"I'm heading out," Ichimatsu sighed, though he didn't see Karamatsu anywhere. For, out of curiosity, the tengu longed to meet this 'special friend' of the nekomata.

Using his wings to fly up into the surrounding trees, the tengu carefully followed Ichimatsu from above. At times, the nekomata would turn around, as if to check to see if anyone was stalking him.

"Are you that secretive?" Karamatsu thought, narrowing his eyes too see through the thick foliage. "Just what exactly are you up to...."

After an hour of stalking his friend, Karamatsu began to wonder if Ichimatsu even had a special friend.

But, within just a few more minutes, Ichimatsu arrived at an old, dilapidated shrine.

On the steps of the shrine sat a man in a light green yukata, the sleeves pulled up, revealing his arms, which were completely covered in bandages. He had one hand covering his left eye as he struggled to keep a smile on his face.

The moment Ichimatsu walked up, the man in green seemed relieved.

"I'm back, Choromatsu," Ichimatsu muttered. "How are your arms today?"

"Ah..Welcome..." Choromatsu replied, pulling his sleeves down, hiding his bandages. "They're feeling a l-l-little better..."

Ichimatsu rubbed his hands through his hair, exhaling as if he were annoyed.

"You need to take better care of yourself!" Ichimatsu hissed, though he sat down next to Choromatsu, hugging him tightly. "You'll never be able to move on if you stay like this..."

"I know, I know..." Choromatsu sighed. "I just don't want to leave you all alone. You mean a lot to me, Ichimatsu. Really...I love you."

"I love you too," Ichimatsu replied, resting his head on Choromatsu, his tail wrapping behind the man's back. "But we can't stay like this forever, you know. We have eternal life, but...we were not meant to remain youkai, you know."

"Y-Yeah..." Choromatsu whimpered, clutching Ichimatsu's hand tightly. "I'm just so scared...w-what if w-we never meet again?"

"Love goes beyond the grave," Ichimatsu replied passionately. "Our previous life ties in with this life we have now. The people we met then, and even the people we know now in their youkai forms, I promise you...I won't allow it to change!"

"Do you really have the power to do that?" Choromatsu challenged his friend. "Or do you really just want me to disappear..?"

"I don't want you to disappear. I want you to be healed. This life is starting to eat away at your body!" Ichimatsu snapped.

Karamatsu felt his heart breaking into pieces as he eavesdropped on Ichimatsu and his friend.

"It's clear where his heart belongs..." Karamatsu thought, feeling himself grow weak in the tree he was hiding in. "Love was never meant for me...My dear one will never come back to me..."

Growing completely limp, Karamatsu fainted, tumbling out of the tree. His body thudded on the ground, dust flying up into the air.

Ichimatsu jumped up from the steps of the shrine, his ears and tail twitching in annoyance. He had been followed after all.

"W-W-What was that?!" Choromatsu exclaimed as he craned his neck around, noticing a heap of blue at the base of an old oak tree. "W-Who?!"

"He followed me..." Ichimatsu growled, kicking up dust with his geta as he approached Karamatsu.

Picking up the tengu by the neck of his clothing, Ichimatsu shook him until he was conscious again.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Ichimatsu scolded his friend, not withholding his anger. He shook Karamatsu harder as he awaited a response. "I TOLD YOU TO STAY AT THE SHRINE!"

A single tear ran down Karamatsu's cheek as he stared into the deep, green eyes of his friend.

"So..." Karamatsu laughed sadly. "It was never meant to be..."

"What..." Ichimatsu growled, throwing Karamatsu down to the ground.

The tengu hit his head on the tree, falling forward, drops of blood spewing from his mouth from the sudden force.

"I-I just thought..." Karamatsu looked up at Ichimatsu, his eyes filled with regret. "Maybe this time, you would accept my love. Maybe this time you would love me the way I loved you so many years ago...But it was not meant to be."

"What are you talking about..." Ichimatsu spat, backing away from Karamatsu. "I never knew you in my life!"

"So I was that insignificant to you...?" Karamatsu spoke quietly as he stumbled to his feet, giving Ichimatsu one last glance as he walked away. "See you later then..."