Quick pre-story note! You're going to need to know that everyone is human in an AU-type setting. That is all!
1000 Paper Cranes
"It's said that if you fold a thousand paper cranes, any wish you make will come true... Hey, if that's true, what would you wish for?"
"I do not 'wish' for anything. You are being silly."
"Lighten up a little! I mean, we've been dating for eight years now. You should be used to me by now!"
"If you mean 'dating' as in you stalking me for seven years and then me allowing you to be in my presence for one year and counting, then yes, we have been 'dating' for eight years."
"You're always so cold to me!"
"I hate you, Add."
"Love you too, Eve."
"...Don't say such nonsense."
It had been a total of three weeks, two days, seven hours, ten minutes and twenty-three seconds since the fateful day. Eve had an important meeting with her parents, being the sole successor to the massive Nasod Enterprises. Her parents had requested that she bring along her current boyfriend, a tall, lean man with silvery hair and mismatched mauve eyes and a grin that seemed almost predatory at first named Add. Eve had been raised in a cold, unloving environment, something that reflected onto her personality very much. Prim, proper, and always full of grace, Eve was an emotionless beauty who regaled awe and the utmost respect - perhaps even fear - from those who spoke to her. That is, everyone but one person. That person was Add.
The first time she had met Add, she had caught him following her around her school. He wasn't afraid of her, even having the gall to call her out for being so emotionless and cold. Of course, he was answered with a firm slap to the cheek that sent him into the next week. Even that slap wasn't enough to deter him, though, and he continued to trail her like a puppy following his owner.
By the time they had gotten out of university, Eve was rather comfortable around the mechanical engineer, but still maintained her aloof attitude. Even throughout their first date. And their second. And the third. And the ninth, and the tenth, and the fiftieth, and the hundredth. She would never admit it, but there was something about the white-haired man that made her heart flutter. Perhaps it was his warm personality, despite having a wicked streak a mile long? Perhaps it was because he was so devoted to her? She would never know, and refused to tell Add so. It was an honest surprise when her mother had asked if she and Add were going out for the first time, she had never really considered themselves an item. It was even more of a surprise when Add asked her to be his girlfriend the next day. Most surprising of all was that she said yes.
Eve had never seen him smile brighter than that smile, the one that he gave her when she said yes.
They had kissed after that. It was an almost awkward affair, noses bumping clumsily as their lips pressed together in a chaste kiss. Eve found that she didn't really mind, after all, Add was Add and made up for his romantic awkwardness through everything else. Through his smile, his laugh, his mismatched eyes, his sweet, sweet voice calling her name.
"Eve..."
It had been a total of three weeks, two days, seven hours, twelve minutes and forty-two seconds since the fateful day. The day a drunken man had crashed into their car, instantly killing the driver, a quiet man named Oberon. Eve and Add had been lucky enough to escape with their lives, but...
Eve stared somberly at the lonely figure of Add. His chest rose and fell weakly, several wires protruding from his arms and chest, all hooked to flashing monitors that beeped forlornly, a plastic oxygen mask covering his pale face, paler than usual. He wore instead of his usual purple dress shirt and black jeans a white hospital gown, crisp, white, linen sheets pulled up to his stomach. An IV drip hung from a shining silver rack, connected to his arm. The very image of someone on the brink of death.
Eve herself wasn't in very good condition; her legs had been pierced by shrapnel, forcing her to remain in a wheelchair. She too donned a hospital gown, several long bandages wrapped around her arms and legs. Her golden eyes were blank, only gazing at Add, her long, silver hair unkempt, pale fingers intertwined with his own.
A bubbly nurse with short pink hair styled neatly chattered behind her, smoothing out her white frock and adjusting her name tag. "Oh Eve, you're recovering so quickly! I'm sure that after some minor rehabilitation you'll be running in no time!" Eve wasn't listening, her mind far, far away.
