FIRST PUBLISHED ON WATTPAD MAY 23, 2019
CHAPTER 37: LOSING HIS TOUCH
~ONE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER (JULY 17)~
It was now in the middle of summer. School was out for the time being, and everyone around Japan and Tokyo were focused on having fun in the summer. While Kaori, Tsubaki and Watari were having fun with Kaori's CFL ball playing mock football (of course, this was when she wasn't playing her Famicom; the three hadn't heard from Kousei in almost a month, on top of this, only being kept up to date from Kaori's messages from Hiroko about how he was) Kousei was just at home, with the AC on, just relaxing on the piano bench. He wanted to be left alone, as his mind, while having shown no further signs of deterioration, had also not improved either. His body had mostly retained the status quo after the second accident. Kousei was not wearing his tank top on this day with his biker shorts; thusly, he was shirtless today.
He thought to himself on this warm July morning Dammit, what do I care? I haven't improved much, but I haven't deteriorated either. Every day is just becoming a struggle for me.
Kousei, who had attempted to keep his mind sharp by playing the piano on occasion, was playing inconsistently again. "Dammit... I'm not... playing all... too... well. Was it... a miracle... for me... that I played... as well... as I did... at the gala? I've... lost my... touch... again. Here it comes... headache... again..."
He then realized he needed to take his medicine, but all of a sudden, Kousei was feeling a tightness in his chest, He was having a heart attack. "Heart... about to... explode... oh... my god..." Kousei then passed out on the piano keys, and all the keys made the sound of all of them being touched together. A neighbor noticed Kousei passed out on the piano. This time, however, Kousei did NOT hit his head on anything, he merely passed out on the doorstep, missing the door by a few inches/centimeters. "Kousei Arima... my god... please, help him out!" said the neighbor to her husband. Help was called immediately. He had forgotten take his medications, which why he passed out in front of his neighbor.
~TWO DAYS LATER~
Kousei was back at Totsuhara Hospital, with just about no memory of what happened to him. The first thing he saw, with his diminishing eyesight, which had now declined a bit further, was his father, Takahiko with Hiroko.
Kousei is writing in pain, just realizing how fragile he had become in the space of a few months. He was now looking more malnourished than before, and his ribs were starting to be visible when he was bare-chested. On top of all this, his skin was becoming cracked, and his face was starting to look almost like that of someone at least four to five times his age, and while the scars from the blows to the head were still there, they were less visible than during the Gala.
"Fa... ther?" Kousei said to his father. "Kousei, my son. I can't believe I'm seeing you like this. You've hit your head twice, lost your left foot... it's breaking my heart. And you do know you have your mother's disease, right? I think you were told this a month ago." Kousei then started to break down and cry. "I... do! I can't... believe it... I am fettered... to her... in more ways... than one. I had... a heart... attack... and I can't... remember what... happened. I don't... know... whether... I'm loved... anymore."
Hiroko then told Kousei "Don't say that, Kousei. I don't know whether you know, but there are many young musicians within this country that were inspired to take up piano by you. You are loved. Hang in there, Kousei... your father is here with you." Even though it took him a minute to recognize him, Kousei's father had some words for his son, who was ailing. "Hang in there, please, my son. I know that this hasn't been the best year for you... but I want you to hold on, for another year."
Kousei said "Yeah... I hope... so... too." Takahiko said "Me and Hiroko have to go. We'll see you again soon." Kousei said "Thank you..." As the two left, Kousei was all alone. He looked down at his fragile body. The short-term memory loss, the messing up of the playing of the piano, it was all becoming apparent to him that he likely wasn't going to last much longer. He also had expressed feelings of being unloved. As he was alone, he cried to himself silently "I... am... not loved! Nobody... loves me... at all!" The hospital kept him for observation for a week, and then he would be released.
As this happened, Kaori wistfully looked at the night sky in Tokyo "Kousei... if only I could tell you how I feel about you." Just then, her phone came on, and Hiroko relayed this message to her: Kousei had a heart attack last week. He was kept in observation, and he is back at home resting now. I'm not sure what is going on here, but he's not doing so well lately... Kaori shed a few tears. "Goddamnit... that Kousei... he's slowly fading into oblivion! And possibly taking me with him!"
Kaori then relayed the same message over to Watari and Tsubaki. The former's reaction was "Damn... the guy I knew for so long... isn't doing so well. Could his time be up before his time?" He pondered this as his longtime friend was slowly starting to deteriorate. As for the latter, Tsubaki sobbed endlessly, just thinking about poor Kousei. She couldn't even bear seeing him like this. It was tearing her apart as well. "Damn it all to hell, shit! Kousei had a heart attack... he's become more fragile!"
Of course, little did they know, things would get worse for Kousei before they got better as the summer wore on. Kaori, Watari and Tsubaki would have to stay tough together, and for Kaori, having Hiroko by her side was of the most utmost importance to her.