Shun and Dan refused to believe that a hospital with crumbly outside walls, dirty windows, and other architectural problems could even be allowed to function, but they went inside anyway.

"I haven't been here in a long time, either." Runo sighed. "Not since—"

"Runo, I'll stay outside with you," Dan suggested. "Shun, you can explore the hospital by yourself."

"Dan, what are you planning now?"

"Shun, just listen to Dan." Runo suddenly lost her breath and held onto Dan's shoulder. "I can't stand going inside. Just look for Daisy or anyone who knows Alice. She visited this place often."

With Shun gone, Dan helped Runo down on a chair and said, "You're faking it."

"Faking? I really do have issues with this place," she scoffed, placing her head on her left hand and other hand on her right leg. "You may look clueless at times, but you like to question people, just like Shun."

He back up from his seat away from her. "Alice was my friend, too. I'm just trying to help Shun."

"Really? I see Alice as a closer friend with Shun than with you. She never even talked about you. Now I know why."

"What do you want?"

Runo tilted her head toward Dan whispered, "I want Shun to find this out for himself."

"You're not helping at all."

Once again, Runo shook her head in despair. "Because Alice got herself involved in something that could've killed her."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Shun looked at the map of the hospital and took the elevator to the third floor where Doctor Michael worked. Most of the floor was occupied with child patient rooms, but not a single room or bed was occupied. Then he saw a photograph of two redhead girls hanging above the empty bed of a special room. At least you made some friends here.

"May I help you?"

A voice startled him, and Shun turned around. Standing in front of him was a gray-eyed trainee in a doctor coat that was too long for him. "May I ask who the girls in that photographs are? Is one of them Alice?"

"The long-haired one is Alice. Back then, Alice used to visit Mira—wait, do you even understand what I'm talking about?"

"Only the Alice part." Shun flipped the peach sticky note over and saw the name Mira Clay. Maybe this name is who this guy is talking about. "I'm not a local, so—"

"I see. Why don't we go to the dining tables?" The trainee led Shun to the third-floor mini cafeteria and got him a coffee. "Coffee's on me. I'm Ace Grit, first-year trainee. How did you know Alice if you're not a local?"

"Thanks, Ace. I'm Shun Kazami. Alice was a friend of mine from a long time ago back in Bayview. She moved shortly after her parents died, and I didn't know where she went until now. There was nothing I could do about it."

"You're the guy she always talks about! That's a long time to finally find out where your girlfriend moved to, especially since she's not here anymore."

"Actually, she's not my girlfriend, just a very understanding friend. How is she not here?"

Ace chuckled at Shun's reaction and shook his head. "Alice was like that too when I called you her boyfriend. However, Alice began taking about moving out of here after the strange incidents. One day, she stopped contacting us. Alice was a common visitor in the child patient halls."

"How common?"

Ace pointed to the spiky redhead next to Alice in the photograph. "That other girl is Mira Clay, my girlfriend. She had this illness when she was younger and didn't get better until Alice visited and became friends with her. At first, it worked, but...Mira no longer lives."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Rest in peace.

"No worries. You didn't know. Alice always told stories to Mira and me about how you cared for her so much. Giving her the other jade koi of a pair was the sweetest thing ever."

"I suppose..." Not until I find Alice again, it isn't.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey! You're back again!"

"I came by to see you, Mira. Look what I brought."

Alice entered the double doors and placed a basket of food on the counter. "Smells like sandwiches. Are they from Runo's diner?"

"Actually, I made these myself. There was no more ham in my refrigerator, so I used tuna." She took a seat by Mira and saw Ace coming. "Over here!"

"Hey! Sorry I'm late. I was hand-washing the blender because the dishwasher broke." He placed three thermoses on the counter, and Alice and Mira each took one. "Thanks for visiting Mira with me, Alice."

"No need to thank me. You should focus on your studies so you can be a doctor. I'm just the delivery girl. Right, Mira?"

"Close enough." Mira took a sip of the fruit juice and loved it already. "I swear, I'll never meet someone else as caring as you, Ace. Alice, how are things going with Shadow?"

"Shadow?" Alice tightened her grip. "I wish I could do something about it, but he won't stay away from me. Shadow's nice and all that, but—"

"But you still miss Shun." Mira and Ace answered simultaneously. Alice nodded her head and placed her cup on the counter. "Alice, if you love him that much, then just ignore Shadow." Mira reassured. "Don't even think about him. Just remember that jade koi Shun gave you."

