A/N: Hope you like it, a day before Halloween~

Chapter 85: My Heart Goes On

"She's losing oxygen! I need the nurses, quick!"

"Her heart rate is falling here, hurry!"

"I'm coming!"

"Hey, be careful."

"Oh crap, she won't make it."

"Just believe in miracles!"

Eh?

"Take it easy!"

"That's too many fluids!"

What's going on?

Why is it so loud?

"Can I use her hair for boiled squid-?"

"Of course not!"

Ugh. . .

My head hurts.

Makato's POV

July 15th

8:00 A.M.

The moment I attempted to open my eyes made it impossible for me to breathe. The sensation of smoke forced me to cough out harshly. I tried opening my eyes again, and this time I was able to see a white patterned ceiling with bright lights. There wasn't much movement for me to do with my arms, so it was only just my head, the rest was paralyzed.

"Makato," A familiar voice called to me sounding so faint and sore, I didn't realize he was beside me on his knees.

"You're awake." He stared at me with a sad smile and glossy blue eyes.

"Miru. . ." I cracked out. I was shocked to hear myself sound like an elderly woman. Within a few minutes, I was able to get some of my senses back. Haru was on the other side, and from the distance, I could see nurses and doctors moving quickly.

"Where am I?" I made eye contact with both of them.

"Um. . . the Nurse Room. . ." Miru wiped his tears "After the attack- -ugh, sorry. . ." He decided to keep silent as he let his tears flow from his eyes. If only if I could move my legs, I would jump from my bed and comfort him.

"It was a long journey, but I'm glad you're alright." Haru petted my head.

"Haru. . ." It felt weird just feeling my head only and not my hair. Then after swishing my head a few times, I realized something was missing. "Why. . . does my head feel so light?"

"Well~" Haru smiled. "Since you're awake, I really, really, really have to go right now. Next time, I'll come to visit you with Flora and Father and Mother so, bye! Love you~" Haru pecked my forehead and dashed out of the place.

"W-wait." I couldn't raise my voice or it'll become a coughing marathon.

"Sorry, Makato, he really had to go. . ." Miru sniffled.

"But, my head? Why-?"

"Since you're awake, I'll let you have some time for yourself. Please get better. Take care of yourself." Miru also left, dodging the question.

What the. . .

"Makato, you're awake." Dr. Mario came up to me with a smile. "And you were the last person to wake up. That's the good news!"

"And I'm assuming. . . there's the bad news?" I frowned.

"Yea. . ." Dr. Mario looked at his clipboard and sighed. "Before I tell you, I'll give you an update: a terrorist attempted to kill everyone in the coliseum with poison gas which caused many deadly side effects. He may have some connections with Kirby, but we still have no evidence of that whatsoever. He also caused all of our competitors to be hospitalized for a week. Since you and Ridley were the closest to the main part of the gas, it took almost two weeks for you guys to awake. And you both got the most side effects on the list. Mama mia. . . At least many of the surgical procedures on your body were successful."

"What are they? The side effects?" I gulped.

"Some coughing, burning sensations, organ damage, coma, burnt marks, nausea, achy muscles, pain, more pain, paralyzation,. . . and also. . ." Mario grabbed a hand mirror from the side of a desk and showed me my reflection.

My whole head and parts of my face were wrapped in bandages as if I had no-

"Hair." Dr. Mario completed my sentence.

(oOoOoOo)

Normal POV

2:25 P.M.

"So she's finally awake, huh? I'm so relieved. . ." Marth sipped on his Lipton, unsweetened tea, after hearing the news from Miru.

"And she's the only one with no hair. . ." Miru said.

"Such a huge turn off for me!" Roy whined, taking a bite of his apple. "Now Makato looks like cancer patient-!"

Ike purposefully kicked the legs of Roy's high chair, making him drop head-on with his apple.

"As long as she's awake, that's all that matters. It's not like we're dating or anything. . ." Ike crossed his arms. He then took a glance at Miru, who was across from him, remembering what Miru said to him a few weeks back.

Marth smiled at his mercenary buddy. "No one asked."

"God! I don't care! I mean I do care, so you better start asking!" Ike slammed his fist on the table.

"Um, ow?" Roy recovered from his fall and sat back up again.

"Well, we can't even visit because the only family related peeps so. . . I don't know when Makato and the others are released." Marth added.

"Only King K. Rool, Richter, Simon, and Chrom recovered the fastest, leaving the girls and Ridley behind. . . ." Robin joined in the conversation. "I heard his procedures are. . . intense."

