章 8: Brothers, Tears, I Love You Goodbye
Sasuke wasn't able to see Mei after that day or ever again.
It was the day after Christmas when all the festive vibe had been spent. A jarring chill blew through the air; snow rained from a morose sky.
Saaya's message arrived, notifying him of Mei's bad reaction to therapy that saw to her untimely passing.
He had just finished lunch with his parents. Without thinking and unlike him, he dropped his chores and ran out of the house. Pushing his grief-filled runs in an aimless direction until he found himself at the plaza's quiet courtyard where he had shared Switch's message with Mei.
He collapsed on a park bench and cried into his hands. It was his fault. If he hadn't made her sprint after Bossun. If he had let his president take her home. They wouldn't have made out and she wouldn't have spent all her energy on him.
'Mei,' he choked on his tears. Overwhelming emotion pained his heart, which threatened to break beyond repair.
The snow turned into torrential rain, pouring their weight of grief on him.
He curled himself up on the bench and closed his eyes; his mind replayed her happy smiles, her boisterous wonder at the simple pleasures of life and the kisses they shared. She would never experience them again because he had stolen them from her.
'I'm a horrible boy,' he berated himself and allowed the rain to numb his body. He didn't care if he died. It was a fitting punishment.
Tsubaki...
Distant calling sailed into his ears.
'Go away,' he hissed and turned away from the sound.
Tsubaki! Where are you?
His ears twitched at the persistent call. It was too late. His body had turned icy-numb so he wasn't able to feel his limbs anymore.
'TSUBAKI!' Bossun called out to his brother and panicked when he saw Sasuke was unconscious and the color of his skin almost void of warmth.
'TSUBAKI! Oi wake up!' he cursed at his stubborn brother, vigorously shaking his shoulders. Sasuke wasn't responding.
Making a quick decision, he lifted his brother into his arms and carried him into the plaza, to the nearest chemist where he found a copy of the aftershave Shinba had gifted his brother, for sale.
He grabbed the vial, carefully flipped the lid and swayed it under his brother's nose, hoping it would revive his senses the way it did for Himeko.
Bossun wasn't aware of the curious glances directed his way, as passersby found an unconscious boy in the arms of another interesting.
'Come on Tsubaki! Come back to us,' he cursed into Sasuke's ear and breathed out a sigh of relief when his brother's eyes fluttered open.
Sasuke went into a coughing fit when he inhaled more of the foul aftershave.
Bossun closed the vial and discreetly pushed it to the back of the shelf. He carried a semiconscious Sasuke out of the chemist before more plaza shop folk could throw their pitchforks at him.
'Fujisaki! W-what you doing?' Sasuke asked through a cough.
Bossun release him as they filled up space on a bench away from people. He was relieved to see life return to his brother's cheeks. Without thinking, he pulled his brother in a heartfelt hug.
'Hey! Oi, Fujisaki! Get off me,' Sasuke weakly cursed.
'Nah. I'll get off you if you promise not to scare me like that again,' Bossun blurted.
He suddenly realized his embarrassed words and released Sasuke instinctively. 'Is what Himeko said that I'm passing onto you.'
'Eh? Why would Onizuka say something like that?' Sasuke quizzed Bossun suspiciously.
He sighed realising a fact that his brother did care for him. His mind wandered to questions on why he was there?
'Fujisaki, what you doing here?'
Bossun stared him in the eye with firm resolve. 'I was arguing with Rumi at home when I felt a breaking feeling in my heart; a horrible feeling I haven't felt before. My mind was suddenly filled with you and that Mei girl. That's when I received Saaya's message about that girl's passing. I felt I had to find you.'
A torrent of tears poured out of Sasuke's eyes. Bossun pulled his head to his chest; hiding Sasuke's face from the outside world.
'You listen to me brother. Mei's passing was not your fault. She knew she was going to die it was a matter of when. What you both shared was happiness right?'
Sasuke nodded his head.
'Then she left the world with good feelings that you gave her.'
Sasuke pulled away and wiped off his tears that had subsided a little. His face was a mess with grief and guilt.
'Here. Candy to make you better,' Bossun handed him a chuppa-chump with a childish grin.
Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as he undid the wrapper and shoved the sweet in his mouth. He gagged when he tasted an off liver-fish oil flavor. His brother had handed him one of Himeko's Pelollipops. Rage reclaimed his senses. He threw the Pelollipop at his brother's head. It found itself stuck on a tuft.
'What the hell Tsubaki?! After I'm trying to be nice to you! Get this off me,' Bossun cursed and cried out with pain as he struggled to pull the sticky lollipop off his hair.
'Fine,' Sasuke sighed and yanked the pop off, causing his brother to squeal at the sharp pain he felt at his hair's roots.
Sasuke suppressed a laugh at his brother's comical ranting. He was glad Bossun had found him and pulled him back from his void of depressive thoughts. Although, he would never tell him that.
He felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket and pulled it out. His heart sunk again when he saw an unopened message from Mei. He was sure it wasn't there when he left home. Maybe he had accidentally set it to unread.
'Are you going to read that?' Bossun asked over his shoulder.
Sasuke sighed. He started the motions of opening the message but thought against it. It was a message for him alone. He had to face it alone.
'No. I better get home.' Sasuke pocketed his phone and stood to leave.
'Hey, why don't you come to dinner? Mum's gone crazy with food again,' Bossun invited Sasuke.
'Nah. I've got to go back and apologize to my parents. Maybe catch up for dinner later,' Sasuke declined and started his way out of the plaza.
He paused and turned to Bossun who was watching him leave.
'Thanks Fujisaki for reviving me.'
'Shouldn't you say thanks Nii-san?' Bossun said soberly.
'Humph. Maybe one day in your dreams,' Sasuke said as he turned to leave, and waved goodbye.
Few hours had passed when he returned home and made his way into the kitchen-dining area where his parents were seated.
'Tadaima,' he breathed out with an awkward sigh.
Neither of his parents asked why he ran off. Instead, they fussed over him with leftovers and left him to his own devices. He knew they were being careful and keeping an eye on his well being.
Sasuke cursed at his irresponsible actions. He hated himself for making his parents worry but felt he wasn't able to control the reaction at the time. As much as it was a terrible moment, he did feel better for getting his emotions out.
'If my brother wasn't there for me - ' He brushed the thought aside and pulled out his phone.
He entered his room and closed himself in. When he was lying on his bed, he felt brave enough to open her mail.
To Sasuke my love,
I wanted to thank you for the wonderful time we shared together. The moment you and your Sket Dan friends walked into my life, it was the moment I felt most alive.
I was very lucky to have met you while I was still a girl and share many firsts with you.
My first date, first kiss and the first taste of adventure.
You lived up to my ideal image of a perfect gentleman and genuinely caring person.
I fell in love with you at first sight. So you can imagine my happiness when my feelings were returned.
I want you to know, what happens to me now has nothing to do with our time together.
Please don't ever blame yourself for what occurs to me afterwards.
I will always carry your kindness and love in my heart forever no matter where my final destination is.
I pray one day fate allows us the chance to meet again in another life.
Please keep living, loving special people and smiling on for me in this one; continue to be generous with your heart.
I love you but this is goodbye.
XXOXX
Mei.
Sasuke choked back his tears that fell to his cheeks on their own accord. He rested his phone on the charger at his desk and stretched out on his bed.
'Continue to be generous huh?' he whispered to the ceiling.
Did he just receive both a breakup and a last message of a dying person text at the same time?
'It's a first for me too.'
He closed his eyes and started thinking about his President and Saaya. Wondering what they thought of him in light of their cousin's death. As if picking up on their vibe, he sensed his phone vibrating with an incoming message. He saw one from Sōjirō and read it. It was brief but to the point. Sasuke felt relieved.
You treasured her to the end didn't you? As expected from you Tsubaki. I'm sorry she's gone but glad her last moments were the happiest. It's all because of you. Thank you for giving her that treasured gift. See you at school in a week.
A weight lifted from his heart. For the first time that day, a smile lifted his face at the thought of Mei. Their time would always be a memory he would treasure.
'No thank you Mei for giving me a gift of love,' he voiced and opened another email from Sōjirō.
His smile widen when it was a picture of him and Mei talking to each other in a bookstore. Sōjirō had captured a moment where their eyes were locked on each other and bodies leaning in for intimate contact.
'Aah, crap so President already knew,' Sasuke laughed and decided it was time to get up and do some t-shirt designs.
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