Cricket noises and rustling leaves danced with the flowing wind. For a minute, all seemed calm and quiet, apart from Mei trying to catch her breath after her rigorous sprint from the higher floors.
"No… *huff* thanks." Mei struggled to say.
"Well, you look like you could use one. Here, come sit with me." Isaac offered.
Isaac seemed to have been there for a while. He had his shoes and socks off, letting his feet sway with the motion of the swing. His tie was loosened and his polo slightly creased.
"You don't look so good yourself, Isaac. We were worried when we didn't see you up there." Mei said, sitting on the other swing and removing her shoes.
"Sorry about that, but I didn't want to stay there long." He took a slurp from his soda.
"I understand. I can only imagine what you're feeling right now."
"To be honest, I don't even know what to feel."
"What do you mean?"
"We always knew. The doctors told us ever since she was admitted here that she didn't have long. Even before that, she'd drop hints about it, telling me to be strong if she were to disappear."
"She reminded me of what happened to my brother and it… it scared me. I didn't want to seem gloomy in front of her. Wanted to make her happy with what little time she had left but I think I made it all about me in the end. Even got into arguments with Dad right in front of her."
Visibly frustrated, Mei stood up and stomped her way in front of Isaac.
"Listen here! I've been interviewing your mother for weeks now and not one second did she ever complain about you or your father. Yeah, she wanted the both of you to get along, but just seeing the both of you in one place made her happy. I'd tell her stories about you that I heard from university. She'd tell me how you visited her most days in the week and not once did you make her feel like a burden." Mei quivered, her tears staining the ground.
"You're talking about her as if she was a different person, which isn't the Mrs. Aikawa I know! It… It wasn't fair that she had to go before seeing you succeed! Because that's all she wanted, to see you chase your dream and finally stand on that stage with your own two feet. It just isn't fair!"
Mei groaned, her voice started cracking as she went on. She dropped down to a crouch and hugged her legs while burying her face in her knees. Her hands were shaking and she felt as though she could collapse at any second. She then felt a sudden warmth around her, looking up to see herself covered in Isaac's blazer.
"It's… Filled with dirt." Mei said.
"Oh! It kinda fell off the swing earlier when I was spacing out. Sorry." Isaac said as he dropped down to her level
Mei chuckled softly then the sound grew. She wiped the tears from her face and looked at Isaac with glossy eyes.
"You always did like getting lost in things, never change, Isaac." They share a cheerful grin.
The moonlight concentrated on them, the surroundings covered in deep dark black. They looked at each other with eased-up faces, not knowing what to do or what to say, completely lost in one another. Mei closed her eyes and slowly leaned forward. Isaac felt a bitter feeling in his heart, even so, this is what they wanted.
The chirping crickets stopped, and the wind calmed into a cold breeze. Though it was a brief moment, it was one that neither would forget.
"Yo! Lovebirds, I got some news for ya." Rikki appeared beside them.
"What! Lo-Lovebirds?!" Mei shrieked.
"You! I told you not to interrupt them!" Sydney appeared from behind a tree.
"Sydney?! How long were you there?!" Isaac asked.
"Me? Pretty much for the entire thing."
Their blushing faces turned into complete shame. They stood and dusted themselves off, not wanting to look at each other out of embarrassment.
"Didn't know you were Ms. Daring tonight. So how was it?" Sydney leaned closer to ask Mei.
"Please! Forget about what you saw, Syd!"
"Oh? So it wasn't that good, huh?"
"What?! No! It was amazing!" Mei cried out but realized that she said that aloud and quickly receded into her shell.
"Awwwwwwww, my little girl's all grown up. You can tell me all about it inside, okay?" Sydney gestured towards the hospital entrance.
"Hey, you're not looking too hot. How're you holding up?" Rikki asked, putting one hand on Isaac's shoulder.
"She's right. I should know my mom better than to think of how much she'd be disappointed in me."
"And Mei? How're you feeling about her?"
"I… Like her. I have for a very long time now. But part of me still thinks that this is wrong."
"Is it because of your illness?"
"Yeah. I just think it wouldn't be fair to her."
"Maybe instead of deciding for her, you can let her decide, don't you think?"
Isaac pondered the advice. Telling Mei everything might seem like the best solution, but at the same time, it could also bring her more pain than good. Isaac turned around and face the moon in the night sky.
"Hey, Rikki? Are they inside yet?"
"Hm? Yeah, they are, why do you ask?"
"Nothing, it's just… The moon, it's really beautiful isn't it?"
"The moon? Yeah it is, but what does that have to do with—" Rikki trailed off as he walked closer to Isaac.
Isaac's eyes were wide open as tears trickled down his cheeks, not wanting to move away from the gorgeous view. His hands were balled up into a fist but were shaking from his failed resistance to break down crying.
"Let it all out," Rikki said, resting his hand on Isaac's shoulder.
~~~
"What took you guys so long?"
"Oh, Isaac and I just wanted to look up at the sky some more, Syd." Rikki excused.
"Hey, you look tired." Mei looked concerningly at Isaac.
"Yeah but I'm doing a little better now. I'll try to get some rest upstairs. You guys should go home too."
Mei wanted to stay but soon realized that the end of the festival was near. They planned on releasing the paper the day after the festival ended and much work still needed to be done.
"I know you're all busy and concerned. Please don't be, go home and rest, I'll meet you guys at the bonfire, okay?"
They reluctantly agreed to go home for the night after riding the elevator with Isaac back to his mother's room.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you something, Isaac."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"This may not be the best time, but you won the meet."
"Huh, really? Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Professor Oz kept the painting, I told him to send it to my office at the paper club building for safekeeping. He also said he'd be calling you but I'll tell him to call another time."
"No, no. It's okay. I'll talk to him when he calls."
Rikki nodded, and they waved goodbye as the elevator door closed up, leaving Isaac alone in the lit-up hallway.
"Hello? Mr. Aikawa? The coroner's ready for your mother." A nurse approached and gently asked Isaac.
"Okay, but could you wait a few more minutes?"
"Of course, sir."
He went inside and saw his father asleep beside his mother still clutching her hand in his. Isaac took his mom's spare jacket and covered him with it. He then knelt on the other side of the bed, holding his mother's hand.
"M-Mom? I don't know if you can hear me… but we did it. It's just… just a shame that you didn't get to see it. I… I couldn't have done it without you." He said, tears falling onto their joined hands.
"I… We… We're gonna miss you, Mom. I just know that, wherever you are, you're already making friends and having fun. Just, tell Aaron I said hi, okay?"
No answer. Isaac buried his face into the bed. Shakily gripping his mother's hand. Suddenly, another hand rests on theirs, his father, who sat on the bed, stared directly at the wall opposite him as he let out tears of his own. Isaac wanted to be strong, to be happy, all the things his mother told him to be when she inevitably passed. But at that moment, all he wanted was to hug her and never let go.