章 1: The Leaves of Time

San Gabriel Hospital.

In front of the windows on the second floor of this hospital, a majestic Sakura tree unfolded its splendor with grace. Everyone could see how its delicate pink flowers danced with the breeze and the wind. However, in a poignant symbolism, its branches began to undress, leaving behind a tapestry of leaves that witnessed the change of season and the fragility of life, providing a bitter reminder for those who observed this tree from the inside every day.

"When the leaves of that tree dry up, I will die..." A thirteen-year-old boy with a sickly complexion and straight hair named Dash looked at the Sakura tree with bitter memories.

Dash knew he was going to die. He would prefer to do it faster than agonize in this desolate place, but taking his own life was something he didn't want to do. After years of being here, it had become a challenge for him. He wanted to know how far he could live with his body on the verge of collapse.

Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving – all the time he had spent in the hospital, and to be honest, he was indifferent to it all. Dash's parents didn't visit him often as they were busy with their jobs, dedicating the little time they had to their healthy siblings. He, on the contrary, was forgotten in the hospital.

For many, Dash's personality might seem boring, but none of the fools who could opine knew his situation. The illness tormenting him was called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and theoretically, he should be wearing a mask to help him breathe, but he secretly took it off whenever he could.

This incurable and progressive disease affects the lungs. Doctors explained to Dash that in this devastating disorder, healthy lung tissue is gradually replaced by scar tissue, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly. As a result, respiratory capacity decreases over time, causing difficulty in breathing and ultimately leading to respiratory failure.

Although treatments can be applied to alleviate some symptoms, there is no definitive cure, making IPF a formidable and terminal disease. Dash believed that one day he would get new lungs, but he was not compatible with any of the available options.

"Cough* Cough* Cough*" Dash tried to hold his stomach that hurt every time he coughed. The sensation of suffocation and weakness tortured him every day. Living this way was truly madness.

A nurse who saw Dash at the window quickly approached him and notified through a radio: "Needs medical attention, possible code blue."

"Damn lungs, I was born with second-hand ones..." Dash thought, joking about his own misfortunes. All that was left for him was to be optimistic, although he was angry at feeling weak and seeing others squander things he urgently needed.

"Dash, try to stabilize your breathing... For God's sake, I've told you a thousand times not to take off the breathing mask, do you want to die?" The nurse, named Patricia, scolded Dash, who took off the mask every chance he got.

With red eyes from coughing so much, Dash glanced at the nurse and muttered, "I guess I'm now sure that I can't live without the mask. Am I in the terminal phase?"

"The day will come when you have the chance to have new lungs, so you must stay strong to experience a better life outside these ugly walls."

"I'll die when the leaves of the Sakura tree fall, so I've resigned myself to that..." Dash thought as he closed his eyes and focused on catching his breath.

The only good thing about all this is that he wouldn't cry over a stupid relationship, wouldn't worry about fitting into society, and would never cry about being beaten by some bullies in high school like in the movies. The only torture was what he saw through the window – he saw the seasons change, but his world was suspended on the fragile thread of hope.

Dash was not only bitter, but loneliness also intertwined with him with every forced inhalation, while fleeting visitors provided temporary solace that, from experience, were mostly false.

When will he die?

That's the question Dash asks himself every day – when will he finally be able to rest? Perhaps many breathe easily, especially his parents who have tried to forget that they have a sick son to worry about. He doesn't blame them; Dash simply blames himself for being unlucky.

But the times of silently crying cannot be stopped; he cried every night without stopping, and the worst part was that he didn't know why. Tears simply flowed from his eyes, but he felt nothing but longing.

"I wanted to know how strong a body could be; I had watched incredible television series where the human body was pushed to its limits time and time again. Breathing deeply and filling the lungs with air was something I had forgotten; my weak lungs had prevented me from doing so for a while.

When you feel sick, you appreciate your body; the face becomes indifferent only when you understand that the value of health is all that matters. As you age, you stop caring about who is more handsome than the other; at least in this aspect, Dash had matured.

"I want to have a girlfriend to protect... Damn it, in this pitiful state, I couldn't even protect myself." Dash stared at the dark ceiling of his room, and that night, he cried without stopping until he fell asleep.

In the end, those were his days over and over again.

...

"Patricia, take me to see that Sakura tree since the weather is nice," Dash said while watching the Karate Kid movie, the one made in 2010 that many insisted was Kung Fu and not karate. Well, the promotion of the movies it was inspired by is nice, and the money earned from it is interesting enough to become that. But once again, these senseless things didn't matter to Dash.

"At least that way, you'll stop doing silly things for a while," Patricia said as she helped Dash onto a wheelchair, where she had also placed a small oxygen tank.

After a long journey, Dash had been taken to the Sakura tree, which was almost without any of its beautiful leaves. As he understood, the Sakura tree, or cherry blossom, holds deep meaning in Japanese culture that Dash had researched after wasting time. And what he had learned is that it represents ephemeral beauty and the transience of life.

Cherry blossoms, beautiful but fleeting, symbolize impermanence and the idea that life is beautiful but brief. This symbolism has influenced philosophy and art, reminding of the importance of appreciating each moment and finding beauty in the transience of existence. The lush blooming of cherry blossoms in spring is also associated with renewal and hope, but Dash no longer has hope.

"Hope is what I lost a long time ago," Dash murmured as he looked at that beautiful tree, which, from one moment to another, lost more and more leaves with the powerful wind.

Dash, who sensed that the end had come, found it increasingly difficult to breathe, even with the mask. His eyes focused on the last leaf of the Sakura tree, and he tried to smile.

Ding-ding!

At that moment, Patricia checked the message she had received, and as Dash's guardian, she quickly said, "I told you, they found good lungs for you, Dash; you are compatible."

"In the end, it's painful to die without anyone who really loves me by my side..." That was Dash's last thought as crystal tears streamed down his eyes. At that moment, alongside the fall of the last leaf of the Sakura tree, Dash had died with a slight discomfort.

Patricia, who knew that Dash's condition had relapsed, quickly sent him to the emergency room, but no matter how hard they tried to revive him, Dash, who had given up his will to live, did not open his eyes again.

But unbeknownst to Dash, this was not his last chance to see life with new eyes.