A.N: A short born from me being bored to write the next chapter. Also to test if I can write in 3rd person still. I'm assuming you know from the title what this is about. Hanahaki disease. Anyways, this is just a regular high school but they still have their ambitions and talents, but Hopes Peak and Ultimates don't exist~
TW: Angst.
Credits to @Marshtompz once again for helping me out editing the chapter. They're a real one, definitely check out their one shots cuz they're not only well written, they're really entertaining.
Saihara never wanted a girlfriend. It was an uncommon occurrence for him to even have a crush on someone; he didn't see the need to have a girlfriend at all, it would get in the way of his work.
Not until he met Kaede Akamatsu.
He hated himself for it, he couldn't suppress the way he felt around her. Just talking to her would bring happiness to the detective and her support would always motivate him. He really had so much to thank her for.
Yet he knew it would be wrong to date her.
They were in high school, he had no time to deal with relationships. He could only hope his feelings for her would go away soon. He knew it was just a silly crush anyways, he knew her for only a few months now. Their assigned seats were right next to each other and Akamatsu struck up the first conversation between them. After that, they hit it off pretty well and quickly became best friends. They were inseparable after the first week. At first, he thought she was a bit of a hindrance of how much she talked to him about stuff he didn't understand (mainly piano) but he grew to appreciate her love for her talent.
"Hey, Saihara!" a cheery voice interrupts his thoughts. He recoiled up from leaning on his desk, as he looked to the source of the voice he was greeted by a smile from the pianist. "You falling asleep on me?"
"A-Ah sorry.." he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Just thinking about stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" she tilted her head to the side.
"Nothing!" he quickly reassured her.
"Hmm.." she closed her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Well, I don't want to invade your personal thoughts. Just don't daydream during class." she chided the boy.
"My bad." he chuckled as he picked up his pencil.
"Akamatsu, Saihara. Please be quiet during lecture." their teacher scolded the two.
"Sorry!" Saihara apologized as he got back to writing his notes.
"Yea, sorry!"
"Yea Saihara, be quiet~" Oma chirped.
"You too, Oma." the teacher sighed.
...
After class, Saihara walked over to the cafeteria for lunch with Akamatsu. She hummed a tune to herself (that he couldn't help but find beautiful). As they made their way to a table, Akamatsu quickly looked towards the boy.
"Saihara. I need advice."
"..About what?" he questioned as he picked up his sandwich. He took a quick bite, not really thinking much of her request.
"Romance."
He spit out what was in his mouth as his eyes widened. "A-Ah, what about? Just so you know, I'm not experienced in that stuff."
"Pff.." she chortled at him bring himself down. "Don't worry. I just want to know what you'd do in this situation."
"Ah.." Saihara, with shaky hands, picked up his sandwich again. Was this about him..? No, it couldn't be. He's not special like that. "What's up?"
"What would you do if you had a secret admirer?"
He gripped his sandwich a little too tight, making it splatter all across the table. Akamatsu laughed as she helped him clean him.
"Sorry..." he sighed as he wiped the table with a napkin, the school didn't even have the luxury to supply paper towels. "If I were in that situation..." he put a finger to his chin as he thought. "I don't know, I'd be flattered? I would want to see who they are so maybe I could learn to like them as well."
"I see..." Akamatsu crossed her arms with a nod. "Thanks, Saihara!" she opened her eyes with a cheery expression as she pumped her fists.
"No problem... What's this about?" he raised a brow as he put away his mess.
"I got a love letter in my locker this morning." Saihara's eyes widened. "They said to meet up at the back of school but they didn't mention who they were... I was a little hesitant to meet them but thanks Saihara, I wanna see who they are! Maybe I'll fall for them too, I wonder who it could be..." she put a finger to her chin with a smile as she daydreamed of the situation.
"...No problem." he gave a forced smile. "You have anyone you want it to be..?"
"Hmm.. I don't know. I never really thought of anyone in that type of way before, but maybe when I meet them I'll see them in the romantic way!"
