Broken Fragments

Chapter 45: A Mother's Love

Hiroto and Yuuhi spent their Christmas Eve exploring their intimacy. Staying up 'til dawn, the couple gradually got tired and fell asleep in each other's arms, Yuuhi's bare body on top of Hiroto's under the thick blanket. They were required to work on Christmas Day, because after all, most Japanese aren't Christians and didn't take Christmas Day as a holiday. However, Hiroto just decided to use Yuuhi's sickness as an excuse for being gone for the day, though she had already recovered.

Only a few hours had passed since the two fell asleep after a long night of making love, but they were already awaken by the ringing of Yuuhi's phone. Though she ignored it a couple of times, the caller was persistent and didn't stop calling the auburn-haired idol. Irritated, Yuuhi grabbed her phone and put it by her ear, eyes still shut.

"Yes?" grouchily, she answered.

"I heard the news. You're leaving tomorrow, right?" the familiar voice on the other side asked.

Without even thinking about it, Yuuhi already knew what the caller was talking about.

"Yeah, why?"

It was silent for a few seconds before the caller began speaking again.

"Please come home before you leave."

Yuuhi's eyes slowly opened because she had been aware of who the caller was right from the start. She got off of Hiroto's chest and rolled her body to the side, her back on the bed.

"I have no hom—"

"Don't you dare say you have no home when your father and I are waiting for you here!" the voice cried.

Yuuhi didn't show any signs of shock or any feelings at all. The auburn-haired girl stared at the ceiling while she listened to the silence between her and the caller.

"She finally passed away after going back into a coma the day you left."

The idol's expression didn't change, still silent.

"She…had been…in so much pain. Tears would always…always fall out of her eyes."

Yuuhi continued to listen while the caller paused to sob. Though she had always been a cold person, Yuuhi began to feel small pinches of pain in her heart as she continued to listen.

"Please…don't do it for me or your father," the caller finally stopped sobbing, her tone a little stronger.

"Do it for Saeko-nee-san."

The other party, who was actually Yuuhi's aunt, Neko, hung up right away. Yuuhi placed her phone on the nightstand, still gazing at the ceiling. The silent atmosphere was heavy, but it seemed to affect only Yuuhi. However, it didn't take long until Hiroto sensed something was off and began waking up.

"Yuuhi?" he groaned, turning to his side and placing his arm across Yuuhi's naked chest.

When he opened his eyes, Hiroto found tears rolling down to the pillow. Following the trail, he found Yuuhi's eyes wide open and the inner tips of her eyebrows pulled up. Before Hiroto could speak, Yuuhi sat up on the bed, her expression not changing.

"I," she muttered.

"I…have to go somewhere."

Yuuhi got up after her declaration and made her way to the bathroom to wash off the smell of their fervent love for each other. Hiroto also got up, putting on his boxers.

"I'll go with you," Hiroto spoke, his eyes following Yuuhi.

With no physical, emotional, and mental strength, Yuuhi didn't bother rejecting Hiroto and just took a shower. Her mind stayed blank as the warm water trickled down her body. Yuuhi took her time to properly clean herself, and while she got dressed, Hiroto took a shower, too.

When Hiroto got out of the shower, he found his clothes already laid out on his bed for him. On the bed was a white polo shirt and a black blazer paired with black pants. Hiroto was confused because Yuuhi would only prepare his clothes when they were going to attend a special occasion. Yuuhi had a good fashion sense, so Hiroto never complained about what she picked out for him. Saving his questions for later, Hiroto quickly got dressed.

Hiroto and Yuuhi ate their breakfast in silence, the TV their only company. The black-haired boy noticed that his girlfriend was wearing a black dress that matched his clothing. More questions were raised in his head, but he thought that she might've just color-coordinated their clothes again.

After placing their plates in the sink, Hiroto and Yuuhi put on their coats and made their way to his parked car in the garage.

"Where to?" he asked, putting on his seatbelt.

With blank eyes and cold expression, Yuuhi put on her seatbelt and stayed seated back.

"My home."

The two arrived at their destination without any problems with the traffic. Before Hiroto could pull over near Yuuhi's family's house, Yuuhi told him to keep driving and to follow the directions she was pointing out. After a few minutes of driving around in the small town, they ended up in a building near a shrine. He parked his car in an empty spot in the parking lot, still having no idea of where they were.

Without waiting for Hiroto's usual escorting, Yuuhi got out of the car by herself. Hiroto caught up with his girlfriend after he locked his car.

When Hiroto noticed the familiar flower arrangement that stood in front of the building, the questions he had stored in his head were answered with the word 'funeral.' Looking up, he read the sign on the building that said 'Shiroi City Funeral Home.'

"You must be Yuuhi-chan's boyfriend, Kazama-san," a man greeted him.

