Title: Blips on a Radar
Rating: PG
Warning/Spoilers: All of the Hana-Kimi manga series
Disclaimer: I do not own Hana-Kimi. Also, a portion of the dialog during the wedding scene is taken from 'soul-societyterrad' scanlations of the scene in the canon.
Author's Note: Thanks to Trialia, DoubleL27, and Cinaed for beta checks and pre-reads.
Characters/Ship: Kayashima Taiki and Nakatsu Shuichi. This story does contain slight slash, but it isn't really a slash fic.
Summary: Think of a radar screen in a ship in a movie. The line moves around in a steady circle, marking everything that surrounds the ship. Sometimes an object will show up that can't be identified or is misunderstood. Some objects move away and others surprise by staying. This story is about beginnings and endings, the objects that remain constant or don't, the people who will stay or won't, and all the other blips on the radar.

'Faith is like radar that see through the fog-- the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.' Corrie ten Boom

This is just a beginning.

No one told Taiki about ghosts while growing up. His mother had had enough of that nonsense when she was a girl and she refused to let her little boy go through the same humiliations and pointed questions. Dealings with ghosts were rare, unique and she was tired of that. Her husband, a very sensible man who worked long hours and kept his imagination in a small box only to let out in the small spaces when he did not have to be a worker or a husband or a father, agreed with her decision. And so Taiki grew up on only the most stale of stories and was reassured that ghosts and all the supernatural did not exist.

He always knew his parents were lying. A little girl lived in his closet for a while. She wasn't dead yet, but she preferred keeping her ghost and body separate. "It doesn't hurt this way," she'd say, but when he'd ask her what she meant, she never explained. She went away after a few months, but he never forgot her or thought he dreamed her up. He hadn't been taught that dreams could be so real as to deceive. He'd been raised to believe in only what he could touch and taste and feel and hear and see, which is why he knew ghosts existed and which is why he was never afraid of them.

He did not know when his mother finally realized that she was not fooling him, but one day in his last year of elementary school he found a book on his bed. The book was really a notebook and was filled with typed pages of real ghost stories and categories and advice. He read it all during the short recess between the end of elementary school and the start of middle school in April. He believed all of it; he had no reason not to.

When he turned twelve, his parents began to flicker. His mother looked like she might cry when he told her and dark blue clouds gathered around her head and shoulders. Auras, she said. You're seeing auras. She told him that every color had a meaning; that some were universal, but not all. You had to really know a person to understand them and if you understood them enough, you could practically read their thoughts. She also told him to keep his ability a secret, but even Taiki had discovered high romance and adventure stories by that point. Maybe his friends would be next and they could do something amazing.

However, when additional powers for his friends failed to manifest, he learned why his mother so despised standing out. He kept quiet after that, but he could never take back his words. Even after transferring schools in his second year, stories followed. So Taiki learned to lock himself up like his father, cut himself off like the little girl who had once lived in his closet, and devoted himself to his studies, both normal and supernatural.

Kayashima unpacked his books and placed them in careful order upon his shelves. Outside the room he could hear mothers reminding their sons to study hard and keep clean. Boys called to one another, directing friends to their rooms, exchanging names and stories. Kayashima glanced to the other bed in his room and speculated about what kind of person his roommate would be.

Shuichi was never quiet. His mother still shared stories at family gatherings about how he had been born screaming and had not quieted until he was three. He doesn't believe her, but he does know he was loud. All the pictures of his parents from when he was a baby are of them yawning or staring blankly, sleeping behind frozen smiles. His father always continues the story then by telling how they finally got their son to be quiet. Shuichi thinks he can still remember that first soccer ball, though he isn't sure how much is memory and how much is his father's story. From that point, everything else-- losing a tooth at school in an apple and scaring the girl who sat behind him with his bloody mouth; sampling every okonomiyaki shop in town with his grandfather on Sundays; throwing up watermelon seeds-- was only a backdrop to his passion for soccer.

