"So, you have been doing all of these concerts to raise money for a special eye surgery, that may very well give you back your sight," Natsuki breathed out softly, as she looked at the beautiful chestnut-haired girl sitting before her at her family's dinner table.
"Yes, what I have is a rare form of inherited blindness known as Leber Congenital Amaurosis or LCA. With this surgery we, that is my family and I, hope to correct this genetic...disorder...and I will hopefully be able to see again," Shizuru replied with a wistful smile, which was directed at Natsuki and her father. "You see there was a time before I lost my full vision, where I do remember being able to see. I was very little. But I remember the fluffy, playful shapes of clouds. The bright, dazzling sun shining high in a crisp, clear blue sky. The lush green of the grass around our country home. The sparkling shimmer of the lake, and the stunning brightness of the flowers that populated the area around us. I...remember all that...and I just...I would love it to be able to see all of that again," Shizuru trailed off as a small lump formed in her throat.
Natsuki immediately reached out, and gently placed her hand over the chestnut-haired girl's lightly shaking one.
Shizuru had come over to dine with Natsuki and her father, though her parents had to unfortunately decline the invite. They'd had a previous engagement that they just could not break on such short notice, but they had encouraged Shizuru to go and have some fun for herself. Natsuki had wanted Shizuru to meet her mother, Saeko Kuga, but unfortunately her mother had been called away from their home to attend to Natsuki's sick grandmother, who was at the hospital. So it was just the three of them sitting around the large dinner table, after eating a splendid meal prepared by the Kuga's personal chef. They'd had a grand time talking and getting to know each other better, and the conversation had somehow gotten onto the reason why Shizuru had started doing piano concerts. Now Natsuki's heart ached for the honey-haired brunette, as she felt Shizuru lightly squeeze her hand in gratitude for her caring support, before she gently pulled her delicate hand out from beneath Natsuki's.
Natsuki instantly felt the loss from that warm hand that had been in hers.
"Dad, there must be something we can do to help!" Natsuki exclaimed, as she turned beseeching eyes towards her father.
Hiro was softly rubbing his chin, something he always did when he was deep in thought.
"Oh please, don't trouble yourselves with me. You've both been very kind and sweet to me already...inviting me into your home, feeding me a marvelous meal...and all I've done is play a little music for you which you paid to hear at my concert. There is absolutely no reason for you both to put yourselves out any further for me," Shizuru said in a tone that was slightly distressed. She truly hated being a burden to anyone, and didn't want this wonderful father and daughter to think they needed to do anything more for her. They had already been far too gracious and generous with their time with her, and she didn't want them to feel obligated to do more.
"My dear," Hiro said in a kind, fatherly tone as he reached for Shizuru's hand, and gently wrapped his larger one around her small one. He was sitting to Shizuru's right, while his daughter was to the honey-brunette's left, and he smiled softly as Shizuru turned her head towards him. Her eyes were in their customary closed position, and while he found that a shame as she did have such an amazing eye colour, he understood that it was the position she was most comfortable in. It couldn't be easy for her to look at someone, not be able to actually see them, and then practically feel the discomfort of that person as they stared back into her unseeing eyes.
It would almost become a kind of defense mechanism against the seeing world, to constantly keep her own eyes closed, Hiro speculated thoughtfully to himself.
He then gently patted Shizuru's hand as he began to speak. "My dear, it would do this old man's heart good to be able to help you. And I know the exact perfect way to do so. The hospital that you will be doing the surgery at when you gain all the necessary funds, will be at the Kruger Saint Hospital correct?"
Shizuru would have blinked in surprise if her eyes at already been open, but she did nod slowly towards the sound of Hiro's voice.
"Well then, as I said I know the perfect way to help you, my dear. Kruger Saint is owned by the Kuga Conglomerate. My Nana...my Grandmother...was a Kruger, and my Grandfather named the hospital after her when he had it built. It's been our family hospital ever since. My wife's own grandmother is there right now, receiving treatment for a nasty cold she came down with. And our hospital is one of the leading institutions for all the most advanced treatments available. That is why I know that is where you would do your operation. It is the only hospital in the whole region that offers that kind of treatment. So, here is what I'm going to do for you, my dear. Whatever funds you and your parents have managed to accumulate for the surgery...that will be enough. You no longer need to gather any more funds. Whatever you already have will be enough for the surgery," Hiro said with a gentle smile at the shocked face of the young woman before him.
Shizuru let out a deep gasp as her lips moved soundlessly to try to formulate words. Her eyelids slowly opened to reveal those dazzling, scarlet eyes Hiro had just been thinking about. Shizuru continued to try desperately to speak, before she felt a gentle pressure on her other hand, and she knew that the raven-haired young woman had just once again taken her hand into her own.
"I don't know what to say...I don't know what to say..." Shizuru finally murmured out, as she gently shook her head side to side. Tears where beginning to form in her eyes, and she quickly squeezed her eyelids back shut to try to keep the tears from escaping.
"You could say...yes," Natsuki said in a lightly-teasing voice.
