Hanako gazed anxiously out the window as the metro she was in hurtled towards the station. It had been nine months since she hurriedly left Yamaku Academy for a small mental institution. Nine long, sad months away from everyone she loved- Lilly, Akira…and Hisao. She could feel a sharp pain in her chest as she recalled the way she had left without notice. She had left without any means of contacting her, but her doctor had reassured her that such drastic measures were for the best. She gave a small sigh as she remembered the event which had spurred this whole awful chain reaction…
It was a snowy evening. Hanako and Hisao were cuddled up in his dorm as they studied for the science final together. The term was drawing to a close and finals were coming up soon. She was curled up in his bed while she read her notes. He was at his desk as he filled out the review packet Mutou had given the class to prepare for the exam. Tired from reading the dull science notes, Hanako set her notebook down on the bed. She watched her boyfriend jot down notes onto the study guide.
Hisao looked up at her after a few minutes of writing, sensing her inquisitive gaze upon him. "Hanako, is something the matter?" he asked with concern as he capped his pen and closed his textbook. It wasn't like her to just stop reading, even if the reading was dry physics notes. "Are you stuck on something?"
"N-No…" She shook her head as she moved off the bed, feeling her stiff legs rejoice from the movement after such a long period of sitting. "I…I finished…th-the chapter…on fluid mechanics…" She smiled bashfully at him. "H-Hey…um…D-Do you…Do you w-wanna go f-for a walk…i-in the snow…? I'm f-feeling drowsy…f-from sitting for…s-so long…"
He sat there for a moment as he weighed in his mind how much work he had left to do. It wasn't much, he could afford to take a small break. And the snow could give him the perfect opportunity to give Hanako her Christmas present. He smiled up at her, "Yeah, let's go outside. I'm starting to feel a little drained from all this cramming."
Silent, the couple bundled up to brave the chilly and snowy outside together. The silence wasn't uncomfortable at all for either of them, it seemed more like an old friend than a wedge between them. Finally, they were both ready to go on their walk. Hanako put her mittened hand into Hisao's, smiling more broadly than usual. She loved the cold, snow was her favorite weather. Hisao was a little more reluctant to go outside when it was cold enough for snow. He would prefer to stay indoors with hot chocolate and cuddle. They walked around the grounds, just enjoying the winter wonderland surrounding them. Few other students were outside. The final exams started the next day, so most people were studying inside their nice, warm dorms.
They walked to the forest behind the school and stopped, looking around and admiring the fresh snow on the trees. Hisao and Hanako stood like this for several silent minutes before he decided to break the silence. "Hey, Hana?" His free hand reached inside his coat pocket. He fingered the small jewelry box he had managed to slip into his pocket when Hanako was busy tying up her snow boots.
"Y-Yeah…?" She looked up at him, wondering what he was thinking. She had been busy marveling at the crisp, pure white snow. Hanako would have forgotten Hisao had come with her if it hadn't been for his hand enveloping hers, keeping it warm. She wondered for a brief moment what he was going to say, hoping it wasn't something too intense. She had only been dating Hisao for six months now. Although she was sure she loved him, she knew they were both far too young for any kind of huge commitment.
"We've been dating a while now. Even though I know we're exclusive, I wanted to get you something. Sort of a half-year anniversary present." He fumbled around in his pocket, inwardly cursing his mittens for making it hard to grab things. He finally got out the small box and opened it to her, revealing a small silver band. "It's not an engagement ring!" He rushed to reassure her, noticing the panicked expression on her face. "It's a promise ring. I promise to always be here for you, Hanako. No matter what. I love you, Hana."
She smiled as she let him take off her mitten and slip the ring onto her right ring finger. She was trying not to show how freaked out she had been at first. "I…I love y-you, too, Hisao…" She gave him a small peck on the cheek and admired the promise ring. "I-It's pretty…"
"I'm glad you like it, I know you're not into jewelry all that much." With a sheepish grin, Hisao scratched the back of his head as he spoke. "These past six months have been amazing, and I wanted to show you how much I love you." He leaned down and stole a light kiss from her.
She returned the kiss with a gentle one and smiled up at him. "I…I'm h-happy…t-to have met you…" She reached for his hand as they started to head back to the dorms. As they strolled through the grounds, Hanako noticed a group of students from their year having a snowball fight. She walked a little closer to Hisao. Despite making great strides in coming out of her shell since she started dating Hisao, she still found herself shying away from groups bigger than two or three people.
Hisao smiled at her in an attempt to reassure her. "It's okay, Hana. I'm here with you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. He blushed faintly when she returned his smile bashfully. She wrapped her arm around his waist and nestled into his side.
