✔︎ unrequited flowers | nishimura riki

XXVIII

As Ni-Ki comes back, every breath feels like a burden for Ayano. Her eyes are swollen, her head cloudy. Ni-Ki is by her side, an alarmed face written on Ayano's face. "Ayano, what's going on? Why are you crying ? I saw Sunghoon sitting outside for a while, crying his eyes out." The boy's eyes scan Ayano's body, not in a bad way. "I said goodbye to him." Ayani states, focusing on breathing in and out without coughing.

"What do you mean?" Ni-Ki stills, his eyes wide and fearful."Ni-Ki, I know you're trying, but it's not working, I'm getting worse." Ni-Ki stares at the girl in shock and disbelief. "But it's supposed to work. I love you." His hands are on Ayano's cheeks, desperate. "I know Ki, but you don't love me like that. It's not your fault, you can't force yourself to-"

Ni-Ki interrupts her by crashing their lips together. Ayano freezes, Ni-Ki's lips softer than she could have ever imagined, pressing against hers in the way she's ached for since she met him. Ayano lets herself fall apart, unravel and be put back together by Ni-Ki's lips.

Then she pushes Ni-kKi away, kneeling with her hands on the ground as endless coughs burst from her chest. She wants it to end and doesn't want Ni-Ki to see this, but the petals tear themselves from her throat, now heavy as she gags. The girl sees them fall to the ground, coated in a thick layer of dark blood. The smell of iron assaults her nose, and she falls back, crying as she still fights to breathe.

"Ayano, I don't know what to do." Ni-Ki was watching pher in horror. "Tell me what to do, this has to work, I love you." Ni-Ki's hands tug at her hair as he stumbles over her words, tears cascading down his face."I know you still love him." Ayano says between dry coughs.

"It doesn't matter. I moved on from him to save you." Ni-Ki moves towards her. "You said you were still trying." Ayano eyes him suspiciously. "After Sunghoon told me what's wrong with you, and I saw how you looked the night of your birthday, I had to do something. I had to be with you, so I could save you."

"That's why it won't work. You can't force yourself to love me like you love him. I shouldn't have let you try, but I couldn't stop myself from wanting it." Ayano can't catch her breath. "Why isn't it enough that I love you with all my heart?" Ni-Ki looks at her like he's begging her to let it work. If only he could.

"It's not something either of us can control. Your heart is his, and you can't change that. But I need you to know that it's not your fault, and I don't blame you." Ayano looks back at him intensely, trying to explain calmly through the storm inside him, emphasizing the importance of her words, intertwining their fingers together.

"So what then? I can't just sit here and let you die." Ni-Ki's tone grows frantic, his wide eyes searching Ayano's face.

"You're going to have to let me go."

Ayano feels bloody tears in her eyes as she speaks, but his voice is steady.

"NO NO NO !! No, please Ayano, I can save you, just let me try. I'll try harder for you." Ni-Ki pulls the girl into his lap, his lips on Ayano's, on her cheeks, her forehead, her neck. His tears come faster. Every touch of his lips to Ayano's skin makes her choke on more petals.

"Ni-Ki, it's okay, there's just nothing left to do." Ayano puts her hands on Ni-Ki's cheeks. "I know you tried. Thank you, I love you." She rests their foreheads together, their eyes closed as they breathe unsteadily.

Ayano threads her fingers through the other's hair, pulling her head back to look at him. "Can we lay down? I'm just really tired.. But we can talk about this later, okay?" All she wants is to be sheltered from the world by Ni-Ki. The boy nods and helps Ayano into his bed, warm and firm against her.

She feels pain clutching at her chest, dangerous as she swallows against the tightness in her throat. Shr ignores the ache to instead lay with Ni-Ki, but she can feel herself letting go. Ayano has to tell Ni-Ki, has to say goodbye, but suddenly

she can't keep her eyes open,

and exhaustion drags her under, lulled by the rise and fall of Ni-Ki chest underneath her.

When she wakes up again, it's pitch black around her. Ayano can barely make out Ni-Ki's outline next to her, still deeply lost in sleep. She slips out of bed, all but running to the bathroom as her stomach churns, throat constricting, more consuming than it's ever been.

She falls onto her hands and knees, coughing in an endless stream of gasps as she pulls petals from her throat, blood staining her hands and the floor beneath her. Pain explodes in Ayano's chest, it's never hurt this bad before. She groans as she gags around the petals, but it doesn't end.

The girl keeps coughing, crying and gasping for air, only for her throat to be filled with blood instead. The relief never comes, and she tries to call out for Ni-Ki, but she can't think, her vision fading. She coughs up petals and blood until all she can see is red, all she can taste is the sweet sting in her throat, her lungs desperate for oxygen.

But this time, Sunghoon isn't there to rub her back, she can't pull himself up to lay in Ni-Ki's safe arms again. Ayano can only cough until even that takes too much effort, and she slags against the cold tile. Behind her eyelids she sees Ni-Ki, his sweet face, his warm smile, and then everything goes black.

take a tissue. pass it on