Author's Note: Alright, so this is officially supposed to be the last chapter of 'Superior' - afterwards I will start posting a story about Jun that will be a sort of sequel to this one. (That story will include some more Yuki x Kagami moments in it.) But the friend that I made this for has a birthday coming up soon, so I would like to come up with one more 'special' for her for her birthday. So I will leave the story as 'incomplete' until then. (Her B-Day is Aug. 18th.)
Thank you all for reading, for all your incredible support && reviews!
Chapter Six
"Yuki-san, you look pale."
Those words had caught her by surprise, if only because Kuroko had popped out of nowhere to appear in front of her. She nearly went reeling back on the bleachers, though he managed to catch her hand and help her steady herself. "Oh, my god, Kuroko-san. You're like a ghost."
"If you're not feeling well—"
"Huh? Something wrong with Yuki?" Kagami piped up from behind him, sneakers squeaking against the freshly shined floor as he approached. The taller man settled the basketball on top of his teammate's head as he leaned over to inspect her.
"I'm fine," she reassured with a smile. Perspiration was pouring down her brow, though. It was still technically spring – the heat should not have been enough to make her sweat so bad. Even she knew that.
"Come on you two, get back to practicing!" Riko chided from the other end of the court.
It was several days after her birthday, and Yuki had been faithfully attending every practice. It had only barely started today, though, and she was starting to feel nauseous. She didn't want to confide as much, especially when he was busy practicing. While their backs were turned, she had managed to sneak out a pill and take – that was usually enough. But she could feel a subtle pain in her chest. Dizzy – short of breath. She knew the signs.
"Hey, if you're not feeling good—"
"I'm okay." Her smile was strained, and her words unconvincing. "Please keep practicing. Your coach will get mad otherwise, right?"
Kagami frowned but he turned his back toward her and followed after Kuroko.
Her vision was swimming and she knew Jun would scold her if she knew. It was stupid – Yuki should have called Kagami back, should have been honest. But she hoped—no, prayed—that it was just another passing attack. It would go away, she assured herself.
At least until the pain that had been slowly creeping up on her seized her completely. She could hardly stay upright. Clutching at her chest, she hunched forward, her face contorted in pain. The sounds on the court seemed to be drowned out by the furious beating o her heart. But where before it had been because she was so excited to see Kagami, she was certain that this time... this time it wasn't for a good reason. It was too painful.
"Yuki? Yuki!"
The voice sounded so far away, as though she was disconnected from reality. And everything around her had become an indiscernible blur. Was it because she was crying? Or was she that dizzy? It was all turning white, and the noise was gradually fading out.
—
When she came to, it was not to the hospital room that she had expected to find herself, but rather what she suspected was the school infirmary. In addition to which, she found her vision discolored with heavy dark spots that seemed to obscur everything. But almost as quickly as her eyes opened, she found a familiar face hovering above her.
"How do you feel?"
His voice brought her more comfort than he probably realized. And while her body felt a bit numb, she could feel the heat of his hand cupped around hers. "I don't think I should be running a marathon," she joked, "But I don't think I'll be dying any time soon, either."
"That's not funny."
"I know."
"Did you take your medicine earlier?" The nurse interjected, appearing on the other side of the bed.
"Yeah, I did."
The older woman gave a quick nod. She was middle-aged with smooth, regal features – she would have been beautiful if not for the thickly framed glasses she insisted on wearing. They did little to flatter the rest of her face. "I called your parents and they are on their way."
That brought on a sinking feeling, and she could feel her stomach drop. I called your parents. Yuki was hoping that it would never have to come to that. Yet realistically, she knew. And as she recalled the words the doctor had delivered to her during her last appointment, she blanched.
"Yuki?" Kagami ventured, sounding uneasy.
"I"m still here," she reassured quietly, despite grimacing. "Just really... tired."
"Is it okay if she sleeps?"
"Yeah, it's fine. You should rest until your parents get here," the nurse said.
Someone said something after that, though she wasn't sure who. It sounded like Kagami. She was too tired to really know. And a part of her hoped that she would never have to wake up – never have to return to the reality that she was born with an imperfect body. That she would always be weighed down by that fact, no matter where she went, no matter what she did. She would have to survive with that pain.
—
There was no mistaking the smell of antiseptic, the sterile white of the ceiling – she knew she was in a hospital the next time she opened her eyes. And this time the person holding her hand was most certainly not Kagami.
"I was worried you might not wake up," Jun said gravely, peeking up from where she had been slumped over on the side of Yuki's bed.
"Of course I'd wake up. I can't leave you alone."
Even those words didn't manage to coax a smile out of Jun, where they might have been able to in the past. Instead she just stared back at Yuki with a grave expression on her face, those dark irises half-hood as she settled back down against the mattress, still clinging to her best friend's hand. "Your parents stepped out to talk to the doctor. They'll come back in soon."
"What about Kagami-san?"
"Worry about yourself for five minutes, would you?"
Although Yuki understood her best friend's annoyance, she tightened her grip on Jun's hand. "Please, I just want to know."
