In the morning, we headed back to Kokubunji. Everyone had already left for home last night itself. Tsubasa-sama had decided to organize an after-marriage party at the mansion for us.
By the time we reached the city, the sun had already set, and we went directly to the party, where everyone was waiting for us. Tsubasa-sama and Shunsui were looking out for our arrival at the entrance door of the mansion, and after having given both of us a large hug, they took us upstairs to get us dressed.
When Gōjun and I came back downstairs, they were waiting for us in the hall with a glass of champagne in hand. By their side, stood Kenren-sama and Katsura-san, Natsui, Kesai-san, together with Yūsei Nishoji, Sōken Nishoji and Naoyasu Hanabusa. The room was filled with guests, and I could see Takara-san standing close-by with his family.
They toasted to the two of us, and Gōjun and I joined them in the celebration of our union.
The hall had been beautifully decorated with flowers and a buffet of pastries was served. Musicians had been called to play soft music.
Shunsui invited me to the first dance. And my second dance was with Saien-sensei. And then, I danced with Gōjun's father. And finally, I dance with the son. During all four dances, I couldn't help but feel very shy to be dancing, but at the same time, I felt very happy and blessed to be able to share this kind of moment with the four men who had touched my existence.
'What are you thinking?' Gōjun asked me, at some point, while we dancing with each other.
'I was thinking about the first day that I come here. That was the day I met Shunsui for the first time. And sometimes after that, I joined your high school. Do you remember that first day at school?'
I smiled.
'I had accidentally broken Shunsui's phone, and that's when the three of us began to hang out together!'
'He did it intentionally.'
'Eh?'
I looked up at his face in surprise.
'At that time, I could not understand what he was up to. But now that I think about it, I have the impression that he has been doing everything to bring the two of us together.'
I held my breath.
That's true! Now that he's saying it, I am having the same impression!
We had both stopped dancing now, and grabbing his hand, cheerfully, I told him, 'Let's go find Shunsui! If it's true, we need to thank him!'
He nodded with a happy smile, and on this, we both left the dance floor to go search for the reddish-brown-haired young man.
When we could find him nowhere in the room, we came into the hall-way, but only to jerk to a stop when we caught sight of a pair of legs standing out from behind the furniture against the left side wall.
Our breath caught.
That suit color-
We ran to the person who was sitting there against the furniture in the hallway, only for our hearts to jump to our throats when we realized that it was indeed Shunsui!
'Shunsui!' we gasped out together, getting down on the floor by his side on the spot to hold him by his shoulders.
The reddish-brown-haired young had his eyes closed, and blood was streaming out of his nose, despite of the fact that he showed no sign of injury. He was unconscious.
Gōjun and I stared at each other's face frantically, time seeming to come to a standstill.
'Hime! Gōjun! What are you doing?' Tsubasa-sama called at us, cheerily, as she came out of the door of the hall at that moment.
'Tsubasa-sama… Shunsui-'
I was unable to complete my sentence. My stomach was twisting so hard with dread, my heart shaking so badly, that I had the impression that I was dying. Gōjun was in the same state. He couldn't form a single word.
The blonde woman staggered to a stop to stare at us with dread for a second, her whole body shaking with fear, before she dashed at us to get down onto her knees in front of Shunsui to shake him by his shoulders, crying out his name tearfully and frantically.
***
A few hours later, at the hospital…
'A brain tumor, huh?'
Gōjun and I stared at the reddish-brown-haired young man with our eyes burning with tears.
'Yes,' he answered, faintly. 'It's inoperable. I was placed on medication to relieve the symptoms.'
'How long has it been since you know it?' Gōjun asked him, breathlessly.
'It was sometimes after your break-up with Kitsune. I left the mansion after that.'
That was a year ago! That's when his behavior changed!
'Oh my god!' Gōjun uttered, covering his mouth with his hand, and turning his face away, he shook his head at himself, blinking back his tears. 'How could I not have realized it?!'
I shook my head at myself too, blinking back my own tears.
'That's why you had all those headaches and fevers!' I croaked, my voice barely coming out. 'How could I not have been alarmed?!'
