Writer's Note Since Only a Week to Fall in Love is such a long story, this is just a little thing I decided to write on the side. It'll probably be a little confusing at first but it should make sense later, and it won't be terribly long. Everything that's italicized you can pretty much assume is or was a dream that someone had at some point in time even if I don't directly say it is. All righty then!

---

Yours is a sin that can not be forgiven...

You really don't remember anything... do you...

Music... something from a long time ago. It makes my heart ache to hear it. Play it for me again. Your songs... they were so beautiful... but there was always a hint of sadness behind them. I wonder why...

An old fairy tale...

You believe in reincarnation, don't you?

Only true love can bring two souls together again.

I remember... Grandma would sit me before the fireplace every night and read to me.

Shall I tell you a story?

Once... a long long time ago... an angel fell in love with a human man. Tragically, he was fated to die young, and this saddened the angel terribly. When the day came and the man was on his deathbed, the angel quietly descended to Earth and went to his side. Leaning forward, she kissed him gently on the lips and the man was completely healed of all that ailed him. He too fell madly in love with her, and the two lived happily together for a short time. Eventually, God discovered what had been done and came down to punish her for her crime of changing a human's fate. And as she was being taken back to heaven, the angel used the last of her magic to cast a spell upon them both.

"Next time," she promised. "We'll both be born as humans, and no one will ever try to keep us apart again. When we're reborn... I promise we'll be together..."

Why are you telling me all this?

I don't understand what's going on.

A girl with long brown hair is singing a soft, sad song in the middle of a dark forest. She turns to me and smiles... but her eyes are crying. It hurts me to see her look this way. Tears fall onto her flowing white dress... She's holding something in her arms... but I can't quite see what it is. Something wrapped in a red scarf... I take a step closer... but she seems so far away. I see it now... A head... she's cradling a woman's head in a cloth soaked with blood...

I really did love you.

It wasn't a lie.

But I suppose you'll never know that now.

A cloaked figure in a black robe... He sits on the floor, his face hidden by the hood of the cloak. He looks up at me, only his eyes visible in the shadows, and shakes his head in disapproval. Whispers in my ear... The man is telling me something...

"Some people are just meant to die I guess.... doomed to repeat their past lives over and over again... Surely you understand that. You of all people should know that better than anyone... Yuki-kun..."

---

Tohru screamed as her eyes shot open, her gaze darting back and forth around her. Where was her mom? Was she too late? Tumbling out of her bed, she wiped at the beads of sweat on her damp face with the back of her hand, and went stumbling out of her room into the hallway. "Mom!" she cried loudly. "Mom!!" There was no response, and Tohru could feel her heart pounding painfully in her chest as she ran to the window and looked frantically outside. Please, please don't let it be too late.

The sight of a small blue car turning the corner made Tohru's breath stop in her throat and Tohru crumpled to the floor, tears streaming down her face. "She already left..." she choked quietly to herself. "If only I had known sooner... but I was too late... Mom... I'm so sorry..." Sobbing, Tohru covered her face with her hands, crying as hard as she could. There was nothing she could do about it. No matter what she did, she knew that nothing would change her mother's fate... Human beings such as them, doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.... and relive their tragic lives over and over again... couldn't even hope for a better future...

"But this time..." Tohru began, whispering softly to herself. Her lips curled into a small smile and she squeezed her eyes shut, the feel of her hot tears sliding down her face offering a strange sort of comfort, as if they were caressing her skin with warm fingertips. "This time... things will be different. I promise... mom..."

---

Blinking, Yuki squinted in the harsh light glaring in from his bedroom window. That dream again... How many times had he had it? He had the strangest feeling that it was important somehow, but he could never quite seem to make any sense out of it. That girl, the one with the long brown hair. Somehow she was always there, and always crying. And he would hear the story his grandmother had told him when he was a little boy. Some legend about the angel that promised reincarnation to the man she loved so that they could be together again. His dreams... sometimes more like memories from a time long ago.

Well, whatever significance the dream had, he wasn't likely to understand it right now. He had a class this afternoon he had to attend, and not to mention a paper for it that he had yet to write as well. Rolling over onto his side, Yuki let out a groan, hugging his covers tightly in his arms. He really, really didn't feel like getting up right now.

Finally, Yuki pulled himself grudgingly out of bed, stepping over piles of dirty laundry and going to his closet. Making a face, he took one of the few articles of clothing still left hanging from the rack and pulled it over his head. So maybe he needed to clean the place up a bit. But hey, it wasn't so bad. First year living on his own in an apartment next to the college he was attending. They couldn't possibly expect him to keep the place in sparkly clean condition, could they? What with all the reports, and exams, and his part time job working in the school library... he really didn't have time to worry about trivial things like having clean socks.

However, a whiff of the air around him told him differently and Yuki decided maybe it would be a good idea to fix his apartment up a little tonight. He could get his clothes done, and maybe even go grocery shopping for some food, since God knew when the last time he'd eaten a meal that wasn't compliments of some fast food joint or cafeteria was. Throwing on a pair of jeans, Yuki grabbed his book bag and a granola bar and was out the door. Yup, he'd do all that tonight, but first, he had to get to the computer lab on campus and type up this report.

