A Wish Fulfilled Near the End
Alone in her apartment, Marika was on the floor and cried as she watched the battle from her window "What should I do?! Raku is… he's still in this awful place! Rakkun…" Memories of Raku flooded her mind and one particular memory caught her attention. It was when Raku was still young and was badly injured and needed to be hospitalized for weeks.
Regaining the fire in her eyes, Marika yelled "I'll never let that happen again! What in the hell am I still doing here?!" Dashing out of her apartment, Marika found her dad in his car with his windows rolled down and was listening to the reports from his subordinates.
"Daddy! Start the car NOW!" Marika shouted as she dashed towards the car.
Seeing the dazzling flames in her eyes, Marika's father didn't question her orders at all and said to himself "Looks like you're back, Mari."
Once she reached the mansion, Marika dashed blindly through the halls until she heard a girl's voice screaming. Once she saw her injured beloved, Marika saw Chitoge preparing to attack him.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Marika growled as she charged towards Chitoge and was somehow unnoticed as she jumped and delivered a strong kick into her cheek. With the kick being so great, Chitoge went tumbling across the hall but quickly regained her composure.
"Marika…" Chitoge growled as she picked herself up from the floor. Holding her bruised cheek, Chitoge threatened "Stay out of this, Marika. This doesn't concern you."
Returning her attention on the gorilla before her, Marika threatened "You've got lots of nerves to be harmin my Rakkun like that. I swear, if you take even a step closer to him, I'll pulverize ya!"
To say Chitoge wasn't a little frightened by Marika would be a lie. After Marika smashed her in the face and seeing that aggressive look on her face, Chitoge thought for a second she was dealing with a wild animal. Still…
"Marika!" Chitoge yelled as she charged towards her.
"Chitoge!" Marika screamed back as she charged towards her as well.
The brawl began as Marika swung her fist at Chitoge's face who ducked just in time. To counter attack, the blond gave Marika a fierce uppercut. Marika, who prepared for the hit, swung her head down quickly and gave Chitoge a painful headbutt that dazed both of them for a few seconds.
Recovering first, the orange-haired girl tackled Chitoge to the ground and started pummeling her in the face.
"Woohhhhh!" Marika roared as she continued to clobber the trapped heiress. As Marika threw down her fourth punch, Chitoge moved her head to the side to dodge and countered with a bite to her arm.
Shutting her eyes from the intense pain, Marika was blinded as she felt something ram into her forehead and was knocked backwards. Opening her eyes, Marika saw Chitoge about to pin her to the ground. After planting her foot into Chitoge's stomach, Marika grabbed Chitoge's wrists and flung her backwards.
As the two girls struggled to catch their breaths, they slowly rose from the floor to start round two.
"I bet you felt that one… you damned gorilla." Marika huffed with a smirk.
"Keep talking… you won't be able to for long." Chitoge threatened as she readied her fists.
Getting between the two, Raku tried stopping the battle "That's enough, you two!"
"Stay out of this, Raku!" The two girls shouted in unison and Chitoge started her assault once again.
Not being able to stand watching anymore, Raku stood his ground even as Chitoge's fist was flying towards his face.
"Raku!" Marika shouted his name as she got in the way at the last second and took the hit for him. Raku watched as Chitoge's fist buried deep into Marika's face. As Raku saw Marika hit the ground with a painful cry, he was overcome with anger.
Chitoge, who was still looking at the girl she just knocked to the ground, refocused her attention on Raku. Even though it was only for an instant, Chitoge saw a terrifying expression on Raku's face and felt something heavy going across her cheek. It wasn't a punch, but rather, a startling slap. Chitoge found herself dazed and unable to react, despite taking a much heavier beating less than a minute ago.
"That's enough, Chitoge." Raku warned as he focused his attention on Marika who held her hand to her nose that blood was leaking from.
"Here, I have a handkerchief." Raku said to Marika as he pulled one out and pushed it very gently on Marika's nose to stop the blood.
"Thank you, Raku." Marika weakly replied who was still feeling lightheaded after receiving that punch.
Tears ran Chitoge's face as she held the spot Raku slapped. After all of the time she spent with Raku, after putting him through so much physical abuse, Raku never hurt her in return… until now. For the sake of the person he loved, Raku broke his gentle ways. Watching Raku comfort Marika, who had been fighting for his sake, only added to her pain.
