"I-I want to give this hairpin to my beloved!" Atsumu cried, hand swiftly extending as he mustered all the courage his six year old body could muster for his confession. Menma squeaked in surprise, face flushing as she looked at the simple plastic cherry blossom hairpin. Shyly twirling her finger in her hair, she looked further down into the forest's depths.

"I... I should probably go find Jintan! I wonder where he went? He can be a handful, huh Yukiat-!"

Yukiatsu cut off her rambling, gathering her into a hug that took her breath away. Eyes wide in shock, Menma listened to the boy's suddenly shaky voice.

"N-no! You don't need to run after Jintan, he's stupid! He has to be since he called you ugly! You're the prettiest girl I know Menma! If he can't see that then... t-then... he's a big dummy!" Yukiatsu poured his heart out to the girl, burrowing his face into her hair. Meiko face bloomed as Yukiatsu placed a kiss on the top of Menma's hair. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around the boy, patting him softly on the back.

"Thank you. Yukiatsu." Smiling softly, she giggled as Yukiatsu held her tighter, blushing as he realized what he'd just done. Slowly coming out of Yukiatsu's embrace, she took the hairpin out of Atsumu's hand, pulling her bangs together and setting it to the side with a soft click. Yukiatsu's eyes widened as he realized what she'd just done, belatedly realizing she'd taken hold of his hand.

"Come on! Let's go find Jintan together, Yukiatsu!"

As Meiko tugged him along, Atsumu grinned.

He might've lost to Jintan on being "the leader", or finding the biggest stag beetle in the forest, but he had the prettiest girl in the whole world by his side. Without a worry, the two descended down the small mountain's well known path towards the river.

"...are you sure?"

"How horrible!"

"I always knew she was a bitch."

"There's no way anyone can genuinely be that nice."

"He had such a bright future ahead of himself though!"

"I wouldn't claim it if I were him!"

Atsumu Matsuyuki walked down his high school's hallway calmly, ignoring the pity filled glances he'd been given from his classmates. Whispers filled the hall, as though they thought he couldn't hear their loud gossip. Sniffing in distaste inwardly, he finally made it to his classroom, avoiding all possible conversations the occasional dedicated fan tried to talk to him.

As he stepped into the room, the occupants refused to glance his way as a hush fell over the room, everyone's eyes on Meiko and Chiriko cornered in the back of the room by a group of five girls. One of the surrounding girls gave a sickly sweet smile to Meiko and gave a tisk. "Everyone already knows how much of a whore you are. It's not our fault if we just can't help enlightening people about it. Such a shame, since Matsuyuki-kun is so faithful, unlike you, slut."

The girls beside her giggled, and Meiko flinched at her cruel words. Chiriko growled at the group pushing up her glasses in an attempt to reign in her temper. "You don't know what you're talking about! Menma would never do that to Yukiatsu! She would never!" Chiriko defended her friend, causing the girls giggling to become even louder.

"That's what you say, but Meiko hasn't even tried to defend herself even once, has she?"

"T-That's..."

Chiriko took a glance behind her, taking in the figure of Menma, eyes glued on the floor with a sad smile on her face. She hadn't said a word since the group of girls had cornered her, claiming they had witnesses who saw her come out of a family planning clinic with a boy from a nearby high school and not her longtime boyfriend Atsumu. Chiriko had quickly come to her defense, refusing to believe the sweet-natured Menma ever do such a thing to Yukiatsu.

The other girl continued her rant."That's just so indecent. You didn't even try to hide it, throwing yourself all over that other guy. Nanami-chan said she even saw you holding his arm. No wonder you're pregnant at our age. You'd take it from just about anyone, huh?"

Yukiatsu plastered on a smile, finally making himself known as he walked towards the gaggle of girls.

"You guys aren't being very nice to Menma, you know?" Yukiatsu made his way to Menma's side, smiling sweetly. The girls surrounding them gave unsure looks to their leader, but the girl remained undeterred, giving Yukiatsu a coy smile.

