🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙
Weeks past since Hinata was sent to America. No one had heard from Momiji who had locked himself inside his house.
When Tohru had called Hana, she told her that Megumi had locked himself in his room and she could barely convince him to come out to eat, and when she could, his face was similar to hers before she met Tohru.
Tohru tried several times to visit both Momiji and Megumi but was inevitably met with silence.
Tohru may be an airhead but even she could tell that Hinata had a crush on Momiji and vice versa. When Hana told her that Megumi too had a crush on Hinata, it surprised her at first before she wondered how she missed it and felt heavier in her heart, just another person to feel the pain.
🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰
Momiji sat in his empty, cold house. His violin case collecting dust in the corner, surrounded by wilted red leaves that probably fell from a tree. It was fall after all.
In front of him sat the note, unopened and worn from gentle touches.
His cheeks and eyes were shiny with long dried tears that never seemed to dry.
Everyday was spent the same.
Eat. Stare. Bathe. Sleep.
He couldn't find it in himself to do anything else.
Everything else he did reminded him of her.
It was as if the world was laughing at him, maybe it was. He really was pathetic.
If she was here, she would've smacked some sense into him. She would have yelled at him for being depressed but then listened to him cry and rant before comforting him, then she would gently pick him up again. Because that was just who she was.
But she wasn't here anymore?
Was she?
Momiji chuckled bitterly, no more tears to drip down. He had already cried them all.
He didn't move when they called for him, trying to break down his door but stopped by Tohru.
He didn't respond when Akito taunted him from the windows.
He only cried when Tohru tried to call him out.
He didn't blink when he heard Tohru had confessed to Kyo.
He was strangely empty with only a bit of worry when he heard Tohru was in the hospital but going to be fine.
He just stared down at the note, tied by her plastic Nutmeg Geranium.
He couldn't bring himself to open it.
What if it confirmed his worst fears and described her hate for him?
"Momiji-nii?" He heard a voice call from the hallway of his home.
Momiji cursed himself for forgetting to lock the door after throwing out his trash.
"Oi, we know you are here, now tell us what the hell is going on?" He heard a small boys voice say in frustration.
Momiji stood up on shaky legs that hadn't moved in hours.
He slowly walked out of his bedroom and into the hall.
"Momiji-nii, why are you sad?" Kisa asked in confusion of his red eyes that he had spent days wiping tears away from.
"Some...thing very bad happened." He forced out, choked and scratchy.
Kisa blinked up innocently confused while Hiro looked at him with dread. As if he knew what happened and only needed him to confirm it.
"Where's Hinata-nee?" She asked.
Momiji flinched at her name.
He couldn't bring himself to think much less hear her name, it tore open his fresh scars.
Before he knew it, a tear slipped down his cheek.
Kisa paled.
"What...what happened to Hinata-nee? Where...where is she?!" She demanded, standing up, tiger stripes beginning to imprint on her skin, her eyes narrowed similar to that of a cat and her ears perked up.
"She doesn't know...who any of us are anymore." Momiji whispered behind his hand.
Kisa shook her head slowly while Hiro looked down, hiding his face with his hands.
"No, no. Hinata-nee wouldn't just leave us like that! She told me she would always take care of us! Hinata-nee never breaks her promises." She cried out.
"Kisa-" Hiro tried but was interrupted.
"She didn't have a choice." Momiji closed his eyes,"Akito made Hatori take away her memories and her last living family took her to America."
Kisa glared weakly at him under her watery eyes.
"Stop that!"
Momiji blinked and stared down at the smaller girl who had the ferociousness of a tiger at that moment.
"Stop what? She didn't want to leave but she had too."
"Stop calling Hinata-nee, she and her. Hinata-nee is Hina-chan, Hina, Hinata, or Heart Girl! Not she!"
Momiji stepped back with a flinch.
"Stop acting like you're...you're okay with this! The Momiji-nii I know wouldn't have dissolved into his room, crying, Momiji-nii would be there telling everyone that Hinata-nee was coming back, that you would get married like you were supposed to! Not...not this. Not bringing my nightmare from the beach to life." Kisa sniffled and Hiro sighed and pushed his hair back.
"Kisa tells me you are a great "nii-chan" but honestly I don't see it. If you love something you let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be. So hurry up and quit moping. Hinata is already going to smack you when she hears about this. Don't make it worse." Kisa looked at Hiro in awe and he blushed and scratched his head.
"J-Just think about that!" He glared before dragging Kisa out.
Momiji stared for a long time before he smiled and laughed.
"They're right. What am I doing?" He said to the empty home.
"What would say if you saw me now Heart Girl?" He smiled as his shoulders shook.
That was right. Hinata wasn't a she or a her.
Hinata was his happiness.
Hinata was his sunflower.
Hinata was his light.
Hinata was his hope.
His hope that the world wasn't as bad as it seemed, his hope that he could love, his hope that he could be with her, his hope that he could be happy.
And he sure as hell wasn't going to give that up.
Not now, not ever.
🐰🍙🐲🚫🐶🐭🐱🐯🐑🐮
"Momiji!" Tohru cried in relief, throwing her arms around him.