He met his second best friend (his first was his grandfather; he'd promised in exchange for all the okonomiyaki and stories) in elementary school. They met before school on the field a few weeks after school had started. They'd each brought their own ball. They warmed up alone. Shuichi tried bouncing his ball from knee to knee. The other boy, Atsushi, bounced his off his forehead, counting under his breath. They may not have become friends, but then Atsushi accidentally launched it at Shuichi, disrupting his rhythm and beginning an all-out one-on-one soccer tournament that would last until high school.

He and Atsushi were inseparable after that. They worked together at school and attended every soccer camp they could. They had planned to go to high school together, too. They would be sports stars and rule the school with their talents and charm, but Atsushi couldn't stay. His family was moving to Germany. Before he left, Shuichi made him swear that they would meet at the World Cup. Atsushi swore and left. Shuichi always meant to send a letter, but then he lost the address and really, that did not matter. He would see Atsushi again.

After that, school became important. Shuichi studied the rest of the year, took practice exams, reviewed dates and formulas and English conversation in his head while dribbling his ball from knee to knee every night. He needed a high school that recruiters would notice. His mother was thrilled when she caught him reading study books instead of manga and sports magazines; she thought he had finally started to be serious about his future and so she only winced the littlest bit when he told her he wanted to attend high school in Tokyo. Her only child was finally growing up beyond soccer; that was worth any price. Of course he could go to Tokyo and, after, he'd come back home and run the family business like a responsible young man. He should have corrected her, but he was afraid that she wouldn't let him go if he did. Besides, she should have known that soccer was, and always would be, everything to him.

A tall boy burst into the room carrying a tall stack of boxes with a soccer ball balanced on the top. "Excuse me," he said belatedly. He walked across the room and the boxes tumbled from his arms and all over his empty bed. His hair was yellow and his aura a bright, uncomplicated orange. "Nakatsu Shuichi," he said, turning and bowing. "Nice to meet you." The greeting seemed rehearsed, as though he'd been reminded repeatedly not to forget.

"Kayashima Taiki. Nice to meet you." Kayashima hesitated for a moment, uncertain if he wished to reveal his gift, but at the same time loath to hide it, before adding, "You're orange."

Nakatsu looked down at his shirt front. "I am? Where?"

"Your aura," Kayashima explained.

"Hm... Is that good?" Nakatsu asked.

Kayashima tilted his head, examining his roommate anew. "I can see auras," he said, making sure his roommate understood.

Nakatsu nodded. "Yeah. That's creepy. Is orange good?"

"Yes."

Nakatsu was sprawled out across the subway seats, taking three times as much room as he should. Taiki read from a small paperback and did his best to ignore him. He hadn't wanted to go out that evening, but Nakatsu only ever heard what he wished to hear. Across from them sat a man holding his briefcase close to his chest. He seemed nervous and did not wear shoes. Taiki nudged Nakatsu and nodded toward the man.

"There's a ghost sitting there."

Nakatsu sprung inward; his arms and legs snapped in in a blur. "Where?" he demanded. Taiki tried to reassure Nakatsu, but they still got off at the next stop, several stations away from their destination.

That was how Taiki learned that Nakatsu was terrified of ghosts.

Living with Nakatsu was always surprising. The boy did not get upset when he should and overreacted when he had no reason to. He also spent nearly all of his free time upon the soccer field or with Sano Izumi, another one of the school's sports stars. Occasionally he would pull Taiki out of the dorm for a movie or an arcade trip or a meal or just a walk around, learning the city.

But then everything changed. First, Sano quit the high-jump, sparking a feud between him and Nakatsu, who refused to accept Sano's actions.

Second, Ashiya Mizuki transferred to their school and pink became a semi-permanent aspect of Nakatsu's aura.

Nakatsu's aura had shrunk and dimmed. Kayashima knew why, but he was not sure how to help. He could tell Nakatsu that Ashiya was a girl, but that really wasn't any of his business and was only a short-term solution.

"You shouldn't lie to yourself," he said one night, finally deciding on a course of action.

"You don't think it's disgusting?" Nakatsu asked, rolling onto his side, his head propped up on one hand.