The door opened with a soft click as a raven-haired man with pale skin, gray eyes, and small, wiry glasses stepped in, his white lab coat swishing as he held the door open for a tall man with blond hair that gradually shifted into a smooth gradient of burnt-auburn, hair artfully spiked. His cerulean eyes glistened with unshed tears, the soft paw-print pattern within them flickering as the light danced across his pale face. "Miss Eve, you and Mister Add have a visitor." Eve nodded grimly to Allegro, the doctor in charge of Add, absently, a hand running through Add's soft tresses.
Chung was Eve's childhood friend, someone she was destined to marry up until a year ago when she announced her relationship with Add. Chung himself wasn't upset with the sudden declaration, in fact he was rather happy, claiming that he himself had found someone he could love. Eve had only met Chung's girlfriend once, but from what she had seen, the oriental, raven-haired girl was vibrant and full of girlish charm, albeit watched over by an overprotective brother.
Padding up softly to the bedside, Chung dragged up a black folding chair, carefully sitting down before taking Eve's hand gingerly. "Eve." No response. Syrupy gold eyes remained fixed on the still figure on the bed. "Eve, I'm glad you're alright. Are you unhurt?" Looking up, Eve stared dully at Chung, blank gold eyes meeting passionate blue eyes.
Withdrawing the hand that Chung held, she placed it over her heart, clutching at the garment, a lone crystal tear rolling down her face. "Here... It hurts... My heart..." Chung sighed, patting Eve's head lightly, wiping away the tear with his thumb.
"Hey, Eve, it'll be okay. No, listen to me." He gently turned Eve's head, forcing her to look away from Add. "I was talking to Dr. Allegro earlier, and he's very certain that Add will make it. Okay? It'll be okay." Eve nodded numbly, before turning back to Add. Chung sighed internally. While it was true that Dr. Allegro was sure that Add would make it, it was about a two out of five chance for him to survive and retain all of his memories, with a one out of five chance of him surviving at all.
Looking at the pale face of Add, Chung almost laughed bitterly. It was ironic, wasn't it? He looked like he was in a peaceful slumber, like some Sleeping Beauty waiting to be awakened. Glancing back at Eve, he saw the despair welling up in her eyes. He sighed, before patting her back. "Chung... do you remember what... Add..." She nearly choked over his name, before continuing. "Do you remember... what he said? About the cranes?"
Chung nodded, brushing a stray hair out of Eve's face. "I remember. Do you... Were you planning to fold a thousand cranes?" Eve nodded, clutching Add's hand almost desperately.
"I want him to come back..." She whispered, lowering her head. Chung nodded gently, before calling to the nurse, Anne, and asking her to bring lots of colorful origami paper. Anne complied quietly.
Each day was so gray, so dull, so lifeless. She could only focus on the sleeping form of her love.
He was in a coma, the doctor said. Eve didn't listen to the rest. Chung had come to visit her, but Eve didn't pay attention to him. The throbbing in her chest got louder, almost taking away her breath from the pain. She struggled to fold the cranes, her hands were still numb, her origami skills clumsy, messy at best. Still, she folded and folded, re-folding and taping when the paper tore. She still had a long way to go.
Ten.
Allegro glanced worriedly at Eve, who was still folding cranes next to Add's bed. It had been over a month since Add had gone into a coma, Eve wasn't doing much better herself. She was fully healed now, but there was something off about her. It gave Allegro a foul feeling, one that foreshadowed terrible trouble. Eve refused to eat, refused to sleep, and wouldn't leave Add's side, only folding her paper cranes. Chung had said that she needed some way to vent her sorrow, and the cranes would help. He said he would talk to her again and try to convince her to eat and sleep, if only just a little.
To make matters worse, Banthus, the man who was in charge of Eve, began to criticize his ability as a doctor. "How long has he been in a coma, a month? More? You've probably done something to aggravate his condition, which isn't surprising. Are you sure you're doing your job properly? I don't want you to harm my patient." Allegro scowled.
