◆ Part 2: Chapter 2 ◆
Gone
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Takahashi is awake.
After being asleep for two days, you had your doubts, but now nothing but hope fills your heart. Behind this door is your former personal guard.
Your best friend.
Taki Takahashi.
You push open the door to his medical room, immediately taking in his appearance. His right side is covered in bloody bandages, and it's gone.
His arm is gone.
You gasp, walking over to him. Your heart pounds. It's been so long.
"Takahashi?" You whisper, eyes not leaving the spot where his arm used to be. He opens his eyes, and they immediately fill with tears at the sight of you.
"I can't look," he whimpers, "I can't look. Is it really . . . ?"
You sit on the edge of his bed, a hand coming up to your mouth. "Yes. It's really gone. You're going to live."
After the palace burned, Takahashi almost died, but thanks to a fellow guard he survived; his arm, however, was crushed. It got an internal infection. It was killing his arm, and it was going to kill him too.
So they cut it off.
Takahashi will never sword-fight again. He will never be your guard and escort you to dinner. He will never hug someone with all of himself again. He will never be able to do much without assistance.
But he's alive. And that's enough.
"It's been two days, but I still can't believe it," he says, his voice weak and small, "It feels like it's still there. I keep having these dreams . . . "
"I know it's been hard," you say, taking his left hand, "but you survived."
"But sometimes," the guard whispers, closing his eyes, "I can't help but wish I didn't."
You stand up, pushing the chair behind you. "Don't talk like that. Please."
Takahashi chuckles. "Okay."
You leave, wondering what you're supposed to do now that everything's changed.
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"I want to help him," you sigh, "I just don't know how. What do you give someone who has everything, but wants nothing?"
"That's true," Shoto says softly, holding your hand in his, "but he doesn't necessarily have everything. Sure, he's living in the palace, with unlimited food and comfort, but what do you do with a soldier who's lost his will to fight?"
For once, you don't have a response, so you sit quietly, leaning your head on Shoto's shoulder.
"What if . . . " Shoto starts, "What if he went a saw the castle?"
You look at your fiancé. "Do you think that would help? Wouldn't he only become worse?"
"Sometimes, to move on from your past," the prince says, stroking your hair, "you need proof that it's the past. You need the proof that you've grown, and the past has burned."
You hug him, then stand up, smiling. "I think you're right. He might actually want to see it, also."
Shoto takes your hand. "Maybe it would be best for all of us. Maybe we need that proof too."
"Maybe."
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Takahashi, although tired, was willing to visit the ashes of the former Todoroki palace. The doctor said he would be fine, as long as he didn't try to over-exert himself. He's still groggy from the painkillers.
His right arm is gone from about one-fourth down. The doctor said that they left a stub in case Takahashi wanted a prosthetic arm someday, or whatever the modern tech would allow. Apparently, Takahashi told the doctor he didn't plan on getting one.
The carriage stops, jolting everyone inside. You look out of the window, the remnants of the palace staring back at you. Ashes. Charred frames and trees.
Your past, burnt and gone.
You climb out, Shoto helping you down. He then helps Takahashi, who isn't wearing a shirt since the bandages wouldn't allow. You can see the goosebumps on his skin, although the air is warm and humid.
Two guards are also with you for safety, although you doubt anyone would go near the old palace. It is a beacon of the kingdom's weakness.
You walk with Takahashi and Shoto, of which neither say a word. When you reach the pile of ash, you tug on Shoto's sleeve, signaling him to stay with you.
You both leave Takahashi alone, but you stay close behind him, not saying a word. The former guard sifts through the ashes, as if looking for something.
"This was your room, correct?" Takahashi asks softly, pointing to an area. You nod, looking away.
It doesn't feel real, still. But it's like the world is forcing you to realize how much is gone now.
Takahashi's arm. The palace. Hiro's eyesight. The three guards who died in the fire.
Hitoka. You don't want to think about her.
After Hiro described the other body he saw when he saved Takahashi, you immediately knew who it was. To this day, you don't know why she was there. Maybe you don't want to know. But she's dead now, and you don't have the guts to ask Takahashi why he was with her when she died.
Takahashi digs with one arm, until he pulls a box from the ashes.
You walk over to him, tilting your head. "What's that?"
He hands it to you, and you wipe off the dirt and ash from the surface. Recognition hits you like an arrow, and you gasp.
"The secret compartment?" You marvel. "It was fireproof?"
Takahashi smiles. "I'm glad I was able to find it."
You look at him quizzically. "How'd you know about it in the first place?"
"Because," he explains, sadness in his eyes, "that was Queen Rei's old room."
You open the box, Shoto standing curiously beside you. It pops open, just as you remember, and the contents stare you in the face.
Old pages you ripped from the quirk marriage book . . .
. . . and Hitoka's diary.
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A/N:
Thank you for reading! Please leave a vote if you enjoyed!
I want to show you all this drawing I made of Takahashi, after his arm was amputated. It's not as detailed as I would have liked it to be, and I wanted to add the ashes of the palace in front of him, but I drew it during class so I didn't have much time. Hope you like it anyways!
You guys will never get the pleasure of seeing the front--
just kidding. maybe someday.
Lots of love,
Carly