Hello! This is the second chapter of "2000 seconds". I hope you enjoy.
Thanks to Sanctus Vindex and Redios, who have reviewed so far. I was glad you noticed the reference to the movie "5 cm per second". Actually, I've only watched the first ten minutes of the film, and this fic was inspired by the first lines of the movie. But since I don't know how the movie goes, I can assure you this will not be a remake, crossover or anything similar. I just borrowed the idea for a title. I'll make sure to watch the whole movie as soon as I've finished this fic.
Also, thanks to my beta, CelestialxChaos. She's doing a wonderful job revising this. By the way, she said she'll give watermelons to anyone who reviews so... go and ask her!
Also, a special mention to MiakaMisuki, whom I'm helping with her Clannad fic. Anyone who's reading this should definitely read her story (Beyond the Shards) and drop a review.
All said, here's the chapter. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2: Snowfield
After observing the snow for a while, Tomoya finally turned around and exited Nagisa's room, thinking about how many things had changed. Both of them had grown up now, and they were at the age when promises didn't matter anymore, where both of them had promised things that they knew they would never do. But it was just like that. The flow of time was inevitable and, even though they would have liked to stay unchanged, they had slowly turned into adults.
As he walked down the hospital's corridor, he noticed the silence. It was the same silence as that of the days of snow, but it bore a totally different meaning. Silence during winter was ethereal, fragile, and almost beautiful. Silence in a hospital meant desperation, watching helplessly how those you love the most slip away silently without you being able to do anything.
Tomoya tried not to make any noise as he stepped on the clean tiled floor, not wanting to disrupt. He went down to the bottom floor in the elevator, while listening to a pair of women talk about their friend who had just had a baby.
The entrance hall was much livelier, with people going in and out of the hospital, doctors and nurses rushing up and down halls, and shops open for those who wanted to buy gifts for the sick. However, ignoring all of those people, he went straight to the cafeteria.
There were lots of tables, most of which were occupied at that time. At first, he didn't see Nagisa's parents, but it didn't take long for him to spot Akio's fiery red hair, along with his wife's antenna-like cowlicks which popped out of her head.
He sat with them on the other side of the table. They didn't seem to be eating. Two empty coffee cups were lying empty on the table. The adults were talking in furious whispers, trying to get to hear each other through the noisy surroundings, but not wanting anyone else to hear them. When they noticed Tomoya sitting on the table across them, they both shut up.
"Hi, Okazaki-san." Sanae greeted. She used to call him "Tomoya-kun", but she knew he didn't like to be treated like a child, so she had lately started addressing him like an adult.
"Hello." Said Akio. Nagisa's dad never called him by his name ever since he and Nagisa went out. He was just referred to as "idiot", "stupid", "you", "dumb", and other similar terms.
Tomoya didn't answer.
"Is she okay?" Sanae asked.
"Yeah, she's alright."
"We just talked to the doctor. It seems she's already out of danger. As soon as she wakes up, we can take her home."
Tomoya's eyes lit up. Akio noticed the shred of hope shining in his eyes. He hated to destroy it, but he had to act before Tomoya got fired up.
"But she won't be able to go to school. She'll have to rest at home."
The light in his eyes died. Tomoya hadn't even had time to speak.
An uncomfortable silence filled the space between the couple and the boy.
"Okazaki-san... We're sorry for all the trouble that this is causing you."
"No problem, Sanae-san. You know how much I love Nagisa. I really don't mind being here."
"We know that, Okazaki-san. It's just that you come here every day, and you're always watching over Nagisa. Aren't you tired? Wouldn't you like to go home and rest? Since she'll probably get out of here tomorrow, you can get the last train tonight and be home at midnight. And since tomorrow is Sunday, you can come early and help us pack her things."
"I prefer being here, Sanae-san. Besides, I don't really have a home to go back to."
Everyone in that table knew how tense Tomoya and Naoyuki's relationship was. Tomoya didn't consider that his home, but just a mere house. Wherever Nagisa was, that would be where his home was.
Sanae clenched her fists in her lap, and very quietly, almost whispering, she said,
"They don't know what's wrong with her, Okazaki-san. She might... die any day. She probably won't be able to do most of the things normal girlfriends do. However... are you... are you still okay with that?"
Akio hugged his wife. Tomoya noticed the love and the passion they still shared, even after being together for so many years. He wanted his relationship with Nagisa to be just like that, and he would do everything he could for her.
"I love Nagisa, and that's all that matters."
Tomoya ended up staying overnight in the hospital again. He slept in the couch where he had taken his nap, occupying the same spot for the third consecutive night. Akio and Sanae had gone home to prepare everything for Nagisa's return, and they had promised to be in the hospital early the next morning.
As expected, Nagisa woke up when morning came. When she opened her eyes, she found Tomoya there, with his school uniform on, looking at her. At first, she was scared but she slowly realized where she was. Seeing the smile plastered on her boyfriend's face made her feel at ease.
"Tomoya-kun... Why are you here? Isn't there school today?"
"Don't worry, Nagisa. It's Sunday today. I stayed with you during the night, and yesterday, I came straight away after the morning classes, so I didn't have time to change."
"Tomoya-kun... I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault."
Akio and Sane entered the room, and they smiled seeing Nagisa with her eyes open.
"Look at what we have here! Sanae, our darling daughter just woke up!"
"Hi Dad."
"Are you feeling better, Nagisa?"
"Yes Mom."
After talking for a while and helping Nagisa eat breakfast, Nagisa and Sanae considerately kicked Akio and Tomoya out of the room and the mother helped her daughter change. It had stopped snowing, but the outside was decorated with patches of white where the snow hadn't melted yet. It was very cold.
