Their Precious Chef

I made this one with a heavy heart. This idea had been on my mind for a long time and yet I found it difficult to write about Komatsu's death because I, too, can't accept it (laughs). Anyway, this is a short fic, but I hope the emotion was conveyed appropriately to reach you. This work is un-beta-ed, and sorry for the language mistakes. (This story is posted on AO3 and ffn)
Please leave your opinion/review/critic!
On to the story.

The hospital room was quiet, the white wall surrounding the room was foreboding, empty from any paintings or stains, just simply white color trapping the countless loss the room had watched.

The repetitive sound of his heartbeat lulled him to sleep, but Komatsu could hear the commotion outside his room and decided to stay awake. Not long after that, Heavenly Kings passed the door and crowding around the small, old chef. The private, spacious room was now filled with four burly men and an old man. None of them say anything, they just listened closely to the sound of their precious chef's heart and his slow breathing. Still unable to cope with the fact that their time of life differs from the chef that aged faster than any of them, the Heavenly Kings silently curse their Gourmet cells.

"Komatsu…" Toriko choked out his name, grief was etched on his young face.

"Toriko-san," Komatsu reached out his hand to pat on his partner's arm, "It's okay… I'm fine…" the old chef offered up his usual bright smile, his face full of wrinkles.

"No! Komatsu! Komatsu!" Toriko frantically grabbed the small hand, he's down to his knees on the bedside, sobbing into Komatsu's hand.

"Komatsu-kun…" Coco tried to sound steady, but his voice wavered. The fear and the sadness was eating him away, the pain of loneliness was nothing compared to the pain of losing his beloved chef. The chef's kindness had made him wept, spoiled by happiness of knowing the chef. Coco can't hold his tears as the thought of losing him had materialized in front of him.

"Coco-san… please don't," Komatsu looked at Coco's handsome feature earnestly, "it won't change anything, so please, smile for me,"

At his request, Coco smiled softly, eyes still crying, but he will smile for Komatsu. He wished so hard that his smile and the presence of Heavenly Kings in the room would somehow erase the shadow of death on Komatsu, but it didn't disappear.

Coco cried harder, the shadow of death loomed over Komatsu and Coco can't accept it.

"'Matsu," Sunny softly whispered, "You're the most b'tiful thing I've ever seen…"

"Sunny-san! You're embarrassing me! I bet you've seen other things that are more beautiful than me. I'm old, I know how I looked," Komatsu smiled sheepishly, but Sunny didn't.

"You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…" Sunny repeated, "'Matsu, you're the jewel of my life,"

Sunny smiled beautifully, but his eyes were filled with despair. His hair sensors had wrapped round the weak body, tasting it, memorizing it, and imprinting it to the back of his mind. This could be the last time he could do this, and he dreaded it.

"Sunny-san…" Komatsu smiled as beautiful as he could, he wished his smile would put Sunny's mind at ease, but it has different effect.

"'Matsu…" his long hair had covered his face as he cried. The tears won't stop just like his feelers won't stop tasting and touching the small chef. He was going to lose him, and the thought of unable to savor his beautiful feature as well as his beautiful skill as he prepared food for all of them, frightened him. How will he let go the limp body when the time comes?

"Boy," Zebra's gruff voice was oddly comforting. "Don't get cocky. Just because you won't be here, doesn't mean you're off the hook," with his usual smirk, Zebra simply stated. Komatsu smiled brightly at him.

"I know, Zebra-san. I know," tears started welling on his eyes, but he pushed back the emotion and instead smiled at Zebra.

"Boy, if you die, I'll bring you back from the dead and kill you myself!" Zebra said with such anger that all Komatsu can do was laugh as his tears fell down. Zebra let a single tear fall down from his eyes.

He then softly whispered for Komatsu's ears only, "Kid, you've come a long way, and you did good…" hearing those words had made Komatsu so happy he cried even harder.

"Thank you, Zebra-san, Sunny-san, Coco-san, and Toriko-san," Komatsu smiled despite the tears that fell freely. "I'm so glad I get to know all of you, you amazing people," Komatsu sobbed, he knew his time were different from them, but he can't help feel the pang of sadness for not able to keep up with them, for not able to prepare the amazing ingredients they've brought for him, for not able to look at their happy face as they enjoyed his cooking. He's not perfect, but he was glad he had done his very best for his beloved friends.

"Komatsu…" Toriko bit his lips as to not let his whimper out. "Komatsu, you're the best partner a person could ever have, and I'm proud and grateful to say that you are my partner," he sniffled as he said that, "You can't die yet! We're meant to die together!" part of him knew it was wrong to say that, but he can't help it. He can't let go of his partner's hands.

"Toriko!" Coco wanted to say that was wrong, but deep inside, he had believed that, too. He had believe that they'll die together, no matter how they die, they'd die together.

"'Matsu… please…"Sunny could only plead to nothingness as he could feel the life of the chef started to fade. Zebra was silent as he memorized the slowing sound of his favorite chef's heartbeat.

"Everyone, thank you for all of the memory… thank you for enjoying my food, thank you for everything," Komatsu knew his time was close, "I'm happy, believe me, I'm so happy that I'm going with a heart full of warmth. I love… all… of… you…"

The grip from Komatsu's hand on Toriko's hand had loosened. The shadow of death that loomed over Komatsu had disappeared. The weak body had limped on Sunny's feelers. The slow heartbeat had stopped. Komatsu had died with a smile on his face and tears on his eyes. He looked calm and peaceful as he left anguish in Heavenly Kings' hearts.

"No… no… Komatsu, KOMATSU! NO!" Toriko screamed as he tried to wake the dead. Tears gushing out of his eyes, he kept embracing the lifeless body. His body shook with the fact that he can't see his partner's smile anymore, that he can't enjoy his food anymore, that he had lost his dear chef.

Coco cried silently. His hand touched the still-warm body, he contemplated on how Komatsu had always easily touched him despite his warning. His kindness had made him wept, and his loss had left him feeling empty, more so than before when he was hunted for experiments or when the Heavenly Kings broke apart. The chef who regarded his as normal human—not as 'Dangerous Being' or 'Poisonous Human'—was no longer alive.

"'Matsu… 'Matsu…" Sunny repeated like a broken radio, it was appropriate, he felt broken. His feelers still wrapped around the body, his tears still flowing out as he whimpered, and he didn't care how gross his face looked like filled with tears and snot.

Zebra cried as silently as Coco. He let himself cry for the first time since long ago. The kid no longer able to see his crying face, Zebra was unable to accept his death. His big, calloused hand softly stroked the chef's head, allowing himself to touch the boy one last time.

The grief had engulfed their hearts. They were all selfish, they can't let go of the chef even though Komatsu had asked them to let him go days ago. They dreaded the future, the days where they have to live knowing that the chef is no longer in this world. No one would ever top their small chef in their heart, and everyone knew that. From tomorrow, they have to live with the burden. But for now, for now they were going to grief the death of their precious chef together, four living hearts and one dead.