Unsaid Words | GiyuShino Fan Fiction

Epilogue

"Check her vital signs!"

We were hurriedly pushing the hospital bed towards the room 102. This patient was sent to the emergency room earlier this morning, and her case became critical.

"Clear the area."

The patient was breathing rapidly with shallow breaths, her face pale as she coughed up mucus. We moved her to a different room and began setting up.

As I looked into the patient's eyes, I saw a glimmer of familiarity. It was as if I had seen those eyes before, but I couldn't place where. I shook my head, dismissing the thought.

Once the patient's condition stabilized and her breathing became calm, she lost consciousness and drifted off to sleep. I wiped the sweat from her forehead, studying her face intently. She looked so familiar, but I couldn't recall where I had seen her before.

"Patient's family name?" Doctor Luke asked as he clicked on his pen.

"Tomioka."

My world froze when I heard the name. "Tomioka Tsutako."

Okay, who is this?

"D-Does this patient have a relative or something? Who sent her?" I looked at the doctor, my question hanging in the air. He looked at me as if I asked something odd.

"Yes."

"The patient's relative is outside, doc."

My eyes widened. Could it be him? How long had it been? Four years? Five? I had lost count. My hands fidgeted, and I almost dropped the towel.

"How is my sister?"

I was startled by a voice that sounded familiar, but now deeper. Goosebumps prickled across my skin as I slowly turned, our eyes locking in an instant. Memories flooded back like a tidal wave, halting the world around me.

He had cut his hair, looking taller and broader than before. Dressed in a white button-down shirt with a tie, his forehead creased with worry and exhaustion. Yet, as he gazed at me, it was as if I was... nothing.

My heart ached, but I pushed the feeling aside. "Where is my sister?" he asked, breaking the silence.

I gazed at him, unable to speak. Doctor Luke spoke for me. "She is stable for now, but we need to observe her for a few days. I would like to speak with you later."

"Alright, thank you, doctor." He then looked at me and I felt my whole body flinch at his intense gaze.

After graduation, our paths separated, and I never saw him again. I mourned his absence for days, feeling deeply sad. I focusing on college admissions, pursued nursing and successfully passed the exams. Now, I'm contemplating further studies, debating between advancing to medical school or pursue the thing I've always wanted to do— pharmacy and biology.

I never ventured into the world of dating, I buried myself in academic pursuits. There was never any word from him. The Hashiras often pushed for a complete reunion, but it was always incomplete—either he wouldn't attend, or I wouldn't. It felt like we were actively avoiding each other, until fate intervened and brought us together once more.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." Doctor Luke tapped my shoulder and hurriedly left, leaving me alone with Tomioka.

Silence enveloped us, and I longed to speak to him, but I wasn't sure if he wanted to talk.

"How are you?" he asked, breaking the silence. I blinked, trying to process his words.

"Huh?"

"How are you?" he repeated. I cleared my throat, sitting beside him but leaving a space between us.

"I'm doing well, busy. How about you?"

"Just okay. I never saw you."

I pressed my lips together. Yes, we had been avoiding each other, or perhaps I had been avoiding him. Whenever Rengoku suggested a reunion, I would secretly ask Mitsuri who was attending. If Tomioka wasn't coming, I would go. If he was, I wouldn't.

I faked a laugh, "Uhm, it's just the hospital duties I guess."

"Yeah, must be tough."

I nodded. "I hope your sister gets well."

He got silent after that.

If my memory is correct, she is his only family left. It must have been tough.

"Yeah..." he murmured.

"What did you do after high school?" I asked, curious. He had no online presence, and I had never really known how he had been.

"I went to a state college and... I'm a professor now."

I smiled at the thought of him as a professor. I could imagine him excelling in that field, despite his somewhat aloof demeanor. He had always been smart and caring in his own understated way.

I blushed as I realized that my feelings for him had never really faded. Perhaps that was why no other guys had managed to capture my interest—my heart had always belonged to him. It has always been just... him, I guess.

I couldn't explain how or why he had such an effect on me, but it had endured for years. The longing and ache of the time we had missed out on weighed heavily on me now. I wished I had been brave enough to express my feelings back then.

Deep down, I doubted that he felt the same way, either now or in the past.

"Oh, that's nice." I just managed to say.

"You look pretty," He blurted. I froze, my gaze falling to my bare knees where the nursing uniform skirt ended. The hospital seemed to spin around me, and in an instant, I was transported back to high school. Where cherry blossoms bloomed, students rushed through the hallways, and long meetings were held. And where I was deeply, irrationally infatuated with a certain someone.

"Huh?" I looked up to meet his gaze, fully expecting him to avert his eyes or take back his words. To my surprise, he was staring directly into my eyes, unwavering.

Before I could respond, my beeper went off, indicating an emergency or a call from a supervisor or doctor.

"I have to leave. Let's meet soon," I said, standing up. He stood up as well.

"Alright, take care." I nodded and turned to leave.

I was about to run or walk away when I halted, undecided.

Was this the end of our encounter? Were we about to part ways once more? I hesitated, lifting my foot as if my entire world depended on that step. It felt like I was being transported back to high school, watching him walk away without even a glance back.

But I knew it was partly my fault. I had never mustered the courage to express my true feelings to him. I never mustered to call out to him—to say his name so he'd look back too.

Despite my fears, I took another step forward, silently pleading with Tomioka not to let me slip away again. I didn't want a repeat of the ache I felt when he walked away from me in high school.

With each step, I hoped against hope that he would reach out, that he would call out to me and not let me go.

"Kocho."

I froze, feeling as though a million shards of disappointment had just shattered before me. Mixed with the relief was a sense of nervousness, unsure of what would happen next.

I turned around.

"Let's go on a date."