"It's just not fair!" Chitoge screamed who felt so bitter as tears continued to fall. After her outburst got Raku's and Marika's attention, Chitoge continued her cry "Marika, you got in between Raku and I at every turn! When we were supposed to be together on New Year's or when we were supposed to have alone time on our class trip, you ALWAYS took him from me! Do you know how hard it was to explain to my family that Raku was just going to a friend's house EVERYDAY for the past week?! Even though it devastated me when I found out he was living with you, I STILL had to tell everyone that they were misunderstanding! It's even gotten to the point where everyone's fighting! How, just how in the world can you be so selfish?!"
Tears racing down Marika's face as well, she tightly grabbed Raku's arm and started to confess "I know I act selfish a lot. I always act based off of my feelings without taking into account how others feel. But I… I don't have much time left."
This got Raku's and Chitoge's attention who immediately fell silent. Burying her face into Raku's shoulder, Marika started sobbing as she shared her biggest secret "The doctors said I wouldn't see my next birthday in March. I'm dying and there's nothing I can do about it!"
"…" Raku was speechless, no, stupefied. As Marika continued sobbing on his shoulder, his mind went completely blank and he couldn't process as single thing. Then, all at once, it finally hit him as the tears started rolling down his face. Wrapping his arms tightly around Marika, Raku couldn't help but cry loudly.
Collapsing to the floor, the news of Marika's short time left hit Chitoge hard. Until now, Chitoge only saw Marika as a nuisance and felt at peace when she wasn't around. It was only when she heard of Marika's near death condition that she realized that Marika was an irreplaceable friend. As rivers of tears continued running down her face, Chitoge screamed in pain who felt mixtures of guilt, regret, and sorrow.
Then, something warm was holding Chitoge's hand. Looking up, the crying heiress saw that it was Marika's hand that reached for her. Without any thought, Chitoge wrapped her arms tightly around Marika and wept on her shoulder.
After what seemed like forever, the three finally stopped crying and started calming down, but none of them wanted to let go of each other.
"Marika…" Raku uttered her name.
Trying to comfort the two, Marika whispered "Raku… and Chitoge… it's alright. I've known since I was little that I wasn't going to live a long life. In fact, I think I'm blessed to have lived this long. Don't worry about me, because when I die, I'm going to pass on happy. Happy that I achieved so much with my short existence. So please don't pity me."
Realizing there were still things to be done, Chitoge slowly got up and forced a smile "After what you did to me, I don't pity you at all. You're too strong for that. Anyways, there's a war that needs to be stopped, so I'll see you guys later."
"Chitoge?" Raku called out to her as she started walking away.
"Don't follow me, Raku. I can handle this on my own. Just… Just go back home… with her. She needs you. Oh, and our fake relationship is over now so feel free to do as you please." Chitoge answered back.
"Chitoge, wait!" Marika called out to her.
Stopping in her tracks, Chitoge looked around and smiled "You know, Raku said something interesting to me earlier about you. Once you get out of here, force him to tell you, okay? Marika… I wish you the best of luck."
Not having any words to say to her, Marika nodded and gave Chitoge a heartwarming smile. Just like that, Chitoge made her exit and left Raku alone with Marika.
"I must say, I'm curious about what you said to Chitoge earlier." Marika turned to face Raku as she said this.
"I'll tell you later, but right now we need to get you to a hospital. You looked pretty hurt." Raku answered back.
"I just got out of a hospital less than a month ago. Like hell I'm going back for just a few bruises and a bloody nose. If you're so concerned, then you take care of me." Marika insisted with hopeful eyes.
Even in this situation, Marika was still Marika and Raku couldn't help but smile at her. Picking her up bridal style, Raku faked a sigh "Okay, fine, but I'm warning you now that I'm going to take such thorough care of you that you'll actually miss the hospital."
As Raku carried her through the mansion, Marika played along "Oh, doctor? I think your patient requires CPR. You see-"
"Nope." Raku quickly shot her down.
"It was worth a shot." Marika giggled to herself.
Still thinking about Marika's CPR request, Raku lowered his head and placed his lips on Marika's cheek.
