3:55 AM

Her eyes slowly scanned the white roof of her room in her state of insanity. She was just an empty shell in reality, her fragile mind in someplace special where no one would ever hurt her again, where she was eternally happy. One simple word made her commit so much. One simple name made her do everything she's done for him. One name made her abandon this plane of reality turning her into a live corpse, and then reinstated the breath of life in her again. She was in her own world now, inside this heaven there were only two people, HIM and her; his name was too special to be used too much. She was on top of her bed with her hands clasped together on her chest, like a cold smiling corpse at its funeral. Her face was beautiful even while showing that warm smile of delusion. No one was allowed in that world except her and the love of her life. Both of them were the rulers of that sunny but barren land that seemed so perfect in her mind's eye. Her voice hadn't said anything else since she retired from her family some hours earlier with the excuse of needing sleep. She was inside that trance, inside her world, no one could interrupt her and woe befall those who dared get between their so special and intimate love again. Those once lifeless eyes were shining once again in her insanity as she said that name softly one more time at no one in particular.

"Makoto-kun."

It was early morning in Japan. The fresh and reassuring smell of spring made many Japanese faces smile with peaceful melancholy. The pink petals of sakura dancing daintily in the flowing wind kept kissing everyone's faces softly. Everyone that is, but the lone thoughtful teen leaning on the school's second floor balcony rail. His brown eyes were staring out at the city, headphones on top of his ears, a soft American melody flowing steadily. . .

Looking out,
across the morning.
The city's heart begins to beat. . .He opened his hand and let a cherry blossom land softly on it. This was good American music. . . He must remember to thank Hikari for that favor later. . .

Reaching out,
I touch her shoulder. . .
I'm dreaming of the street. . .

4 weeks he had been in jail, the police trying to pin on him the killing of Sekai and Makoto. This "L" guy suddenly comes out of nowhere and he was out within a week. He barely received more than a slap on the wrist, as Yuromaru said. He had actually been given a chance. Yuromaru had helped him through all of this. . . but why?

Tell 'em that it's human nature
Why, Why? Does he do me that way?

He had stopped gelling his hair back and let it grow, giving his face an older and mature appearance. It was now a long mane of chocolate brown hair flowing behind him. Since meeting Yuromaru, he decided to be just like him. No hate, just love. When he came home from the station, Hikari was there for him. How come? Now that he thought of it, she always followed him around but he never really noticed. He sighed softly as the sakura blossom took to the air with another sweet blast of spring air.

I like living this way,
I like loving this way. . . .

He kept letting his thoughts wander, "Maybe she likes me, but for how long? She's been following me as far back as I remember, but. . Do I like her back? And then there's…"

His face saddened as the image of the immensely big breasts and long and dark flowing hair of a certain girl jumped into his mind. "I can't believe I still haven't forgotten about-"

"Oy! Taisuke! What you doing back in school so early?"

He peered behind him and blushed at the brightly smiling girl with the brown ringlets. He felt his face growing warm as he smiled embarrassingly back.

"Aaww! What you blushing for?"

Taisuke grunted as he was met with a bone crushing hug.

Taisuke and Hikari went into class together early. Hikari did most of the talking while Taisuke just stayed thoughtful and listened. It was funny how nothing ever seemed to change inside Sakakino High. Everyone was chattering about how wasted they were last weekend and how wasted they were going to get the next. Couples tried to make the most out of their few minutes together before the bell rang in their foolish, romantic love, girls stared at boys, boys stared at girls, boys at boys, girls at girls . . . Everything was restored to normalcy; Sakakino normalcy. He zoned back in on Hikari talking about her weekend while they were in front of the immense chart showing seating arrangements. Ironically, Taisuke was seated on the opposite side of the room from Hikari. There was a strange new name scrawled in beside his. Actually, it wasn't strange, he had the feeling he had heard it somewhere numerous times before.

"Kaoru Manaka! Seriously?" Came Hikari's high pitched squeals as she focused her attention on the spot Taisuke was staring fixedly at.

