Chapter 15

Hiro woke in the middle of the night to the sound of a keyboard clicking non-stop. Hiro couldn't turn his head to see where the source of light came from. All he could see was the white ceiling, lit up by a source of light to his right. He tried making noise, but the ventilator in his mouth prevented him from forming any coherent noise. Instead, he groaned.

And suddenly, his sister's face appeared before him.

"Hey," she breathlessly greeted. "Hey. Oh my gosh, hey." She was in disbelief. "You're awake."

Hana reached over his body to call the nurses over with a button. In a matter of a few minutes, two nurses showed up and a doctor on-call came through the doors.

"Should we contact Sawada-san?" one of the nurses asked.
"I'll contact my parents in the morning. They're asleep now," Hana assured. It was 2:38 AM. She was jetlagged, or so she thought. Hana took naps during the day, and worked through the night. Responding to emails, sending out resumes, and reading through the news. Her sleep schedule was definitely not normal.

Hiro went through a series of diagnostic tests, being questioned and asked to move specific body parts. Her brother was slow at answering but still managed despite being groggy. The doctor pulled aside Hana into the hallway to let Hiro rest.

"Your brother is doing alright. He's cognisant of his surroundings. We won't tap into how much he remembers, but his basic motor functions seem normal. He may need a few months of physical rehab to get back his fine motor control, and just learning to function in general."

Hana thanked the doctor before returning into the room. Hana sat by Hiro's bedside, returning to her usual position. Her feet resting on the edge of the bed as her laptop laid on her thighs. She leaned back on the chair and went back to work.

"I'm still awake, Hana," Hiro spoke to the ceiling. He couldn't turn his head, but he could still hear the clicking of the keys in the middle of the night.

"You need to rest," the sister squeezed his hand.

"Haven't I been sleeping for days?"
"Well, yes."
"And you haven't?"
"That's technically true."

"So… shouldn't you go to bed?" Hana had to admit that her brother was definitely well-aware. He wasn't groggy any longer. His mind was crystal clear.
"I'm jetlagged," she explained. Hana put aside her laptop and scooted closer to the bed. Hiro could feel her presence getting closer, like an aura of warmth. He was still staring at the ceiling.

"What'd I miss?" Hiro jokingly asked.
"Nothing much," Hana lied. "Except for the tabloids."
"Oh? What are they saying about me now?" the brother wondered.
"It isn't important," she brushed off. Tabloids were nothing but groundless rumours after all.

"I heard Liszt," the brother mentioned. "Chopin's Nocturnes were somewhere in the mix. Maybe Debussy too." Hana smiled. "Was I dreaming?"

The sister shook her head. "No, I made that playlist for you."
"So everything I heard wasn't a dream?"
"No."

Hiro stayed silent for a minute. Hana thought he had fallen back asleep.

"So… I'm not the heir anymore… and you aren't legitimate."

Hana froze. She'd heard stories of people in a comatose state being aware of their surroundings, even while being asleep. Hiro's memory was impeccable, even before his injury. Hana knew that as soon as Hiro recovered, he'd be able to remember everything and anything down to a tee.

"Y-yeah," she reluctantly confirmed.
"Why didn't you tell me that first?"

She was at a loss of words. How much did he hear? How much did he remember?

"It's not something to bring up immediately after someone wakes up from a coma."
"Fair enough," Hiro admitted that she had a good point there.

Hana wasn't sure if her brother would ever see her the same. He knew. Hiro now knew a lot more than she thought. But Hana couldn't lie to herself and say that he wouldn't find out at one point or another.

"But you love your big brother, hey?" Hiro couldn't see her. But he could feel her shaking, her hand gripped his with such strength. He felt it.

"I do. I really, really, really do, Hiro."
"Love you too, Hana," he reciprocated. "Man, being in a coma sure is nice, eh? Missing out on all the family drama…"

Hana smiled. That was him. He was back, cracking jokes even if he couldn't properly move.