"We couldn't bear to Matsuyuki-kun! Haven't you heard that Meiko got knocked up by another man! She's been cheating on you and now she's pregnant!" The girl's eyes lit in victory, seeing Menma's face light in embarrassment. "She's so unfaithful! Nanami-chan saw her with some guy from Shikiraba High!(1) She's so disgusting, isn't she? Pregnant at our age!"

Menma flushed further, gently placing a hand on her still flat stomach. The girl stiffed a laugh at the motion, placing her hand gently on Yukiatsu's arm.

"If that's not enough, the fact that she's being sleeping around enough times to actually get pregnant says a lot about a girl! She obviously didn't use protection either. She's such a shameless girl, isn't she Matsuyuki-kun?" Yukiatsu's gaze shifted from the leader, watching Menma's reactions carefully. Slowly, and with face flaming red, she nodded. Chiriko gasped in horror, while the group of girls snickered among themselves.

Yukiatsu stared hard at the girl, tentatively asking aloud just to make sure. "Are you... really pregnant, Menma?"

Meiko shyly played with her hair, looking at her shoes as she shuffled them. Then, with a faint voice told, "Y-yes. I'm two months along."

"T-that's..."

Chiriko let go of a few tears, taking off her glasses to wipe them away quickly; the girl's restrained giggles were slowly turning into cackles. With a hard look, and face set blankly, Yukiatsu lifted both his hands, and placed them at Menma's waist.

"...!"

Menma squealed as Yukiatsu lifted her, the boy twirling her as he gave her a grin, laughing at Menma's half-hearted protests to be put down. The eavesdropping students muttered confusingly at each other, while Chiriko and the group of girls stood in shock at his actions.

"Yes! Menma! Menma I love you!" Yukiatsu laughed in joy, unrelenting as Menma sputtered in embarrassment. "I love you so much Menma! So much!"

"I-I know Yukiatsu! Please let me down already! I'm getting dizzy!" Menma cried, swaying as the elated boy finally put her feet back on the ground. Nothing could take the smile off his face, even as one of the girls harassing Menma let out a nervous question.

"Matsuyuki-kun, a-aren't you angry with her? She's having another guy's child..." The girl gained confidence as her friends nodded in agreement, and Yukiatsu tilted his head in mock confusion.

"Another guy? Meiko? The only reason Jinta took her instead of me was because I had to take an entrance exam. I wouldn't let him anywhere near her like that. He was doing me a favor."

"A-A favor...?"

Yukiatsu suddenly perked up for a moment, true surprise lighting up his face. "That's right! My entrance exam!" Swiftly and-somehow- smoothly kneeling on the ground, he took Meiko's hands into his. Menma blinked in confusion, but the rest of the room let out gasps, realizing what Yukiatsu was doing. Clearing his throat, he grabbed into his back pocket, taking out a small black box.

"Meiko Honma, I pledged to myself that if I passed the entrance exam to Tsukishima University, I'd be in a stable enough position to provide for you the way you ought to be treated. I love you as much as anybody in the world can love another, and then some, because you're much too perfect for someone like me. But, if you'll allow me to, I'd be honored to stand by you the rest of your life, loving and cherishing you forever." Atsumu, for all his words, couldn't bare to look her in the eyes, afraid of rejection. Instead, he gently opened up the velvet box, revealing a modestly sized ring that showed how much time a high-schooler like Yukiatsu had dedicated towards saving enough money for it. In the previously noisy room, no one spoke, too riveted by the scene unfolding before them.

"I, Atsumu Matsuyuki, would like to ask you, Meiko Honma, to m-marry me?" Yukiatsu cursed himself inwardly, his nervousness successfully affecting his proposal.

Nevertheless, Menma didn't say a word, nor did she blush. But, with the keening cry she made, the tears streaming down her face, and by the smile that laid adorning her face, the classmates of room 3-B knew that she wouldn't say anything less than yes.