"Like no shit. He's a fucking dragon." Roy said.

"I heard Cloud's been visiting Daisy with Peach lately." Lucina smiled.

"What? He can go inside the Nurse Room, but I can't?!"

"Cause the last time you messed with the equipment, you almost gave Ness cardiac arrest," Marth said.

"It was an accident. . ." He then twiddled his fingers.

"Peach dragged him. . . I overheard from other female Smashers saying how she wanted to confirm something, I don't know." Lucina said.

"Lucina, it's not good to hear rumors," Robin said.

"But, I love gossip!"

"Same, I hate to admit. . ." Marth scratched his cheek.

"Omg, Marth-sama likes gossip too?" Lucina squealed.

"Oh! Gossip! Marth used to tell me gossip stories all the time!" Roy said.

The conversation between the teens gotten nowhere for Ike, so he left the scene silently. He kept walking until he reached the Nurse Room which still didn't allow any visitors.

Flashback

"Makato has been undergoing so much stress since her siblings arrived," Miru spoke to Ike after Makato left the group to train on her own.

"It didn't seem like it," Ike said.

"She's great at showing a fake smile. The pressure of being the innocent, perfect sister got her sinking mentally. She told me her only nearest 'friend' at the time was Mikoru, even if it meant visiting his cells secretly."

"For real?" Ike looked up at Miru, and her childhood friend could only nod in response.

"Even though you guys broke up, I think she's still waiting for you inside her heart, but it's up to you Ike." Miru patted his shoulder, before leaving Ike by himself.

End of Flashback

"Bullshit-" Ike opened the doors for himself and the first person he saw was Daisy, reading a magazine on her hospital bed. She looked up at Ike and waved to him.

"Yo, Ike! Come here!"

"You sound awfully healthy for a dying person." Ike murmured and followed her instructions.

"Shh! I get paid to be sick!" Daisy pointed out. "There's this blonde boy, Cloud, I think he likes my cousin," Daisy whispered.

"Who told you those lies- -wait why should I care?"

Daisy shrugged. "I'm bored watching Kitchen Nightmares and reading the same boring magz. There's no one to talk to really. . . Everyone's dying. Marmalade is still recovering. . . the poison affected her skin the most out of all of us, lol, she be looking like a fried squid. Makato woke up, so the nurses and doctors were now focusing their attention on Ridley since he still has many surgeries to go. She got no hair, lol. Bald as a newborn. Makato looks the worst out of all of us, and she doesn't want to talk to anyone because of her baldness."

"Oh. . . is that so,"

"She's on the roof with a wheelchair. Dr. Mario took her there for some air."

With that said, Ike left Daisy's section and kept walking more inside. He passed Marmalade, who was sleeping peacefully, and a few other empty beds. He saw the elevator that he assumed to lead to the roof in which he clicked the up arrow button.

(oOoOoOo)

The roof had a good Japanese high school feel to it, in which Ike only watched from animes. Dr. Mario happened to be on lunch break at the corner of the roof on a bench.

"Where's-"

Dr. Mario shushed him and pointed straight ahead. "She doesn't want to see anyone. I suggest you-"

"Keep approaching slowly? Sure. Keep eating your Jimmy John's." Ike patted the doctor's shoulders and continued.

He only saw the back of her head wrapped in white bandages and a large wheelchair that covered most of her body. It was facing the fence that lead to the beautiful outside world, and she could only watch from afar.

The closer he went, the sound of his heart was more audible than the noises around him. He didn't know how she would react even when she clearly said she didn't want anybody to see her in such a bad state.

"M-Mario. . . I think. . . I'm ready to head back," The voice said, without knowing who was behind. Ike flinched from her voice and froze.

"Who the hell is that? Daisy's a fucking liar." Ike muttered grumpily. The voice was far too cracky and low pitch to sound like Makato. Ike looked back and saw Dr. Mario still on his lunch break. Before Ike could have a mental reaction, Dr. Mario left the roof with his empty, brown paper bag, leaving the two of them alone.

'Oh, I see, this must be some kind of prank. Haha, I see, I see. . .' Ike crunched his teeth together.

"Mario?" The person in the wheelchair kept looking straight ahead.

"Hey, old lady, shouldn't you be in bed? You're gonna catch a cold faster with your baldness." Ike spoke to her while making immediate assumptions.

She jolted her head toward Ike and with her ocean eyes widened, she expected Ike to be last on her list to see her in such a state.

