Disclaimer: Since the chemotherapy and treatment are long and, to be honest, I doubt you all want to read what she does every day, I will skip a few months or even a year, depending on the chapter.
Since chapter one, only two weeks have passed.
Nagisa reclined on the hospital bed, hardening within minutes due to the agony from the medications shot into her vein that had been going on for two weeks. Fortunately, she was too exhausted to be bored, but she did gaze at the TV at times. She stretched to her right side to grasp the remote and struck two of the buttons, one of which had only moved her bed, but a nurse stormed into her room. With a single glance at the girl clenching her teeth and weeping, she placed a syringe into the IV line and administered narcotic medications. Nagisa's body relaxed within seconds as she breathed with relief. The nurse stroked her and smiled.
"Are you hungry, dear?" Nagisa shakes her head.
She replied kindly, "Call us when you are." Her gaze fell on Nagisa's pillow, which had an accumulation of hairlines on both sides. She ran her fingers through Nagisa's, and her hairline became lodged in it. She sighed, perplexing Nagisa. Her attention moved to the side, close to the remote, to the calendar: April 3rd. She sighed deeply. Today was the high school's entry ceremony. She punched herself in the stomach, moaning with agony as a consequence. Damn leukemia is wrecking her life. It was still 7:30 in the morning, and Nagisa felt anxious, as if she were going there in person.
The nurse came back holding a bandana and a razor. -She was becoming more anxious now. She tried to calm Nagisa by stroking her forehead. Even though Dr. Hiyamori had always carried a clip, he didn't have one with him when he visited Nagisa.
"Hair loss is a result of your treatment, Nagisa-san. I understand that this will be difficult for you, but once you heal, it will grow back. He smiled reassuringly. However, as soon as the nurse put on the razor and began shaving Nagisa, tears began to well up and flow down her cheeks. She cried softly all the way through the process.
Dr. Hiyamori smiled as the nurse wrapped her head in the bandana. "Your parents are here and have a surprise."
"No..I don't want them to..see me like this..." With weakness, Nagisa replied.
"Don't be embarrassed; that bandana makes you look prettier." She flushed. "Besides, your parents have already seen you bald when you were born." Nagisa smiled at his sarcasm. It gave her a great sense of relief. He moved aside, and her parents appeared as if on cue, saying a hushed "hi" while gripping a square object. Nagisa attempted a feeble smile as Rie sat by her bedside, stroking her cheeks. Takeshi, her father, came over and settled the laptop on her lap.
"We are giving you a gift. We bought a laptop for you so that you could go to the opening ceremony." While Rie attempted to wipe away Nagisa's happy tears, Takeshi unlocked the laptop. Before he arrived, he had already prepared everything for her.
"Honoka-san has the other laptop, and the school agreed to this method." He glanced at his watch and launched a messaging app. A jingle went off, and a green telephone facing upward appeared to be buzzing. When the other person responded, the icon disappeared. As Takeshi turned the laptop to face Nagisa, who gave her a meek grin, Honoka responded. Honoka, struggling not to cry, was caught off guard by her unexpected appearance. When the principal began to speak, she spun around and, with the laptop resting on Honoka's lap, turned it toward the stage.
As usual, the ceremony proceeded without incident or delay, with the principal delivering a speech before dismissing the pupils to their classrooms. Honoka conversed with Nagisa when on break, always carrying her laptop. However, it diminished because she became too upset to see her friend bald and frail. She believed herself to be mentally ready for it, even though she knew it would be part of the chemotherapy.
"Honoka..." For a moment, Nagisa paused to inhale. Despite her exhaustion, she managed to keep her eyes open. Honoka bent forward, anxious.
"W-what is it?"
"Can you...do me a favor...and find the...lacrosse team." Honoka grinned, but the smile was fleeting.
Of course, Nagisa. I'll call you back." She hung up the phone and shut the lid. It was still feasible, though she wasn't sure if her lacrosse squad was accepted into the same school as them. Verone had lacrosse as a club sport in both her junior and high schools, so she could locate the girls if they had to move after graduation. She left her classroom after putting her earbuds in her pocket.
