This oneshot is dedicated to my beloved sweetsammora. PLEASE ENJOY! :) LOVE YAH!!!!

Characters: Kim Jaejoong, Ariana (fictional character)

Foreword:

      The story takes place in the most secluded place in Seoul. Endless fields, the sweet scent of flowers blooming and the soft breeze of fresh air that hugs you everyday.

      It was the middle of summer, and everything is in full bloom as opposed to the budding romance of two unfortunate people. A white, glass structured house marks its place in the vast ocean of green. It marked the only sign of civilization in the area. A single mailbox stands beside the dirt road, the only connection to the rest of the world. The sun rises without anything blocking its blinding light.

--

" Jagiya, it's time."

Jaejoong whispered to his wife's ear as he wrapped his arms around the sleeping figure. She stirred with a weak groan escaping from her full lips. She opened her eyes to the smiling face of her husband, acting as her sun.

" Good morning, baby."

She said as she took his face between her pale hands and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

" Do you know what today is?"

He asked as she helped her up, taking her in his arms and lifting her off of the canopied bed. She shook her head, no as she wrapped her slender arms around his neck.

" Jagiya, how can you forget about your birthday?"

He asked, still carrying her.

" Well, my birthday tells me that it's almost up, telling me that I'm getting closer."

A single drop of silver tear escaped from her almond eyes before she buried her face in his chest. He gently let her down on her favorite chair. He kneeled in front of her, wiping her tears away. His hands were now shaking as the sadness that the he worked so hard to hide, slowly made itself visible.

" I'm sorry. I know it’s just as hard for you."

She struggled to say anything as her words of apology cut through every hiccup. He smiled warmly, trying to gain back his charade, his charade that showed him being strong when in reality; his world is crumbling into pieces.

" Don't cry anymore, okay? Or you'll make me want to join you, and I'm telling you, I'm not as y when I'm crying. Cheer up, okay? It's the day that you came into this world and blessed me with love, so I have to see your smile at least 20 times today, arasso?"

She looked at him, puzzled.

" Twenty? Why twenty?"

" Well that's as much as I can count with my fingers and toes, so when I've run out of those to count with, I know my mission is complete. Now sit up, I cooked something for breakfast today."

He said, kissing the trail of tears before standing up and leaving for the kitchen. She watched him walk away, touching her cheek where his soft lips left a warm mark. Her red lips curved into a smile as she recalled the sweet sensation.

" Ohhhhh! I almost missed that one. You smiled while I was gone, you're sly, huh? Anyways, I saw it so one down, nineteen to go. YEAH!"

He came back with a plate, covered by a silver dome. He set the confection on the table and threw his fist in the air as a part of his infamous " happy dance". She smiled once again, this time, accompanied by soft giggles.

" Two down! SCORE!"

He exclaimed, finally taking the cover off of his creation. It revealed an elegantly garnished dish.

" Omo! Is this what I think it is?"

" Yes honey. Remember when we first met? We fought over the last one at the shop. And obviously, you won."

He took the fork from her hand and dug it through the cinnamon roll. Yes, cinnamon roll for breakfast, it was how they met.

" Open up and eat the hot, steamy bread."

He coaxed her, making airplane noises and swirling the fork around. She smiled as she opened her cherry lips for the "airplane".

" Three down!"

" Are you eating? It would be nice if we could have breakfast together."

She pouted, using her 'puppy-dog' tactic.

He chuckled at his expression.

Of course I'm eating too. I just wanted to feed you the first bite. Hold on, I'll go get my own, steamy bun from the kitchen."

He excused himself, but wasn't gone for long. He came back with his own fancy plate of cinnamon roll.

" Since when did you learn garnishing food with these?"

She questioned him as she picked up a piece of decorating chocolate.

" Food Channel. I was actually surprised they had that show here."

He simply answered, popping a giant piece of roll into his mouth.

The meal went on, filled with tense silence as the sound of their forks was the only audible sounds to their ears.

