“Ah! I made it,” I say while panting, in front of the dumpster, outside my house. I ran here as fast as I could: running through stop lights, hopping over fences, finding any possible short cut so I didn’t have to stop for anything or anyone. The trash is still full, so the violin should still be in there. I grimace with disgust staring up at the tall garbage bin, and say, “I can’t believe I’m about to dig through trash.” Preparing myself to do the most nauseating thing, anyone can ever do, I think, ‘I’d much rather be walking with Kikyo and Sleeping Beauty.’

—

[Yue’s POV a few minutes earlier]

‘That was sudden,’ I think to myself, after watching Kaname run off. ‘He did look like he remembered something, just now, so it must be important.’

“Hey, Yue! Where’s Kaname,” Kikyo asks, finally showing up, and Nana’s still with her. 

“I was really hoping we would run into him on our way to the counselor’s office,” comments Nana, brushing her fingers through her hair. “But it’s okay, I’ll just call him later.”

Kikyo glances at Nana, in suspicion, and says, “He gave you his number?”

Mischievously smiling, as she stares at her nails, Nana replies, “Of course, he did. Looks like you’ll be calling me ‘sister’ pretty soon, Kikyo. Me and Kaname are basically already a thing.” Nana locks her eyes with mine after saying that. I stare back at her resolutely, to let her know I’m not backing down from her nonsense. 

“Hey, Nana. My phone just died,” interjects Kikyo, swinging her phone back and forth, in the air. “Could you lend me yours, so I can call him and make sure he’s okay?”

Becoming flustered, Nana starts to fidget with her hands and says, “M-my phone is actually dead too. But it’s getting late. I gotta head home before it gets dark. You two get home safe, okay!”

I intensely watch Nana walking away. ‘Why does she like Kaname so much,’ I ask myself.

“So. Now that Ms. Delusional is gone. Tell me what happened,” Kikyo demands, looking at me sympathetically.

“He looked like he remembered something,” I calmly start. “So he kind of just got up and ran off.”

“Did he apologize, this time,” Kikyo asks. After Kikyo’s question, I start to think about Kaname’s apology. “He didn’t, did he?” Kikyo adds disappointedly. 

“No…he did,” I sweetly respond, still remembering how our conversation went. “He did it right this time.” Kikyo slowly tilts her head in my face, teasingly smiling at my dreamy expression. I finally realized why she’s staring at me, making me stop smiling.“What,” I cry out. “How the conversation went was funny. So stop looking at me like that! And let’s go. I’m running late enough as it is.”

“Oh yeah! How is that bodyguard of yours,” Kikyo asks, keeping up with me, as we walk.

“He’s not my bodyguard,” I snap back at her.

—

[Kaname’s POV]

Some time goes by, the sun is almost down, and I still can’t find the violin. “Ughh, come on! Don’t tell me, someone snatched it!”

“Kaname?” I hear Kikyo’s baffled voice. No longer moving, I hesitate to show myself. “That is you, isn’t it?! What are you doing?”

Feeling embarrassed, I look outside the dumpster, to see Kikyo, and say, “I’m looking for something.”

“This is why you left Yue alone,” she questions, playfully. “You threw something away by mistake didn’t you? That’s why you went outside in a rush this morning! I was wondering what happened. How long have you been in there? Would you like some help? What are you even looking for?”

“First off,” I start in an irking voice. “Too many questions. And I’m really not in the mood for that, right now.”

Still looking at me mockingly, she comments, “You’ve been out here that long? Wow, you really got yourself in a sticky situation. Well, If you don’t want help, I’m going to head inside. Try not to be too long. You know how Grandfather gets when you’re late. I’ll let him know you might be a little late though. Because…you know…the smell and all. See you soon, brother!” 

With that being the last thing said, Kikyo walks inside our house. The sound of the door closing, behind her, can’t be anymore painful. Circling the trash bin around me, it looks like a raccoon ravaged through here. I had to have searched the same area 4 times, hoping I might have just missed a spot. Realizing that I’m not going to find it, I start to feel gloomy. ‘I can’t believe it’s not here,’ I think to myself, staring up at the first few shining stars in the sky.