Fearing Goodbye
Chapter Nine
Rangiku and Rukia tried to hold Toushiro back as he ran into the hospital lobby. He ran up to the front desk, only barely slowed down by the two girls holding onto him.
"Where's Momo Hinamori? What happened to her?" he said in distress.
"Young man, please keep your voice down," the receptionist said.
"Don't give me that! I'm asking you a question: What's wrong with Momo Hinamori? Where is she? What-" Rangiku clapped her hand over his mouth to prevent him from yelling more. They couldn't afford to get kicked out right now.
"We're sorry about him," Rukia said hastily, "We're looking for our friend, Momo Hinamori. She was taken in earlier today and we'd like to see her."
"Momo Hinamori? I'll have to check." The receptionist turned to her computer, typing and clicking the mouse for several minutes while they anxiously waited.
"Come on…" Toushiro whispered urgently.
"Calm down, I've almost got it… Alright, here: Momo Hinamori," the receptionist announced, "She was taken to the emergency room via ambulance at 12:59 p.m.; she is in intensive care, but her condition was downgraded from 'critical' to 'serious' about fifteen minutes ago."
"But what's wrong with her?" Toushiro asked.
"I'm sorry, but due to patient privacy laws I cannot tell you. Only a parent, guardian, or spouse can be given information without her explicit approval, and since she is in no state to give such approval, I'm afraid I can't tell you anything."
"Could we at least see her then?" Toushiro asked.
"I'm afraid not. She is in no condition to be seeing visitors. However, if you wait in the lobby I can send a nurse to advise you on when you can make an appointment for visitation, though I should tell you that it may take some time before they are able to speak to you."
"Fine," Toushiro said, suppressing the anger in his voice. He marched over and took a seat, with Rangiku and Rukia sitting next to him. He gripped his forehead and groaned, causing his companions to exchange a nervous glance.
It was shortly after school was out that Rangiku received a cell phone call from Miyone informing her that Momo had been taken to the hospital. Rangiku immediately told Toushiro, who ran straight to the hospital with Rangiku and Rukia following. His friends had never seen him like this. He almost always maintained his composure, but he was now showing true panic.
"I'm sure she'll be okay," Rangiku said reassuringly, patting Toushiro on the shoulder. He didn't react to the gesture.
"It's lucky that Miyone was able to call for help," Rukia said, trying to look on the bright side.
"I just can't figure it out," Toushiro sighed to himself, "What's wrong with her? She's always acted so odd, then she began acting friendly and sociable, then she suddenly goes crazy when we try to celebrate her birthday, and now this. I just don't understand. What's wrong with her? On second thought, what's wrong with me? Why do I care so much for her?"
"Because she's your friend," Rukia said, but Toushiro ignored her, proceeding to talk to himself more than them.
"She acted withdrawn and thoroughly anti-social. Everyone else had dismissed her as a lost cause, so why did I feel like I had to help her. Even after trying to reach out to her, she still turned away. When I finally managed to get her to open up and start acting friendly, I thought I had helped her discover her true self, but now I'm beginning to think that maybe I just forced her into that behavior. Her behavior when we gave her the cupcakes today was not how a friend would react. Either something is very, very wrong with her, or she was never really our friend to begin with. Maybe…maybe I just forced her into this situation because I felt bad for her. But why did I? I didn't have any responsibility for her, and like Miyone has said, she never bothered to help herself, so why should I? I just…don't know what to think. Is Momo the person I thought I knew or somebody entirely different?"
"Oh…I'm sure she really did care about us," Rangiku said, "She really did seem happy when she was with us. There's something wrong with her, and once we figure it out, I'm sure that these things will be all cleared up."
"Unless the explanation makes things worse."
All three of them looked up to see Miyone standing there with her arms crossed. Toushiro was the first to stand up.
"Miyone, what happened? Rangiku said that you didn't explain it in detail. What happened to Momo?" he asked urgently.
"I don't know," Miyone admitted, "When I got to her house, the door was open and she was lying unconscious on the ground. I called emergency services and an ambulance came and picked her up. They asked me to come with them under the impression that I had seen her symptoms, but I really didn't see anything. They told me to remain at the hospital, since they wanted someone she knew to be present for questions."
"What was wrong with her?" Toushiro asked.
"I don't know," Miyone said again, "She was lying on the floor unconscious and barely breathing. That's all I know."
"I see…" Toushiro sighed, sitting back down.
"You really care about her, don't you?" Miyone said. Toushiro nodded.