"I see.." a part of Saihara's pride broke. He had a tiny feeling that Akamatsu recipricated his feelings for her but it seems he was wrong. He should've expected that answer from the start. Who even gave the love letter to Akamatsu? He could only hope she would reject them so that-
No, what is he thinking!?
They're not even dating in the first place. It's not like she belongs to him- they're simply best friends. He shouldn't have expected more.
Still, that thought didn't do much to comfort the uneasy feeling in his stomach.
...
After lunch and the rest of class passed, Saihara prepared to head home. Akamatsu typically walked with him but she had a secret admirer to deal with. The uneasy feeling in his stomach was starting to hurt much more than before...
It's not a big deal, Akamatsu should be happy! Even if it's not with him, if she's happy, he'll be happy!
He clenched his stomach as he made his way out of the school. He tried his best to ignore the feeling as he walked past the gates.
Nope, no good. What was the source of this pain? Fear? Anxiety? Nervousness?
From what?
He knew the answer but didn't want to admit it.
He knew he would regret this later.. He gritted his teeth as he turned his heel and headed for the back of the school. He would see who Akamatsu was meeting and get out of there. After he knew who it was, the uneasiness would go away!
He finally made his way to the back of the school as he panted, putting his hands to his knees. He kneeled behind a bush so the two wouldn't see him. He definitely saw the familiar blonde haired girl already there, but he didn't catch a glimpse of the other person with her. He hesitated to poke his head out of the bush, what type of sight would await him?
He ran all the way here, so he might as well!-
Through the extent of his willpower, he leaned his head outwards to see who Akamatsu was meeting.
No one.
Saihara gave a relieved laugh as he fell back on the ground. He had nothing to worry about. It was probably just a prank from Oma or maybe even Iruma! He put his wrist on his forehead as he laughed to himself for his unneeded nervousness.
"Ah, you're actually here." a lax voice interrupted his thoughts. He shot up and poked his head around the bush once again. He saw Amami walking up to Akamatsu with a nervous smile.
"Amami.. So you're the one who sent that letter!" she asked, her voice sounded more excited than usual.
Now that he saw who it was, Saihara could leave. Yet, the uneasy feeling in his stomach still remained. He needed to see her answer before he would leave.
"Yup." he scratched the back of his head. "I figured now would be the best time to tell you... Originally I was gonna meet up with you in general but you're always around Saihara, so."
"What's wrong with Saihara?" she crossed her arms.
"Oh, nothing at all." he quickly assured her. "I just didn't want to rip him off of you or anything."
"Fair point.." she nodded her head. "So you-"
"Yea. I have a crush on you." he cut her off bluntly. A blush quickly made its way to Akamatsu's face. "Do you share my feelings? You can say 'no', I just needed to get it outta the way before I become a mess. I know you got Saihara already." he chuckled.
"Amami.." she smiled as she looked down. "Don't be like that. I like you too. About Saihara,-"
Saihara's world crashed down. He didn't bother to listen to the rest- in fact, he covered his ears so he couldn't hear the rest. He hid behind the bush until the two walked away so he could leave safely. He didn't even know what he expected, Amami is a nice guy, no wonder Akamatsu liked him back. Not only was he nice, he definitely had the looks.
Why was he so jealous? He should've expected this outcome, it's mainly his fault for not confessing sooner. Saihara, covering his mouth to suppress his cries, ran home. He could feel the snot getting in his throat as it hurt much more than usual as he ran.
...
He quickly went into his house and threw his backpack to the couch as he dragged himself to his room. He flumped on his bed, still tears in his eyes. It's okay, at least Akamatsu could still be a friend. He tried to comfort himself with a laugh, but it failed as he immediately cried again.
How pathetic could he be?
It's no one's fault except himself, and even if he did confess it's unsure if she shared his feelings. There's no reason to like someone as shy and unsociable like him.
After about 30 minutes, he finally stopped crying. He went to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. An unpleasant sight appeared before him to show his puffy eyes, they were completely red. He washed them with water to look semi-better (of course, it didn't work).
