Together Forever

Chapter 1

Rediscovered

Note: Yes… I know. I'm writing another Umi story. I love her. She's my best girl so I have to make her look good. However, this will be a different story from how I normally write. Hopefully, this slight change will be a good decision so without further ado, I hope you all enjoy the story.

My name is Minami Kotori and my life is very interesting. Ever since I could remember, I've always been a hopeless romantic. The sight of love, the feeling of being in love; I can't get over it. Everything about it just makes me feel all warm inside. However, that's not the reason why my life is so interesting. The thing that makes my life interesting is that I've lived through the test of time. I know… You're thinking that that is impossible, but I'm here to tell you that it is possible.

It all started in the past. Don't ask me exactly when because I honestly have forgotten. However, there is one thing that I haven't forgotten about the past and that is the love of my life. Kousaka Honoka is name of the girl I'm destined to be with for the rest of my life. When I found her for the first time, my heart was hit by the love arrow. We immediately grew close and eventually got into a serious relationship that took us all the way to our last days on this planet. The strange thing was that it wasn't the end for either of us.

After I died, I thought that that was it, but I was wrong. I opened my eyes to a new life with a new body. However, my name stayed the same and all of my memories were still intact. It wasn't until I was old enough to where I was able to piece together those memories. I didn't know what they meant though so I just brushed them aside and went on living my life. Eventually, I met Honoka again which made me remember all of those things from my previous life. We grew close again with the same result as the last.

Another death went by and a new life was given to me. When I reached a mature age, I really started to believe that there was a reason I was the way I was. This time, I searched as hard as I could until I found Honoka. It was a little difficult, but we eventually loved each other once again.

Now, I'm not going to bore you with how many times we loved each other, but it's been a lot of times. Every time feels like the very first time which makes this journey so incredible.

So now we are in the present time and I'm about to be transferred to a new high school. I'm excited about this because I have yet to meet up with Honoka in this life. Sometimes she changes appearance, but only slightly so I'm excited to see how she turns out. All I know is that she's going to be super cute and super excited to meet me once again. I can't get over how amazing this feeling is. Love is truly the strongest power there is. Wish me luck tomorrow.

…

I woke up bright and early and got ready for school. It was a brand new uniform and I loved it. It was very simple, but gave off a very cute vibe to it. I made sure I looked presentable because I didn't want to take the chance of having a lazy day and meet Honoka. Once everything was in order, I left my house and made my way to school.

On the way there was a little intimidating. The city we lived in was a lot bigger than anything I remember from the past. Girls were all flocking in one direction to Otonokizaka High School. As I neared the school, I desperately scanned the area for a sign of Honoka, but there was none. Once I made it onto the school grounds, I looked for a sign telling me where new students should go. The signs led me to the teacher's office where they settled me in. That's when the bell rang, indicating everyone to head to class. After about a minute or so, my teacher guided me to the classroom that I'd be staying in for the next school year.

I was forced to wait outside while the teacher gave a little introduction. Apparently, transfer students were a strange thing so she had to prepare the class for my entrance. Once that was over, she called my name and I entered the classroom without a wasted moment. I got front and center and looked at the class full of students.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Minami Kotori and it's a pleasure to meet you…" My tongue suddenly stopped working as my eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. It was a girl looking out the window in the most beautiful way.

"Minami-san, is that your introduction?"

"It is you," I said slowly. My tongue finally figured out how to talk again and those were the only words that were functional.

"Huh?" The girl turned to me, revealing herself to be the Honoka that I've been looking for. "Me?"

"What is your name?"

"Kousaka Honoka."

I couldn't believe my ears. My dream had come true once again. I found the love of my life. I immediately ran through the line of desks until I made it to her desk. I grabbed her hands and looked her in the eyes.

"I can't believe I found you. For some reason, it feels like it's been so long since I've last seen you." I couldn't talk anymore. I closed my eyes and puckered my lips for a kiss. Unfortunately, I was halted by a hard hand to the cheek.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. You just transferred here, didn't you?"

"Yes," I said with the most confused look on my face.

"Then there's no way I could know you. I welcome to meeting new people, but this is kind of freaking me out a bit."

"Minami-san, could you please come back to the front?"

In the shortest amount of time, pure happiness turned into confusion. I looked at her one more time and could tell that she didn't know me at all. I didn't want it to be true, but there was no way she would lie about something like this. That's when I turned around and headed back to the front of the classroom to finish my introduction. After I was done, my teacher assigned me to my seat and once I took a seat, everyone started chattering away. I knew that it was about me, but I didn't care. The only thing I cared about was why this girl didn't know me. I pondered this all the way until lunch.

When the lunch bell rang, I saw Honoka leave the classroom with a bag of lunch so I decided to follow her. I waited until she settled into her eating spot. That's when I revealed myself to her once again.

"Hi," I said nervously.

"Oh, it's you. How do you like the school so far?"

"Um, it's good. It's different from what I'm used to." I said it like that, but I meant it in a whole different way.

"Well, you'll get used to…"

"Honoka!" I couldn't help but interject myself before she could finish. "Please don't do this to me. You have to remember me. I'm Kotori, the one you know so much about." I could feel tears starting to form in my eyes. At the same time, I could see a look of disgust developing on Honoka's face. "Your true love."

At that moment, she stood up and looked me dead in the eye.

"You obviously have the wrong person because I don't know you. if it helps, there's someone else that I'm already interested in. Whoever you think I am, I'm not. However, I really do hope you find who it is that you're looking for." She grabbed her bag and left me alone.

At that point, it was just too much for me to handle. I collapsed onto my knees and started to cry. I didn't try to hold it in at all. I let out loud sobs and cries that filled the hallways. Even though my crying was loud, I could hear the people around me talking about me. Again, I didn't let this affect me because something worse just happened to me. The girl I love… The girl I'm supposed to be with has no idea who I am. What could be worse than that?

Even though it was my first day at a new school, I couldn't bring myself to stay there any longer. I managed to escape the school grounds without being caught so I decided to go home. When I got home, I went straight to my room and collapsed onto my bed. Tears erupted from my eyes again. this time was even more dramatic because I didn't have to worry about anyone seeing. It was just me wallowing in my own sadness and to be honest, that is the worst feeling ever. As I cried, so many things filled my head. Why didn't she know who I was? Why would things change now? We're supposed to be together forever. I don't want to be separated from her. I love her.

Time went on as I continued to cry until my body's water supply dried up. That's when I turned over and stared at the ceiling. I wanted to cry so much, but there was nothing left inside. However, there was one thing left I could do.

She may not recognize me now, but I could get her to recognize me. That's it… That's exactly what I'll do. I'll reenact some of the most romantic things we've done in the past and I'm sure she'll remember me. She has to… Because if she doesn't, what am I supposed to do with my life?

End of Chapter 1