"You know, I never could figure out why you ended up Yukiatsu instead of Jintan, Menma. I mean, not that I'm saying Yukiatsu isn't great and all, but I always though..." Anaru mumbled, idly stirring her coffee in while she sat at a booth with Menma. The two had met at a in town cafe to catch up on each other's lives; the telling swell of Menma's stomach the cause of much talk. Menma's and Yukiatsu's wedding had taken place four weeks ago, merely two months after Yukiatsu's proposal.

"Jintan?" Menma hummed in thought, adding another packet of sugar to her already sweetened iced tea. "I really like Jintan, I do! But, I just... I just liked Yukiatsu better? N-Not that I don't like one more then the other! I just..." Menma stammered in embarrassment, Anaru watching in amusement. "I-I just mean... Like... Jintan made my stomach feel fuzzy, but Yukiatsu makes my heart go POW-POW-BAM-BAM!" Menma stretched her arms wide, gesturing her words.

Anaru giggled at her longtime friend. "Pow pow? You know, if you're taking about your heart, people normally use thump-thump to show how their heart goes. Also, it wouldn't be anything weird if you liked your husband more than your guy friend." Menma shook her head, smiling.

"I know! But Yukiatsu makes my heart do more than that! I love him so much! It's just a different kind of love from Jintan!" Menma laughed care-freely, ignorant of the stunned looks being thrown their way as her voice carried throughout the cafe none too softly. If Anaru were with anybody else, she would've pondered just how someone could say such embarrassing things so easily. Because she was with Menma, however, she grew to accept her lovable antics.

"Hey, not everyone is as love-sick as you ya know? Mind toning it down a little?" Anaru said teasingly, Menma quickly learning she had most of the cafe looking at her in bewilderment. Her cheeks lit up.

"A-ah! Ok, yeah, sorry!" Menma sipped at her tea in embarrassment.

Time passed comfortably, the two girls ordering a slice of cake after Menma remarked she had a craving for some. The girls laughed and talked, haven't had the chance to talk routinely as they attended different high schools. Finally as the sun showed the beginnings of sunset, the duo left together after Anaru insisted she'd walk the girl back to her home. Yukiatsu and Menma now lived together in a modest four bedroom home; the house paid for by both of their parents, temporarily until Yukiatsu finished college and found a career to support their little family.

It was a modest lifestyle, filled with an overprotective Yukiatsu, whom charmed the neighbors into looking out for his pregnant wife when he could not. Menma had laughed at his behavior, but Yukiatsu took the role of being her husband seriously. He'd even texted their group of friends into promising to take care of Menma when they'd see her, not that they wouldn't even if he hadn't requested it of them, but it was the thought that mattered. Menma knew of his worries, and played oblivious since she thought his tendencies were endearing.

Walking down the city's street, Anaru saw a park void of anyone as night was creeping up on them ever so slowly. Finding her resolve, she firmly took Menma's hand, guiding her towards the playground. Menma said nothing as they climbed up the playground, smiling as they sat on the adjoining slides. The two sat in companionable silence, watching as the sun fell further down the little town's skyline.

"...You know, it's kinda hard to believe that we won't be the one using these anymore." Menma smiled brightly, stroking the hard plastic of the slide. Anaru looked on confused.

"Why? It's not like we've used them lately. We're adults after all! Everyone works, goes to college, or is having a baby! We're too old for the playground you know." Anaru poked at the younger girl's stomach with a smile, inspecting the cool plastic around them . "We haven't used them in years. We all just grew up."

Menma pondered the other's words, silent in contemplation. Finally, she smilled sweetly, placing her hand on top of the other's. "Isn't that kinda sad? We didn't have anymore use for it, so we just threw it aside. No matter how many memories we've made with them, it's all just thrown away in the end. It's kinda weird thinking about it, huh?" Menma smiled bashfully.

"Menma..."

"Oh, I don't mean anything by it! It's just a different perspective is all! I know when Hikari is born I'll take her to this park all the time!" Menma laughed, patting the plastic. "I know she'll make good memories on it!"

"Hikari? You already know the gender of the baby?" Anaru questioned, allowing the other to change the subject. Menma poked the girl roughly with a grin.