" Done!"

She announced as she put the last chocolate chip in .

' Good. Now, we can get the day started, neh? What do you want to do first, go out and play in the field or go to the garden?"

He eagerly asked.

" Neither. I want to take a shower first."

" As always, such a smarty pants. Arasso, go shower first while I clean this up. Don't take too long though or I'll miss you."

He winked while gently tapping the tip of her nose.

She stood up gracefully with her white night gown swaying with her every step. He stayed seated, his head turned to the angelic figure that slowly drifted away from him. She disappeared and all the tears that has been bottled up finally escaped from his longing eyes. All the sadness and frustrations have finally escaped from his lonely heart. He wept quietly as the bitter tears fell restlessly. After recollecting his courage to face today, he gathered the dishes.

It took him longer to actually wash the dishes since he had to wipe the stray tears that resumed to fall from his eyes. He handled the plates with care since they were made by Ariana, herself. The porcelain lay on its special cabinet, Jaejoong neatly stacking them.

After finishing the tedious task he went to the porch, overlooking the lush green fields. The warm breeze of summer met his body as he closed his eyes to the blinding sun. Suddenly, a pair of paper-white arms wrapped around his slender waist. He held them in place as he turned around to face the lovely stranger. Her vibrant features welcomed his hungry eyes. He took her hands and pressed his lips down onto them, closing his eyes as he poured his love into her. He looked up and a smile, widely etched one her face screamed her happiness. Four down, he thought.

" I love you."

He said with his voice sounding a bit husky from his tears that now has stopped falling.

" I will always do."

He whispered to her ear as he took in her sweet scent, leaving him breathless. He planted a soft kiss along her jawline, marking his territory, his life.

" The sun is beautiful isn't it? I'm going to miss this."

Her voice was weary as the words escaped from her lips like a sad symphony.

He looked at her with a pleading look.

" Jagiya, don't think about it, neh? We need to enjoy this day."

He said taking her hands once again and laying it against his chest, making her feel the frantic rhythm of his heart. She sighed and nodded.

" So what do you want to do now? Something that you really, really, really, REALLY want to do?"

He said, pulling her closer to him, playfully poking the tip of her nose.

" Honey, can I draw you?"

" Why? Am I really that gorgeous? Of course, jagiya, you can paint me."

" HAHA! You will be forever my man-child, my gorgeous man-child. I need you to pose for me right here."

She giggled, dragging him to a chair that faced the sun, reflecting behind his hair.  He watched as her teeth shone with the sun. Five down, he thought.

" There sit there while I get my stuff."

She said as she plopped him down to the seat and left with her small footsteps sounding with excitement. He watched her move with so much life and nothing but a sigh escaped his lips. She came back carrying a large canvas and tubes of paint.

" Jagiya, let me helpyou with that!"

He said, automatically standing up from his seat.

" NO! You go back to you seat, mister."

She sternly said as she set her supplies down. He chuckled at her "fierce" reaction. She answered with a smile. Six down, he counted.

" Wow, my lady just used her angry voice at me! What did I do wrong?"

He chuckled still struggling to release his words.

" Oh nothing much, I just felt like it. I never get to use that voice, besides, I like watching you laugh."

She said as she fixed her canvas to her liking.

" So what pose would you like? y? Hot? Innocent?"

He asked, but she shook her head, no to each of the choices that he gave her.

" I want you to be you. Natural. I want you to show the Jaejoong that I fell in love with."

She solemnly said, changing the mood. It shifted from laughter to sincerity.

The atmosphere was quiet with the pencil, marking the canvas was the only sound that can be heard. His pose was natural as she instructed. He sat on the chair, the sun looking down on him, as he watched Ariana vigorously sketch his image. Hiseyes screamed the love he felt for her the day they first met at the bakeshop. Happiness reverberated from his eyes as he recalled their first encounter, she was fiesty, fierce. He smiled.

" You, I didn't tell you to move."

She said, with a smile also visible in her face. Seven down, he thought.

