Closer than Close

Summary: Five years after that eventful day, Megumi and Yahiro are close friends, but Yahiro still claims that he doesn't have any love feelings for anyone. Megumi starts wondering about the relationship that she shares with him.

Disclaimer: I don't own S.A. and I don't own any butter sticks either, D: my refrigerator is empty.

Flashback

'Megumi's Writing'

"Congratulations!" or "Good luck!" those words could be heard from every person in the garden. If it wasn't those words that were heard then it was cheering and people clapping. There were no more than fifteen people there and no less than three. It was an averaged sized party, but it would make sense because it was a private celebration party.

"Akira looks very happy," Jun commented to Megumi. They both watched Akira smiling and blushing very furiously when people started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

'So does Tadashi' Megumi replied back using her magic board. She was very happy for Akira and Tadashi, her two special S.A. friends that she loved very much. Megumi had already given her congratulatory gift to Akira earlier and sang a song dedicated to both Akira and Tadashi. Now the couple have given the official announcement and showed to everyone the proof.

"Yay!" Sakura and Hikari cheered the loudest as Tadashi gave a light peck to Akira's cheek. He fulfilled the wishes of the crowd and sent everyone cheering and hooting wildly. Hikari patted Akira on the back and laughed heartedly about how it is a good thing cooties don't exist anymore.

"Mou!" Akira blushed and hit Tadashi embarrassingly on the shoulder with a bit too much of her strength. Tadashi flew across the garden and into a patch of daffodils, barely missing the rose patch.

"Congratulations on the road to getting hitched," Kei commented aloofly, he was patting Tadashi on the shoulder after helping him up and he sent a smirk off to Akira. "Good luck with being stuck with a feisty woman for the rest of your life, they will never cease to amuse you."

Tadashi laughed and thanked Kei while Akira furiously ran over to deliver another blow to Tadashi and Hikari blushed and decided to try challenging Kei's words.

As all this was happening, Megumi stood and watched the familiar scene that was done over and over again when they were all in high school. It was warm and felt like the good old days, but she was nervous a bit about a particular person that has been standing next to her the whole time in his never old purple attire.

She looked at Yahiro somewhat nervously and remembered what had been said a few days before the party.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Megumi took out her cell phone and looked at the caller I.D. and it said 'Akira'. She opened her cell phone and put it to her ear.

"Hello, Megumi speaking," Megumi answered.

"MEGUMI-CHAN!! How is it going? It has been awhile since I've seen you! I miss you Megumi!" Akira's voice whined on the other end.

"I've been fine Akira, singing has been great for me, I have already released my debut album and now I have a new project."

"I have heard it! It was so beautiful I bought three more boxes of them."

Three more boxes? Megumi thought and sweat dropped, what would she do with three boxes, use them as ninja stars at Tadashi?

"Thank you! How are you and Tadashi doing?"

Immediate silence followed the other end of the line.

"Hello? Akira?" Megumi said.

"H-h-h-he…" Akira stuttered, Megumi could guess that she was blushing on the other end, "p-proposed to me a few days ago!"

Megumi smiled, she wasn't very surprised that they would be the first couple to marry out of the S.A. group since they were the first couple to start dating, "Congratulations Akira! I'm so happy for you!"

"T-thank you Megumi-Chan! Um…y-yeah so we decided that it would be nice to have an engagement party. It would be a nice way to see everyone again after we haven't in such a while!"

"That would be great, when?"

"This Sunday, is that okay?"

"I'll definitely be there Akira and I'll sing a song for you too if you like."

"I would love that! Oh and Megumi can you do me a favor?"

"A favor??"

"Well you see it's been a long time since I've seen that dim-witted brain boy and I am never able to get a hold of him, Yahiro. He seems so busy these days after taking over his father's company almost completely that he has problems answering his phone. Would you mind telling him too?"

"M-me?" Megumi asked a bit surprised, "Why me?"

"Because!" Megumi could feel Akira brightly smiling on the other end, "out of all of us, you have been the longest and closest friend to Yahiro! You probably know where he is more than we do everyday."

"Not that close…or as long…" Megumi muttered back a reply.

"Nonsense!" Akira said, "You guys are always hanging around each other, it's like your dating. Good thing you guys aren't though, otherwise I would give him a good beating for preying on my poor Megumi-Chan!" Megumi felt a dark aura starting to seep through her cell phone.

"Y-yeah," Megumi laughed awkwardly, her heart sinking, "We're not…."

