I just wanted to thank everyone for being so supportive! It really means the world to me, and your comments brighten my day~ The last chapter was a bit of a downer, for lack of better words... It just means so much that you are all sticking through these heart breaking chapters. It hurts so much to write them, but just remember, this story is far from over. 3

Chapter Eleven ~ Just Watch….

Hiro, Wasabi, Fred, and Gogo walked into the Lucky Cat Café and sat down at the table closest to the counter. Cass ran down the stairs from the second floor of the building, but came to a sudden stop when she saw the looks on the friends' faces.

"Where's Honey Lemon?" No one answered her. They sat there, silently, motionless, and looking as if they had just learned about Tadashi's death. That was the look that Cass recognized. The look they shared at the same table, one year ago, when Hiro walked into the Lucky Cat with the police officers and told them what had happened. That was the look…. Gogo's makeup was running down her cheeks. Fred looked like he had the life sucked out of him. Wasabi was doing his best to curl up in his seat and hold back his tears. Hiro's bottom lip was curled, his expression a mixture of hatred, anger, and the most painful of sorrows.

"She's at her mom's, Aunt Cass. She came to pick her up after I gave her the box."

"She didn't want to come back? I know that it was hard for her tonight, but…I just thought that maybe he would have wanted to be surrounded by her friends. But hey, family is good, too…."

"The whole night was a disaster." Gogo piped in, noticing that Hiro was about to lose control and break down crying at any moment. "These meat heads tried to hit on her. And she didn't want to go out in the first place. It was too soon. We were stupid to think that this was a good idea." Cass walked behind the counter and made everyone tea.

"You weren't stupid for trying to cheer up a friend. Don't think that. You kids are wonderful." She brought their teas over and placed the empty tray on the counter. "…What was in the box?" Once more, no one answered her. "Kids, what was in the box?"

Fred took out his phone and handed it to Cass.

"Just watch." Gogo shot him a look.

"YOU RECORDED IT?!"

"I didn't think it was going to be THAT!"

"Kids, calm down." Fred and Gogo sighed and took a sip of their teas. Cass hit play. Hiro was running up the stairs before Cass could hear Honey Lemon say "ouch." "I should follow him."

"Just watch…." She looked at Fred and then back to the screen. As the video played on, she walked over towards the counter. She gripped the edge of the counter and dropped the phone, falling to the floor herself. She covered her face as she sobbed, causing a chain reaction among the group of friends.

"Tadashi….Tadashi was…he was…." Wasabi walked over to her and helped her up. He led her up the stairs to the living room of their apartment above the café. The rest of the group followed. Once Cass was sitting in her armchair, Gogo handed her a box of tissues. "He was….going to….propose…. He never got a chance to propose. That's…That was…." Cass broke down crying again. The group of friends looked at each other, wondering what she was going to say. They sat down around her and tried to comfort her.

Hiro walked down the stairs from his room holding a picture of his parents. He held out the picture to Wasabi.

"Tadashi kept it on his side of the room. See anything familiar?" Cass took the picture out of Wasabi's hands and held it close to her.

"That was….That was….oh, Tadashi….."

"It was our mom's engagement ring." Cass blew her nose and wiped away her tears. She looked down at the photo and smiled.

"My sister was a funny one. So was her husband. That's what made them so perfect together. Every date night they would take off their wedding rings and pretend they were on a date, like they were in college again. It's been so long…. Tadashi must have taken it when you boys were packing your things to come live here."

"He grabbed the box they kept in their room. The small wooden one with the old pictures in it. It must have been in there."

Suddenly the Star Wars theme song started playing. Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and stood up, walking over to the window on the other side of the room. Everyone watched him, trying to make out what he was saying. He hung up and turned to look at them, his face now in awe.

"Gogo, you, Hiro, and Aunt Cass need to get to this address, pronto. Wasabi, me and you are gonna go pick up Honey Lemon from her mom's place just outside of the city. We'll meet you guys there."

"Fred, what is going on?" Cass picked up Mochi and walked over to the young man as he fixed his beanie.

"No time, Aunt Cass. You guys just need to go."

"Fred, we aren't going anywhere until you tell us what's going on." Gogo was looking at him with concern. Fred walked over to his girlfriend and took her hands.

"That was my dad. He was calling from the family's hospital wing."

A tall, slender, Spanish woman opened the door to see Fred and Wasabi eagerly standing on the other side.

"Hello, Senorita Lemon. We are friends of Honey Lemon's. We are here to see her."

"You must be Fred," replied the woman. "Honey Lemon is inside, but I don't think she's up to seeing anyone right now."

"Did she tell you what happened?" Wasabi pushed Fred out of the way.

"She did. I'm surprised, actually, that Hiro found the ring. I would have thought Tadashi would have had it on him the night of the fire." Fred and Wasabi looked at each other in shock.

"YOU KNEW!?" they said together.

"Why don't you boys come inside?" She opened the door fully and stepped aside so the two boys could enter the house. She showed them to the living room, where they sat on the sofa across from Honey Lemon's mother. "Would you like anything to drink or eat?"

"No thank you, ma'am," said Wasabi.

"Tadashi was a wonderful young man. My husband and I were lucky enough to meet him before he died. He travels for work quite a bit, but he is always home for the holidays. Tadashi had been over for dinner a few times. Other times, we would run into him while we were visiting Honey Lemon and Gogo. Honey Lemon. The name stuck with her, even here. It seems more fitting somehow."

"Thanks. I'm the one who gives the nicknames." Fred beamed a bit before snapping back to reality. "But you and your husband actually met Tadashi? Like, on a formal standing?"

"Yes. It was a week before the showcase when he was here last. He had called my husband and asked if her could meet with us and discuss his relationship with our daughter. I didn't think that old-fashioned men still existed, but that night he asked us for our blessing. It took us by surprise, but we were thrilled. We just figured he would ask her on her birthday, I suppose."

"¿Mamá?" Honey Lemon walked into the living room. She was still in the same outfit from earlier, only now her heels were off. "Oh. Hey guys. What are you doing here?"

"Honey Lemon, you need to come with us. NOW!"

"Fred, don't scare her like that. Honey Lemon," Wasabi stood up and looked at her. "Gogo and Cass are with Hiro at Fred's father's hospital."

"What? Oh my goodness! We need to get there!" She began to mumble in Spanish as she put on her heels. "Come on! What are you waiting for? I'll be back later, Mamá, don't stay up!"

"Go to your friend. And don't worry about coming all this way when you're finished. Just go home and rest. Te amo."

"Te amo." She ran out the door, Fred and Wasabi close behind her. They got into Fred's family car and began to drive to the outermost part of San Fransokyo Island. The city on the other end of the bridge shrank as they drove on. Honey Lemon kept asking questions, but both Fred and Wasabi told her that everyone was okay, but that they couldn't explain anything until they got there.

The car came to a stop and the three friends ran into the hospital. From what Honey Lemon could see, the family hospital was a glorious white stone building with many windows. The inside was immaculate. They took the elevator up to the top floor and ran down the south wing to the critical care unit, where they found Cass, Hiro, and Gogo. They were looking into a dimly lit room, but turned away as soon as they heard the others coming down the hall.

"Now will you please tell me what's going on?" Honey Lemon looked confused as well as a bit annoyed. Gogo walked over to her and hugged her, as Cass took Hiro's shoulder and pulled him away from the room's window. Everyone was quiet as Honey Lemon walked towards it. The only noise was the faint clicking of her heels on the tile floor. She reached the window and peered in. Catching her breath, she cupped her hands in front of her mouth and began to cry, for the first time in a year, tears of joy.