"Emi, why so slow?" George called back to the girl, who was a good fifteen or twenty feet behind him.

He'd called and picked her up for a morning hike through the woods, but something was wrong.

"すみません。。。" ( Sorry... ) he heard her, but only faintly.

He watched her with curiosity as she wiped her forehead with her sleeve.

When Emi had received the call from George that morning, she had told him that she'd be ready.

What he wasn't aware of was her running a fever, and feeling ill.

She brushed past the infamous tree route and tripped on it, falling to her hands and knees.

George expected Emi to stand back up, but instead she stayed down.

George squinted and then noticed that she was quivering.

"Emi?" He called out, beginning to walk towards her, worry drooping his features.

He rushed a little quicker and dropped to his knees beside her.

"ねえ。。。" ( Hey... ) he said while touching her sweater covered arm.

He guided her to the side so that she was sitting with her legs bent.

She was looking down, so George brought a hadn't up to her chin and lifted her face, only to have his eyes widen in shock when he saw how pale she looked.

"Emi-" he touched her forehead and found that it was extremely hot. "-You're burning up!" He exclaimed.

"病気ですか。?" ( Are you sick? ) he asked.

Emi couldn't look him in the eye.

"Emi..." He warned.

"I didn't want to tell you... I just wanted to hike with you... I didn't want to disappoint you..."

George grew slightly frustrated with her.

He placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her face upward so that her eyes were forced to meet his.

She looked very sorry and sad, and in that moment, in her eyes he saw that little girl, all those years ago who would look up at him with the same look, the one that made him feel like the most important thing in the world, the one that made his heart melt, the one that made him want to collapse and hold her until he stopped breathing, the one that told him that she cared about him more than she cared about anything... More than she cared about herself.

"Emi、私に耳を傾ける。あなたは私に真実を言った必要がありますがあなたがちょうど言った持っている必要がありますジョージ私病気だ、性交をオフと私は理解しているでしょう。私と一緒にハイキングしたいからといって、危険に身を置くべきではないです。私は来ているだろう、あなたに料理を作っていると思います、私はあなたと一緒に置いてでしょう。性交は、Emi..." ( Emi, listen to me. You should have told me the truth, you should have just said, George I'm sick, fuck off and I would have understood. You shouldn't put yourself at risk because you want to hike with me. I would have just come over, I would have made you food, I would have laid with you. Fuck, Emi... ) he scolded.

His voice faded at the end of the sentence and he looked down, dropping his hands from her face, and dropping them to her arms. 

"そんな気.ただ.教えて真実さあ今から約束してくれ。" ( I care about you so much... Just... Promise me that you'll tell me the truth from now on. ) he said, looking back up into her eyes, which stabbed at his heart when he noticed the water brimming at the bottom of them.

"I promise." Her voice quivered.

George closed his eyes and sighed.

"こちらへ来てください。。。" ( Come here... ) he let out, pulling her close to him.

He hugged her tightly and she let out a slight sniffle.

"Let's get you home." He whispered as she nodded.

He turned around and had her climb on his back, and he began to carry her home.

She wrapped her arose around his neck, burying her face slightly within it.

He felt her warmth.

"私は申し訳ありませんが、ジョージ。" ( I'm sorry, George. ) she whispered into his neck.

"Its okay, Emi... Its okay."

'Tell him the truth.' She thought. 'How do I tell you I love you?' She finished her thought, tightening her grip around him.

~~~

"Happy Birthday, Emi!" George said, handing her the bag.

She smiled brightly at him.

"You didn't have to."

"Ahh, don't even start with that!" He smiled, waving her off.

"Open it!" He said, shoving her lightly.

George and his mother were over at the Amari household for a nice celebration.

Emi was turning 17.

George's mother smiled along with Emi's as they watched the teens.

Emi reached into the bag and on the top layer, she found something soft.

She grabbed it and brought it from the bag.

It was a light pastel purple sweater that she really loved the instant she saw it.

"ああ!ありがとう、ジョージ!それが大好きです！" ( Ah! Thank you, George! I love it! ) she exclaimed, pulling it over her body.

"There's more!" He exclaimed, pointing to the bag.

The sleeves fell past Emi's hands as she reached into the bag.

With her sleeve covered hand, she pulled up another pink pastel rabbit.

It was nice and clean, unlike her other once which was dirty from its years of experience, and had even faded to white from it getting wet and becoming sun bleached.

Emi stared at it for quote a few seconds as tears rushed to the bottoms of her eyes.

She hugged it close to her.

"Thank you so much!" She said, looking at it again.

"Still more." He tapped the rim of the bag.

"Ah, George!" Emi screamed, tossing the rabbit to her mother so that she could see the gift.

Finally, Emi pulled out a pastel pink baseball cap, one that matched George's exactly.

"George!" She smiled, looking up at him.

He pulled his own pink cap from off the table, setting it on is head.

She put hers on backwards, and he turned his so it was backwards as well.

"I love these!" She exclaimed, launching forward to give the smiling Joji a hug.

She kissed his cheek first, then wrapped her arms around him.

He hugged her small frame delicately but tightly.

The mothers looked at each other knowingly as they watched George close his eyes, and bury his face in her neck.