"Well! Thank you Megumi! I can't wait to see you I have to go now and see Tadashi's parents. I'm kind of nervous, wish me luck!"

"Good luck Akira!" Beep.

Close friends huh, Megumi thought glumly. She returned her gaze back at Yahiro who was standing next to her looking ever so nonchalantly. One hand was in his pocket and the other was holding a glass of red wine. Ever since he arrived at the party with her, he had said a few things to the other S.A. members, struck up a tiny conversation with Akira, and left Tadashi some interesting congratulatory words. Other than that he was silent for pretty much the whole party.

What could he be thinking? Megumi pondered, her eyebrows furrowing. She clutched her magic board close to her and started staring at Yahiro. Megumi started wondering if Yahiro's feelings for Akira were settled now. It has been five years; five years since he found out they were dating.

Yahiro noticed Megumi's staring and smiled, "Like what you see?"

Megumi lightly blushed and quickly turned away to go walk over to watch Hikari being molested by Kei. Her magic board held behind her saying, 'You remind me of a large grape.'

Twenty Hikari and Kei moments, twenty-five Akira and Tadashi moments, fifteen other people moments, and one large bon-fire moment later the party was over. The sun was long gone and the moon was bright and over their heads.

Everyone was old enough now to go home when needed and none of them lived with their parents anymore. Well pretty much not in the same house at least. In fact Kei and Hikari were already living together, Jun had moved closer to his university and Sakura, Ryuu was living with Finn, and the rest were living in their own places too.

The same went for Megumi and Yahiro; they weren't kids anymore. They had their lives to fill and independence to do what they pleased. Well except for the fact that Megumi was actually still living with Jun, but it never caused too much problems, just some interesting moments that would be better if they lived separately.

"I'm going to be up for awhile doing papers," Yahiro said looking at his watch while he neared his motorcycle, "And I'm already getting tired, you want to go get some coffee with me?"

Megumi reflected back to when she saw Jun leaving with Sakura, it seems that they had their own little date afterwards that they were going to go on. The house would be rather empty, Megumi thought, and Megumi didn't really like staying in a quiet house.

In fact Jun did that quite often so Megumi would find herself meeting Yahiro around cafés and drinking tea until she felt like she thought it was a good time to go home.

Megumi smiled and nodded, she looked at Yahiro's shiny silver motorcycle and looked back at Yahiro. 'What's the occasion for using your motorcycle?' she wrote on her board.

"Well," Yahiro said while taking out a silver and a white helmet, handing the white one to Megumi, "all the servants are out on vacation leave right now and I'm too lazy to use the car.

"Plus," Yahiro smiled while he situated himself on the bike, "it's been awhile since I've used it and the night still seems young, why not?"

Megumi took a deep gulp, situated herself behind Yahiro and leaned in close.

"Whatever you do, don't scream" Yahiro laughed and sped off into the night.

I hate traveling by motorcycle, Megumi thought while stirring her spoon around in her milk tea. She watched the ripples her spoon made silently crash into the edge of the cup.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She disliked traveling by motorcycle because of the close proximity that she always had to be with the one guy that had not returned her feelings in five years.

It's not like I'm not used to it now, Megumi thought rather bitterly, it's just because I can always feel the warmth coming off his back and I can always smell his scent in the wind. And darn it that smell made her mind go blank and sent her into a daze.

Megumi sighed and opened her eyes to stare at her reflection in the cup. She swirled her spoon around the cup some more. It had been five years and not much has changed.

The only few parts of Megumi that changed was that today she was wearing white heels that clasped around her ankles, a plaid mini-skirt, and more accessories. Her body actually filled in around the chest area a bit more right before she stopped growing all together, which was nice. Her hair grew a little longer, but that never made too much of a difference to her wavy hair. Megumi barely grew an inch taller, and her face still looked like one of a high school student.

About five years older and Yahiro didn't change much either. His hair was still as lavender as ever, a bit long around the edges of his hair though. He was due for a trim. He still had the same humor like he did years past, and his attire still consisted of random name brand clothing and occasional sweater vests and suits.

His body was only a slight more lean than before, but he seemed rather skinny due from the piles of work that his father started giving him.

Megumi stared at Yahiro who was rather concentrated in his pile of papers that he had beside him. He occasionally picked up his coffee and sipped it, which meant that he was getting tired and needed a boost of caffeine. After coming to the café with Yahiro so many times, Megumi was able to tell the patterns and signs of Yahiro's actions.