'Don't bear a grudge against yourselves! I've done everything that I could to hide it from everyone! And don't bear too much of a grudge against me either,' he said to both us. His eyes shifted completely onto Gōjun then, to tell him, 'You know, when I was given the news, I immediately thought of my mother, and you, Gōjun. It was not going well with Kenren. You were not opening your heart to him. I was terrified at the idea that you might find yourself feeling lonely after my departure. And that's when I met Hime.'
His eyes shifted back onto me, a gentle smile coming to his lips.
'Yes, you, Hime. You were like the answer to all my prayers. I found you perfect.'
My heart skipped a beat.
'And so, it's true?!' I whispered, tilting my head slightly on the side to watch him in endearment, while I tried my best to contain my tears. 'You've put everything in place to bring Gōjun and I together; to help us grow closer.'
'Yes,' he admitted, smiling sheepishly now. 'The scholarship. And then the broken phone. Forgive me for all the chores that I've made you do. It had to appear credible to you. In fact, I just wanted an excuse for us to hang out together. And forgive me for having deprived you of so much of your time with your mother!'
My eyes widened at him, my heart skipping another beat.
'Shunsui, you have nothing to apologize for!' I told him, fervently. 'You have brought me so much! It's only thanks to you that I have all that I have today! I owe everything to you! I don't know how to thank you! Even if I used all the words in the world, it would still not be enough!'
'Hime, you don't have to thank me for anything!' he told me, watching me tenderly. 'On the contrary, it's me who should be thanking you! I have only brought you into Gōjun's life! But you-' His breath caught. 'You were like our good fairy to all of us! You have brought every one of us so much: Kenren and Gōjun; my mother and I; not to forget Katsura and Kenren.'
Oh, Shunsui…
Gōjun and I were unable to control our tears anymore. They gushed down our cheeks, and the reddish-brown-haired young man gave us a pleading look, telling us, 'No, please, don't be sad! You're going to break my heart at crying like this! You know, I don't think that death is an end. I'm convinced that there exists an after-life, and I'm sure that one day, we'll see one another again; we will all be united one more time.'
Shunsui…
'Say, Hime,' he murmured, then, 'Can you go fetch my mother?'
I bobbed my head up and down in answer, unable to speak one more word, and on this, I turned around and headed for door, pausing down in the doorway to take a glance at him over my shoulder just before I left.
***
Gōjun Shoran watched the reddish-brown-haired young man as the latter followed the dark-haired girl with the eyes until she had gone completely out of sight.
Gōjun realized something only at that moment. He asked himself how he could not have noticed it before. At this precise instant, it became absolutely clear to him.
'You're in love with her, aren't you?' he murmured.
It was not a question. He simply knew it; that's all.
Shunsui's eyes widened at him a little, before a small smile came to the reddish-brown-haired young man's lips, and he admitted, 'Yes. I think I fell in love with her the first day we met each other itself. But, it was written that our destiny would only cross each other.'
Though I did not realize it right from the start, Gōjun thought to himself, I should have when I had noticed that he has gradually stopped going out with girls completely after the marriage of Kenren and Katsura.
The reddish-brown-haired closed his eyes then to give him a cheery smile, and add, 'If I had not had this tumor, I would have had left you no chance! I would have had married her even before you would have had the chance to know her name; I would have had married her without even having presented her to you!'
Gōjun smiled through his tears. 'I see.'
***
The moment I came out of Shunsui's room, my eyes fell onto Tsubasa-sama. The blonde was standing at the end of the hospital corridor, talking the tumor specialist. Kenren-sama, Katsura-san, Natsui, Kesai-san, Yūsei, Sōken Nishoji, Naoyasu Hanabusa, Takara-san and his family, together with Saien-sensei were holding themselves by her side; the red-haired male holding one of her shoulders comfortingly.
The woman had been sitting with Shunsui the whole while he had been unconscious. She had gone out of the room to speak to the doctor only some times before the reddish-brown-haired young man had opened his eyes.
Just as I was about to turn around to get back into the room to inform Shunsui that Tsubasa-sama was speaking to the doctor, suddenly, I overheard his conversation with Gōjun. Instantly, I backed up against the side wall, covering my mouth with my hand, my heart skipping a beat.
Oh my god! Shunsui…All this while, you've been in love with me?!