Hiroto met a man in his late-twenties, also wearing black. The man had really dark brown hair, almost black, and brown eyes topped by a pair of glasses. He had a kind smile on his face that lessened the heavy feeling that Hiroto could already feel from the building.

"Oh, yes. Hiroto Kazama," Hiroto introduced himself, also bowing.

"I'm Takumi Nanase, Neko-san's fiancé," the man also bowed.

Takumi, who felt Hiroto's hesitation to come in, escorted Hiroto inside one of the rooms of the funeral home. There, Hiroto found some of the people quietly sobbing and some just praying. Hiroto also found more flower arrangements specifically for funerals in the corners of the room. In the front center of the room was a Buddhist monk who began to exit after singing a monotonous spiritual chant to the body inside the coffin. Only the upper half of the person's body was visible to the visitors. A framed picture of a woman also sat on a stand by the coffin.

"The funeral's almost done. We waited a little longer so Yuuhi-chan could at least offer incenses," Takumi quietly explained to Hiroto.

Hiroto and Takumi waited by the entrance for Yuuhi to finish praying and offering the incense sticks. When she was finished, Takumi guided Hiroto to Yuuhi's side so that he could be of support for her. Hiroto found Yuuhi's father, Ichirou, and her aunt, Neko, but Hiroto couldn't really disturb them and pay his greetings. Hiroto helped Yuuhi place flowers around her eternally-sleeping mother's head and shoulders before the casket was shut. Then, the male relatives of Yuuhi's late mother began to carry the coffin to the elaborately decorated hearse that was parked next to the funeral home building.

Since the crematorium wasn't very far away, the family members and guests of the Tsubasa family walked behind the hearse. Hiroto held Yuuhi's hand as they walked with everyone else. Though family members were supposed to stay together, Yuuhi stayed away from her father and aunt, walking behind the guests, instead.

The coffin was placed on a tray in the crematorium after the hearse parked in front. Yuuhi and Hiroto rejoined the family and stood behind Ichirou and Neko. The family watched the casket slide into the cremation chamber, then they waited for a few minutes after the fire was turned on.

As the guests began to leave, Hiroto began to hear whispered lies about his girlfriend.

"I'm sure of it. She's the reason why Saeko-san died."

"Did you hear that she ran away from them because she hated her mother?"

"What an ungrateful child! She was so lucky to have such a kind couple adopt her, and this is how she repays them?"

Hiroto clenched his fist as he restrained himself from angrily correcting the dirty gossipers. Instead of letting his anger get to him, he wrapped his arm around Yuuhi's shoulders to give her a little bit of comfort. His eyes turned to the corner to look at Yuuhi's face, and though it was emotionless and blank, Hiroto could easily feel the sadness that her eyes secretly portrayed. With his other hand, Hiroto tightly held Yuuhi's.

The female idol's boyfriend joined her in silence as he offered more prayers for the soul of Yuuhi's adoptive mother. Though he had never really met Saeko, Hiroto was thankful for taking in the girl that he was now in love with. He also prayed for Saeko's easy passage onto the next life.

Unbeknownst to Hiroto, Yuuhi's mind was actually completely blank. Even throughout the whole ride, her mind was empty. Her head didn't know where to start thinking. Her heart felt sadness and pain, but she couldn't seem to comprehend why. Yuuhi's blue pair of eyes stared at the small door of the fiery chamber.

"Yuuhi!"

Out of nowhere, after Takumi escorted the guests out of the crematorium, Yuuhi felt strong yet thin arms embrace her tightly. She didn't make a single move, not knowing who was hugging her. The person didn't budge and continued to cry on her shoulders. When the person finally let go, Yuuhi slowly turned her eyes up to see that it was her father, Ichirou.

"How have you been? Have you been well? Are you eating right? Do you get the proper nutrients in your meals?" Yuuhi's father threw many irrelevant questions at her as he wiped away his tears, even forcing a painful smile to form.

The room was quiet with only Yuuhi, Hiroto, Ichirou, and Neko still listening to the burning casket inside the chamber. Hiroto stepped away from Yuuhi to give her and her father some space. He was pained to see how their father-daughter relationship had changed so much, but he couldn't empathize with either one of them. Neko, who stood nearby, had colder-looking eyes, different from when Hiroto first met her.

Ichirou's eyes still kept shedding tears, revealing his using questions as a means of distraction. Yuuhi, however, was still as cold as ice. Her eyes kept staring into her father's as if she was searching for the answer to the melancholy she began to feel after her aunt's call. She watched the tears that dripped down her father's cheeks, asking herself why she didn't have any.

Suddenly, Yuuhi felt a stinging pain on her right cheek. Without even noticing, her head had been turned to the left by a hand that struck her face.

"Speak! You have no right to treat your father this way!" Neko yelled.

