Characters belong to Square Enix and Disney.
I was listening to The Time Has Come (Pikachu's Goodbye) as well as Farewell Pikachu so this was born.
Hope didn't feel good on Friday so on Saturday when Roxas had planned to go with him to Nautilus Park with some other friends he stayed in bed instead. His back kept giving him a hard time so he rubbed at it and took medicine to soothe the pain. Hope sat in bed all day watching the outside world through his window and he had the weirdest feeling like he would never see it again. A glass of apple juice sat on his nightstand but it tasted funky since he kept drinking medicine and now the taste was stuck on his tongue.
"I'll make my bed so mom won't have to in case if I go out later." Hope said moving the wheel chair by his bed closer and struggled a bit as he tried to get on it on his own since he didn't have much strength. It took him almost an hour to sit himself in it having to stop to every few minutes to rest. When he was set in he started to make the sheets how his mom did and arranged the pillows how they usually were. Hope went over to his desk that had his laptop currently off right now and smiled at his collection of plushy toys surrounding it. "Beds done so let's arrange you back on it."
Ever since he was twelve, Hope had been ill slowly getting weaker every day that went by and now he couldn't feel nor move his legs. His arms were losing strength as well getting thinner and as he picked up a yellow chocobo he almost dropped it but was able to move it on his lap before that happened. There were still four more to get: a Cactuar, a Moogle, a Cait Sith, and a Moomba. His mom came in the room and looked at him surprised when she saw the bed done and that he was in the wheelchair.
"Hope darling you didn't need help? You could have hurt yourself." She came over to him and placed a gentle hand on his silver hair then kissed him on the forehead. Hope smiled at her and kissed her back on a cheek.
"You always make my bed so I wanted to try today mom." She seemed to struggle with her smile so he looked at his toys instead and said, "Can you help me put them on my bed?" She nodded and took the toys placing them in the very center of the bed next to each other. Hope gave her the yellow bird and she put that one between the others too. The house phone rang in the living room so she quickly left and Hope crossed his arms over the edge of his bed looking at his toys. One was a cat, another a lion, a bear with wings, a cactuar, and a bird. His mom came back up and handed him the phone smiling.
"It's Roxas." A tingle of excitement gushed through his frail body and he grinned. Hope took the phone getting off the bed and she took his cup to go bring him something else.
"Hey how are you feeling?" Roxas's cheerful voice said on the other end and Hope heard the laughing of children and the various noises of theme park rides so he frowned.
"You're supposed to be having fun there not worrying about me I'm fine." But he was secretly happy Roxas asked anyways.
Roxas had moved to Palumpolum from Twilight Town when he was six and befriended Hope in school. Hope couldn't go to school anymore though so he was home schooled instead meaning he stayed indoors most of the time. Roxas would come and visit and bring DVD's to watch with him and the occasional toy which were the ones on his bed. They always talked for hours even if it was mostly Roxas who spoke since Hope liked to listen to the things Roxas did and saw every day.
"I'm thinking of getting you something since you couldn't make it." Hope almost twitched at the sound of his friend's voice when he was pulled out of his thoughts.
He looked around his room and gazed at some of the pictures he had of the both of them doing everything together before he got ill as well as some of Roxas with him in the hospital when he was first diagnosed with it. Only one Hope in the shot with a girl. Her name was Vanille and she had came to visit him in the hospital too always trying to cheer him up. But as time passed she couldn't handle the idea anymore that he'd be like this for the rest of his life so she left him. Roxas stayed by his side though even when Hope told him there was no cure for what he had and that he'd die from it eventually.
"You should stop being friends with me so when I pass away you won't have to suffer so much."
"True friends are willing to deal with complications." Roxas said taking one of Hope's ivory hands in his. Hope looked at him sadly tears threating to spill out so Roxas kissed his hand. "We're going to make many happy memories Hope."
"How could I ever find another friend like you?" Hope said softly in the phone letting his emotions take over and then quickly laughed. "Opps. Sorry it slipped out."
"No. The question is how could I ever friend another friend like you? Someone so caring and kind." Hope blushed and was happy Roxas couldn't see him or else he'd coo at him and,or,cling to him.
He had been battling with this illness for three years and had been called a rare case since children rarely got it. It usually affected people around twenty to forty and most only lived for about ten years. Back when he could still walk him and Roxas went to the playground and movies together but always with adult supervision in case something happened to him.
"How about some candy or a balloon?" Hope said and he could almost see Roxas's head shake when he denied it.
"No that's so ordinary. It has to be something that isn't food and will last long. Hmm. I'll call you later when I get back home okay?"
"Okay!" Hope hung up just as his mother came in with a tray that held a plate of spaghetti and pineapple juice and his belly rumbled. He hadn't noticed he was hungry and gave the phone to her after she set the tray on the desk for him. 'It smells great! I hadn't eaten spaghetti in a while." She helped him when his hand started to shake and he let her feed him until he was full.
"Need anything else?" She put the fork on the plate and picked the tray up getting ready to leave.
"No you've done enough. Think I'll just look out the window again." She watched him move over to the window with a sad look on her face and wished she could trade spots with him as she went to the kitchen.
Later around eight at night Hope was in the small living room with his father, Bartholomew, watching him paint bold designs on an air wing. The gentle strokes on the wood made him feel relaxed and then his mother Nora came in with the phone and he blinked at it. He hadn't even heard it ring.
"Hello?" Hope asked when Nora handed it over without telling him who it was busy at the moment watching her television program.
"I'm back. Did you miss me?"
"It's late I had forgotten you were going to call."
"Well I was busy. Anyways have you seen the view from outside your window? The night sky looks awesome!" Hope looked out the living room window but the shutters were half open so he went to his room instead as Roxas had said. Roxas giggled on the phone making him wonder what it was that was outside really or if he was just being silly. Hope didn't move the phone away from his ear as he pushed the curtains aside with a hand and then gasped and put the phone down on his lap when he found a green rabbit- looking toy outside his window. He pulled the window back then brought the toy inside sitting it on his lap. It had a large red diamonded shaped jewel in the center of its head and the eyes were huge black buttons with the face area being white except for the mouth that was black and some pink dusted on the cheeks.
It was the famous Carbuncle doll that was all the rage in and outside the amusement park and he felt slightly bad that Roxas must have stood in line a long time just to get his hands on one. It jingled from the many small silver bells on its star shaped collar and the ends of its shirt as he moved it around.
"What's that?" Hope said taking the slip of paper that was tied with a rubber band to its skinny arm. There were only three simple words on it but it made Hope smile and hug his beloved toy delighted. "Thank you Roxas. You're so kind." He said and hung up the phone when Roxas told him good night. Hope held it tight moving under the covers when his dad later came to help him in bed and slept with all his other toys around him as well.
That night, his angel finally visited him and in the morning as Nora cried quietly over her son, there was a smile on his face as he still held the doll. His father pulled his mother away gently and Roxas was there when they called to tell him the news. He went to Hope's side crying quietly and said goodbye to his friend one last time before going to Nora and saying, "Don't worry. He's in a better place watching over us now."
He had Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) in case anyone asks. I only wrote the symptoms.