I am very sorry for not updating for a long time. I was just too busy with schoolwork...but here's the last chapter! All written and complete! I don't own Shugo Chara!
The dry, sticky feeling in the air woke me up from my deep sleep. The room was dark, but I somehow knew that the sun hadn't gone down yet. My throat was dry, and I felt my chest heaving up and down. That was when I realized that I was still alive. The surgery was a success after all.
I slowly looked around the room with my eyes, but there was no sign of motion except for my own breath. I was alone in a dark room. Very comforting. But, where were Rima and Ikuto? Were they maybe in another room? I felt the sensation of fear creep towards me as I shuddered at my own thoughts. No, I shouldn't be making predictions...
I decided to get up and find out for myself where Rima and Ikuto were being kept. They were alive, I knew it. They had to be. At least, that was what my heart was screaming for. Someone must of told me by now if the surgery had failed for one of us. Or, maybe I was all alone, because no one had the courage to tell me what had really happened? No, I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts. I had to believe Rima, Mrs. Yumori, my mom, and Ikuto.
I slowly tried to get up, bit by bit, raising myself on the bed. After a couple of minutes, I barely managed to get myself into a sitting position. My body ached, and the effects of the surgery hadn't left my tired body yet. It hurt to move my body, but my breathing was more even and my lungs no longer ached like they used to.
I wasn't about to give up now though. I was going to meet Ikuto and Rima. I had to see them with my own two eyes, or else I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. After what seemed like hours and hours of hard labor, I managed to drag myself out of the bed. I looked around the room to see if there was anything that could support me when I walked.
The best thing I spotted in the room was a cane made for old grandmothers and grandfathers. I went over to it, and gripped the wooden handle tightly as if my life depended on it. I let myself lean on the cane, and I started walking towards the way out of the room. By now, my eyes had adjusted to the dark, so I could see almost everything in the room.
There wasn't much to see in the room. The only objects in the room was an elegant looking chair, the bed I was lying on, and the cane I was holding onto for support right now. I didn't pay much attention to the room, turned the doorknob, and went out into the hallway, expecting bright light to shine on my face.
Instead, only darkness hung in the air as I shut the door to my room. The only light I could feel was the soft moonlight, shining through one of the hospital windows. So, I was wrong. It was already past midnight. The sun had already set. The air was cold, and I shivered as I continued my way along the dark hallways.
The whole hospital seemed to be sleeping, and I couldn't hear even a single rat scurrying across the floor. I felt as if I was dreaming, and I felt like I would never find Mrs. Yumori, Rima, my mom, or Ikuto ever again. I was about to turn back, when I saw light slipping out of one of the rooms. I quickly dragged my feet across the floor, and raised my hand to knock on the door, when I heard something that made me freeze.
"Is Amu still asleep?" asked a voice. The voice definitely belonged to my mom.
I heard some crying in the background, and some muffled voices.
"She'll get over it. It's not her fault after all" said a voice that sounded very similar to Mrs. Yumori's.
"No, she won't be able to. Let's don't make any predictions yet Mrs. Yumori. You said there's still hope..." said a voice. It sounded like someone I knew...it was Rima...but why was her voice so uneven? It hardly sounded like Rima. Anyway, I was glad Rima was safe. Where was Ikuto though?
"No, I'm almost sure he won't wake up. Ikuto's..." I heard Mrs. Yumori say.
That was when I slammed the door open to the surprise of Rima, Mrs. Yumori, and my mom.
"Amu...what are you doing in here?" asked my mom, still shocked at my sudden appearance.
"Where's Ikuto? He's in here, right?" I asked, hanging onto the last hope that I had heard the wrong information.
Souko was looking down at the floor, her hair looking wet and soggy, and everyone else in the room tried not to make eye contact with me.
I shut the door, and ran. My body seemed to be full of energy, the mad feeling you get whenever something goes wrong. The last thing I heard was, "I'll go after her!", as I ran blindly through the hallways.
I ran towards the back of the hospital. That was the first place I could remember of. It was the graveyard where my grandmother was buried. I ran to the same place, the place where I always look for comfort. I sat on the soggy dirt, not caring about how dirty my clothes would get. I buried my face in my arms, trying to calm myself down.
As usual, I didn't get any comfort. I only felt remorse and regret. Why did I always come here if that was all I was going to feel? I didn't know. Was I just hanging onto false hope? My eyes slowly filled up with water when I suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind me. I could hear the person sitting down beside me, leaning on me like I was her pillow. It was Rima. I could tell by her small size and her unique fragrance.
We were silent for a couple of minutes until Rima decided to speak up.
"As I've already said in that room, Ikuto is not dead yet. Mrs. Yumori says it's hopeless, but I really don't think that's how a doctor should act. There's always hope around the corner. You just have to turn it to see it. You can't be afraid of the results, right?" said Rima, her voice the same nonchalant tone.
I stayed silent.
"I heard that you visit this place a lot of times. One of the nurses said so. I thought you were going out with Ikuto, but I guess I was wrong. Why do you like this place so much? Isn't just a graveyard full of dead corpses?" asked Rima, changing the subject.
That had me talking again. I slowly raised my face to look at Rima's face. She looked nonchalant, but I could tell she was trying not to smile.
"You're smiling? When you're in this kind of situation? Don't you feel sorry for Ikuto? I...don't want to loose anyone again. I was...I was...my grandmother. I couldn't say those words..." I burst out, literally shouting at Rima.
"Amu-" said Rima.
"Stop calling my name!" I said, cutting her off in the middle of her sentence.
"Amu, you're telling me you regret everything, right? The surgery, your actions towards your own grandmother..." said Rima, her voice slowly fading away.
"I don't-" I said, before Rima interrupted me.
"Don't regret anything. It won't help you. Isn't that what you tried to tell me all along? You should face the reality, and try to make everything right. I was thinking about what you said the day I met you. I told you about my parents, and you comforted me. I realized I shouldn't be giving up so easily. I should believe my parents, and have hope in them. It was not my parents that were giving up on each other...it was me too. I was giving up on them too. I shouldn't be blaming my parents, because nothing was wrong with them...the real problem was within myself" said Rima, smiling at me for the first time ever.
Something was warm inside me, and I looked at my grandmother's graveyard.
"You should believe Ikuto, and you should also believe your grandmother. It isn't too late, Amu. I don't know what happened in your past, but I know you have the ability to make things right. Hoping and believing is what humans were made to do, right? Let's go, Amu. Let's go to Ikuto" said Rima, standing up.
Rima...was right. Rima was smiling because she finally realized something important. She was trying to get me out of this...darkness, and I was determined to do whatever I could for Ikuto...and my grandmother.
I wiped my tears on my sleeve, and grabbed Rima's hand. Everything would be alright. You just had to believe the people you trusted, and love the people who were by your side, encouraging you along.
I finished that all in just one day! Whew! I tried to choose the right words, and I hope you understood what I was trying to say. I hope you liked the...what should we call it...pre-ending. I still have the epilogue to write, and that would be the real last chapter. I want to make sure: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! If it is, it would be a boring last chapter right? Anyway, I'm sorry if I'm confusing you. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll update as soon as possible!