They were getting closer to the group throwing snowballs by now. Hisao saw a flash of hot pink hair peeking out from under a ski cap and recognized who was in the group at once. There was no mistaking Misha Mikado, Shizune Hakamichi, and Miki Miura. He wasn't surprised to see Misha and Shizune outnumbering Miki. The two Student Council members were inseparable. He waved at the three girls, who noticed him and waved back. He watched Misha sign something to Shizune before bounding up to him and Hanako. Her trademark beam was plastered all over her face.
"Hey, Hicchan~! Hi, Hanako~!" she greeted them, the jubilance bubbling from her voice. Hisao glanced down at Hanako to see her giving Misha a forced smile. Misha, oblivious to the discomfort her volume was causing Hanako, continued. "Wanna come play with us~? It's just Miki against me and Shicchan, it would be a lot more fun if you joined us~!"
"I don't think we should, Hanako and I have some studying to do." Hisao smiled apologetically. He hoped that she would let him off without too much heckling. To his dismay, Misha looked over at Shizune, who was watching the exchange, and shook her head. Shizune frowned and sent a flurry of sign language to Misha.
He braced himself for whatever tirade Misha would translate for the Student Council President. But to his surprise, instead of pouting, Misha grinned at him, pleased by whatever Shizune had told her. "Then you better start running~! Wahaha~!"
Hisao stared at her, unsure what to make of this warning. Run from what? As far as he knew, there was no immediate danger. "What do you me-"
Bam. A snowball hit the back of his head. Rubbing where the snowball had struck, he whirled around to find Miki grinning at him. He couldn't begin to fathom how she had managed to sneak up behind them, as another snowball hit his right shoulder. He grabbed Hanako's hand and began to run for the dorms, finally understanding what exactly Misha had meant. As the couple ran together, Misha, Shizune, and Miki began to pelt them with snowballs. He had the sneaking suspicion he was getting all the snowballs, as he didn't hear Hanako cry out once. It felt as though he was getting attacked by snowballs from all sides. Miki had run ahead of them and threw a snowball intended for his shoulder. To her horror, she miscalculated and the ice-ball hurtled towards his chest.
A blinding pain shot through him as the ice-ball hit his chest; it was a direct hit. Hisao doubled over, gasping in pain. His heart was on fire as it skipped beats and sped up. He could hear Hanako's terrified scream as he fell face-first into the snow. Her voice sounded so far away. He realized he hadn't taken his medications that morning. He completely forgot in the midst of worrying over and studying for final exams. He could feel Hanako trying to flip him onto his back, but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.
Hanako's heart broke as she remembered that snowy afternoon, but it wasn't as awful as what she had done after that. When Hisao had awoken in the hospital, she hadn't been there for him. She had a mental snap as a result of his heart attack and was admitted to the mental ward. The only person she could see was her doctor, who suggested that she should move to a proper asylum within the week. She hadn't been able to contact Hisao before she left, and that guilt still made her sick to her stomach. She had been at that sad institution for nine months without contact with anyone from Yamaku Academy. Especially Hisao.
Hanako wondered how he was doing. It was now early September, and school was about to start up again within a few days. She speculated how her fellow schoolmates were faring in their various endeavors. She began to dread returning. Returning to Yamaku meant questioning glances, whispered remarks behind her back, and Hisao. Hanako wasn't sure if Hisao still wanted her, or even if they were still a couple. Miserable, she stared out of the metro window as it began to slow down, now approaching her stop. It was only a fifteen minute walk from Yamaku to the train, but that walk now seemed like an eternity to Hanako.
Hanako got off at her stop and noticed a familiar sandy brown head of hair among the bustling crowd. She brushed that notion aside, hoping that it wasn't him. She wasn't sure she could handle a confrontation with him so soon. She wanted to settle down in her dorm room first before seeing anyone from Yamaku. She stared at the ground as she headed out of the subway station, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. Unfortunately, she bumped into a man when she was halfway through the busy crowd. "Sor-" The word died on her lips as she stared up at who she had walked into. She didn't expect to see Hisao smiling down at her.
"Hana!" He gathered her in his arms and twirled her around, not caring who saw. He finally set her down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "Where have you been all this time? Will you be returning to Yamaku?" He noticed her bare right hand and immediately frowned, worried by what this could mean. "I'm sorry, Hanako. Are we not still dating? I know it's been nine months, but have you found someone else?"
She shook her head and fished her necklace out from underneath her shirt. The promise ring shone bright on the chain. "I…I didn't know…if…if you still wanted me…after…after all this time…." She smiled stiltedly at him. "I…I d-didn't…stop…thinking about you…w-while…I was…gone…"
"Yes, I still want you," he murmured as he hugged her tight once more in an attempt to soothe her. "Where have you been? Lilly said she didn't know…I was so worried when I came to and you weren't there…"
Hanako gave him a small peck on the cheek. "I…I think…we should t-talk…and catch up…over tea…"
"Sounds good to me." His smile widened as they held hands and made their way out of the subway station together.