"Of course I can! Mothers are always right! Yukiatsu thinks she's gonna be a boy though, but I know she's a girl! I can feel it!" Menma scrunched her face up in a pout. "Sakuya is too boyish for a girl!(2) But I agreed to name her it if she did turn out to be a boy." She giggled mischievously. "She's not though."

Anaru sighed as her pregnant friend fell into a fit of laughter, clutching at her stomach. Deciding the darkening sky was a good enough sign of the looming night, she slid easily down the slide.

"I guess we'll just find out when it's born won't we? Come on now, before your dear husband has a heart attack if he comes home before you. I swear, that guy is too paranoid for his own good." Anaru crinkled her nose as sand scrunched into her shoes. Absently, she sat on the play ground's floor, shaking her shoes clean with a huff.

Menma laughed in agreement, snickering slightly at her friend's plight, before starting her descent down the slide as well.

Keyword being starting.

"..."

Several tense seconds passed as Menma felt a rise of panic.

"...uhh, Anaru?"

Anaru looked up from her task, face blank.

"No way, that actually happens in real life?"

"..." Menma's face reddened.

"...pfft!" Anaru fell into the sand in a fit of laughter, clothes and hair a mess as she rolled around.

"...help me, I'm stuck."

" -please try breathing a little slower, you're almost fully dilated now!" The nurse gave reassuring words to the expecting mother, holding her legs apart as she struggled through contractions. Tsuruko held her hand tightly, looking nervous as sweat fell down Menma's face.

"It's ok Menma! Just focus on getting the baby born, ok? I know Yukiatsu will make it in time! You know that too!" Tsuruko tried to assure, though she didn't look very calm either. Something about watching the petite girl next to her giving birth did things to a person. Menma's face contorted in pain, seemingly oblivious to the girl's attempts to calm her.

"Mrs. Matsuyuki! Just a little more and we're all set for you to push. You're doing fine!" Encouraging words meant nothing to Menma then, her mind blank as all she could feel was the searing pain in her lower abdomen. The medicine she'd been injected with hadn't had the time to fully take effect, so she wasn't completely reprieved of the labor's discomfort.

"Shit! Fucking shit, fuck! Fuck!" Menma cursed, far too gone to noticed the shocked look given to her by Tsuruko. Seeing the normally happy girl curse up a storm just solidified the moment for her.

"God-! Shit! Tsuruko! Can you go call Yukiatsu? Tell him Hikari isn't making this easy for me!" Menma panted from exertion, heaving as the nurse prodded at her stomach firmly. Tsuruko frantically shook her head.

"Of course I can't! Who'd be with you then? Jintan and Poppo are already waiting outside so they can show him what room you're in. You know he's already coming as fast as he can!" Tsuruko was besides herself, flinching as Menma's grip tightened painfully.

"I don't know! I don't know and I don't care! I just want Yukiatsu to be here! I don't think I can hold her back much longer!" Menma gave a cry, tears streaming down as a rather intense contraction pulsed through her body.

"Mrs. Matsuyuki, don't try and hold the baby back! That could lead to some complications if you don't let it occur naturally." The nurse reprimanded firmly.

"B-But Yukiatsu! I told him to go to that meeting, even when he didn't want to! I shouldn't have pushed him into it! Now, n-now, he's going to miss Hikari being born!" Menma sobbed, breaths coming out in wheezes, aided by the stress of her labor.

"Menma! Menma, please, you just need to calm-!" Tsuruko was interupted by the bang of the hospital door flying open, a disheveled looking Yukiatsu nearly sprinting to the other side of Menma's bed, taking her hand into his own.

"Menma! Menma I'm here! I'm here to see Hikari, and I'm here to help you get through this, and-!" Yuikitasu flinched as Menma gave his hand a particularly bone crushing squeeze. "I'm here, so just breath! Just breath! Just breath!" Yukiatsu looked on the verge of hyperventilating himself, the adrenaline leaving his body as he finally processed his exhausted wife on the bed, covered in sweat, blood pooling in between her legs. He turned a few shades paler as he quickly wondered if the amount of blood was normal for a woman giving birth. He swayed a little, his other female childhood friend looking at him in disbelief. He took a few more haggard breaths, interupted by Menma's faint giggles.

