She was wandering through that dream again. That same damn dream she knew was only around because her mind had a perverse desire to torture her during the hours she was actually able to spend not thinking about it. Every time, she knew it wasn't real, but every time she tread the same beaten path to completion. This had never happened, of course. What she was experiencing was a mere nighttime creation, something that had never occurred in her life. Yet whenever she felt the heat running up and down her skin, real fear coursed through her veins.

The flames licked at her exposed skin as she ran up the path towards that gorgeous mansion, so opulent even as it was burning down. She knew what the outcome would be, yet she still grabbed the doorknob with her hand, only to jump back in pain as it scorched her hand. Memory kicked in as she ran towards the nearest window, taking off her shoe in order to smash it in and climb up, ignoring the sting of broken glass cutting her arms and legs. Once inside, she put the shoe back on and took off.

There was no need to yell, to see if there was anyone still inside, because she knew. The words still came to her naturally though, that name she uttered many times dying in the air without a reply. "Maki! Maki, are you in here?!" She ran past the burning staircase, expertly dodging a falling wooden beam as she went through the kitchen, pushing past the searing heat and the stinging cuts as she walked the familiar way to where that grand piano lay waiting, a melodic symbol of her constrained emotions.

The piano bench sat there barren, but it wasn't hard to find Maki. She was passed out on the floor, the drapes ablaze as the rest of the room hurried to catch up. Hurrying to the fallen girl, she dropped to her knees and gently rolled Maki over. Brushing aside her scarlet locks, she could tell that there was still life in her, but it was barely there, only noticeable in the faintest of breaths and the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Small, shaking arms wrapped around Maki's body, but she knew then, as she always knew, that there was no way to lift her. She just wasn't strong enough, and there wasn't enough time.

The door she had come in through was on fire now, and despite knowing that it was going to happen, surprise and fear still shook her to the core. They were surrounded by these unholy flames, and every escape route was blocked. Unlike the girl that laid next to her, her breathing was coming in rapid exhalations, eyes wandering desperately around the room. It was all futile, and she knew that, but if something would just change...

The heat was growing unbearable, and she could feel her already-depleted strength fading fast. With every ounce of energy she could muster, she laid down next to Maki and wrapped her arms tightly around the redhead's body. One faint kiss upon her paled cheek was all she would allow herself, before she laid her head down upon Maki's shoulder. Shutting her eyes tight, she wished and she waited. She wished they had more time. She wished that she could hear that beautiful voice one last time. She wished that she had been better, and she waited for their final moment together.

It was scorching hot, and the flames were growing closer, ever-so closer. The beams of the ceiling started to topple down as the structural integrity of the house was compromised. Still she held her tight, refusing to let go as their lives came closer and closer to their untimely end. Placing one trembling hand weakly upon Maki's chest, she could feel the weakest of heartbeats, and she took bittersweet solace in knowing that she was still with her in their final moments. They took one last breath together before the two of them went up in smoke.

She sat on a bench in the mostly-vacant park, braving the cold weather with a heavy jacket and a cup of coffee. Without anyone around who might recognize her, it was nice to just sit back, take long sips of coffee, and feel sorry for herself. Well, except for the person specifically sitting right next to her. Well, there wasn't any reason to hide her downcast mood: her friend was always able to see right through her. It was a very eerie trait of hers, but she had come to accept that her friend was just that observant. Besides, she didn't have the energy to put up some kind of front.

"Nicocchi..." Nico turned to look into her friend's concerned eyes, and she tried to put up a smile, any kind of smile to make it seem as if she was okay. It came out like some kind of grimace though, a very Maki-like grimace. With a groan, she abandoned her attempt and slumped over against a welcoming shoulder, shutting her eyes. "Did you have that dream again?" She just nodded without answering.

Silence lapsed over them as a comforting hand stroked her hair, making her feel slightly more at-ease. This was the side of Nozomi that Nico appreciated the most, when the teasing and cryptic words gave way for a more quiet and understanding aura. She only wished that she could more easily follow Nozomi's advice, sage as it was. "It's not too late, Nicocchi. You can still talk to her."

Another shake of the head. "It won't do any good," she mumbled morosely, burying her face against Nozomi's shoulder. Her words were muffled into the fabric of her friend's jacket. "She'd just glare at me and walk away."

"Maki-chan's just stubborn, Nicocchi." Her hands were so warm, so soothing despite the winter chill, almost enough to put Nico to sleep. That was the last place she wanted to be, though. "Persistence usually works with her, doesn't it?"

"There's a difference between being stubborn and being resolute. I can tell when her mind's made up, and it was made up months ago." Reluctantly moving away from the comfortable warmth, Nico looked up at Nozomi with sad ruby eyes, having long ago shed the wall that kept her feelings away from Nozomi. This wasn't something she had ever wanted to burden people with, and her other friends were not privy to such a sight, but she couldn't keep these things hidden from Nozomi for long, so she let her best friend in.

Being able to talk to Nozomi about these things was surprisingly nice, though it only kept her spirits up for so long before they sank back down to the dark depths that they usually resided in nowadays. It had been months since Maki had given up on Nico's grating tendencies, months since Maki had moved on. Nico hadn't, though. She suspected she never would. When you had the best, the mind just couldn't get accustomed to settling for less.