Kayashima avoided the question. "Your aura right now is dirty," he said. "Small. That happens when you deny yourself and your feelings."

"So what should I do?"

"Embrace it."

"Even though it is weird?"

"Yes. At least your aura would be strong again."

Nakatsu rolled onto his back. "I'll think about it."

Shuichi stared up at the ceiling of the room he shared with Kayashima. "You knew," he said.

"Yes."

Mizuki was a girl, had been the entire time. Everything he'd went through-- "Is that why you told me liking him, her, was okay? Because you knew I wasn't really gay?"

Kayashima didn't answer, but that was fine, because Shuichi didn't really want to know. He wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment and didn't really want another aura report. He stood up and grabbed his soccer ball.

"I'm going to go practice," he said and left.

He ran the ball up and down the field, practiced goal shots, and bounced the ball off his head and knees. The familiar rhythm from knee to knee let Shuichi calm down and focus. Mizuki was a girl. He wasn't gay. That was good. Right? Yes. No. Yes. No. He bounced the ball from knee to knee. Yes. No. Yes.

"Nakatsu." The ball flew away from him. He turned and saw Mizuki. She was just as cute as she'd been two days ago when he thought she was a boy. He still liked her. Did that make him straight again (had he always been straight)? His heart, though, wasn't pounding. The danger was gone. Did that mean he really was gay? "I just wanted to apologize again," she said.

He grinned at her. "No problem. C'mon. Let's go eat. I'm starving."

When he returned to his dorm room, Kayashima was still awake. He glanced up once from his study books. "You're looking better. Did you sort everything out?"

"Nah. I just decided I didn't care. Doesn't really matter." He put his soccer ball up on a shelf and grabbed a towel. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Yo, Sekime, what room are you moving to?" Nakatsu sat down across from where Sekime was eating breakfast.

"310."

"Trade me?" Nakatsu smiled in a way that made Sekime narrow his eyes and ask why.

"My room number adds up to 10; that's a bad number for me. Besides, my room is also closer to the stairs, easier for you to sneak out to see your girlfriend."

Sekime shoveled the last of his rice into his mouth and put down his bowl. "Help me move," he said and Nakatsu's smile widened into a grin.

"Deal."

In the last year of high school, in order to foster their studies, all of the students were given single rooms on the top floors of their dorms. Taiki moved his things up early and was settled in while the others were still playing around and procrastinating. The only other student to move in early and quickly was Nakao, who had traded several times in order to get Namba's old room. Technically they weren't supposed to trade, but Noe, their new dorm leader, did not seem to mind, and so everyone did as they liked.

Taiki watched from across the hall as Nakatsu moved in. "I thought you were at the other end," he said.

"I was. Help me with these boxes?"

Taiki took the box from the top and sat it on the desk in Nakatsu's room. "Why'd you switch?"

"Sekime wanted to be closer to the stairs," he answered.

"You're lying." This made Nakatsu grin.

"And that's the other reason," he said. "How was I supposed to get my daily updates at the other end of the floor?"

Taiki didn't know how to respond to that. Nakatsu had always been the friend he didn't expect. "I'll let you unpack. Later."

"Later."

Taiki returned to his room, but left the door open and watched, amused, as the first thing Nakatsu unpacked was his soccer ball. Everything else could be strewn about in a mess, but the soccer ball, his cleats, and uniform would be unpacked and put away with care.

That is one ending. They graduated and parted ways. Nakatsu joined the lower tier of the J-League and Kayashima went to college. The end.

This is another beginning.

Shuichi swung his bag over his shoulders and kicked his locker shut. He'd taken longer in the shower than usual and his teammates had already left the locker room. His muscles were still warm and he stretched arms and shoulders as he went outside.

His team had once been jeered for playing too safe and defensively, but now with him and a few other new players, they were making a strong, offensive come-back. This had led to some unexpected popularity as old fans and new were wondering if this was the year the Holly Hocks would jump into J1.