"H-Huh?" Marika stuttered as her face turned crimson and was feeling warmth from her kissed cheek.
After kissing her cheek, Raku retracted his slightly blushed face and muttered "Thank you for saving me, Marika. You're the best."
Her face feeling hot, Marika blurted "O-Oh, w-well, you know… it wasn't much."
"It meant the world to me, Marika, and so do you." Raku looked directly into her eyes as he said this.
"Raku…" Marika spoke his name with dazzling eyes.
Once Raku carried Marika outside, they met with Marika's dad and Honda.
"I see that you held off Tsugumi, just as expected." Marika commented who saw that Honda had a few cuts on her uniform.
Standing firmly and unwavering, Honda reported "Yes, milady. We were evenly matched, so the fighting only ceased once her mistress came out and ordered her to stop."
-Flashback-
"Tsugumi, stop, stop!" Chitoge ordered who came dashing out of the mansion.
Obeying her orders, Tsugumi ceased fighting with Honda who stopped fighting as well.
"It seems that Raku was able to persuade you." Honda commented as Chitoge came out.
"Actually, the one who persuaded me was Marika. Not that Raku didn't try, but she… told me about her health condition." Chitoge looked at the ground as she informed Honda.
"Health condition?" Tsugumi questioned who was hearing about this for the first time.
Bowing to Tsugumi, Honda apologized "I'm sorry, Tsugumi, but I deceived you. My mistress is going away, but not in the sense of being the heir to the Tachibana's. Milady ordered me never to speak of it and lie about it if necessary. You see-"
-End of flashback-
"That was the first time I have ever seen an assassin cry." Honda noted as she remembered Tsugumi's tears when she found out about Marika's real condition.
"Thanks for looking after my daughter. It seems like she did some reckless things in there." Marika's father put a hand on Raku's shoulder.
Shaking his head, Raku looked down at Marika and answered "You don't need to thank me. The one who was saved in there was me. I kind of have this rule about not attacking women, but that didn't work out in my favor."
"That didn't stop you from slapping her." Marika added to tease Raku.
"That's because-" Raku was about to explain himself, but quickly became too embarrassed to finish. Knowing what Raku was going to say, Marika smiled happily.
Looking at the person he now considered a man, Marika's father asked Raku "So, what will you be doing now?"
Although his question caught Raku off guard, the answer came to him almost immediately and he answered "Well… I was hoping I could go back to that apartment with Marika."
Although Raku's answer overjoyed Marika, she still had questions "W-What?! Raku, the bug infestation- I mean gas leak- oh you know what I mean! You know you can return to your family if you want!"
"Yeah, but I want to live at that apartment with you more." Raku answered back honestly.
Smiling at Raku's answer, Marika's father looked at his daughter and asked "Well, what will it be, Mari? Do you want to live with your cranky old man, or with the love of your life? Let's be honest, we all already know the answer. So just go be with him already."
As tears ran down her face, Marika whispered "I love you, daddy. Thank you for always supporting me."
Placing his hand on her head, Marika's father answered "Anything for my little Mari." Looking at Raku, Marika's dad added "Please make my daughter happy… until the end."
Nodding, Raku answered back with a smile "Yeah, I'll do my best."
With that, Marika's father departed with Honda and left Raku alone with Marika yet again. Having a burning desire of returning to that place, Raku started walking back to the apartment while still carrying Marika.
"Are you mad at me?" Marika asked shyly as Raku continued walking.
"What for?" Raku asked who looked down to see Marika's troubled face.
Avoiding eye contact, Marika said "I yelled at you to leave and I was so rude to you. I also hid my condition from you all this time. I wouldn't be surprised if you hated me…"
"Idiot. I would never come to hate you." Raku answered back matter-of-factly.
Marika was surprised by his answer, after all, it was something she said to him once.
"I won't… come to hate you! Never! Regardless of what happens in the future!" Marika remembered herself saying.
As Marika started looking into his face, Raku added "You were just trying to protect me when you kicked me out and your… condition is pretty personal. I don't blame you for not telling me." Every time his thoughts went back to Marika's condition, Raku's heart sank and felt an incredible pain he knew he couldn't do anything about.
