Strawberry Kiss

by: Uchiha Jin

"Ne, Izumi," Her soft voice shook me out of my train of thought. I looked up from where I was sitting, on the floor in the corner of my room, to where Meroko was, sitting on my bed. I smiled slightly at the sight of her.

I calmly got up from where I was, dusted my pants, and then walked over to the pink haired Shinigami. "Nani?" I asked, bending over so that my eyes were level with hers.

"What are we?" That took me by surprise. Althought that question was a broad one, I still understood what she was trying to ask. I was about to nonchantedly answer with a simple 'We are Shinigami,' then brush it off as if it were nothing, but something stopped me.

"What are we?" She asked again. Her eyes- that's what stopped me. Her eyes had the look of fear, anger, and confusion in them. She looked as though she was lost. Perhaps she was, for I too, have asked myself that same question and I have yet to find the answer I am looking for.

What are we? Or better yet, what am I? Yes, I am a Shinigami, and yes, I am adead man, but what is the point of living if I am not alive? Doesn't being alive mean that you could breath, feel, learn, laugh, and feel all types of emotions? I am capable of all of that, does that mean that I am not dead? No, I am punished for being dead. I am punished for taking my own life away from me. And I am punished for doing something I have no memory of doing.

Is that even fair? If I were to be punished for taking my own life, I would like to have the memory of doing so, or atleast the knowledge of why I did it. What was the point of taking my memory? Who was I before I died? And that leads back to the original question. What are we?

"We are-" I tilted my head foward so that my forehead was touching hers. I then closed my eyelids halfway, giving me the sleepy, content look. "We are in love."

Her eyes softened. "Sou ka." We both leaned in closer so that my lips were gently brushing against hers. I smiled, as I felt her strawberry flavored lips doing the same.

(A/N 'Doing the same - smiling' just for the possibly confused. I couldn't find a way to make the words fit the meaning. Gomen!)