Yuto sighed, setting his phone down as he stared at the ceiling. Another day, another ignored text and unanswered phone call.

'I know it was a bad fight Shun, but blocking my number? That's cold.'

It had been three days since he'd spoken to Shun, three days since they'd fought and he'd stormed out of the Kurosaki house in a rage. Three days since Shun had stopped answering his phone.

All the texts came back undelivered and his phone calls reached an unavailable number.

He couldn't even remember what the fight was about, something stupid probably, but he hadn't thought it was bad enough that Shun would want to cut ties with him.

Then another thought hit him, maybe something had happened to Shun and he couldn't call him.

If something was infact wrong with Shun then he'd have to go over and find out, since he wasn't answering. Yuto was hesitant, he'd avoided going back since the fight because he wasn't sure he could face Shun, but if something was wrong…

He rubbed the back of his neck as he sat up, he must have slept on it funny because it had been hurting something awful since he'd gotten up that morning.

Mind made up he hopped off the bed and grabbed some change for the bus- with his car in for repairs had no other way to get around, the worst that could happen was that he'd get a door slammed in his face anyways.

Maybe Ruri would be home and he could ask her what was going on.

'Shun, all I want is a chance to apologize to you.'

...

The bus ride was fairly quiet, mostly in part to the bus being nearly empty. He got off a block away from their house and walked down, running over in his mind what he was going to say when he got there.

...

He was pleasantly surprised to find Ruri was home, though Shun seemed to be conspicuously absent.

Yuto wondered if she had a date, being that she was dressed up nicer than normal, even her hair was done up with a silky black ribbon.

"Ruri did Shun change his number? I haven't been able to get a hold of him and, I really need to talk to him." He glanced around the room. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

Ruri sighed as she sat down, clutching a teacup tightly in her hands. "He's not coming back."

"What?"

"He's gone and he's not coming back." She sniffed slightly, wiping tears from her eyes. "It's strange Yuto, not having him around. I miss hearing him shuffling around upstairs, or blaring his stupid music."

"Gone? Ruri what happened, did something happen to Shun? Is that why he's not responding to my calls?"

Any answer he might have gotten was cut short when the doorbell rang and Ruri got up, leaving Yuto alone in the living room with nothing but a plant for company.

"Yuri, you're early."

"By 5 minutes, are you ready?"

"Just a moment, let me grab my purse." Ruri trotted back into the living room to fetch her purse. "I'll see you later Yuto, don't get into trouble while I'm gone."

Yuri laughed weakly as the pair left, "Somehow I don't think you have to worry about that."

Yuto sat back against the couch, letting her words sink in.

'He's gone.'

He shook his head, no, he wasn't going to think like that, Shun had just, he'd moved out that was all, that had to be it. Or maybe he was staying with someone else.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes he left for home, there was no sense in sitting around waiting if Shun wasn't coming back.

Yuto didn't know what to do with himself, with Shun gone, and no longer answering his phone, he had no way to get hold of him.

He didn't even leave the house until a few days later when the battery in his phone died and he couldn't locate the charger and had to go pick up a new one.

'And maybe consider a new bed,' he thought, rubbing the back of his neck. The ache had only gotten worse, spreading from his neck down the rest of his back and into his arms.

Pick up a charger for his phone, that was all Yuto was planning on doing. Until he started seeing Shun everywhere.

It started while he was waiting for the bus. For a moment he saw Shun across the street and his heart leapt for joy, he was ok after all.

"Shun!" He called out to him, stated to run to him, but the light changed and traffic moved and by the time the way was clear, he was gone.

It happened again a short time later, as Yuto was passing a coffee shop. He saw him though the glass, at the counter ordering something to drink. But by the time Yuto got in, he was gone, again.

The charging cord forgotten, Yuto spent the next while in pursuit of Shun in the vain hopes that they could talk. It was, he thought, like chasing a ghost, every time he got close, Shun would be gone.

It was frustrating, all he wanted to do was talk and he was beginning to wonder if his mind was playing some serious tricks on him, making him think he saw Shun.

He saw him again, at the end of the street, and this time he wasn't going to let him get away, this time he was going to catch him.

"Shun!" Yuto called out to him as he took off running in Shun's direction.

Shun didn't react, 'Probably can't hear me,' thought Yuto and nonplussed, he kept running.

Somehow, Shun kept managing to get ahead. Every time Yuto thought he was getting close, Shun would be farther ahead of him, just tantalizingly out of reach.

"Shun, you gotta slow down man!"

He only, finally, caught up when Shun came to a stop at a small hill in the park and sat down.

"Ruri said I should talk to you," he said. "Said I needed to do this, that it would help. I don't know, maybe it will. We haven't talked in a bit have we?"

"That's because you changed your damn number on me and didn't even tell me," said Yuto, crossing his arms. "And then moved out."

"I actually killed the battery in my phone the other day, I've never done that before. Watched that video of us at the beach till the phone died."

Yuto felt very sheepish and rubbed his arm awkwardly, "Oh, I'm sorry. Here I thought you were avoiding me."

"Did you know Ruri's been dating someone?" asked Shun. "I didn't, apparently they've been going out for almost a year, and you'll never guess who it was. It was Yuri, she's been dating Yuri can you believe it?" He laughed, a rather strained and forced laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

He shook his head, "I think she was worried what I'd do to him, seeing how I never really liked the guy. He's not a bad guy though, we talked the other day, I think he's more worried about what Ruri will do to him if he breaks her heart than what I'll do. At least he has sense there." Shun sighed, "And you know that plant he gave her sometime back, the one in the living room? She finally named it and you'll never guess what she named it. Yuto, she named the silly thing after you. She talks to it too, says that it helps." The forced smile on his face dropped and Shun put his face in his hands, tears breaking free.

"I don't even know if you're listening, I wouldn't blame you if you weren't, I wouldn't either after the things I said. Please forgive me Yuto, for everything I said." His shoulders shook as he sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

Yuto frowned, the entire conversation and situation had felt, off to him, but now it really felt off. Even he location, now that he bothered to look around, felt, unusual. The park was unnaturally quiet, it seemed as if they were the only ones around. And it was littered with stones that jutted out of the ground in seemingly random places.

"Shun, I'm right here," he said, but Shun continued, as if he didn't hear him. In fact he didn't even look at Yuto.

"They said it happened fast, that your neck snapped almost instantly, so you didn't feel anything, I guess I can take solace in that. But Yuto, you were only out there because of me, if I hadn't said those things, told you to leave, you wouldn't have been out driving in the storm." He gripped the grass, now on his hands and knees, tears flowing freely. "You're dead and it's my fault."

For Yuto, it felt as if timed stopped and, for the first time, he actually looked to where Shun had been talking and looking, to the white lilies he'd been carrying that now lay on the grass and the words etched into the pristine white stone at the center of it all.

Gone but never forgotten

Yuto

Now among the angels