Thanks to the following reviewers…
LittleMissMint
animeswissmiss
daintyran
bychuu
Kalsoklv
dhidi-chan
Hanisakura
animearchitect
Kuga Asai
Description of this chapter: I think...this will be my last chapter....and whew, as I was re-reading this story from the start, I realized, as I first said, this was suppose to be a short story, but wow. It lasted longer. Thanks for the reviews guys! Keep it up!
Disclaimer: I don't own La Corda D'oro. But I sure do own this plot and its characters. Also this story's past prequels are mine, mine, mine. Meaning, I own "Another Love Story", "Moving Forward", "Something Special" and this, "Romance Until the End". (So many prequels~~~)
~I Love You~
Ayumi's POV
The happiness I've felt when I first met him. The first time I held my mother's violin. The eagerness I had, to be just like my parent's one day. I could understand everything now. I remember everything now. The rush of memories in my head caused me to blank out.
Where am I? It's pitch dark here. Is anybody there? Where is this place? It's....cold...
"Ayumi..."
I felt myself being conscious as I heard someone mention my name. I felt a warm hand hold onto mine. IT was an unfamiliar touch.
"Maybe you should eat something Shinji."
That voice...mother? No, that's impossible. Why can't I open my eyes? How come I can't feel the rest of my body, only my hands? Why can't I find my voice? So...Shinji's the one beside me...
I felt my hand being pressed onto something soft. Shinji's cheek? Shinji...he's here...how long could I have been out? A day maybe? Or maybe longer? Father must've been worried again...
"I'll skip," Shinji answered.
"You should go eat something. Your parents might get angry at us." I heard father say.
"I'll be fine," Shinji answered.
I wanted so much to open my eyes or just move my fingers to tell Shinji I'm fine, but it's no use. Suddenly I heard a violin playing.
What...Shinji is holding my hand...he couldn't be playing.
The violin playing is very familiar...mother? It has to be her. Each person's playing is different. Mother's is even more unique. I recognized the piece...Shinji's "Awakened Heart".
But...but...mother? How? How is she able to...suddenly mother stopped playing. I heard the door open and close.
"Doctor," father acknowledged.
"It's been almost a year." the new voice said.
Almost a year? What is he saying? Have we met him before?
"Is there any chance at all?" father asked.
"Be positive." I heard the doctor say, I felt another set of hands on my throat and then on my forehead, then he fumbled something on me...tubes?
Then that was when the new sounds registered. I heard the rhythmic beep of the machine, the rhythm of my heart. And then the soft dripping of thick water...dextrose? I felt the tubes and needle on me already.
"But let me tell you," the doctor said, "It might be anytime soon."
What's soon? What's going on?
I heard the doctor leave...and maybe my parents? I could only feel Shinji's presence beside me.
"Ayumi," he murmured, "It's been almost a year, almost a year ago when I saw you again. Saw you like this...in a coma..."
My consciousness froze. Coma? Me? A year? Wasn't it mother who has been in a coma? What...what dies that mean? I've been dreaming all the time? What? It's too much. My mind shut off again.
Shinji's POV
Soon, huh. I hope the doctor's right.
I gently stroke Ayumi's soft cheek. I miss he so much. Such a surprise to let us reunite in this situation.
I took off my supplementary glasses and set them on the table beside me as I recalled what happened when I finally saw her again.
-------------------------------
A fresh start as a junior, I entered the classroom and was glad I ended up in the same class as Kazuya. We both got through the whole morning enjoying everything--especially our music periods.
The great morning ended when Mori-sensei entered our classroom. Kazuya and I were called and then that was when I heard the news. The following events were a blur, soon I was talking to Uncle Ryoutaro in the hospital along with my parents.
I took in everything when he told me about what happened...
Ayumi and Saori was just going home from shopping.
It was pouring hard.
The driver lost his control over the breaks.
The car collided with an eight-wheeler truck.
The impact was so great that the car was pushed back into sliding some more.
They crashed into a tree.
By the time the ambulance came, the driver lost his life.
Ayumi and Saori were bleeding, Ayumi lost consciousness, but Saori was still awake.
When they reached the hospital, thank god the baby was still safe, which was a true miracle.
Though the child had to be delivered early, but that didn't cause any complication since the child was almost due anyway.
But after the delivery, Saori had lost consciousness and slipped into a coma.
Ayumi, on the other hand, had internal bleeding, it was stopped, but she also slipped into a coma.
---------------------------------------------
It's was four months since the two had coma, Aunt Saori was able to wake up by then, but Ayumi stayed in her slumber.