I clutched the front of my dress with both my hands and pressed my eyes shut, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks.
Oh my god, Shunsui!
He had wanted at least one of the two of them to be with me!
Oh, Shunsui… You have a heart of gold!
As I opened my eyes again, I saw Tsubasa-sama coming into this direction with everyone, and wiping my tears off, I informed the blonde woman that Shunsui had regained consciousness.
I accompanied her through the door of the room, while the others decided to wait in the corridor.
The blonde woman paused down mid-way to his bed to look at the reddish-brown-young man sobbingly. The latter watched her with a sad look, tears coming to his eyes too.
'I'm going to leave you in private!' Gōjun said to Shunsui, in a small murmur, and turning around, he made his way up to me to grab hold of my shoulders for us to make out of the room together.
Pausing down in the doorway, he turned around to look at Shunsui again, with tears streaking down his cheeks, to tell him, 'Shunsui, you're my brother, you know that, don't you?!'
'Yes,' the reddish-brown-haired young whispered, addressing him a smile, and, on this, Gōjun and I left him with his mother for the two of them to talk.
We went to place ourselves by the side of the door and everyone drew closer to us.
***
'Shunsui...' Tsubasa Shigeizumi sobbed, and drawing up to the reddish-brown-haired young man's bed, she picked one of his hands up to hold it tightly in both of hers.
She had the impression of being in a nightmare. She wanted to wake up.
'Forgive me for having hidden my tumor from you,' he apologized to her, earnestly. 'And I'm sorry that I made you suffer. I knew that if I continued to stay at the mansion, you would have ended up discovering about my tumor some way or another. But also, I have to admit to you that I wanted you to detach yourself of me, and I of you.' He closed his eyes to give her a cheery smile, and declare, 'But things didn't go by exactly like I thought! It's rather the contrary. Thanks to Hime.'
The woman smiled, bobbing her head up and down in acknowledgement. The dark-haired girl's arrival had made it difficult for Shunsui to maintain the distance that he had wanted to put between the two of them for them to detach themselves of each other. And that evening of the death anniversary had finally exposed to her the feelings of shame that he had been keeping in his heart all these years, and it was all due to the dark-haired girl.
Gazing at the blonde woman through his tears, and giving her another smile, he told her, 'But you know, I don't regret that things turned out that way between you and I, thanks to her, because before that, my heart would tremble at the idea of leaving, but not anymore. Thanks to that, my heart is lighter.'
'Oh Shunsui...'
'Say...'
'Yes?'
'Why didn't you ever get married again?' he asked her, suddenly, before telling her, earnestly, 'You need to let someone discover how much you're a marvelous woman!'
Her eyes widened at him.
Pressing his eyes closed once again, he stated, cheerily, 'You seem to get along well with Saien Natsume...'
The blonde woman lowered her head to smile once again, this time feeling a bit shy.
'That's true,' she admitted.
'Okā-san...' Shunsui declared then, gazing at her in the eyes again, with tears running down his cheeks. 'I love you! And I promise you that we'll see each other again!'
'Shunsui...' she sobbed. 'I love you too!'
He gave her one more smile, before the woman saw his eyes slowly draw shut.
'Shunsui?' she called.
But he didn't open his eyes again. A loud, piercing sound could be heard from the machine close-by.
Her heart shook.
'Shunsui?!' she called out again, but she still didn't receive any response.
She felt like she couldn't breathe anymore; like she was choking.
Letting go of his hand, she started to back away, covering her mouth with her two hands, the world seeming to come crashing down on her.
***
From where we were standing in the corridor just outside of the door, we could hear everything in the room, and when we heard Tsubasa-sama call out Shunsui's name, combined with the loud, piercing sound of a machine, the ground seemed to tremble under our feet.
Our heart palpitating in our chest, Gōjun and I dashed our way into the room.
Tsubasa-sama was backing away from Shunsui's bed, gasping for air. The reddish-brown-haired young man's eyes were closed and his chest had stopped moving.
She hit into Gōjun's chest from behind. The latter, immediately, seized her by one of her shoulders to fling her around and hold her firmly against his chest while, I sent my arms around the two of them to hold them tightly, while we stared at Shunsui's serene face with indescribable suffering, the others arriving behind us.
Thank you for reading!