She continued with her artwork with a paintbrush this time. Red, yellow, the brown of his eyes, she captured them all. After only an hour or two, she finished. Finally standing up from her stool, his face lit up, knowing that the creation was finished.

" Can I see it?"

" No! Not yet. It's not time yet."

He pouted, using her tactic, but she didn't waver. She didn't even blink.

" I'm sorry, honey. Patience, right?"

" I guess. So what's next on your agenda?"

"Hmmm. Let me think."

She said as she tapped the tip of her paintbrush against her chin, looking up into the sky.

" How about we just snuggle up all day? Bedroom?"

He suggested, his tone sounding like a child's.

She smiled once again at his sense of innocence. Eight down, he counted.

" No, I want to spend time with Vick. I miss that little guy, we haven't been pampering him that much lately."

She said, taking his hand and pulling him to down the stairs and out to the back of the house where Vick's own castle stood.

As their presence became more known, the dog's ears stood and his tail wagged. He rushed to his family with his tongue hanging down his mouth.

" Ohhh! My baby! Mommy missed you."

She said, kneeling in front of the dog that now her face like there's no tomorrow.

His laugh vibrated once again as he watched the dog take over his wife'scontrol.

" YAH! Paws off my wife dude. Ariana how come you never kiss me that way anymore?"

He finally said, still catching his breath from his laughter.

It was her turn to laugh. Nine down.

" Come on, boy, we're taking a walk. You like that?"

She asked rubbing the dog's head.

He stood as he watched her actions that seemed to say that she has forgotten about the outcome of today. He shook those thoughts off of his head. He didn't need the negativity at the moment. She looked up.

" Are we ready, Jaejoong -shi?"

She asked. He nodded as he took her hand and helped her up. Her hands were surprisingly cold. She met his worried eyes and nodded, reassuring him that she's alright. They walked on, heading out into the fields. Hand in hand, cold to hot, they walked the endless fields. They walked as far as their feet would take them, not looking back to the trail they have made.

They talked and walked at the same time, sharing a few laughs on the way. She at a clear spot near the narrow stream and sat. She wore a big smile on her face. He counted. Ten when he made a joke, eleven when he tripped, twelve when he choked on his spit, thirteen when Vick jumped at him and made him fall flat on his back, and fourteen as he watched her stare at the cold, rushing water. They were going closer to his goal.

He slowly approached her, his footsteps carefully calculated as to not letting her hear them. He dipped his hands into the cold water of the running stream and splashed her face with it. She jumped in surprise but recovered immediately, to initiate her revenge. A bigger splash of water washed over his face as Ariana's hands made contact with the water. She wore a wide smile. Fifteen down.

They were both dripping wet as the fifteen minutes of fun, finished. He pulled her close to him once again, with one hand wrapping around her waist. The other, dug into his right-hand pocket and produced a porcelain dove. He offered it to her. She was at lost as she stared at the precious creation.

" Uhm, I made this in the pottery room. It's not as good as yours, but I tried."

He shyly said as he scratched the back of his head.

She, once again, revealed another smile. Sixteen down.

" Oh it's beautiful!"

She took it from his hands and held it close to her heart and closed her eyes, as if wishing into the small white figure. He watched as her lips touched the white porcelain. He held back his tears as he continued to watch the scene.

" The sun is starting to fall, let's go back, neh? We missed lunch. You must be hungry."

He said pullling her out of the water. He needed to get out of that place before his tears could escape his eyes. He whistled to summon Vick back to them and together, they walked hand in hand to thier house. He went ahead and put Vick back to his house while Ariana proceeded into the house.

" Vick, are you ready? You have to be strong boy, arasso?"

Jaejoong talked to his dog, coaxing him. At the same time, he tried to convince himself that everything will be fine, those were lies. He took a deep breath as he walked on into the house. He found Ariana flipping back and forth through the limited channels that reached their location.

" Are you bored, jagiya?"

He said, taking a seat beside her as he took her cold hand.

