Chapter 12 I’ll Forget You, Senri
“Tsubaki! Welcome back!” he exclaimed.
I attempted to smile back at him but failed. My lips were sealed together by something. Then I realised it was the oxygen mask which was hindering me. I didn’t want to risk pulling it off so left it, hoping Takeru would understand.
He approached me with a plastic bag. It appeared he had bought some food. “You’ve been out for four days. Are you feeling all right?”
I nodded. After a couple of seconds, the oxygen mask felt suffocating and I had to take it off. I wriggled my lips around for a bit before testing out my voice – it came out as a hoarse whisper. I cleared my throat and tried again.
It took me about ten tries before I could say ‘Takeru’ normally. He beamed and listened intently to me. “Takeru, what happened to Senri and Rima? What am I doing here?”
His smile slowly dissipated. “You can’t be telling me that you’ve forgotten what you did.” I looked at him blankly. “Hah, I can’t believe it. Tsubaki, you jumped from a bloody bridge! And you jumped because of the jerk that goes by the name Senri Shiki.”
I laughed, or tried to at least. “That’s funny,” I said half-sarcastically. “No really, what happened?”
“It’s true! I watched you fall into the abyss, not able to stop you. For me, that was the worst experience ever, and you have topromise to never do it again. Understand?”
I looked at him, confused. “Yeah... but if I don’t remember...”
“It still happened in front of me, okay?”
We were interrupted by a knock on the door outside. As Takeru went out to open it, I took a chance to look at my surroundings.
This was Aunt Kyoko’s room.
Which could only mean one thing.
Aunt Kyoko was... not of this world anymore.
My breathing quickened as I called Takeru, but he was busy talking to the person who knocked on the door. My voice wasn’t strong enough... no! Takeru came back in with a man I recognised from the painting of the Ashiya family. He was Takeru’s father, Kaito Ashiya, with wrinkles embedded in his skin. Out of politeness, I stood up and bowed, but lost balance and toppled over. They both laughed and helped me back onto the bed.
“It’s lovely to finally meet you, Tsubaki.”
“And you,” I replied, trying my best to smile. Takeru sat down on a chair next to me and gazed into my eyes.
“Tsubaki... About Aunt Kyoko... she passed away three days ago, quite soon after hearing about you. We discussed whether you would have wanted to rest in this room. The housemaid has gone home and we’ll get a new one, but until then...”
I didn’t say anything for a while. Aunt Kyoko was the person who told me about my past, and I was so grateful for that. And now she was gone, well I would never be able to fully express my gratitude. I coughed and swallowed.
“Thanks for telling me, Takeru. Can we get some fresh air?” I didn’t want to be resting in the last scents of Aunt Kyoko. A single tear escaped my tired eyes as Takeru helped me off the bed. I was in a nightgown, a white cotton one with scarcely any decoration, and he put my boots on for me. They were the tatty leather pair, which were comfy and soft but unattractive and only for garden wear.
It was pretty chilly outside. It was October now and a pile of leaves sat in a corner of the neatly trimmed back garden. The gardener had gone home for the winter and was coming back in February – I remembered Aunt Kyoko telling me. A funeral would have to be arranged at some point, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Two funerals in less than a month. My life was messed up, and sooner or later I would be joining my mother and father, Aunt Kyoko too.
YOU ARE READING
Searching for Senri Shiki (sequel to Senri Shiki - My Forbidden Vampire Knight)
Fanfiction~please remember that this is the sequel to SSMFVK~ Tsubaki Kuroda, previously known as Sakura Cross, has left the academy in search for her father. With no luck she is bored for endless weeks until she finally finds Haruka Kuroda. They are getting...