"I'm sorry," he softly said. "I know you don't want to be the heir. You wanted to be treated with the same respect as I did. But instead… you got stuck with some real shitty options."
"But it wasn't like you wanted to be the heir either," Hana pointed out. "It's fine. I'll figure something out."
"You know, I could just get married," Hiro offered.
"Did you join a dating site called singlegayheirs-dot-com? Because I don't think there's really a market for that."
"No, but there definitely is a market for gay sugar daddies," Hiro was quick to retort. "Sugar daddies with plenty of CEO experience who could run the company."

The two laughed. Their banter after all these years hadn't changed. Hiro missed his sister immensely.

"Mother still thinks I'm going through a phase," the brother confessed. "But she doesn't really… stop me, you know? I mean, I think she knows… that I'm not going to change. Hana, I know this is a really crazy thing to say, but our mom isn't so bad."

Hana sighed. "I'm not saying she's awful, but she's certainly no angel."
"You haven't really been the most obedient daughter, either," Hiro added.
"Hey," the sister called him out. "I've been pretty great, if you think about it. I stay in school and I bring no scandals to the family."
"Two things that I obviously didn't do," Hiro chuckled. He didn't bother going off to pursue higher education. And he didn't want to count how many pictures of him are out there of him partying, perhaps getting a little too drunk to seem classy. Maybe a couple drunk kisses here and there, all caught on camera.

Hana sighed. She was at a dead end. Perhaps being the heir wasn't so bad. But the immense tides of guilt came rushing through her body. Each day working as the CEO of a company she fraudulently inherited did not sit well with her.

"Hey, Hana," her brother softly called out for her. "Is it so bad to get married? I mean, you're pretty hot. And that sounds weird coming from your brother, but I mean - I hear what people say about you. Marriage could easily be arranged and it'll happen eventually, whether you like it or not."

She was 20 today. Hana hadn't lived yet. She had spent her teenage years listening to her mother. She spent the past few years in school, trying to make it out in the world. But never was there a moment where she could say that she lived. Hana wanted to travel the world, hike up to the most scenic sights, she wanted to explore. She wanted to be that person with stories to tell. She needed money for that kind of lifestyle. Hana just wanted to be happy. It was selfish, and she knew it too.

"I can't get married," she shook her head. "My future husband will take care of the company while I sit in the dark? No."
"Well, you could pursue other interests. Start your own company, maybe? Begin your own charity? You wouldn't have to deal with the family business. It's an easy way out, don't you think?"

Hiro had a point but it still didn't feel right. She couldn't get married. Not at this age. Not even in a few years. She wasn't prepared to be labelled as a housewife. Hana wanted a career, her own career that she kick started by herself. Her mother was right. All she did was want. Hana wanted everything the world couldn't seem to offer.

"Do you have someone in mind?"
"To marry? Oh god no," Hana was horrified by thinking about any typical rich kid and having to spend the rest of her life with them.

Hiro smiled. "No, silly. Who are you thinking about?"
"What makes you think I'm thinking about someone?"
"I just have a feeling," Hiro couldn't quite explain it. A gut feeling of some sort.

"No one," she denied. Hana had too many thoughts about the company to be thinking of someone. She was in a mess. An emotional wreck on the inside, and most definitely a physical wreck on the outside if someone were to walk in.

"Come on, Hana. Who do you think about when your mind wanders off to god knows where?"
"My lovely brother, of course."
"Ha," Hiro rolled his eyes. Not that anyone could see. "Liar."

The sister laughed. "No one, honestly. I'm selfish. I think about myself."
"You don't," Hiro knew his sister better than that. "You think of yourself. But you also think of others. My little sister is filling in the shoes that her big brother couldn't."
"It wasn't a choice, Hiro," she reminded.
"Oh, but it was. Hana, you could have fought harder. You could have pushed me into the pit. But you took my place, setting me free to pursue music. You know I can't live without it. I didn't make high grades in Ouran, but I'm not as naïve as the world takes me to be. Hana, I'm not the only one who has grown over the past 4 years."