Nagisa soon called them back in. Tomoya helped her walk around the room to strengthen her thin legs. She was soon able to walk alone, but preferred to let part of her weight rest on Tomoya's arm. While Sanae and Akio packed up Nagisa's few personal belongings, Tomoya enveloped her with her school coat, a pair of thick gloves and a large white scarf. He himself covered his body with a coat and gloves, and after agreeing on a meeting spot with Akio, left for a short walk with Nagisa.
As they went down in the elevator, Tomoya suddenly remembered something.
"Kyou, Ryou, Kotomi, Tomoyo and Sunohara send you their best wishes. Oh, and Misae-san and Yukine too."
"How are they doing?"
"Oh, just fine. Kotomi said she learnt a new joke on TV. Kyou continues to patrol around the school and kicks anyone who dares to bully Ryou. Tomoyo is, just as always, acting as the responsible person she is, and still goes to wake Sunohara up every morning, and punishes him every time he skips class. Misae-san, helps her. Yukine… well, you know. She prepares tea in the reference room every now and then."
A shadow of melancholy shadow over the girl's eyes, immediately replaced by a light of happiness.
"They all seem to be having fun."
"Yes, but I can assure you that it's not the same without you. We all miss you."
As soon as they stepped out of the hospital, the cold wind caused their cheeks to become flushed. While letting Nagisa grab his arm, they both walked up and down the hospital grounds to get warmed up and let the blood circulate through the girl's legs, which had been resting for a long time. The road was clear, and only patches of dirty snow decorated their surroundings. They were mostly half-melted, and the couple had to be careful not to step into puddles of cold water. The sky was getting steadily covered with dark menacing clouds.
Soon, Nagisa didn't feel like walking anymore, so she and Tomoya sat down on a bench and waited for Sanae and Akio to come out of the hospital to pick them up. It started snowing, however, very few snowflakes fell, as if the clouds were feeling too lazy to bother, and had just decided to let go of some leftovers.
"Hey Nagisa."
"Yes, Tomoya-kun?"
"Don't you think this resembles the time when we met each other at the bottom of the hill?"
"I don't think it does at all, Tomoya-kun."
"Why not? If you notice, these snowflakes look like those cherry blossoms."
"It might look the same to you, but I can assure you that, deep within my heart, everything's very different."
"Care to explain?"
"Back then, Tomoya-kun, I was scared. I was a lonely person who didn't have enough strength to climb the hill. I didn't have friends, and my life seemed like it could break apart at any minute. But now... I've got you, Tomoya-kun. I'm not scared anymore. Thanks to you, I made friends, and I was able to restore the drama club. I don't think it resembles that day, Tomoya-kun, because so many things have changed. Ever since you gave me the strength to climb the hill, I knew I would never be alone again."
"You see, Nagisa. We hadn't seen each other for years, but when I saw you standing that day, at the bottom of the hill, I felt like it was the first time I'd seen you. I knew it was you all along, and I don't know why, but I promised myself I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Nagisa blushed.
"Thank you so much, Tomoya-kun, but I think you're exaggerating. We had seen each other a lot of times in school. It's just that we never actually talked."
"When you went to a different middle school than me, we drifted apart, so seeing you in high school was quite embarrassing. I mean, we hadn't seen each other for more than three years and we suddenly go to the same school. I never even greeted you, for God's sake! It was too awkward! I never realized you were repeating until I saw you standing there with the school uniform!"
"Well... to be honest, I was also feeling nervous whenever I saw you. I thought that you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore because you didn't consider yourself my friend."
"No! I just felt too embarrassed to go up to you and say: 'Hey, Nagisa, it's me, the one who protected you from bullies when we were children. Wanna chat for a bit?'"
The girl laughed.
"Tomoya-kun, do you remember that day when we talked about the speed at which snow falls?"
"Of course. How could I forget?"
"Do you also remember how you told me that we're lucky we're not like snowflakes?"
"Yes."
"Well, I've been thinking about it, and I've gotten to the conclusion that, in reality, we're pretty much similar to snowflakes."
"I don't understand."
"There are no two snowflakes which are the same, just like there are no two humans which are exactly the same. We are all let down when we are born, knowing that our fate is to reach the floor and die, but we then melt, evaporate, and turn into snowflakes again, creating new lives and falling once again. We are swept by the breeze, torn apart from those whom we love, but we manage to stay put until the very end."
Tomoya didn't want to think about the end. Nagisa couldn't die. She just couldn't. She was too good to die!
"Not all of us have to melt, Nagisa. Some of us will stay forever in this world."
"You know that that's not possible, Tomoya-kun. Even for someone like me, who's been close to death many times, life is going to finish. It's our fate. We can't escape from it. And I accept it as part of myself. I'm going to die, Tomoya, and nothing will change that, just like you and everyone else will eventually leave this world."
"Then, Nagisa, I'll make sure you fall in a snowfield. A place where snow is perpetual. That way, you'll never, ever melt. You'll forever stay in this world."
"Thank you Tomoya-kun. That was so sweet!"
She looked nostalgically at the white fragments which travelled through the air.
"But I don't need eternity, Tomoya-kun. As long as I live within your heart, that'll be enough for me. Your heart will be my snowfield, where I will permanently live, as beautiful as when I fell. Forever ethereal, forever beautiful, and forever yours."
Tomoya didn't know what to answer. Fortunately a klaxon sounded, and when Tomoya and Nagisa looked up, they saw Akio and Sanae frantically gesturing for them to go. Laughing, Tomoya grabbed Nagisa's hand and together, they got into the car.
What did you think? Please, read and review. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
COC