This story is inspired by a Chinese song called 童话 (tong hua: Fairy Tale), by 光亮 (guang liang). You may listen to it while reading this story (too bad it's against the rules to use the lyrics).
Well, I present to you my first one-shot, The Angel in her Fairy Tale!
They graduated from the same university, which was the first reason that they grew an interest in each other when they met by chance in a park.
He was a strong man full of pride and dignity, whose morale of independence and discipline had allowed him to go far. He had took her breath away with the mesmerising cool glisten in his steel grey eyes, and had shot a cupid arrow through her heart with the whole of his tall, handsome and serene being.
Unbeknownst to her, she did the same thing to him.
He loved every part of her, even if her short hair was plain, her right eye was missing since birth and had to be concealed by a white eye patch, and her figure was not really close to that of a model. He loved her for who she truly was, and never despised her for who she could not be.
He loved her as Kiseyoshi Nagi.
And she was more than happy to know he appreciated her existence, and loved him as Hibari Kyoya.
For once, Hibari could not sleep.
He sighed and turned to look at his girlfriend sleeping in the futon beside him. He concluded that his current problem was probably due to the exceptional excitement that Nagi had moved into his traditional Japanese house to live with him.
He watched her camisole covered chest rise up and down as she breathed softly. He was almost tempted to jump on her and attack her, but he knew he should not disturb her.
Shutting his eyes, he smiled to himself. There was no need to worry about opportunities to get close contact with her, for she was now all his.
"It's impossible! You'll never be my prince!" Nagi had impulsively blurted out when they had gotten into an argument, before she stormed out of the room.
What she did not know was Hibari had felt hurt. She did not know that ever since she told him that she loved him, the stars in his sky had begun to sparkle.
After they had made up, Nagi persuaded Hibari to accompany her for Christmas shopping.
Along the streets that were slightly covered in snow, they walked past some pubs and nightclubs, and Nagi stopped Hibari in his tracks to ask him something.
"Kyoya-san, have you ever been to nightclubs or pubs?"
Hibari shook his head, "Why would I go to such crowded and noisy places?"
"Ah…and you don't drink alcohol," she seemed to be somewhat relieved.
Hibari turned around to face her completely, "Why do you ask?"
Nagi smiled, a little grimly, "I've heard from our neighbours that many men who visit those places always come home smelling of not only alcohol, but also perfume".
"Are you afraid of infidelity?"
Nagi's lone left eye widened in shock, "I-I'm sorry… It's not that I don't trust you—"
Her sentence was cut off when Hibari put a finger to her lips, "Don't apologise. I didn't say you need to".
Nagi blushed when she felt his hand move to cup her cheek.
Hibari gave her a microscopic smile, "It's always good to be careful in relationships, instead of being blinded by love". He then added, "I think the best place to go to is home".
Nagi beamed brightly and hooked an arm around his, "Then let's go home, my prince!"
"That title doesn't suit me," Hibari said as he allowed her to pull him along.
"Just imagine that we're in a fairy tale!"
Hibari stared at her a little incredulously, but when he saw how happy she looked, he could not help but smile too.
"Kyoya-san, what are you doing?" Nagi inquired when she slid open the rice paper door and spotted Hibari playing the piano.
Hibari stole a glance at her and replied while gesturing to the musical score in his hand, "Practicing a song for a concert".
"Concert?" Nagi gasped, "I know you have a musical talent, but why would you sign up for a concert? What is it about?" She stopped when she thought that she was asking too much.
Hibari placed the script onto the music rack and shifted to the other side of the seat, leaving the space for Nagi. Although surprised, Nagi sat beside him and noticed that the song her boyfriend was practicing was in a foreign language.
As if he had read her inquisitive mind, he said, "The concert requires us to perform a song that is not native as an individual or a band, and I signed up because the herbivorous bronco wouldn't stop nagging".
Nagi finally understood, "So it was Dino-san who persuaded you to join the concert… Would you receive an award or something?"
Hibari shrugged, "That's not important, and I think it's a good challenge. Anyway, I've chosen to use the piano to play this song".
"What is it?" Nagi asked eagerly, leaning her head onto his shoulder.
"It's a Chinese song. I'll translate the lyrics to you later. Now I'll play it to you."
He was about to press the keys, when Nagi spoke again, "Are you going to sing it?"
He hesitated to answer for a while, but said, "You decide for me".
"Yes!" she immediately replied cheerfully.
Hibari's skilled fingers began to play the smooth melody, the tune and rhythm dancing into their minds in pretty tingles. What made Nagi's heart skip a beat though was the sound of his voice when he sang the song. She had never heard him sing a foreign song before, and he melted her even more with every lyric that his voice empowered.
She inwardly swooned.
Hibari was secretly surprised that his girlfriend did not see through his lie that he was persuaded into participating in the concert. He was a man who would not give in to others no matter how hard they tried to beg or cajole, because he would never let others force him to do things he did not want to do.
Dino, an acquaintance of his since university, had not succeeded in changing his stubbornness at all. When he introduced the concert to him, Hibari was going to reject it, but on second thought, he had seen it as a perfect chance to give his precious Nagi a gift through a song that would indirectly tell her how much she meant to him, and how much his life had blossomed into colours because of her.