Poof!
She froze and stared in horror. The others had similar looks of shock. Momiji stared blankly with his tinier eyes as Tohru began to look for an explanation.
"Why...why did he change?!" She cried.
"Honda, please calm down. Momiji, Hiro, Kisa, Kagura and my situation is much different from everyone else." Hatori said from his seat.
"But the curse...we broke it." She whispered.
"You broke half of it." Hatori shook his head.
"What do you mean?" Yuki frowned.
"Honda showed Kyo, Yuki, Akito, Shigure, Ayame, and Hatsuharu a way to leave the curse. She grew close with each of them and carved a path. But the same could be said for Hinata-san. She was close to Yuki and Hatsuharu, but she ground the path for Kisa, Hiro, Kagura, Momiji, and yes, even me. But in order for the spirits that inhabit us to leave, we must see the person to ground everything out and let the spirits walk to the feast, waiting for the next inhabitants."
"So you are saying..." Kyo broke off.
"As long as Hinata is gone and doesn't remember us, we will be stuck with our spirit."
Poof!
"Momiji, I'm so sorry. I wasn't right in my mind. I'm sorry I made him took away Hinata." Akito said, wearing a dress and hairpin standing next to Shigure as if, he, no she, didn't do anything wrong.
Momiji stood up, shoulders trembling. Pure anger in his usually warm chocolate eyes.
"You...you don't get to say her name." He snarled.
"Momiji, you can't blame Akito-" Shigure began.
"I can't blame her for taking away my best friend? For taking away my freedom?" He laughed bitterly.
"I-I've forgiven her Momiji." Tohru spoke up.
"Really? Well I will never forgive her as long as Hinata doesn't know her past." Momiji said coldly.
"You are being unreasonable." Shigure protested.
"I guess that would be easy for you to say. You are free. You have the person you love. What do I have left?" He asked, anger clear in his voice.
"I'm sorry." Akito whispered.
"As soon as Hinata remembers her past I'll forgive you." Momiji repeated, turning and walking out of the room.
🐰🌻🐰🌻🐰🌻🐰🌻🐰🌻🐰🌻
He slowly went back to his room and picked up the note before opening it with shaky hands.
Dear Bunny Boy,
I'm sorry I scared you in the forest. Just when we were going to watch a movie too! Funny how the world works sometimes, huh? Anyway, that's not what I wanted to tell you.
Hatori is here to take away my memories. I know you Momiji, after this you're going to turn into a hermit.
Listen here, while I'm gone, you are going to be the amazing person everyone loves and all the girls want to date. Because that's the Momiji I know.
The kind, sweet, considerate, playful, caring, lovable boy I was blessed to meet.
I don't regret meeting you, befriending you, holding you, encouraging you, but most of all, I'll never regret falling in love with you. I never wanted to tell you, I knew you wouldn't feel the same. So I watched and I smiled even though it hurt, it was worth it to see you so happy.
Don't you dare think this is a goodbye Bunny Boy. I'm not done making your life a living hell yet. I wanted to do so much more with you. We never did go see the sunrise again. If anything, that is my one regret. Not watching the sun rise and scare away the dark. Casting hope for a new day.
Momiji, if I could ask one thing of you, it would be please don't forget me. I'm scared, of being forgotten. Like I never existed. So please, please don't forget about me? I know I'm not the most memorable person but if anything, don't forget.
You changed my life without even trying.
So thank you Bunny Boy.
And just know, this isn't the end.
Nutmeg Geranium, do you know what they mean? Expect to see me soon.
Until we meet again,
Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you,
Until we meet again.
Goodbye, but not really, Bunny Boy!
From Heart Girl
Momiji's shoulders shook with suppressed sobs.
He smiled up at the black ceiling as tears streamed down his face.
"I'll miss you, until we meet again...my Heart Girl."
🐰🐶🐰🐶🐰🐶🐰🐶🐰🐶🐰🐶
Shigure stood and looked at his old house.
Memories. So many memories.
Shigure smiled sadly and turned to Momiji.
"Why did you call me here?" He asked, his eyes staring at a window, as if expecting the bright girl to peek through and smile, welcoming him inside.
"Momiji, Akito needs to be with me. I need to stay by her side. So that means I have to sell this home. Yuki cannot be trusted to live alone and Kyo and Tohru will be traveling as their home." He smiled wearily.
"You can't!" Momiji shouted before flinching. "Please. You can't."
"That was before I realized, there was still you." Shigure patted his head.
Momiji stared with confused eyes.
"I want to give this home to you. If you can deal with Yuki of course, but I know how much this place means to you."
Momiji's eyes watered as he nodded, happy that he could at least keep this one part of Hinata.
🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰
Momiji say on the bed, the room seemed cold and empty without dear air-headed Tohru and sarcastic, kind Hinata.
Momiji vaguely saw something glint on the nightstand.
He gently picked it up and read the note.
This was hers. I know she would want you to keep it until she came back.
Love, Tohru
Momiji slid the bracelet between his fingers, a charm bracelet that held each zodiac that fell across his palm.
He closed his eyes and smiled. Hinata was right.
Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you,
Until we meet again!