Marika could see the heartbreak in Raku's face which resurfaced her guilt and she apologized as a result "I'm sorry, Raku. I didn't think about how my departure would affect you until it was too late. Your bond with me is causing you so much pain, and I am so sorry for that."
"I'd rather have strong bonds that are painful than no bonds at all. Marika, I'm glad that I met you and I will always cherish our time together. How could I regret meeting someone as awesome as you?" Raku forced as smile as he held back the tears.
Remembering something Marika asked about earlier, Raku smiled "Hey, that thing Chitoge told you about. Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to say this. Marika-"
"I love you." These three precious words escaped Raku's lips.
Marika's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat once she heard Raku's confession. A blush rising to her face, Marika's mouth was hung open as she was left speechless. She heard the confession that she had been dreaming of since childhood; however, it just wasn't sinking in.
Seeing her dazed expression, Raku clarified "And this isn't some stupid 'I love you as a friend or like a sister' kind of thing. I love you as a man would love a woman. So, um…" Raku couldn't say anymore as his embarrassment finally caught up with him and a scarlet blush ran across his face.
Marika's one and only desire had come true. The man she had been dreaming of for so long finally returned her feelings. Driven mad by her desires, Marika quickly raised her head and made a move she had been too timid before to make.
As Raku was trying desperately to find something to say, he felt a pair of hands gently grasp the back of his neck and saw Marika coming in close rather quickly. Without even having time to react, her lips were pressed against his. Raku was initially caught off guard; however, quickly gave in and returned Marika's affection.
A good few seconds passed before the kissed was ended by Marika. Still near Raku's face, Marika placed her hand softly on Raku's cheek as she whispered affectionately "I love you too, Raku. You are the one person who holds my heart."
His heart skipping a beat from the kiss and Marika's words, Raku couldn't help but smile like a complete idiot. Seeing Raku's smile put butterflies in Marika's heart as she rested her forehead on Raku's and returned his smile.
After the long walk home and entering their apartment, Raku couldn't help but sigh "Phew, I'm exhausted."
"It has been a hectic day to say the least." Marika added who was happy to be home. Realizing something important, Marika informed "I almost forgot. Raku, your belongings aren't here anymore, remember?"
"Crap, you're right." Raku replied who honestly didn't care about that detail at the moment. Looking at the couch, Raku said "That couch really does look comfortable."
Putting on a frown, Marika poked his cheek and strongly disapproved "Raku, I simply will not allow you to sleep on such a thing."
"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" Raku asked who was even willing to sleep on the floor if necessary. As Raku looked into Marika's face, he saw a soft smile appear on her face as well as a slight blush.
Already knowing what Marika was about to suggest, Raku gave in and carried Marika to her bed. After setting Marika down gently, Raku laid down on the other side.
"My, you're so willing tonight, Raku." Marika giggled as Raku started getting comfortable in the bed.
With a blush, Raku replied "I'm too exhausted to be picky tonight. Besides… I want to be with you."
Eliminating the distance between herself and Raku, Marika wrapped her arms around Raku, nestled her head into his chest and whispered "Then stay with me."
Raku felt completely comfortable with Marika's closeness and returned her affectionate advance by wrapping one arm around her waist while his free hand rested in her hair.
Noticing something, Raku asked "Why's your stuff still here anyways?"
"I was not ready to leave this place. Once the fighting was over, I planned on returning here with Honda." Marika answered back as she closed her eyes. A question popping into her mind as well, Marika asked "I wonder how that girl is doing?"
"Who, Chitoge? I wouldn't worry about her. She has the strength of a gorilla and the stubbornness of a mule. She'll be fine." Raku chuckled who had complete faith in Chitoge.
Agreeing with Raku completely, Marika giggled "You're right. She is a pretty stubborn girl, isn't she?"
"Yeah, but I know someone who's even more stubborn. Someone who would go to such ridiculously extreme lengths on a daily basis just for a plain old guy." Raku smiled and held Marika tighter.
Letting out a pure, unbridled laugh, Marika responded "Hey, now. If you're referring to me, I'll have you know that I was never doing it for a 'plain old guy'. I was doing it for my beloved Raku and I won't have you talking down on him."