" We should go ahead and change before we get a cold, neh?"

She said and turned to him. He nodded letting go of her hand and kissed her before she stood and left. She flashed a satisfied smile as the soft sensation of his lips lingered on her own. Seventeen down.

After a while, she came out of their room, wearing a white sundress that he bought for her in their first anniversary. He was already fixing their dinner table, lighting the candles and fixing the dishes.

" Oh my jagiya is so beautiful!"

He exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. They both closed their eyes to the warmth they both felt from each other's body. Their moment was interrupted as her stomach growled like a rabid dog. He chuckled while she pouted.

" And hungry too."

He guided her to her favorite seat once again, setting her napkin on her lap.

" So what will we have the pleasure of having today?"

She asked, facing him with straight, intense eyes.

" My world famous stir fry noodles, of course."

He nodded as he took the cover off of their dishes.

They ate with a sense of slowness as if they were trying to freeze time. Each bite, it was as if their lives were nearing its end. The mood was broken by Jaejoong's burp which caused her to giggle. Eighteen down.

" Jaejoong-shi, are you happy? Do you regret choosing me?"

He looked at her surprised with her sudden question.

" Jagiya, of course I'm happy. If I regret choosing you, I wouldn't be holding your hand right now, would I?"

He looked at her sincerely as he reached to caress her trembling hand, her tears were evidently nearing its fall.

They both looked deeply into each other's eyes as they finished their lengthy dinner.

She sat in the living roo, looking out the window. Jaejoong the music, the sweet rhythm of waltz played from the speakers.

" May I have this dance?"

He asked, bowing down, kissing her hands.

" Why of course, my hero."

She accepted the offer, smilling. Nineteen down. He closed his eyes to the thought of his mission's nearing end. Suddenly, he felt her cold hands press against his cheeks, claming him.

They swayed to the music, her head resting against his frantically beating heart. Their hearts joined, creating a melody of their own.

They opened their eyes. The music ended and she collapsed in his arms. Her breathing became uneven. He moved swiftly and carried her right away to their room, kicking the door open.

He kissed her now pale lips. They curved into a weak smile. Twenty, his mission was complete.

" Jaejoong-shi, my time is up. Your mission was accomplished so don't you dare cry in front of me, arasso?"

She said as her voice broke from the tears that now rushed from her eyes. Her clumsy hands caressed his cheek as he prevented his tears to fall.

Her eyes closed into a mundane finality. She was gone, forever. He held her dead body in his arms as he trembled and his tears threatened to fall.

" AAAAAH!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs for he knew it was over. She has finally left him. He couldn't help but laugh at his pathetic position. Two years of marriage, and now alone in a glass house in the middle of nowhere. He shook his head for he did not, at all, regret any of his decisions. He knew this was going to happen soon, he knew she will leave him eventually.

He hugged her limp body as if trying to combine their bodies from desperation. His tears now endlessly fell, soaking both of their bodies.

" Jagiya, I will always love you."

He whispered throught her ear as he carefully ticked her into bed as if she was simply sleeping.

He stood up, and left the room, not able to supress himself. He headed to the pottery room and as he opened the door, a note welcomed his eyes.

He picked it up as it fell to the floor.

The note said: To my love, my hero. By the time you see this, I must have already left you, neh? You're most probably crying too. Well, DON'T! Because you know that I will never leave you. The painting from this morning is in this room also, I love you! I LOVE YOU! And please don't cry for I won't be there to wipe them away. I love you and don't you EVER forget that.

The note ended and he closed his eyes, pressing the limp piece of paper against his shaking lips.

He proceeded into the room and found her painting. It showed an image that brought his memories from this morning back. But he noticeed one thing, her image was added beside his, wearing her radiant smile. Twenty one, he counted.

He looked at the calendar, and there, he found it marked on today's date. The mark said: Tonight, the last day of summer. Goodbye, my love :)

Twenty one, that was the day. The day when he spent his cold summer's night.