Hana let the words of her brother sink in. He comforted her, even when she felt like she was forever trapped with nowhere to go. Not even a single ray of light.

"It's kind of hard to believe you just woke up from a coma, you know."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Hiro laughed.

"Your album is number one by the way." Hiro's second full album released the day prior, while the musician was till in a coma. Hana read an article early in the morning, before Hiro had woken up. It was a proud moment for the sister, seeing the success of her brother. He made it. He did it all by himself. From the little keyboard in his teenage years he played over and over again, to full blown-out concerts around the world. He was talented, and there was no doubt about that.

"Cool," the brother was glad to hear that. "Have you heard it?"
"Yeah. My favourite track is the 5th."
"Knew you'd dig that one." He would've fist pumped if his body was mobile. Instead, he jerked his arm a little. "That was fist pump," Hiro clarified.

Hana smiled. She informed him of what needed to be done. "You'll have to be in rehab for a bit, okay?"
"Will I ever play music again?" That was the most important question. He lived and breathed for music.
"If you stay through physical therapy and work at it, I'm sure you'll be good as new."
"Okay."

"Hana," he called out for his sister for nth time of the night.
"Hm?"
"You can go. Run away. Never come back, you know that right?" It was always the option that she preferred. Hiro figured that if it made her happy, she should stick with it. He wanted to give her permission. It was only right. If she gave him his happiness, she deserved a shot at her own.
"I've been running away this entire time," Hana was well aware of her habits. "But I have to come back eventually. I always thought I would figure it all out by then, by the time I would come back. But… life throws things at you that you don't expect."
"You're allowed to go. I can't stop you from leaving this hospital, Hana. You need to go. Go home, go back to New York. Do what you have to do."

Hana took a deep breath and exhaled. She needed to do what she needed to do. She peered over her brother. Hiro finally had a clear view of her sister again. Her hair changed. She had bags under her eyes. Her lips were chapped. She was a mess. But it was still Hana. The sister kissed her brother on the cheek.

"I'm going back to New York. I'm going to figure this shit out, yeah?"
"You bet."
"Get better, okay?"
"I will. I love you, alright?"
"Love you, too."

Hana left the hospital for the first time in 3 days, dragging along her luggage. She had no plan. No direction. But her body was tired. Her brain was emotionally beat. And still, she was a fighter, first and foremost. She had things to accomplish.

Hana checked into a hotel for the night. It was nearly 4 in the morning. She took a nap before showering and making herself look presentable. The bags under her eyes needed to be concealed, her complexion was pale as snow. A little bit of blush, and then some bronzer did the trick in adding the façade of life back to her face. She drew the sharpest lines on her eyes, looking fiercer than she expected. She could just imagine Hiro telling her that her eyeliner could cut someone. Hana smiled at that. The former model finished off her look with a nude shade of lipstick.

Hana looked at herself in the mirror. It certainly wasn't a full face of makeup on photoshoots. But it was definitely enough to let her pretend that she had herself put together. Hana was reminded of her modelling years as she pretended for a living. She couldn't imagine what she would be like if she hadn't stopped.

She called her mother to let her know about Hiro's status. Hana then hailed a taxi to the middle of the financial district of the city. She was dropped off at the building of her family company. She briskly walked through the lobby, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. She swiftly passed through security by walking with a crowd of people and shoved herself into the elevator.

Up to the very top floor, Hana was the last person left in the lift. She checked her phone.

10:15 AM.

There wouldn't be any excuse for her father to not be at work today. Hiro was of no use to him and it was unlikely that their father would visit the hospital, especially knowing that his son had woken up. Hana was quick to saunter into the office of her father, regardless of whether he had any meetings. He showed no respect for her, and neither would she.

"Excuse me, miss, you can't—"

Hana walked through the doors without a second thought. Her father was at his desk reading through documents. His eyes narrowed at the sight of his daughter standing stiffly with her arms crossed. He dismissed the secretary. When they had the room to themselves, Hana was the first to speak.