"Hehehhe! Yukiatsu, you look like you're the one having Hikari! But now that you're here, she can see her Dad as well as her Mom!" Menma took a few deep breaths, giving the midwife the okay to guide her through her labor.

"Alright Mrs. Matsuyuki! When I give the signal, I want you to alternate your breathing with your pushing. Can you do that for me?" Menma nodded, gripping her husband's and best friends's hands as she starting the long, grueling process of birthing a child.

Many hours later, as she lay in another bed, recovering from an abnormal loss of blood, Menma glared at the proud father holding a meticulously wrapped blue bundle. He smiled in success, eyes mischievously saying 'I told you so'.

Years, later, Menma would complain that she'd never got a child named Hikari, and Yukiatsu was more that happy to try and give her anything her heart desired.

"You know, I never understood why you ended up picking me instead of Jinta, you know?"

Meiko looked up from the book she'd been reading, blinking as she processed her husband's words. Yukiatsu gave her an intense look, looking as if he'd been bracing himself to say those words for a long time. If Menma knew her husband like she thought she did, there was little doubt that he had.

"Picking Jintan? What do you mean?"

"Well, you know... Like, going out with me and stuff. I mean, I knew you liked him in elementary school, so... Why did you decide to hang out with me? I'm sure Jinta liked you too, at that age..." Yukiatsu was sure that Jinta still liked Menma, even as they grew up to be adults. Although Jinta was now married to a woman he'd met in college, and had a daughter by that very same woman, Yukiatsu was sure Jinta would drop both of them from his life if it meant he could be together with Menma. Only Yukiatsu's presence deterred the other, and Yukiatsu was grateful every day that he'd gathered the courage to confess to Menma on that warm summer morning.

He wasn't sure that, if Jinta had admitted to his feelings feelings earlier, the life he was living now would have existed.

"..."

Menma thought for a moment, before smiling brightly. "I don't think I really picked, so to speak. I mean, I love you now right? Maybe I would've dated Jintan if things had gone differently, but I don't know. There's too many factors to think about. But, who knows? Maybe we would've fallen in love all the same! Though... do we really want to know the unknown? I'm perfectly happy with my life the way it is now." Menma kissed her husband sweetly on the nose, just as she did countless other times.

Yukiatsu looked at his wife blankly, lost in thought even as Menma leaned back. She watched Yukiatsu's bewildered face in amusement, paitently waiting for him to filter through the information.

"B-but how can you say that? What if you would've been a thousand times happier being with him than with me? What if your life could've been grander, or if he would've been a better husband, better to you then I ever could be! What if he'd make you feel complete, like you'd never need another person in the world? What then?"

Menma kissed the other lightly on the forehead, giggling softly. "Then I'd say you were a dummy!"

Before Yukiatsu could question his wife further, footsteps interrupted them, sounding loud as the stairs creaked under the new weight. The sound of shuffling fabric and the tell tale wisp of blond hair(3) revealed a small boy, clutching a pale green blanket as he stared at the two.

"Sakuya, what are you doing up so late?" Menma asked, opening her arms towards the child. Sakuya's eyes brightened at his mother, happily bounding over into her grasp.

"I'm a big boy now! I'm not like Kyoko who needs to sleep like, four times a day!" Sakuya held out four fingers towards Menma's face. "Four times! How is she still tired? I mean she doesn't even do a lot! She just messes up my coloring books." Sakuya suddenly looked depressed. "She doesn't even try to color in the lines."

Menma laughed at the seven year old, hiding her giggles as Sakuya looked on questioningly. "Well, she just needs the sleep to grow. Your little sister is only two years old after all. You didn't leave her alone in the room, did you? Big brothers have to protect their siblings from bad dreams you know. What if she gets them while you're not there?"

