Hi, this is my first story in a long time, please be open with your opinions.
This will be the first of a one-shot collection, exploring the alternatives to the usual shipping routes. For example, what would have happened if xxxx didn't save xxxx.
Disclaimer, I do not own any of the related topic.
*Warning, there will be some alteration to the history of some of these characters, and their personalities may be changed to suit the course of the story better.
Please leave your comments and reviews!
Information for this chapter:
Pairing: Red x Yellow
Age: 20(Red) and 18(Yellow)
*This is a revised version.
Stroking his dark brown hair, the girl leaned towards the boy on the other side of the bed. She took a moment to inspect him. Only a few years older than she was, the boy stood a head taller than her; but asleep, it made no difference as she kissed him gently on his forehead. Now her fingers caught up in his swirls of hair, she gave herself the excuse to crawl into his arms, to be the closest she could be to his warmth.
The boy who saved her life many years ago grew up to save many more, but she was glad to be the one who caught his life in return. With that fishing rod that both of them treasured. The sunbeams peeked through the curtains, shining itself above the yellow mouse-like creatures beside the bed. The one with the flower by her ear reacted to the warmth as her ear twitched and flickered.
"Shhh…." She put her finger over her lips and bid her friend to be silent. You don't always have to chance to sleep in when your partner holds the position of a world-renowned trainer. As such, she enjoyed every little moments she shared with him.
The unlikely peace gave her a moment of clarity, a moment to rethink. This relationship has been through tough times, especially since he was never one to know his own, more, delicate feelings. It took her numerous years of patience, and set ups from her friends, but when he was opened up to his feelings, it all proved to be worth it, as he was the other piece of her soul. But, doubts often sink into her mind. Not of his potential disloyalty, but on the subject of their status. It took years for them to be brought together, and it was clear to her that if one thing didn't work out the way it did, this bond between them might have never existed.
The thought sparked her imagination, and she thought to herself, what happened to bring her that much closer to him? What was it that might have leaked Red a glimpse of his true feelings?
Ah…
After before un-petrified from stone, she fell into a deep sleep for a while. Doctors told her that she slept for weeks. She wasn't sure. From the many faces of their friends, tears running down each and every one of them convinced her that the situation was definitely more serious that it seemed. Red later admitted it to her.
"When you fell into that… coma… Yellow, I thought the world stopped, I wasn't sure what I did wrong that you of all people had to suffer. I was scared, guilty. And you waking up was the single greatest moment of my journey…"
To be honest, once you heard that from a man, how can you not be in love?
But then, what if she didn't wake up? Yellow has heard nurses gossiping on the original unlikeliness of her awakening. What if she actually didn't wake up?
What would Red be doing? Right this instance; three years since then, what would Red be doing, if she was still lying in bed, unmoving and silent.
Would he have stayed by my bed all the time? Perhaps, it sounded a little selfish, but she did, for a moment, wished that he would in this situation, be by her bed, dedicating his hours and days to her being. She glimpsed at the boy by her side, limp and motionless. She could feel his chest pulsing with life, could she expect him to do the same, but for a coma patient who could not promise a happy future with him. Could her pale face be enough satisfaction for him, to not be responded to, to not be acknowledged? Would he be by her side?
Yes. She thought to herself. He would. No matter if it was guilt, or love, or pity, Red would have stayed by her side.
"Mister Red, here to see her again? And is that sunflower in your hand?"
"Yes, it has always been her favourite. She used to say that it matched her hair." He gazed at the bouquet in his hand fondly, remembering happier times. "Please register me again for tonight, nurse. I will be on my way after an hour.' He had a broken smile on his face. 'I will make it short tonight."
"Of course, sir." The nurse gave him a small bow. Perhaps respect, or pity. Again no one could have been able to tell the difference. All they knew was that this man has been here in the hospital every night, for the past ten years. He would bring flowers, of straw yellow colour, on her birthday. He would bring chocolate on Valentine's. The nurses exchanged talks as the gifts stacked higher and higher in the room.
As the lone figure disappeared through the corridor, his resounding footsteps seemed to be telling the sad tale of a boy, who lost a defining person in his life, who grew up alone. Distanced from everyone he knew, never took his mind further than his career and his princess in the tower.
The nurse was the only one who knew of his story. She was the only one who has been working here since ten years ago. She watched as younger employees guessed the fable of this shady man who visited the hospital at the same time every night.
"Hey…" She watched from the gap of the doors. Unprofessional, yes, but her pity has driven her to pay extra care to the couple. Silently, she always dressed the woman in her best before the man's arrival. "I am sorry; I can't be here for too long… Professor Oak is holding this banquet to officially name his successor… I have to show up to honour his legacy."
He paused for a minute. He nervously played with his wristwatch. A habit he developed since the third year of his visits, as the nurse noticed. "I am supposed to honour you… your legacy, the things you have done before… before this…"
"But I can't." His tone dropped, as if his exhaustion has peaked.