Yuki jogged down the single flight of stairs to the first floor and exited the small apartment building, a chilly breeze catching him off guard. Looking up at the sky, he watched as dark clouds swirled above him, and fat drops of water began to fall on his head. Just perfect. Well, his car wasn't too far away so he supposed it wasn't that big of a deal, but something about the rain bugged him. It had been that way with him for as long as he could remember, always making him feel uneasy inside, as if something terrible were about to happen.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Yuki hurried to his vehicle, unlocking the door and climbing inside. As he sat inside the car in the driver's seat, the rain pelting down on the windshield, Yuki couldn't help but feel mesmerized for a moment, completely hypnotized by the drops of water falling in front of him. The storm began to grow worse, and lightening flashed in the sky, waking him up from his trance. Yuki started the engine, and pulled out of the parking lot, trying to keep his focus.

So much rain.

Thunder and lightning.

Rain.

A car swerving around the corner right in front of him, sliding in the water.

A crash a thunder.

The car completely losing control.

Rain.

The car flipping onto its side.

Rain.

He slammed his foot on the brakes, but they wouldn't seem to work.

Rain.

Yuki eyes widened in horror as his car slammed straight into the car that was laying on its side, unable to stop. The sound of metal twisting and the screech of tires filled his ears as he felt all the air being knocked out of his lungs. The door was ripped off and his body was thrown out of the vehicle from the impact. He lay there in the middle of the street, unable to move, his heavily lidded eyes watching the two crushed cars melded together in the road. Nothing but a massive heap of metal and glass. And just before losing consciousness, he could barely make out a pale, slender hand, hanging limply from beneath the second crushed vehicle.

---

The huge red ruby glittered as it dangled from the wall, a gem encrusted in more gems and lined in gold. To think, the eye of the dragon had been here all along, in such a quiet, nameless shop. Yuki furrowed his brows. Could it really be authentic? How could they carelessly display something so completely priceless as if it were just some sort of decoration. "Sell it me," he found himself demanding.

The woman behind the counter raised an eyebrow before smirking a little. "A bit demanding, you noble types," she commented in amusement. "I apologize but its not for sale."

Narrowing his eyes, Yuki folded his arms in front of him, taking in the full view of the middle aged woman before him, her shoulder length red hair pulled up in a dirty bun. To think, this... this peasant would speak to him in such a way. "It wasn't a request," he said finally. "I'm ordering you to sell it to me."

"And, as I said before, its not for sale."

Yuki shook his head in annoyance and stormed out of the store. Willowy, soft notes began to waft toward him and he perked his ears up to listen. How beautiful. What could it be? His tilted his head back and forth till he located the music coming from behind the small shop. Creeping around the building, he saw a girl with long brown hair seated on a tree stump, her long fingers strumming gently at a harp made of silver. It appeared old, the metal corroded and faded, but the intricate patterns along the edges told him that it had once been a marvelous instrument. He watched as the girl played, her lips parted as she sang quietly along with it, her voice melting into the soft tune.

She paused, her eyes falling on him as she noticed him for the first time. Her mouth curled into a small, kind smile and Yuki felt his face grow warm. Who was this girl?

"Hello, are you a visitor from the city?" she inquired in curiosity. Yuki nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving her face. The girl wore a long white dress lined in antique lace that pooled on the ground around her slender ankles. Turning back to her instrument, she began to play again, closing her eyes and singing softly to herself.

Suddenly the world was thrown in darkness, and the girl disappeared. Looking around in confusion, Yuki watched as the peaceful scene faded away. In the background, he could still hear the girl's gentle song, echoing in the black atmosphere. Water rippled as a river appeared before him, and he gazed down upon it in wonder. What was going on? Why had she disappeared like that.

An image of the girl's face looking back up at him from the stream made him gasp in shock. Dipping his hand in the water, he reached for her cheek, but his fingers touched nothing, finding that she was nothing more than a reflection on the glittery surface. Blood began to spurt from her mouth as she glared up at him accusingly, coughing uncontrollably and turning the water red. "Next time," she promised bitterly, her eyes dark. "I promise I'll be the one to kill you... Yuki-kun..."

Only true love can bring two souls together again.

Would you like to hear a story?

You really don't remember anything...

---

Tohru sat curled on the floor, her head leaning against the wall. The sun had gone down and she was surrounded by darkness, competely immersed in it. Out of nowhere, the phone rang loudly, and Tohru reached easily in front of her for the receiver. She had been expecting the call after all, and had set the phone within reaching distance. Placing it to her ear, she mumbled a faint hello.

"Tohru Honda?"

"Yes, this is..." she replied quietly. What was the point? She already knew what they were going to say.

"Its about your mother... she was in an accident..." There was a pause, as if the person on the other end were trying to find an easier way to put it. "I'm sorry... but she's dead."

Tohru was quiet for a moment before replying, a single tear making its way down her cheek. "Yes... I know..."

---

Writer's Note I know, a little confusing right? The next chapter should clear some stuff up. Review and let me know what you thought about it!