Hi, guys! Hehe, sorry it took me long to post this third chapter (not that I'd expect people to actually read it T^T)! Anyway, I am thrilled to say that I finally have the energy to finish this (hopefully) in just three more chapters (and since this one's done, two more to go… WOHOO!)

Oh, by the way, I got a message from an old friend of mine who's now living waaaaayyyy overseas, and I just want to say that I'm finishing this story for her. Anything for the first person who ever listened to my stories… If you're reading this, and you know who you are, then let me just say, "Thank You" for still being that awesome listener even if you're waaaayyy over there :') I miss you so much 3

Anywho! Before I start crying here, please enjoy the Third Ingredient for Cold Coffee~

Third Ingredient – Ice

"You didn't have to come you know…"

She skidded to a stop, and turned to me. "Yeah? Well, you didn't want me to stay home alone, either… What else would you think I'd be doing?"

Disappear, I thought to myself.

"Anyway, I want to see the outside world for a change…" she continued as she began walking ahead of me again. "Being cramped up in that lousy apartment of yours is boring…"

"Nobody asked you to stay, you know…" I mumbled. She didn't seem to hear as she kept walking, singing a weird, almost inaudible song to herself.

"Say, Green?" she suddenly asked, turning again, but this time not stopping. "Who're you going to meet up with? Was it the person who called you a while ago?"

"That's none of your business," I said, looking away. "And stop that, seriously…"

"Stop what?"

"That…" I gestured. "That walking backwards thing… It's creeping me out…"

She stared at me with curious eyes, but she didn't stop walking. I just narrowed my eyes and shook my head.

"You know what?" I said. "Nevermind… I don't care if you bump into a tree or something."

"Green, stop worrying about me!" she suddenly smiled.

"I'm not worrying…"

"…Besides," she continued. "There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing… It's not like anything dangerous is gonna happen to me…"

It's not like something bad's going to happen, right?

I sighed. Suit yourself.

I looked ahead, and saw a stream of light. We were nearing our destination.

Blue took a deep breath. "I swear… Viridian City hasn't changed much, has it?" She faced me. "How's Yellow, by the way? Does she still live here? Is she still as cute as ever? What about Silver?"

She suddenly stopped frozen on her tracks.

"Silver…" she whispered to herself, her voice so soft. I stopped too, watching her. So she still remembers them. Especially that boy…

"I wonder how he's doing," she thought aloud, but I doubt she directed that question to me.

She turned, and hung her head low. "I hope he's doing well… Hopefully, he's taking all that's happened to me…"

"He's in Hoenn," I suddenly blurted out. She stared at me, surprised. I had to look away.

"Silver's in Hoenn," I repeated. "He left just two weeks ago…"

The worry was still in her cloudy blue eyes.

"…with Gold and Crystal… The three of 'em were sent there by Gramps on a mission." I tried my best to escape her questioning stare. "I think Gramps mentioned just some days ago that they were doing well…"

To my surprise, she lunged herself at me, almost making me fall on my back.

"Blue! What in hell?!"

My left shoulder began to dampen.

"Honestly…"

"I'm so glad," she choked. "I'm so happy he's doing okay…"

I looked away, my body gradually losing its stiffness at her touch.

"Thank you, Green…"

Thank you, Green…

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" I sighed, putting my head on her head. "Now, sheesh, get off of me before somebody sees us…"

She slowly pulled herself away, wiping her tears away. I watched her, and inwardly sighed to myself.

I never knew ghosts could cry…

"W-we should go…" I said. "He's probably waiting for a long time, already…"

"He?"

I shrugged her question off and began walking. She obediently followed.

"…And if you're wondering about Yellow," I continued, aware that hiding it from her was futile. She was going to find out anyway, seeing that she's showing no signs of turning back.

"She, too, went on a mission…" I hesitated, and then added. "…with Red."

"With Red?"

"Yeah… They just got home, apparently."

Blue had another curious look on her face. "Red and Yellow, huh…?" Then she smiled. "Who knew?"

I stared at her, and she paused, giving me a questioning stare.

"What?"

"You really don't remember?" I asked. Her eyebrows met.

No… No, she doesn't.

I started walking again.

"Nevermind…"

The confused look on her face disappeared, and she followed sunnily.

"So," she started again. "Who're we meeting up, again?"

I stopped. She followed.

