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Not too far away...

The sound of a pair of black and white tennis shoes could be heard down an empty ally way. The individual in these shoes, clad in a faded pair of blue jeans and a white collared black shirt, was none other than just Nagi in the "living human suit". Taking time off from captain hood, he was on holiday for a couple of days and was loving every second of it. He was so secure in fact that he felt that his location was absolutely remote from all. No other shinigami bothering him and no hollows to fight- what more could he ask for?

Avoiding the busier streets, he decided to take a more peaceful route on his way to the park to go buy a snow cone. Keeping his hands in his pockets, making sure that his chain connected wallet was still there and not in the hands of some a*****e pickpocket. He had issues with losing things before but he wasn't going to let his holiday get ruined just because he didn't have the cash to get the frozen treats he loved.

Finally exiting the ally, he crossed an intersection and continued his way down the sidewalk. Off to his left was an old cemetery. He had passed this place quite a few times but never bothered to actually go in and take a look. Feeling that a curiosity such as wanting to walk over dead people was slightly a bit morbid, he looked ahead and didn't want any more thoughts of the place. Just as he was about to completely pass it, however, he stopped dead in his tracks.

It was a familiar feeling, like somebody he knew was nearby. It wasn't just anybody he'd know though. It was somebody closer to him than that. His interest rising, he turned back around and headed through the cemetery gates. What he didn't realize that he had caught the chain on his wallet to the fence. As he eagerly walked forward, everything from the waste down was brought to a sudden halt.

Due to his own weight the chain broke eventually, and he was about to regain his footing when he hit his toe on a tombstone and once again found himself a pathetic victim of his own clumsiness. With his legs still hanging over the marble plaque, his face was planted firmly into the ground. He lay there cursing himself for a moment, not really caring if others had seen his spectacular display. However, he did quickly realize that he needed to breathe and the dirt wasn't allowing him to do so.

Finally raising his head, his eyes lay on the last thing he thought he'd run into. Recognizing that blazing red hair and her petite figure, he was momentarily stunned by his discovery.

"...Yuki?" he murmured. He wasn't sure if she had seen him yet, but he could already tell by the look on her face that she was sad about something.

Instead of feeling insulted by these people (who practically made a note to step on him on their way back out), he watched curiously as he lifted himself off the ground until he was to his knees. Not taking any notice of a scraped knee and torn pant leg, Nagi's eyes were too focused on the color of these people's hair. In fact, it was the first thing that caught his attention.

What is going on here?

While glancing back at Yuki, he noticed the grave that lay in front of her- the grave the people were approaching. He was shocked to see that her name was engraved in the stone. Though Nagi may have been a klutz, he was no moron when it came to what was right there in front of him.

Trying his best not to stare (so these people don't think he's a freak), he got to his feet and patted the dust and dirt off himself. Briefly wondering if he should leave Yuki and her family be, he glanced back up at her. Of course to the living, he was looking at nobody. She looked so sad yet so proud as she watched them come closer. If only they could see her now... Nagi would have never imagined that this place was the resting site of his beloved Yuki. If only he knew... he'd be standing by their side, offering his respects too.

What didn't surprise him was that he managed to make himself a fool in front of her family. He couldn't figure out if Yuki was going to laugh at him later, or beat the crap out of him.

If there wasn't any other way to top how much of an idiot he felt like, this was it. Biting his bottom lip, Nagi momentarily forgot that the normal people could not hear her and glanced around to be sure that her angry voice had not been heard.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." he whispered back, letting his eyes wander about so that he at least looked like he was talking to himself and not to something that wasn't really there. "This is a graveyard... people are allowed to walk around here..."

He then let out a sigh, realizing that he had also forgotten that this was probably a sad moment for her and that this wasn't the time for wise cracks. It was also obvious that she had no idea of his little vacation but he honestly didn't feel it was right to break down into explanation at that moment. She didn't need to be wasting any more time talking to him. This was her time with her family. It had nothing to do with him.
"Don't worry about me... go be with your family." he said sincerely. "I'll be around later..."

Far away from feeling like a moron, Nagi simply scratched his head and stared down at the boy with an eyebrow raised. Unlike Yuki, this kid was not a woman and therefore less intimidating. However, he wasn't about to piss this kid off any more than he already was... For Yuki's sake too of course.

"Myself, who else would I be talking to?" Nagi remarked in a kindly way to make it look as though he really were a crazy person. Using harsh words wasn't going to lighten up this situation. "I tend to think out loud. What's got you so angry anyway?"

He couldn't help but ask that last little part. It was as if the child's anger stirred something inside him that made him feel concerned. Those words just flowed out before he could stop them.

Nagi couldn't help but smile a little at the boy's words. It was as if Yuki's spirit had entered the boy and was using his mouth to speak the words. They were strong, there was no doubt there. In fact, they hit Nagi deeply as if it were Yuki actually speaking to him. His heart now feeling heavier by the minute, he was still drawn by curiosity as to why these people were here on this particular day. It had been confirmed that they were Yuki's family and that this was her grave, but on what occasion, he wasn't sure.

Now fueled by curiosity, Nagi wanted to milk more information out of this kid regardless of Yuki's presence. If it were something important about her, he wanted to know. This WAS her family after all. This was the mother and father of the woman that he loved. He couldn't have felt more honored, if not lucky, to ever meet them in his lifetime. If he wanted to show how much he truly wanted to be a part of her life, then this was his chance.

Taking a deep breath, Nagi didn't glance back to meet Yuki's angry glare. He was going to go through with this and she wasn't going to stop him.

"Excuse me," he said in a clear tone as he approached her parents. Though her father scared the wits out of him and her little brother was irritable, he was at least hopeful that her mother would smooth out the wrinkles. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you visiting today?"

Lightly gulping at the sight of her father's glare, Nagi suddenly had this urge to turn his heel and bolt. It was made obvious to him that Yuki's family was very protective of their memories of her. Although he still hadn't asked the question of "why" they were there on that particular day, he didn't want to overstep his boundaries by asking too much just yet. First of all, successful communication had to be made.

Glad that his assumption about the mother had been correct, he turned his full attention to her. Though he was glad to hear something other than "get lost" or "screw you", Nagi was slightly caught off guard by the woman's question. Just how would he explain that he was CURRENTLY in a relationship with their deceased daughter? It would be easy for him to just lie and answer the question with a "yes", but for some reason, it just didn't feel right. With those last thoughts in mind, Nagi decided to answer as truthfully as he could.

"No, I wasn't." he admitted. "But she is still somebody I cared for very much. We actually met at a park and she helped me out when I was struggling pretty bad during those times. I still feel grateful for that and I still feel like I should repay her somehow."

Suddenly shrugging as a shy grin crept across his face he added, "I honestly didn't think I would ever have the chance of meeting you. It is truly an honor."