Hey! Are you ready to find out what's next? Last time we found out what really happened to Tombo, and now, we're going to see how Kiki can handle it. She knows that Tombo is still alive, but he's not technically living. He's stuck in a hospital bed, unable to awaken. And now, Chapter 6! Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Facing the Truth

"I'm sorry you had to hear it like this," Nori said, "but I thought that you should know the truth." I looked down to the end of the hospital bed. I didn't want to believe that it was true. In my mind, Tombo was going to walk through the door and come to my bedside, not wasting a second to see me. But dreams were only that; dreams. I couldn't just wish for things to happen. I had to make them happen myself.

"I want to see him," I said. After I said that, everyone looked at me in shock. They should have known how long I've waited to see him. The surprised looks I received were shocking to me. It has been six years since I last saw Tombo, and they thought I wasn't going to ask them if I wanted to see him?

"What?" I asked, "You all know how much I need to see him." Again, like Osono and Ursula did before, all three looked at each other with trepidation. Now what was wrong? He was here at the hospital. It wasn't like Tombo had died. Although he was close to death, I knew in my heart Tombo was far from it.

"Um, you see, we can't let you do that." Nori replied.

"Why not?" Again, they hesitated to answer. There were so many secrets they were keeping from me. I was their friend. Why did they think that concealing the truth would help? It only made me want to see him even more. Tombo was more than just a friend to me, and they all knew it.

"Well…um…it's just that…you see…" Nori was unable to speak. She couldn't find the right words. There was no way she could tell me without breaking my heart. I knew the answer would, but I wanted to hear it. Luckily for Nori, Osono stepped in.

"For one you can't move!" Osono said, "Your condition is so terrible, you can't even leave the hospital bed!"

"And same for Tombo," Ursula said, "he's been in a coma for three months. You won't really be able to-"

"I don't care!" I shouted, "I just need to see him!"

"Be careful! Don't stress yourself out!" Nori exclaimed. I breathed in and out until I felt calm again. Everything I heard so far was just too much for me to handle. Stress was the last thing on my mind.

"I…I'm sorry," I said, "I just, don't want to believe it's true."

"Neither do we," Osono said, sitting on the other side of the hospital bed, "We love Tombo too, and seeing you in pain is too hard for us to bear. We want you to be happy."

"Thank you," I said, "Can I have a moment by myself? I just want to be alone right now." None of them wanted to leave me, but they knew I was going to have to think things through by myself. They nodded and started to leave the hospital room. Nori looked back as she was heading out the door and said, "Feel better, Kiki." I smiled and she exited.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Now's my chance,"I thought, "I can go see Tombo without anyone knowing." I slowly got out of the hospital bed and stood up. At first it was hard standing, but I was able to walk to the door in only a short time.

"Don't worry, Tombo, I'm going to see you, and no one will tell me otherwise."

Osono's POV

"Do you think she will be okay?" I asked. I had been worried about Kiki ever since I saw the rain clouds coming in. I knew she was looking for the truth, but I didn't know how far she would go to find the answer. Fortunately for us, Nori was right there when it happened. If it weren't for her, who knows what could have happened to Kiki.

"She'll be fine," Ursula said, "You know Kiki; she's a fighter. I bet by tonight she'll be up and about and coming back to the bakery soon."

"Maybe you're right," I said. But no matter how much Kiki recovered, I knew she would never be complete without Tombo. They shared such a close bond, it was almost impossible to break. Maybe her coming back was a sign that Tombo was going to recover!

"I'm going to the cafeteria, anyone want anything?" Nori said.

"Yuck, I hate hospital food," Ursula said.

"Well, let's just sit down and relax," I told her, "We've been worried about Kiki all day and I haven't eaten anything since last night."

Ursula sighed. "Alright, let's go."

"Ew, how can you eat that?" Ursula said. Nori ordered chicken soup, and obviously Ursula didn't like it. I didn't mind the food at hospitals, but I wasn't in the mood for eating.

"It's better than nothing! I haven't eaten all day!"

"Well, it looks gross," Ursula said. She stood up and pushed her chair back in. "I actually need to get back to the crows. They've been waiting to model for my artwork all day."