Ike choked. He thought wrong. They were right, and he was wrong.

"I-I mean- -I. . . shit. . ." Ike rubbed the back of his head. It was too late to take back his words when he watched her in tears. He saw the fence and thought it was time to jump off the roof. He made his journey quickly as he got over the side of the fence.

"Wait," She coughed out.

". . .What? I thought you'd be happy if I split my head like a watermelon like a scene in School Days." Ike was on the verge of suicide but went back to Makato.

"Ike, I missed you. . . lots. I'm happy. . ." Her tears turned into waterfalls, unable to cover her face with her stiff arms, she cried.

He felt relieved. Super relieved.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," Ike answered, kneeling down to her wheelchair. "How are you feeling?"

"I can't. . . move my body. Just my head. My fi. . ." Makato only lifted her fingers. "I can m-manage."

Ike tried to keep a straight face, as he wiped her tears for her with his thumbs. All he felt what pity. "Can't make any potions?"

"My body isn't in good shape." She frowned. "But, regardless. . . It was worth being here again. I know I was. . . aggressive back in Niho-"

"Maybe too aggressive-" Ike interrupted.

"Ok. . ." She sweatdropped. "But, no matter what or how I feel, I'll always. . . always love you."

"Makato. . . It's hard to take you seriously when you sound like my grandmother half the time." He released her face and got on his two feet. He left her front view and stood by her side to watch the clouds. "You know, I couldn't stop thinking about your wellbeing since you arrived. Miru. . . told me everything. . ."

"Oh, he did?" Makato's eyes lowered.

"Yea, I'm just glad you're okay."

Makato cleared her throat but it only ended with a loud cough. "You can cut the pity act."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm paralyzed neck down, and on top of that, I lost all of my hair. . . I don't know when I'll be able to move again. What good would it be if you stood by me. . .? I don't deserve you anymore."

"Cut the bullshit," Ike said, as he rubbed his hair. "Sure, I prefer if you did had your pink buns and your long hair and just looking at you makes me think if I have 10 minutes to live. . ."

"Really?" Makato groaned.

"Buuuuut that doesn't mean I won't be with you. I'll wait, until you recover, no matter how long it takes." Ike continued. "And when you're back on your two feet, making potions, smiling, I'll come for you. Just take care of yourself." Ike turned to her with a serious look.

"Ike. . ." Her eyes moistened up a little, but she only held her tears in.

'Thank you, you never gave up on me when I gave up on you. Thank you so much.'

After a few silent treatments, Makato twitched a little of her fingers to see it was possible to move them again. Countless times of trying to lead her nowhere and she gave up. She looked back to Ike with big eyes.

"Can. . . you come closer?" Makato croaked.

Sure," Ike questioned as he leaned forward. With a few inches apart from their noses, she then asked again.

"What is it-"

He went still and silent just when Makato placed her lips on his. Cold and trembling they were, and he didn't have an immediate response.

'It's too late for a greeting, but. . .' Ike remembered what he said to her during the party in Niho and she still remembered.

A smirked curved from his lips and he responded back with a lot more passion.

"Ow,"

Ike pulled away quickly, "What's wrong? Is the cancer cell growing?"

"No? I don't have cancer." Makato furrowed her eyebrows. "You just bit my lip."

"I thought you liked lip biting."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, Samus did- -"

"Samus? You kissed her?"

"No, that was in the past- -It's not like that."

"You dated her while I was hospitalized, didn't you?"

"Ohmaigod, that didn't happen! I could say the same for you and Mikoru!"

"I. . . It wasn't like that!" '

"You see now? Don't just accuse people so easily-!"

"I'm not like you, who kisses girls behind their girlfriends."

"What's that suppose to mean?! And we're not even dating!"

"So what?! You knew how I felt about you!"

"And you still tried to kill me!"

"Because you gave Miru amnesia!"

"Why is there so much yelling?! Mama mia!" Dr. Mario was barely at the entrance at the roof when he heard screams through the door. "And it seems Makato's condition is improving quite quickly. How unusual. . ."

"Aww, they're fighting like a couple. I want Marth and I to fight like that every single day!" Daisy said right in front of the entrance to the roof. Mario almost threw up his whole meal when he saw Daisy standing on her two feet.

"W-were you faking it?!"

"Um. . . owww!" Daisy faked a scene and collapsed, and Mario for certainty wasn't going to buy that.

"Get out of my hospital."

'