Saihara didn't need a girlfriend in the first place. He was content with her being his friend, that's all that he needed. If she was happy, he was too. He looked at himself in the mirror and gave a comforting smile to himself (to make him feel better about the situation). This would work out!
The pain in his throat that he had been ignoring finally brought through as he spiraled into a coughing fit. As he hacked and hacked, specks of blood slowly started to coat his sink alongside the saliva he was coughing up, making the boy's eyes widen. The coughing wouldn't stop as tears started to form in his eyes due to the sheer amount of pain. He cupped his hands to collect some water and desperately gulped it down- a last ditch effort to stop the coughing. The pain subsided for a moment or so, giving the boy time to rest. He put his hands down to the sink, heaving heavily as he struggled to fill his lungs back up with the air that had been violently forced out.
He could feel his throat muscles start to tighten. He winced, preparing himself for what was to come. When the cough finally arose, however, there was an object that came with it. As soon as Saihara's eyes landed on it, he felt himself fall into despair.
Sitting in the sink was a singular pink petal. For a moment, he was reminded of her, but the thought was quickly swept away by a much more pressing matter.
He knew what this was. It came up in multiple cases he had worked on over the years. When he first learned about it- he didn't quite understand what it was and what it meant. Now that the pink petal was right in front of his eyes, however, his stomach churned with a loathing stronger than his mind could fathom.
Saihara Shuichi had the Hanahaki disease.
Unable to process everything that had violently launched itself onto him with an iron grip, he finally broke down. His grip on the sink tightened to the point his knuckles were turning white. He let out another violently cough, whipping his head down towards the sink and coughing up another pink petal. The tears he had built up earlier finally released, pouring out into the sink and coating the petals in a slight sheen.
This was it for him, wasn't it?
Another cough. His entire body shook from the force. Some of his tears sprung onto the mirror.
Shuichi Saihara was gonna die.
"I don't want to die!" he screamed as he clenched the corner of the sink tighter, tears and excess blood dripping down his face. "Why is this happening to me?! I didn't even like her that much!"
The universe promptly punished him for his lie as another cough wracked his body, accompanied by a little pink petal made just to spite him. No matter what he did, his fate was sealed, and the truth of the matter was that his words were entirely false.
He loved Kaede Akamatsu.
And she didn't love him back.
He couldn't bring himself to get in the way between Akamatsu and Amami, and he sure as hell didn't have the funds to get the surgery needed to cure him. His family was barely surviving with what little income they brought in- he refused to put them at risk over a stupid disease like this.
During his last months, he would have to hide this from everyone.
Maybe, just maybe... He could lose feelings and this pain would go away.
...
As Saihara prepared for school, he put on a mask. He wanted to spend his time with his friends with the limited time he had alive. It seems for now he was okay with walking aside from some minor coughing. He somehow had the willpower to contain his coughs from his uncle and aunt before he headed outside.
As he made his way to class, he went in to an unwelcoming sight. Amami was sitting on Akamatsu's desk and happily talking to her. He took it that she had accepted his confession then...
Oma was the first to notice him. "Woah, Saihara! You cosplaying as Shinguji."
"Hey.." the other masked boy glared at Oma.
"No.. I'm just sick." sighed as he took his seat next to Akamatsu and put his notebooks on the table. She looked at him excitedly.
"Saihara!" Akamatsu waved to him as she he sat down. "Amami was the secret admirer, could you believe that?" she clasped her hands together as she looked up to the green haired boy with a grin.
"Yup." he smirked. "You told him about it?"
"Yea! He's actually the one who suggested I go." she giggled.
"Well, I'm glad Saihara gave that advice. If not, I would've still been single." he chuckled. Those words made Saihara want to die.
"Amami, hey. You could've chosen better than me."
"Nope, I couldn't." he shook his head as the girl blushed.
Grudgingly, he congratulated the two, "That's great! Well, I'm happy for you guys. I'm glad I could help out."
"Thanks, Saihara." Akamatsu smiled at him, making the boy's heart skip a beat. "By the way, what happened? Do you have a cold?"
"Ah," he adjusted the lace around his ears, "yea, I don't wanna get anyone sick or anything."
"Well, I hope you get better." Amami told him in a caring tone.
"Thanks.." he muttered, not wanting to face him. He felt bad about it, but he couldn't help but be jealous of him. He didn't even want anything to do with him.
As class started, it was hell as Akamatsu and Amami passed notes to each other. She didn't bother to ask him for help during problems as Amami took the role from him.
Saihara's jealousy was suppressed because of his constant coughing. He felt petals start to build up in his mask, in which he emptied them in a trash can. He hoped no one would notice the bloody petals. To help cover it, he threw scraps of paper over the bloody mess of flowers.
...
Lunch came and it was normal as ever. Except for the fact Akamatsu sat with her boyfriend while Saihara sat alone. He chuckled at how helplessly alone he was right now. Usually, Akamatsu would be the one sitting with him. He wondered when the disease would kill him already.
At least that would finally let his jealousy stop.
He instead decided to sit alone, when he was eating he couldn't risk anyone seeing the petals fall out his mouth.
Until, a certain man with a goatee sat with him.
"Yoo, Shuichi! Sit with us, bro!" he pointed at his table with his thumb, Oma waving as Harukawa rolled her eyes.
"Ah, Momota.." Saihara instinctively put a napkin over his mouth in fear that he would suddenly start coughing. "I'm actually sick right now. I can't."
"Oh, my bad." he laughed it off. "Lemme sit with you then. Just the two of us." he smirked as he placed his space lunchbox on the table. Saihara's eyes opened wide with worry, what if he saw another one of his coughing fits?
Thankfully, he didn't need to worry as Momota was too busy focusing on his meal. "So, what's up? We haven't hung out in a while."
"..Yea, sorry.." he hung his head low.
"Man, don't apologize for things you don't need to! It's unmanly." he scolded the boy before proceeding to bite into his beef jerkey.
"I'm uh.. Good I guess?" he awkwardly chuckled, still covering his mouth with a napkin.
"That's good. Hey, you don't have to worry about me getting sick," he pointed to him covering his mouth, "the Luminary of the Stars never gets sick!" he put his fist up heroically.
"I still don't want to risk it.." he quickly made an excuse.
"Well, whatever." he scratched the innards of his ear with his pinkie. "Doesn't change the fact I'm not leaving.."
"Alright.." it looks like Saihara couldn't fight against someone as stubborn as him. He would have to hope he's too oblivious to notice the pain he is in.
As soon as the bell rung, Saihara excused himself from the table and ran to the bathroom. He really appreciated Momota for trying to cheer him up, but it was at the worst possible time. Because of his presence there, Saihara had to contain the pain in his throat throughout lunch, trying his best to hold a conversation with him. He let it all out in the bathroom. Blood flew out of his mouth as he hacked, throwing his back over just from the pain. The sharp pain stabbed his throat as a mixture of blood and saliva dripped down his chin.
He took a moment to take breathe, he swore he could've felt a petal get sucked back into his throat. Not like there wasn't already a flower growing there.
After washing himself up, Saihara applied his mask again and headed to class.
He was met by the annoying sight of Amami and his crush flirting, now there was a sharp feeling in his heart in addition to his throat.
He awkwardly placed himself next to her, she didn't seem to notice him as she was so infatuated with her boyfriend. Saihara felt another stab to his throat. A tear ran down his eyes, he wasn't sure if it was because of the physical pain or because of the emotional pain.
...
After lecture, Saihara walked up to Akamatsu. He was sick of the pain. It wouldn't be so wrong to let him reciprocate his feelings to live, right? "Hey, Akamatsu?"
"Yea?" Akamatsu tilted her head at him with a smile.
"Can we talk?" he asked her with a desperate look. She immediately understood the severity of the situation as she nodded.
"Yea, of course. What's wrong?"
Suddenly, Amami came in. "Hey, Kaede." he cringed at the first name basis. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. Just don't wanna leave without her, you know?"
"Oh, it's okay." I lie. "I understand."
"Don't worry, I'll come soon. I won't keep you waiting. See you later, babe." she smiled as she planted a quick kiss on his cheek. He also smiled as he headed out.
No matter how much it hurt...
This was true love. Akamatsu loved Amami, he would have to accept that. He couldn't ruin their relationship, no matter what it meant for him.
Regretfully, he hung his head. "Actually, nevermind. It's okay."
"Saihara. No. Tell me. I can tell when something is troubling you." she faces him with a unwavering look. "Also, you're hanging your head low so it's pretty obvious."
He couldn't lie his way out of this one...
Perhaps a half lie could work?
He unmasked himself and showed the amount of blood on the inside of the mask. Akamatsu gasped as she put her hands over her lips.
"I've got the Hanahaki disease." he mutters, disappointedly.
"For who?! I can help them fall for you, I promise you I'll support you and pass hints to them!" she looked truly afraid.
Saihara shook his head. "No... I don't think she shares feelings for me."
"We can't give up yet!" she yelled out, making the boys head face up. "Have you talked to them about your feelings?"
"..No." he scratched the back of his neck. If he were to tell her, she would definitely be heartbroken.
"Saihara, it doesn't have to be now, but you gotta tell them. It's the first step towards this. And once you take that first step, I'll help you the whole way! I'm definitely gonna make them fall for you!" she pumped her fists determinedly.
He knew she couldn't. But, he still smiled from her motivation.
"Thank you, Akamatsu."
"We're best friends. I'd do anything for you. And I'll keep it a secret, of course." she smiles.
Best friends...
"Yea..." Saihara let a feeble smile. "Best friends."
She gave him a cheerful nod as she stood up. "Text me once you tell her, okay? And if you feel comfortable, tell me who it is so I can drop them hints." she winked. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Saihara."
"..Bye." he hung his head low as she walked out.
Saihara felt a familiar sharp pain in his throat, a fountain of petals and blood threatening to run out of his mouth. He ran out of class as fast as he could. He needed to get home.
He can't let anyone see him like this anymore. Well, It's a good thing he was such a loner that no one paid enough attention to him to care.
As soon as he got home, he let the petals and blood flow freely on the driveway. He fell on his knees, he rested his hands on the floor to stabilize his unsightly coughing. He wiped away the blood and tears from his face as he looked at the ground. Blood stained the pavement, hopefully his uncle wouldn't question it...
How long could Saihara do this?
...
For two weeks, Saihara's days were pretty much the same. Akamatsu and Amami still were as lovey dovey in the first day, it seems she's been too focused on him than to notice Saihara's obvious suffering. He was glad, he didn't want to spread the two apart. A small part of him did, but the emotional side of him wanted to keep their happiness intact. He couldn't give away her happiness for someone like him.
A shy and unsociable boy with no remarkable talent.
Saihara never got the chance to talk to Akamatsu about his disease. She bugged him about it, but he didn't budge. She never gave up with her texts, but he's decided to ignore them. Occasionally she would ask him what's the big deal, but he would say he's too afraid. Because of the kind soul she is, she always gave him more time but begged him to start talking to his crush soon.
He's come to find his crush on the girl amusing. He laughed at himself for even thinking she could like someone like him. What was he, an idiot?
It seemed the disease couldn't get any worse than it already had been. Somehow, he's become used to the pain. He's doing a way better job at hiding his coughing from the others.
Momota still sat with him occasionally when he had a chance, making sure he was alright. He knew he had the right intentions, but it made things much harder. Saihara would always turn him down when he asked him to sit at the table with them, claiming he was too sick. Sometimes Akamatsu would offer for him to sit with her and Amami, but he would always decline. He didn't want to get a close look at their relationship than he's already seen at the table right next to him
Immediately after school, there were some close calls where he would almost hack up pedals in front of everyone, luckily he had a mask in case he accidentally did so he had some cover.
At home, he was free to let out all the coughs he wanted. His uncle and aunt were typically at work so they wouldn't notice him. When they were off from work, he had to stay in his room so they wouldn't hear him or notice his condition. He's lucky they were always too busy to check up on him, and that his room was far away from where they usually were.
