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Till death do us part.

One-Shot.

She knew something was wrong, Natsumi knew when her husband never came home that night that something had happened; she thought it was odd, that when she made her usual, large dinner, that he was late and no-where to be found. So she put the food in the microwave; ready to reheat for when her husband finally decided to come home, and put off eating until then, so they could eat together, like they did every other day.

She waited hours, until alarm bells started to ring; Endou may have been late before, but he had always called, either to explain why, like practice was running another hour long, or just to tell her not to worry; that he'd be home soon. So Natsumi stayed up, sitting on the sofa, by the landline and watching the television in hopes of keeping herself busy, while trying to stave this unknown fear that was growing inside her stomach as the minutes ticked by, and slowly grew into hours.

Natsumi honestly couldn't remember the show that had been on, but at around three in the morning it was cut off; the program giving way to the news, were the headline 'Breaking news' flashed across the scene; instantly getting her attention, as she tried to focus on the words the presenter were speaking when her breath hitched and her heart stopped - a picture of her husband popped onto the corner; inserted next to the host.

"- late yesterday night, world famous, soccer player Endou, Mamoru was involved in a tragic car crash, from when he was on his way home after work, as Holy road winner's: Raimon middle school's coach -"

Natsumi's eyes widened, as she found herself sliding off of the sofa and onto her knees, one of her hands clutching her chest, and the other hung limply by her side, a numbness washing over her as she rejected those words, she rejected the facts being thrust upon her; the man she loved couldn't be gone, his massive smiles, and kind comforts couldn't be gone.

"- the police have confirmed reports that the soccer hero past after a immense struggle for his life, the chief of the hospital have released this statement; 'It shocking how long he tried to hang on, and the first workers on the scene were both saddened by his passing and sorry that they couldn't do more -"

Fighting. That sounded like Endou; never giving up without a fight, and giving as good as he got - but no, Natsumi shock her head, they much have made some kind of mistake, Mamoru had always been a careful driver, to the point of annoyance, sometimes; always checking seatbelts, and readjusting the front mirror, while never over taking when he didn't have to or wasn't allowed to, and always kept to the speed limit.

"- officers have yet to release which party was at fault as the investigation is still underway -"

Natsumi didn't know when she had zoned out, and she didn't know when her ears had started to buzz, either, but she was quickly startled out of her daze when she heard the end clapper of the doorbell.

Swaying to her feet, the redhead wobbled out of the living room and out onto the stretch of hallway, lacking her usual grace as she clumsily opened the door - only to feel a rush of loss and anger as her autumn orbs locked onto the two uniformed offices, unwanted sympathy radiating off of them as they took their hats off.

Her fists balled, turning her knuckles white as her body burned and her eyes became shadowed "Too late" she muttered in a dark voice; she hadn't been this mad in along time, no, never had she been this mad. Both policemen looked at one another, before realigning their sight "your too late!" she shouted, in a shrill voice that broke - losing control over it.

Slamming the door in their faces would make her feel better, and she was going to do just that when sudden realisation stopped her cold; new knowledge hitting her like a tone of bricks as she started to feeling like a terrible human being, a terrible wife, a terrible partner for forgetting -

Endou, Endou's body; where was he? - was he at the hospital? - was anyone with him? - he wasn't alone was he?…

Choking slight, she reassessed the situation, swallowing loudly before parting her dry lips "My husband - where is he?"

The officer standing on the right blinked before paling "Our condol-"

"No" Narsumi snapped "where - I heard, I heard on the news" she tried to explain as the buzzing in her ears returned and her chest ached and burned uncomfortably; like someone had just shot her, like someone had just stomped on her. The tight squeezing sensation unbearable and sickly.

Though despite her stutter, and her sudden inability to form coherent sentences, both policemen had heard worse; they had been around the block a bit, and it was usually their job to deliver the news that no one wants to hear, which makes them used to this kind of reaction. Though, with their understanding came a chill up their spine and a grimace "He's been moved to the morgue -"

"I want to see him" Natsummi interrupted, she needed to see him. To see if he really was gone, she needed to see him, she needed to say goodbye.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't allow that"

Tears welled I her eyes, her heart proceeding to fight it's way out of it's cage; banging painfully against her "W-what do you mean I can't?, I-I'm his wife!, I have every right to see him!" she sobbed, couldn't she get even the tiniest amount of closure?, was that really to much to ask?.