The voice that echoed, not only in the room, but also in Yuuhi's head took off the blanket that covered the auburn-haired girl's heart. The truth finally hit her about the fact that the mother she had known since birth was gone. Yuuhi's blue eyes, different from her parents' dark brown ones, overflowed with tears that messed up her mascara. She fell to her knees and covered her face with her trembling hands. Her cries were loud enough to cover the sound of crackling of the burning casket.

Memories began to flood Yuuhi's head, causing her heart to ache even more. Though bad memories were mixed in, Yuuhi could remember the warm and loving feeling that Saeko had always given her daughter. Yuuhi was reminded of how much she loved her parents, the only people that were always there for her no matter what happened. Her heart tightened even more when she was reminded of the last time she talked to her mother.

Yuuhi, who finally confirmed the truth that she belonged to the Tsukishima family, confronted her adoptive mother. Saeko revealed the truth about how she took the infant Yuuhi from her real mother, Urara. Yuuhi questioned Saeko as to why she never tried to contact Yuuhi's real family. Angered because she had heard about the perishing of all her real family members, Yuuhi walked out of Saeko's house, denying their relationship. Saeko's health quickly deteriorated from that day as she succumbed into another coma, finally passing away after four months.

"I'm sorry, Mama!" cried Yuuhi.

"I'm really sorry!"

Hiroto frowned to see his girlfriend's suffering. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew that she needed her father and aunt's support, instead. He understood half of the pain that Yuuhi was feeling because he had also lost someone important to him, but he had never lost a family member.

Ichirou embraced Yuuhi, both of them kneeling on the floor. Neko also joined them when she could no longer hold the tears that she prevented from flooding. The three wept together, united after a period of separation.

After releasing only a small part of the pain they were feeling from losing Saeko, the three stopped crying and reconciled. Yuuhi asked for forgiveness from the family that wholeheartedly took her in, especially from her late mother. Knowing how compassionate his wife was, Ichirou reassured their daughter that Saeko had forgiven Yuuhi, even before she came back.

Since the whole cremation process was going to take almost two hours, they decided to walk back to the funeral home to get their cars and go back to the Tsubasa's house. Takumi drove his fiancée, Neko; Ichirou drove by himself; Hiroto and Yuuhi were together.

When they arrived in the house, Neko poured tea for all of them as they enjoyed a light conversation. Yuuhi gave her family more information about her trip to America for the fashion show. Neko also explained how she and Takumi had already decided to move their wedding day to Valentine's Day even before Saeko fell back into a coma.

After Saeko's name was spoken, the whole house was once again filled with silence. All of them fell into a nostalgia that reminded them of their days with the late Saeko. However, before they could all feel more sadness, Neko spoke up without awkwardly breaking the silence.

"Yuuhi, we found a letter that Saeko-nee-san wrote before you left to train as an idol. It seems she had always known that she wasn't going to live any longer, so she left this for you," Neko handed Yuuhi an enveloped letter from her purse.

While Yuuhi stared at the sealed envelope, Neko got up with Takumi and gave Hiroto and Ichirou a nod. All of them got out of the house to give Yuuhi some time alone.

Yuuhi slowly opened the letter, tearing its opening. She took the folded paper out and took a deep breath.

"To my dearest Sunset*," Yuuhi read out loud.

"I want to apologize for all the pain that your father and I have put you through. We both know that you've always known you weren't ours, but I want to let you know that we've always treated you like you came from us. In our eyes, you're our own," the auburn-haired girl's cyan eyes already began to form tears with only the first three sentences of the letter.

"I knew that one day, you'll know who your true family is. You've always loved singing, and you're a great singer. I knew that one day, you'd search for the truth with the help of the talent you've been given. To be honest, Ichirou and I had always wanted to prevent you from leaving us by hiding the truth. The reason why your father never wanted you to become an idol was because he knew, from the back of his mind, that you would never come back."

Yuuhi felt her heart get clutched, knowing that her late adoptive mother was right. The Tsubasa couple's adopted daughter didn't want to come back. However, Yuuhi realized her mistake and came back, but it was too late.

"But I know you've proven him wrong because when you're reading this, you've become an idol and you're back with us," Yuuhi could imagine her mother's smile when she read the last line of the second paragraph.

"I also know that by now, you've probably already met my co-worker's daughter, Saitou-sensei."

The flow of Yuuhi's tears stopped when she read the first line that introduced the next paragraph. Yuuhi knew that her late mother was the nurse that helped with Urara's giving birth to the twins. Everyone else, however, was unknown to Yuuhi until she continued reading the letter.

"The doctor that delivered you and your twin sister, Kirari, was named Michiko Hanamoto. Hanamoto-sensei talked to me about your birth and her then-fourteen-year-old daughter was always there to listen because she was fascinated."

Yuuhi's tears had dried up by the time she read the next paragraph. The sentences Yuuhi was about to read revealed more truth that she would have to hide from everyone.

