The lesson droned on forever.
Propping his chin with his palms, Ivan stared out of the window. Everything looked dreary.
He had no tendency whatsoever to listen to his cat-loving Greek teacher's gibberish, not to mention Mr. Karpusi was the kind actually able to doze off in the middle of his own lecture.
A gust of tender breeze slapped his face, bringing across the hypnotizing scent of cherry blossoms. His heart sank for a half second as his eyes landed on an uncanny figure strutting in through the school gate. The girl had eyes as dark as the night. Her long black hair was tied into two characteristic side buns, clipped with conspicuous peony hair pins. Following suit was another Asian girl of a similar age. Their appearances were more or less alike. Only this one wore her wavy, slightly brown hair down, letting it swish elegantly in the hair. The two were obviously from the outside. Judging their uniforms, Ivan recognized them as students from Hetalian Girls' Academy, the eminent boarding school across the street. It was actually said that their homeroom teacher, Ms. Héderváry graduated from there and that place only admitted the most snobbish and affluent girls in the town, pretty much like a counterpart to their school.
Ivan couldn't take his eyes off the first girl that marched into their school like a boss. There was something awfully proverbial about those distinctive facial features and gracefulness. It was as if he had seen it somewhere before.
He shifted fretfully in his seat and dropped his pen. The stationery made contact with the ground in a thud. A hand picked it up promptly and gave it back to him. Ivan ogled Alfred for a brief second before turning away from the American's guileless smile. He hadn't spoken to the group since their last conversation in the infirmary. From time to time though, they would glance in his direction with friendly expressions. Ivan didn't want to talk to any one of them because it only made him more mystified than ever. He didn't know whether to condone them or to continue detesting them for the rest of his life. He knew Yao would prefer the former option. The angel had taught him so many times to be a forgiving, open-hearted person. And he still believed that one day, this boy would return to his side if he tried hard and waited long enough.
"Dude, how about we grab some lunch together afterwards?" Alfred offered.
He was inclined to reject when something caught his greater attention. Ivan gazed at his panda-patterned pen for a long moment.
Something was still bugging him.
Something didn't quite make sense.
They had been telling him Wang Yao wasn't real but his own illusion.
But how did all the things Yao give him not disappear along with his shadow?
The bell chimed loudly, ending the lesson in an instant. Alfred was still waiting for his answer when he decided to brush it off like many other occasions.
"Nyet, thanks."
"Still going to that greenhouse every day, eh?" Alfred cocked his brows curiously.
"Alfred," Ivan murmured, "do you believe in miracles?"
The blond remained silent for a long while, seemingly taken aback by the abrupt question. It wasn't his nature to discuss something so philosophical…so abstract…so melodramatic. But then, it always caught his heart whenever he saw the Russian's longing face. It was so harrowing and pestering. Watching him from the side always made his own heart cringe.
"Yes, I do," Alfred mused. "Because I believe in the best of everyone. To be honest, dude, I didn't like you at first. But I just think there are things we could do to make life much happier. I don't like hating anyone. And I don't like seeing those around me so bleak and all. You probably think this is bullshit because yea, I can never understand what you've been through. Still, you gotta cheer up, man. Life goes on. In my memory, your friend was once a pretty optimistic and cherry person. When I was a junior, he told me that there's always a brighter side of darkness. I used to be quite broke but he always lent me a couple of bucks when I needed them. We were never that close and I never knew what the group was doing to him. I couldn't even believe it when he made that choice in the end. If I had known something was wrong earlier, I would've stopped Arthur and the others from their jokes."
"Regret is pointless. Jao said he was loved once and that was more than enough." Ivan stood up from his seat.
"So, what're you planning next?"
"I don't-"
"Ivan-san!" The Japanese boy ran into the room and panted. "Finally...found you…"
"Kiku? What's up?" Alfred frowned at the panting Japanese in puzzlement.
"Ivan-san, you didn't come to school for days…I couldn't reach you. The other time…you weren't in the classroom either."
"I've been on the rooftop," Ivan said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Please, Ivan-san, I need you to come with me. There's something-"
"Who's Yi-wan Braginski?" a loud, raspy voice asked, causing everyone to freeze in silence. All the heads were turned immediately towards the Chinese girl slouching against the doorway, wondering in astonishment how a female was able to sneak into a boys' academy.
"Where is Yi-wan Braginski?" the girl asked again, raising her voice as if her volume wasn't enough to reach everyone's ears. "Damn it! I DEMAND to see Yi-wan Braginski!"
"Shit, you know this chick?" Alfred turned to Ivan in bemusement. The Russian could only shake his head, his mind completely swiped away by the girl's appearance.
"Ivan-san, please come with me before Chun Yan causes any more trouble here!" Kiku grabbed Ivan's hand and led him out of the crowd.
"Yi-wan BRAG-" Before Chun Yan could yell at the top of her lungs, Kiku clamped his hand across her mouth and dragged her out of the corridor.