"Does that answer your question?" I asked, gesturing in front of me. She followed my gaze, and her eyes bulged as she stared at the figure sitting in front of Viridian gym. I tried swallowing the urge to announce a withdrawal.

But we were already here.

"Red!" Blue cheered, her eyes sparkling. "It's really Red!" She turned to me. "So it was Red? Huh, Green, huh? It's Red? It's really Red?" Then she turned to his direction again. "I can't believe it! He's here!"

Then she began running towards him.

I heaved another sigh, before walking forward as well.

The figure raised his head, making his red eyes focus entirely at me. He smiled as he stood up.

"I kept you waiting long?" I asked, approaching him.

"Not really…" he replied, dusting himself off. "Yellow was here just some time ago and we were talki… huh?"

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying my best not to scream at Blue for throwing herself at him. She was weeping again for some reason.

"Red…" she choked. "Red, you're here…"

Red looked confused, looking around. "That's strange…" He placed his hand on his shoulder, unaware that he was returning Blue's embrace. "I'm feeling some heavy weight on my shoulders all of a sudden… And something smells like fresh leaves…"

"Red, can't you see me? It's me, Blue…" She let go of him, holding both his cheeks instead.

"Whoah…" he said. "Now my cheeks feel cold."

Blue, seriously, stop.

"You sure you're not imagining things?" I asked, subtly staring poisonous daggers at Blue.

Red thought for a moment, and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, you're probably right… Guess the whole thing that's been happening to my life is finally weighing its toll on me psychologically…"

So, he was going to bring it up, in the end. I had to hide another flinch.

"How fares the mission?" I had to swerve the topic again.

"It was a success," he replied matter-of-factly. "But I wasn't really in good shape, so Yellow had to do almost everything for me…"

"Red!" Blue was yelling.

"So, how's Yellow?"

"Yellow's doing fine, I guess…" he said. "I just asked her to go home, so she could rest, but she did say she might come to see you tomorrow, if you're going to the gym…"

"I might go," I said, looking to my side. "If something doesn't come up, that is."

"Yeah, I'll make sure Yellow gets that…"

"Red…" Blue was beginning to choke again. I couldn't take it.

"Stop that…" I growled.

"Er?" Red blinked. "Stop what, Green?"

I didn't reply to him, and let my eyes fixed on Blue, who was finally staring at me, tears in her eyes. She looked down, then up to Red, and then back to me. Soon, she let him go, and started walking back to my direction.

It was pathetic.

"Green…?"

"Don't mind me," I said. "That usually happens…"

Red's eyes began to dim as he stared at me.

"So even you weren't able to survive despite how long it's been since Blue…" he trailed off.

Blue's head perked up at the sound of her name. I watched her slowly stare at me, wearing a perplexed look on her face.

I bet she was beginning to suspect something here.

"Anyway," Red continued. "Sorry if I called you here in such a short notice. I just thought… I dunno…" His smile was beginning to break. I, on the other hand, was staring intently at him, praying hard that he wouldn't say it.

Not while Blue was still here.

"Maybe you finally remember why Blue wanted to see you that night?"

Blue's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

Red kept that stupid smile on his face intact.

"Well, I had the time to clear my head after all's that happened… And I remembered…"

Stop, Red… Seriously…

I was getting desperate that Blue would go away.

"I remembered that she was currently on the phone with Yellow…"

No…

"And I asked Yellow about it, and she confessed that she and Blue were talking to each other before she went off…"

My hands were getting sweaty.

"Blue was crying that time, she recalled. And that she was desperate to go to this someone to tell the latter something…"

"Did you seriously call me out here to talk about a dead person?" I cut him off. I swore I heard something crack from somewhere.

"Green," Blue scolded me.

"Honestly, Red, it's been almost a month, and you still haven't gotten over her?" I continued, walking past him.

"Green!"

"I thought you were more than that, Red… But then again, you were always one of the most sentimental out of all of us, second only to Yellow…"

"Green, stop that!"

I stole a glance towards Blue.

"She's gone, Red," I said, not taking my eyes off of her. "Try spending your quiet moments telling yourself that…"

The next thing I knew was that a knuckle flew towards my face, making me fall hard on the ground. I didn't bother wincing.

"Green!" the girl shrieked.

Red's eyes were filled with anger.

"Why is it so easy for you to say…?" he hissed. He went towards me and grabbed me by the collar. "Why do you treat her like she's just a passing trend, for crying out loud?!"