"I forced him to leave for right now. He'll come back tomorrow."
"Why would—"
"You went to great lengths to hide the fact that your condition was worsening from me. I figured that you wouldn't want him to know, either. Not until your parents and the doctors had things worked out, anyways." There was a begrudging tone to Jun's voice. But although she was disappointed that Yuki would withhold that information, she wasn't the kind of person to stay mad for very long. Especially at Yuki.
Still, the sting of guilt was something that left Yuki grappling with the words to say – a proper apology, or at least an explanation that Jun might accept. "I didn't want to worry you." Those words rang hollow and she knew it. Maybe the real reason is that she thought saying it would be admitting that there was no hope.
"I always worry about you."
"I know," Yuki struggled to reply. The lump in the back of her throat made it difficult to speak. "Jun, I'm... I'm scared. I'm really scared." The tears that she'd been holding back were starting to overflow. "I don't want to die."
"You're not going to die," Jun responded firmly. Her chair screeched as she stood up abruptly, crawling onto the narrow bed and pulling Yuki into her arms. "Your heart's still beating, so don't start panicking. You're still here, and I'm not going to let you go."
Those words were comforting but not enough. Nothing was enough. Yuki sobbed into her best friend's chest, inconsolable. She cried in front of Jun like she could never cry in front of Kagami – because she didn't want him to know. Know that she confessed her feelings while knowing that her time was limited, and that she was terrified of the end. That the end was coming.
—
He probably felt awkward standing there beside her bed. Maybe he was unaccustomed to seeing someone lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines – granted that all she had on her was a heart monitor and an IV drip. Kagami seemed to be looking everywhere but at her face.
"It looks like I won't be able to go back to school for a little while."
"I heard," he responded. "The homeroom teacher told us you would be absent for a while."
It was just after school, too soon for him to have made basketball practice. Yuki sighed to herself. "I'm sorry if I worried you, and that you had to skip practice to come here. But it's okay. I have my parents to look after me and Jun-chan so—"
"I'll still come to visit," he interrupted, as though knowing where she was trying to lead the conversation.
"Oh... I appreciate it. But don't feel like you have to, I'm sure I'll be leaving soon—"
"Will you really?"
It was difficult to swallow. She had expected it to be easier to lie to him. As easily as it had been to lie to Jun all those times before – to lie to everybody. But where the mask she wore belied no deceit to other people, Kagami seemed to read her like a book. Her expression faltered and she turned her gaze, afraid it would reveal everything. "No... I don't know when I will leave." She grasped at the blanket draped over her body, taking fistfuls of fabric into her hands until her knuckles turned a pale white. "I... I might not get to leave. I might never—"
His footsteps reverberated off of the empty walls as he stepped closer, reaching his hand out over hers. "Hey, Yuki... I always wondered. What is your name? The one your parents gave you."
Blinking back the surprise, she replied, "Fallon. It's... Fallon."
"How do you write the name 'Yuki'?" He averted his gaze as he asked. "I wasn't really paying attention when you wrote in on the board in class the first day you transferred..."
"The kanji for superior and standard."
"Wait, isn't that how you'd write it for a guy?"
She giggled at his reaction – the same reaction she got from everyone. "My mom cried a lot when I was growing up. 'I'm so sorry, I should have brought you into this world with a stronger body. It's my fault.' My dad thought that maybe it would give me the strength that I wasn't born with. So... that's why it's written that way."
"It fits you." He grinned and gave a firm nod. "Fallon... as I thought, it seems weird now that I've been calling you Yuki for so long. Do your parents call you Fallon?"
"Not anymore. I think everyone is used to calling me Yuki."
"Then... I want to call you Fallon." Even though it still sounded weird when he tried to pronounce it – heavily accented as it was. But Kagami was far more familiar with English and its pronunciation than anyone else who had asked for her real name before. And with a goofy grin, he repeated it over and over again, holding tightly to her hand.
It gave her hope – hope that she, perhaps, did not deserve. But maybe with the support of the people that loved her, she could make it through.
"Hey, Kagami-san—"
"Taiga," he interrupted. "You can call me Taiga."
"T-Taiga..." It sounded weird saying his name without any honorific. She could feel her cheeks heating up again, though she wasn't sure if it was because of that or what she was about to ask him. "Um, Taiga, would... will you kiss me? Do you... still want to, even though I'm...?"
Smiling back at her, he cupped her small face between his two hands. They were calloused and rough, yet gentle. "I still want to," he whispered, leaning in close. His voice was husky, and she could feel the warmth of his breath caress the base of her chin as he pressed his lips against hers.
It was only their second kiss, but it was even more meaningful than the first. He had accepted her, knowing that her time might be limited. And while Yuki knew that Jun would be insistent that the ending was not inevitable, Yuki had already come to accept it. It was alright if she didn't get to live a long life – the most important thing was to keep making precious memories with the time she had left. Because she would surely not forget these lips on hers, the hand cradling the back of her head, the fingers that were tangled in her hair, or his scent flooding her nose. She would always remember.