Shizuru let out a wet laugh as the tears she had been trying so desperately to hold back, finally broke free and flowed down her cheeks.
"How...how could I possibly say no...I mean...I know it would be the 'noble' thing to decline your incredibly generous offer...but...oh, please yes! If you can really can make this happen...make this possible for me to have this surgery with the funds I already have available...you will never know how deeply grateful I will be to you, Mr. Kuga," Shizuru exclaimed, as she bowed her head deeply towards Hiro.
Hiro smiled his fatherly smile at Shizuru's bowed head, before he looked over at his daughter and exchanged a quick grin with her. He then reached his free hand forward, and gently tilted Shizuru's head back up with his finger.
"You are very welcome, my dear. My family and I pride ourselves on helping those who come into our lives in whatever way or form. It is what I have spent my life teaching my daughter. Do for others what you would like them to do for you. It is what my father taught me, and what his father taught him. It is what has helped my own family achieve so much in our own personal lives. For when you do for others, you find that same powerful goodness coming back to you in ways you sometimes couldn't even imagine. Pretty good morals to live by, don't you say," Hiro said with a quirky grin, which Shizuru answered to with a grateful, happy laugh as she squeezed both Hiro and Natsuki's hands tightly.
She made sure not to let go of Natsuki's hand too quickly this time.
~Three Hours Later~
"I'm...ahh...I'm really glad your parents said you could stay over for the night, Sh-Sh-Shizuru," Natsuki said in a shy, soft voice as she hugged a fluffy pillow against her chest. She was sitting on her plushly-made bed in her favourite puppy-print pajamas, and watching as the object of her growing affection lightly traced her fingers along her soft comforter. Shizuru was dressed in one of Natsuki's mother's night shirts, and the ebony-haired girl found that Shizuru looked great in it. But then Shizuru could be wearing a sack, and still look good to the jade-eyed girl.
Natsuki found herself blushing deeply at this stray thought, and she pressed her pillow even tighter against her chest, and buried her hot face against it.
"My parents were just so...I can't even think of a proper word to describe to you the unbridled joy I heard in their voices, when I told them about your father's beyond generous offer for my surgery. I'll really truly never be able to express how grateful I am to you and your father, Natsuki. You have both just...changed my whole life and world," Shizuru breathed out softly, as she slowly opened her eyes and stared gently off in the direction she knew Natsuki was in. She had found herself opening her eyes more often and actually looking towards these two wonderful people, who had just walked into her life and changed it for the better. Shizuru decided that she liked 'looking' at Natsuki, and she would continue to do so...until the day that she could actually see Natsuki...and the very thought of that made the air in Shizuru's chest hitch, and a light blush spread across her cheeks.
"Y-You really don't have to keep thanking us, Shizuru. I just really want you to be able to see...and be able to see m-m-me as well," Natsuki stammered softly at the end of her statement.
"What was that last part, Natsuki? I didn't quite hear you," Shizuru asked with a curious tilt of her head.
"Nothing! Nothing at all," Natsuki squeaked out as she dropped her pillow on her bed, slipped off of the mattress, and made her way quickly across her large room.
Shizuru listened as Natsuki's feet slipped softly across the carpet, and then she heard a light click and the faint light that she could 'see' was suddenly plunged into deep darkness, and Shizuru knew that Natsuki had just turned off the bedroom light.
"Bedtime?" Shizuru asked with a teasing grin, that she wasn't sure Natsuki could see as she didn't know just how dark Natsuki room looked with the light off. But she suspected Natsuki could hear the tease in her voice, as Natsuki chuckled lightly while climbing back onto her bed, causing it to dip slightly beneath Shizuru.
"Well, tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. We're all going down to the hospital...you, your parents, me, and my parents...and we're going to get payment and surgery date worked out and finalized. So, we better get lots of rest tonight!" Natsuki exclaimed with a happy grin, as she bounced backwards against the small mountain of pillows she had piled up at the head of her bed.
Shizuru giggled softly at the exuberant nature of the girl on the bed with her. She'd only known Natsuki for a very short time, but already she felt like she could become one of her very best friends. The slightly-younger girl just had something her that just instantly drew Shizuru in, and the chestnut-haired girl was completely unable to resist it...not that she wanted to in the slightest. Natsuki was a very special young woman. Shizuru could feel that within her very heart and soul. And she just knew that Natsuki was going to have a place in her life for a very long time to come.
Shizuru was then startled slightly out of her musings, as she felt a warm hand gently wrap around her own, and a gentle tug was placed on her arm.
"Come on to bed, Shizuru. You're going to need all the rest you can get," Shizuru heard Natsuki say with a soft smile in her voice, and Shizuru returned that smile.
"Okay," Shizuru replied quietly, and allowed Natsuki to gently lead her up on the large bed to the top. Once there they both snuggled under the covers, and faced and continued smiling at each other in the darkness of the room, until sleep eventually caused both their eyelids to slowly close.
Their hands remained entwined together for the rest of the night.
AN - Hope you all enjoyed. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter ^^
Your reviews give me happy-bunny-plot-energy =3