Tsukishima Emiko was walking along the hallway of the hospital. Her long blonde hair was swaying side to side from her ponytail every time she took a step.
Soon, she stopped in front of a door for room 116. Beside it was a small note that told those passing by who was inside the room and which doctor was handling the patient.
Tsukishima Kei
Tsukishima Emiko
Emiko smiled softly as she looked at the man on the hospital bed. His blond hair was lighter now, some of them even had gray streaks now.
"Hey Dad, it's Emi."
The young adult sat beside him and brought out some pictures.
"I saw this around the house. I thought we should look at it together?"
Emiko started flipping through the pictures. There were various kinds of pictures. It had pictures of the two of them while Emiko was still younger. There were also pictures of Kei when he himself was only around his teens.
"Uncle Tadashi told me about this," Emiko said, showing Kei one of the pictures. "This was a picture of your team during your first year. He pointed out how this girl right here became your girlfriend. She's really pretty, Dad. You had good standards."
Kei only groaned as Emiko continued to flip through the photos.
"I heard what happened to her. If things didn't go that way, do you think she would've ended up as my mother?"
Emiko smiled at the picture and gave off a short-lived giggle.
"Well, if you ended up with her you might've not adopted me. Besides, it's not like I really needed a mom. I knew you wanted to give me a mom as well, but I was okay with just us two Dad."
The young Tsukishima smiled at Kei before tucking the photos back to her pocket.
"I'll put this away now. Do you want to listen to some music?"
Once again, Kei only groaned.
"I'll put in your favorite."
Once the soft music started playing, Emiko watched her father while her arms were crossed in front of her chest.
He really wasn't her father- or at least biological. But he was every bit of a father he could be despite the missing blood connection.
Because of their blond hair, people often assumed that Kei had just lost Emiko's mother when in fact, Emiko was just adopted.
Kei never really had a definite reason why he adopted Emiko. He always just told her that when he saw her for the first time, he felt an immediate connection with her as a baby.
Emiko had always felt just how loved she was by her father and she was always thankful that she ended up being adopted by him.
They were happy despite being only two. However, it all changed five years ago when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
It wasn't quick. The disease just slowly killed him off. But still, it pained Emiko to watch her father slowly wither away.
He was at his final stage. He was barely talking now. And worst of all, because of the decline in brain functions, food ended up getting in his windpipe instead of his esophagus. This led to an infection.
Emiko knew he was suffering and she didn't want to watch it anymore.
"Hey Dad," she said, approaching Kei. "You don't have to keep on fighting for me. If you're tired, it's okay. I'm a big girl now, I can handle myself. I promise."
But like always, Kei only groaned.
●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○
"Tsukishima-san!" Someone shouted.
Emiko's head turned towards the nurse calling her attention.
"Your father!"
Emiko's eyes widened. The young blonde rushed towards the room and heard the beeping of her father's heart monitor fall flat.
He was gone.
"Tsukishima-san."
"It's okay. Let's let him rest already. Please record the time of death at 1:06 pm."
"Okay," the nurse said before excusing herself.
Emiko walked forward and smiled at her father.
"I hope you feel better now," she said, not knowing if he still can hear her.
But he did. Because he was just beside her as something she can't see- as a spirit.
"I am, Emiko."
Tsukishima Kei smiled at his daughter.
"Took you long enough," someone said.
Kei turned his head and with wide eyes, he called out the person.
"[Name]."
"To be exact, it took you forty-eight years," [Name] said, grinning.
The blond wrapped his arms around her and smiled.
"I missed you."
"I'm sure you did. Especially when you couldn't remember me," [Name] joked once Kei had pulled back.
"Wait. Speaking of that, I'm back to looking like how I did in my twenties. Why?" Kei asked while he looked at his arms.
"It kinda works like that. You can choose what age you want to be in the afterlife. Ah, but the thing is your life is the range. So even in death, I can't be an old woman," [Name] said, pouting.
Kei only chuckled at her. It seems that even despite the long time she has been dead, none of her childish antics have faded away.
"Anyway, that's her right? The one who fulfilled your promise." [Name] said.
"Emiko?" Kei asked.
"Yeah. The one you ended up loving more than me."
"Yeah," Kei said, smiling at the young blonde who couldn't see them. "I don't think I ever loved anyone more than her even if she isn't my actual daughter."
"I'm happy for you," [Name] said. "You found it. The love that trumps all you ever experienced."
"Did you know?" the blond asked.
"Know what?"
"That the only person I'll love more than you will be my child?"
"Oh?" [Name] said. "No. I hoped you'd have a partner as well, but it seemed like you were really unlucky in that part. God, I hope I didn't jinx your lovelife just because you started with me."
The two laughed as they remembered all the failed relationships Kei had after [Name]. It wasn't that Kei looked for [Name] in them. It was just that they always ended up falling out of love sooner or later— like most failed relationships.
"I guess no one could really keep up with how spontaneous and caring you were," Kei said.
"Oh? I'm honored." [Name] said, her hand on her chest.
The two smiled at each other before looking at Emiko once again who was just walking out the door.
"So, what happens now?" Kei asked.
"Well, what do you want to happen?" [Name] asked in return.
"I don't know. This is my first time being dead, you know?"
The [h/c]-haired girl giggled at him before giving him a smile and grabbing his hand.
"From now on, tomorrow is not a question anymore. It'll come everyday and soon turn to yesterday. The only question left is, are you ready to go?"
"As long as it's with you, then I am," Kei said, squeezing her hand in his.
"You don't know how long I waited to hear that again."
"Let me guess. Forty-eight years?" Kei said, smirking at her.
"Yeah," [Name] said, giggling.
"Well," Kei said, placing his hand on her cheek as he put his own forehead against hers. "You don't have to wait anymore."
"I'm glad."
Once again, they were hand in hand as they watched the horizon beyond the hospital window.
What happened next? Only the two of them knew.
All it mattered was, this time, they finally got their happy end.