Takane's POV

I'm sitting in front of my computer, with headphones clinging to my ears, and a faint screaming sound buzzing through my ears. I must have been playing Dead Bullet 1989.

It's really no surprise. My life used to consist of two things, video games and school. For the first time in my life, though, I wish that I was at school instead of the online realm.

I exit out of the game, not bothering to reach a save point first, and shut my computer down.

It's dark outside, and from the digital clock on the desk next to me I can tell that it's six minutes after midnight. I'm sure that everyone else is asleep, including Haruka. I sigh as I lay down on my bed. My arms stretch up and hang over the edge. My blankets are still underneath me, and though I know that I should just pull them up over me and go to sleep, I can't.

In a silky blue nightgown, I sneak outside into my yard. My grandmother goes to bed at eight, so it wasn't hard to get past her.

It's cold outside. I'm not sure what time of year it is, just that it's cold. I'm glad that I remembered to put on a pair of shoes, since there's puddles of rain settled in the streets.

I know the way to his house. I've gone there a handful of times, as a friend at times, as a classmate at others. Still though, my legs quiver as I climb up the steps to his front door. If one of his parents answers the door, I'll jump into the bushes, but they're normally out of town, so that shouldn't be a problem. I ring the doorbell. I'm just a midnight visitor here to wake up the whole neighborhood.

The door stays closed. I wait and wait, but he doesn't come. I'm not sure how much time passes, I don't have a watch, but I can feel my arms grow stiff from the cold, and I know that it's time to give up and go home.

What I know and what I do are usually two different things.

His house only has one level. It isn't that it's small, it's a normal size, maybe even bigger than mine, but that doesn't change the fact that it's only one level. With a setup like this it isn't necessary to climb up a vine and frantically tap on his window, while hanging on with my non-existent upper body strength. Instead, I simply creep over to the window of his room, and start knocking on it like crazy.

Yes, I know that he's a sickly teenager and that he needs sleep or whatever, but my pounding heart doesn't seem to care.

His curtains pull open, and there he is, in a worn out white t-shirt and long brown pajama pants. He rubs his eyes, and tilts his head to the side. "Takane?" he mumbles, still half asleep.

I smile like a fool. "Haruka!" I really want to hug him! However, the mere shred of rationality left in my veins prevents me from smashing his window and jumping through the broken glass in order to do so.

"I'm glad that you're here," he says, smiling back at me. "I feel weird."

"Oh no! Haruka go let me in, I'll take you to the hospital!" I shout while simultaneously running back to his front door.

It takes awhile for him to finally pull it open for me, but I'm through it and inside the house as soon as he does. "I don't mean that I have to go to the hospital," he says. That's a relief and a half to me. "I just…Think I had a weird dream."

"What kind of dream?" I ask him.

His cheeks turn red and he shakes his head. "That doesn't matter! Anyway, why are you here, Takane? Do you need help with something?"

I shake my head as my own cheeks grow hot. "I just wanted to see you." I wonder if he thinks I'm weird. At this time in our lives we're both still in our first year of high school, and we should just barely be starting to become friends.

"Oh…" I think I'm going to give him a heart attack. I've never seen someone turn this color. He looks like his blood is going to start on fire. "Do you want something to eat?"

That question is so familiar that I can't help but laugh. "No, but I really do want to hear what you dreamed about." I have my suspicions, but I can't consider them anything more than that unless he confirms them for me.

"Well…I want chocolate!" He stands up off the couch that we were both sitting on, and takes a step towards his kitchen. I wrap my hand around the back of his shirt and force him to sit back down.

"Do you know someone named Konoha?"

A blank look. "Konoha?"

Of course he doesn't know him. He hasn't even started playing Dead Bullet 1989. What was I thinking?

"T…Takane…Did you have a weird dream too?" he asks me.

"Um…" I can't decide whether to nod or shake my head. It will be too hard to explain everything to him, so maybe I'll just pretend that all really was a dream.

