Chapter 2

"Lilly," Akira called through the locked door. "Somebody wants to talk to you." After a moment's silence, she added. "Or should I tell him you don't want to talk? I don't think poor Hisao's heart can take that, Lilly." There was only a slight bit of cheer in her tone.

"I told you not to call him." Lilly replied, finally. "Just leave me alone, Akira..." She made no move to open the door.

"You know I can't do that, sis. I'll be damned if I just let you drown in your own tears all day." She paused. "I called Hisao because I know he still cares about your wellbeing. Would you just talk to him, please?"

"How do you know he still cares? He hasn't called since graduation!" Lilly's voice was raised.

"Because he hasn't hung up on me yet. Just talk to him for a minute or two, please?"

There was a pause. A drawn out, awkward silence took hold. Then, Akira heard the bolt in Lilly's door unlock. She opened it slightly, and took the phone from Akira, and again, shut the door. "Hisao?"

Hisao wondered what was taking Akira so long. Part of him wanted to just hang up and get back to his life, but he owed Akira a favor for the things she'd said to him at the park, so he ignored the impulse. The impulse he didn't know if he could ignore, however, was the impulse to yell at Lilly. She needed to stand up and face her problems. She got herself into this situation, didn't she?

Why should he be gentle to her? Why should he show her any kindness? Yes, he loved her, but that was the problem! She'd left him, fully aware of that fact. His anger was getting the better of him. His heartbeat started to accelerate.

"Hisao?"

Lilly's voice through his phone's speakers brought Hisao back to reality, though he wouldn't call it that. "What's the problem?" He went right for the heart of the matter, not bothering to stop for small talk.

"...My father is sick..." Lilly said quietly. "Thank you for talking to me, Hisao. I thought you wouldn't want to-"

"What's he have?" Hisao cut her off

"I..."

"I'm glad Akira called." Hisao half-lied.

There was a second of silence. "He's got a tumor, and we think he has pneumonia." Lilly answered.

"Sorry to hear." Hisao wasn't lying. No matter how much pain Lilly had caused him last year, she was going through something aweful.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Lilly asked suddenly.

"What?" Hisao was taken slightly aback.

"You haven't spoken a word to me since I left with Akira, and now you're telling me you're sorry for my loss?" She was raising her voice. "Why should I care if you're sorry, Hisao?"

That hurt. Hisao had come into this situation thinking that it would be him to get angry and lose self control. He thought it would be him that did the yelling. After all, it was Lilly's fault.

Wasn't it?

"You didn't come after me, Hisao..." Lilly wasn't loud anymore, but her voice was shakey. She must have been crying. "You just stayed behind, and didn't even bother trying. All this time, you've been mad at me... And all this time, I've held onto the guilt for the pain that I caused you..." Her voice was shaking more now. She was about to lose it.

"There was no way I could've known that you wanted me to stop you... Lilly, I-"

"You didn't even try!" Lilly screamed at him. "You could've at least come after me!"

Hisao stumbled backwards, falling into a kitchen chair. It felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. His heartbeat was going haywire.

Calm down, Hisao. he told himself. "Lilly..." He paused, searching for the words. None came.

"I'm sure my sister will call you when we've set the funeral..." She paused. "But I think it'd be best if... If you didn't come. I wouldn't want to make a scene." Sadness was gone from her voice.

Hisao's pulse remained eratic. "Lilly... I'm sorry. I-" He was cut off by a sharp pain in his chest. "Damnit!" he choked out, clutching his ribcage.

"Hisao?" Lilly sounded concerned. "Hisao are you alright? Hisao!"

The pain stopped as quickly as it started. "Yeah," he sighed. "I'm alright..."

"I... I caused that..." Lilly's voice sounded shakier than before. "I've done that before... I'm sorry, Hisao..."

Hisao wished he could do more to comfort Lilly, but they were a world apart. "It's fine." was all he managed.

"No!" Lilly yelled again. "No it isn't! I've caused you three heart attacks now... Maybe it's best that we not talk again..."

Hisao started to say something in response, but was cut off by the sound of a click. Lilly had hung up on him. And just like that, the woman he'd loved and lost, left his life again. He knew Lilly wouldn't accept calls from him again, as he knew that she would tell Akira to do the same.

He looked at the screen on his phone for a while, pondering if he should try and call back. "What did I just..." Hisao began. "She needed help... and for this long, I..." He found he couldn't finish any questions he posed. He was dry for words.

Akira put an arm around her sister's shoulder, sitting next to her on her bed, the door finally having been unlocked. "I couldn't help overhearing..." she said.

"Why did you call him...?" Lilly responded quietly.

"Because he knows you. He can get through to you and I couldn't. And Hanako's not answering when I call her."

"But Hisao..."

"Loves you? I know that." Akira's tone became serious in an instant.

"You think he still does?" Lilly asked, a tear rolling down her face.

"Well, even if he did, you don't want him at the funeral, which conveniently stands as the only time you'll be in Japan in the foreseeable future."

Lilly burried her head into her sister's shoulder and sobbed. "I can't do this anymore..."