"I don't know what it is. I just feel the urge to protect and help her. It's not rational, but I can't force myself to think any differently," he said.
"Well, I can't tell you what to do," Miyone said, "I'm beginning to feel unsure about her myself. I've always disliked the fact that she never stands up for herself or does anything to make her life better, but… I don't know. She's not like the others who won't help themselves. It's just…odd."
They were silent after this, reflecting on what they knew of Momo and, more importantly, what they didn't know about her. For the next half hour, they sat perfectly still, not speaking a word. When a nurse finally came, they promptly stood up to speak, but she spoke first.
"Miss Hinamori will be staying here for fourteen days. As she has no immediate relatives that we could reach, visitation restrictions will be loosened for her case. You may come to visit her in ten days, after we have ensured she will be capable of taking visitors," the nurse explained.
"Ten days?" Toushiro groaned, "Why so long?"
"She is in very serious condition, and will be undergoing several procedures. We do not allow non-family members to visit patients in such a state."
"But you just said yourself that she has no family members!" Toushiro said angrily, "You can't just leave her all alone for ten days!"
"It's the rules. Do not worry about your friend; she will be under the care of our doctors. Now, if you have no other business here I feel it would be best if you leave."
Toushiro clenched his fist and glared at the nurse.
"Fine," he said, visibly angry. He had turned to leave when the nurse spoke again.
"Oh and…Miyone was it? The doctors asked me to commend you on your heroic actions," the nurse said. Toushiro, Rukia, and Rangiku stared at the nurse, and then Miyone.
"What are you talking about?" Rangiku asked.
"This young woman saved Miss Hinamori's life. After calling an ambulance, she performed CPR until help arrived. Had Miyone not been present, Momo Hinamori would have almost certainly died."
Miyone was looking away nervously, and the others were too surprised to speak, remaining silent until they left the hospital.
"You…you saved her…" Toushiro finally said.
"Yeah…I suppose," Miyone said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Rukia asked.
"Did it really matter?"
"Of course it matters! You saved Momo's life! You're a hero!" Rangiku said.
"Would you have done differently in my situation?" Miyone asked.
"If I knew CPR, yes, but that doesn't make you any less of a hero!" Rangiku said.
"Look, I don't want to make a big deal about this. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go," Miyone said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Toushiro said, "Miyone… Thank you. Thank you for saving Momo. I know you don't like her very much, but the fact that you saved her… I have never felt more grateful. You're an amazing person, Miyone. If there's anything I can do to thank you, just name it."
"Geez, you're making me feel embarrassed," Miyone laughed nervously, "Thanks, but I really do have to go. They assumed that Momo and I were friends and asked me to take care of her dog. I have to go take care of that. See you later, I guess."
---
The next week was very painful for Toushiro. It was the last week of school before break, so it should have been a happy time, but with Momo hospitalized and Toushiro left in the dark about her condition, it was a very grim time for him. He worried about her every day, and could not stop wondering what had happened to her.
His friends were not exactly helpful. Aside from Rangiku and Rukia, they didn't know about Momo's hospitalization, and were still rather angry at her for her response to their birthday present for her. Even Orihime seemed upset with her. He thought of telling them about Momo, but thought it best to keep that matter private. Rangiku and Rukia tried to cheer him up from time to time, but it never made him feel any better. He simply could not get Momo out of his mind.
It was really strange. What was it about Momo that made Toushiro so drawn to her? The moment he saw her, he wanted to help her and be her friend. Something about her stood out and drew her to him. He could see the kind, gentle personality within her, and wanted to draw that side of her out so that she may live a happy life rather than the sad one she was living before. Despite her initial resistance to his actions, it had seemed to be successful, yet now it had fallen apart again.
Why Momo? Why was it her that he so desired to help and not someone else? There were plenty of people with problems in the world, why was it her that he felt the need to so relentlessly help, even when she apparently didn't want it? It was all so strange. He was a bit of a cold person, but when he was around Momo, he felt happy and able to express himself more freely. Maybe it was her sweet personality rubbing off on him, he didn't know, but there was definitely something special about her. She was a precious person, and no matter what happened, Toushiro felt the instinctive desire to protect her and watch over her. More than anything else, he wanted her to be happy.