"You transferred over shares," the daughter pulled out the manila folder from her bag. "It's the same percentage as Hiro's. Why?" If he truly was set on making his daughter the sole heir, she would have gotten a greater share to solidify her presence in the company.

"You haven't earned them," her father simply said.

"Fine," Hana agreed. She had to work for the position and that was fair. "But we need to have some conditions."
"Conditions? You think this is a negotiable position? You are either the heir or you are not," the father scoffed. He took off his reading glasses and put aside the documents on his desk.

"Nothing that will be of harm to your company, I assure you."

The man leaned back onto his chair, slightly intrigued by what his daughter had to say. She came in with full force. It would be a shame not to see what she was worth.

"I need freedom. I have a year and half left of my degree. I need to focus and as such, you and mother will leave me to it. My summers will be spent on my own accord."
"And how will you spend your summer?"
"Through internships."

The father rolled his eyes. "You can just work for the company. Perhaps you can actually earn your place this way."

"I want to work elsewhere," Hana firmly decided. "Stay out it. I don't want any future employers hiring me because of whatever connections I have. I'm doing this on my own, at my own ability."
"Well Hana, if you insist on making your life harder – you're being ridiculous."
"Let me be ridiculous then," she snapped. "Second, hold off on arranged marriages until I am in full control of the company."

The father found that point valid. It showed promise that his daughter wanted the company to stay in the family.

"Third, should I choose to pursue a Master's degree in Finance, these conditions will hold until I complete the degree." Hana was buying time, but she hoped that her father wouldn't see through it.

"You're wasting time," he announced. "Why would you pursue a second degree when it does nothing but add letters to the end of your name? A degree has no practical use until you begin applying what you have learned."
"And I will apply what I've learned," Hana insisted. "One does not suddenly become the CEO at the age of 22 after receiving their Bachelor's. I need time."
"You need time at the company, not abroad," the CEO argued back.
"I will have plenty of time at the company," the daughter assured. "But I need these years to gain more experience. A well-rounded CEO is better than one with no experiences to show for."

The father took a good look at his daughter. She stood with a straight back, her eyes sharp and her brows furrowed. Hana was not backing down and he knew that look, it was the same look that his father gave him as a child. She truly was raised by her grandfather, the man realized.

"Fine," the CEO reluctantly said. "But these conditions will only hold if you are making good use of your time."
"I assure you I will be," Hana turned to leave without looking back.

Sawada-san was in the midst of feeding Kaina her lunch before the dog ran away from its bowl. Like a sixth sense, the dog sat at the door, patiently waiting.

That's odd. I already walked her this morning.

The grandfather opened the door to find Hana waiting outside, in a daze a first before she snapped out of it. Yakkaina was the first to jump out of the door, obviously excited by the presence of Hana who she hadn't seen in a while.

"Ack, Kaina, you can't lick my face or all my makeup will smudge off," she laughed. Hana looked up to her grandfather who was confused by her sudden visit. "Ojii-san," she greeted respectfully. He invited her indoors. He wasn't expecting the child to visit.

"Hiro woke up last night," she explained. "I took care of a few things before coming here."

That would have explained why her granddaughter was all dolled up. She took off her trench coat, revealing a navy blue jumper, paired with a simple silver necklace. Her hair was curled slightly, just enough to seem well put together but still looked effortless. Hana sat and poured tea for her grandfather, like she always had.

"What happened, Hana?"
"Didn't you hear the news?" her tone was sarcastic. "I'm now the heir. Or the favoured option, for now."

The grandfather sipped his tea. He was too old for all of the politics in the family. It was a shame to have his granddaughter pulled into this mess.

"What are you going to do then?"
"I bought myself some time," she answered. "And I'll go from there."
"Will you be alright, Hana?"

She shrugged. "Even if I'm not, I'll have to be." Hana quietly drank her tea, her eyes unwavering at her last phrase. She looked solemn, but not defeated. She was strategizing, and the grandfather sighed in relief knowing that he did well. He taught her how to do that.

