“~~”  => Spoken 

**~~**  => Thoughts 

         He stood atop Tokyo Tower looking at the ruins of Tokyo remembering what had happened there about a year ago.  Every time he thought about the past and the war her face would always appear and he would end up thinking of only her, that’s way he returned to Tokyo this time.  He stood there and stared out toward Tokyo and whispered her name in the wind, “Umi…” 

~ ~ ~ * * * ~ ~ ~ 

          Umi sat in class staring out the window toward the city, toward Tokyo Tower.  She could still remember that horrid day like it was yesterday though it had been a year ago to the day, but not all things were that horrible during that time because she had met Clef.  Her family had decided not to leave Tokyo right now; they were going to wait a couple of years.  Umi had been glad but kind of sad she wasn’t leaving, but at least Hikaru and Fuu hadn’t left either.  Today seemed to be dragging by because today the three girls were going to go into the city, and shop. 

          As she stared out the window she saw something out of the corner of her eye.  It was big and black with a very light purple or lavender at the top.  Umi froze, “Clef” she whispered but then she shook her head “No it can’t be him he’s in Cephiro, Right?”  She looked back to where she had seen the dark figure and nothing was there.  She looked back toward the front and shook her head again “Probably just an animal of some sort”, but the excitement building in her stomach wouldn’t go away but kept building up. 

~ ~ ~ * * * ~ ~ ~ 

          Clef had rode his griffon into a clearing and hopped off and started to look around the city.  He didn’t want people to stare at him so he decided to stay up high or in the trees.  As he was jumping through the trees he had stopped to rest and looked into a nearby window and that’s where he saw her.  She was staring out the window looking lost in thought, but she was still as beautiful as he had remembered her to be. He was starring at her for a while when he saw her turn her head to where he was and he didn’t want her to see him just yet so he jumped to a different tree hoping that she hadn’t seen to much of him to recognize him.  Since he had found what he was looking for he jumped up to the roof and decided to wait until she got out of the building. 

          He had been sitting there for an hour or so when he heard a bell and a whole lot of people started piling out of the building.  He knew she’d be easy to spot with her light blue hair and he was right she was just below him on the ground.  He jumped down into the tree and started to follow her.  He followed for a couple blocks and then he found that he ran out of trees.  He silently cursed to himself and jumped down quietly, and he had to follow her on foot staying farther behind because he didn’t want her to turn around and come face to face with him, not now anyway.  He first wanted to figure out a way to tell her what he was thinking.  They got to about the middle of the clearing and she stopped and sat on a bench and he sat down farther back and just watched her.  She looked kind of lonely and he wanted to go sit with her but as he finally worked up the nerve Hikaru and Fuu appeared and together the three girls continued on.  He signed and got up to follow them.  Lucky for him they went into the city where he could watch them from above and not behind.  

They went in store after store looking at clothes and shoes and buying a couple of things here and there.  Finally when the sun was starting to set the three girls were done and each one of them went their separate ways.  Umi walked back to her house and when she got to the door she sat down on the steps and stared at the sky.  She looked disappointed. 

~ ~ ~ * * * ~ ~ ~ 

            She sat there on the steps feeling a little disappointed for which she didn’t know why but she just was.  All day long she had a feeling that someone was following her and when she’d glance behind her she saw nothing.  When she asked Hikaru and Fuu if they felt someone was following them but they just said “No, why?” She just shrugged but she couldn’t get rid of the feeling.  She had given up early that day that perhaps what she had seen in school was actually Clef and that made her even sadder because she really, really wanted to see him again even if it was for only a second.  Perhaps in that second she could tell him how she felt, but what if he didn’t think of her that way what if he only saw her as a child.  She dropped her head with that last thought and began to cry softly to herself, at the moment she just couldn’t get herself to go into the empty house. 

~ ~ ~ * * * ~ ~ ~ 

Clef saw her drop her head and heard her softly crying to herself and that tore at his heart.  He never wanted to see Umi so sad.  He wondered what she could be crying about hopefully she wasn’t hurt but just rather sad.  No she shouldn’t be sad or hurt ever, who and why would anyone want to hurt her or make her sad.  He watched her cry for a while then she looked back up toward the sky and whispered “Clef...” He stared at her for a moment shocked to hear her whisper his name and he realized that he was the cause of her tears, so he decided that now was the perfect time to tell her his feelings for her. 

~ ~ ~ * * * ~ ~ ~ 

            He jumped down off the tree he was sitting on and walk quietly up to her.  She didn’t hear him coming because she was still starring at the sky lost in thought.  He stood he before her and quietly said her name. “Umi?”  Umi jumped slightly and then looked straight at him and her eyes grew wide and she said his name “Clef” then she jumped up and hugged him.  He smiled to himself and hugged her back enjoying the scent of her.  When Umi had realized what she had just done she looked up into his face and said “Sorry I…” He smiled down at her and stopped her from talking by capturing her soft lips with his.  She was a little hesitant at first but then just relaxed into the embrace.  Finally he broke the kiss and he looked down at her and smiled seeing the slight blush on her face.  He was about to apologize for kissing her so abruptly when she buried her face in his chest and started talking:  “Clef how, why are you here?  I’ve missed you so much I can’t believe that your back, but for how long?”  He smiled to himself and then told her everything.  “Well first I think we should have a seat and then I’ll tell you.  Ok?”  They sat down on the steps where Umi had been crying before and then he started to tell her why he came back:  “Well um I came back um well because um, **just spit it out**, well the last time I was here it was for a purpose and I wanted to see the city.”  He looked at her confused look and then said “Ok that’s a lie actually I’m here because of you.” She looked at him and blushed a dark red and he continued. “You see the last time I was here I kind of fell in love with you and I thought that I would see if perhaps maybe you loved me too.”  **There I finally told her how I feel now it’s her turn**.  Umi’s eyes filled with unshed tears and a smile on her face, she said “I fell in love with you too, Clef.”  **Wow!  She loves me too**.  He smiled down at her then leaned down and kissed her again, this time she didn’t hesitate she just melted into his embrace. They stayed like till they were both grasping for air and then they continued to hold one another. Clef couldn’t believe that after so long of dreaming of this moment that he was finally there holding Umi in his arms and he was still trying to believe that he had kissed her and she kiss him back.  However, there was still a problem as to how this would work out because he lived in Cephiro and she lived here on Earth. The only thing he knew at that moment was that he wanted to stay right where he was, in her embrace.  

~ ~ ~* * * ~ ~ ~ 

~~Fin~~