---
Momo sat upright in her hospital bed, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling and counting the tiles. She had an IV inserted into her arm and there were several machines connected to her that monitored her vital signs. She felt extremely weak. When she had first woken up, she was barely aware of where she was. Even as she remembered what had happened and realized she was at a hospital, her perception of events was still rather fuzzy. A mask to supply her with oxygen had been put over her face and a feeding tube to provide her with nutrients was inserted into her stomach, as it was not known by the doctors if she would be able to eat and breathe on her own. She had undergone several medical procedures, including one that involved injections directly into the heart. It was a painful and stressful experience, and even now, when she was feeling much better, she felt very weakened. It was explained to her that she had suffered partial heart failure, and that she would be kept at the hospital for two weeks.
Momo kept anxiously glancing up at the clock. It was almost time. The hospital staff had informed her that several friends would be coming to visit her today. When she was first told, she nearly demanded that they be turned away. She was afraid to see her friends (if they even still considered her a friend after what she did to them). Aside from fearing their reaction to what she did to the birthday cupcakes they gave her, she knew that she would now be unable to hide the true nature of her condition. She wouldn't be able to lie her way out of this; she would have to tell them the truth.
That is what scared her the most. She had never told anyone but doctors and a few school officials about her heart condition. She didn't want them to know, for if they did they would surely pity her and try to reach out to her further. She didn't want that. This incident reminded her of what she had known since the beginning: that she was destined to die, and making friends and being happy with life would just make it more painful. They surely wouldn't understand though. It was impossible for them to understand, they had never been in her situation. They didn't know what it felt like.
"Momo, your friends are here," a nurse said from the doorway. Momo gulped and nodded. This was it.
Moments later, Toushiro, Rukia, Rangiku, and to Momo's surprise, Miyone, walked into the room. Toushiro immediately went to her bedside, with Rukia and Rangiku cautiously approaching. Miyone however remained near the doorway.
"Momo…" Toushiro said, taking hold of her hand and sitting in the chair next to her bedside.
"Toushiro," Momo said calmly, avoiding eye contact with him.
"We, um, we're glad you're okay Momo," Rukia said.
"Yeah, we were all really worried when we found out," Rangiku said. Momo remained silent, though Toushiro noticed that Momo's gaze had shifted to Miyone.
"Uh, as you can see, Miyone is here. We thought that since she saved you, she should come too," Toushiro explained. Momo nodded slowly.
"You...you know, Miyone probably saved your life. You should thank her," Toushiro said.
"Yeah…I probably should…" Momo said softly. Toushiro sighed and closed his eyes.
"Momo, please tell us what's wrong," he said, "What happened?"
"I…don't know what you're talking about," Momo said, her voice unsteady.
"Please Momo, tell us," Toushiro said. Momo turned away, blinking back tears.
"Oh…I…I don't know what to say… I don't want you to know, but…but I can't just not tell you! I…should, but…I just don't know what to do…" Momo said.
"Momo," Rangiku said gently, "If you really don't want to, you don't have to tell us."
"No…you deserve the truth," Momo said, "Just…promise that you won't look at me differently afterwards."
"We promise," Toushiro said, "Agreed everyone?" Rukia, Rangiku, and even Miyone nodded in agreement.
"And…and don't tell anyone," Momo said.
"Of course," Toushiro said.
"One more thing," Momo said, "Promise that after I tell you, you'll leave me alone and never speak to me again."
"What?! Momo, I can't…! You can't be serious!" Toushiro said.
"I am serious. I never want to speak to or associate with any of you ever again," Momo said.
"Momo, we're your friends! We're not going to abandon you!" Toushiro said.
"Even if I want you to?" Momo asked quietly.
"Momo, you're not thinking clearly," Rangiku said, "You don't understand what you're saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying," Momo said, "I don't want to see any of you ever again."
"But…why? You were so happy with us," Rukia said, "I've never seen you acting happy in the past, but you were always cheerful and friendly when you were spending time with us."
"I know…that was a mistake."
"Momo, I don't understand!" Toushiro said in exasperation.
"You will when you know the truth," Momo said, "I…I can't see any of you again after I tell you the truth. Especially you, Toushiro."
"Momo, please think about what you're saying," Toushiro said.
"I've thought about it for a long time. If you won't promise me that you'll leave me alone, at least promise that you'll consider what I say and try to understand why I'm saying this," Momo said.
"Very well," Toushiro said. Momo took a deep breath.
"Okay…I'll tell you. This isn't easy, so please pay attention," Momo said, "I…I was born with a congenital heart defect. My heart is smaller and weaker than a normal person's. I…I'm dying."