I just stared at him sullenly.

Here we go again…

"Red, stop that!" Blue shrieked.

"Why?" I challenged, wiping the blood off my lips. "Is it not true? Isn't Blue already gone? I've long accepted that fact… I don't get why you can't find it in yourself to do the same…"

Red answer was gripping on my collar harder, and threatening to punch me. I hardly struggled. His blows aren't that painful anyway.

"Because unlike you, Green, I loved Blue…" he mumbled, his arm ready for another blow. I watched it quiver gradually as his voice began to brake.

I just blinked at him.

"That's it?" I asked. "That's what you wanted to say to me? That you 'love' her…?" I grabbed his arm and pulled his grasp roughly away.

"It's not like it matters to me, Red…"

Red didn't bother fighting back as he slowly fell to the ground, weeping.

"Of course it wouldn't matter to you…" he replied. "And it didn't matter to her either…"

My head bobbed to his direction.

Now, there's something I've never heard before…

"I'm pretty sure it mattered to her," I found myself saying, standing up. "Otherwise, she wouldn't agree to be married to you…"

There it was again. That heavy feeling…

To my surprise, I heard him chuckle bitterly to himself.

"You really didn't know?" he asked, not looking up to me.

I just stared at him.

"Blue, she…" Red's voice was already fading. But I still heard what he has to say.

"She loved you, Green…"

I love you, Green…

My hands were beginning to itch to wring his neck.

Of course, I knew that. I knew that too well.

"Yeah, so?" I suddenly blurted out. Red raised his head and stared at me.

I looked away.

"It's not like it matters now, does it?"

Red just continued crying and I just walked pass by him, determined never to look into those eyes again.

It's been a month… I didn't know how to apologize to him after all this time… No matter how much I wanted to.

"If that's all you're gonna say, then I better get moving…" I just said.

He didn't reply.

I walked enough to realize that Blue never moved the whole time Red and I were fighting. I stopped, and stared at her.

"Let's go home, Blue," I said.

Blue just stared at me.

"I'm waiting…"

After a few moments, she really did move, but not to follow me. Instead, she passed by me, towards the weeping Red. I followed my gaze after her.

"I love you, Blue," Red was muttering softly. "I love you…"

Blue knelt in front of him, and wrapped her transparent arms around him. I had the fight the piling urge to scream.

"Don't worry, Red… I love you too…"

-m16-

I curled grumpily into a small ball after placing the bag of ice I placed on my cheek away.

One month… It was finally one month since all this began; since that first day of Summer…

To think that time moved that fast…

I pulled the pillow closer to me, burying my face towards it, hoping that stuffing my face into it will leave me suffocated and let me die.

How was I able to last this long?

The scent of fresh leaves began filling the room again. I had to fight the urge to cry.

She was just behind me. I was sure of it. I could feel her weight sinking into my bed, and her cold sensation was filling my back.

"Hey, Green…?" she suddenly called out, breaking the silence. "Are you awake?"

I didn't reply.

"I can't sleep…" she went on. "Go make us some coffee…"

I grunted.

"I thought you said you don't drink coffee?"

"Well…" she sighed. "How about tea instead? Jasmine Tea sounds nice at this time of the night…"

I flinched. Really, really violently.

Why won't she just disappear?

"No," I said, burying my face into the pillow again. "Go make one for yourself…"

There was a short moment of silence before I felt her beginning to move.

"Okay," she said, obviously turning around to get out of bed. But then she stopped, and I began to hear soft sobs.

Oh, Blue…

Her sobs gradually got louder, and soon, she was crying like a child.

I slowly raised my face from my pillow, and sat up. I turned to her direction, and sighed.

"Blue…" I said. She didn't reply.

I moved closer, and gently wrapped my arms around her trembling body.

She didn't move, and just accepted my gesture wholeheartedly. She didn't even bother pushing me away or hugging me back, but it didn't matter to me.

Lately, nothing has been mattering to me.

I wordlessly rested my chin on her trembling shoulder.

As a matter of fact, we could stay like this forever, and I realized it wouldn't matter.

…It wouldn't matter….

-FIN-

To MJ:

"Zafar
(Triumph)

Z-embla, Zenda, Xanadu.

A-ll our dream worlds may come true.

F-airy lands are fearsome too.

A-s I wander far from view.

R-ead, and bring me home to you."

-Salman Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories