Basil chatted with Sunny over the next several hours, catching up on all the things they had been doing over the past four years that they were apart.
Having shut himself inside his room for most of that time, Sunny didn't have much to talk about compared to Basil. Sunny mostly talked about the things he did with Kel, Aubrey, and Hero during those "last" three days in Faraway.
Sunny mentioned some of the dreams he had, and the many adventures that he went on as a persona he called Omori. That was very interesting to Basil.
It's so sweet that you dreamed of going on adventures with all of us, Sunny.
Basil understood how much pain Sunny had been in, how badly Sunny would've wanted to forget. He couldn't fault Sunny for wanting to spend some time in a world where they were all together and happy again.
"But I'd rather forget about Omori and everything," Sunny said. "I feel that I'm ready to live in the real world again."
"I'm glad you're back. Still, things might be different now. Kel, Aubrey, and Hero didn't forgive us, did they?" Basil asked.
The nervous curl of Sunny's lips indicated that he was still working through those feelings.
"Sorry," Basil said with lowered eyes. "I know it was hard for you to confess the truth to them. I should've been awake. I should've heard their words myself."
Sunny spoke a little nervously. "It's okay. I'm sure they're a lot angrier at me than at you. Because I made everything worse by locking myself in my house for four years while you still went outside and tried to talk to everyone."
"But I came up with that plan to hang Mari. I lied to them for all these years."
"I promise that they're not madder at you than they are at me." Sunny blinked a couple of times. "I did the worst thing. I pushed Mari..."
Sensing a tremendous discomfort in Sunny, Basil offered to change the topic. "Sunny, I'm sorry. Let's talk about something else."
"Yeah, let's put all this behind us."
I agree. Let's move on from this whole thing.
Even if our friends are going to be mad at us, we still have each other to rely on, right?
Ironically, they didn't opt for a much lighter subject.
The topic of their conversation switched to Basil's personal activities during Sunny's supposed final three days in Faraway. Those memories were hard to relive, but Basil wanted to confront them with Sunny's help.
Basil had spent the whole time taking care of grandma when he wasn't out dealing with Aubrey's gang. On the night after the second day, grandma's breathing became shallow, sounding like she was close to passing on.
Basil could still remember the feelings in his heart when he heard her last gasps of breath.
Grandma, are you really going to leave me?
If you're gone, grandma, I'm going to be all alone again.
I don't want to be alone...
Reliving that heartache gave Basil pinpricks of pain all over his skin, and he started to sweat.
But Sunny was there. Sunny held his hand.
"I'm here, Basil," Sunny promised. "I won't leave your side."
Sunny, thank you.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," Basil spoke.
The last image he remembered of his grandma's face just before she died was the hardest to accept.
He took deep breaths, calming his racing heart until he could talk again. "Grandma didn't want a funeral after she died. She said it was a waste of money and told us to bury her body with some flowers as soon as she passed away."
"That's what you spent the third day doing?" Sunny spoke softly. "Basil, I'm sorry. It must've been hard on you."
Basil wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm just glad I helped her fulfill her last wish."
Originally, she wanted us to bury her body in the garden behind our house, but...
Mom and dad wouldn't agree to it. They were going to sell her house after she passed away and no one would want to buy a house with a dead body in the backyard.
When grandma died, I took her a little ways off from the lake where we all used to hang out, away from all the construction that's being done there. I found a patch of flowers growing in the woods.
Basil remembered speaking his last goodbye.
Grandma, rest peacefully with the flowers you loved all your life.
His vision grew all misty. The loss of the person he felt closest to for most of his life was really now beginning to sink in.
Whenever he took care of his plants, he might by instinct think to himself, "I can't wait to show grandma the sunflowers that bloomed!" or "Hey, grandma, the new buds are sprouting!" and then he would realize—
She wasn't around anymore.
She wasn't around to smile with him after a hard day of gardening work, wasn't around to congratulate him when she saw the flowers that bloomed thanks to his care.
Her warm embrace, her protective smile, her laughter as she cracked her dark jokes—
Even her tears were all gone.
Basil felt hot trails of water flowing down his cheeks. He couldn't feel his heart anymore. The whole world seemed grey and endlessly miserable with the loss of his grandma.
Grandma, I wish...
I almost wish I could come with you—
A comforting hand wiped the tears from his face. The arms that those hands belonged to wrapped around his chest, pulling him into a close embrace.
He felt the heat of a living body, the life of a beating heart.
"Basil, I'll make it all up to you," Sunny said quietly.
"Sunny, it's okay—"
"I never should've abandoned you so irresponsibly. All the pain you feel is my fault. I won't leave you like that again. I'll stay with you from now on. I'll stay by your side until..."
Sunny, I—
"I'll stay until things can go back to the way they were before!"
Basil made a heartbreaking smile.
He knew things could never go back to the way they were before. Not without grandma. Not without Mari.
But it meant so much to him that Sunny cared enough to say those words.
Thank you.
And he had to stop crying so much.
"Sunny, thank you so much," Basil said, lifting his arms to hug his friend back. "I really appreciate everything you do for me."
"I know my actions these past four years haven't shown it, but I truly do care about you," Sunny spoke.
Those words brought a brand new blush to Basil's cheeks.
The feeling inside his chest was warm and so very sweet. Basil didn't want to admit it but he still did feel that same way about his best friend.
Sunny, it's okay if you need some time alone to work through all your feelings.
I want the two of us to make some new memories together. New and happy memories...
But I can wait until you're ready for all that.
Those were the words that Basil wanted to say, but the feelings growing inside his chest prevented them from being voiced.
He knew it was selfish, but he didn't want Sunny to part ways from him just yet.
"I care about you too," Basil replied. "I care about you so much..."
With those words, they fell into the silent comfort of just being there for each other. No more words were exchanged. It was enough to be reunited.
As the darkness of the night became cleared by the soft blue light of dawn and the sounds of morning birds chirping could be heard outside the window, Basil felt his weary mind growing sleepy. He still needed some extra rest to recover from his injuries.
And, judging by the dark circles under Sunny's eyes, so did he.
Basil parted first from their hug. "I feel much better now. Guess we both need some sleep, huh?"
"I'm going to take a nap," Sunny said as he sat back into his chair with his head laid against the wall.
Basil wondered if Sunny would be open to sharing the bed. It'd be a tight squeeze, and not necessarily more comfortable than falling asleep sitting upright in his chair.
He dismissed that thought from his mind.
"Ummm, Sunny?" Basil said, thinking that maybe he could have the chair and Sunny could have the bed.
"Goodnight, Basil," Sunny spoke, and he was already out.
"Oh—oh, goodnight, Sunny."
Basil closed his eyes.
He felt a newfound peace in his heart that he'd lost for so many years.
The truth was out and he didn't have to hide anything anymore. Even better, his relationship with his best friend had been mended and now they were going to help each other heal through their shared trauma just as they had promised on that fateful night.
Secretly, Basil felt really happy that he'd be living with Sunny.
I guess my parents plan to sell my grandma's house and eventually get me to move back in with them, later.
I haven't seen them in so long, though.
I wonder where their busy jobs have taken them now?
Basil let go of that train of thought. It was never productive trying to figure out what his parents were going to do next.
But before drifting off to sleep, he couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to him now.
Sunny's mom was coming to pick the two of them up. She was going to drive him over to their new home in the city.
What would she say to him?
What would she think about him, knowing that he had stabbed out her son's eye?
She probably distrusted him a lot already for having come up with that plan to frame her daughter's death as a suicide.
No matter how he looked at it, she was not going to be the most warm and endearing person towards him.
The only person he could cling to now was Sunny.
He had to trust that Sunny would work things out between the two of them and his mom. Trust that being by Sunny's side would be enough to make them both happy.
Happiness seemed like such a distant concept, swimming amidst this ocean of sadness.
I trust Sunny.
***
"...Come on...wake up and help..."
"...Do I have to..."
"...Let's move this...and that...into the car..."
"...Mom...can't I just...a little more sleep..."
"...Can sleep...on the drive there..."
Basil opened his eyes.
Bright yellow afternoon light shone through the window of his room. Sounds of feet shuffling about and other movement filled his ears. The smell of an unfamiliar yet strangely nostalgic perfume hung in the air.
Oh, it's the perfume Mari and Sunny's mom wear.
Basil sat up and stretched. He blinked and rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes. When his vision recovered, he found himself staring straight into the faces of Sunny and Sunny's mom.
It's been so long since I last saw you, Mrs. S!
I remember how Kel, Aubrey, and Hero all assumed a different pronunciation of your last name, so Mrs. S was what we just ended up settling with...
To his surprise, Mrs. S was smiling at him.
I thought you'd be mad at me as soon as you saw me.
Maybe Sunny talked to you and told you to be nice to me now that we'll all be living together under the same roof?
I knew I can always trust Sunny!
"Good morning, Basil!" Sunny spoke.
"It's been so long since I've seen you, Basil!" Mrs. S said. She held up a bag containing an egg and sausage breakfast muffin sandwich and a bunch of delicious smelling hash browns. "I'm glad to see you're all right."
Sunny glanced between his mom and Basil with a nervous expression. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better," Basil replied honestly.
"That's great! Here, you can eat all this," Mrs. S said as she placed the bag of food into Basil's hands.
Basil felt his stomach growling. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten something. He was actually ravenous. "Thanks...?"
"Please don't feel rushed to eat everything. You can take as much time to eat as you'd like," she reassured him.
She is way nicer to me than I expected!
But is she just hiding her anger at me? She can't possibly be so nice to me knowing that I stabbed her son's eye out...
Mrs. S turned towards her son. "Sunny, go get Basil a glass of water to drink. He looks really thirsty."
"Okay, mom," Sunny said as he went over to the sink.
"Hurry up! Basil can't eat with a parched throat, you know."
Basil raised his eyes in surprise.
Why is she being so demanding to Sunny?
Before Basil could even voice a "I'm really not that thirsty", Sunny had brought the glass of water to his mouth. Basil decided to drink the whole glass out of courtesy.
"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me or Sunny know," Mrs. S said.
Basil smiled. "Thank you, but—"
"I know you're nervous about having to move out of your home so quickly after something so terrible happening. I'm really sorry about the loss of your grandma."
"It's okay," Basil said even though he wasn't entirely sure.
"Maybe you want to stay a little while at your house in Faraway? We're going there in a few hours to move the rest of your stuff."
Basil didn't feel the need to stay very long at his grandma's house, especially if all his plants had already been moved out of there. He'd miss the place for sure, but he didn't want to take up any more of anyone else's time.
"Do you know what happened to Polly, my caretaker?" he asked.
"Your parents told me she's moved on to another job," Mrs. S answered.
Wha—? So quickly already?
"Ummm, okay," Basil said. "Did she leave anything behind for me?"
"I saw a note on the dining table, but I didn't read it."
"O—Okay, I'll take a look at it when I go to my house to pack up all my stuff."
"Alright. Once you're all ready to go, I'll drive you and Sunny over."
She turned at Sunny again. "Make sure he's doing okay, alright? I'm going to talk to the doctors to finalize some stuff."
"'Kay, mom."
Sunny's eyes flitted nervously towards Basil, then to his mom as she exited the room, then back at Basil again.
"No need to be polite," Sunny said. "Eat up! You must be hungry."
Sunny wasn't wrong, but Basil couldn't shake away the feeling that there was something off about the conversation between Sunny and his mom.
"Sunny, is everything okay between you and your mom?" Basil asked.
"She's just a little mad at me because I hit you so hard that you were out for six days while I was unconscious for only two."
"Ummm." Basil looked down at his food, feeling a little uncertain about eating yet. "She knows that I'm okay now, though?"
"Yeah, but you know my mom. She really doesn't like it when I lash out at others."
"But I stabbed out your eye..."
Sunny shook his head vigorously. "Don't worry about that, really!"
"Doesn't she...care?"
"I think she already forgave you. After all, she's willing to let you live with me!"
Basil averted his eyes. "Even if she forgives me, she probably still resents me deep down. I feel like a burden on you two. I'd just make your new home uncomfortable because she knows what I did to you. To Mari."
Sunny quickly reached out and grasped Basil's hands.
"You are not a burden," Sunny said. "I promise."
"But—"
"No buts. You are coming to live with me and that's final."
A light sparkled in Sunny's eye, and it was full of warmth and courage.
Seeing the way Sunny smiled so brightly at him, Basil felt relieved. A heavy pressure eased off of his shoulders.
Basil could not forgive himself yet for hurting Sunny's eye, no matter how much Sunny told him that it was okay. His hand had taken away half of Sunny's vision for life. Even if it had been an accident, he had stolen away something precious and irrecoverable from someone whom he loved so much.
He had to bear the burden of that guilt for a while before he could think about self-forgiveness.
I want to do something to help me forgive myself.
A new resolve grew within Basil, a resolve to be the person who could help Sunny ease back into life outside.
He remembered his grandma's words.
"Don't forget to water the flowers, or they'll wilt and die."
Those words weren't just about the necessity of watering flowers every day.
Those words embodied the importance of taking action when it was necessary, setting goals, and working towards those goals day by day.
Basil knew that he sometimes acted too much, took things too far.
But caring for someone who needed caring, showing kindness to a friend who felt sad and lonely, being there by their side through all their pain—
Those actions could never be wrong.
Basil had grown up from the person he'd been before. He was no longer a foolish child who believed that covering up a tragedy, sweeping all that pain and trauma under the rug, could be a good idea. The events of the past few days had taught him the importance of fully facing the truth.
You taught me that lesson, Sunny.
You confessed the truth to our friends, knowing that they might never forgive you.
You showed me how brave you were willing to be, to face the truth head on when I was so cowardly that I would rather have buried it in my grave.
A wet shimmer obscured Basil's vision.
I have to make it up to you.
The warm sparkle in Sunny's eyes gave Basil the strength to smile, to hold Sunny's hands with the new resolve that burned deep inside his heart.
You are the most important person now in my life, Sunny.
I'll protect you.
I want to make sure you achieve your fullest potential.
There was a long road ahead, a new home, a new school, a new life. And Basil resolved to be by Sunny's side at every step of the way.
Together, they would make some new and happy memories.
"Sunny, I know you don't want me to think of myself as a burden," Basil spoke softly. "But I want to do more—I want to be helpful to you! I want to—"
Basil heard a growl coming from his stomach.
"Take care of that first, okay?" Sunny replied, smiling.
"O—Okay..."
Basil blushed as he took out the food from the package that Sunny's mom had handed to him.
This is delicious. I really haven't eaten in many days, huh...
A few hours later, Sunny's mom returned to their room. By then Basil had satiated his hunger and gotten back on to his feet. He'd practiced standing and walking and jumping, confirming to himself that he felt okay. Though his bruises still hurt, he'd regained his sense of balance and the food provided energy again in his body.
"How are you doing, Basil?" Mrs. S asked.
"Pretty good. Can I still call you Mrs. S, by the way?"
"Sure you can! Are you ready to leave the hospital?"
"Yes, let's go."
"Alright. Sunny, help Basil walk downstairs. Make sure he doesn't fall."
That was a little excessive, but Sunny obeyed his mom and took Basil by the hand to support him as he walked out of his room.
I guess I don't mind holding your hand...
The doctors ran a few checkups on Basil to make sure that his health was alright before they checked him out of the hospital. Sunny gave Basil his green vest and brown shorts to wear, having anticipated that he couldn't walk out in a hospital robe.
Basil spent the rest of the day packing all his stuff in his house in Faraway. He really didn't have much to pack aside from some books, small furniture, utensils, gardening tools, clothes, blankets, bedsheets, and a pillow. The rest of the stuff belonged to his parents and, according to Sunny's mom, they'd take care of moving that out after the house was sold.
He found the note Polly had left him and saw that it was a letter of goodbye with some best wishes for the future, alongside a phone number to contact her.
Thanks, Polly.
I know I wasn't the easiest to take care of and I appreciate everything you did for me.
I'll call you later to express my gratitude and my apologies.
Once Basil's belongings were all loaded into the car—it really did all fit in the trunk—they drove onto the road out of Faraway and towards the city that would become their new home.
By the time they got on the highway, it was already late in the afternoon, and Sunny's functioning eye started to look rather sleepy. Sunny's head dipped as he began to nod off.
Basil felt something heavy in his chest as he gazed at Sunny.
I feel so much sorrow for you.
Sunny had lost his sister, and now he had lost his eye.
Having missed school for four years, he was no doubt behind in life compared to everyone else at his age and would need to do a lot of work to catch up. Not to mention all the trouble that might come in the future due to neglecting his health—Sunny's bony arms and weak thin frame confirmed his own words that he slept in bed literally all day for all those years.
Basil felt a responsibility to take care of Sunny. He would be kind to Sunny, he would teach Sunny how to care for himself, and he would protect Sunny from anyone or anything that tried to hurt him in the city or at school.
I'll stay by your side from now on, always.
Just as those thoughts went through his head, Basil heard Sunny stirring, moving.
Sunny had fallen asleep beside him in the back seat of the car—
Basil blushed hard as Sunny leaned his head against Basil's shoulder, almost curling up against Basil with his delicate fingers wrapping softly around Basil's arm.
Their knees touched, Sunny's right leg reclining until it rested gently against Basil's.
Basil felt his heart beating quickly, but he didn't move out of this position. If Sunny wanted to take a nap against him, then he was all his.
The gentle orange evening light, a late summer sky with sparse clouds, the sight of streetlamps zooming by—
The mood of this picture, with Sunny breathing softly against his shoulder, unearthed feelings that had been buried deep inside Basil's heart.
Just like back then.
A small smile came over Basil's lips as those feelings made something in his chest feel very sweet and warm until his head felt all light, the world totally bright and colorful.
He was aware of those jittery knots forming inside his stomach, aware that he still very much loved and cared about his best friend...maybe in a way that meant he wanted to be more than just friends.
But would Sunny feel the same way towards me?
Basil remembered his resolve.
My objective is to take care of Sunny to make sure he gets the healing he deserves.
Whatever might come next of their relationship, he would comply fully with what Sunny wanted.
No matter what, I'll be there for you.
"I'm glad that you and Sunny are friends again," Mrs. S spoke quietly.
Basil blushed again when he realized that she had seen Sunny sleeping against him, could probably still see Sunny sleeping on him in the front mirror.
"Ummm..."
"You know, I wasn't sure at first how I felt about bringing you to live with me and Sunny in our new home," she went on. "I was worried that the two of would have trouble getting along with each other."
A hearty laugh escaped her lips. "But I'm glad to see that you two still care about each other. These past four years have been really hard on Sunny—and I'm sure they've been hard on you, too. I'm just happy to see that Sunny still has a friend to be there for him...he has such a hard time making new friends."
Hearing all those kind words directed at him, Basil didn't even know how to respond. "Th—Thank you?"
"I should be thanking you for going along with such a sudden change to your life," she said. "Basil, if there's anything you need from me or Sunny, really, don't be afraid to ask."
It wasn't my choice to begin with, but...
I admit that I'm really liking this arrangement.
"Thanks, Mrs. S. And don't worry, I'll take care of Sunny for you! I'll make sure he doesn't feel so lonely or sad again!"
She just nodded and smiled.
Wait...did I say too much?
I think she's happy with me, though.
Basil still couldn't understand how Mrs. S had forgiven him already for taking out her son's eye.
Regardless, he would begin to atone for it now by doing whatever he needed to do to take care of Sunny, to make Sunny healthy and happy again.
Let's start a new life together.
Sweet feelings filled Basil's heart as Sunny gently stirred against him. Sunny made no attempt to move his head from Basil's shoulder, still holding Basil's arm with his soft fingers.
Their car rode off into the night towards the bright, nightless city.