'What are you working on?' Megumi wrote on her board and set it on the table.

"Some guy from our hotel branch is trying to get a whole hot spring event set up that will make us millions and I'm proofing his plan," Yahiro said sighed and leaned back in his seat feeling exhausted. "I'm getting bored of this stupid paperwork."

Megumi sipped her tea and watched Yahiro close his eyes and grumble about things. She set her tea down and excitedly wrote another line on her magic board.

'Good for Akira and Tadashi huh? They are getting married, I'm so happy for them.' Megumi wrote.

"Yeah…" Yahiro agreed, his mind drifting off.

'…Are you happy for them?' Megumi tilted her head, she was a bit nervous asking, but then again it had been five years and she barely ever brought up the topic about Akira. Time should have done its work.

"Stupid," Yahiro retorted and rolled his eyes, "Of course I am, it's Akira, if she is happy then I am too."

'I wish I could get married someday.'

Yahiro smirked. "Well if Chitose considered you a grandma, it could be kind of late for you now…" he teased.

Megumi huffed and wrote a response, 'I was just mistaken as a teenager by a grandma last week who thought that I was her fourteen year old daughter. Then the mother of the girl came and thought that I was a schoolmate of her daughter and asked if I knew her. I think Chitose's eyes needs to be fixed and that old woman too, I am definitely not a teenager!'

Yahiro spit out his coffee and started laughing. Megumi twitched her eyebrow and decided to drink her tea until Yahiro ran out of oxygen and died. Too bad that didn't happen though, he stayed alive and recomposed himself

"Okay," Yahiro wiped his eye and sat back in his smug position, "How is singing?"

'I'm working on a new song!' Megumi smiled enthusiastically.

"Oh? Really that's good for you," Yahiro replied, his attention was completely gone from his papers, "when?"

'I get to find out tomorrow! I can't wait.' Megumi wrote and flowers could almost been seen blooming around her.

"Tomorrow?" Yahiro mumbled, and then he looked at Megumi and gave his smile, "You know, there is going to be a corporate party tomorrow. Can you go with me?"

'Again?' Megumi wrote on her board, a bit surprised, there was just a party last week.

"Well," Yahiro said and put a hand on his head, "It's that time again when corporations hold all their parties to renew partnerships and honor them and the Saiga Corporation has many partnerships with many companies.

"Plus, It's not really much fun without you there," Yahiro said and faked a dramatic look and held Megumi's hands.

Megumi returned him a deadpan face.

Yahiro let go and chuckled, "I'm just joking Megumi, your reactions are no fun anymore," he 'tsked'.

"Fine, well you know you are always invited to sing at those parties and everyone loves hearing your songs."

Megumi's heart thumped a beat, 'they do?'

"Yeah," Yahiro smiled and leaned back into his seat, ready to go back to grueling over work, "And I like hearing them too."

Megumi thought for a moment. Did he mean that he liked her being there or just her songs? If it was both that would be meaningful too, but…Megumi was thinking, it is just probably as a friend he liked her there and her singing was always enjoyable.

In these past five years Yahiro had always invited her to these parties. The first one surprised her and she thought that he was asking her on a date. It made her heart race for a moment thinking that he was actually returning her feelings. But it only turned out that he was helping her boost her singing ability. It was very nice of him at first, Megumi thought warmly yet sadly, though as time went on he always asked her to attend these parties with him.

Megumi felt confused why he still asked her now these days. Was it because the need to help her vocal career, or was it because he truly enjoyed her company and no one else's. Megumi furrowed her eyebrows, by now he could ask anyone he wanted to and any new girl, but he always had to ask her.

Yet he claimed every time Megumi asked about his feelings, he would always say that he doesn't have any feelings for her still. What was the constant point of her going with him if it wasn't love?

Megumi sighed and wrote on her board, 'Fine, I'll go. But as long as I get white lily flowers this time.'

"White lilies?" Yahiro said, "Not pink peonies?"

Megumi nodded and smiled, she returned to drinking her tea and she gazed outside the window of the cute café.

She could at least dream a bit.

Humming and a little skip in each step, Megumi traveled her favorite road down to her favorite singing studio. She loved singing and she loved making new songs, and today she was going to get a new song to sing.

"Good morning Yamamoto-san," two voices greeted at the reception desk.

'Good morning!' Megumi wrote back and bowed back at the two nice ladies who always gave her a greeting.

