red string || sano manjiro/ mikey

chapterr xxxvix: wish

"hang on, sazu."

mikey has been whispering words of comfort throughout the ride, but it sounded more like he's trying to comfort himself for what is about to come.

"you're going to be alright."

this can't happen.

he won't allow it yet.

this isn't what he wanted.

all these years trying to keep her out of harm's way, even sacrificing a relationship that his life hangs on to, will all be meaningless if kazua dies at such a young age.

"remember when grandpa gifted me that bike on my ninth birthday and i keep biking to your school so you can pedal for me on the way home?" a small smile appears on his lips. "you'd always complain that your legs feel wobbly after we get to my house, so i made sure to have a stash of mint choco ice cream to reward you."

silence

"what about that time when we first met emma? baji and i thought of english names to help her fit in, but when you came along, emma was immediately attached to you." he chuckled. "i'm still so impressed how you know english, you know? you never waste the education your family provided you."

silence

"baji and i thought of a foreign name for you. i don't know if you remember that." mikey swerved to the right. "rav, short for raven. man, your name's cooler than ours."

silence

"and the last time we spent new year together?" at this point, tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. "you asked me what i wished for, and i told you that i can't because it won't come true? would you mind it if i tell you now?"

silence

"i wished for us to stay together, to stay happy." mikey choked out a pained laugh. "but i also wished for you to be safe. i thought i had to leave you for that wish to come true, you know? there's this saying...a wish is merely a wish if no action was done."

once again, it was silent.

he gritted his teeth, knowing that she won't reply to any of his remember when stories.

this can't be happening.

"it's nearly four years since then." he muttered. "new year's just around the corner. if you stay...when you stay, let's spend it together, yeah? let's wear that cringey matching sweater you got us. it was so big on us back then, maybe it'd fit us just right this time?"

"that...sounds nice."

mmf!

"s-sazu?"

"it's itchy as hell...but if it's with you," kazua heaved, weak arms struggling to wrap themselves around his waist. "i wouldn't mind."

"heh, you love me too much. of course, you'd wear it with me!"

"you're...such a kid, sano." kazua croaked out, a small smile forming on her lips. "i'm...staining your jacket."

"i don't care about my jacket, anyway. you're far more important than this." mikey quickly wiped his tears with the back of his hand, stopping right in front of the hospital's emergency room. "and it's manji, isn't it?"

"hmm?"

"manji." mikey carefully untied the scarf around them after planting the kick stand, swiftly getting of the motorcycle with kazua in his arms. "come on. i still call you by your nickname. why do you have to go back to surnames?"

"sano's a cute surname."

mikey chuckled. "i like manji better, though."

"who are you...to tell me what to call you?"

"maybe because it is my name?"

mikey enters the emergency room, and immediately, a nurse came rushing towards them with a stretcher. "ha...this is a first." kazua now laid on the stretcher, half-open eyes looking up at mikey's gentle expression. "that i can't say anything back to you."

"you can think about it after the operation." he says.

"wait." her stringed hand came up to hold his, stopping the nurse from rolling her away from him. "mitsuya...at the church. hanagaki-san's...with them. help them, please."

even with her hanging on to a thin string of hope, she still worries for the others in danger.

"yeah, i heard mitsuya's impulse." mikey grinned at her. "but when i get back, promise me that you'll be here to wait for me?"

"...always." kazua smiled. "i've always...been waiting for you to come home."

***

"you're lucky."

senju stomped on the side of hanma's face, pushing it further down the rough concrete as she let her anger slowly tone down. a bit of hanma's blood were splattered on her cheeks, but she could care less about it. what matters is that she got her revenge for him trying to kill the person she holds dear to her heart.

"kazzie wouldn't like it if i kill someone for her sake. she'd say, everyone deserves a second chance, frosty." she scoffed. "i respect her, but giving you a second chance is out of the window. you tried to kill her, added yourself in her endless nightmares. heavens know how much i want to kill you right now."

what was she doing?

hanma can't even hear her anymore.

he's passed out in the cold, eyes rolled back after falling unconscious under her wrath.

with a glare, she kicks his side to make him roll over the snow before turning away to leave.

she needs to get to the hospital as soon as she could.

"please," senju prayed, "please be okay."