Marika's words put a warm fuzzy feeling in Raku's heart as he asked "So, you won't even let me trash talk about myself?"
Looking straight up into his face, Marika smiled "Nope!" A sudden desire popping into her head, Marika acted on it by brushing her cheek against Raku's affectionately.
"You're just like a cat." Raku chuckled as he welcomed it.
Shutting her eyes, Marika rested her forehead against Raku's and beamed "Meow! Forgive my excitement. It's just… I never thought happiness could go as far as what I'm experiencing right now. I'm truly in a state of pure bliss."
Marika's words warmed Raku's heart who felt the same way, but that still didn't stop the heartbreak he was experiencing at the same time and Marika seemed to catch that as she moved to rest her chin on Raku's head and buried his face in her chest.
If Raku wasn't experiencing two extreme emotions, his head would've been scarlet with embarrassment. Instead, Raku simply said her name "Marika?"
Holding Raku tenderly, Marika said to him softly "When I was a child, I was ready to die. It was only after I met you that I gained the will to live. I've bargained with god, I've made so many promises, I've struggled, and I've overcome many obstacles doctors thought were impossible. I know you're hurting, Raku. I am too, because I know I'm leaving you behind. That is my only regret. I'm sorry that I can't express my love to you for the rest of your life."
Every time Raku's thoughts trailed back to Marika's declining condition, his heart felt an immeasurable amount of agony. It was something Raku absolutely did not want to think about so he kept shutting it out only for it to come back to mind the next second. Frustration, turmoil, despair, and grief filled his heart when it wasn't filled with his awakened feelings for Marika. Raku wanted nothing more than to let loose all of his emotions; however, he knew he wasn't the one who was dying so he held back as much as he could for her sake.
"You gave me plenty of love." Raku's statement caught Marika's attention and he went on "Every day, you expressed your feelings for me in just about every action you made. The love you've already showered me in is enough to last a lifetime so you don't need to worry."
"Raku…" Marika called his name as she cried silent tears. Even though Raku was trying to comfort her, his words were still genuine and honest. No matter what, Raku was always Raku.
The two had a few moments of silence to enjoy the comfort from each other until Raku asked "Hey, Marika? I have a question."
Rubbing the tears out of her eyes, Marika replied "I'm happy to answer any question you might have."
Thinking back to something Shuu asked him, Raku asked "Well, you might not know the answer, but do you know why you're the only person I remember from my childhood? Were we close or something?"
While Raku's question caught her off guard, Marika answered "Raku… you had an encounter with a wild animal as a child. Someone from your family scared away the animal, but not before it attacked you in the head. You were taken to an average hospital whose doctors said you were doomed. Your father quickly called mine and arrangements were made to transport you to the most prestigious hospital in the world, which was owned by my family. If the operation was successful, your father promised mine that you would marry me. That's why I call you my fiancé."
"W-Wow, I remember being a hospital patient as a kid, but I never knew it was that serious." Raku answered and quickly realized something "Wait, that still doesn't answer my question."
Having more to explain, Marika continued "Oh, and it's important to note that this happened after we all parted ways as kids. I'm just going to come out and say it, you survived but you had retrograde amnesia. When I was finally allowed to see you, you didn't even know who I was. I guess that's why I never take it too well whenever you forgot about me. To finally answer your question, you remember me because I visited you every day in the hospital after you lost your memories."
"That's a lot of information to take in." Raku uttered who never heard anything about his amnesia. All this time, Raku thought he forgot about his childhood because it was such a long time ago.
"Even though it was hard to see you in such a state, two good things came out of it." Marika whispered to him and continued "Forgetting the other girls gave me the advantage."
"Even back then you were a tactician." Raku noted who couldn't help but laugh a little.
After a soft giggle, Marika rested her forehead against Raku's and said "And you still called me 'Mari' after the amnesia. Not because I wanted you to, but because you came up with it yourself. It kind of feels like even after you had amnesia, my name stuck to you."
"Well, I would be surprised if your name didn't stick to me. You are Marika, after all." Raku smiled and felt like Marika's being was strongly attached to his.
Raku's words and smile sending her heart aflutter, Marika's desires started getting the better of her again as she said "Hey, Raku?"