Sakuya's cheeks puffed. "I wouldn't leave her alone! Mai-Mai is with her! I closed the door so she can't get out! It's cause I'm too big to go to sleep at nine! So I wanna stay up with you and Dad!" The little boy looked extremely proud of his plan to lock the family cat in his and his sister's room. Menma silently hoped the Scottish Fold wouldn't be too peeved at her child's antics.

Yukiatsu sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in exasperation. Sakuya, who'd fought his noon-time nap and ended up sleeping a little later than usual, was still full of energy now at night. It was unfortunate, but Sakuya would probably be up another hour or two, leaving his parents to try and wind down their son.

"That wasn't very nice,was it? What if Mai-Mai needs to go to the restroom? Or if she wants to get something to drink? What's she going to do, since she can't open doors like you and I can?" Yukiatsu tried reasoning with the boy, much to the other's disappointment.

"Nuh-Uh! Mai-Mai can hold it! She a big kitty too! She not a kitten anymore! I left some water in a bottle cap, she'll be ok."(4) Sakuya ignored his father's stern look, instead focusing on his smiling mother. "Hey Mom! Remember what Uncle Poppo said about how it can be night time somewhere else and morning time here? That means it's not my bedtime, but it's time for me to be up! It's morning somewhere, right?"

Menma laughed freely, not even trying to stifle herself. Yukiatsu silently praised his son's cleverness, not forgetting to forlorn his stubbornness.

Seeing as he'd successfully gotten to stay up late, Sakuya finally asked the question he'd come downstairs to ask. "Mom, how'd you and Dad meet?"

Yukiatsu suddenly felt his stomach fill with dread. Menma placed a finger on her lips in contemplation, humming in thought. "Well, I think it was when Mommy moved into town and Uncle Jintan introduced me to Dad. Your uncle was the one who gathered up your Aunt Anaru, Aunt Tsuruko, as well as your Uncle Poppo. We used to play together all the time." Menma gained a dreamy look on her face, recalling the previous exploits of the Super Peace Busters. "So naturally, when Mommy moved into the neighborhood, Uncle Jintan got mommy to join his group too. Your father and I used to play together." Menma smiled as Sakuya scrunched his nose.

"Yeah, ok. But how come you married Daddy? I mean, you used to play with Uncle Poppo and Uncle Jintan, right? How come you didn't marry them? I could've had Uncle Poppo as a Dad! That would've been cool!" Yukiatsu looked stricken, anxiety all over his face. Sakuya continued on, unknowing of his father's turmoil."Uncle Jintan too! Wakana could've been my sister!" The boy suddenly looked as disheartened as his father. "Wakana could've been my sister! Kyoko is a way better sister then that girl!" Sakuya gagged in disgust. "She's nasty! She plays with frogs!"

Wakana was Jintan's daughter, a tomboyish five year old who loved the outdoors. She also adored Sakuya, much to the other's turmoil. Menma was sure the young girl was smitten with her sun, but it was an unrequited childhood love. Sakuya didn't seem he'd warm up to the girl anytime soon, but perhaps it was too early to tell. Menma was sure her son would continue to be a heart-breaker as he grew up, just like his father.

"With frogs? Have you tried playing with them with her? Maybe they aren't as bad as you think?" Menma giggled as her son's face crumpled further.

"MOM, WITH FROGS? THEY COULD BE POISIONOUS!" Sakuya raised his arms in distress. "POISIONOUS! They have enough poison to kill a... a..." Sakuya desperately tried to thing of an animal. "... A COW!" Menma giggles turned out into full blown laughter, and Sakuya turned red in embarrassment. "It's a lot Mom! Me and Dad were watching a TV show about it the other day!" Sakuya turned to his father for support, whom averted his eyes from the young blond in attempt to remain calm.

"That's right, Menma. Some frogs in the jungle have enough poision to kill even a dinosaur."

Sakuya gave his father an apprehensive look. "...Dad, everyone knows dinosaurs don't exist. I'm not a kid anymore; I know at least that much. They're only in movies, and those are fake too."