"I found him already, Yan! Stop messing around in my school!" Kiku yapped. "Come on, let's go before any teachers see you!"
"Where's that guy?" Chun Yan asked urgently, her eyes finally settling on the pale, tall Russian standing behind Kiku.
"So, you're Yi-wan?"
"Da. But forgive me for being blunt, who are you, Miss? I don't suppose I-"
"Oh please! Come with us, Yi-wan. Yao needs your help!" Chun Yan shook the boy's hands fanatically as she pleaded with tears.
"What?" Ivan tottered backwards in shock. "Did you just say-"
"Yes! My brother Yao needs you! Right now!"
"But-"
"There's no time to waste here, Ivan-san! Let's explain on our way!" Kiku urged, guiding the two out of the school building. The three reunited with Mei at the school entrance, where a private car had parked there waiting for them. They all hopped in and the butler began to drive off to the unknown destination.
"Sorry…would you please all explain to me what's going on?" Ivan asked, still paralyzed in bewilderment.
"This…I believe it belongs to you, Mr. Braginski," Chun Yan said gloomily and handed the sunflower keychain to Ivan. The Russian gasped and widened his eyes incredulously. "This…no…this can't be…I gave this to Jao-Jao…"
"Yes, I know." Chun Yan wiped away her tears and calmed herself a bit. "Okay, listen well, Mr. Braginski, Wang Yao is my twin brother. He might have told you something about our family. We're all his siblings. This one here is Wang Mei. And as for Kiku…I believe you two are already acquainted."
"Please tell me what's happening!" Ivan cried, his hands trembling as he gripped the keychain.
"One question, Yi-wan." Chun Yan gawked at the Russian seriously. "Do you believe in supernatural force?"
"Huh?"
"Psychokinesis. I believe that's the word according to my research. You've been seeing my brother, right?"
"Yes…but…but…Jao is…dead?"
"No, Ivan-san. We never got to finish our talk in the library." Kiku turned around from the front seat and stated. "Ni-san is alive. He's never died."
"Well, he isn't dead, but close to it," Chun Yan growled. "When those god forsaken bastards blackmailed him and forced him to suicide, I almost slaughter them with my butcher knife. My brother jumped off the roof and got severely injured. If you read those news carefully, you would've discovered that his death was never confirmed. The truth is, my brother managed to survive, but got in coma. We never told any of those bastards because we wanted them to suffer, forever, in guilt. To watch them get their penalty points and almost drop out of school. They don't have to know Yao is alive anyway. We've learnt our lesson. We've got to keep him safe this time, away from any potential harm."
"So…you're saying that…Jao-Jao…is…still here?"
"He's never left us," Mei piped up. "Brother has always been hospitalized since that incident. He's never woken up until…"
"Until what?" Ivan gulped.
"Well…he's still paralyzed. But something's wrong. We don't believe it at first…" Chun Yan furrowed her brows contemplatively. "The first sign was his body's constant twitching in day time. Sometimes, it looked like he was about to wake up but then fell back into coma. We've been observing his progress lately. There've been signs of radical changes, as the doctor pointed out. We started noticing something substantially different since three months ago, which I assume was the time you two met?"
"Yes…"
"Believe it or not, we never gave those bizarre occurrences much thought until Kiku found you sneaking to the school rooftop one day. He stalked you and saw you walk into the greenhouse. He was completely shocked when he caught you speaking to Yao!"
"Ivan-san, I don't know what happened but I saw you with my nii-san. It was…unbelievable and impossible because nii-san was supposed to be in the hospital. I thought I was having a delusion at first. But the second time I spied you, I saw the same thing. And that was when I realized something was terribly wrong. I refused to believe it. It was until that day you ran all over the school searching for Yao that I knew I must talk to you in person. From what I heard from you, it seemed that it wasn't someone pretending to be my brother. It was truly nii-san."
"I was with Yao all the time. His body remained in the hospital but he somehow…whether it was his spirit or his soul…he just somehow managed to slink away and meet you. The one you saw was no doubt my brother. And I read all the texts you've sent him on phone. Sometimes, even though I knew he couldn't eat, I brought a few of home cuisines to cheer him up. They only got emptied at the end of every lunch break. We got into panic thinking someone in the hospital had stolen tiny things around Yao. But it seemed that he had been giving you most of the trinkets, flowers and food we brought him."
"This is…this…" Ivan stuttered, struggling to think straight. There was so much information to take in. It was bombarding him, driving him insane.
Swiftly, he dug into his bag and pulled out the panda pen. "What about this? Jao gave me this a month ago!"
"It was one of the gifts I bought him during my Taiwan trip!" Mei mumbled, widening her eyes incredulously.
"We've looked it up, Yi-wan," Chun Yan said. "We think it's what they call…psychokinesis…You know, the kind of psychic ability that allows ones' willpower to dominate his thoughts, visions and behaviour? The one that allows someone to act without physical movement."