"Nakatsu Shuichi?" Shuichi turned. Standing by the fence was a boy, probably high school age, holding a photograph and a pen. He must have been waiting for over an hour. Shuichi walked to the fence.

"That's me."

The boy held out the photo. "Could I have your autograph?"

"Sure." Shuichi shifted his bag to his back and took the picture and pen. "Your name?"

"Muramatsu Koji. I used to read about you in junior high school. With you, the Osaka High team was unstoppable."

Nakatsu grinned. "Yeah? Cool."

"I also read the columns about you. I wanted to thank you."

Shuichi's pen slowed. He knew what was coming next. Due to everyone's discretion, the truth about Mizuki had been kept a school secret. Even the St. Blossom's girls had been swayed to think the story about a girl in Osaka was simply a rumor gone wild. Due to his big-mouth, however, his once announcement of homosexuality hadn't been. He hadn't even realized how wide-spread the news was until the team leader had asked him if it would be a problem. He could have corrected everyone, but he had decided long ago that straight or gay didn't matter and he wasn't about to change his mind now.

Besides, there were people like this boy.

"You gave me the courage to be honest with myself. I always thought I was a freak for not liking girls, but then I read about you. So, thank you."

Shuichi finished his signature and smiled at the boy. "You're welcome." He handed him the photo.

Muramatsu-san-- Stay honest and strong. --Nakatsu Shuichi

The boy read it and smiled. "Thanks again."

"No problem."

"What are you reading?" Nakatsu leaned against the doorframe of Kayashima's room.

"Tōno Monogatari," Kayashima said. He slipped a paper knife into his book and closed it. Nakatsu sat down on the edge of Kayashima's bed, spread out and clearly comfortable.

"Let me guess, ghost stories?"

"It is one of the major compilations of Japanese folklore."

"Ghost stories."

Kayashima sighed. "Essentially. You just finishing practice?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"You're a bit brighter than usual."

"Oh. Right. Anyway, Sano's gotten another letter from Mizuki. I need you to make a distraction so that I can steal it."

"Doesn't he normally read the letters aloud at dinner?" Kayashima asked.

"I want to see what he's been leaving out."

"Do you really think Mizuki would write anything that Sano would feel the need to leave out?"

"I don't know," Nakatsu said. "Mizuki's good at keeping secrets about him, I mean, herself."

"Do you even know where he keeps the letters?" Kayashima asked, resigning himself to the scheme.

Nakatsu looked thoughtful. "Maybe I should be the distraction, instead. Then you can sense out where the letters are."

"I am not stealing Sano's letters." Kayashima narrowed his eyes, even though he already knew his refusal was pointless. Part of his mind was already trying to figure out the simplest way to accomplish the scheme without getting caught. By the Nakatsu was grinning, Kayashima guessed that he had already realized this.

"We'll give them back," he said.

Kayashima sighed. "When were you wanting to take them?"

So this was a blind date. Taiki did not know who had decided he needed a girlfriend, but he did know that he was no longer accepting any bets or dares from his classmates. He had no clue what had made him accept this one. Between classes and a job that had quickly proven to require more than assistant work, he had no time for relationships. The bar door opened and he watched as a girl walked toward him. She was cute and small like a bird. She had a great red scarf that she wrapped four or five times around her neck and face and a dark blue coat. "I get cold easily," she said with a soft smile after she'd undone the last of the coils.

Her hair was darker than any he'd seen before, blacker than a tunnel at night, blacker than a cave; and her skin was powder-pale. "My name is Nakayama Yuki," she said. She had a quiet, breathy voice, not too high-pitched, but not quite regular either.

"Kayashima Taiki. Nice to meet you." She reminded him of stories; and, after several drinks, he was no longer certain when he saw her and when he saw a tale through her. She could be a ghost or a snow woman or a monster. She was and then she wasn't. He was drunk. He hadn't meant to drink so much.

"We should go home," he said, rising clumsily to his feet. He helped her into her jacket and watched as she swirled the scarf around her neck a few neat motions. Only her eyes and her hair were visible.

"You're pretty," he said as they stumbled toward a subway station.