"How's your painting doing? Are you putting any in a gallery?" I asked her. I always knew her artwork was amazing, but she always seemed a little uneasy about putting them in a gallery. Ursula loved painting, but never thought they were any good for others to see.

"Actually, someone from the Koriko Art Gallery came by my cabin the other day. He saw some of my work and wants me to put one of them in his gallery!"

"Oh, Ursula, that's great news!" She was clapping and acting like a kid, almost like Kiki. I missed that side of her. She was always fun and exciting, unable to wait for adventures. Kiki just went out into the world and started her own adventures. Kiki may have become older, but the child inside of her would never leave.

"Well, I better be off and start painting again! Bye! Tell me what happens with Kiki!"

"I will!" As Ursula ran out through the doors, Nori went back to eating her soup. I then decided it might be best to check up on Kiki. It had been a while, and she was probably lonely at the moment. She needed some cheering up.

I walked down the hall to Kiki's hospital room. I hoped she didn't do anything to stress her out even more than she already was. Anymore stress like what she had now would really affect her.

"Kiki?" I knocked on the door softly, but there was no reply. I knocked a little louder but still no one responded. Maybe she was asleep. "Should I go in and check on her or wait at home? No, I told Kiki I'd be here for her, so I have to check up on her."

"Kiki," I opened the door and inside the hospital room was my worst nightmare. The unthinkable had occurred. I was about to fall to the ground in tears.

"Kiki, Kiki!" The hospital bed was empty and Kiki was missing! We had left her room about a half hour ago! She could have been anywhere! I ran back to the cafeteria to find Nori.

"Nori! Nori! Help! Kiki's missing!"

Kiki's POV

"I knew it! Room 204!" I was standing in front of the room that would reveal the devastating truth. I was going to have to see him to believe what Nori said. I wasn't going to rely on her word. I wanted to see it for myself.

It was almost too catastrophic to believe. I didn't want it to be true, but it was reality. I was going to have to face it eventually. Slowly, I opened the door. I couldn't see anything at first, but that was because the lights were off. I moved around gradually, looking for a light switch.

"Come on, there has to be a source of light in here somewhere," Finally, I found the switch and turned the lights on. I didn't see anything at first. My eyes were shut, unable to open. I couldn't bear to see what was in front of me. I didn't want to believe it, and by closing my eyes I wouldn't have had to see it.

"No! Don't be a coward! You're going to have to face this eventually, and the best thing to do is to face it now!" As I opened my eyes little by little, I saw the figure of a person lying on the hospital bed only a few feet away.

That face, it really belonged to…Tombo!

"Tombo!" I shouted. I ran to his bedside, but he didn't hear me. He was unconscious, and had been for the last three months, according to Nori. It was true, all of it. Tombo was gone, but not completely. If only he would just wake up.

"Tombo! You've got to wake up, please! I need you! I'm back, and I'm here to stay! Please, don't leave me!"

"There she is!" I looked behind me and saw one of the nurses pointing at me. Osono and Nori were behind the nurse and they rushed passed her to me.

"Kiki! Kiki, what are you doing?" Osono questioned. I didn't even know the answer. I just wanted the nightmare to end.

"I just want him back," I whispered, "I want Tombo back." Tears rolled down my cheeks and landed on my hands that were holding Tombo's. It was like he wasn't here, but still he was. I was staring right at him. I felt alone without Tombo, like a part of me was missing.

"It's okay to be sad," Nori said, comforting me, "but you know it won't be that simple to bring him back. It's been three months and he hasn't woken up. I know one day he will come back to us, but we're just going to have to wait for that to happen."

I cried into her shoulder. I didn't know what else to do. I came back to find him again and tell him the truth, but I couldn't even speak to him. Tombo was the main reason for my return to Koriko, and I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Ugh! She's so close to telling Tombo the truth! The only thing getting in the way is the fact that Tombo has been unconscious for three months. Will he wake up? And if he does, what will happen next? Kiki has a long way until she'll be able to free Tombo from this coma. Until next time, please review and tell me what you think!

Anabelle ;)