Guardians of Heavensworth

Consolation

"My husband was nothing like your father. He just... left us. When I was pregnent"

Ayame said, keeping a straight face. She rested her head back on the pillow to prevent tears.

"My boy was born way after he left and they just took him too. As for being damned. I was not.. I honestly don't know anything about it" she admitted.

"How did grandp... your father, how did he die?" Aoki asked.

She tilted to face Aoki. The curtains flew bringing strong breeze into the room as the windows weren't shut. The sky seemed to be packing a storms worth. She was silent for a while. She hadn't confronted her grief. Clearly. Aoki regretted and tried to pull his question.

"You know what?...It's okey. Don't have to answ..."

"He obliged with the Al quafentino and left with them. Without a word, right in front of me. It was as if he was waiting for them and to abandon me. He never approved of my husband. I had nothing. No one" she sighed. " That's when I decided to end my life. But then your mother came along and convinced me to stay with you. At that time, I was excited that I'd get to see you again. Atleast another version of you but, my heart swelled with sadness whenever I saw you" she stopped to clean a tears with her knuckle.

She smiled lightly "I know how it feels to loose what you love" She said and paused.

"I wanted you to hate me so that you wouldn't be sad when she.... When she's gone. She is putting her life on the line, not being considerate, you're still young...and, and I didn't want to get.... Close, I don't know what I'll feel, I lost you once, that was more than what I could endure" she continued with a shivering voice.

Aoki couldn't digest this sudden tonal shift from her But seeds of sympathy were sown by her words. He slowly approached the bed side and rested the plater of food on the Table, there was a cylindrical glass tube containing illuminating sand like particles on the same tabel. It was like a hour glass but without a squeeze in the middle, the sand particles at the top were glowing red, and the bottom ones were glowing yellow, the red particles were slowly turning into yellow as they fell down like snow within the glass enclosure. The majority was yellow, red ones were about to depleted. He figured it was some kind of health monitoring device of Max's.

He joined his hand with her's and gripped. He felt multiple emotions but couldn't express any of it properly.  He just smiled. She smiled back.

"She won't die. She can't, she always said life is unfair, the most important people from our lives could be taken way, but.., there will always be a spec of hope in any devastating situation, that spec of hope is so powerful that it will either bring us to them or to death" He paused and looked at the cloudy sky. "She's chasing her  spec of hope, and I'll do the same" he added.

He looked down and she was fast asleep. All the red particles in the glass cylinder have been turned to yellow. Suddenly he felt a slight tingle behind his head.

"She'd never behave this way"

Max said from behind, carrying a bunch of boxes. Aoki was alarmed.

"Max!?" He yelled

"What?"

"You were Supposed to knock"

"Why?"

"To let us know that you are here"

"Well, you see me don't you?"

"Yeah, but it's polite to announce one's arrival"

"Ah, Didn't you feel my presence ?" Max asked as he dropped the boxes on the floor.