Currently, he was doing his homework before school began during homeroom. Not that it mattered, he just felt wrong doing nothing.
He then coughed up another petal. He gritted his teeth as he took off his mask to look at the blood stained petal. Akamatsu was too busy talking to Amami to notice.
He was getting sick of it.
He hated it.
He wanted it to stop.
He loathed it.
He begged for this stress to go away.
Because of his stupid advice to Akamatsu to follow that love letter, all of this was happening. Because Amami confessed this is happening!
Because of his incapability to tell his feelings to Akamatsu, this hell was happening! Not only the disease, but the pain of seeing her flirt with him right next to him. He hated it more so much, he couldn't even tell which pain was worse.
But more than anything, he hated himself. He hated himself for falling for someone when he had no problem with it before. Why was the only person he fell in love with, in love with someone else!?
Why couldn't he lose feelings for her?!
All of a sudden, the pain in his throat significantly got worse. He could no longer contain the coughs. A hideous performance of coughs and hacks made him fall to the floor, holding his neck in pain. He couldn't make his way to the bathroom in time. Tears from the pain ran down his eyes as he coughed, dripping into the floor.
The students rushed towards him in shock, even Oma seemed surprised.
Momota was the first to be at Saihara's side. He immediately yelled in fear as he kneeled down to the boy. "Shuichi?! Are you okay?!"
In place of a response, Saihara coughed out multiple petals for his friend to see.
"It can't be..." Momota grabbed the petals, unable to grasp the situation. "Shuichi, why did you hide this from us?! And who the hell is it?!"
Saihara rolled his body to the side with a whimper, coughing up more blood against the carpet. The last thing he saw was Akamatsu's worried face, and her hand reaching out to him. Soon after, he blacked out from the pain and exhaustion.
...
He awoke to see an unfamiliar ceiling. He looked to his clothes and it seemed he was in a hospital gown. He turned his eyes to the side to see his uncle, clasping his hands together as he leaned his body forward.
"Uncle..?" His raspy words made his uncle face up and rush towards him. He gripped the edge of the bed he was in and yelled at him.
"Why!? Why didn't you tell us?!"
Saihara couldn't respond.
"Shuichi... We could've gotten the funds!-"
"Uncle, don't." he muttered weakly. "Save your money."
"We have the money!" he argued.
"I can't do that to you guys. If we do that, we're gonna have to struggle."
"Struggle hard and let you live! Let's do it! There's still a chance! You just have to agree to it!" his uncle begged him.
He shook his head. "I can't. I-" he was interrupted from another coughing fit. It seems the flowers in his throat were finally starting to kill him.
"Just nod your head if you can't talk!" his uncle cried in desperation. "Just give me any sign that you want the surgery!"
Saihara coughed petals out, clenching the sheets to suppress his pain. His uncle couldn't bare the sight as he turned away, closing his eyes.
A doctor walked in with a concerned look. "He's awake."
"Yea. Hey listen, can we get the surgery?" his uncle looked at him with hope. Saihara desperately tried to stop him but he was interrupted by a coughing fit.
"...Even if you apply for the surgery, they won't come in time. He's likely to die in two days. The flowers have grown too fast, if you had come sooner-"
"Then just bring them in right now!" his uncle smashed his hand against the wall. "What the hell!? I'll pay extra if I have to, just bring them in!"
"We can't do that." the doctor shook his head. "It.. doesn't work like that."
"I'll make it work like that!"
Through his efforts, Saihara suppressed his coughs to speak. "It's... fine... don't... waste funds... on me..."
"It seems he doesn't want it." the doctor replied in a condescending tone. His uncle gritted his teeth as he stormed out the room. The doctor gave one look back as he walked out as well.
One day left to live.
He couldn't believe he was going to actually die.
He didn't wanna die. Especially in a way like this. He rolled to the side and sobbed, coughs occasionally interrupting his wails.
...
The next day, his uncle couldn't even see him. He was too pained to see his nephew like that, but his aunt checked up on him. She gave her last praises to him and stayed with him the whole day.