"Banthus, to put it plainly, I am essentially taking care of your patient for you. Miss Eve is a delicate case, whereas Mister Add is in a coma. There is nothing that anyone can do to speed up his recovery."
Chung had managed to convince Eve to eat a little bit of soup, telling her to nap for a bit, that he would watch Add for her. Allegro was glad that Chung was around, he would've never been able to make Eve eat if it weren't for him. After Chung left, things got a bit... dramatic.
The hospital wanted to pull the plug on the machine that was keeping Add alive.
"He's been in a coma for almost two months; it's highly unlikely that he'll make it and we don't have enough to cover all the hospital bills." They had to put up with a screeching Eve who nearly clawed their eyes out, screaming vehemently with lots of colorful curse words thrown into the mix.
"You can't! You monsters! How dare you try to take Add away from me?! I'll kill you all!"
Needless to say, Eve's family agreed to pay to keep the machine running. Eve had to be sedated after that, but not before Allegro noticed that her nose was bleeding. Grabbing a tissue from a nearby tissue box, Allegro carefully dabbed at her nose. As he went to dispose of the tissue, his eyes were drawn to the blood that stained it. It was watery.
...It was watery...
Allegro paled, before looking over at the sleeping form of Eve, her nosebleed finished. "No..."
The days passed by as slowly as ever. Dr. Allegro was nice, helping her fold her paper cranes.
Yes... the paper cranes...
They filled an entire jar, vibrant shades of crimson, amber, tangerine, emerald, azure, violet, and rose. They all blurred in Eve's mind, a mess of color dulled by the grayness of the world.
More.
She needed more.
Fold and fold. Fold some more. Inflate. She kept folding and folding and folding and folding and folding and folding and folding and folding, late into nights and all the day.
Two hundred and eleven.
A furious Allegro was a rarely seen sight. The diminutive man stormed through the offices, practically kicking down the door to Banthus' office. The sandy-haired doctor looked up in alarm. "Allegro? What's gotten you all worked up?" Allegro angrily threw down a thick file, papers flying off of Banthus' desk.
"You. You didn't scan Miss Eve's head."
Banthus raised an eyebrow. "Yes? Your point? She didn't have many external injuries, so I deemed it alright to not make an X-RAY of her head."
Allegro's eyebrow twitched, before he yelled, attracting the attention of several other doctors. "You bloody idiot! How the hell did you pass medical school?! Whenever someone's been in a fucking car accident, you check their head regardless of external injuries!" Tearing open the file, he shoved several X-RAY's in Banthus' face. "Do you see that? She's got brain damage. Brain damage! Your patient... No, Eve... she's dying slowly! And she will die if we don't treat this immediately!"
Banthus narrowed his eyes. "Are you accusing me of being an incapable doctor?"
Allegro threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. Narrowing his eyes, he removed his glasses. Almost instantaneously, his gently rounded face became more angular and sharp, fixing Banthus with a chilling glare. His gray eyes glittered coldly. "I'm saying that if it was up to me, Banthus, you'd be fired by now. Now, shut up and listen to me." This proved to be an effective method. "Eve will die from this unless we treat her right now. I'm asking you to switch her to be my patient because you are incompetent. Also, you will book an appointment for her treatment. Understood?"
Banthus nodded stiffly, turning to fill in some papers. Allegro sighed, putting his glasses back on, massaging his forehead.
They had tried to take her away from Add.
Treatment, they said.
Liars.
The nurse had said she was all healed.
Fold and fold. Inflate and inflate.
She needed another jar now, the first overflowing with paper cranes.
More.
She still needed more to grant her wish.
Soon... She would fold and fold until the world ended if she had to, no one could stop her now.
More.
More paper cranes. Fold and inflate.
Four hundred and eighty eight.
Allegro sighed, sitting down before Chung. "I'll be blunt. Miss Eve has brain damage and is possibly experiencing internal bleeding." Chung gaped.