~~~

"私はあなたのための 1 つのより多くの贈り物があります。" ( I have one more gift for you. ) George announced once they were alone in her room.

He was sleeping over that night.

"George, 私を台無しです。" ( You're spoiling me. ) she said as she sat down on her bed.

He shrugged.

"You deserve it."

He sat down next to her so that their legs were touching.

"You know how you always say that you like my ring?" He asked, holding up his pinky.

She nodded carefully.

"Well..." He began.

He then held up his other hand, which, on its pinky contained a ring just like his own.

"Here..." He said as her lips parted and her eyebrows raised in surprise.

He took the duplicate off his finger and grabbed her hand, placing it on her pinky.

It fit perfectly and she smiled as tears brimmed her eyes again for a second time that night.

~~~

"George," she dragged out his name. "私は疲れています！" ( I'm tired! ) she exclaimed.

"Take a nap." George called out, without even turning around in his desk.

He was filling out an application for college in the states.

Emi huffed.

"Fine." She said, twisting the ring on her pinky before she bent down, pulling up the sleeves of the purple sweater before she slipped off her slippers, climbed onto George's bed, got under the covers, and snuggled into his scent that coated the blankets.

She closed her eyes and slowly began to drift off.

George had finished his application not too long after.

He spun around in his chair and gazed at her.

A light smile rose to his lips as he watched the girl he loved sleep on his bed.

He watched her and wished that it was different. He wanted to kiss her and hold her.

He could do some of things, of course, but to a lesser degree.

He wanted that title of a relationship between them, but his head would not allow it.

So, he did what he could, instead.

He rubbed his eyes, then he got up, changing into shorts and a tank top before he climbed into the bed gently next to her.

When he knew for a fact that she was asleep, he kissed her cheek gently, and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to mould against his body.

He was in deep.

~~~

She wrapped the gifts up in a nice package.

In this package was a bundle of four things that Emi had acquired over some time.

First, was her drawing of George, that looked so realistic, it could be mistaken as a photo. She had even captured perfectly how one of his eyes was ever so slightly wider than the other.

Second was a light blue button up shirt, just like George had wanted for this vulgar character he was working on.

His name was... Frank, if she remembered correctly.

Third was a new filming camera, one that George had wanted, and Emi had wanted to buy for his birthday but didn't quite have the money for it then.

The fourth was a new pair of earbuds that were very high quality.

When she was done with the box, she wrapped it up and began the journey to George's home.

Once she reached it, she knocked on the front door and waited.

Joji's mother had answered with a smile, and let her in immediately.

She walked to George's room, and knocked on the door.

He opened it and his face went from a frown to a smile in less than two seconds.

He glanced down at the box and eyed her suspiciously.

"いただきましたこれですか?" ( What's this? ) he asked warily.

"Its just some gifts." She replied.

"Emi!" He whined.

"I will be offended if you don't take them !" She exclaimed.

He took the box from her forever sleeve covered hands and let her into his room as he shut the door.

She crawled onto his bed and he sat in front of her, setting the box between them.

He began to open it, taking out the earbuds first.

He smiled and looked up at Emi.

"Mine were broken, thank you so much."

She knew how important music was to him.

He set them aside when Emi smiled and nodded, and took out the camera, eyes going wide in shock and mouth dropping open as he looked between Emi and the camera in disbelief.

"そんな筈はありません。。。" ( No way... ) he whispered.

Emi bit her lip and nodded.

"A new camera." She smiled.

"E-Emi! これが何を意味するかを知っていますか?私。。。私のビデオをフィルムは、次のことができますで今!できます。。。起こる、これを作ることができるこれは私が欲しかった、ああ正確なカメラです、Emi 私の神!" ( Do you know what this means?! I... I can film my videos now! I can... I can make this happen, Emi, this is the exact camera that I wanted, oh my god! ) he shouted.

He was speaking so fast that Emi almost couldn't understand him.

It made her laugh, but it also made her very happy to know that she made him so surprised and happy that he shot off into His signature happy fast talking.

He looked down at the shirt, pulling it out of the box and smiling widely at it as he held it up.

"This is perfect! Frank will be comple ...te...." George froze as he looked down in the box.

The drawing.

Emi grew tense, wondering if he didn't like it.

He set the camera and shirt down.

He gulped, reaching into the box, and delicately holding the paper in his hands.

Though he'd never admit it... He wanted to cry.

This was one of the most beautiful drawings that he'd ever seen.

And, it was of himself.

And, it was drawn by the girl that he loved.

"Emi..." His voice wavered.

"その.その.性交.その驚くべきは、ありがとうございます。" ( Its...Its...Fuck...Its amazing, thank you. )

He set it to the side gently and held back his tears, sniffling as he leant forward, pulling Emi to him and holding her tightly as he shook ever so slightly.

'I love you.' He thought.

Emi smiled, relishing in the feeling of making George so happy.

'I love you.' She thought.

'So much.' They both thought, tightening their hold on one another.

'So much.'