When Aunt Saori described to us everything when she was in coma, I had begun to have hope. Hope that Ayumi could hear me.
Something made me lose hope though, the doctors said that when a person has coma, more or less he would wake up within six months, but it's already ten months since then...
I shook my head.
I'm positive -- no, I'm sure Ayumi will wake up. I'm sure my feelings will reach her.
When I learned about her being in a coma, I've been in shock, but now I'm in better control of myself.
All I want now is for her to open her eyes and smile at me the way she used to when we were kids.
I hope my music has been reaching her, that song I've composed for her, I've been playing it at least twice a day. And ever since I've been playing for her, the doctors have seen improvements in her vital signs. Another miracle.
That just made me positively sure that Ayumi will wake up.
I know, from watching Aunt Saori's recovery, that things won't be easy. That it would be hard to use your muscles for a while and it takes getting use to. There's also a chance that Ayumi might have a hard time talking since she haven't talked for a while. It was said that when she wakes up, how she takes her rehabilitation will result to different personality of hers. She might be easily frustrated, and she might even have a slight memory loss from her head injury.
I've been praying that she'd wake up soon and that she'd still have all her memories.
I want her to wake up and be by her side the whole time as she goes through all the process to help her get better.
"Ayumi," I whispered her name fervently, "I miss you so much..."
Normal POV
Shinji was resting his head beside Ayumi when Ryoutaro and Saori entered the room. They covered him with a blanket.
Shinji had stayed here for three weeks already, he hasn't been going to school, but rest assured, he'd been going to school once a week to take exams and he never failed to get flying colors, and at the same time still end up at the top of his class.
Saori stoke her daughter's gentle long hair, she smiled to herself.
"She's going to be fine," Ryoutaro whispered beside his wife, he closed the curtain slowly.
"I know," Saori replied.
Then they heard a soft knock on the door. The Tsukimori family and the Hihara family slowly entered the room. Shinji slowly woke up.
"Hey," Len murmured softly, looking at his son.
"Father," he acknowledged.
"Have you eaten?" Kahoko asked him.
Shinji lightly shook his head.
"You should go and eat something," Kazuya suggested.
Shinji sighed and slowly stood up, he took one last long look at Ayumi before turning around, "I guess I will," he muttered, "Excuse me," and he left the room.
Shinji went to the canteen below, and had a light lunch.
After he ate, he leaned back on his chair and stared at the ceiling, wondering what might happen from here on.
As he was thinking, he heard someone call his name.
He turned around and saw Kazuya running towards him.
"Hey," he said in a low voice, slowly standing up and met him.
That was when Shinji took in his alarmed expression.
"What? What's wrong?" Shinji asked.
"Ayumi," Kazuya breathed, "hurry,"
Shinji instinctively ran towards Ayumi's room. When he was near, he saw everyone outside. Seeing him approach, they moved away from the door.
"Is she..." Shinji asked, unable to look at either one of them.
"Go," he heard his mother whisper.
Shinji's POV
As I slowly entered the room, I felt my heart tearing into pieces, what could be more of an explanation for Kazuya's alarmed expression. As I entered I saw two nurses and a doctor beside Ayumi's bed.
This is it.
It's the end.
They saw me entered the room and smiled gently.
"Well then, we'll leave you two," the doctor said, as he passed me, he patted my shoulder and left with the nurses.
My breath caught when I saw her, Ayumi was propped up on her bed.
As she saw me, a smile spread across her face, she moved her hand from her side onto her lap, as if that was all the strength she had.
I walked towards her, my feet shaky.
"Ayumi," I said again.
As I looked at her, all her tubes were gone, only the dextrose on her left hand was left.
"Sh...in....ji..." she said slowly, her brows creased impatiently as she tried again, "Shi....n...ji..."
Her voice was hoarse from lack of use, but I didn't mind.
She was awake.
She was well.
I sat on the chair beside her and took her right hand gently, the tears I've been holding back poured out.
"You're finally awake." I said, voice full of relief.
Suddenly I heard soft sobs and when I looked at her, she was crying.
Somehow, without her trying to say anything, I knew what she wanted to say.
"Yes, I've missed you too..." I murmured, stroking her cheek, "Hey, could you hear my voice when you were sleeping?" I asked her softly.
She shook her head slowly.
"Even a little?"
She nodded a bit.
"I guess we'd have to wait for a few months to get you talking again." I grinned at him.
Ayumi gave me a scowl. I laughed at her expression.
"I love you," I told her.
A/N: Whew! REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!! One more last chapter. It won't be anything major. Just more sweet scenes for the two.