"And it's usually caused by some extremely strong desires and emotions," Kiku elaborated. "I still don't know the detail of your meeting but apparently, you've been the target nii-san has been trying to connect with. We knew everything was real when we saw that portrait lying beside his bed one day. The name read Ivan. And it's you."
"You've drawn him a very beautiful portrait, Ivan," Mei beamed gratefully.
"So…does that mean…I can…meet Jao?"
"Unfortunately, Ivan-san, I must tell you something that started two weeks ago when your meeting with nii-san ended on the rooftop. His condition had been improving drastically before that. But…after that day we talked in the library, it appeared that he…he…" Kiku paused, choking on sobs as he tried to blurt out the devastating news to Ivan.
"We've been searching everywhere for you, Yi-wan," Chun Yan wept. "We couldn't reach you on the phone. You've switched it off since you parted with Yao. And then…we went to the school a couple of times but you were either absent or…ditching classes in some other places…Yao…He's been struggling in critical condition. They're asking us to give up and let him go. But no…we know we can't give up just yet…He's been doing so well since he met you…since the first sign of his psychokinesis…we thought…no…we still believe that you can help him…You're the only one he's ever loved so whole-heartedly…And…you're our last and only hope. Please…"
"We're begging you, Ivan," Mei resonated with Chun Yan as the two girls almost kneeled in front of the Russian. "Please, save our brother. Bring him back to us. Please."
"Jao…" Ivan whimpered, clutching his chest tightly as the car finally braked in front of the hospital.
"I need to see Jao," Ivan sniveled. "Now."
They hopped out of the car swiftly and sprinted into the building. Headed by Chun Yan and Kiku, they arrived at an enormous private ward. Ivan could feel his heart pounding violently as he stepped into the room. There, lying on the bed, was a pale, scrawny skeleton attached to tubes and needles. Ivan stumbled forwards, grabbing onto the rim of Yao's bed as he laced one hand around those gorgeous black locks. The eyes were shut serenely with a very faint smile plastered on the handsome face. The breathing was incredibly slow and weak. It was almost as if he was ready to…to…
"No…Jao-Jao…I'm here…see…I'm here," Ivan sobbed, wrapping his arms around that small, warm body. The feeling was so nostalgic. He had always hugged the Chinese boy this way whenever he lulled him to sleep. "Jao…you promised…remember? I've come here for you. I've tried to be stronger for you. I don't hurt myself anymore, Jao…Ever since the day I met you, I've never seen the need to torment myself because you were always there for me. You saved me for a reason…right? I could never thank you enough…Jao, for appearing in my life. I've never been a happy child. I always thought no one would ever care for me. When I lost Toris, I even thought I could never make a friend again. But you…you just appeared out of nowhere and offered me your hand. You accepted me. You were the first to do so, you know? You once said we were both lonely so we should make a pact. I love you, Jao. I wish you could hear me right now. I don't care if the timing wasn't right, if we have met too late and if fairytales aren't true…till this day, I still believe…I still believe that you would come back to me, Jao. Please, let me save and love you in return, as you've done unreservedly for me. You won't be alone anymore, Jao. Because I'll be here. I'll always be here. You're my sunflower da. I can be our sunshine. Я люблю тебя."
The Russian wept quietly as he embraced the body. The breathing slowed down alongside the heart beat. The machine began to chime with alert.
"Please…don't leave me, Jao. Don't leave this world. Everyone here loves you," Ivan whispered into the Asian's ear. "We all miss you so much."
"Yao, please! Wake up!" Chun Yan cried, as she dashed over to seize her brother's other hand.
"Stop sleeping…wake up…" Mei sobbed.
"Nii-san…we're all waiting for you."
"Jao, please, if you could hear this, remember the vow we made together? We would live on…we would live our life to our fullest, da? We would get into the same college. We would be happy together. There's nothing to fear…because I will never ever leave you again."
The body twitched as drops of tears streamed down his cheeks. With a sudden writhe, the heart beat rates shot back up in a flash.
The eyes that had been clenched close for years snapped open, reflecting tears of hope and ecstasy.
"Yi-wan…"
Everyone inside the ward squealed in delight as the weak body sprang back to life.
"Jao?" Ivan gasped, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. It was too good to be true.
The sleeping beauty had finally woken up from his long, solitary slumber.
And the prince burst into tears of joy.
"I knew it would be you aru," Yao smiled brightly and hugged back. "You've kept me waiting long enough."
"I'm so sorry, Jao-Jao…I should've reached you earlier…" Ivan purred. "But from now on, you'll never be alone, my little sunflower. We'll always be together, da."
The Russian grinned and bent down to kiss his long-lost lover passionately.
For once, Ivan truly believed in miracles.
Love is a miracle.
"No one was born alone."
"Because they are meant to pair aru."
"And destiny would always bring us together."
"I've finally found you, my love."