Taisuke stared at the wall with dead pan eyes. "Who's…?"

He was cut short by Hikari's annoyed yells.

"He's one of the most famous pop sensations in Japan!"

"Oh…"

One stare at his cell phone told him that the bell was going to ring in a few minutes so he might as well go to his seat. Everyone seemed to have their eyes burned on the door but no one entered. The bell rang, and everyone shrugged as the teacher opened his registry book to pass roll call.

"Abe"

"Here"

"Aburame"

"Here"

The monotone of the teacher's voice and the answers of the students made Taisuke space out as he stared out the window beside him. The sky was a vivid forget-me-not blue with a few wispy clouds here and there, floating carefree in the spring breeze. The sweet melody of birds was flowing through the open window along with the smell of even more sakura. Taisuke closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, thankful that he wasn't in prison. He barely noticed the names the teacher said out loud as he passed roll call.

"Manaka"

The swishing sound of the classroom door sounded through the eerie silence that had fallen the room like a sickness. Necks were craned to see who it was. A hunchbacked figure in the school uniform walked in and stared at the teacher with a bored indifference.

"Yo."

The silence was replaced by the gradual swell of buzzing whispers. The pallid teenager had his coat unbuttoned and his hair disheveled, as if it had never seen a brush in its life. His carefree gait seemed harmless and disbalanced, but somehow he gave Taisuke the appearance of a lion ready to pounce for its prey. This certainly was not some famous pop sensation.

She noticed how the strangers kept looking at her, her tossing hair in the breeze. Most of the stares were not at her face however, but at her luscious young body. Ever since she was an elementary school student, she had always been self conscious about this. But after the Incident every pair of eyes that crossed hers and didn't belong to HIM made her seethe with anger on the inside. In the few moments a day that she was in complete touch with what everyone called the Real World, she felt nothing but exasperation, loneliness, and a deep incurable hate that made her feel like she was boiling some deadly venom on the inside. In this few moments, the old and weak Katsura told her that she was insane, mental. But the new and strong Kotonoha Katsura made her shut up with a puncture wound on her thigh. She felt just like the main character in that story about the tell-tale heart. This wasn't craziness, this was acuteness of the senses. Everywhere she went she could hear every single boy's nasty comment about her body. She didn't know why she looked in the crowd for HIM, when part of her was sure that HE was inside a faded blue duffel bag she swung by her side. The weak Katsura would've told them why Makoto-kun couldn't be with them, but the strong Kotonoha Katsura could shield her Real Self from the Real World. She knew that no one could see what was inside her head, that that was where she had her real strength. She had been the weak Katsura before, and she could still act like it on the outside. She came back from her train of thought and to come back to the Real World. She was now in front of the lake inside the park. In the distance, she could see Sakakino- alas, she would be going there tomorrow. She opened the duffel bag and barely looked at the remains. Strong Kotonoha told her that that wasn't HIM anymore, it was just a dried up, nasty dead thing. HE was with her in her beloved kingdom. She then payed attention to the instructions Strong Kotonoha was harshly whispering in her ear. She quickly took a few large stones and put them inside the bag, closed it, and threw it around.

"What are you doing, young lady? Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

She looked around to see a young police-man in his twenties was looking at her and smiling warmly.

" Lie! Tell him that you are of college age! You saw a bug crawl up on your tennis gear and that is why you threw it!" Strong Kotonoha was already fuming with anger. She didn't hesitate to put on her Weak Katsura mask and to comply with the officer. She was amazed at how he believed him.

"Alright, young lady. Don't be walking around by yourself, you heard?"

Her mask immediately gave him her innocent and shy smile. Immediately as he was out of eye-shot, she felt Strong Kotonoha give instructions in the same harsh manner again.

Without hesitating, she threw the bag as far as she could into the dark green waters. The stones made it sink almost immediately. She stayed staring at that spot for a time that seemed so long, she was swaying like trees surrounding her. A horn sounded from a nearby yacht, waking her out of her trance. She felt her Weak Katsura Mask say out loud in admiration:

"That's a nice boat,ne?"