Shuichi's immediately greeted by white as soon as he opens his eyes. By no means is it a blinding white that makes him flinch back- it's just plain white. Nothing more, nothing less.

At first, he doesn't quite realize where he is- but as he glances around and gets a good look at his surroundings, from the notebook and the laptop to the lightbulb and the tissues, the nostalgia's quick to wash over his body as he finally comes to recognize where he currently stands.

After years without visiting this place, he's finally back in White Space. Despite having been away for so long, everything looked exactly as he had left it from the last time he visited years ago.

He wasn't quite sure as to why he wound up back here, and was half tempted to go back even after only arriving a few minutes ago.

Shuichi pulls out his knife, only to freeze up once he caught sight of his reflection on the shiny blade. He looks exactly as he remembered himself looking when he first came to White Space- cheeks still round from his young age with eyes big and curious.

He's back in a world where time essentially "froze" for four years. The world he once loved so dearly is in his grasps once again, and Shuichi knows he can't go back just yet.

Each step he takes towards the door in the room feels heavier than the last, and he has to resort to dragging his feet sometime during his commute. By the time he makes it over, he's considered leaving this world a few times- but he's made it this far; he couldn't go back now. Shuichi opens the door, stepping inside the next room and bracing himself for what awaited him on the other side of the door.

"Hey, there's my sidekick!"

He's not sure why he's surprised at first. There his friends were, sitting in a circle with cards in their hands and in the space between them.

"Hey! Shumai! Come join us!"

"Now, now, you two. He just came out of his room- give him some time."

He notices it right away, but it doesn't click in his mind until he hears it.

"He was in there for so long, I wasn't sure he was coming out..."

In addition to the usual presence of Kaito, Kokichi, and Rantaro, there was a new (yet by no means unfamiliar) face in the room- Tsumugi, one of their two good friends.

"Well, are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna come over here and join us?!" Kaito bellows out, leaning back to get a better view of Shuichi, only to almost fall backwards.

They all looked the same as he had remembered.

"Ooh! Quick! Knock Kaito over so I can look at his cards!" Kokichi snickers, craning his neck to get a better view of Kaito's hand.

Everything was how it used to be, when they were young and when they were happy.

"Now, now, Kokichi." Rantaro chides, shaking his head. "This is why you're sitting away from Kaito."

Everyone was here, right in front of him, right in his grasp...

"You don't have to join us if you don't want to, Shuichi!" Tsumugi calls out to the boy who had yet to move from in front of his door. "But, please, don't go back in your room just yet!"

...Almost everyone.

Shuichi finally makes his move, walking away from his room, past his friends, and to the stairs in the corner of the room.

Awaiting him on the stairs is yet another familiar face. "Ssssssssss...?" Shuichi nods his head in response. "Ssssssssss..." Although he's given his allowance for the day, he's not sure if he's ever gonna use it.

A strange feeling within him prompts him to turn around, to see his four friends looking at him with huge smiles on their faces.

"See ya later, sidekick!" Kaito grins, giving him a thumbs up.

"I'm gonna stay in your room while you're gone!" Kokichi's eyes crinkle as he wears his signature mischievous smile.

"I'll make sure these two don't get into any trouble while you're away." Rantaro assures him, placing his hand on Kaito's shoulder and ruffling Kokichi's hair with his other hand.

"She's at the usual spot!" Tsumugi tells him, giving him a large wave goodbye.

It was a sweet farewell, but Shuichi knew that there was something deeper to it. Whether the others were aware of it too was something he'd never get to know, as he turned around and left without a word.

The walk through the forest was a bit quiet, and although his friends weren't at his side like they usually were, Shuichi didn't feel alone in the slightest. He found comfort in admiring the greenery where he'd always play with his friends on sunny days. A gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of a pleasant day to his nose, and he felt very content with where he was right now. He could stay here forever if he wanted to.

But he had already left the forest before he knew it, and was now in the park. He didn't need to look to know that she was there; he didn't even need to look to walk over to her- he had traversed this path so many times that he could close his eyes and rely entirely on his muscle memory to guide him.