Everyone present looked at her with shock. Toushiro stared at her with wide eyes, Rangiku covered her mouth in horror, and Rukia seemed to have frozen in place. Even Miyone seemed to be extremely shocked by the revelation. Tears began to trickle from Momo's eyes, her face was etched with misery.
"Momo…you can't…no, you must be mistaken," Toushiro said, his throat feeling constricted as he spoke.
"It's true Toushiro. I'm dying. I…I've known it for a very long time, and I've come to terms with it. I know that I'm going to die, probably soon. I was lucky this time, but I doubt I'll survive something like this again. Every doctor I've spoken to says I probably won't live past age twenty. I…only have about three years to live, if that."
"Surely…surely there must be something to be done for you," Toushiro said, "Isn't there some medicine or operation or-"
"No!" Momo said, extremely upset, "There's nothing! I've already had multiple surgeries and have tried several types of medication. They might extend my life slightly, but none will change the inevitable! My heart is just too weak to keep me alive. One of these days, it's just going to stop beating. There's nothing I can do about it. There…there's no point to…to…" Momo began crying, causing Toushiro to try to comfort her.
"Momo, please don't cry. I…I don't know what I could possibly say to make you feel better, but you mustn't lose yourself to despair and fear."
"That's right Momo, if you let fear of death control you, you won't get the most out of life," Rukia said. Momo sniffled and looked up at them.
"I…I don't fear death!" she said, "I've come to terms with the fact that I'm going to die. It's a fact and there's no point in being upset about it. I'm not crying because I'm going to die, I'm crying because of you!" There was a stunned silence.
"Us? What do you mean?" Rangiku asked. Momo wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"I promised myself long ago that I wouldn't become attached to this life, that I wouldn't make friends or enjoy myself. If I do that, it will just make dying more painful, because I'll be leaving all of that behind. I…I was able to withdraw myself and sever any connections I had with life. But then…but then you came along!" Momo pointed an accusing finger at Toushiro, "You made me attached to everyone and made me make friends and become attached to life. That…that was the cruelest thing you could possibly do to me! I worked so much to harden myself and ready myself for death, but you messed it all up! I don't want to have to say goodbye when I die, but because of you, I will!"
"Momo, think about what you're saying. Do you really want to be miserable just so you won't have to say goodbye when you die? What kind of life is that? Besides, you don't even know for certain if you're going to die or not, so don't give up hope."
"Shut up!" Momo yelled, "Stop trying to destroy my resolve, and stop trying to give me false hope! I'm going to die, and I don't want to have to leave friends or a happy life behind when I do. Just…leave me alone! Leave me and never speak to me again!"
"Momo, please-"
"No! Out! Get out! Just let me die peacefully with dignity! Stop tormenting me!" Momo screamed, "Out! Out! Out!"
---
Toushiro and the others did not come back to visit Momo again. She spent the remainder of her time at the hospital alone and sad. When she was released four days later, she didn't even feel any better. On the contrary, she felt worse upon arriving at her run down old home. She was beginning to feel that maybe it would have been better had she died. She knew she wouldn't be able to go back to the detached state she had been in before meeting Toushiro, and could only hope that she could manage to build up her resolve again before she died.
Momo felt lonely. Even though she didn't want to form attachments, she disliked being alone. That was why she liked animals. She was able to interact with them and receive companionship without feeling sad about it. Unfortunately, Ginger was being cared for by Miyone and wouldn't be brought back until a later time, so Momo didn't even have the companionship of her dog.
With nothing else to do, Momo took out a blank canvas and put it on an easel. She had already finished her drawing of Whitefish Point Lighthouse, so she now would have to come up with a new idea for a painting. She took out a pencil and prepared to sketch an outline for her painting. Before she could begin however, there was a knock on the door. Sighing, Momo got up to answer it, hoping that it was just Miyone bringing her dog back. To her dismay however, it was Toushiro.
"What do you want?" she asked tiredly.
"I just want to talk to you," Toushiro said.
"I told you that I didn't want to see you again," Momo said quietly.
"Momo, I'm not going to abandon you," Toushiro said.
"But I want you to! Can't you see how much pain you've caused me? My entire life, I've been trying to prevent what you caused!" Momo said.
"I don't want to see you sad Momo, I want you to be happy," Toushiro said.
"But being happy is what makes me sad!" Momo protested, "I know you can't be expected to understand, but can't you at least respect my wishes? I just want to be left to die quietly and without having to say goodbye to a good life."
