Hiya! I recognize that I suddenly added this chapter to Chapter 17, and it's kinda weird, but the other three will be added in this fashion. Keep your eye out for them!


I never knew how drastically my life would change just by taking this job. And this girl- she suddenly lit up my entire world.

Four years ago, my father was placed in this hospital. He had returned from the war in a hospital bed and an emergency call. I remember that night so clearly- the pain etched in my mom's face as she rushed to the hospital and left me and my little sister behind. I remember that it didn't matter how much we cried, she wouldn't mention our father's state. Suddenly we were thrust into debt and I had to drop out of school in my final year. As a 17-year-old, I never knew how much my life had been shattered. We lost our home, and we did everything that we could to save it. Miko, at a fragile age of 9, tried her hardest to make me and my mom smile, but never seemed to succeed. I knew that it was only a matter of time before we would lose our dad, but I never knew when that moment would come.

I remember beginning my work- I began working at a temp agency, and took any job that I could get, but being a teenager with no diploma or college education, I was at a loss. My family began to stay at friends and relatives' homes, but never for long. We kept moving, my mom trying her hardest to pull herself together and work so the hospital would keep my father. And I recall that one afternoon during my 20th birthday when I met this man, a man who had saved my family.


"You seem troubled."

A voice startled me, and I glanced up. A taller doctor stood before me, looking down at my slumped over figure that was holding a sheet of paper and a dead bouquet which my mom had asked me to throw out as she replaced it with a singular flower. I shrugged, and mumbled, "I've definitely had better days."

The man motioned if he could sit down, and I nodded. I leaned back and stared at the bright blue sky above me, the birds flying above giving me a sense of calm. "Maybe, if I were a bird, I wouldn't have to deal with responsibilities and these stupid problems, and I could just fly away to wherever my heart desires."

The man next to me chuckled. His brown hair was short, and on his coat, a name tag labeled "Masaomi" caught my eye. Masaomi leaned back and observed the sky along with me.

"But responsibilities and problems will always be there, no matter what species you are."

I turned my eyes back to the sky, letting the sun's heat warm me. I sighed, then said, "But if you're a bird, your family's lives aren't on you. You don't have to work to give them food and a home, or to pull them out of debt just to keep your comatose father from dying right in front of your eyes. It's been three years, and we've managed to somehow keep the hospital from pulling the plug."

We both sat in silence, the words flowing from me, and I felt the need to just let it all out. "And it's been three years already, and his heart is still going. And as much as I love him, I feel like the only relief I'd have would be to let him go, to let him out of this miserable state, and maybe my mom could move on. But... we all love him too much to let him go without telling him goodbye."

A pain punctured my heart, and I felt a shudder go through my spine. I leaned forward, and returned to my hunched position. Just saying that made me realize why I was so stuck. I wanted to at least hear my father's voice again, and to see him one more time. I wanted to have him back, I wanted my family to smile at least one more time. The doctor beside me leaned forward, and rested a hand on my back. I glanced up at him, and spotted a melancholic smile dancing on his lips.

"I lost my father a while ago, and I've had many other fathers since then. I've had new brothers added on to my family, and very recently, a sister who's lit up my world. But no matter how much family has been added, nothing can ever fill that hole where my father once was. I know that I'll never see him again, and it's hard to let go. But with the family that I have now, they've helped me in ways that they don't even understand. Without them there to be my strength, I don't know where I'd be.

"The point I mean to be making is that it's going to be tough. It's going to be really hard to let him go when you have to, but it's important to be that strength and anchor that your family needs. And I appreciate you consulting in a tired doctor like me."

I nodded my head and wearily smiled up at him. I felt tears well up, and a stuttering "thank you" slipped past my lips. I felt another gentle pat on my back and the doctor stood up. As he began to turn away, I heard him stop and ask, "What's your name?"

I looked up, the form in front of me blurred by my tears. "Bayani Dakila. And yours?"

"Masaomi Asahina."

My heart leaped as I recognized the doctor's last name. The hospital-

"I'll put in a good word for you, Mr. Dakila. Until then, good luck, and I believe in you."

The next day I remember walking into my father's hospital room, and the vase that had once held a single flower now contained a gorgeous bouquet, and a sheet of paper sat on the bedstand beside my father. Next to him was my mother in tears, praying next to the still figure, and a smile on her face. A smile that I haven't seen in a very long time. I kneeled beside her, and picked up the paper. On it, there was a statement that said this room was covered for the next two years, or until the patient woke up, or passed away. A single signature at the bottom of the page caught my eye.

Asahina Masaomi.

I smiled and looked out the window behind me. The sky had never felt so bright and blue before.


As I walked down the same sterilized hallway with a new job a year later, I felt the nervousness shudder through my body. I had recognized the last name on the paper, and remembered begging for this job. I felt the need to repay this man for his kindness, and I felt like maybe the only way was to work for him. I remember the panic as I opened the door to find an empty suite. I remember how nervous I felt as the door opened, and wondered if the doctor would recognize me. I wondered if he would recognize my aged face and new clothes, and if the name would ring a bell. But even if it didn't, I knew that it was my job to pay him back. He had saved my family. He had saved me.

"-and this will be your room. I hope that you're comfortable here, and that everyone will treat you well. If not, feel free to contact me. I've assigned you a body-guard and I hope that you begin to remember who we are."

That voice. I straightened my posture, and my eyes met those of the man who had rescued my family. I nodded, and a small smile skirted over his lips. He turned and I felt my heart quicken at the sight of my client, and suddenly the past and my former goal dissipated...


"We're here."

I snapped back into reality as we pulled up to a large house that strongly represented a hotel. Ema got out of the car, assisted by Masaomi and Miko, and she turned around to offer me a hand. I felt my heart pounding against my chest as I took it, the warmth spreading throughout my body as she said, "Welcome home."

The sky had never seemed as bright or blue as it was now.