"Tadaima, Kyoya-san," Nagi returned to the house after her grocery shopping and found Hibari seated on the couch, reading a book.
"Eh…you're not practicing?" she asked as she plopped down beside him.
Hibari shook his head, "I'm tired".
Nagi nodded, but was rather disappointed. She wanted to hear him play and sing again.
When she glanced at his book, she noticed that it looked familiar.
"It's yours," Hibari told her.
"Eh? How…?"
"I wanted to know why you like this book so much so I'm reading it."
Nagi grinned, "It is a nice story. It's like a beautiful tragic fairy tale. It makes me want to cry whenever I think about it".
"Why do you still like it if it makes you sad?"
"Eto…because it's very well-written? I can feel all the emotions."
"…." Hibari closed the book and turned to stare intently at Nagi. She could only blink before she was pushed flat onto the couch, with Hibari on top of her. Her face became tomato red and she gasped when Hibari suddenly smashed his lips on hers aggressively. She trembled and fidgeted nervously underneath his body, and moaned when he kissed her slender neck. She tried her best to enjoy the intimacy, and wished it could last forever.
Hibari noticed a disturbing trend.
On every Tuesday of the week, Nagi would claim that she had an urgent errand to do and would leave the house early in the morning. Then on the same afternoon when they went out for a short date, Nagi would appear rather fatigued or even dejected.
He was also puzzled as to why she always anxiously told him not to enter the kitchen when she was inside, and why she kept visiting the washroom.
In a nutshell, she had been acting weird.
Whatever it was, Hibari was going to find out the truth.
"Nagi," Hibari called for her.
"Hai, Kyoya-san?" Nagi smiled as she walked over to him, unaware of his serious aura.
"Nagi," Hibari raised his hand that was holding onto a small packet, "What is this?"
Nagi's eye instantly widened in horror when she saw the item, and tried to snatch it from him but he dodged and demanded, "Nagi, I want you to tell me the truth. What's going on?"
"K-K-Kyoya-san… H-How did you…?"
"I saw this kind of medicine before," Hibari stated as he frowned at the prescription, "My mother used to consume them before she passed away. But to think you have it in your bag... Just how long have you been hiding this from me?"
He took a step toward her, but she retreated in fear. He glared at her. He hated being deceived, being lied to. He wanted to know if she had not trusted him enough to tell him such important things.
He was glad there was a wall behind her so she could not run from him. He eliminated the distance between them and grabbed her shoulders as she struggled and screamed a bit, forcefully pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Nagi…" he whispered gently into her ear, "Do you have…cancer?"
The next moment Nagi burst into tears, hugging Hibari desperately, and continued crying for an hour or so as she unlocked the door that concealed all her secrets.
That was one of those times that Hibari wished he had never pushed that far into understanding the cruel reality.
Every Tuesday he accompanied her to her medical appointments. Every day he saw how her body was gradually breaking down because of stomach cancer. Every second he gave his all to treasure the remaining time he had left with her and to provide her with promising happiness and hope.
He wanted her to at least live long enough to hear his song at the concert.
He brought her to one of his rehearsals conducted at a theatre, where she met many other participants who were curious about her since she was Hibari Kyoya's girlfriend.
Dino was informed of Nagi's condition, because Hibari had skipped some rehearsals to take care of her, and he saw the misery and worry in Hibari's eyes when Nagi appeared strangely pale. He watched as Hibari gently helped Nagi to rest in one of the audience seats, and wrapped a scarf around her neck.
"It's okay, Kyoya-san. I'll be fine," Nagi reassured, "I want to see your performance".
Seeing the twinkle in her eyes, Hibari turned to Dino, "I'm starting".
"Ah, sure!" Dino grinned, but he was inwardly touched upon witnessing the way his friend doted on his girl.
Nagi clapped merrily as Hibari began showcasing his talent on the piano. However, she had only heard two lines of the song when her mind became hazy and woozy, and she felt an uncomfortable nauseous feeling in her throat.
A sudden thud reached Hibari's ears and he turned toward the audience to see Nagi collapsed onto the floor.
"Kiseyoshi-san!" Dino shouted in bewilderment, and was about to rush toward her but Hibari had already leapt off the stage and heaved her into his arms.
"Nagi…Nagi!" he tried to shake her awake and pressed his hand onto her neck. Her pulse was weak.
Dino flipped open his phone, "I'll call the ambulance!"
"It's no use," Hibari growled, "It won't make it here on time". He stood up with Nagi in his arms and started to run off, "I'm bringing her there myself".
"O-Oi, Kyoya!" Dino slapped his forehead and called to the other people, "Please practice on your own! This is an emergency! I have to follow them!" He decided to use his Ferrari to catch up with them, cursing when he was stuck in the traffic jam.
When Dino finally arrived at the hospital with heavy pants, he found Hibari waiting outside the room. He approached him and called his name, gaping when he saw that Hibari's eyes were a little sore as if he had just cried.
"Bronco, what is the exact date for the concert?" Hibari asked out of the blue, surprising Dino but he managed to answer, "22nd of July".
