Fading Senses

"Can you taste the cake, Yoite? Its strawberry flavored," I asked, gazing at his nearly empty plate.

"A little bit… Enough to be able to like it," he responded, taking another large bite.

"That's great." I picked at my own cake, placing a small chunk in my own mouth. It sure was yummy. "Can you see the color of it? It's pink and rosy and stuff," I commented, admiring the delicious pastry.

"I can see a little more than I can taste. My hearing is starting to go a little bit too… What I'm really worried about it my sense of touch. I can't feel most things anymore," he said, his fingers twitching inside his gloves.

It was so incredibly sad. Yoite was dying. Slowly, painfully… He must have been so afraid. I was afraid for him. He was my best friend, I held him dear to my heart. I try not to worry too much about him, since he doesn't seem to care that he's dying. But it depresses me that I won't be able to remember him. I want to remember him. I want to remember every moment we've ever shared. Every moment we've been together.

"Are you okay, Miharu? You look a little out of sorts," he asked me. His voice brought me back from my musings.

I shook my head lightly and looked at his face, smiling. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about you," I said, assuring him that there was nothing wrong.

He looked surprised for a moment. "About…me? Why?" He asked, confused.

I raised my eyebrows in thought. Why, indeed? "Well, I just worry about you. I wish there was something I could do for you. You're my most precious friend, and I wish you could stay here. I don't want to forget you. I don't want to abandon your memories," I explained. I was a little shocked at my own openness, but ignored it, blaming it on the fact that I was a little tired.

He stared at the ground, unmoving. "I see. Well there's nothing you can do… And I don't want you to feel pain when I die; that is why I want you to forget."

I touched his hand with my fingertips. "Can you feel that?" I asked, trying to gauge how sick he was. He quietly said no, so I wrapped my hand around his. "How about now?" I asked, a little worried.

He moved his fingers around a little, and then said, "A little bit, but I have to focus on it."

"Hmm," I mused. I put my hand over his heart, trying to feel his pulse. It was steady. A little slow, but still healthy. I closed my eyes and just let myself feel the life pumping through him. His life… He's still alive. I soaked it in for a few moments. It made me happy to feel his heart beat so normally.

"M…Miharu?" He broke my concentration. "I won't be able to feel your hand, no matter how long you keep it there." He sounded a little hurt, and I felt horrible for making him admit such an awful thing out loud.

I dropped my hand and held his again, tight. "I was feeling your heartbeat. It was reminding me that you're still alive, that you're still with me," I said softly, quietly. I wasn't even sure if he would be able to hear it with his bad ears.

Before I knew what I was doing, I'd leaned over and taken his lips with mine. I couldn't quite understand why I did that, but I didn't stop. I made sure to be gentle, to not do anything that might frighten him. I wasn't sure how he would react to something like that, I didn't want to make it worse by being too aggressive.

I slowly pulled away, hesitantly, and looked up to his eyes. "Did you feel that? They say the lips are one of the most sensitive parts of the bod,." I justified my actions to his very blank face.

He tore his eyes to the right and muttered something. "I…did feel that."

I smiled and removed myself from him completely, looking out into space. "I'm glad. I'll be sure to check back again in a few days. I always want to make sure you're healthy," I said, fidgeting my thumbs.

"Don't concern yourself with me. It's not that important. Besides, I'm the enemy, remember? And I'm holding your friends hostage. I'm a horrible person. Don't worry about my health," he said, standing.

I didn't look at him. "You're not my enemy. You're quite the opposite. You're my friend. But if you don't want to be my friend, that's okay too. I mean… I've never had many friends, so I'm used to it," I said, only slightly relying on my little devil routine.

He turned toward me and looked down on me. He seemed to be thinking hard about something. Making his unknown decision, he sighed. "I am your friend, Miharu… I'm sorry. I just don't think I'm worthy of being anyone's friend. I'll be gone soon anyways. I've become so weak. Anyway…" He stopped and looked on me.

"Yeah?" I asked, urging him to continue what he was saying.

He leaned down, took my jaw in one gloved hand, and kissed me. It was soft, worried, vulnerable. I was a little shocked, but allowed the action. After all, I'd just done the same thing to him not too long ago.

He pulled himself away and I almost felt empty. Almost. I watched him, his face, his eyes, for any sign of emotion. Any unspoken words. I found none. He just seemed sad. Incredibly sad; alone.

"Anyway…" he continued. "Feel free to check up on me any time you think I might need it. I've been getting really sick, so…" He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

I understood and smiled at him. "I will. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you until you leave me behind," I said, assuring him that I truly cared.

He turned away from me and began to wander away. "Later, Miharu."

"Later," I replied, standing and walking in the opposite direction down the dark street.

Don't pay this any mind. I just really felt like writing some fluff, but didn't know what to do. So I thought of my fluffy list, and just kind of settled on this. It has a very vague, poor plot, which it easy to do. xD ANYWAY~ Enjoy it or don't, meh.