Yukiatsu finally couldn't restain his laughter any more, laughing wholeheartedly with his son. "O-Of course Sakuya! What was Dad thinking?" Sakuya looked accusingly at the man, but didn't comment. Instead he put his attention back to his mother.

"Mom, can we go get ice-cream? I feel like eating ice-cream. Like, really good ice-cream. LIKE SHERBET ICE-CREAM!" Sakuya jumped from the couch in a fit of excitement. "Orange sherbet ice-cream mom! With cherries!" Sakuya gave his most pleading face, eyes shining in want. "Please Mom? Please?"

"It's really late Sakuya..." Menma scolded her son. "And what about Kyoko? Who's gonna watch her if we all decide to go get ice-cream?" Sakuya hurriedly opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Yukiatsu. "Don't say Mai-Mai is going to watch her either. Kyoko would be sad if she woke up alone with only Mai-Mai for company."

Sakuya lowered his eyes in disappointment, socks rubbing the carpet as he fidgeted. "...but, it's Saturday. I don't have school tomorrow, and maybe just one of us could go, and get ice-cream for everyone." Sakuya regained the shine in his eyes. "Maybe we could bring Kyoyo too! She likes ice-cream, and she slept a lot during the day already! Even more than Mai-Mai!"

"Sakuya, we're not waking your sister just to go get ice-cream." Sakuya looked depressed once more. "But, If you promise to go back to bed right after, your Dad can go out and get us all ice-cream." Menma finished, watching her son's eyes light up with joy.

"Yes, Sakuya, listen to what your mother says... wait, what?" Yukiatsu gave his wife a bewildered look, eyes widening at the mischievous smile she wore.

"REALLY? Okay, I'll go put my shoes on!" The little boy rushed for the stairs. "I wanna go too, cause Dad might get me the wrong flavor!" Thumps were heard overhead as Sakuya hurried to find his shoes.

Yukiatsu looked questioningly at his wife. "Ice-cream? At this hour?"

"Yes. He's up already, an it didn't look like he'd let up about it anytime soon. Besides, we need him asleep if we'll ever have a Hikari in our life." Menma laughed as her husband turned bright red. "I know I said I wanted a girl named Hikari, but Kyoko just didn't seem to fit the name." Menma smiled at the man. "Her Dad's hair just wouldn't let her."

Yukiatsu coughed, clearing his throat. "It's not my fault she decided to have my hair color, blame genetics. Besides, how do you know you'll get a girl? You could very well have another boy you know."

Menma smiled, leaning closer to Yukiatsu to give him a firm kiss, surprising the man into silence. The two stayed connected in warmth, unaware as time passed out of their own little world. Yukiatsu pulled back, hands running through his wife's long hair as he peppered her face with fluttering kisses. Menma's face reddened, heart swelling with love.

"Eww Dad, stop that. You're gonna get Mom sick. Kissing is nasty." Sakuya sniffed in distaste as he stood in the living room doorway, wearing shoes and a coat that covered his pajamas. "We gotta hurry before the store closes!"

Yukiatsu sighed, standing from the couch as he walked to the entrance of their home, grabbing his keys and jacket on the way. Menma followed the two, kneeling down to re-button Sakuya's coat as he'd skipped a few in his haste.

"Now don't cause your Dad any trouble. It's to the store and back, okay? It's already past your bed time. If Dad says something you acted up, you aren't going on any more late night ice-cream runs." Menma reminded, smoothing out the boy's hair.

"I know Mom! I'm too much of a big boy to make a ta-nan-drum!"

"A tantrum you mean." Yukiatsu corrected.

"Yeah! A ta-na-na-drum!"

"Tantrum."

"Ta-na-na-na-nan-drum!"

"I can't tell if you're mocking me or not, you know that Sakuya?" Yukiatsu gave his son a stern look, the boy giving him a wide grin.

Menma kissed the boy's forehead, standing up to face her husband with a smile. "Don't take too long. Sakuya's little sister isn't gonna wait forever you know."