He moved his hand over his brows and rubbed his temple. "I can't be strong… Every time they had to do this, every year, someone had to do this. This year, it's finally me." He sighed aloud. "What am I supposed to do? I can't do this for you. Nothing I say or do can possibly represent what you meant to them, to me."
He spooked the nurse when he suddenly stood up.
"Have a good night. I will see you tomorrow, Yellow." He brushed her hair apart and kissed gently her forehead. "Happy birthday." He set down the bouquet beside her bed, neatly arranging it before he left.
He passed the nurse again when he was leaving, he left in such haste that she had not even one chance to say goodbye. What was the word I was thinking of? What was it? To describe the never ending torment that these two seemed to be trapped in.
Ah, yes. Limbo. She thought to herself as she tidied the beds of an empty room.
He comes, he goes, and she stays still.
How many years would this continue for?
"Mister Red." She stopped him the next time he passed her. "Sir, may I have a word?"
The man turned, amused. For so many years, this was the first time the nurse would approach him after greeting him at the counter.
Wanting herself to be heard, she announced out loud, "while I have been a member of this hospital for as long as you have been coming here, I see myself as a friend of yours. Well, I am the only person you have talked to every day, I guess."
"Why do you keep coming back here? You have no reason to, she is practically… I am sorry to say this, gone." The nurse knew that this was not going to end well the moment she spoke out. "You need to stop this, for your health. Stop me now if it is starting to annoy. Why don't you give up? Escape this limbo."
The man looked stoically at her for a moment. His tongue rolled inside his mouth, his eyes opened and closed several time, before he could be sure about his answer. "Limbo is a nice word… I will remember this word for the future…" He chuckled dryly as he shifted to sit down on the bench. "You have been around since this happened. But you don't know what I have been feeling. The guilty feeling has passed long ago. What only exists now is rage. I am angry. All the time. At myself."
"There's no way for me to live without coming here every night. She is my salvation." He pointed poetically in the direction of her room. "She reminds me of what happened. She reminds me of what I didn't do, what I failed to do. She fell into this state because of me. If I didn't invite her, she would never have gone onto that death-bringing adventure. To pay her back, I can only hope that my daily visits can compensate for her life-time's loss."
"It seems awfully self-righteous to me. You are making excuses, to escape the blame, maybe?"
"There was no blame, that's the most painful part. No one said it was my fault. But beneath the pitiful looks, I could feel the subtle hate. I left the people I knew, I wanted to start over, with her." He glanced away, his brows gathered together.
"It is impossible to understand you. But what would she have wanted? If she was with you right this moment?"
She flicked a nerve as he rose in anger. "You know nothing about her! She would have wanted none of this. She was pure. She didn't do anything wrong, but she is the one suffering instead. I have to pay a price!"
The nurse looked down; her voice wavered as she spoke one last time before she left Red to his own device, "I cannot understand you, and you refuse to be understood. You have managed to do it; you have learnt to isolate yourself. These ten years are just a start, aren't they? You are determined to be alone."
He sat there, looking emptily at the ceiling. The milky white in front of him disappeared. The image of his past adventures rushed in and replaced it instead. His friends and companions, who supported him before, looked at him with an expression that he couldn't make out if it were pity or mocking. But behind it all, he saw the girl he loved in her youth and health. Giggling, she turned away from her and walked away, further and further, into the lights.
"You did it, you are alone," He whispered to himself. "You are truly and utterly alone…"
As soon as she envisioned Red in his older years alone and guilt-ridden, an unspeakable sorrow poured forth. The thought worried her; the future remains unaccountable. Anything can happen to anyone. There was no guarantee that she would always be here, or he would always be here. She knew for sure that she would have done the same if Red were the one in the hospital. But would that be the right thing to do?
Was my imagination too overbearing? Maybe Red would have done nothing that I thought of. Maybe Red would have done everything and maybe something even worse. Who knows?
Red, the one she has, moaned and he gently lifted his body up. "Good morning…" He looked at Yellow. "Did I miss anything?" he asked as he reached for Yellow's cheeks, swiping away tears that she didn't realise until now.
"Nothing, sleepyhead." She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and grinned, pinning his arm down to be leaned on. "Nothing at all…"
Still feeling uneasy, she asked, "Hey, just a crazy thought. If I didn't wake up from that coma" - She looked into Red's eye, pausing for the notion to sink in – "what would you have done?"
Evidently overwhelmed by the seriousness of the question, Red stared into her eyes, searching for the right answer. His expression varied from confusion, curiosity, and eventually relief.
Red wrapped his arms around her, tighter as he answered, "I would have never forgiven myself."
"I thought so." Yellow smiled at his answer, only from how accurate her assumption was. She parted her lips, but she didn't say a word. There was no point to try to change his mind, to change an action that would never happen.
This is all that matters. He is here and I am here.
I hope you've enjoyed that, please leave comments and reviews, thank you for reading.
I realise that the story isn't perfect, please forgive me. Thank you once again.