Disclaimer: I don't own them! Credits to awesome magazine scans of HSJ, and edited by me, with tools from photoshop :D

Author's Note: this is dedicated to takasugiriko because she's in the bad mood, so i'm writing this to hope to cheer her up. Totally no idea, hope it isn't crappy. 

They were there. The best friends ever, the best buddies, ever. 

"Takasugi, hurry up will you?" he called out, before she came out of the house, pouting as she dragged a luggage behind her. "Takaki is the meanest person ever on earth, I swear!" she shouted out, before she stare at him, tears at the tip of her eyes, before she continued dragging her luggage and walked pass him. 

Takaki looked at the figure diminishing, as he staggered his way after her. Pulling her by the wrist, he dragged her into his embrace. 

"Ta.. Takaki?" she stammered, her face tear-stained. "Takasugi, I'm sorry for not keeping you," he replied, his voice shivering. The girl placed her hands behind his back, and smiled, tears flowing down. "I'll be back, wait for me," she replied, before Takaki released her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. 

"No matter what, I'm here," Takaki replied, before he smiled, and dragged her luggage towards the taxi stand. 

***

"Takaki, you're no longer young 18 or 19, it's time for you to find a girlfriend," the voice said, before he sighed again. This wasn't the first time he hear such thing coming from his mother. It was nearly the nth time, that he didn't even want to know how many times was it already. "Mum, it's not the time yet," 

"Not the time? It's already have been five years, after she went over, she didn't even contact you, what are you still waiting for?" his mother blabbered on. "She must have her difficulty, Mum, I love her. I can't love anyone except for her," 

"But.. son," 

"Enough mum, it's enough," Takaki shoved it off before he wore his shoes and left the house. The breeze slowly blew pass his face, and he could feel the cool air making him shivered slightly. 

He walked down the road as he remembered how he spent this high school period fooling around with her. How she always like to climb over their room balcony since they only stayed beside each other. How she like to invade into his room, and cling onto him until there was no tomorrow. 

Until that day, when she told him that she needs to leave. "My parents are sending me to Singapore, I have to go,"

Takaki just gave a cold smile, before he shoved her out of the room, claiming that he needs to do his work. They never talked for a few days, until when her parents came to asked Takaki to send her off since they're busy with work. 

Takaki sighed. How long have it been? Nearly five years ago. He waited here, and they promised to meet again. She promised to text him every single day. That message came, and they text for a few more weeks, when they suddenly lost contact. Since then, Takaki never knew her traces, neither did he knew what happened to her. 

Slowly, he paced himself to the garden, and settled down on the chair. He closes his eyes, and take a break. 

***

"COMING!" That familiar voice was heard, and the door opened. "You're..." the lady murmured out, before she smiled bitterly when she caught sight of her hand. 

"Ri-chan, long time no see," the lady muttered out. 

"Oba-chan, how have you been?" the voice replied. 

***

Takaki finally opened his eyes, and realized that the sun was setting soon. Knowing that it was a fruitless and meaningless day today, he got up and left the garden. Right around the corner, he saw a sleek and tall lady, in a light blue sundress, walking towards him. The sound of her heels were heard, and her long, ash brown hair slides down from her shoulder to her chest area. 

"Takaki-kun," the voice sounded. The girl lifted up her head, and her face was revealed. Takaki, whose head was down, have lifted his head up, and saw that girl.A bright smile- one that had disappeared from his face long ago came back. 

"TAKASUGI!" he practically screamed and ran towards her, before hugging her. 

"I missed you!" he said, nearing tears. The girl placed her hand behind his back, and whispered. "Me too," 

They settled down in a cafe nearby, and ordered some drinks. They started to chat about their times, and they seem to talk for quite awhile. "So, you're staying here?" Takaki blurted out. The girl look at him, before she forced a smile. "I'm leaving soon, like, tonight," 

"So fast?! Didn't you came here to find me? Didn't we promise to be with each other? I waited! You didn't contact me, so i waited for you! Five years! Takasugi! It was fi---" before Takaki could continue, the girl stood up, and motioned her hands from the main entrance. A tall guy in his suit, came over, placed his hands around her shoulders, and kissed her onto her cheeks. 

"Dear, this is Takaki Yuya, the guy I've mentioned to you about," the girl said, before she placed her hands onto the arm of the guy who just came in. That was the time when Takaki saw that shimmering item on the girl's fingers. Why didn't he noticed it earlier?

She wasn't here to patch up with him, or to catch up time with him. She was here to make things clear to him that she will never return to his side. She's taken. She's married.

"Takaki, this is my husband. Okamoto Keito," she introduced, before they settled down.  

Takaki quietly sit down, before the Keito guy spoke. "Ri-chan told me everything about you. How you guys met, how close were both of you, even the promises you made to each other, I... I'm sorry," the guy said, as he looked at Riko, and then to Takaki. 

Renka placed his hands onto Riko's shoulders, before he ushered her out of the cafe. "Get me some sweets?" 

She took the money and left the cafe quietly. 

"Few years back, she was diagnosed with skin cancer. It was terrible for her. I was her diagnostic doctor and I knew everything about her. From the day she was sent in, all the times. During that period, she talked to me alot, about this boy called Takaki Yuya. One year later, she recovered, and she was discharged," 

"But then, Riko came back to the hospital to find me. She was crying, and she told me that she called back to your house, but your mother seemed to said that you're already attached, and will never love her anymore. I was heartbroken you see. I've seen Riko for the most time, she was loving, caring, sweet. I didn't want to see her suffer. At that time, I knew I was in love with her. She tried going out with me, and few months later, she confessed. We dated for four years, and we just got married last year," The guy explained, as he took his drink up, have a sip, and placed it down. 

Takaki mentioned nothing. As he heard his mother's name got mentioned, he didn't got angry. That was the reason his mother told him to give up. That was why... she didn't come back. 

"I persuaded her to come back here to explain to you everything that she could. She was crying and begging me not to, but I thought you would still probably be waiting for her, so under my persuasion, she came," 

"I'm sorry for..." before Keito could continue, Takaki stood up, placed a note onto the cafe table, tugged his hands into his jacket, and left. "Wait!" Keito called. Takaki stopped, and whispered. "Please, just leave me alone, don't let me see her ever... ever again," 

He left the cafe. 

Few minutes later, Riko came back with nothing on her hand. She saw that Takaki had left and questioned her husband. Her husband told her eveything, and she broke down. She didn't wanted this to happen too. In any case, Riko used to love Takaki. Takaki was once her everything. ONCE.

Takaki closed his room door, and lied on the bed. Placing his wrist onto his eyes, tears fell down from it, and he quietly sob. The times, the memories, the promises, the everything were all gone. She will never come back to his side, she will never be his anymore. 

But yet, even if he know she's a married woman, deep down in his heart, Takaki still loves her. Takaki is still loving her.