"Really?" she asked. He could barely hear her. Her scarf muffled her voice. "Am I?"

Am I beautiful?

He heard the voice like an echo, another story intruding. He imagined pulling away her scarf, layer by layer. "Yes," he said.

"You think I'm pretty." She sounded happy.

Am I beautiful?

"Yes," he said again. They were almost to the station. When he peeled away the last layer-- he imagined her smile stretched from ear to ear in a jagged gash.

Am I still beautiful?

"I'm sorry," he said, after she passed through the gate for the subway. "I'm going to walk." He left her there and did not turn back. She emailed him. He did not reply.

You're so-so.

Back in the tiny dorm room he had to himself at his university, Taiki sat on his bed and stared at the books that covered his desk. He needed a holiday. He needed to be pulled away from his studies and pushed into something unrelated, outrageous, and utterly real. He flicked off the lights and went to sleep, dreading the hangover he knew morning would bring.

"I went to see Komari again." Nakatsu sat down at the table, his tray laden with a Western-style breakfast. Kayashima stirred his egg and natto into his rice.

"Oh?"

"To apologize again. I was going to ask her for a second chance."

"But you didn't."

"I didn't," Nakatsu confirmed and he made a face as Kayashima took a bite of his rice. "How do you eat that?"

"It's rice."

"With natto. That stuff smells as bad as my shin guards after practice."

"I highly doubt that," said Sekime as he joined their table. "I don't think there is anything in the world as smelly as your guys' shin guards. The old track team leader would make all the first years go smell them when they didn't listen to him. It was a very effective punishment."

"So about Komari," Kayashima said, trying to reel the conversation back in.

"What about her?" Nakatsu asked and Kayashima took the hint.

"Nothing. How did you two do on the English test yesterday?"

The ball slammed in the net seconds before the goalie could block. Fans around the stadium were on their feet cheering. The game had been razor-thin close since the first minutes and the tension had built with every trade of the lead. Even quiet fans were roaring with the sudden release of victory. Shuichi stared dumbly at the ball in the net and dropped his head. They'd lost.

The locker room was nearly silent. The only noises being lockers opening and closing, the water from the showers, and jerseys slipping off sweaty bodies and into piles. They had been so close.

Kayashima told him once that anything could become supernatural. He imagined a little ghostly thing curled up inside of his soccer ball like a snail, sleeping in wait. Maybe the spirit kept his ball from going how he wanted, made it twist unexpectedly from him. No one said the loss was his fault. But he was the one who had lost the ball. He can't quite remember how he did it. One moment the ball was there and the next-- he hadn't lost control like that since before high school, unless he counted that one game second year when his head had been so screwed up about Mizuki that he hadn't been able to concentrate on the field. Shuichi took his bag and left. Later he would have to return for the train back to Mito, but for now he just wanted time to himself.

He wandered the city. Tokyo surprised him with its familiarity. He even recognized some street corners and clusters of shops, even though he couldn't remember ever having gone to them. He stopped when he found a small playground. He took his ball from his bag and bounced it from knee to knee as he had done since elementary school, as he did every time he needed to think. He wasn't sure, but he thought maybe his ball felt a little heavier than usual. He considered tracking down Kayashima while he was in Tokyo to get him to fix it.

He called an old phone number, but no one picked up and so ended that idea. He wondered how Kayashima was doing, how all of his old classmates were doing. He wondered if any of them ever watched his games. Maybe some had even been in the stadium that night and seen him lose the ball. If so, he was glad they hadn't said hello.

He transferred the ball to his head and continued bouncing. The rhythm never changed. When he stopped for a drink of water, he noticed that he had gained a watcher. A little girl with her short hair pulled up into stick-y pigtails. "You were on TV," she said.

"Probably, yeah. You want to count for me?"

"Okay." She down on a swing and then counted as Shuichi bounced the ball off his forehead. He waited until she'd reached 15 before purposefully hitting the ball away from him. She laughed and ran for the ball.