She carried the laptop in her arms and moved automatically to the field behind the school. When she noticed girls on the field with long, familiar sticks and big smiles, her heart skipped a beat. But as she realized something, it fell. Taking a deep breath, she settled into the bench and placed the laptop next to her. She looked at all the girls and knew who they were. Although Nagisa's juniors weren't there, they were still her old middle school teammates. But it didn't matter, Honoka had a trick up her sleeve. One of the females, wearing a bandana and with neck-length brown hair and matching eyes, noticed her, and she blinked. She yelled, waving her lacrosse stick high in the air.
"Everyone, take five." The girl with the bandana approached Honoka as the other females congregated and sipped from their canteens.
"Nakagawa-senpai, it's been awhile." Honoka got up and made a bow.
"It has, for sure—two years! "How's Nagisa doing?" was her initial inquiry. Though the females behind her gave Honoka a dirty look when they saw her, she genuinely cared for her colleagues.
"I-I don't know if you've heard...she has leukemia..." Honoka trailed off, her head lowering. Yumiko grinned, then her smile turned to concern. She said, "She's receiving chemotherapy right now."
"I...Goddamn, I had no idea. She probably concealed it from everyone." Exactly right.
"Yes, it took quite awhile for us to make her admit." and such actions had dire repercussions. Due to her stubbornness, Nagisa was at an advanced stage. However, neither in their regular lives nor as Cure White did Honoka give up on her friend.
"Dammit, Nagisa..."Yumiko whispered to herself.
"She...before graduation, she said some bad things..." Her eyes followed the group of girls, who turned away from her as soon as she saw them. "To them. She pointed with her laptop under her arm, saying, "I have her on a video call on my laptop, and I'm assuming she wants to apologize."
"I see. Please give me a moment." Yumiko hurried over to the group, who gave her a friendly greeting and were prepared to continue. However, Yumiko stopped them, and from what Honoka could see, she was telling them that Nagisa had leukemia all along and had been acting strangely toward them—facts Honoka was already aware of. Honoka hadn't seen Rina and Shiho all day, let alone during the ceremony, but Nagisa still needed to apologize to them. She feared they might attend a different school. The collective 'Eeeh?' startled Honoka, and they all exchanged somber glances before hanging their heads.
Although it wasn't their fault, they were clearly at fault for missing Nagisa's odd behavior. Yumiko turned around and headed back, the girls trailing behind her.
"They're ready." Yumiko said something. Honoka simpered, her eyes on the verge of tears. "Everyone..." she said as she turned on her laptop and selected the same app she had used to talk to Nagisa. The phone was answered in a few buzzes, and a picture of a frail Nagisa wearing a bandana appeared on the screen. Like Honoka, she surprised everyone with her appearance. The once-energizing teammate succumbed to such a weak state. Yumiko attempted not to cry when a few of the females began to cry.
"We are terribly sorry, Nagisa! We should have noticed something wasn't right."
Why didn't you tell us, you idiot? In whatever way we could, we would be here for you!"
An aura of remorse and rage mixed together was suffocating. Tears began to fall down Honoka's cheeks, and she began to feel bad about not seeing the signs.
"Everyone, let her speak." Yumiko spoke quietly.
"Everyone...I'm so sorry...for being a jerk to you...I thought that..." As the tears poured down her face, Nagisa began to choke on them too. "I thought that...if I'd be a jerk...you wouldn't mourn me...when I die." Yumiko clenched her hands and let out a startled, high-pitched shout.
"What on earth are you talking about? Die? I don't know this Nagisa! Even if we've lost tournaments, you've always been the most capable member of our team! Will you let that stupid leukemia beat you?!"
"N-Nakagawa-senpai..."
"I don't want you to do your best; I want you to focus on beating that damn thing and come back to us!" The girls applauded, breaking the ice and expressing agreement with their senpai.
"Yeah, come back to us!"
"We've missed you, Nagisa!"
"Kick that leukemia's butt!"
Even though Honoka was unable to see Nagisa on the laptop, she was able to hear her whimper and cry along with the others. As Honoka joined the lacrosse team in their sincere affection for their friend and wept alongside them, her hands began to quiver, forcing the picture to tremble too.