"We heard your new album recently!" One of them squealed, "We really like it!"

"Yeah!" The other one said, "Keep up the hard work okay Megumi-Chan?"

Megumi blushed and looked down, "T-t-thank you very much for liking it, I promise I'll work harder on the next one!" She smiled and bowed again and waved goodbye at them.

Megumi stood in the elevator and hummed the whole way up, she was very happy that people liked her album. The elevator door opened.

"Megumi-Chan!" A woman with nicely brushed hair and red-framed glasses said with open arms, "Come! I'm very excited to tell you what you are doing next!"

The woman grabbed Megumi's arm and excitedly pulled her into a meeting room. In that room were the studio's president, some people, and a manager.

'Good morning everyone' Megumi bowed.

"Megumi-Chan!" The woman said standing next to a particular handsome man who sat in a chair leaning back and looking relaxed, "You will be working on a new project with Hiro-san! You know him right Megumi? He is the biggest singer of the market these days, and he's gone international too! He has just returned from Germany just to do this project with you. Lucky you Megumi! You get to work with him!"

Megumi watched the man stand up and approach her with his hand outstretched.

"My name is Hiro, it's nice to meet you Yamamoto Megumi," he smiled warmly, his hazel eyes glistening, even in the fluorescent lighting of the building. His hair was chestnut colored, his bangs fell softly in front of his eyes, and his teeth were white and brilliant. "I have heard you sing and I think it is very beautiful. I am honored to work with Yamamoto Rin's daughter."

Megumi blushed at the compliment and shook his hand slowly. "Thank you…it's a pleasure meeting a great vocalist like yourself too."

Megumi's manager smiled, she pushed her glasses up and turned around to the plump studio president, "See? Instant match! This project will be a success!"

The studio president chuckled and cleared his throat, "Yamamoto-san and Hiro-san, the project for this new album will be centered around 'Love'. This overused universal message will be re-newed with the both of you singing! You both will give a whole new meaning to love and spread joy to everyone!"

"Plus we are planning a huge concert for the release of the album!" Megumi's manager squealed, " There will be thousands of people watching, and millions more on television!"

Megumi's eyes opened wide, she was going to be on television too! Her first concert on such a large scale and it was going to be aired. Megumi smiled very happily and it brought warmth to everyone in the room. Her smile was that pure and innocent.

"I'll be looking forward to working with you," Hiro-san smiled at Megumi.

"I'll do my best everyone!" Megumi bowed eagerly, "Thank you everyone for letting me do this!"

Nothing can bring her down today!

Megumi stared at herself in the mirror and swished her dress a bit. She couldn't help but think that she looked pretty good for tonight. Somehow the dark red dress enveloped her frame nicely and let her natural body curves show. The dress went floor all the way down to floor length and split up the side of her leg. Frills came pouring out from the side of the split and the dress covered Megumi's shoulders nicely, but leaving her shoulder blades bare. But it allowed the gold accessories on her glitter and shine to make her face glow in any light.

Megumi fixed her hair a little bit more, having her heavy hair up in a stylish bun wasn't hard, but it was a bit difficult to keep it there. Gravity wanted to keep pulling it down, but some pins and hair spray will make it stay.

"Megumi!" Jun called from the door, "Yahiro is here to pick you up again!"

Megumi quickly picked up her golden hand purse and took a quick spray of her sweet smelling sakura blossom perfume.

Megumi wafted in the scent, tasty she thought.

She carefully yet swiftly walked down the stairs and met Jun at the door.

'How do I look?' Megumi used her board and asked with a determined face.

"Are you really Megumi?" Jun chuckled, "Because the last time I checked my sister looked like a little girl."

Megumi pouted and slapped her twin brother lightly on the shoulder and walked outside the door and approached a silver car with a man in a black business suit leaning against it.

"Your five minutes late this time," Yahiro said looking at his watch, "two minutes better than last week. I see that you have decided to hurry those little feet of yours this time." He looked up and gave a smug look to Megumi.

'I was purposely going to take a longer time each time we go to a party just for you.' Megumi had on her magic board. She smiled and erased it to write another sentence, 'but just for today I was going to be nice because of all the stress you have gotten from work.'

"My, what a generous gift," Yahiro said in a mock-surprised voice.

Megumi hummed and bounced over to the side with the shotgun seat.

'Let's go?' she smiled.

"Hmm…" Yahiro said wonderingly at Megumi, "I think that you are a bit more happier than usual today."