Hibari returned his gaze to the floor. Dino gulped as he hesitated to ask something.
Just then, the doctor emerged from the room with a solemn expression, and gave them a report that was nothing but terrible news.
"She only has a month or two left."
Dino's heart sank when he looked at Hibari. He had never seen him with such a desolated expression before. He felt so sorry for him.
Hibari entered the room and walked over to Nagi, who had to breathe with an oxygen mask and had just awakened. He held onto her fragile hand, and never wanted to let go.
He recalled what Nagi had said after she had told him about her terminal illness.
"Fairy tales are all lies… I don't see a 'happily ever after' in reality…."
He could never be her charming prince. He could never be her knight in shining armour who could protect her from the cancer grim reaper.
However, even if it was contrary to his devilish character, he would be the angel in her fairy tale who would turn his hands into wings to keep her warm.
On the day of the concert, in the morning, Hibari visited Nagi in hospital for the last time, since today was also the day of her scheduled death.
"You look great, Kyoya-san," Nagi smiled sweetly when she saw Hibari dressed in a smart navy blue suit and was even more delighted when she recognised the tie she had given him last Christmas. Although she was feeling very weak and was hanging on with the mask and drip, she still tried her best to stay strong and be happy in the last few hours of her life that she would spend with her most beloved person in the world.
He sat in the chair beside her bed and said, "Nagi, later at 2pm, I'll be calling you by phone so that you can listen to my song".
She nodded, "Okay. Ano… Kyoya-san".
"Hn?"
"I-I don't want you to be lonely after I leave…so I think you should find another g-girlfriend?"
Hibari was rather astounded to hear such a thing from her. How could he be so mean to involve in another relationship after she died? Where was his loyalty? Where was his true love?
He sighed and declared firmly, "I rather die than betray you. I want no one but you. I will not live for anyone but you".
Nagi felt her cheeks burn hot, and how her heart felt so comforted. His fingers were fumbling with the straps of the oxygen mask. She knew what he wanted to do, so she permitted him to remove it.
He traced the shape of her face and readied himself for the kiss. It would, after all, be their last, since he could not take off her oxygen mask anymore after this. He slowly bent down and meshed his lips into hers. His tongue added moisture to her dry lips. He gently deepened the kiss, and she whimpered into his mouth.
It was emotional, but Hibari wanted her to remember the feeling and pleasure. This was the best he could do to show her for the last time that he loved her.
A tear rolled down Nagi's cheek after they reluctantly separated, but what really made her think that she was the most fortunate person in the world was to hear Hibari say:
"We will get married in the afterlife."
A broad, genuine smile shone on Nagi's pretty face, "Hai!"
She was running a little short of breath, so Hibari quickly replaced the oxygen mask.
They held onto each other's hands and stared at each other for a long time, as if they were trying to imprint the image of their lover in their minds.
"Kyoya-san…" Nagi squeezed his hands, "Please…take care".
Hibari thought he had mentally prepared himself to bid farewell to her, but now he felt scared and insecure and heartbroken. He tried to control his hands not to quiver too much, but he could not keep his emotions bottled up forever.
Nagi was rendered speechless by what happened next.
Hibari cried.
But the strange thing was even with tears trailing down his face, he still looked as nonchalant as ever.
"K-Kyoya-san…"
"…. Oh."
Nagi had never felt this touched. Her boyfriend did not care about his pride to not expose any weakness. He did not wipe those tears away out of shame, because they were for her, and only for her.
"Are you ready, Kyoya?"
"I have been since day one."
"How's Kiseyoshi-san?"
"…. I have a feeling she'll die the moment my song ends."
"What?"
"That's why I asked you to put me at the last to prolong her life."
"… Actually I intend to do that without you asking, Kyoya, because I want the best performance to be the finale. Haha, guess I'm a little biased, eh?"
"Iie, my performance is the best."
The concert began with high spirits.
Hibari was the last to perform.
When he sat in front of the grand piano, he recalled Nagi's last words to him.
It was not "goodbye", nor was it "I love you". It was something much simpler.
"Gambatte."
He took out his phone and dialed a number. He waited for the other line to pick up before he placed it on top of the piano, and he started to play.
Nagi held her phone to her ear, and listened to the music and Hibari's voice. This distracted her from the sound of the heart monitor.
She understood the meaning of the song after Hibari translated the lyrics to her, and she knew why he chose this song.
She remembered the times when she kept sharing her favourite story to him.
She remembered telling him how much she wished she could be in a fairy tale with him.
And she definitely remembered his last words to her.
"You must believe that we can be in a fairy tale, where 'happily ever after' is the ending."
Hibari sang the last line of the song, and pressed the last key of the piano.
Nagi's eyelid fluttered close, releasing a tear, as the phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
The heart monitor gave out a long beep.
The audience's applause and cheers were not breaking through to Hibari as he remained seated at the piano, knowing that Nagi had died. The only thing that mattered to him now was his song and voice that carried his message had reached his girl and allowed her to leave with a heart filled with nothing but joy.
Even if she was gone, he would continue to be the angel in her fairy tale…
…so that they could write their happy ending together.
THE END!