ASHY-NOTE: This could perhaps be considered a linked fic to my other oneshot, Hazel; there are some references to it. It's not much, I'm sorry, but I hope you guys understand.

-;-

Best Friends Day
Prose Vanity

Hi Maria. I'm missing you too much, no?

I love you Mars. Always did, always will.

She had been marking her calendar for so long now, and today was the day with the big circle on it. She's slept through Christmas, and New Year's Eve, but this was one day she could never let herself forget.

January 1 was marked as "Best Friends Day" by the gang. It was celebrated along with Mikan's birthday and it was no coincidence; Koko chose the day specifically for that reason. Mikan herself.

Humming to herself she stepped out the bed, into the bathroom, and did the usual routine. She took a bath, dried her still-short black hair, brushed her teeth… nothing out of the ordinary. Then, with a spring in her step, she dashed out to get dressed, and soon she found herself in a white halter top and denim pants.

She then ate some cold cereal for breakfast, then taking her phone and a big bouquet of white roses which she asked Ruka to get, she drove out of the driveway and into the streets, towards her destination.

She was very happy. Very, very happy.

Her phone then rang and when she picked it up, it was Natsume.

"Hai."

"Imai."

"Hyuuga."

"Where are you?"

"Driving."

"To where?"

"Her."

"Oh. Okay. Stay safe then. Tell her… tell her I said hi."

She smiled a small sad smile. "Yes, I will."

"Thanks."

"That's ten rabbits for you."

"Shut it Imai."

"Kidding. Bye."

The phone became dull and she threw it to the side.

On and on she drove until finally she came to a halt in front of big, spiraling bronze gates. They creaked when she pushed it open, and the sound was ominous in the entire place. She smiled a bit, remembering how Mikan always used to complain about silent places, and how she ended up in a silent place as well.

She walked on a bit, the quiet surroundings in line with her train of thoughts. The leaves crunched under her feet and the wind played a haunting medley of sounds that tumbled over each other as she walked on. The silence wrapped itself snugly around her like a warm, comfortable blanket.

Moreover, it felt like it was protecting her from what was to come.

The earth was slowly steeping upwards, until eventually she came to a stop somewhere over the highest part of the hills.

She smiled when she saw Mikan's smiling face in her mind again.

As she crept nearer, however, a near-spine-chilling sort of dread crossed her figure and the air around her suddenly became hostile, desperate… lonely? Sad, yes… and — grieving.

She never really got used to the feeling. After three years, she still could not rid of the feeling of emptiness.

She pushed her feet onwards and then, she was close enough to read the words engraved on a certain headstone of whitest lime and marble.

Mikan Sakura.

She flinched. A stone got stuck in her throat as she looked and looked and looked and eternity seemed to have swallowed her up but she never cared… she just looked.

And then, the tears came.

Hot, flowing, fast, thick, unrestrained. Her face was as impassive as ever, but with each saltwater that manages to drip itself from her eyes, her composure cracked. She was falling apart.

Even after three years, she still could not believe Mikan had gone.

She laid the bouquet of roses at her headstone, the white roses perfectly in sync with the white marble.

"Oi, baka." Her voice shook. She struggled for poise. "Are you annoying the angels up there already? I bet you're throwing a ridiculous tantrum because you couldn't watch the final Harry Potter installment. You loved that series, didn't you?"

The wind blew at her, trying to comfort her perhaps, she could not tell.

"Have they given you your private viewing now? I bet they have. And about that, you cheat head, you shouldn't get viewing pleasure there."

A bird chirped from somewhere far away. She didn't care. Not really.

She remained upright and crossed her arms against the cold air that blew around them.

"Ruka is at med school now. Yome is… well, he's still Yome, hasn't changed at all, except maybe he's wearing more and more of his pants now than catdog. You should see Yuu, he's a cellist now. And Nonoko's got more potions that I've got inventions."

She thought she heard a giggle. The wind mellowed its strength.

She sat down and gently traced the carvings of her best friend's name.

"Jii-chan's there with you, right? Say hi to him for me. Tell him the townhouse is doing fine under Aoi and Youichi's care."

Her fingers stopped tracing when she said Aoi's name. Aoi… Aoi Hyuuga.

Which always led to thoughts of Natsume Hyuuga.

She swallowed.

"Okaa-san says she misses you. Subaru-nii too. Youichi's been going around and around trying to look for your photos to give you as a gift last Christmas but he never found any. Natsu—me— must have burned everything…"

She sighed, trying to contain the feelings that were flooding through her.

"Natsume's been better. He's overworking himself, so haunt him and tell him not to kill himself early or else. He's actually planning to rebuild that dream house you once told him about, the one with the pretty blue windows and the circular room… he's got everything sorted out. But he's still broken, far broken to be mended in any way."

The tears were free-falling from her face.

The wind died.

Her eyes swam with tears but she fought off the sobs.

"Natsume's not really holding up… he's been too drunk with his work, actually. The idiot is going to get himself killed, I tell you. You're the only one who ever really made him listen. He's killing himself off, actually, and the idiot needs to stop it."

The wind began picking up its gust again.

"He says hi by the way. He thinks by now you should have been thrown out of Heaven and back to Earth because of your constant noise. He's all riled up because he's been wrong so far."

She swallowed long and hard, but it seems the sobs were reaching her already. So she plowed on with her one-sided conversation.

"I'm fine, too. Don't you worry about me you dolt. I'm… engaged to Ruka now. Remember? You once planned out how we'll end up together in the end. I'm not really good at making friends, I'm still finding my way around it, so I can't really socialize much… but… well, you know me."

She really had no more idea what to say. All that time she was convincing herself that she wouldn't break down, but like drops of water on rock, her face slipped in and out of her impassive composure, and the wind in her lungs left her. Her hands dropped in front of her and she fell face down to the grasses, where six feet below lay the remains of her best friend.

After three years, she still could not face the fact that she's gone.

"Could you come back down here, now? You're an angel, baka, you have wings, can't you come back down here and save all of us?"

The wind seemed to respond to her, but it was nothing. The wind could never hold her, the wind could never pester her with annoying hugs, the wind could never speak in a high-pitched, squealing, obnoxious voice…

The wind could never smile…

"Baka, baka, baka…" she mumbled as she finally let out the long roll of emotions she harbored in her long enough. "Why did you have to leave us? You selfish mule, you wanted an easy way out, you didn't even take me with you, what are friends for?"

Her fists clawed at the grass.

All desolation and remorse and grief covered her like the furious wind that thrashed around and all over her.

The world was quiet, and so was her Mikan.

Her remaining strength was all for her whispered words.

"Happy Birthday and Happy Best Friends Day, Mikan."

Yes. The world was so quiet.

So was everything else.