"I am!" Megumi brightly replied; she couldn't help herself. She giggled: concert, singing, and working with an international star!

Yahiro was surprised, and coughed, "Oh? Why?"

"I get to do a concert along with a new song!" Megumi chirped happily and clapped her hands together, "Plus it will be broadcasted on television!"

"What?" Yahiro exclaimed and then recomposed himself, "Well then congratulations to you Yamamoto Megumi, you are another step closer to achieving the title of 'top female vocalist of Japan'."

He pulled out a batch of flowers from his seat and held them up to Megumi and bowed a bit.

"To the beautiful singer," Yahiro said with a smooth voice and smiled.

Megumi looked at the flowers and blushed lightly. She took the flowers and cradled them in her arms, looking at the pure whiteness of the lily under the moonlight.

She wondered, as she got into the car, how many times Yahiro had given her flowers and how many times she couldn't control her feelings. She always let a little blush or felt her cheeks grow warm each time she received flowers from him.

It saddened Megumi; her imagination was so powerful time-to-time that she would feel a bit of her fantasy leak into reality. Thus making her feel false bliss for awhile until she was pulled back into the real world knowing that Yahiro only gave them to her because she asked for them.

It would be nice if she received flowers out of pure feelings one day from a man that loved her, Megumi thought warmly. But Megumi doubted whether that day would ever come or not.

Still, flowers are flowers and are to be appreciated no matter what the reason is, Megumi smiled and touched the flowers gingerly with her hand. She remembered again: concert and singing. She giggled; she couldn't wait to start working on the new project.

Yahiro glanced at Megumi from every now and then. She was silent at first but a giggle would escape her every few seconds. He raised his eyebrow while swiftly driving through traffic.

"Giggling too much can give you hiccups you know," the Saiga heir commented.

"I can't stop myself," Megumi giggled and swayed in her seat, "I'm going to get to work with the prince of ballads."

"The prince of ballads?" Yahiro said, Megumi was working with someone too?

"Hiroshi Gouda, the top leading singer of Japan right now," Megumi said smiling, "He sings such beautiful songs and his voice is a smooth as the ocean, if the ocean did have a voice. He knows how to make the perfect pitch and he has the most compelling voice that makes any ear attracted to his sound.

"Plus," Megumi added in matter-of-factly, "He is actually a really handsome person both inside and out. A perfect gentleman."

"Perfect huh?" Yahiro snorted and smirked, "So what are his songs like? Sappy and tearful?"

"No" Megumi replied, "They are hopeful and make love sound like it is the best feeling in the world."

"Best feeling?" Yahiro questioned sarcastically, "I bet it really is, yes because love will take your heart away and send you into eternal bliss where nothing ever goes wrong because love will conquer all." Yahiro cackled, "That is why people break up. Hiroshi Gouda definitely knows the definition of love for sure."

Megumi leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs, five years has allowed her to be able to reply back normally without getting flustered for an answer. But then again time couldn't help her with her fast irritation with Yahiro when he decided to make fun of things, especially about the topic of love.

"Don't make fun of Hiro-san! You couldn't say that Yahiro because you have never been in a relationship," Megumi snapped back and then muttered looking away, "nor have you tried one."

Yahiro's ears caught Megumi's muttering and he leaned back casually in the driver's seat while waiting for the light to turn blue (or green, Japan calls them blue I hear).

"I'm not in love right now," Yahiro replied in a stoic tone, "I'm comfy with my position right now, I don't see a need to change my status."

Megumi's heart sank; yes he isn't in love with anyone. Good for Megumi since that meant there weren't anyone she had to watch out for, but then again her undying love was never going to get to him. Unrequited love was a hard thing to keep up and be friends with, but Megumi couldn't stop herself from seeing him. Five years since that day and she is still in love with this unfeeling man. It was both a curse and a joy.

She was closer to him than others were, but she wasn't the closest to his heart.

'That's something my grandpa would say,' Megumi returned to using her magic board, 'so keep your eyes on the road grandpa, I don't want your comfort to end our lives here right now.'

Yahiro did quick jerks left and right with the car and Megumi yelped in surprise.

"Don't get a heart-attack grandma," Yahiro laughed and kept driving.

Despicable guy, Megumi cursed.

Hee hee I like putting them into the future. I would always like to wonder what would happen when all the S.A. members grew up. Well please enjoy the story! I'll be writing more :)