The smile I've forgotten / Mitsukou

1 - Photos of you

"Hey, hey! I'm sure this is it, I just know it!!" The transparent boy, Mitsuba Souske yelled to a blonde male as he ran near the school garden, his footsteps followed as he was holding a camera in his hand.

'Jeez, it's been two hours and we haven't found anything to make him rest in peace yet! This better be it..'

The troubled blonde haired male with a golden staff thought to himself as he furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. As they entered the school garden, Mitsuba proceeded to look for the perfect flower which would finish his "unfinished business" and make him rest in peace. There were many possibilities. It might be a rose, a daisy, a tulip... It depended on what kind of plant was present or which plant he thought that was important to him. As a few minutes passed by, the two boys continued to walk around the garden until something caught the pink haired male's eye.

In the far corner of the garden, there was a clay pot painted a hue of indigo all over. Four small light blue flowers were planted inside the colorful pot. It seemed a bit out of place from the repetitive red roses and tulips present inside the garden. Maybe that was why it caught his eye. He walked over to the pot of flowers and crouched down to take a photo.

As his finger pressed the button of his camera, a flash of light and a short clicking sound came off as well. "Huh? Did you find something?" Kou asked the other boy next to him, his arms crossed and his staff was held on one of his hands. "Well, duh! What did you think I did? Take a selfie?! I would've asked you to take a photo of my adorable face!" Mitsuba exclaimed to the other with a irritated tone in his voice. It even seemed that there was even a tone of mockery present. He proceeded to puff his cheeks and turn his head the other way around as if he was like a picky child not wanting to eat the food served on their plate.

Kou let out a heavy sigh and shrugged his shoulders, pretending that he didn't give a single care. "Then what did you take a photo of?" the blonde as he looked over to the indigo colored pot of flowers. It was a bit different from what Mitsuba usually took photos of. They've been taking photos of the sky, the birds that would appear from time to time in the school rooftop and many others. "Woah, why did you take a photo of this?" Kou asked Mitsuba. Just as he asked him this, Mitsuba quit the picky child act and turned his head over to Kou.

His face seemed to be flushed in red. ".. Wha- Huh?!" the male dressed in pink clothing stood up from the ground, "I-I can't believe- I just.. Think they're pretty... And all.." he intertwined his fingers and put his head down in embarrassment as he said this. Kou, of course, felt a bit sorry, but he was confused with his overly exaggerated reaction. He approached Mitsuba and patted his shoulder. He let out a sigh as well. "Mitsuba, just relax." Kou said to Mitsuba in a calm voice. Him saying those words, in that tone of voice.. It was somewhat comforting for Mitsuba to hear.

Kou let removed his hand from Mitsuba's shoulder and asked "So what kind of flower is it?"

'Huh? How am I supposed to know, you stupid and absolutely lame traffic earring boy!'

... Was what Mitsuba would've said.

"I guess, they're called Forget me nots. I've heard about them from someone before so I just thought it would be nice to picture them, that's all.." Mitsuba replied as he repeatedly tapped his finger on the side of his Nikomi camera. Kou nodded his head and said to Mitsuba

"Well, I guess it didn't do anything."
"I can see that, traffic earring. Let's move then."
"Are you even sure about that?"
"Nah, I really am! I'm never wrong, Kou." Mitsuba replied, following the other male accompanying him.

As time passed, they continued to take photos of the grass, the birds and a few insects as well. The photos seemed normal, but nothing was happening. Time passed by and the the sun was setting. Mitsuba finished taking a photo of what he calls "Something that's precious to me." and he said that with a close-eyed smile. Kou always wondered to himself what it was.

After a few moments, they entered the school hallways once again. It was where they first met. Everything was normal, but there seemed to be a ominous presence around them.

They looked behind them, and to their surprise, a pale skinned boy with black hair was in the shadows. Their arms kept to their sides. "..Hanako-san?" Kou asked. That was before he took a closer look, he stepped back and aimed his spear at the mysterious figure before them. "No, that's not Hanako-san.", Kou growled as he backed away and prepared to attack, "Who are you?"

The figure ignored the boy's taunts and approached the other boy behind him, the sound of the heels of his shoes trailed him as his footsteps came closer and closer. "Why are you leaving so soon, Mitsuba~?" the figure asked the pink haired boy, gripping onto his arms. He let out a crooked smile as well.

That's when it happened...

Kou was a bit off when he got home. His usual jolly and motivated aura dimmed into a rather emotionless look. When he entered his room, his black shirt was stained with tears as a camera was in his embrace. It was the same Nikomi camera Mitsuba had to take photos with. Scattered photos were all over his bedroom floor and his bed sheets. He began to examine the photos Mitsuba had taken, but one of them caught his eye.

It was a photo of him. His hand scratching the back of his head and he was looking into the distant sunset. Pieces of his golden hair were blown away with the wind..

Suddenly, he remembered something Mitsuba said.

"It's something that's precious to me."

Those words echoed in his head repeatedly like a metronome. Just as he realized this, he put the photo close to him and curled up on his bed. "I'm so sorry.. I'm sorry..." he muttered over and over under his breath. Tears began to fill up his eyes as the feeling of guilt creeped onto him. But he couldn't do anything now.. Since Mitsuba is gone.

Under his breath he began to whimper, "If only.. If only... Only if it's just a second, please just make me fix the mistakes I've made and spend more time with him.. Please."

Silence only accompanied him after. He continued to weep as the somber moon in the night sky began to shine brighter than usual. It shined brighter than the millions of stars surrounding it.

Just then, his field of vision became white as he opened his blue eyes. There was nothing around him, aside from the echoing voice of a person calling out behind him. The voice became clearer and clearer as the white area around him began to disintegrate into shards of broken glass. The voice got closer and closer, and eventually...

"Hello, I'm Mitsuba Souske." a high-pitched voice in front of him said.