Sakuya looked up confused at his mother. "What do you mean? Kyoko is still sleeping, isn't she?"

"Come on Sakuya. If we wait any longer, they might not have any sherbet left." Yukiatsu baited, blushing as he saw his wife's amused look.

"WHAT? Come on Dad, let's go already!" The boy rushed out of the house, taking Yukiatsu's keys as he hurried to get himself buckled up. Menma laughed at the boy's eagerness, taking Yukiatsu into a hug.

"I wouldn't trade it for the world you know."

"...What?"

"The life I have now. With you, Sakuya, and Kyoko. If I'd gone with Jintan, or Poppo, or anyone else, that'd mean I wouldn't have any of you guys. I wouldn't trade you guys for anything."

"Menma..."

Menma gave him a chaste kiss, putting her whole heart into the beaming smile on her face.

"I love you, Yukiatsu!"

"I love you Yukiatsu!"

"...Menma."

Yukiatsu inhaled deeply, the worn white dress having not even a trace of his first love. Her smell had long been lost to the strain of time, but he didn't need it to remember her. Many similar white dresses had been bought to makes amends for the tragedy, but he had kept one of her own. The scent of the owner of that dainty dress was ingrained into memory; everything she was, and everything they could be.

Everything they would've been.

Everything they should've been.

Melancholy filled the room, thoughts deviling into into what if's, and why would it's. Maybe his fantasy wouldn't ever play out into what he'd desired, faulted by how Menma herself had felt. All the members of the Super Peace Busters had known that Menma and Jinta had felt something for one another, except the two in question. It was something they all had accepted, or at least he thought they all did; Anaru had to know for sure, and that was was led to the tragedy. She couldn't restrain herself, and though Yukiatsu believed he was at fault, he thought Anaru wasn't blameless.

Perhaps they all were.

Regardless of her hypothetical future, it was fruitless to ponder.

To hope.

To dream.

To wish.

"...Menma."

Yukiatsu recalled Jinta's supernatural claims, the damn shut in telling of his encounter with Menma's ghost. The fact that he'd claimed only he could see Menma brought a fury in him he thought he'd gotten over, but the words had sent him in a downwards spiral.

Softly, unsteady hands stroked the store bought wig, paling dramatically in comparison to what Menma's own could've felt like. With a shudder, Yukiatsu carefully placed both the wig and dress back into his closet, returning to lay back alone in bed as his body shook with soundless sobs.

He would later masquerade as his long lost love to his former friends in a desperate fit of jealousy.

(1) Shikiraba High; Y'a know, I'm not really sure they named Jinta's school. Maybe then had, maybe they hadn't. I don't know, I was too busy trying to finish the series through blurry eyes. BWAHHHH!

(2) I kid you not, I took that name directly from Hatoful Boyfriend. Hahahaha! Pigeon boyfriends are the best.

(3) I figure since there aren't any other weird hair colored characters in Anohana, that Menma's hair is a type of really light blond, and not white/grey. I know Satoshi had grey/white hair too, but it's darker than Menma's. Irene has that same grey/white too, but again, I feel like everyone else doesn't see it as that way. This isn't Kuroko no Basket where everyone acknowledges the Rainbow Squad, lol.

(4) I used to share drinks with my cat from the bottle cap of whatever drink I had when I was a kid. I found out my cat liked apple juice, Sprite, and Sunny D. She did not like Kool Aid or Coke, lol. I don't know how that cat lived for 14 years, lol.

WELL LOOK AT ME. NOT UPDATING ANYTHING ANYONE WANTED TO ACTUALLY READ. NOPE, I'M JUST POSTING SAD SHIT IN A FANDOM NOBODY SEEMS TO HAVE WATCHED, WITH A PAIRING NOBODY SEEMS TO LIKE.

THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING.

ALL 6,000+ WORDS.

DON'T MIND ME.

I'LL DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE SOMEDAY.

SOMEDAY.

NOT TODAY.

Also, did I just write a hetero couple as the main pair? Woah.