He doesn't say a word as he sits down next to her on the picnic blanket that never seemed to wear down no matter how many times they used it. Thankfully, he doesn't need to speak- he could tell from the knowing look in her pink eyes as she turned to face him that she already knew what he was here for. "It's nice to finally see you again, Shuichi."

Kaede's voice was music to Shuichi's ears, spreading warmth through his body as the lingering emptiness he felt only festered further inside him. "I missed you. Did you miss me too?" She asked.

He missed her so much that it left a permanent aching within his bones. Of course, he'd never admit it out loud, and so he allows his embarrassment to take over as he falls flat on his back onto the blanket, turning his head so that he was looking up at the sky.

Kaede chuckles at Shuichi's antics, leaning forward so her head was directly above his, with her hair falling over her shoulders and hanging just above Shuichi's face. "I'm so happy that you're back. Have you come to stay?"

His ears picked up on the way her voice picked up in pitch with her question. Although it broke his heart to do so, with a shake of his head in disagreement he shattered what small hope she had built up.

"I suppose that was wishful thinking on my part." Kaede sighs, shifting her weight to one hand as she brought her other to Shuichi's side. "So why are you here?" Although she already knows the answer, she feels the need to ask anyway.

The silence from Shuichi is deafening, and it only confirms her suspicions. The smile on her face falters as her hand trailed down his torso at a snail's pace. "It's really time, huh?" She asked, coming to a stop once her hand reaches his pants pocket. "It feels too soon, yet it's been what, four years?"

Kaede doesn't wait for an answer as she reaches into his pocket, pulling out the knife he had stashed away. "It's been so long, yet I'm still not ready. Can you believe that?" With her thumb, her forefinger, and her middle finger she twiddles the handle of the knife back and forth, allowing herself to stall the inevitable if not for just a few more seconds with him. "But if you're ready, then I suppose there's nothing I can do about it, right?"

Shuichi doesn't flinch as he watches her bring the knife to his stomach, feeling the tip of the blade poke against his skin. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy. Remember that, okay, Shuichi?" She asks, the smile on her face returning.

Shuichi nods, smiling back at her before he closed his eyes and braced himself.

Although he couldn't see it, tears started to well up in Kaede's pink eyes. "Goodbye, Shuichi. I love you." The pain from the knife that pierces through his skin and impales him in an instant pales in comparison to the sudden swell of emotions that course through his entire body.

...

Shuichi's immediately greeted by white as soon as he opens his eyes. It takes him a second before his sight fully adjusts, and he's greeted with a familiar ceiling fan above his head.

For a moment, he stays unmoving in his bed, taking his time processing what just happened. When it all clicks, he finds it in him to get up and out of the bed, making his way to the bathroom in his usual morning routine.

As he turns on the sink and waits for the water to heat up, his eyes catch sight of something in the mirror, lingering behind him. He doesn't falter in the slightest as he maintains eye contact with it, watching intently as it slowly dissipated out of existence. He smiles, feeling the now warm water on his fingers and washing his face.

The smile on his face stays long after he finishes- following him all the way into the kitchen where two familiar faces are waiting for him.

"He's alive...!" Himiko exclaims as if she was Frankenstein and he was her creation.

"Took you long enough," Maki chimes in, setting a plate of food down in front of Shuichi's seat. "Lucky for you, you came just in time."

Maki and Shuichi take their seats (Himiko was already sitting), and once all three of them were in their seats they ate their breakfast together in a comfortable silence. He wasn't quite sure what the other two were thinking, but Shuichi took this moment to reflect a little.

A world forgotten is a world that still moves. Even with his absence, the world is unwavering, unrelenting in it's constant motion, bringing upon day and night without an end in sight.

And if such a beautiful, cruel world couldn't bother to stop for each and every loss, why should he let it hinder him as much as it does?

Kaede was gone- as were the others. He'd never get them back no matter what he tried or how hard he cried; not in this life, at least.

And for the first time in a long time, Shuichi's able to come to terms with such a bittersweet truth.

~1.8k Words

Author's Note: Happy Birthday celeste4queen ! Although we don't talk much due to our difference in timezones, I really enjoy your company! You're a very fun person, and there's no one else I'd rather bully a certain someone with. I hope you enjoy this :D