This time he went up to 20. A better man than he might have signed the ball and given it to her. But he was too selfish for that. When he reached 30, the girl's mother came running for her.

"Nat-chan! There you are." She looked at Shuichi like he had kidnapped her daughter and bundled the little girl away. The girl waved from over her mother's shoulder and Shuichi smiled. He packed his ball away and called up his teammates. They'd decided to go for drinks. He got directions and hurried to meet up with them. So they'd lost. They'd already done better than anyone had expected and next season-- next season they'd make J1 for certain.

"Did you get any chocolates this year?" Nakatsu asked stopping by Kayashima's room.

Kayashima waved his hand toward the pile of chocolates on his bed. "Just the usual thank-yous for love charms," he said. "You?"

"Nothing. Apparently the girls do not think I would appreciate any chocolates or confessions from them." Nakatsu leaned against the door frame. He did not add anything else. Kayashima sighed.

"Would you like some chocolate?"

Nakatsu's grin was extra bright. "Really?"

"Just leave me the dark chocolate."

"No problem."

When Taiki had left high school, working in a supernatural field had been at the very bottom of his list of possible careers. He told people he didn't like the uniform, but really he just hated the idea that his future would and should be molded by a talent he didn't even choose. Then, of course, he met Dr. Tengu. Dr. Tengu's real name was Matsue or something Kyusaku, but due to his profession and long nose, he'd been nicknamed Dr. Tengu. He said he didn't mind anymore as the name was better for business.

Taiki had met Dr. Tengu while walking out of the Aokigahara forest that surrounded Mt. Fuji. After a full day meditating on the mountain, the air within the forest had felt too thick and dark. The tourists had either gone up the mountain or home and the only living creatures to be seen were some early ghosts and other creatures. The Aokigahara forest was well known for its collection of spirits and monsters. The remnants from frequent suicides were particularly common. All through the sea of trees were small signs that urged the reader to not kill himself. There was hope, they said. There was help.

He had continued down the path, when he'd started to hear noises of a conflict that worried him. Taiki had hurried down the path, not wanting to get involved, but also knowing that no tourist would be able to handle anything they might run afoul in this forest.

What he had discovered was a spider nearly as large as the sculpture outside of Roppongi Hills and a man weaving a pattern through the spiders legs while dodging attacks. "Tsuchigumo," he'd said, drawing the man's attention.

"You know, most people upon seeing the great earth-spider would say something 'Oooh, b--i--g!' or start running, not quietly identify it and stick around. You looking for a job?"

"Not really." Taiki had tried to figure out the pattern the man was making in the dirt around the spider. He'd had seen something like it before.

"Stay back," the man had warned. "I've lost the sword, so this will be a bit trickier than usual. University student?"

"Keio," Taiki had replied. "I'm studying folklore and literature."

"Not a complete waste. Work for me. I need an assistant. You know, someone to vet jobs, deal with clients, dispatch with the minor nuisances that aren't worth my time, make coffee." The man had stopped then and touched the ground. A light had flashed up, consuming the giant spider, sending it back to the spirit realm. The man was familiar somehow, not his face, but his manner

"I make terrible coffee."

"That's all right. I don't actually drink it. Did I mention my access to one of the most complete occult libraries in Japan?" The man had smiled as though he knew that this would be what would sway Taiki; and he'd been right.

He went in to the office on weekends and between classes. Occasionally he went out to deal with minor problems and when Dr. Tengu was out 'on a case,' he got the immense pleasure of explaining to clients exactly why Dr. Tengu could not see them that day or week.

He was in the midst of one such week, when a journalist from the Keio University student paper stopped by the office. He didn't recognize her at first, even though her aura felt familiar. Then she introduced herself. Komari. Nakatsu's Komari.

He made her a cup of tea and motioned for her to sit down. "I didn't know you attended Keio," he said.

She smiled. "It is a large school. I am studying journalism. We're doing student profiles for the paper and I've been asked to interview you. Do you mind?"

"Why me?" Taiki asked, sitting down across from her.