"I'm sorry." the one on the right shock his head, looking grim "orders are orders."

Furious. Natsumi was furious; her husband wasn't some object, he's a person; who gave them the right to take him away from her?. And at that very moment she lost all respect for law enforcement, which she voiced to the two paling policemen - in very colourful language, she had never dared use before this, before doing what she wanted to do from the first time she had laid eyes on them; she slammed the door in their faces.

She continued to walk a few feet, and although she, herself, doesn't know how, made it back to their bedroom. Hazily climbing onto their bed and allowing the mattress to take hold as it moulded itself around her; her body sinking into the duvet while she simply crumpled onto her pillow.

She felt empty. Completely empty, like apart of her was missing - it was missing, the part of her that had bloomed when she first met the soccer nut, the part of her that softened up from what she used to be, was slowly killing her. And while she let her tears take over, and cry uncontrollable sobs, she found her hands latching onto Endou's pillow, slowly pulling it closer, until she had it in a death grip; hugging it to her chest, with her nose buried into the cotton surface; breathing desperately as his scent wafted up her nose.

And with that one comfort, she found herself falling into a dreamless sleep, filled with a weight she just couldn't shake, as her body was numb and stiff - loneliness creeping up on her as she missed the warmth, she wanted the warmth that she would usually be engulfed in whenever they were alone together, she needed his strong arms around her.

The next two weeks had been hell on earth, Natsumi had been getting phone-call after phone-call from friends and shared family; first it had been to find out what had really happened, which reminded her painfully, just how many people loved Endou; he wasn't just hers, but now it was simply to check up on how she was; and while she was touched at their concern, when they were obviously mourning themselves, it hurt.

It hurt to be asked 'how are you holding up?' - it hurt to be reminded of how much she had lost everyday, when it was already at the forefront of her mind. It was like rubbing salt into an open and bleeding wound.

Natsumi had tried, she really had, but she had finally snapped and discontented the landline. She knew it was selfish, and she was already thinking up ways to apologise; but she just needed sometime to herself, and get her head straight; the calls she started to get from insensitive reporters only helped her decision. Though she had made a mental note, once she had recovered and could say his name without choking, to read every newspaper and magazine on the articles they were likely writing about Endou, his carrier, friends and family, and sue any of them for slander, should she see something she didn't like.

It had been a couple of days after that, when it finally arrived, amongst the odd bill, letters of support which ranged from old rivals, foreign friends to simple fans and the newspaper, that she was still avoiding.

Endou, Mamoru's death certificate.

It had made her cry, tears that she thought she had long since run out of, while she looked down at the unassuming letter.

Until this point, she had always considered a certificate as a good thing; something your rewarded with at school, after doing a good job, or at a tournament, acknowledging your status as a player, it wasn't even like a birth certificate that honours the life of a new born baby. What was this celebrating?, it certainly wasn't the loss of her husband.

It was almost like it was mocking her - like fuel to the fire, and she instantly wanted to rip the thing up, right then and there; but she couldn't. After everything was said and done, she only had so much left; she hadn't even changed the bedding yet as she still needed some kind of trace of him.

It wouldn't work forever, she knew. The world had a way of being so terribly cruel, because even when her universe was crumbling around her, she was still forced to move forward, even if it meant having to crawl, because what she found, was that dawn doesn't wait for you to wake up - earth will keep spinning.

Proving her point more so were Endou's funeral plans; she wasn't ready yet, she never would be, and yet here she was, organising what coffin she wanted, and what kind of flowers should be used, while trying to stretch the money as far as she could, for while they were in no way poor, they weren't rich either, the money they earned was theirs - it wasn't her fathers, or his mothers. It was the money they had saved up together.

They had enough to never worry; enough to be happy off of, but not enough to splash out like Natsumi was doing; not enough to bury her partner the way she wanted to.

She allowed the letter to fall from her hands, and on onto the other chaos, that was scattered on top of her kitchen table, and lay with everything else; all the paperwork, and sighed, her eyes prickling, with a feeling that had come familiar to her, when the doorbell sounded.

