Leon's POV:
Eight hours. That was how long I waited in that awful hospital. She was in surgery for the first three of them. The doctor's restrained me long enough to be forced into another police questioning. I gave them everything I'd told them before. No, I've never heard the name Mr. Dennit before then. Yes, I have been working with Sora for over a year now.
My mind was stuck. I was more robot than man. My eyes could see, my ears could hear, my mouth could speak but I could do little more than that. It was as if someone had flicked a light switch off and I was plunged into an unimaginable, impenetrable blackness. It was rainy outside, suitably so. My chest ached every-time I breathed. I could only replay the same five words told to me by the doctor I had spoken to: "She might not make it."
A world without Sora in it. It was an idea I had never allowed myself to think of and now it was a question that was consuming my entire being relentlessly.
The only change in the dull ache that now spanned my entire being was the spike of rage and pure hatred that flowed through my veins when I heard that Mr. Dennit had been captured and taken into police custody.
Kalos had rushed to the police station after that, gathering all of the information on the murder of the Naegino family and had relayed the details to me.
Mr. Dennit had owned a company that was taken over by the Naegino family which had subsequently, caused him to lose his job, then he lost his wife, and eventually his kids were taken away into foster care because he was deemed unsuitable to take care of them.
In an act of hatred he had killed her parents in cold blood where they lived one dark night when Sora was seven years old. He went on to start his own company driven mostly by spite against the Naegino's when he heard about Sora's recent success in the Kaleido Stage. Realizing that she could be the missing link between him and the murder of her parents, he set out to find her and dispose of her.
I was wrenched from my dark thoughts when a doctor left the room that I was not allowed to enter until Sora had stabilized.
He stopped in front of me, pulling the face mask under his chin before speaking.
"Her condition is stable enough for visitors. Keep in mind that she's unconscious and we don't know when-" He pauses.
"When what?" I ask harshly.
"When or if she'll wake up."
I let those words seep into my bones slowly and it feels like ice water being poured all over me.
"But I can see her, correct?" I ask finally. The doctor nods his head somberly before laying a hand on my shoulder, probably meant to be comforting but I had to swallow the urge to shove his hand off.
I took a deep breath after he had left. I stood slowly, my joints protesting as they were suddenly put to work after over 28 hours without sleep.
My legs mechanically took me to Sora's door, but I couldn't bring myself to open the door. I could hear the whirs of the machines in the room from outside. Finally, I shut my eyes and slid the door open.
My feet forced me inside and I shut the door quietly. Finally, I opened my eyes and examined the room. It was dark, the most prominent sound being the raindrops spattering against the windowpanes. Two large monitors sat next to the hospital bed which hosted Sora. I could barely see her behind the IV poles and tables of medication.
I somehow stumbled over to her side.
What struck me first was how strange she looked. Everyone in the movies always describes how awful the dying person looks, their faces wane, their skin sickly, and their forms almost disintegrating at the touch.
Sora didn't look anything like this. At first glance, one might even assume that she was just sleeping. It took a truly observant person to see the differences. For instance, her face was not wane, but it was slack. Her usual bright expressions gone. Wiped off of her face as if they never existed. When someone dreams, their eyes usually flutter in their sleep or their breathing has some irregularity.
Not Sora. Her eyes were shut and remained that way. But what truly tore my heart to pieces was the stillness. Sora, always full of energy, full of life, full of movement, lay absolutely motionless in front of me. I reached out a shaking hand to touch her face but pulled back quickly for fear that her skin would be as cold and lifeless as the rest of her.
As I sat there beside her bed, I began to think to our adventures in the Kaleido Stage. Every touch, every move, every gruesome hour of training we suffered through together. Every smile, every laugh, every hug she had given me seemed so far away. And then I remembered what Sora truly meant to all of us. She was the life of the stage. If someone was afraid, she was there to tell them not to be. If someone was sad, she was there to tell them to cheer up. If someone was broken, she was there to tell them to get back up and try again. Get back up and try again. Try again.
This is stupid Leon, this isn't something that will change anything…but at this point, it's all you've got.
I swallow and lean my head on the bed next to Sora and with only a moments hesitation I take her hand in my own and hold it up to me, pressing my forehead against it and start speaking.
"Sora." My first word breaks and I have to pause again. Come on, try again, get up and try again. "Sora, please. This is not how you're supposed to leave me. You aren't supposed to be this way, nothing is supposed to be like this." I hesitate once again.
"When I first came to the Kaleido Stage I was completely obsessed with my job, with making my performance good enough to make my little sister proud of me. I was all about reality and how realistic my goals were. I didn't even realize it, but I was putting walls up for myself. I was caging myself in, so much so that I was hurting myself. And then one day, I met you, Sora. You're the person who changed that part of me. You taught me that I shouldn't build walls, I should tear down walls. I should make bridges to get over walls, I should try for greater things, I should keep trying. Right now, I need you to keep trying." I laced my fingers through hers as I grasped her hand tighter than before.
"Sora, people in the Kaleido Stage need you right now. You're the teacher that shows us all how to overcome obstacles. You're the light in the dark. You're my light." I almost whispered the last words.
"If you won't do it for anyone else, then please…" My voice cracked again. "Please do it for me. You cannot leave me like this. You can't."
"I love you." I whispered the last words as the tears that had been welling in my eyes fell onto the hospital sheets. "I love you Sora Naegino, so please don't leave me here alone."
I can't speak anymore. My throat had closed and all I could do was weep silently next to her.
It barely registered when I felt a hand on my cheek.
My breath caught as I look up. Sora's eyes looked deeply into mine, her other hand resting on my cheek, wiping them dry. Her lips parted.
"I love you too, Leon."
My eyes were wide, I reached my shaking hands toward her, gently brushing her hair out of her eyes. I can't help the pathetic laugh that leaves my mouth.
She smiled at me and moved her face closer to mine until our noses touch. My breathing had quieted by now as I lay staring into those beautiful eyes. She grinned at me.
"I'll never leave you alone, Leon. I promise." Her own voice cracked. And that's all I can handle, I closed the remaining gap between us, pressing my lips against hers. My heart nearly explodes against my chest as she leans into the kiss.
"I know." I tell her when we pull apart. "I know."