Tetsuo Naru's POV
"Tatsumi? It's Tetsuo, I'm coming in." I stated, asking permission from Tatsumi before I enter.
"Come in." Tatsumi answered from the other side of the door.
A week has passed and I visit Tatsumi's room in the hospital every single day, I don't know why but I felt like I needed to visit her everyday. Each time I ask for her permission to enter her room, she doesn't respond and I let myself in only to see her getting ready to end her life.
Each week she's been like this, trying to end her life by cutting her wrist, sometimes she's planning on stabbing her chest with any sharp objects she can get her hands on. Luckily, I always arrive on time to stop her from ending her life.
It's been a busy and stressful week, trying to stop her from ending her life. The whole week she was like that, always wanting to end her life, until today. Today is different, she replied to me when I asked for her permission to enter her room.
I entered her room to see her not holding anything sharp, trying to stab herself or cut her wrist, instead, I found her peacefully staring outside, watching the birds fly by her window, peacefully and happily chirping along with their friends.
"You okay?" I asked, placing the fruit basket I bought for her on top of her drawer.
"The birds."
"Hmm?"
"The birds are so peaceful, happily flying with their friends, being free."
"Is that why you're not trying to end your life today? You've been captivated by the dance of the birds?" I jokingly asked as I looked outside.
"Idiot." She replied. "I don't know, I woke up and I saw the birds flying outside, I saw them having fun and I felt that something was different today." She added, scratching her scar running from her cheeks all the way to the side of her neck.
I couldn't help but to stare at it, she noticed me staring at her scar, making her stop from scratching it, hiding it with her long white silky hair.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"
"No, no, it's okay. It's just, I'm not used to someone staring at my scar like that."
Silence fills the room as she goes back to watching the birds from outside her window. I didn't notice it before but a smile was forming on her face as she watches the birds flying, it was a smile that doesn't match the smiles she gives before.
"So, what's with the fruit basket?" Tatsumi asked, ending the silence engulfing the room.
"Hm? Oh, well, I saw these nice old ladies outside the hospital selling these and I figured that I'd buy you some." I replied, walking towards the fruit basket.
"You shouldn't have."
"No no, it's okay. I wanted to buy these for you. I figured that you want some fresh fruits for a change since I don't see you eat anything fresh here. Not that you eat the food given to you anyway."
"That's sweet, but really, you shouldn't have. I'm allergic to fruits."
I stopped opening the fruit basket after I heard her say that she's allergic to fruits.
"Y-You--- You're allergic to fruits...?"
Tatsumi doesn't reply and she just stare at me. I stood still, quietly looking at her. The two of us were basically having a staring contest as I am unable to blink, still processing the words she said. She's allergic to fruits?
A few minutes passed and I finally regained my senses.
"Oh no, this bad, this is really, really, really bad." I muttered, grabbing the fruit basket and walking out the door. I don't know what's happening to me, I just figured to take the fruit basket and leave. Each time I do something bad or mess up, it's like my body is having a mind of its own, like it's trying to undo the dumb thing I did. "I-I'll take these away." I told Tatsumi, sweat going down my forehead to my chin. "I-I'm sorry!"
She's allergic to fruits!!! Why didn't I ask her first!? What if the reason she's in the hospital is because her allergies to fruits made her really sick to the point that she needed to be taken to the hospital! I messed up! Really bad! GAHH!!! I'm an idiot!!!
I was about to grab the door knob when I heard a faint laugh behind me. I turned around and I saw Tatsumi giggling, trying her best to hide her laugh.
I don't know what's happening to me, but the sight of her laughing seemed to have made me calm down, the tension I felt before left my body completely.
This is the first time I see her laugh like this, the first time I see her so happy.
"I can't believe you fell for it!" Tatsumi stated, wiping away the teats from her eyes.
"F-fell for it...?"
"Happy April Fool's!"
I stood around, absorbing what was happening. "April fool's? But April 1st is already over, like a month ago."
"I know, it's just that I had no one to prank during April 1st. I couldn't prank the nurse because they are too strict so I figured that I'd prank you instead even though April Fool's is long gone."
"S-so... You're not allergic to fruits?"
"Not that I know of. It should be fine! So bring that fruit basket back here! I'm starving for some tangerines! There are some tangerines in that fruit basket, right?"
"Oh, uhh, let me see here." I began examining the fruit basket and there I spotted two tangerines, besides apples. "Oh! Yes! There are two tangerines!"
"Well, what are you waiting for? Place that fruit basket on this drawer and throw me those tangerines! It's been a while since I ate some good food!"
"Right!" I walked towards the drawer and placed the fruit basket down, opening up the wrapper. I grabbed one of the tangerines and I gave it to Tatsumi. She began peeling it, and I noticed that she was smiling, like a kid who just received a gift.
"They're so sweet!" Tatsumi states as she started eating the tangerine. "Some people say that tangerines aren't that sweet, I don't know why they say that. But for me, these are sweet! That's why they're my favorite!"
I couldn't help myself but to stare at how happy she is, like she's a different person. The paleness and dark tone of her room before quickly changed into a bright and colorful tone.
"Hey? Tetsuo?" Tatsumi called, finishing up the last piece of the tangerine.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For helping me."
A smile formed on my face after I heard Tatsumi thank me. I guess this is it, the end of the purpose Death told me. "You don't need to thank me. I just wanted to help you get better and---" my sentence was stopped as Tatsumi began talking again.
"Thank you for helping me kill myself."
My eyes widened after hearing the words which came from her mouth. "H-help you...?"
"Yes. I wasn't lying when I said I'm allergic to fruits. I am allergic to them, especially tangerines."
The cheerful aura that I saw and felt earlier quickly left the room. I helped her kill herself? Me!? "No, no, no! You'll be fine! I'll go get the nurse! They should have the shots for your allergies! Hang on!"
I stood up, running towards the door. I couldn't open the door as my hands were shaking due to me having a panic attack from what's happening. I helped her kill herself? She can't die! If she dies then I won't die! I can't let myself not die!
I tried calming myself down so I can get a better grip of the door knob, but it was no use, the panic was getting to me.
"Tetsuo..." I heard Tatsumi whispered. "Before I go... I want to tell you something..."
"W-what...?" I asked, slowly walking towards her bed. Tatsumi looks at me as her eyes were slowly closing. "W-what do you want to tell me?"
"You...."
"Me...?"
"Y-you..."
"What? What me?"
"You... Are... So... Easy to prank!"
"What?" I let out, clueless as to what was going on. My body sitting on the ground due to the tiredness the panic did to me.
"I got you again!" Tatsumi let out a laugh, this time, she isn't hiding her laughter. She's laughing non stop. "You should have seen the look on your face!" Tatsumi kept on laughing.
I slowly stood up, walking closer to her bed, not uttering a word.
"Hmm? Tetsuo? What's wrong?" Tatsumi asked as she stopped laughing.
"That's not funny!!!" I yelled out as I grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "I nearly died due to a panic attack!!!"
Sure, dying due to panic attack doesn't sound bad, but if it was true that she's really allergic to fruits and that she died, Death won't let me die!
"Oh relax silly! I'm not really allergic to anything! I won't die!"
"I know that! But what about me!? I nearly died because I was worried!!! It wasn't funny!!!" I yelled out, still shaking her.
"Alright, alright! I won't do it again! Stop shaking me or else the tangerines might come out!"
"Promise that you won't do it again!!!"
"I promise! Now stop shaking me!!!"
End of Chapter