"I want to see the garden, Elicchi." How could she say no? Holding onto her hand, Eli carefully led Nozomi out to their garden, trying to banish her wayward thoughts about how she may not be able to do this anymore very soon. A body-wracking cough from her partner, however, brought those thoughts right back to the forefront, and she could feel tears already starting to form in the corners of her eyes.
Their garden was beautiful, if Eli did say so herself, though the majority of that honor should go to Nozomi. She was the one who did most of the tending and caring, after all. Anything that was touched by her loving hands grew into something wonderful, as Eli knew firsthand. She had been nothing before Nozomi, just a wandering soul until her heart was touched by the perfect woman whose hand she held.
Another loud cough brought Eli back to the present, and her chest tensed up as she helped Nozomi down onto the ground. A small, contented smile was on her face, and it never failed to make Eli fall in love all over again. That was her power, it seemed. Nozomi could make anyone she wanted become a better person, or fall deeply, madly in love with her. Why she chose someone as worthless as herself she would never know, but every single day she thanked her lucky stars that she'd been granted even a small moment in time with Nozomi.
Now that time was coming to an end, and as much as she didn't want to be selfish, pain was constantly gripping her heart and mind like a vise. She wasn't ready to lose the one person in the entire world that made her happy. With all the money she could scrape up, she hired a doctor to stay with them exclusively to tend to Nozomi's needs. No matter how much she protested, not wanting to be burdening anyone with her little aches and pains, Eli insisted.
'Little aches and pains' was far from the truth. Every action Nozomi had to perform each day was a struggle now, and it had become impossible to hide it from anyone, let alone Eli. She refused to leave Nozomi's side anymore, making sure her partner was as comfortable as possible at every point of the day.
With discernible effort, Nozomi slowly laid down next to the patch of lilies the two of them had planted together some years before, earning her a somewhat confused look from Eli. Her voice had grown raspy with each passing day, and frequent bouts of coughing tended to interrupt her sentences, but even like this Eli had never heard a voice so sweet, so loving. "Elicchi."
"Mm?"
"If I lay here." She slowly ran a shaking hand over the grass, the blades bending beneath her palm. "If I just... lay here, would you lie with me?" Another cough rattled her speech, but she pressed on. "Would you lie with me and just forget the world?" No longer could Eli stop the tears from trailing down her cheeks, and her own voice faltered when she tried to respond. She could only nod silently as she laid down next to her beloved, wrapping her arms gently around Nozomi and holding her close.
"Our garden is so beautiful, Elicchi."
"It's all because of you, Nozomi. You took such good care of it."
"But it pales in comparison to your beauty." Eli couldn't help but blush at those words. No matter how many times Nozomi said it, it never failed to bring a tinge of crimson to her cheeks, even now unable to believe someone as beautiful as Nozomi would ever waste such a word on someone like herself. She could never even compare to the goddess-like perfection she was privileged to hold in her arms.
They were quiet for a couple minutes, just enjoying the sensation of each other as a soft breeze tickled their skin. "I love you, Elicchi." Her voice was growing quieter, light enough to nearly get carried away by the wind.
"I love you too, Nozomi. I've never been so... so happy." Those words put a smile on Nozomi's face, and she closed her eyes before leaning forward and placing a soft, ghosting kiss on Eli's lips.
"Your happiness is my happiness." Her voice seemed to be growing fainter still, and on instinct Eli clutched her tighter against her own body. "Keep tending to our garden, Elicchi." One arm stretched out shakily, placing one finger at the top of a lily stem and letting it slide all the way to the dirt below. "I'll still be with you here."
"You're still here, Nozomi." Tears were falling freely again from her eyes as Eli hung onto Nozomi for dear life, not daring to let go. "You're still here."
"I'll always be here, Elicchi." A softer kiss was placed once more on her lips, and the taste lingered even as it started to grow cold. "I love you, my darling Elichika."
"I love you, Nozomi." Eli's body was shaking as she shut her eyes, the sleeve of Nozomi's dress growing damper with each passing second. "I love you, I love you. I-I love you." It was so quiet: too quiet. Against every desire in her body, Eli slowly moved back and stared at Nozomi's soft, pale face. Her eyes were closed, and she couldn't see the telltale rise and fall of her chest. Panic begin to set in.
"D-Doctor Nishikino!" She gently shook Nozomi's shoulders, but no playful smile formed on those lips. "Doctor Nishikino!" She was screaming, tears cascading down her face as she became desperate in her attempts to wake her beloved. "Maki, help!" A blur of red crossed her vision before she felt a hand grab her by the shirt and yank her away, her eyes wide as Maki dropped to her knees and pressed two fingers just under Nozomi's jawline.
Flipping open the case that had been in her hands, she pulled out what Eli recognized as a defibrillator and flicked a switch, rubbing the two electrodes together before putting them down on Nozomi. The sight of her body jerking up so unnaturally caused Eli to cringe, but she couldn't look away. Two more times this was done, then Maki checked again. Time seemed to stand still, and for a single moment Eli allowed herself a smidgen of hope. Maki glanced over towards her, and those eyes told her everything she didn't want to know.
The garden rang out with her anguished, miserable screams.
One less lily grew in the garden. Eli had carefully pruned it and carried it with her to give to Nozomi. Trembling hands placed it at the foot of her beloved's headstone, her misted eyes giving the words chiseled upon it a morose look. There wasn't enough room to write every amazing thing about Nozomi, not nearly enough space or words to express just how much she had meant to her.
Putting a hand onto the marker, she slowly bent herself down, onto her knees in front of the stone. Then she laid down on her side, letting a finger drift up and down the lily's stem. For many, many wonderful years, she had been blessed to spend her time with the most beautiful woman the world had ever been lucky to be graced with, and now the cold cruelties of reality had taken that away.
She held the lily between her fingers, her entire body being wracked with a choked sob. She hadn't realized that she'd started crying, but that was all she wanted to do now. How could she ever be happy again? Pulling the lily close to her chest, one of the many lilies the two had grown together, she laid upon the ground and cried, holding onto the only thing she had left of one who was too perfect for this world.