Not like he could even talk well.
She would occasionally walk up to him just to kiss him on the forehead and tell him how proud she was with him. It made him feel a little more comforted..
But, no one else came to visit him.
"I... I don't want to die." he reached his hand out, he couldn't see anything from his tears fogging up his eyes. The light on the ceiling illuminated and blocked his sight, so all he saw was a bright white. His voice was barely audible from the flowers blocking his throat. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die." he complained to the world but no forgiveness came to him. With teary eyes, his aunt grabbed his hand tighter. "I don't want to die!"
"Saihara!" a desperate feminine voice called out to him. A voice he fell in love with.
It seems he's started to hallucinate during a time like this.
Her aunt turned to the source of the noise. He looked as well to see a familiar blonde girl panting at the doorway.
"Who are you..?" she asked suspiciously.
"Saihara's friend! Please, let me talk to him!" she begged as she put her hands together. "I think I know who's the person he fell in love with!"
With wide open eyes, his aunt agreed. This small sliver of hope gave her strength to walk out.
Saihara faced the pianist, he looked absolutely horrible right now and resented that she was even seeing him right now. Despite this, she pulled over a stool to sit by him and grab his hand. He weakly faced her, his sheets were covered in blood and petals.
She didn't hesitate to get to the point. "Saihara... It's me you love, right?"
He couldn't just admit that. He faced away as he muttered out a "No."
"Saihara... Is that the truth?" she tightened her grip around his hand. With her other hand, she made him face her.
"No." he didn't want to make it seem like it was her fault.
"Saihara, but..." she shook her head, dismissing her thought, as she faced him. "Then who is it?"
"I can't tell you that." his voice croaked.
"Please, Saihara! There's still a chance they'll reciprocate feelings for you!"
"Not if they have a boyfriend." he mutters. She instantly realized who it was.
"I'm the only one with a boyfriend in our class." she responded.
"...Fine. It's true.." There was no longer a point to fight it. Since she wanted it so bad, he'll tell her! He'll tell her all about how much he fawns over her and appreciates her; He'll tell her the moment he fell in love with her; He'll tell her about how much pain he's been through just to hide this from her.
Or, he would've- if there wasn't a flower stuck in his throat. He couldn't yell, he could barely even raise his voice above a whisper. It hurt to talk at all. Instead of a confession, he coughed up an unsettling display of bloody petals. Akamatsu looked distraught, lavender eyes shrinking in horror as she brought a hand to her face to cover up the gasp that had escaped her lips.
He turned over and mustered up all of his strength to get his words out. "Please. Leave."
She knew what she had to do. She clenched her fist as she turned him around, planting a kiss on the boy's bloody lips. His eyes widened and gleamed, a glimmer hope rushing through his body. He cupped her cheek as the two kissed. As the two separated, Saihara's eyes were wide open.
"Y-You?" he touched his lips in shock, unable to finish his sentence.
"Saihara.. The truth is.. I've loved you too!" She exclaimed, clenching her eyes shut. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. "For the longest time! I just... didn't know how to reject Amami!"
"I can't beli-" his words were interrupted by another hacking of petals. Except this time, it was more extreme. Saihara's eyes widened in confusion- didn't she just confess her feelings to him?! Why were there still...
Petals...
Lodged in the back of his throat.
He quickly realized.
She lied.
Kaede Akamatsu doesn't love him back. And she'll never get the chance to reciprocate his feelings.
Saihara can't breathe. His chest violently rumbles, entire body heaving as he helplessly struggled to take in any amount of air at all. The room feels hot and more cramped than it was a second ago. He tugs at his collar as he starts to choke on the petals.
Akamatsu opens her eyes for a moment, only to close them back immediately. She can't bring herself to watch.
He lurches forward, forcing himself to cough up as many petals as he can he can. But it's too little, too late; there were too many petals in his throat for him to get out in time. With his final breath, he extends a weak arm forward, fingers outstretched and reaching towards his first love- and what would probably be his last love.
...
She didn't reach back.