It was the day Lillian crashed her cart. He remembered that day so clearly. The morning before the tragic event, Kamil and Lillian met up in the morning to chat for a bit as Kamil opened up the shop. The sun spilled through the clouds, and since it was the middle of spring, the weather was a perfect temperature. Lillian had stopped by to give him the usual: a flower she found in the forest.

"One day, please make a bouquet out of the flowers I give you," she begged in a playful voice.

"You know that's literally what I do, right? You just have to pay me," he deadpanned. He never noticed how comfortable he had gotten with Lillian. "So, you're telling me you're giving me flowers to make a bouquet for you?" He really only joked around with Ash.

"I mean," she began with a smirk, "I was thinking you could keep it or sell it, but your idea is better." She giggled and succeeded in getting a smile back from Kamil. "I will gladly accept a free bouquet made by the famous Cam."

He wasn't going to let her win. "Ah, so the flower gifts don't mean anything... You're just using me," he countered.

Lillian's mouth opened to respond, but no smart comment came out. Kamil smiled again in triumph and let out a laugh.

"Aw, don't say that, Cam! I would never use you," Lillian whined.

"I know, I know..." Kamil said absentmindedly as he set up the counter of his flower booth. He began to count his inventory and planned what he would sell today.

"And besides," Lillian continued, grabbing his attention, "I give you these gifts because I like you too much."

And just like that, Kamil was defeated, and Lillian didn't even notice it. Kamil broke eye contact with Lillian and immediately went back to his flowers. He nervously played with his tie and gulped, as if his nervousness had taken on a physical form and lodged itself in his throat. He couldn't speak because he was so flustered by that curveball.

"Lillian..." he huffed under his breath. How could she say that so casually?!

Lillian went on, seeing how Kamil had no other words for her, "Well, I'm off to run some errands and maybe go fishing or something today..."

Kamil regained his composure. His face felt hot and it definitely wasn't the heat outside. "Y-Yes!" He finally turned to face her again. "Also, be careful around the water areas today, Lillian. Ash told me that the currents have been a little more present lately. Not sure why..."

"I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you later, Cam!"

"Yeah, enjoy your day!"

Kamil wondered why he couldn't say anything back to her that day. Why was he so surprised that she said she liked him? Lillian was always like that. She spoke her mind. She let people know how she felt about them. Wasn't this something he knew already, especially after all the time they spent together in Bluebell?

Why didn't he say, "I like you, too" when he had the chance...

The day went by rather quickly and Kamil was starting to close up shop. Lillian should've been done around the same time, too. He almost memorized her schedule. Although, sometimes Lillian liked to change it up and be adventurous, so when Lillian didn't show up in Bluebell for another hour, he didn't worry too much.

He decided he would go for a walk to clear his mind. Work kept him busy today, so he deserved a break from the flowers. He loved the sound of the running water, the sight of the sunlight glistening off of the waves and whirlpools, and the smell of the earth. As he approached the large lake area by the mountain, he noticed a different sound... it sounded like splashing, as if someone were swimming and kicking around. The movements were not smooth, and it sounded like whoever was swimming was actually struggling. Kamil quickened his pace until he started running.

"Oh Goddess," he gasped out, when he saw an arm sticking out from the water, going limp and sinking even more. "Help!" He yelled until his throat burned. "Anyone! I need help!"

The person was lost in the water. Kamil had no time to think. He didn't even remove his shoes. Instead, he grabbed a large branch he found by the water and began to step into the lake.

"Oh Goddess," he said again in horror. He shouted, "HELP PLEASE!"

The water was up to his chest now, and the person was more than ten feet away - too far for him to reach, but the movement of the water was bringing the body gradually closer.

"Can you grab on? Hey! Are you alright? Can you grab this branch?" Kamil demanded, hoping the person maybe was still conscious.

"CAM?!" A voice shouted suddenly back from a distance, and Kamil's heart started racing. He looked around frantically, searching for the owner of the voice.

"Kana!" He yelled, "I'm by the water! Someone's drowning!"

Suddenly, a wave pushed Kamil back and almost knocked him off his feet. He moved his arms underwater to fix himself, but had to move quick as the water also pushed the body closer to shore and hit against him. He grabbed the person's underarms and pulled them out of the water. Their back pressed against his chest as he wrapped his arms around them. With the water splashing them, and his mind focusing on saving them, he couldn't see their face. Using his hands, he adjusted the person so their head rested on his shoulder, their chin up and their airway open. As he pulled away, blood dripped from his fingers. The water was up to his stomach, and gravity started acting on him and the person he was carrying. When he made it to shore, Kana caught up with Kamil and lent a hand.