"That sounds horrible to me," Toushiro said, "What good will it do you to just disappear quietly into the night? Friends and happiness are what make life worth living. I don't want you to die Momo, but if it's inevitable, I want to make sure that you live your life to the fullest before you go. Don't you understand what I'm saying?"
"I do, but I don't agree with you. If I do what you say and 'live life to the fullest', it will mean that dying will be even more horrible, because I'll be leaving a happy life behind. Besides, you'll suffer too. Do you really want to be friends with me knowing that you'll end up grieving over me in just a few years?"
"I don't know Momo. To be honest, I still don't entirely understand why you're so intent on this," Toushiro said.
"Of course you don't understand!" Momo said, "You don't know what it's like! You don't understand what it's like to know with absolute certainty that death is coming. You'll get to live a rich, full life, but not me! I'm never going to grow old or get married or get a real job, I'm going to die before I have the chance! Every night when I go to bed, I do so with the knowledge that I might not wake up. Every new day is a day closer to death! You don't understand how it feels!"
"You're right, I don't," Toushiro said, "But if you just let me help you, maybe I can understand. I really care about you Momo. I don't want you to suffer."
"If you don't want me to suffer, then just go," Momo said. Toushiro sighed and stood up to leave.
"Just remember, I'll always be there for you if you need me," he said. Suddenly he embraced her, taking her by surprise. He whispered into her ear, "Please don't give up." With that, he turned and left, leaving Momo feeling confused, sad, and frustrated.
She slapped the couch in frustration. She really did want to be with Toushiro and her other friends, but it was just too painful, and her recent emergency just proved further why she couldn't let herself be happy and have friends. Just being with them for a short time had made her become horribly sad and depressed now that she was alone again. She should have never interacted with them in the first place.
She almost felt angry at Toushiro. It was him who brought all of this upon her. He had caused her great pain. Despite this however, she couldn't quite feel anger towards him, no matter how much stress he was putting her through. She didn't know what it was about him, but he always made her feel like she could trust him. She felt like she didn't have to be as tense around him as she was around others. He relaxed her and made her feel safe and happy. It was extremely strange, and just made things even more confusing for Momo.
Momo turned to the blank canvas and began sketching on it with a pencil. She barely even paid attention to what she was doing, the drawing was coming straight from her heart. For some time she worked on it, carefully working on the details of her drawing. After drawing for about an hour, she heard another knock on the door.
Momo sighed. She hoped that it wasn't Toushiro again. She looked around and hurriedly grabbed a sheet that she used to hurriedly cover the easel and canvas. She turned around and promptly walked over to open the door. She was relieved to see that it was not Toushiro, but Miyone holding Ginger the poodle.
"Thanks for taking care of her," Momo said awkwardly, taking Ginger from her.
"May I come in?" Miyone asked. Momo bit her lip. She was well aware of Miyone's feelings towards her.
"I…I'd prefer you not," Momo said.
"There's something I need to say to you," Miyone said. Momo breathed a sigh.
"Okay, come in," she said dully, standing aside and gesturing for Miyone to come in. Once they were inside, they stared at eachother quietly for several minutes.
"So you're dying of a heart defect. That does explain a lot about your behavior," Miyone said bluntly. Momo scowled a little at her.
"That's right," Momo said, not liking the way she was talking to her.
"You're so afraid of saying goodbye to life, you decided to abandon making friends and being happy and self-improvement. You've given up on yourself and life, in other words," Miyone said calmly.
"Yeah, I guess that's right," Momo said, her voice taking on a bitter edge.
"I've always hated people who have given up. People who do nothing to help themselves shouldn't expect the help from others; that's been my philosophy for a long time," Miyone said, "That's why I never liked you. I saw you never standing up for yourself and doing nothing to improve your situation, and it made me angry."
"Well I suppose you hate me even more now that you know that I don't even care about life," Momo said in frustration, "You probably think I'm just some stupid girl who's too stupid and angsty to help herself or make her life better. That's it, isn't it? I know you've always disliked me because I wouldn't waste my time trying to improve this fleeting, worthless existence. It's the same now as it always was!"
"You're wrong," Miyone said abruptly, "I don't hate you. I came to tell you…I understand."
"Yeah right. How could you possibly understand?" Momo said, becoming uncharacteristically rough-spoken, "You're just a jerk who uses some personal issues at home to justify being judgmental of others."
"You're right, I can be judgmental. I believe that people should fight to improve their situation and fix their problems, rather than letting others do the work for them. Sometimes that leads me to not be as empathetic towards others as I should, I'll admit that. However, now that I know the truth, I can't just let you go on like this. I understand how hard it is for you and why it's difficult for you to help yourself."