"When you were born, you were a premature baby. Hanamoto-sensei learned that you and your twin sister were conceived separately, meaning one was already made when the other started forming. Since you came out premature, Hanamoto-sensei concluded that you were the later one to get conceived."

Yuuhi placed the finished page behind the next one. She continued reading without pausing, also keeping in mind when Yuuhi had heard Hiroto and her real brother, Subaru, conversing about the term 'superfetation' when she was brought into the hospital after her first huge concert.

"We informed your real mother about the situation, also telling her that you're a weak child and must stay in the hospital for a while. She was worried about your prematurity, so she allowed the hospital to keep you longer while she took your sister home. While you were in the hospital and Hanamato-sensei found out more about you, she learned that your prematurity didn't cause you any physical birth defects. However, she learned that your weak immune system will affect you later on in life. When we informed Urara-san about this, she told us that her family didn't have enough money for all the medications and hospital bills you've been needing as a baby and when you get older. I asked her if I could take custody of you for a while to care for you and she allowed it. Then, I learned that Urara-san went off to America to find a job there to earn more money for you, but because of some issues with paperwork, it became harder for her to get you back."

All the puzzles began to fit in Yuuhi's head before she could even finish the letter. She was glad to learn that her true mother didn't really forget about her, unlike the story that Saeko told Yuuhi. She began to get confused to learn a different story, so hoping to learn more, Yuuhi kept reading.

"When you turned five, we had to bring you to the hospital because you struggled to breathe. Hanamoto-sensei examined you and learned that you have cystic fibrosis. She traced it back to your birth, and also told us that due to your weak immune system from being the conceived latter, you inherited the defective genes from your parents that cause cystic fibrosis. There were and are still no known cures, but I was able to easily get antibiotics from being a part of the research team on treating cystic fibrosis and on your strange birth. To hide the truth from you, we snuck the antibiotics in your food or drinks. After you left to become an idol, I immediately contacted Ayane Saitou to look after you in case anything were to happen."

Yuuhi remembered when a few days after she began her training as an idol, she went to the hospital by herself when she couldn't breathe. Ayane Saitou, who was talking to one of her patients' parents, noticed Yuuhi and quickly excused herself from the couple to tend to the girl. Saitou-sensei admitted Yuuhi into the hospital right away and treated her. Afterwards, she explained to Yuuhi that she had lung problems and must take an antibiotic medicine every day.

The letter revealed that it wasn't a coincidence that Saitou-sensei, who was actually the same doctor that took care of the late Kirari, was also the one taking care of Yuuhi now. Yuuhi learned that the late Hanamoto-sensei's daughter became a doctor after getting married to research on the birth of Yuuhi and Kirari.

Learning more than she was expecting, Yuuhi folded the pages and placed it inside the purse she brought after she decided to finish reading it later. To obtain the final piece of her puzzle, Yuuhi hurriedly walked out the door, ran to her father and hugged him tightly, also giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you so much for everything, Papa," Yuuhi smiled, the ice in her eyes gone.

"Hiroto and I have to get going. I know that I have to join you with the bone-picking after the cremation, but we have to get ready for our flight tomorrow," Yuuhi also hugged her soon-to-be-uncle-in-law, Takumi.

"Neko-nee, I'll possibly be here for your wedding," Neko and Yuuhi embraced each other.

"Bring a date," Neko, who sensed that Yuuhi was in a hurry, just gave Hiroto a wink to let him in on what she was thinking.

After Hiroto bowed to Yuuhi's family with a tint of red blush on his face, he escorted her into the car and turned on the engine after he situated himself. The heaters that blew out warmed up their bodies.

"Neko-nee," Yuuhi talked to her aunt from inside the car, the windows rolled down.

"I know Mama had always had a weak body, but why exactly was she getting worse?"

"She had a brain tumor. Her weak body couldn't handle therapies, so her body would just shut down into comas for survival. While she was in a coma, she began to get worse, and we really couldn't do anything about it anymore."

Yuuhi finally placed the last piece of the puzzle she had been troubled with.

"Do you lose memories with a brain tumor?" the auburn-haired girl asked.

"If the part of the brain that allows you to remember long-term memories is affected, then yes," using her expertise in the medical department, Neko replied.

Yuuhi solved everything and realized that Saeko had told Yuuhi a different story from the truth on the letter because her mother was starting to forget. The worsening Saeko, who was suddenly provoked a few days after her coma, just spewed out a story off the top of her head.

While Yuuhi waved goodbye, Hiroto drove away from Yuuhi's house back to the city. Droplets of tears were carried away by the wind from Yuuhi's cheeks after she realized that her adoptive mother truly loved her from the bottom of her heart, despite her child's mistakes.

Author's note:

*Yuuhi's name means 'setting sun' or a 'sunset.'