"I'll carry her," the Konohana villager told him, and Kamil obeyed. Kana was the stronger one, so Kamil didn't complain. "I have my horse with me," Kana added, trying to mask the fear in his voice. He called for the dark brown horse, "Hayate!"

"Thank you, Kana," Kamil said, still catching his breath. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. The adrenaline was still there. Over the sound of Hayate's hooves hitting the soft ground, he heard coughing - no, retching. It sounded horrible. The water gurgled in her lungs before she managed to cough it up. Her breaths were shaky and deep, taking in as much oxygen as she could.

"That's it," Kana said quickly, but in soothing tone, "keep coughing, you'll be okay. We'll be okay, Lillian."

That's when Kamil looked up and saw who he saved from the water. Blood seeped through the cut on the girl's forehead and bruises decorated her fair legs. Her face was pale and lifeless, her eyes glassy and in shock. Her mouth was moving but her words came out slurred and unintelligible.

"Lillian-?" Kamil cried out. "K-Kana, we have to do something-"

Kana was holding her tightly as they both mounted Hayate. "I'll take her to Ayame. She needs medical attention. Will you be okay, Cam?"

"Please," Kamil was all he could muster.

"Meet up with us there," Kana ordered, and with a "Hiyah!", him and a disoriented Lillian rushed over to Konohana.

Kamil, still panting for air, ran to Bluebell until his legs begged for rest. When he arrived home, Laney greeted him with a worried, "You're soaking wet! What happened?!"

As Kamil changed into dry clothes, he explained it all, although choppy and still in shock. Howard overheard and told the others. Soon, the whole town knew of what happened to Lillian and a few were heading over to Konohana. Before Kamil joined them, he looked at the bouquet that had been sitting in his room for a few days – marguerite daisies. He paused for a moment before grabbing them and heading out to the tunnel.

Rumours began to spread already, worrying Kamil even more.

"What do you mean she's not waking up?!" a voice said.

"Just give her some time…" another said, doubting them.

"If she suffers from a concussion, there's a chance she could have some memory loss…"

"What happened to her? Did anyone actually see how she fell?"

When they arrived, Lillian was already under Ayame's care.

"She's not in critical condition, thank the Harvest Goddess," Hiro, the doctor's apprentice, informed the worried villagers. "She does suffer from a head injury that Dr. Ayame is still examining. The lack of oxygen just made her a little disoriented, but we will keep a close eye on her."

Hiro turned to the two young men who were the most visibly affected. "Cam, Kana," his voice was so calming and reassuring, "you saved her."

"If only I was there earlier... It's my fault," Kamil said softly, avoiding eye contact.

"It's not your fault, Cam," Kana told him sternly. "You were the one who got her out of the water. Don't put this all on yourself. How were you supposed to know this was going to happen?"

Hiro agreed and placed a delicate hand on Kamil's shoulder. "Kana got to see her. She wasn't talking… I think she's still in shock, but I can let you see her. Also, Ayame should check on you too."

"Thank you," Kamil replied, and followed Hiro's instructions.

Now, Kamil didn't remember a lot of what happened next. He just followed automatically; his mind was somewhere else. Dr. Ayame examined him for any injuries and asked him a few questions while scribbling a few things on a notepad. She noticed the flowers Kamil were still holding.

"Would you like to give them to her?" Ayame asked gently once they were done. When he nodded, she brought him to Lillian's room. The room was dimly lit, and Lillian was tucked in white blankets, her forehead wrapped in bloodstained gauze, resting. Ayame left the room to give them space. After placing the marguerite daisies on the bedside table, Kamil pulled up a stool and just sat down beside her bed, gazing at the peaceful expression on her face as she slept.

"Lillian," he said quietly, as if she were awake… maybe, she could hear him… He took her hand – it was so cold. "Were you that exhausted today? Why didn't you say anything?"

He squeezed the hand softly, warming it up with his own body heat. He brought her hand up to his lips, whispering, "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so, so worried. I assumed the worst. What if I wasn't there?" He sighed, lowering his head. He imagined how she would react. She would be more worried about him. She would tell him that she was alright. She would probably blame herself. That was the kind of person Lillian was.

"None of this is your fault… It's my fault…"

"Lillian," Kamil murmured in his sleep, a tear rolling down his cheek. He tossed and turned under the covers before he sat up, waking up from his dream.

Right. A dream. He was thinking of that day… No, no, he was in Oak Tree Town now. It was Saturday and he just came back from visiting Bluebell on Friday. Kamil groaned and rubbed his forehead. When was the last time he had a good night's sleep, he wondered, without being roused by that reoccurring nightmare, reliving that day whenever he closed his eyes.

It was all so vivid. He could never forget the sight he saw that day. How he wished to forget, but at the same time, how he wished she would remember.

a/n: a long chapter to make up for my absence in 2018. thank you for reading and reviews are appreciated!