Nagisa's parents had spent the entire day with their daughter; Rie folded her daughter's clothes and attended to her every need, while Takeshi told jokes all day. Normally, Nagisa would cringe, but she chuckled, albeit weakly. She needed to cherish every minute with her family in case something went wrong. Rie checked her watch after giving Nagisa some ice-cold water, and when Nagisa tried to drink it on her own, her father took over, slowly and gently pouring the water into her mouth.
"Dad, I'm not...a child anymore." She pouted at her father.
"Oh, let your father have this moment, Nagisa." Rie snickered. Her mother was correct; deep down, she genuinely appreciated everything her parents did for her all day. Takeshi smiled at his daughter, remembering when she was young and needed to be spoon-fed. Despite getting food all over his face and receiving a few giggles from the toddler, he treasured that day. Everyone glanced back when they heard a click from the door, which opened ajar. Ryouta, now in his early teens and sporting a tidy haircut, entered the room discreetly. I wish he would do this at home. When he saw his older sister, he broke down and ran to hug her. Nagisa winced, but the pain was worth it.
"O-onee-chan, thank goodness you're okay! W-when mom and dad told me...I-I was so worried!" He sobbed into her arms. Nagisa had lifted herself slightly, with little strength left, and held him tightly.
"Ryouta, don't ever feel...regretful for finding...that towel. Had you not..." She pressed her fingers into his school clothing. "I-I would have...died. "Thank you..." The two of them sobbed together while their parents watched, tears in their eyes.
Ryouta surprised them both by being on good behavior once they calmed down. Nagisa shared her pudding with her brother and avoided a quarrel, perhaps due to her health and fatigue, rather than engaging in sibling rivalry. Ryouta sat beside her and had to spoon-feed her big sister.
"How's school...?" asked when she wasn't being shoved with food. "Had a good...second year?"
"Not really." he replied nonchalantly. "Stupid Irisawa-senpai is hogging all the girls..." Nagisa widened her eyes and sat up straight, but her IV was snagged on the bed railing while she winced in pain. Ryouta and his dad sprang up instantly, but their mother was quick to rush to her side and fix the IV before gently pushing Nagisa back into her bed.
"I-Irisawa...Kiriya?" he nodded. "You...remembered him?" After their disastrous vacation, Sanae and Rie kept in touch with each other, sharing updates on their daily lives. Sanae said that Honoka had taken a liking to a freshman, Irisawa Kiriya, which made Ryouta quite jealous while eavesdropping on their phone conversation. He was terrible at hiding it from his family while they teased him.
"Of course I do, are you alright, onee-chan?" Rie placed a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "No fever." she commented.
"I-I'm just surprised...that you remembered him...though he stayed...at Verone for short...amount of time..."
"How can I forget the jerk that stole Honoka-san from me!" The family laughed while Ryouta became flustered. "W-whatever, I'm so over her anyway."
Nagisa smiled softly, full of pride and satisfaction. Her younger brother had, in fact, grown up. After 'attending' the entry ceremony, Rie informed Nagisa that Ryouta had met a girl last year among the confusion caused by her stubbornness. They had become close but remained friends, and Ryouta lacked the nerve to ask her out. Last night, Rie had to urge him to spit it out to break the ice after learning the awful news about his sister. It didn't help that as Rie pushed and asked more questions, Ryouta became ashamed and refused to discuss it more. Nagisa had only learned her name, but she asked her mother not to tell her any more about her because she wanted to question Ryouta directly. If she could persuade him to talk about her.
"Well, I'm off to work." Takeshi announced as he stood up, and everyone glanced at him. Takeshi had been working a lot since Nagisa became ill.
"Ryouta, let us go grab something to eat in the meantime. It's also dinnertime for your sister. Ryouta nodded. As if on cue, the nurse entered the room with a girl behind her, poking her head inside. She was carrying a box of takoyaki as a gift.
"Honoka-san, good afternoon. We were about to grab something to eat. Want to come with?" Honoka smiled, still unaccustomed to Nagisa's frail state. Meanwhile, Takeshi strolled out the door without saying anything, prompting Rie to glare at him
"I'm fine, thank you."
"At least let me bring you some food." "Ria raised her brow with concern; she didn't want to be pushy, but Honoka had become like a second daughter, and she wanted to make sure she was eating well.
