Ritsu's Short Tale.

Chapter Four: It was Nice meeting you.

Ritsu Onodera (Months after his diagnosis)

I stayed in the hospital bed and started to think.

I'm dying.

They tried everything. The tears won't stop flowing.

I put my face on my palms to shield the sunlight. To shield the reality I realized that came.

'I'm sorry,' his voice echoed.

...

I miss him. I looked at the empty paper beside me. I have nothing else to do.

I guess I'll write something.

Takano Masamune.

Ever since they told me about his illness, I couldn't think normally.

Every thought is an endless pain stabbing closer and closer to my heart. And it's painfully close.

I looked at Onodera's spot in the office. It felt so empty. It feels so empty.

(After work)

I drove to the hospital and looked at the time.

I walked in, the time was almost 9:54.

"I would like to see Onodera Ritsu." I told the woman on the front desk.

"Alright." She tapped her fingers on a few keys, then her smiled faded.

"I'm sorry sir, but there isn't an Onodera Ritsu." She said.

"What? I was told he was fine." I said.

"Sorry.....but the Onodera Ritsu your looking for......isn't alive anymore." She said sadly.

'What?'

I heard a shatter inside me.

"We found this paper on his room set on the table." She said handing me a paper.

I took it and looked that it was a bit crumbled.

'Dear Takano,
I know it took a while. I was just scared, and I didn't want to get hurt again. But I just wanted to tell you that I don't want you to do anything to yourself. I'm still with you. I don't want you to suffer over something that wasn't really your fault, and I want to apologize. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I couldn't be the person you wanted me to be. Can I be honest with you? I had a frustrating year, I would tell myself I'd quit and move somewhere else. But I couldn't, I didn't understand at first, but throughout the fallowing year, I grew to understand. I'm sorry I didn't say this sooner, but......I love you. And I'm sorry I never got the chance to tell you. I hope you can move on. It pained me to write this, however, I didn't want you to think I didn't care.

Love,
Onodera Ritsu.'

I can't stop this.

I got in the car and that's when I felt it. The tears that I was afraid to show. They came falling down.

Shocked, I looked at the letter again and that's when they rolled quicker.

'Why did you leave?' I thought, 'this time, I can't have you,'

I lost him.......and I cant have another chance.

I looked at the back of the paper.

'P.S. Goodbye.'

At least let me say goodbye.