Forgotten Melody

Chapter 29: Sacrifice

"Seiji-kun," Kirari smiled as she saw Seiji's smiling face on the television.

"I'm glad…you're doing great," Kirari said as she slowly blinked away her tears.

Kirari started coughing blood again, worrying Kumoi-san. She had been watching over Kirari for almost a month now. Kirari's health wasn't getting any better even if she had been in the hospital.

"Kirari, I'm going to call Saitou-sensei," Kumoi-san said, grabbing the doorknob to open the door and call for Kirari's doctor.

"No, Kumoi-san," Kirari coughed.

"I'm…alright."

"Kirari, you're—"

"I'm fine."

Kirari smiled at Kumoi-san as if nothing was wrong with her, but her health's worsening and her broken heart made it difficult for her to conceal it. Kumoi-san could tell that Kirari was hurting, but since she was the kind of girl who would rather have someone burden her than her burdening someone else, she would just smile and act like everything was fine.

Kirari slowly closed her eyes, falling asleep once again. For most of the time in the hospital, Kirari was asleep. She would sleep for hours or even for days. Kumoi-san always suffered seeing Kirari that way. Kumoi-san treated Kirari like she was her own daughter or little sister. She cared for her more than she cared for herself. Even if she was hurting, Kumoi-san would never tell Kirari just so that she wouldn't have to worry.

Kumoi-san sighed as she silently closed the cracked door when she realized that Kirari had fallen into a deep sleep again. She sat back down on the couch near Kirari's bed to relax for a bit even if she didn't have any time. Kumoi-san was stressing about everything especially the anticipated movie that Kirari, Seiji, Hiroto, and Fubuki were in, 'Distant Hearts', which was going to show in five days. She had only been able to take naps in between work and watching over Kirari. Her eyes started closing when suddenly, she heard the door open.

"Kumoi-san," someone said.

When Kumoi-san opened her eyes, she saw Saitou-sensei's face and her clipboard. Kumoi-san quickly stood because she knew that Saitou-sensei had to talk to her about something important when she saw her professional face. Saitou-sensei wasn't smiling, but was frowning, instead.

"It's getting worse," Saitou-sensei said.

"I know that. You've been telling me that for almost every time you come here," Kumoi-san said in frustration.

Kumoi-san was tired and stressed and Saitou-sensei's reminding her about Kirari's worsening health made her head hurt more, but Kumoi-san was also aware that it was Saitou-sensei's job to inform her about Kirari's health condition.

"Kumoi-san, you didn't let me finish," Saitou-sensei said.

Silence lingered as Saitou-sensei paused to look at Kirari. Kumoi-san also looked at Kirari, still worrying. Instead of telling Kumoi-san what she wanted to say, Saitou-sensei handed her the clipboard to show her a paper with graphs and lines and words.

Kumoi-san took the clipboard and read it in her mind, her eyes rolling from left to right. Suddenly, Kumoi-san's eyes widened, the clipboard falling from her hands. A thud was heard when the clipboard hit the white floor. Saitou-sensei didn't need to turn her head to look at Kumoi-san because she already knew the expression that she was making. A few seconds after the clipboard fell, Kumoi-san fell to her knees as tears also fell down her eyes.

She slowly looked down on the floor, the teardrops dropping on the clipboard.

"No!" Kumoi-san screamed, covering her face to muffle her voice.

Saitou-sensei crouched down to rub Kumoi-san's back because that was the only thing she could do for her.

"No! No!"


"Where's Kirari?" Hiroto asked Seiji, his fists clenched as he contained his anger for Seiji inside.

"Why would I know?" Seiji calmly answered, still reading his magazine.

"Stop messing around and tell me where the hell she is!" Hiroto growled in annoyance as he slapped the magazine out of Seiji's hand.

Seiji stood up to leave the room calmly so he wouldn't have to fight Hiroto. Seiji knows that Kirari wouldn't want to see them fighting. Even if Kirari wouldn't be able to see them, Kirari would still somehow find out.

"Where the hell is Kirari?" Hiroto growled once again, grabbing Seiji by the shirt.

"How should I know?" Seiji yelled back, anger and misery in his eyes.

Hiroto's eyes widened in shock, not expecting Seiji to look angered and in pain at the same time.

"How should I know, Hiroto? Aren't you the one who's supposed to know where she is?" Seiji yelled, pushing Hiroto's hands off of him.

Hiroto couldn't say anything to Seiji because he was confused.

"What…what do you mean?" Hiroto asked, not scared to admit that he had no idea what was going on.

Seiji turned his face away from Hiroto, ashamed that tears started forming in his eyes. Seiji was a man, and a man is supposed to show no tears to another man, but he couldn't hide the tears of pain that he was feeling.

"I broke her heart so she could be with you," Seiji confessed, clenching his fist.

Hiroto was surprised of what he said, not knowing what to say. Hiroto had always been aware that Seiji loved Kirari more than anyone in the world, but he broke up with her just so that she could be with Hiroto.

"Why would you do that?" Hiroto asked.

"Because I couldn't watch her cry anymore."

Seiji remembered those times when Kirari would cry on his shoulders because of something Hiroto did. Seiji was fully aware that Kirari was crying because she still had feelings for Hiroto, who had forgotten about her in the beginning.

"She would cry because of her feelings for you…she was hurting because those feelings won't go away," Seiji continued.

"She tried to get rid of them by becoming my girlfriend…Yeah, I know. I was being used…I was being used to forget about you…but I was fine with that."

Hiroto continued listening to Seiji as he also remembered those times when he was with Kirari and knew nothing about her. He didn't feel anything for her, but Kirari silently did.

"I was fine about being used to forget about her feelings for you…about being a substitute…I loved her so much that I didn't care about my feelings…I didn't care if I was hurt…I only cared about her. I sacrificed my own happiness for her. She was my world," Seiji continued, Kirari's smile in his mind.

"But I ruined my world so she could get her own happiness…Kirari might've looked happy when she was with me…but I know that she will receive true happiness once she's with the true person she loves…which is you."

Hiroto was once again surprised as the truth was finally laid out on him. He had always thought that Kirari didn't have the time to have feelings for him. Hiroto thought that Kirari didn't share the same feeling, but when she started showing signs of her feelings for him, he didn't want to believe it.

"If you want to know where she is, find Kumoi-san. She knows where Kirari is," Seiji suggested even if he didn't want to.

"Thank you…and I'm sorry, Seiji," Hiroto said, gently patting Seiji's shoulder.

"Tell her that I said I love her…and that I was thankful that I had her even if it was just for a short time," Seiji asked, showing Hiroto a smile that he used to conceal his hurting.

Hiroto was able to see through Seiji, knowing that Seiji was hurt, but was happy that the person he loves will finally feel happiness. Hiroto nodded to Seiji, also giving him a smile that said "You can count on me".

Hiroto rushed out of the building and drove the car around town to find Kumoi-san. His mind was full of the things Seiji said including Kirari's face.

"I'm going to correct everything…and tell you how I really feel, Kirari," Hiroto determinedly thought.