Natsumi took a moment to pick herself up and guide herself to the plastic barrier, before opening it and looking to see who it was this time, though when she caught sight of the person standing on the doorstep, she froze to the spot.

"…er, h-hello Natsumi. I-I'm home" the man stuttered, a man she knew, a man she recognised instantly. He left the redhead dumbfounded while she stood there, with her lips parted and her eyes wide - and God help her if this was some kind of joke, because if it was, she wouldn't just sue.

"M-Mamoru…?" she murmured, though she knew who it was that was standing in front of her; that soft voice, that had spoken seconds before finally registered; those nervously spoken words ringing in her ears, and she knew this voice wasn't lying to her. Those deep pools of chocolate weren't lying to her, but neither were the hellish weeks of constant exhaustion, with red and puffy eyesas her proof - that had been real too.

Said coach also seemed to have frozen, when she used his first name; she never had, only in their most intermit moments with one another, and it killed him, that she was using it now, because of this. Raising a cautious, trembling hand, Natsumi slowly reached out to the brunet, allowing her fingers to gently, but firmly prod him in the centre of his chest, both unmoving as she felt something that she had be longing for; his heartbeat.

It was fast, and slightly erratic, which told her that he was anxious, but it was there.

Using those same fingers, she graphed hold of the brunet's shirt and pulled him forward, with strength she didn't know she had, and sent a shocked Endou into her arms as she flung hers around him in a tight and needy embrace, before burying her head into the nock of his neck; breathing up the scent she had been trying to keep alive, that she had been using pillows for.

Natsumi felt strong arms wrap around her waist protectively, while she continued to gnaw away at his warmth and radiating love, as tears fell from her eyes, which rolled down the man's collarbone and continued down his chest as he tightened his hold on her, trying to comfort her, while Natsumi was just grateful that he was alive, that he was here.

She didn't know about the danger that the Raimon soccer club and her husband have been facing, she didn't know about El Dorado, and she didn't know that barely a week has past for Endou; since he got trapped in the sphere device, and she didn't know that soon this present timeline will disappear; but it didn't matter, because she could feel the necklace Mamoru always wore, under his top, against her chest; his wedding ring, that he kept around his neck so that he didn't lose it.

She would wait for the answers, because for as long as he was alive, she was his and he was hers.

She had sworn that she would support him, and she was going to keep her word.

She promised that she would always love him, which she could do all to easily.

The ring she had refused to take off for anything, once she thought he were gone, made their vow tangible.

She would shoulder his burden and hold them like they were hers, because he was more then worth every tear that had fallen, he was more then worth it.

He was more then worth 'till death to us part'.

A/N-

So when I was rereading this for mistakes, and after I had saved it, after I was half-done, I continued to finish it, and then clicked 'save', the page goes down and I get told that 'you need to sign in to have access to his page' and proceed to lose all my unsaved data, grr. How the hell can I be so unlucky?, I mean seriously?.

So, I've down the second half (that I lost) again, but I'll probably have to go over it again, when I'm not so mad.

Anyway, Chrono stone has reached episode nine (only on seven when I started writing this) and I was wondering, when it was undisclosed that Endou had 'died', how Natsumi would be holding up, though at the time I started the first half of this, I hadn't watched the subbed version (it hadn't been released yet) of when Haruna informed the Raimon eleven, about Endou's death, so I hadn't known that he died on impact (which is the only difference I can note), so sorry about that, and while Mamoru's death hasn't had a conclusion (they haven't managed to rescue/ or fail at rescuing him yet) I thought I would finish this anyway.

I hope thats okay, and that this wasn't too much of a spoiler for anyone who hasn't watched it to this point yet.

Now I thought I should mention that the reason why Natsumi couldn't see Endou, was that he wasn't really dead, so there wouldn't have been a body; hope that clears up some confusion.

So, I hope I did a good job at this, and that it was half decent, because I'm secretly a little pleased with this story.

I Apologise if there are any mistakes in my spelling/ grammar, or if you find anything I have written offensive.

Thank you to everyone who added 'Till death do us Part' to their favorites/ alerts or who took the time to review, you also have my gratitude for reading.

OW