"Konoha was in my dream too! Isn't that weird?" he casually smiles at me, not realizing how much his simple words shake my core.

"That wasn't a dream, Haruka," I whisper, clutching my scrawny legs in my hands to keep them from shaking.

"Wait? What?" he laughs a bit, "Takane, of course it was you wouldn't kissmeinreallife."

"I wouldn't what?" I ask.

"What happened in your dream?" Crap. He still thinks it's a dream!

"It's a memory, Haruka! And anyway, you died or I guess that you actually got amnesia and your hair turned white and well…I met Konoha-you, in a grocery store and then we ate dinner together and you kissed me and-"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Mind what?"

"If I kissed you?"

"Keep up, Haruka! I'm telling you that you already did!"

He leans towards me, pinning a pillow down between the couch cushions with his arm, and presses his warm, soft lips against mine. "I believe you."

Through blazing cheeks, a racing heart, and buzzing lips I ask, "So then, you really do remember being Konoha?"

He gently nods his head, "Yeah. But I don't…it's just so hard to wrap my mind around. Since you actually let me kiss you though, it isn't all that hard to believe anymore."

"Huh? You're that surprised that I like you?"

"Yeah…I love you too, Takane!"

Eeeeeeh!? Love? Why did he say love?

The red coloring that has gradually been leaving his face comes back with a vengeance. Ah. It was a slip of his tongue.

I laugh, and it comes out a bit unladylike, but I make up for it by saying, "Don't worry, that's what I actually wanted to say too."

Ayano's POV

"Nee-chan, wake up!"

My room is dark and cold. The tranquil sound of rain, pounds against the house and straight into my skin. I thought that it was summer.

I look up too see Kano standing over me, his face is masked by the shadows, but I can tell that he's smiling. There's something off about him, and it takes awhile for me to realize what it is. He's three years younger.

The thick fog clouding around my brain finally leaves me and I'm able to think clearly. Mom's alive. Shintaro's alive. That's the kind of world I'm in now. Clearly, it's a world worth hopping out of bed and running up the stairs for.

Kano runs after me and our footsteps thud on the staircase. We aren't bothering with hushed movements and whispers; we want to wake the world.

"Go to bed!" a man shouts, from the room that's now directly in front of us.

I laugh as I throw the door open and walk in. I throw myself onto the big, fluffy bed and lie between my parents as if I'm a five year-old who's trying to get over a harsh nightmare.

Kano stands at the doorway, running his finger over the wooden frame. I beckon to him to come closer, but he ignores me.

"Ayano!" mom shouts pulling her sheets down and starring at me with wide eyes.

I'm crying. Usually I fight tears, usually I fail, but this time I don't bother trying. Tears of joy should be worn with pride.

"What's the matter?" she asks me, her voice rising in pitch as her concern for me grows.

"I just love you so much!" I shout, throwing my arms around her. Dad rolls over so that he's finally facing me, and as soon as he does my arms are around him too. "Kano! Get over here!" I yell.

I look over my shoulder and find him grinning. Apprehensively he steps closer to the bed, and slowly crawls towards the center. I tuck his small blond head under my arm so that he has no choice but to join the hugging fest.

Kido and Seto are at the doorway now. They stand where Kano stood moments before, but unlike him, they don't stop there. They're on the bed and in the hug within seconds, both of them bawling their heads off. Suddenly were three years younger and acting like children. I think that's great.

Mom and dad are beyond startled. "What happened?" dad asks, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

No one answers him. No one knows how.

"Seriously, why are you all crying!?" he asks us.

"We missed you!" I say, even though such a statement will only serve to confuse them further.

Mom smiles at me, and slowly runs her fingers through my hair. "Well, we're right here, always will be." She doesn't know how ironic that sentence is, but yet, it's also comforting. This time around, I'll make sure that she never leaves, that she really is always right here by my side.

I break the hug, and dash towards the doorway with a smile on my face. "I've got to go see Shintaro!" I shout.

"Ah! Wait! I'm coming!" Kano says, chasing after me for the second time this hour.

