The girl walked slowly in the rain, tears running down her face, not bothering to use an umbrella to cover herself. She did not notice the boy walking cautiously behind her, not daring to talk to her in her grief. Her loose sundress was wet with rain, but she took no notice. She was terribly sick with an incurable hereditary disease, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore.

She’d confessed her feelings to him earlier in the day, and he had been so shocked and happy that the girl of his dreams had actually confessed to him, that he had immediately rejected her. Before he had the chance to correct himself, she’d stared at him with eyes brimming with tears and turned on her heel and left him in silence as a crowd gathered around them, laughing at him and pitying the girl.

Now he was half torn in wanting to talk and not wanting to. Finally he mustered the courage and he said, “Jun…you know I didn’t mean it. You know I love you. I don’t hate you.” He stared at her as she stopped.

She turned and smiled sadly at him and said bitterly, “I’ve waited for that for two years. It’s been too long. I won’t wait.” As she was about to turn, Yoh enfolded her in his arms to stop her. It was too much. She melted into him, her tears unstoppable. She even forgot they were in the middle of the road. As he turned her around for a kiss, and the world went silent, she saw a vehicle out of control zooming straight at Yoh. Her eyes widened in terror.

He didn’t notice and continued talking, but she was trembling now. She made her decision. She would do anything for him, even sacrificing her life to save his.

Suddenly Yoh found himself on the other side of the street. Jun had pushed him away, her arms still outstretched, and now he clearly saw the vehicle zooming at her. Tears flooded her cheeks and she whispered so only he could hear, “I love you,” smiling at him. Then the truck crashed into her and she crumpled beneath the wheels. She felt pain, pain, everywhere, and then she blacked out as she heard his scream of anguish.

Yoh stared at the truck that had stopped and at the body of the girl he loved, laying facedown on the ground. He ignored the crowd that had gathered and took her in his arms. She was barely breathing, her pulse was weak, and her clothes were torn and bloodied. Blood oozed from a head wound, down onto her deathly pale face, spreading on her chest, bruises on her arms and legs. Her sandals had been blasted from her feet. Her shallow breathing alarmed him, and he bent down to blow some of his life into her mouth.

She started breathing normally, her eyes fluttering open, and winced as she struggled to get up, only to collapse against him, and her eyes finally found his face.

“Yoh…” she whispered weakly, “Why are you crying? Am I dead?” She saw tears flooding his cheeks as he hugged her tightly to him.

“No! You’re not dead! You won’t die!” Yoh cried. She smiled weakly at him. “I am…so glad that you came for me…to save me….” Blood flowed from her head and chest wounds.

She felt her strength ebbing slowly away, and she whispered, “I’ve always loved you, do you know that, Yoh?” He nodded tearfully as she raised herself up to kiss him lightly on the lips. She had no strength to continue, but she took a deep breath, raised a trembling hand to caress his tear-streamed cheeks. His trembling hand covered hers. Tears ran unchecked down her own face as she whispered, “You’re not hurt, are you, Yoh?” He shook his head, and he cried, “Don’t talk! If you do the blood, the blood won’t stop!” He tried desperately to stop the flow of blood from her head and her chest.

Her eyes were beginning to glaze over, and her voice was reduced to a shallow whisper. His face became blurred and gradually darkness overcame her. “Yoh……..In the end, I was able to protect you….I love you….” A thin trickle of blood ran down her chin as she coughed up blood, and her body shook and went still.

“Jun?” Yoh whispered, staring at her dead, unseeing eyes as the hand that had held his cheek fell onto the ground, and her head slumped to the side, her eyes closed, the tears still running down her cheeks. He felt her heartbeat wane under his hands as the blood gradually stopped. Th-thump, th-thump, th- and ---


It stopped.

His eyes grew wide as her body was consumed by coldness, and he shook her, saying, “This…this is a joke, right? You’re not dead, right?” When she would not wake, his voice racked with sobs, “No, Jun, how could you leave me behind? NO!!!!!!” His screams of anguish rent through the air, and the crowd around them sobbed quietly at the sad scene in front of them.