"Hmm?" Raku responded and before he could react, a pair of lips were once again pressed against his. As quickly as it began, it was over which left Raku almost speechless from the bliss he quickly experienced.
"T-That's playing dirty, Marika. If you keep kissing me without warning-"
Raku's words were cut off by another kiss from Marika. His desires driving him crazy, Raku held Marika closer as he deepened the kiss. Once again, that blissful feeling was too fleeting to satisfy the two once their lips parted.
"I won't be able to-" Raku tried in vain to complete his sentence as Marika's lips returned to his. As bliss turned to euphoria, the two held each other tighter and the kiss became more intense. The first kiss was out of pure love and the second kiss was like a continuation of the first one; however, the third kiss was made out of lust as the two teenagers longed for each other.
Once their lips parted yet again, Raku whispered her name "Marika…"
"Raku..." Marika returned as her lips were attracted to Raku's yet again. The two continued kissing like this for the next few minutes until Marika found herself on top of Raku with her forehead resting against his. Both Marika and Raku were struggling to catch their breath as they stared into each other's eyes.
Regaining enough breath to talk, Raku panted "Geez… Who knew you… could be so… aggressive…"
"I can't help it… you were driving me… crazy…" Marika panted back at Raku. After finally catching her breath, Marika put on a smirk as she asked "And just where do you think you were touching me?"
"Oh no…" Raku screamed internally and thought he had gone too far. Raku allowed his hands to act on impulse during their passionate moment and had a guilty blush on his face as he apologized "I-I'm so sorry, Marika! I didn't mean to go that far, it's just-"
Raku's panicking was amusing to Marika who couldn't stop herself from giggling. Once he realized Marika was just pulling his leg again, Raku calmed down significantly but was still embarrassed at what he had done.
"You can touch me more… if you want." Marika offered with a fiery passion in her eyes.
With his lust was still near its peak, Marika's offer was more than tempting for Raku; however, he already went through so much uncharted territory and felt like things were going too fast so he refused awkwardly "I-I'll pass. I am pretty tired and… yeah."
A little surprised by his rejection, Marika couldn't help but smile at Raku's awkwardness and so she accepted his answer "You really are shy, Raku. Very well, I won't push you on the matter." With that, Marika got off of Raku and laid down beside him.
Sensing that it was finally time to go to sleep, Marika had one request "Can I ask a favor of you? Remember how I held you as we slept a few days ago? Well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to… do the same to me."
Looking at Marika, Raku saw a soft blush on her face which infected his with a blush as well.
"Sure." Raku agreed and so Marika laid on her side with Raku's arms wrapped securely around her waist.
"I love you, Raku. Sweet dreams." Marika said goodnight to Raku with a smile.
"Goodnight, Marika. I love you too." Raku returned as his eyes closed and fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Author's notes: I wonder how all of you think of the direction I'm taking this. My direction might seem obvious, I mean, I'm taking a girl with a illness and writing about how she's dying (or will she die?). Still, I hope this read isn't boring for you. You might remember about me saying that this was originally going to be a rated M work. I'd have to say I'm happy I restricted myself to a rated T rating because it feels more like Nisekoi this way and it still gives me creative freedom to slowly kill a character... that came out wrong. What I meant to say is that it gives me the freedom to write a heartbreaking "what-if" story about a beloved Nisekoi character who is also my waifu.
I recently played the newest Ninja Storm game and the boss battle between Guy and Madara is one of the most epic things I've ever seen! That's kinda why I had Marika enter with a flying kick... haha. Gotta love Guy-sensei! I don't remember if I put in any other references in this chapter which is kind of disappointing...
Any Pokemon fans out there? All I have to say about that is I'm on the hype train to the moon (or the sun depending on which version I get)!
This fanfiction is going by way too fast in terms of how quickly I post chapters. I uploaded the first chapter less than a month ago and now we're almost at the end. I've never been so inspired to write before and that shows by how quickly I get these chapters out. Every time I post a chapter, I intend on taking a few days off as a break. I literally wrote over 2000 words to this chapter the same day I posted chapter 4. There are no breaks on this fanfiction... Okay, that's a lie because I'm actually taking a break for real this time without a doubt... probably. What I'm trying to say is the next chapter might not be out for awhile or it might even be out early next week. Who knows!