"Not many of our classmates work with the supernatural or know models and soccer stars; you're interesting." She held up a tape-recorder. "Is this all right?"

"Yes."

Komari clicked the recorder on. She stated the date and purpose for the interview and then asked him, "Kayashima, what sort of work do you do here?"

The interview did not take long and after Komari had turned off her recorder and slipped it back into her bag, she asked if he kept in touch with anyone from school.

"Not really. I see Nanba occasionally when I get coffee, but beyond that--"

"I see. Nakatsu has been gaining popularity lately. News reporters love young players, especially ones with the potential for scandal."

"Scandal?" Taiki asked. He could not imagine Nakatsu ever losing focus enough from the game to cause drama. Komari nodded.

"Some alternative papers have already been pairing him off with various teammates. Of course nothing has been confirmed." Komari smiled. "I could fax you some clippings, if you like. I have to read a wide range of news sources each week in order to get an idea of style and scope so I have several articles about him."

"His teammates? But he isn't gay."

"No?" Taiki could see the subtle shift in Komari's aura as she changed into her journalist mode. "How can you be sure? Is there something specific in his aura?"

"No. I-- It isn't important."

"All right." Komari drank the last of her tea and stood up. "I enjoyed seeing you again, Kayashima. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Komari." She gave him her card before she left and promised to send him a copy of the article when she finished. Taiki picked up the tea cups and rinsed them out, wondering how Nakatsu was handling being the center of such speculations, wondering if they were true, wondering why he cared if they were.

"Your tie is crooked."

Nakatsu looked down and cursed. He ran over to the mirror to redo the knot.

"Why are you so nervous?" Kayashima asked.

"This is the end," Nakatsu said. "After this, we have to get jobs and pay bills and stuff like that. We'll be spread out everywhere. Sano's going to America. You're staying here. I'm going to Mito. This is our last day."

"Today is hardly the end of our lives. We'll all see each other again, I'm sure."

"You don't know that." Nakatsu slouched down against the wall.

Kayashima narrowed his eyes as though trying to pin something down with his gaze. "You're nervous about something else as well," he said.

Nakatsu half-smiled and looked up at the ceiling. "Man, I never thought high school would be like this. I just expected to spend all my time on the soccer field and maybe get a cute girlfriend to cheer me on at games."

"I expected to keep to myself," Kayashima said.

Nakatsu looked down and grinned. "I'm glad we were roommates."

"Yes, me too."

The chapel was too warm for a jacket. Shuichi slung his suit coat over his shoulder and began to negotiate through the crowd, looking for his friends. A few people murmured his name as he walked past them, but he ignored them. He had tried dating a couple of the women who admired him during his first year of playing, but they hadn't excited him. He had even gone on one strange date with a teammate's brother, but that hadn't been what he wanted either. He wasn't sure what he wanted.

Shuichi turned into a large corridor. He could see a group of young people ahead. Then he heard them call his name. He stopped moving, frozen and he wasn't even sure why. He could feel his heart began to pound. Then the girl turned toward him. She was adorable.

"Mizuki!" he said and threw his arms around her in a running hug. "I've wanted to see you."

"Eh. Hello, Nakatsu."

He pulled back. "You're so cute now," he said. She was wearing a short, floral dress and her hair was long with curls in the ends. She was extremely cute, but she wasn't making his heart beat harder. He didn't like her anymore. Shuichi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Oh! That's right," Mizuki said. "Congratulations on getting into the Jleague!"

He laughed. So news of him had reached the states. "Still just J2, though."

Mizuki smiled and his heart didn't skip a beat. "For now," she said. He wasn't in love with her anymore. Otherwise, his friends were just as he remembered. Noe razzed him about his hair and Kayashima changed the subject to something less touchy.

"Aside from Nakatsu," Kayashima said, "what is everyone doing now?"

"I'm a lively college student," Nakao said.

"I'm working with an animation company," Noe said.

"I'm studying to be a dog trainer," Mizuki said.

Shuichi remembered the letter he'd gotten a few months back from Komari. "Kayashima, you're a summoner, right?"