Sometimes she wondered what Nozomi was thinking in the long pauses between comforting words and helpful advice that she would never take. Did she ever have to compose herself to keep sane in the face of Nico's constant neurosis? If it was true, it wasn't likely something that Nozomi would ever admit to, so there wasn't a point in asking. It was just something she thought about from time to time. "There was something between you two. If you talk to her and say exactly how you feel, then you've left nothing to mystery."

"I just..." She used to be confident, and on stage she showcased it in spades. Her whole life had been led by having confidence in herself when nobody else did. Here, though, with this specific situation, with this specific someone, it all withered away and died. No amount of encouragement could give her the courage to do it. "I just can't." They continued to sit there together in silence. Nico was thankful that her defeatist attitude didn't chase Nozomi off, but she imagined that her friend had plenty of other, better things she could be doing. The thought was not comforting to her psyche.

She felt somewhat cheerful at her own party, which was something that should have been normal. It was a celebration of her new single topping the charts, a little shindig the label had put together. Most of the people there were writers, costume designers, and other staff that helped out with her career up to that point. Most of them she didn't know especially well, so she was glad that Nozomi was there too, as someone that she could at least say she knew personally.

Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised when she saw a familiar head of red hair walk across her vision. Surprised she was though, enough to nearly drop her drink as she froze and stared at the young woman who was clearly, unequivocally Maki. The gears were shifting frantically in her mind as she tried to fish out any kind of information, any reason why her former friend was at her party. Then it hit her: Maki was an investor. Her face immediately fell.

When she was just getting started, Maki helped her get going with some much-needed funds, refusing Nico's promises to pay her back. Eventually, she put a small investment into the label that hosted her, and so Maki would obviously have financial motivations to be here. She would've guessed that the redhead had sold her stake after... well, after they had stopped being together, but clearly that was not the case.

Without really thinking about it, she found her feet moving her away, away from the sight of the beautiful and unobtainable redhead that cursed her thoughts and haunted her dreams. Of all days, why did she have to show up on this one? Hopefully Nozomi wouldn't see her: otherwise, she knew that a confrontation was inevitable.

She eventually did bump into Nozomi on accident, but Maki was not brought up at all to Nico's great surprise. Surely the mysterious and mystical Nozomi had already 'seen all', as it were. Apparently not, as the topic did not come up, and her friend even tried to lead her to a quieter place to talk more privately.

It was while they were ducking past a patch of people that the unmistakable red hair returned to her vision, and when she saw a smile upon that face, those shimmering violet eyes looking not at her, but at someone else, she knew. When she saw that lovely hand squeezing the hand of another, she knew that Nozomi had seen Maki. That was why she was trying to get Nico away from the main room of the party. Brushing past Nozomi, she forced her way out of the room, hoping no one else could see the tears that were freely spilling down her face.

"I'm sorry, Nicocchi. I didn't know that she would be here." Comforting hands laid upon her shoulders, but she felt nothing, staring blankly at the floor.

"You couldn't have known." She wished she hadn't known. She wished she hadn't seen, but she had, and now it could never be erased from her memory. "It's okay." It wasn't. "She can be with whomever she wants." Why wasn't it her, though? She just wanted to leave now, but it wouldn't look very good if the person who the party was thrown for skipped out. She would just have to gut it out.

"Nicocchi..."

"I just need a minute." She needed longer than that. A lifetime might not be enough. Nozomi wouldn't be fooled, she never was, but they both knew this was important for her career, and so she would have to go back out there. All she could do was gently squeeze Nico's shoulders until a minute passed, then two. At the three minute mark, Nico stood up and walked silently out, all of her tears gone. It was time to keep up appearances again.

The mansion was still on fire. The door was still hot to the touch. The window still cut her skin as she entered the house. Somehow, in its own perverse way, the scorching flames were becoming a more comforting heat, shielding her from the cold weather. Running the familiar layout gave her a sense of familiarity, and seeing the motionless redhead sent her heart soaring, even if it was laced with a stabbing sort of pain.

There was never going to be an escape, no matter how many times she looked. Still, there was one thing she had. She had this moment; she had this dream. With her arms wrapped tightly around Maki's body, she fell into her warm desires, into the one place she had left where she could hold her. Even if everything was taken away from her, this still remained. This one fictitious moment where they could be together, even if it was only for the briefest of moments.

Tears leaked from her eyes and quickly evaporated in the oppressive heat, but her spirits lifted ever-so slightly at the feeling of Maki's faint heartbeat playing like her old compositions against Nico's hand. She pressed herself as close as possible and shut her eyes, the image of a Maki who smiled when in her presence imprinted upon her eyelids. She gave in to the sensations, to every soaring and crippling emotion that was sending her into a spiral of deluded misery. In this place they could be together. In this moment she could say they were one.

Every night, for as many days, as many months, as many years as she wanted, she could be with her love in their burning house. She laid there and embrace the failed wishes, the inevitable waiting, and the love she never wanted to let go of, until the two of them went up in smoke.