"But... she was fine before... what... why..." Allegro shook his head sadly.
"An incompetent doctor did not perform a head scan. When I did, we found the damage. She needs treatment. Can you please convince Eve to leave Add's side, even for just a little bit? Without treatment she will die."
Chung took a shaky breath. "I understand."
Eve looked up as Chung entered the room. "Eve... I heard that you're hurt." Eve shook her head.
"They're liars."
Chung sighed. "They're not lying Eve. We need to help you heal." She shook her head again.
"I don't want to go."
Resting a hand on Eve's shoulder, Chung spoke carefully. "Listen, Eve... Add... He would want you to live." Eve's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing.
"Don't talk like he's going to die!"
Chung felt his heart break. He couldn't tell her that he probably wouldn't make it. "He isn't going to die. But if he does, he would want you to live. Eve, listen to me, please!" Eve looked back at Chung, her eyes even more emotionless than before. "You need to be treated. What happens if Add wakes up and you're dead?! Please, Eve! Do it for Add!"
Glaring at Chung, Eve clung to Add protectively. "You make it sound like I'm going to die! I'm fine! What about Add?! You don't think he's going to live, do you?!" Her lower lip trembled, her eyes watering. "He will live. And you're being overprotective... I'll be fine... Let the doctors treat Add instead... instead of me..."
Letting out a shaky breath, Chung sat down, staring at Eve. "Eve, Add will live. After all, he's got someone to come back to. That person is you. But if you end up dying, then-"
Eve narrowed her eyes, bringing Add's hand closer to her. "From what?! You keep telling me I might die. What will kill me?! A couple of scratches?!"
Chung narrowed his own blue eyes. "Scratches won't kill you. Brain damage will."
A small gasp escaped Eve's mouth, her eyes widening, her grip on Add's hand loosening. "W-What...?"
Chung nodded slowly. "The doctor who was in charge of you... He forgot to check your head. Dr. Allegro did some checks earlier, and... well... You can guess what he found."
Eve closed her mouth. "So... I'm going to die, then?" Chung didn't respond. Looking over at Add, Eve tenderly brushed away a strand of hair that fell in his face, before nodding slowly. "I... I understand. I will be treated." Letting out a sigh of relief, Chung swept Eve into a gentle, friendly hug.
"Thank you, Eve."
Eve didn't like the treatments. She couldn't fold her paper cranes.
Chung said he would fold some for her, but Eve refused. If she didn't fold them all herself, then it wouldn't be her wish that came true. But hadn't she let the doctor fold some for her earlier? No, the doctor only wanted Add to wake up, so it was okay. Chung had his own wishes that would taint hers.
Day in, day out, more and more cranes. It became a regular pattern.
Paper. Fold. Inflate. Jar. Paper. Fold. Inflate. Jar.
Her movements became mechanical, eyes far, far away, with her heart that danced in the fields of flowers with her beloved Add.
She wanted to see him again...
She was close. So close.
Just a few more.
She wanted to see her Add again and tell him that she loved him...
Nine hundred and ninety nine.
Chung let out a shaky breath, placing the pink-and-mauve paper crane on Add's folded hands. "She... she really..."
Allegro nodded somberly. "We... we all thought she was going to make it. We were so close, if only we had started treatment earlier!" His voice rose to an aggravated wail. Chung shook his head, clenching the bed sheets.
"It's not your fault." Tears dripped silently down his face, wetting the paper crane. "Eve... What did you wish for?"
Allegro smiled weakly. "She probably wished to live with Add once more..."
Chung lowered his head. "She deserved to be happy. No one else deserved to be happy more than her." He wiped away his tears, more welling up right away. "Eve..."
The fingers on Add's left hand twitched.
Me: So... I was challenged to make you guys cry.
Aisha: She doesn't really want to ruin the atmosphere, so please R&R/favorite.
Elsword: Bye guys, and we hope you liked it, xXxBlazing HeartxXx!
Me: Love y'all! Chu~