The most beautiful flower | Shuca

Goodbye

"Shu? I'm sorry that this happened so suddenly."
Shu smiled up at Luca, reaching to tough his face. As his fingers touched Luca's cheek, the blonde grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle kiss.
"I'm sorry for everything Shu, just please don't leave me. Please.."
"Luca.."
"I know it's not your choice but.. please stay with me."
A small tear fell down onto Shu's cheek, heating up his cold skin while he tried to fake a smile. Reaching up again, this time holding Luca by his cheek, he tried his best to make the blonde happy again. "I'll do my best. Let's go to sleep now, okay?"
"Okay..."

This night wasn't the only night Luca was staring at the ceiling, thinking now any longer. He would do this almost every night from the moment Shu told him about this sickness he had. Every night laying beside him, checking if he wqs still okay. It was tiring for Luca but what else could he do? Over the days they spent their time walking around the park and taking photos as memories while Shu would here and there collapse to the ground so that Luca had to steady him while at night Shu would sleep and Luca would watch over him.

Going to the bathroom, Luca looked at himself in the mirror, seeing the deep dark circles under his eyes from staying awake so long every day. Splashing some water in his face so it would be okay, he tried to smile and went back to the bed, sitting down on the edge and letting out a low sigh. Looking at his bracelet on his wrist, he gained some courage again that everything would be fine if they would just fight for it. They would be able to beat this sickness all for all. Nothing would ever stop that.

...

White. How he hated this colour now. The walls so sterile, everything neat and clean. So clean he felt like throwing up at every nurse walking past him. All of them with their uniforms that looked too perfect to be existing in the same space as patients dying daily. Waiting for the doctor to tell him what was going on, Luca tapped his foot on the ground. Since he wasn't able to change into something better, he was wearing his tshirt and pants he would usually only wear when he was alone or with Shu.

Finally a doctor seemed to be headed his way and looked at him with an emotionless face.
"Sir Kaneshiro?"
"Yes that's me. Is he okay? How is Shu?"
"Sir please calm down, we need you to stay calm in this situation, okay? Do you know if Sir Yamino has any friends or family that live closeby?"
Luca's brows furrowed.
"Why? Why do you need to know that? Yes he does. I can give them a call to come here if I need to. But what is going on?"
"Sir listen to me, okay? I know this will probably not be the news you are hoping for but we suspect this will be his last day with us."

Luca grabbed the doctor by his collar and screamed at him with all the anger that botteled up inside him these past weeks.
"ARE YOU CRAZY? HOW COULD THIS BE!"
He let go of the doctor and staggered back, clenching his chest with his fist.
"How.. how could this be.."
"Sir please. You have to stay calm. Please call everyone who might want to say goodbye to him."
With that the doctor put a hand on Luca's shoulder, before givibg him a gentle smile and walking away.

The next moments flashed past Luca like they were some sort of film with cuts all over. He was just calling the others and the next moment he sat beside Shu in his sterile hospital room, holding his hand, trying to reassure him that it would be okay and that he would stay here until the end. He had to stay strong for him and smile, trying to push away the urge to cry but the tears kept dwelling up in his eyes.

"Hey, it's okay Luca. It will be okay."
Shu weakly reached up to pat Luca's hand, giving him the faintest smile he could still muster, before coughing and not being able to stop for a few minutes straight. Despite being at the verge of dying, he was doing everything he could to keep Luca happy for as long as he could. Giving him a kiss on the forehead when he leaned closer after Shu told him he wanted to tell him something, Luca actually genuinly smiled again.
"There is that smile I love so much. You know your smile is one of the things of you I fell in love with. Your smile, your eyes, the way you make sure to take care of me, the way you even got me my favourite flowers even though we were only friends, the way you gave me this bracelet. I love all of it but most importantly, I love you."
Looking directly into his eyes now, Shu gained up all his strength to give Luca one last genuine smile.
"I love you Luca."

When the other three came into the room, they saw Luca holding Shu's hand, looking at him struggeling to keep his eyes open.
"It's gonna be okay.. You won't die.. It will be okay.."
"Hey Luca.."
Ike touched Luca's shoulder, trying to get him away from Shu in an attempt to help him not get too emotionally drained but got almost screamed at by Luca.
"Get away from me! I want at least these last moments with him. Just let me at least have this..."

Walking over to the other two again, Ike looked at the ground, his eyes filling up with tears, before one slowly started to run down his cheek and he could be heard silently sobbing. Vox quickly made sure to give him a hug and Mysta joined in as the three now stood there, watching Luca sit beside the bed, holding Shu's hand that seemed to slowly let go of his.

"Goodbye Shu.. Thank you for being like my brother.."
Mysta's voice cut through the silence as he pulled off his hat, letting go of Ike and Vox and came over to Shu to put the hat on his head.
"Suits you, maybe you should've been the detective after all."
He smiled while tears were running down his face.
"Bye buddy."
With that he returned to Ike and Vox, looking at them to tell them to also say goodbye.

"Shu.."
Vox stepped forward, trying to find the right words but nothing wanted to come out. It seemed like every thought was suddenly replaced by the fact that Shu would die now. Eventually not being able to do anything anymore, Vox got onto his knees, taking Shu's other hand and gave it a very gentle squeeze, before standing up again and letting go of it.
"Thank you, for everything. Please take care on the other side, yea?"

When Ike stepped forward, he pat Vox on the shoulder quickly, seeing that he too was starting to cry now. Kneeling down beside the bed too now, he as well reached out for Shu's hand to take it with both of his.
"You know Shu, I never guessed something like this would happen. But all the good stories have an end at some point. This may not be a good end but that just means it's not the end. I already know you will feel way better up there. In the end everything will be good, I believe in that."
He smiled warmly at Shu, trying to cover the fact that he was unable to stop crying.
"Goodbye Shu, I enjoyed every single minute we spent together."

Now that it was Luca's turn, the other three were standing close to each other, still almost hugging, trying to calm down from crying but it wasn't working. The tears were still flowing down their cheeks. But it was nothing compared to Luca. Luca's expression was slowly turning more desperate, clinging onto every last bit of hope he still had. "Shu please.. Please you can't leave me.. This isn't right. Please just stay with me.."

"Luca.."
Shu's voice almost a whisper now, he held his hand out, the bracelet Luca had made for him.
"Take it. I want you to wear it too for the both of us."
This was the moment Luca realized that this wasn't a joke any longer. Shu was really going to die now. The moment he had dreaded so long had now come.

With a shaky hand, Luca took the second bracelet and put it around his wrist as well, the bracelets matching each other perfectly.
Seeing Shu faintly smile again, Luca squeezed his hand and gave him one last kiss, before Shu closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.
"Goodbye guys. I will miss you all up there. It's going to be very lonely but we'll meet again one day. And Luca, I love you."
With this, Shu's hand lost the rest of the strength that was left and stopped squeezing back Luca's fingers.

Not even remembering how he got out of the hospital, Luca sat in the back of Vox's car, still hearing the loud peeping sound the monitor made when Shu eventually passed away. It was like it was burnt into Luca's brain at this point. It was this constant ringing stuck in his ear that would haunt him forever now. Looking at the two bracelets on his wrist, his expression didn't turn one bit. He was simply emotionless. He felt numb. It was all over now.

(words:1622)