That lady.

I never found out her name.

Perhaps she had no name; Yuuko said she wasn't human.

But that is beside the point. Whether she was human or not, she gave me something that no one else has ever given me.

She gave me comfort. She gave me the comfort and protection that I imagined my real mother would have given me. And that made me happy. I felt as though I belonged somewhere, in someone's heart. It did not matter that she wasn't human. She cared for me, and I cared for her.

That is why I could not leave her, sitting by herself on that bench in the middle of winter. That is why I left my bed, still wearing my pajamas, and ran to the park. I could feel her sorrow, of being left alone. I could feel it, and I was sure she felt mine.

I ran into the park, ignoring the ice cold wind that shot at me while I ran. I saw the old bench that we spent our afternoons on. And I saw her, the lady; her motherly figure. She looked at me when I approached. Her eyes were full of both worry and relief.

Domeki said the lady was the cause of my illness. Part of me agreed with Domeki. But I could not simply leave her. She cared for me like my mother would have. If I left her, if I did not meet her, I do not know how I would be able to live on. If I did not show her how much she meant to me, would I be able to live my life with that weight of guilt?

No, I wouldn't.

She was worried about me. She kept asking me why I came, and risked my life to be with her. The entire time she spoke to me, her eyes were full of sorrow for me. That is why I had to tell her.

"Because when you're lonely…I'm lonely too."

Those words left my lips, and I hoped those words, and my commitment of venturing out to see her, was enough to show her how much I cared. Once those words left my mouth, I felt a motherly hand touch my shoulder, and for the first time in a long time, I felt loved.

I tried to smile at mother, I tried to hold back my coughing, but to no avail. I fell to the ground coughing; I knew it was killing me--that would soon devour me. But at that moment, I did not care. If mother was not human, perhaps if I died now, I would be able to spend eternity with her. But I guess you cannot always receive what you ask for.

--

Mother said that there were other people who loved and cared for me. And now, a year after I met her, as I walk home from school with Himawari and Domeki, I think I finally understand what she meant.

I never found out her name.

But calling her "mother" was just as well of a name.

El fin.