, hide and seek and such, and the day was rapidly fading away.

"Aoi, I had so much fun today! Thanks for taking me out~" Akashi said. He was smiling his signature grin, a smile that could always make me laugh. I giggled a bit before replying,

"You were the one who agreed to this, so I should be thanking you~" I said happily. I was really happy, a warm fuzzy feeling filled my heart. "Thank you, Akashi." He smiled back, his warm smile. "Oh! I forgot to tell you! The best part should be here just in a little bit."

"What's the best part?" He asked curiously.

"The sunset." I replied, smiling. "Come, come!" I said. I ran to the edge of the lake with the picnic blanket, and placed it on the floor. I sat on in, and motioned for him to do the same. He plopped down beside me.

"Where is it?" Akashi asked. Jeez, he really was cute like a little child.

"Wait a little longer." I replied. It was taking a while.

At last, it arrived. The sun started to go down, its bright reds and oranges hurting our eyes. It was much too bright, so we couldn't look at it fully until the sun had calmed down a bit. Even so, it was beautiful, and shades of pink and purple danced across the orange sky. The roses seemed to glow a vibrant red in the cool sun.

We stayed until it was dark, the night sky replacing the sunset. The stars glowed above us as we walked back to the bus station together. The bus arrived, and we gratefully got on.

"I wanna see it again." Akashi stated firmly.

"You'll have to wait until next time!" I said happily. "Today was fun." I said. We got off the bus at our stop.

"Yeah." He agreed, and we walked back to the campus together.

Minty-chan: Tada! There is the latest, and longest chapter so far! I hope you enjoyed~

A note, I will be away for two weeks for Spring Break, and I hope to get three Just 4 U updates out before then! Hopefully I will successfully meet my goal! XD

Minty-chan, OUT! ^.^