Forever and Always
The hour was getting later, the sky now inky black with heavy clouds clogging the atmosphere as a frigid breeze swept through the streets.
Amu sat at the kitchen table in the glow of the warm bubble of light the lamp beside her provided. Her fingernails tapped impatiently against the surface of the table as her honey-coloured eyes flickered to the window, where the curtains were drawn just enough to see the driveway outside.
He was supposed to be there, but there was still no sign of him.
Turning her attention to look at the clock, Amu frowned. She was sure he would have called by now if something had come up. Being the worrier she was, she had even phoned up a few of their friends to see if they'd been with him at all tonight or if he had contacted them. He hadn't.
The pinkette continued to reassure herself that nothing was wrong, but as the ticking of the clock droned on, she became less sure of herself. Just when she stole another look out the window, her heart jumped at the sound of the phone ringing from in the kitchen behind her.
Taking slow, steady breaths to calm her pounding heart, Amu frowned, not recognizing the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Is this Hinamori Amu?" The woman on the other line asked, her voice steady with a hint of sympathy.
Amu gripped the countertop tightly as she clenched her teeth together, unsure of what she was about to hear.
"..Yes.."
"This is Dr. Saito from the regional hospital. You should come right now, something's happened."
In an instant, Amu hung up the phone and darted for the door, grabbing her car keys on the way. Her fingers trembled as she started up the engine, feeling the car roar to life underneath her. She felt entirely numb - frozen. She was hardly in an appropriate state to drive, but like hell she was going to let that get in her way.
She wanted to expect the best, but her mind instantly thought of the worst case scenario that was awaiting her at the hospital. It seemed that no matter how many soothing breaths she took, nothing could calm her nerves right now.
Shutting out the negative feelings, Amu distracted herself by turning her thoughts to last December. When he had asked her.
They had spent the entire, frosty day together, enjoying each other's company. It was on their visit to the old, abandoned amusement park on the other side of town when he bent down on his knee.
"I want you forever and always." He had said while opening the ring box, "Through the good and the bad, and the ugly. We'll grow old together, forever and always."
It was by far the happiest day of her life. They had been friends since she was 10, best friends since 13, and dating since 15. She couldn't think of a single happy memory that he wasn't in. He was a part of her life and she wanted to keep it that way.
Pulling into the entrance of the hospital, Amu was brought back into the harsh reality of life as she walked up to the front desk, where the nurses were all scrambling papers together and looking through files.
Dr. Saito met up with Amu and lead her down a million brightly-lit halls - a maze that never seemed to end. The doctor was telling Amu all about the accident and what had happened, but Amu could barely hear her.
They finally reached the door to his room, and as she let herself inside, Amu tried to keep a straight face, even though she was ready to break down at any moment. She had to stay strong for him and have hope for the best - with any luck, inspiring him to think positively as well.
Then she saw Ikuto - lying motionless in the white blankets with a beeping machine hooked up to his arm. His deep blue eyes were squeezed shut, his breathing haggard. His face showed clear signs of pain and stress, with his eyebrows slanted downwards as he cringed suddenly at an attempt to turn his neck.
Amu rushed to his bedside, holding his hand a little too tight.
Ikuto's eyes slowly opened at the contact, his gaze softening at the sight of her. He might have tried to smile, but you couldn't tell. Even with cuts on his cheeks and a bandage on his forehead and a few on his arms, he was still perfect to her.
"How-how many…kids is it that we agreed on?" He asked softly, his dim eyes curious as they searched hers.
Amu smiled softly, choking out a light tinkle of laughter as her eyes filled with tears.
"Five." She answered. "Three boys, two girls."
Ikuto closed his eyes and nodded, a small smile gracing his features. "Right. …It's a good number."
"And we're getting that house on the hillside." Amu continued quietly as she crawled onto the bed, lying beside him. He let out a noise of pain as he moved his arm to wrap around her - though he hardly minded having to readjust himself even if it meant getting hurt. He needed to feel her near - to remind him that he had something worth living for.
"We'll be growing old together in that house. It's where we'll be staying together forever and always. Through the good and the bad, and the ugly." Amu murmured against Ikuto's chest, breathing in his familiar scent. "And always remember, whether rich or for poor, or for better - we'll still have each other, forever and always."
Suddenly, an idea came to mind, making Amu's heart flutter in excitement. She gingerly wriggled out of his embrace and called in the nurses from the hallway and Dr. Saito, then went over to the old couple next door and asked to borrow their rings for just a few minutes.
Amu returned to the room and sat beside Ikuto on the bed, holding out the two rings. They all figured out what she was doing and started to laugh as the tears fell on the floor.
Looking into Ikuto's eyes, Amu took hold of his hands.
"I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together, and always remember, whether happy or sad o-or whatever - we'll still love each other. Forever and always."
She finished the vows, but the beeps on Ikuto's machine were getting too slow. His breaths had become shallow and soft, his voice was almost too low as he said,
"I…love forever, forever and always. Please just remember, even if I'm not there….I'll always love you-" He exhaled his last breath and whispered,
"Forever and always."
Inspired by Parachute's song 'Forever and Always'