"You just want to see Momo," I tease.

He nods, "Of course."

I have on a thin pair of red pajamas that are covered in silly pink hearts. I wonder what Shintaro will think of this odd getup, but I don't actually care. I don't have any makeup on, my cheeks are red and tearstained, but I still want to see him.

The path to his house is as clear as a map inside my mind. The walk is short and Kano and I are there before we're even out of breath.

"What now?" I ask, turning to face Kano. He looks at me with a blank expression and knocks on the wooden door in front of us. "Kano!" I whisper shout. "You're going to wake their parents too!"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Does that really matter?"

Maybe he's right. I don't think that it does. I'll do anything to get rid of this aching in my chest. This need to see him and make sure that he can actually be seen.

A tall man with dark black hair and deep bags under his eyes opens the door with an exasperated sigh. "I don't know who you kids are, but this isn't funny!" he yells, glaring at us.

"Ah…um…" I stutter.

"She's Shintaro's friend," Kano answers for me.

"Right! And I have to tell him something reaaaaallllly important so if you could…"

He raises his eyebrows and holds up a finger as he walks away from us, leaving the door open behind him. "I'll go get him."

"Thank you!" I whisper as a smile starts to creep across my face.

A few minutes later I hear footsteps coming towards us, and I put a strand of hair in place, trying to make myself look decent. "What the heck, Ayano!" Shintaro yells as he walks towards us, "You'd better have a broken leg or something because this is ridicu-"

Again with the tears. I find that I can't stop. I can't breath. "Shintaro!" I sob, wiping my cheeks with the sleeves of my pajamas.

His eyes widen and he motions for us to come into his house. "What happened?" he asks, awkwardly putting his hand on my shoulder and then pulling it away a split second later.

"Shintaro I…realized something," I whisper.

"W-what?" he mouths, unable to make a sound.

We both know what's coming next. This awkward situation only comes once in a relationship. "I love you," I whisper.

"Stop!" he yells, his voice breaking with panic. "Love me!? Where did that come from?"

At this point in time I shouldn't even know him very well. I should only have met him less than a year ago, and we should only be desk mates. I shouldn't even know where he lives, but yet here I am, telling him I love him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that!" I spout, my tears finally stopping. "I just…Really care about you."

"Oh well…Um…" He doesn't know how to respond. "Thanks…I guess."

Unable to hold back any longer, my head hits his shoulder and my arms wrap around his skinny frame. To my surprise, he doesn't pull away. We stay like this, and its okay. To be just like this is fine. Even if he can't yet understand how much he means to me, how much I've missed him and cried over him, I'm still happy. We're together, and the possibilities ahead of us are limitless. Someday, he'll tell me he loves me. I know he will. After all, he did die with that love in his heart. With a little sunlight and water, it will grow again.

"I still don't get why you had to wake up my entire family just to tell me that…" he mumbles.

I shrug my shoulders, "You can blame my younger brother for that."

Shintaro breaks free from my arms and bends his neck to the left so that he can see over me and to where Kano is standing. "Why is he here, anyway?"

"He has a crush on your sister," I answer.

"Momo!? How has he even met her!?"

"It's best not to over think it," I mumble, remembering that Momo isn't an idol yet. Actually, in this world she'll never become an idol. Well, I guess there's a chance, but without her powers that chance is slim. Maybe she'll enjoy life more this way.

If I crane my neck, I can see Kano scowling at my back and blushing a deep red. I laugh at him but he just rolls his eyes at me.

"Ayano, can you…leave now? I went to bed tonight with the intention to sleep," Shintaro mutters.

Okay, he might not be the nicest guy in the world yet, but he has potential. Maybe if I introduce him to Takane tomorrow she can help me scrape off a bit of his rust.

Mary's POV

I wake up to the chirping of birds and a bright patch of sunlight on my face. And, a loud knocking sound.

It doesn't take me long to realize what's happening. I know in a heartbeat, that he's here.