Kayashima looked surprised that Shuichi knew. "Yes," he said. "I'm still going to school, though." Noe took the opportunity to tease again and Shuichi was glad when Mizuki changed the subject to their upperclassmen.

He was startled though by how much Kayashima knew. He had expected his former roommate to be cut off from everyone. The letter from Komari had been the first he'd heard about Kayashima since shortly after their graduation. Apparently, though, Kayashima had just been selective about his correspondences.

"How do you know so much?" He had to know.

Kayashima looked at him and then seemed somewhat unsettled. "Oh. Ever since that one time, the Himejima twins have been writing me. They won't stop. I have learned more about their family and friends than was ever necessary."

"Oh." Kayashima gave him a curious look, but before he could say anything, Sekime joined their group. His suit was very sharp.

"There you guys are," he said, hurrying over to them.

Noe grinned. "The groom is here. Congratulations."

"Yeah, congats."

"Congratulations."

"You're so lucky!"

"Congrats!"

Sekime accepted their well wishes with a sheepish thanks and then shared that Dr. Umeda was still working at Osaka High and that his wife-to-be, Rie, was pregnant, which sparked a fresh round of congratulations. He glanced at a clock.

"Well, I should probably go back. I don't want to be late." He waved at them and then hurried back to the preparation rooms. The chapel doors opened shortly after. Sano, Mizuki, and Nakao sat on the end of one pew and Shuichi sat behind them, between Kayashima and Noe. The wedding was pretty, but long. While he was happy for his friend, Shuichi did find himself stifling a few yawns. Kayashima noticed and covered a small smile with his hand.

After the wedding, Sekime was kept busy and the music made conversation difficult. They exchanged contact information, promised to not lose touch this time, and enjoyed the party. More than once Shuichi caught Kayashima looking strangely at him. Finally, Shuichi gestured toward one of the exits and Kayashima followed.

"What is wrong?" Shuichi asked.

"I don't understand your aura," Kayashima answered. "You've changed."

"So have you," Shuichi said. "You're taller."

"That isn't what I meant."

"I know. So what do my aura tell you?"

Kayashima assumed a news report tone of voice, which made Shuichi smile. "Orange with a touch of green. You're more accepting of yourself. And, the confusing bit, a cloud of pink, but it isn't because of Mizuki. She's a different shade."

"Attraction has shades?" Shuichi asked.

"Yes. That is how you have changed, though. You are more accepting of yourself and you like someone, but not Mizuki."

"Do you know who?"

"Yes; that's what I don't understand," Kayashima said.

"Yeah, I'm a bit fuzzy on it as well." Shuichi looked up and grinned. "So, I have a couple weeks until the training camp starts up for the league. I was thinking of staying around Tokyo. You know of a place I could crash?" He hadn't meant to ask that, but he didn't care. He'd missed this, had missed Kayashima.

"I have classes and a job," Kayashima said.

"Oh, come on, didn't you work enough in high school? We could have fun." He wasn't going to give up and could see Kayashima was on the verge of giving in. "I happen to remember this creepy museum you tried to get us to go to a couple times..." he trailed off and Kayashima met his eyes.

"You're actually offering to go there."

"Yeah."

Kayashima smiled, relenting. "All right," he said. "Let's go."

That is the other ending. After two years, the friends find themselves together again, but in a different and unexpected place. They could part ways again, but this time they don't. The end.

This is yet another beginning.

Dear Mizuki,

Merry Christmas. I have been ordered to send you a card since that is the American way, apparently. I hope you and Sano are well. I'm doing all right. My classes are occasionally interesting and work is occasionally dull; it balances.

Nakatsu is doing well. He thinks the Holly Hocks will make J1 this year. He comes down to Tokyo about once a week. He says he has to spend his money somehow. We're fine. He's writing a card to you now and is-- judging by how much he has written-- saying far more than necessary.

Enjoy your dog training classes and tell Sano to keep working hard. I've heard that American universities are much stricter than the universities here.

Have a wonderful holiday,

Kayashima Taiki