Onodera POV
The second I stepped in Takanos hospital room, I just knew that he was going to die soon. Tomorrow at the latest. It broke my heart into a million pieces. I flashed Takano a smile that I hope looks encouraging. I sat on the edge of his bed.
"Hey. How are ya feeling?" I asked, like everything was normal.
"Is it really that bad?" Asked Takano. His voice was raspy. I felt my heart twisted at the sound of his voice. I slowly nodded. I was at a war with myself. I wanted to look at him and take in the last peaceful moments we probably will have, but I didn't want to look at his weak face. He just didn't didn't have that sparkle in his eyes anymore.
Finally after a few minutes of being at war with myself, I eventually looked at him. He barely had enough strength to smile. Today is his last day. Today he will die. Today is the day I have been dreading ever since I heard the news.
All my emotions came rushing in, and all I can do is sob. I had to have been crying for an hour before I finally calmed down. Takano was just listening to me sob my eyes out. He didn't really have the strength to do much else. Then, I just gave him the biggest hug ever. I love him, I love him so much. He's not even dead yet and I'm already grieving.
I hate it. Takano didn't do anything wrong. He doesn't deserve this. I would much rather be in his place right now. I've done more wrong than him. I am the one who deserves to die. Not him.
In the middle of my thoughts, Takano hugged me. It felt a goodbye hug to me. I squeezed him even harder. Then Takano started coughing. I immediately let go in guilt.
"I love you, Ritsu." Said Takano. He was looking at me with an even more distant look than normal. That caused me to start crying as well. I turned around. I couldn't look at his face.
"I love you too, Baka. More than you can possibly know." I said, while blushing like a mad man. That made Takano kiss me weakly. My heart twisted with guilt. That was probably the hardest kiss he can give. I unconsciously moved in harder. I was not ready to let him go yet. Suddenly Takano let go. That made me moan from the emptiness of Takano. He put his hand over mine lovingly.
"When I die,..." Takano began. That made my face twist with pain. He kept going. "Please promise me you won't harm yourself." My throat suddenly closed. I started coughing. And tears formed in the sides of my eyes from the pain. Finally I looked at him.
"... I can't promise that." I admitted. Takano sighed. He was not satisfied. Who would be satisfied when your lover said they were going to harm themselves? But I can't make a promise I can't keep. The pain is to great for me even now.
"Please. Go marry An chan. Have a happy life without me." Begged Takano. I can't do that.
"There is no life without you. And, for your information, if I wanted to marry An chan, I would have done it years ago." I confessed. I was still stubborn.
... I can't believe I will have to live without Takano.. I will not have a happy life. That much is for sure.
Suddenly my entire life with Takano flashed before I eyes. He was going to die soon, wasn't he???
"Remember when we met for the first time?" I asked, trying to hold back a sob. Takano put on a truly happy smile.
"That was the moment my life changed forever." Takano said, reflecting back on life with the two of us. He was smiling to himself. I smiled, too.
"Me too." I confessed. That I was flooded with of the feelings that I ever had of Takano. And all I can do was cling desperately to him. I sobbed into his already wet shirt. He wrapped his arms around me as well. We both hung onto each other like our life depended on it.
"Remember when I brought you over to my house for the first time?" Asked Takano, with a smirk on his face. That made me blush.
"Remember when I met you for the first time in ten years?" I asked. He suddenly got very curious.
"Speaking of- what was your first impression of me? Before we figured it out." Asked Takano. I laughed.
"I thought you were absolutely crazy and mean. When I finally thought you might be a good person, you broke the news to me." I confessed. I looked at him up and down. "Although my original impression of you wasn't all that off." He laughed at my comment.
"How long did it take for you to finally realize your true feelings?" Asked Takano. He sure is asking a lot of questions.
"Pretty much right after I fell on the stairs in the Library." I admitted, reflecting back.
"What? Did it knock some sense into you?" Asked Takano. He was messing with me by this point. I just stuck my tongue out at him. We both just sat there, laughing.
When we both stopped, Takano looked at me very serious. I almost laughed at his seriousness. But the situation would be inappropriate.
"Can you grab my guitar out of my bag over there?" Asked Takano. He was pointing at a bag in the corner of the the room. I got up and got it.
When I handed it to him, I had to ask. "You play the guitar?" He smiled at me.
"Yep. I picked up that habit during our ten years apart." He replied. That made my heart twist for a second. "I have a song to play to you." He continued. I blushed at the thought that Takano wrote a story for me. Takano saw my blush and smirked. He started to play the guitar, and I immediately recognized the song. It was 'The Reason' by Hoobastank. I immediately shut my eyes to enjoy the song.
