Greetings.
If my MC acts like a Mary Sue in any way or if there are any mistakes (grammar, story plot holes, etc.), TELL ME IMMEDIATELY! Thank you!
"" - speech
italics - memory
[ ] - thoughts
Disclaimer: I do not own Diamond no Ace.
Suppressed Memory (2)
As she thought about such negative things, someone stood in front of her. They placed her favorite flowers, red tulips, on top of her grave. Her heart shook. There was only one person who knew what her favorite flowers were.
"Nami."
[Kazuya...]
"I got you your favorite flowers. Red tulips... You like them, don't you?" His eyes were slightly red and the bags under his eyes were dark. He looked thoroughly exhausted.
His smile seemed more like a frown. "I found out the meaning today. I never knew why you gave them to me that one day, but now I do. I just wish you told me upfront."
His tight-lipped smile turned into a grimace. "There's no way that I would know if you never tell me."
She became embarrassed because quite honestly, she did not want him to know the meaning of her one-time gift; she just wanted to keep her feelings to herself for as long as possible.
"..." He stood there quietly in front of her grave without moving. Emptiness pooled into his eyes. Many hours passed by and yet he continued to stand in silence. Soon the day grew dark and she began to worry about him.
[Kazuya, don't you have practice tomorrow? You should go home and rest...]
She hoped her thoughts would somehow transmit to him. After all, the brooding look never suited him.
[It's my job to brood, not yours. I mean I did die, but... I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?]
He suddenly opened his mouth. "Do you know how I felt when I made it to the hospital?" He lightly touched the smooth stone of the grave. "I wished it was all a bad dream. Even-" He abruptly stopped when his voice quivered ever so slightly.
He breathed deeply before continuing. "Even though I did tell you that I would try not to die before you..."
Kazuya visibly shivered as if remembering with despair. "Watching your heart stop... And then your hands... They were so cold..."
Bitterness and agony swirled in his eyes. "Is this how you felt too? When your parents... When your uncle passed away in front of you?"
He grabbed the part of his shirt that hovered over his heart. "How did you handle it?" His grip tightened as his heart ached painfully.
[Kazuya... It's because I had you.]
He gritted his teeth. Choking on his words, he leaned forward ever so slightly. "You weren't supposed to die before me this early."
[I know.]
Kazuya rubbed his forehead and lightly pulled at his hair in frustration. "I know you or I should have known better. You were most likely going to search for a way to divorce that man once you two got married and then effectively block your aunt and uncle from harming both yourself and me." He began to despise himself a bit more.
[You know me well enough if you deduced that much.]
"I would have waited for you, you know...? No matter how long it would have taken..." He murmured. "Perhaps, I'm part of the blame. I shouldn't have gotten angry. I should have held you closer. Comforted you... But it's too late for that, isn't it?"
[It's not your fault, Kazuya...]
"We were supposed to stay together for a long time and then pass away together, so that both of us would never have to be alone." The casual way he worded that statement shocked her.
[That... I didn't know that you wanted that...]
Disappointment lingered in his voice. "Now we can't even do that."
His eyes narrowed in unspoken frustration. "Why did you leave me already? How am I supposed to get mad at you? How am I supposed to see you laugh and cry if you're not here next to me?"
She wanted to scream out that she was in front of him. She wanted to hug him until he felt uncomfortable.
But in the end...
In the end, all she could do was sit patiently in front of him as he talked.
[I'm sorry that I left you alone.]
[It's strange, but I don't think I ever saw him rant like this. It's... a little surprising.]
[It's better than seeing him cry though. I don't know if I would be able to handle it if he did cry in front of me.]
Despite her inner thoughts, even though he did not outwardly cry, his words and his expression told her of the overwhelming amount of unshed tears he held for her.
[Kazuya...]
"Maybe you'll think that the flowers meant something along the lines of familial love." He gloomily smiled.
[That's not true... Hopefully.]
That smile immediately faded away. "You're an idiot when it comes to these things. Very oblivious."
[I'm not always an idiot. After all, I did give you those flowers before. But...]
"The meaning of the red tulips... True everlasting love... How can that even be anything remotely similar to familial love?" He spoke softly. "This is my response, Nami."
[Did I hear him... correctly?]
"I always liked you romantically and will continue to like you in that way." He confirmed. "But now you can't even hear that... And I'm too late - as always..."
Regret and longing tore at her heart.
[Kazuya, Kazuya... I like you too... I'll always like you...]
[So please don't say that you're too late. Because you're never too late for me. Never.]
[This time, it was me who was late.]
She cried quietly to herself, closing her eyes.
[So that's why I'll let you go. In my new life, the 'you' will not be the 'you' that I loved, so I shall face the 'you' in my current lifetime as a new person. Even so, will you forgive me for my selfishness?]
When she opened them again, she found that his big brown eyes locked with hers.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she finally caressed the seeming wound on his cheek with her small hand gently.
[It's strange how I couldn't remember this until now...]
"Nami-sama!" It was Maria's voice, sounding urgent.
[...Maria?]
She then realized something was wrong - very wrong.
For one, Kazuya's face had turned younger. Not only that, he was strangely really close to her and she saw the sky behind him instead of a graveyard. He also looked very confused, stiff, and injured.
[Oh... Oh no...]
Her face flushed red and her eyes widened in shock as she froze while gaping at him.
Keep the reviews coming! :D