"That is… until I started coughing like mama as well…" Maya said depressingly.
As Maya continued to explain her situation to Shizune, she detailed how her father had always tried his best to keep her happy and give her everything she wanted in spite of their living and financial situations.
"He tried very hard to keep me healthy. Giving me different kinds of medicine. But the day that I found out I was coughing like mama, I knew that I would have to leave papa soon..."
The more Maya spoke, the more Shizune could tell that it was weighing down on her. Tears started to stream down Maya's face.
"That's why... *hic*... I tried my best... to be the happiest girl in the world every day... so papa wouldn't know how much pain I was in... *hic*"
"You've been a very good girl, Maya. A strong and good girl."
Shizune wrapped her arms around Maya in a tight embrace, giving her assurance that she did nothing wrong, and that she was a really good girl to have been able to be so strong despite all the pain that she had felt.
"But why! Why is papa still crying?! I wanted him to be happy when I left! Was I wrong all along?!"
Maya wrapped her short arms around Shizune and started to cry even harder now. It was clear to Shizune that Maya had been suppressing all her feelings, pain, anger, sadness, and had put up a facade of her being happy all the time with her father around. An hour had passed, all Shizune could do at the time was to let Maya cry her heart out on her chest. When Maya had finally stopped crying, Shizune had finally spoken up to her.
"You've been such a strong girl, Maya. Stronger than someone as young as you should be... But it is precisely because of that, that your papa losing such a brave and strong girl hurts him even more..."
"You mean... I shouldn't have been obedient?"
"No, it means that with this, you know your papa loved you more than anything in the world. And that he will always remember you as his precious little girl." Shizune said, all the while stroking Maya's short brown hair.
"But I left papa all alone in this world... I'm no better than a bad child..."
When Maya said that, Shizune smiled, closed her eyes and stood up. Stretching her body before extending her hand out to Maya who was still sitting on the floor. Maya looked confused as to what Shizune was doing.
"Well, do you want to find out what your papa truly thinks?" Shizune gave her usual gentle smile.
Maya, looking confused, decided to grab Shizune's hand as if she was accepting her offer as the two of them started to walk back towards the village. Back at Maya's home, as the two of them walked inside, Maya's father seemed to have fallen asleep from crying as his upper body was still hugging Maya's lifeless physical body.
Holding Maya's hand, Shizune led her to where her father was and sat Maya down in front of him.
"...Papa..." Tears welled up in Maya's eyes once more.
"Maya, I want you to hold your papa's hands." Shizune spoke up.
"But... I can't touch him..."
"Just try to do it."
As Maya attempted to grab her father's hands, Shizune got closer and placed her hand on top of Maya's and proceeded to close her eyes. Shortly after, a small dim light began to form in their hands.
"Close your eyes, Maya."
Maya listened to Shizune's instructions and did as she said. When Maya opened her eyes again, she found herself standing beside a large tree up on a hill with a small grave in between the large roots of the tree. She looked around, feeling the familiarity of a place she thought she would never see again. And just as she was indulging in the nostalgia, a voice called out to her.
"Maya...?"
Hearing a voice that also seemed familiar to her, Maya turned around to see her father standing before her.
"P-papa...?"
Tears started forming in both of their eyes once again as Maya ran towards her father and hugged him tightly, as if she would never let him go. Her father, having been overcome by emotion, hugged Maya tightly as well.
"I'm... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry, my little miracle... I'm so sorry I couldn't be a more useful father..."
As her father apologised, he couldn't hold back his tears anymore and started crying heavily. Hugging her, kissing her cheek and forehead, as if seeing her after many years apart. This showed just how much her father had loved her.
"I'm sorry too, papa... I tried my best... I tried my best to stay by your side until the end... But I couldn't do it in the end..."
"Don't apologize, this was never your burden to bear. I should have been more attentive to you... I should have seen this coming... I should have prevented it... please... don't apologize..."
"Please don't cry papa... I don't want to see you cry anymore..."
When she said that, Maya's father proceeded to wipe his tears and forced a smile to please his daughter once more. Maya smiled and gave her father another tight hug. The two of them spent the next hour just reminiscing about the past, the happy times they had together, before the large tree they were standing under opened up slightly and a bright light flashing from it.
"Looks like our time is up, papa..."
"Mmm..."
"Please don't cry anymore, papa... Live your life to the fullest... If you can't do it for yourself, then at least do it for me..." Maya advised.
"Yeah... I can't promise you that... But I can promise you that I will try my best."
"I'll always be waiting for you, papa... Until the day we are together again!"
"No..."
When Maya said she would be waiting for her father to join her in the afterlife so they will be reunited in the future, her father snapped out of his daze and gave an assertive tone.
"What do you mean no, papa?"
"Don't wait for me Maya, you are a child without sin... you should move on to the afterlife... no use waiting for me. No father would want that..."
"But-"
"No buts. Besides, I'm sure... your mother is waiting for you... she's been watching over you all this time after all..."
"What do yo-"
Before Maya can ask another question, the bright flash of light from the tree covered Maya's whole body, as she is lifted up into the air. As she slowly floats up, she looks at her father once more, knowing that this will be the final time she sees her father. Before that happens, Maya shouts out one final line that every parent loves to hear from their child.
"I love you, papa! I couldn't have asked for a better papa!"
As she shouted those words, Maya's father gave a gentle smile, tears forming in his eyes, as he waved his final goodbye to his beloved daughter. As Maya disappeared, her father walked to the small grave under the large tree and knelt down in front of it.
"Thank you for looking after our daughter, my dear..."