When The Snow Falls

PART IX

1 November, 1940

As the cold snowflakes hit the ground, a telegram arrived for the Hasegawa's. It had been nearly 6 months since Tsubasa's departure, and they eagerly anticipated his return.
'Yurari!' Hideyoshi called as he took the telegram and walked inside the house.

'Ah! father, I'm coming.'
Yurari put Akira in Kouki's care as she walked into the living room. She noticed the enclosed telegram on the table. They both sat down as Hideyoshi took the telegram, and slowly read through it.

"To the head of family
Former....."

The telegram fell out of his hands and on the table as his eyes lost focus. Yurari stared at him, thinking what could be written on the it to have caused that reaction. Anxiously She picked the telegram intending to finish reading it and with pain she did so.

"Former Captain Hasegawa
Killed in action.
Showa year 15
Leyte Islands."

'No.... This... It is not possible, He promised- he, he said he'd be back.'

Yurari choked on her words as she kept telling herself that it was all a lie.
Hideyoshi slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'Tsubasa... he made a will before he left, in case he...in case something happened... he told me to give it to you, Yurari..'

'No... No... No! I refuse to accept this!'
Yurari ran out of the house, running through the town, searching for his smile.

Her Tsubasa's smile.

His voice.

Anything.

She ran and kept running when suddenly her foot got stuck in one of the stones fallen around, an aftermath of the bombings.

Everything went black in front of her eyes.

She opened her eyes, feeling her head ache. She looked around to see Kouki sitting beside her and even though she could see him she didn't care.

If he is not here...

....Then there was no meaning to life.

'I will go call father.' He said as he left the room, without hiding his concerned expression as he usually did.

I don't want to live either...

....there's nothing here..

....in this world.

It's plain black and white...

.....it's like the colors have just faded out.

I just want to disappear...

'Mama...'

Fuyu came in and sat next to Yurari, putting her hand on Yurari's head, petting it the way Yurari did to her.

'Mama.. get well okay? Fuyu will take care of you.'

Yurari's eyes filled with tears as she realized she did have something - as she realized that there were still two people who were the colors of her life.

Yurari hugged Fuyu to her chest and cried.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

<3 I love baby Fuyu
And Akira too. But he's only just a toddler ;-;

Ayyyyy -sigh-

This was a good chapter.