The pair were interrupted by a knock at the door. The dog was quick to get on its feet, greeting the guest. Hana turned around to find Mori. A bag of apples and a bag of kibble for the dog. She didn't know he came by on a regular basis still.

"I asked Takashi to get Kaina's usual food because the store closest to our home ran out," Sawada-san explained. Her granddaughter nodded in understanding. She offered him tea. Mori politely shook his head.

"I'm going to visit Hiro," he explained. He received Hana's text early in the morning and wasn't expecting the sister to be at Sawada-san's place. Mori thought she would still be in the hospital. The grandfather looked to his granddaughter, as if hinting to her to walk him out. It was only polite, after all.

"I'll walk you out," Hana grabbed her coat and was quick to get onto her feet. The dog whimpered, obviously knowing that the guests were about to leave.

"Fucking shit, take the damn dog with you. Might as well walk it again for me," the grandfather grumbled. Mori grabbed the leash of the usual stand and threw it over to Hana. The granddaughter easily slipped the leash over the dog's neck. Sawada-san watched the two work in complete unison, without even a word. Hm. Interesting, he thought.

Soon enough, the grandchildren were outdoors in the cold winter. Hana hadn't walked Kaina to know that the dog was capable of tugging with quite a bit of strength. She slipped forward, only to be caught by Takashi at the waist. The pavement was icy. It wouldn't be good to have her fall.

"Thanks," she whispered, leaning into his body. It was comfortable.
"Mm," Mori answered, lingering. The two pulled apart when the dog pulled ahead.

The dog was well trained on its usual route, walking ahead of the two.

"You invested in a jacket," Hana noticed. She was reminded of the time that he showed up at their summer villa, dressed in a thin wind breaker and running shoes. He must've been freezing. Now, he was a little older. In his dark grey peacoat, and his hair wasn't long or mussed up as she first remembered it to be. His hair was now regularly cut, she assumed.

"Mm," he confirmed.
"It looks good on you," she casually mentioned, smiling up at him. He could only nod. His throat closed. He couldn't speak when she smiled at him like that. It was flattering having a former model compliment him on his barely adept fashion sense.

"You… look good," he reciprocated. He inwardly kicked himself. He meant pretty. Or beautiful. Mostly, stunning. He couldn't decide. Takashi noticed her eyes first when she looked up at him. Lined precisely, and beautifully winged. She looked much different than what he remembered at the hospital a day ago.

"Thanks," she laughed. "I try."

They walked a little bit more in silence before Mori asked the question on his mind.

"Why aren't you at the hospital?"
"Hiro woke up," Hana explained. "We spoke. He's very compos mentis, if you're wondering. I left because I had things to take care of."

Hana was speaking cryptically and Mori couldn't quite understand why. Nonetheless, Mori knew that it was not his place to pry. Hana lived a much more complex life than he did. It didn't feel right to intrude. But despite all that, Takashi wanted to be there.

"What are your plans after you graduate?" Hana made small talk with the gentle giant.
"Grad school," he decided. It seemed right. And he could teach undergrad students on the side.
"That's cool," he could hear her smile. Takashi dared not look, but his eyes wandered to find her nodding to herself. Her hair flowed in the wind, messing up the curls. Hana didn't seem to care.

"What about you?"
"I'll be the heir, of course," Hana replied. She tried to sound excited. But who was she kidding? It was a job she didn't want to take on, no matter what the benefits were. Ethically speaking, it didn't sit well with her at all. She would be living a lie.

"Why not Hiro?" Mori asked.

The sister shook her head. "Hiro deserves happiness."
"And you do not?"
"I'll be happy seeing him happy," she softly comforted herself. It was the right decision to make. She couldn't let her family fall down to the ground. Even if they weren't really her family, they still took care of her. She was indebted. Forever.

"We all deserve a shot at happiness," Hana figured. "I had mine… running away, spending my life in New York. I was living a dream, thinking I could possibly escape the threshold of what my life was planned to be. Maybe the dream is happiness. The whole chase for it, the illusion… that intangible idea of a dream is happiness."