Alice shook her head and stood up. "Thank you, Mira. I'll handle this myself. I might not be able to visit you for a while since he's been coming to the third floor lately. Take care."

"See you next time!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Mira and I totally understood Alice's dilemma. Shadow was a nice guy, but Alice loved you and only you, just like Mira's feelings for me and my feelings for her."

Shun shook his head and went inside the patient rooms. Based on the calendar behind Mira in the photograph, he concluded this was taken about a day before the schedule surgery day. Again, the corner of a piece of paper stuck out from the left edge. Another poem, I guess.

But it wasn't a poem. It was a drawing.

"Ace, when was this photograph hung?"

"I had it developed, framed, and hung up shortly after Mira passed away. Why?"

"Because this drawing probably wasn't here years ago."

Shun showed Ace the crayon drawing of a redhead girl in white lying on a bed with IVs attached to her. The machine next to her displayed was a flat green line, and the numbers all said zero. "You're right. In fact, this is exactly what happened when Mira died. Cause of death was heart failure. I remember it really well."

"What day did she die?"

"July 17th. Same day as the surgery."

"Here's the problem." Shun lifted the bottom right corner. "This was dated July 16th and signed by SP."

Ace's hand slow trembled and crushed the cup in his hand immediately. "That son of a—"

"Ace, I have one more question. When Mira died, did Alice or Shadow do anything out of the ordinary?"

"Shadow wasn't at the hospital that day at all, but Alice watched the surgery. When Mira died on the spot, she was so shocked that she ran off somewhere and wasn't found until late at night." Ace wiped the coffee puddles and asked, "Do you think Mira died because she didn't want Shadow with be with Alice?"

"Mira openly criticized him?"

"All the time." Shun was speechless, but Ace had more to say. "Wait. Alice documented the entire process, and I saw her slip a paper in a ledge space somewhere moment after Mira was proclaimed dead. That room hasn't been touched for since Mira died. Maybe that paper's still there."

"I hope you're right."

Luckily, Ace was still on break, so he took Shun up to the surgery viewing room on the fifth floor, which wasn't used anymore. "There. No one ever looks below the handrails because you can't see under it from any standing angle."

"There is a note...stuck on multiple pieces of gum that people were too lazy to spit away." Shun carefully peeled the brown paper off and read it.

There was no way Mira could've died.

This only proves he has so much more to hide.

Someone needs to plan funeral services for this loss.

Maybe I can ask the woman in the building with the cross.

"Is there a church nearby?"

"There's one down the street. Alice went there a lot after Mira died. Another sad story, actually." Ace looked has his watch and sighed. "Break's over. It was nice meeting you, Shun. I can see why she never gave up on you."

"It was nice meting you too, Ace. See you soon."

But before Ace left, he walked to Shun's side and whispered. "I can also see why she chose to hide from all of us."

Shun couldn't wait to take the elevator down and get to that church.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Impossible."

Alice couldn't believe her ears. She was the first person to see Mira die; the doctors were still clueless. Even everyone in town were talking about how the poor girl died in surgery, so Alice couldn't deny it. She ran far away from the hospital, and it began to drizzle. In front of her were the metal gates surrounding the church.

She took out a drawing that she found yesterday. On it was a girl with hair the same color as Alice's on a blank white bed with black pencil lines connecting her to complicated machines. What truly caught Alice's attention was the flat green line drawn with a gel pen by the picture of the clock.

As well as the date plus signature on the bottom right corner.

"Hello? Is anyone—"

"Alice!" Behind the redhead was Shadow with a black coat in his hands. "Put this on. It'll keep you warm from the rain—"

"I'm not in the mood."

Shadow tightened his grip on the coat and said, "I know you're upset about Mira's death. She was one of your first friends here. The grief may be overwhelming, but at least put this on to keep yourself—"

"I have to go." Alice opened the metal gates and closed them upon entry, leaving Shadow outside by himself in the rain. "Maybe the priestess will know what to do. The least I can do is ask about funeral services." she muttered to herself.

She knocked on the door five times, and a young woman opened the door. She saw the worried expression on the redhead's face and didn't ask for more. "Need not explain. I know why you're here."

"Thank you." Before entering, she looked up at the dark sky. "My parents are gone, and so is Mira. Shun, where are you? I wish I could tell you how much I miss you and Bayview, but I just can't..."

Alice stepped inside, and the door closed.