I stumble to the door, with a yawn and a light airy feeling in my chest. He stands across from me with a warm smile on his face and open arms. I close his arms around me and we stay like that for what I wish was an eternity.

"Seto, you came," I whisper.

"Of course, I promised you, didn't I?" he asks, patting my head with his small eleven year-old hand.

I nod the head that he pats and bury my face in his shirt. I can hear his heart beating inside of him, and I wonder if my own heart is beating as fast as his is. "Come on," he says, moving away from me and turning his back to me. At first I think that I've upset him somehow and he doesn't want to see me anymore, but then I notice how his arms are bent at his sides. He doesn't start walking, because his waiting for me to climb up his back.

He helps me up until my arms are around his neck and his arms are around my legs. Then, he starts walking.

"We're having a reunion today," he tells me.

"Really?" I ask, excited. We'll all be together today, and we'll all be happy. It's the type of day that I never thought that I'd get to see again.

Seto doesn't complain once as he carries me through the woods. He smells like grass and flowers. His hair brushes against my face as the wind passes through us. His back is so warm and his arms are so strong. I've missed this wonderful feeling of protection and ease that he grants me. To be by his side is to be safe and loved.

We pass through trees until there are no more. We reach a road and he crosses over it, still not putting me down. Soon, we're in a park. There aren't many people here, I guess that it's the time of day that work and school are in session. There's a cluster of people all standing around a bench, though, and each one of them is familiar to me.

My dear friends.

Shintaro's POV

I thought that it would just be Ayano. She sent me a text this morning telling me to ditch school and meet her at the park. After her weird behavior last night I was more than hesitant, but out of sheer curiosity, I came here. There are so many people I don't know, but yet they all seem so happy to see me.

I'm beginning to wonder if Ayano is just a weird person with weird friends.

Like Takane, who upon meeting me, told me her name and gave me a hug. "It's so nice to meet you, Shintaro!" she said with a giant smile on her face.

Then there's that girl with the puffy dress and the even puffier hair. She's actually odder than Ayano. She started crying when she saw me every bit as hard as Ayano did last night, and she doesn't even know me!

There's also Ayano's little brother and his random crush on Momo.

I think I woke up in a parallel universe.

"So, Shintaro, what do you think?" Ayano asks, sitting down on the same bench as me.

I shrug, "I've been to this park a million times before."

She laughs, "Not of the park! Of my friends!"

"Oh…Haruka seems nice." It's true. He's the only one who acted normal when we met, the only one who didn't act like we had already known each other for years.

"What about Takane?" she asks me.

I shrug once more, "She's alright."

"Mekakushi Dan? What's that?" I hear Momo ask. She's standing far away with her back pressed against a tree, and Kano is standing next to her with the same grin on his face that always seems to be there.

"They're good people," Ayano tells me, putting her hands down onto her lap and nodding her head. "Please learn to love them as much as I do!"

"Huh?" I mumble. Ayano really is weird. Her earnest eyes and her mouth pursed with determination steal my heart away, though, and I find myself nodding back.

She smiles at me, "Thank you…I'm sure you'll fit right in with them in no time!"

Though I'm not sure if I want to fit in with these people, I know that something about this afternoon at the park, as foreign as it is, is also a little familiar. Actually…

"Shintaro? Are you crying? Whoa! Oh my gosh your eyes are really red, are you okay?"

"Thank you, Ayano."

"For what?"

"Caring about me enough to have Mary rewind time." Her eyes are wide and she bites her top lip to stop herself from crying. "Oh, and by the way….I love you too."

No one knows what the future holds in store. All we know is what has already transpired.

So, tell me. Now that you know the tale thus far, what do you plan to do about the future that lies ahead?

I hope the ending isn't confusing.

The quote at the bottom is from episode eleven of Mekakucity Actors.

This story has been so much fun to write, and I'm actually kind of sad to have to end it. I want to thank anyone who's been following this and reading all the chapters for doing so. I appreciate it so very much, and it has made it all the more enjoyable. Please leave me one final review!