Takashi listened to her speak. He was captured by her thoughts. The older she grew, the more cynical she became. The reality began to sink in.

"I was naïve… as usual," she sighed. "Thinking there was a way out. Like a small fish exploring an aquarium tank, only to find that there was no exit. I'm trapped, Takashi. I had no choice to begin with."

Mori let her words sink. They kept walking, following Kaina along. The dog was more than happy to just be outdoors, being able to move freely. Hana reminded Mori of something he had learned years ago in his lectures.

"Do you know about the cave analogy?" Takashi asked.
"No," her interest was piqued. "Tell me about it."

Mori explains it to Hana how he would to a first-year student.

"In a cave, men are chained to the walls their whole life. Behind the men is a fire, and another wall. The wall shields the prisoners from seeing free men who are puppeteers. The fire allows for the puppets' shadows to illuminate on the wall across from these prisoners. Soon, these men give names to these shadows, perceiving them to be reality."

The girl listened to him carefully, unsure of where the analogy was going.

"Are you telling me that I'm a prisoner, unable to see the true reality behind the puppets?"

Mori shrugs and continues. "Socrates proposed that if one of these men were dragged out of the cave to where the sun shined, the man would be blinded by the light. While in pain, he is told that the objects he saw in the sun were real, and the shadows he saw in the cave were not. Still blinded by the light, the man would not believe this fact. Instead, the man chooses to run back to the cave, away from the light and back to the shadows on the wall."

Hana stopped trying to analyze what Takashi said. She instead, listened. With an open mind, with her full attention. She refused to let her mind wander to how this whole philosophical discussion related to her.

"But why go back… to the lie?"

Takashi did not answer. That was for her to think about. "Say we took that same man, and forced him outside the cave. Again, he is blinded by the sun. The pain he experiences at first begins to fade. He begins to see the things he could not see before. He realizes the truth. The pain he experiences leads him to the revelation that the objects beneath the sun are in fact, real."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"Of course," Mori smiled, knowing that she had no clue of the actual ending. "But that same man wants to free the other prisoners. He wants them to see the reality like he did in the bright, glistening sun. So he goes back into the dark cave, only now he cannot see. His eyes have adjusted. The prisoners, in turn, take him to be blind and refuse to go out of the cave. Anyone who tries to take them out of the cave, they kill, for fear that they too, would go blind."

Hana looked up to him, her eyes curious. "That's… a little more morbid than I expected."

Takashi shrugged. "Interesting, no?"
"Yeah…" Hana softly said. She didn't have the time to analyze the story right then and now. She wanted to ask the question that had been on her mind the entire time he told her the story.

"Hey Takashi," she stopped in her tracks. Kaina too, stopped. But decided to wander around to wherever her leash allowed.
"Hm?"
"Why did you tell me that?"

The man smiled. "You told me that one day I'd tell you what went on in my mind, or that I'd teach you what I'm studying."

Hana tried to remember that moment. She couldn't quite pin point when that was. But the phrase sounded familiar.

"So, today's that day, huh?" she smiled. Hana wasn't complaining. She'd never heard him speak that much in all her years of knowing him. It was refreshing. And all she wanted… was more. Always more. She'd never get enough. It was very thoughtful of him to do what he did. A part of her felt incredibly privileged, especially knowing that speaking aloud was something he often never did. A private lesson from Takashi Morinozuka. What more could she ask for?

He nodded. "Happy birthday, Hana."

She looked down to the ground before shifting closer to him. "Thanks," she whispered into his ear, kissing him on the cheek.

A/N: I actually had this chapter written for a few weeks. But as usual, school got in the way. I apologise for the much more infrequent updates to come in the next few months. I saw this coming when I began this story in June, and unfortunately I didn't reach my goal of finishing before my school year began (writer's block, coupled with some unforeseen circumstances are to blame). Nonetheless, I will continue to write - just less frequently and I'm deeply sorry for leaving you all hanging for months at a time. But your thoughts are always appreciated, your reviews consistently motivate me to keep writing. You've all been lovely over the course of the story.