"We're heading to Mickey D!" Ryouta gloated. Nagisa was a little jealous.
"I'm fine, really. I'm heading home afterwards." Rie took a last glance at her before feigning defeat. She scooped up her purse and kissed Nagisa's cheek.
"I'll be dropping Ryouta home after dinner. Don't you girls have too much fun." She winked at them as Honoka snickered. As soon as they disappeared from her sight, both girls opened their mouths, but Nagisa was the first to speak.
"They remember...Kiriya-kun." Mepple and Mipple popped out of their commune. Mepple sat next to Nagisa on her bed while Mipple craddled on Honoka's lap.
"Huh, it started already." That was not the reaction Nagisa was expecting from her. "What do you...mean?" Nagisa uttered.
"The Queen gave us a wish as a reward for saving the world, and I requested to bring Kiriya-kun's memories back..." Honoka trailed off with a smile.
"Honoka..." Honoka smiled excitedly at her friend.
"Will you...confess your love...to him?" Nagisa tried to smirk as Honoka's face became red as a cherry.
"N-N-Nagisa! "We're just friends!" Honoka bellowed.
"Please, don't lie to yourself...I saw how you two...looked at each other...like me and...Fuji-P." Honoka blinks at the last word.
"W-what did you call him...?" Mepple interrupted Honoka by raising his voice.
"Nagisa is the one to talk-mepo. She can't even confess to that Fuji-P person-mepo."
"A-actually..." she turned around when her face turned red like a tomato. "I k-k-kissed him..." Their jaws dropped to the floor—figuratively, not literally.
"W-what?! When was this-mepo?!"
"Before I was...forced to go to the doctor..."
"W-what did he say afterwards?"Honoka had moved to the bedside, forcing Mepple to move on top of Nagisa's stomach. Luckily, he was light enough that she didn't feel any pain.
"Nothing...I ran away and...told him good luck...in finding your soulmate...I was so...certain I would...die."
"Oh, Nagisa..." she grabbed and wrapped her friend's hand, although the wireless pulse oximeter was in the way as it rested on Honoka's index finger.
"If you want, I can talk to Fujimura-kun, and you two can talk it over." Nagisa smiled weakly, but it fell when she remembered something.
"No...can you first bring...Shiho and Rina...for me." Honoka nodded and prepared to depart. She observed that the box of takoyaki she had brought had not been touched during the entire time they were conversing. She was aware that the chemotherapy could result in a loss of appetite; she did some research after finding out Nagisa had cancer, but it was difficult to see the once-gluttony girl not interested in eating one of her favorite foods.
She gave her a little wave as Mipple and Mepple returned to their cellphone forms and attached themselves to Honoka's school bag. Honoka responded to the wave and left the room. She ran into Nagisa's mother without Ryouta, and she handed her the bag with the huge M on it. With a defeated sigh, she took the bag and bid farewell with a little wave.
"R-Rie!" The man sprinted toward them, and Honoka paused in her tracks as the females turned to face Takeshi, who looked as if he had seen a ghost. Honoka saw doctors rushing into Nagisa's room, which made her heart sink, realizing what had happened. Without a second thought, Honoka ran towards the room and stopped by the opened door.
Hiyamori was busy pressing the debrifliator on Nagisa's chest and saying 'Clear' before rubbing them together to charge them up. The nurse was intubating her as the doctor charged the debrifliator and then withdrew it when Hiyamori pressed the object against her chest. Honoka stood motionless as the heart monitor resonated around the room. They had just finished talking a few minutes ago, and now her dearest friend lay there dying while hospital professionals attempted to revive her. Mipple was heard whimpering from his bag, while Mepple remained silent. Fortunately, Nagisa's parents, who arrived on the scene as Takashi was pulling the girls into his arms and away from the incident, did not hear them.
As he walked them away, the cardiac monitor beeped with life again, giving everyone hope. But before they could examine her room, physicians rushed her out, shouting about bringing her to surgery.
Honoka stared at Nagisa's bed until they disappeared into another hallway, door slamming behind them, as tears welled up.
Please leave a review and tell me what you think!
Mickey D is, of course, McDonald's