"No you don't…" Momo said.
"Don't I?" Miyone said quietly in a much softer voice. She put her hands beneath her dark hair, drawing it back before lifting it off of her head. Momo stared at her with wide eyes. Miyone held her 'hair' in her hands, revealing her head to be largely bald with only a few thin patches of wispy hair.
"Miyone…what…?"
"When I was eight, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia," Miyone said, "Ordinarily, it is at least fairly curable and has a semi-decent survival rate, but my parents didn't take me to get treatment until the symptoms were already severe. By that time, the disease was already in an advanced stage, and the doctors only gave me a thirty percent chance of survival. My mom didn't want to spend her money on treatments, and by the time my dad convinced her to pay for it, my chances were even lower. They gave me a combination of chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, and radiation therapy to treat it. The chemo made me really sick and caused all of my hair to fall out. It was hell. I got so sick that I could barely eat anything. I caught a virus afterwards due to my weakened immune system, which just made things worse. I was rarely able to leave my bed, and I lost half my body weight over the course of six months. They said that my hair would grow back, but it didn't. I just felt awful, and there were times that I wanted to die. The only bright news was that the leukemia seemed to have been largely cured. Later though, I found out that it was only weakened, not eliminated, and that I'd have to go through all of those painful treatments all over again. My mom didn't want to have to pay for another round of treatment, and tried to convince me to refuse it, which I'll admit I considered. I was so weak by that time, that I was almost hoping for death. Staying alive had become an agonizing experience, and I didn't know if I would even survive more of those types of treatments. In the end, I decided to fight it and not give up. It was two long years before I beat leukemia, but because I fought and didn't give up, I'm here today. Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you believe me when I say that I understand what you're going through?"
"I…I don't know," Momo said, "You had a horrible disease, but you still at least had a chance of surviving. My problem isn't a disease that can be 'fought', it's my own heart. My heart is too weak to keep beating for a normal lifetime. It doesn't matter how hard I try to fight it, it's literally impossible for me to survive. I'm sorry, but our situations aren't really the same."
"Do you really think that means I don't know what you're going through? Look me in the eyes and listen to what I say: I know what it feels like to lie awake at night wondering how long you're going to live. I know the despair and pain you feel when death seems certain. I know how lonely it can be when you're surrounded by people who don't share your pain and don't know what it's like. I know the fear that engulfs every aspect of life. I know the depression and grief. I know how it feels to want to just give up so that the misery will be over. I know how hard it is to fight… I know Momo, I know," Miyone said, tears coming to her eyes, "I know what it's like Momo, and that's why I'm telling you this. Don't give up hope, and don't abandon your friends."
"I…I don't know what to do," Momo whispered, tears falling from her eyes, "How can I have hope when it's so certain I'm going to die? How can I stay with my friends when it's going to be so hard to say goodbye to them? I just…I don't think I can do that. I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to do what you did."
"Well, I can neither force you to fight on nor tell you what will make things better, all I can do is implore you not to give up on your friends or on life," Miyone said, putting her wig back on, "I've been rough on you in the past, I know, but I really am saying this to help you. If you won't do it for yourself, at least do it for Toushiro."
"Toushiro?" Momo said. A strange look came over Miyone that Momo couldn't identify. Was it sadness? Uncertainty? Jealousy?
"Toushiro really cares about you," Miyone said, "In the short time I've known him, he's probably become the best friend I've ever had. He is a very kind and caring person. You are a very precious person to him, and I don't think he could ever be completely happy without you in some part of his life. As his friend, I feel that it's my duty to tell you that."
"I…I…" Momo stuttered, unsure how to respond.
"I'd better get going," Miyone said abruptly, turning to leave, "Remember what I said."
With that, Miyone left, leaving Momo alone in the house. Momo let out a deep breath and returned to the canvas she had sketched on. She removed the sheet she had placed over it, and gazed longingly upon the drawing of Toushiro she had made. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
"Toushiro…what should I do?"
Thanks for reading! Thank you to AznVKai, lovelyxpeach, Merciless Ruby, FrozenIceCream, Momo21, xIxLikeMusicx, PhoenixSong4232, rolf-Hitsugaya, MoonlightView, lil katie, Sonozaki-sama, JoaNymAr12, nexuswarrior, Momo-Toushiro, Yozoro Miyoko-BlackrockShooter, and deidarafangirl2 for reviewing! Please review!
