Friendship From Afar

ありがとう - Thank You

Yui was still in hospital which made Natsu feel worse about the accident. Kouichi always tried to make him feel better by telling him that it wasn't his fault because it wasn't done on purpose but it never worked. Meanwhile, Kimi always met up with Yui and brought her flowers since she loved roses. They were like sisters. Natsu walked into the room and took his seat next to the bed. 'Hey, I talked with the doctor and he said that it's alright to bring you back home tomorrow.' he explained with a smile.

'Just so you know, Natsu,' Yui said in a broken voice. 'I don't blame you for the incident. So, please, don't feel guilty about yourself.'

Kimi was outside of the room, wondering if she should go and meet Yui. She sat down next to Kouichi, giving herself a good thought about it. From what she did yesterday was... something Yui didn't like. Natsu was one of Yui's closest friends she ever had. 'Kimi, why do you care about her so much?' Kouichi asked. 'You two seem like family.' It was a pretty common question to be asked to Kimi. What happened that day happened often. Then, it always ended up to a very family-like question. That made Kimi let out a big and heavy sigh. 'In high school, Yui, who was still a "prep", was always teased in a mean way.' Kimi replied. 'Everyday, my friend would treat her like trash and all I did was watch... only a bystander. I felt bad for her and started to protect her like my own sibling. So, I ended my friendship with that bully and became Yui's shield.' Kouichi understood their story. It must've been hard for Yui to cope all this. He thought to himself. After we left, Yui had to try and go on without us. Alone. Kimi finally decided to go meet Yui as she stood up confidently from her seat while holding a bouquet of violet roses in her hand.

Knock! Knock! Kimi opened the door, walking and greeting her friend. 'Why the long face, Kimi?' Yui asked with a cheery voice. It was unusual of her to use that kind of voice. It's been 10 long years since she spoke that way. Kimi's eyes widened. 'Y-Yui. Thank you, Natsu.' She bowed towards Natsu, thankfully. All this time, she hoped for her friend to gain her happiness but failed each time. Kouichi watched from the door, smiling.

The next day, Yui was discharged from the hospital which made her happy because the hospital was one of the most scariest places to be at night. 'Welcome home, Yui.' Kimi smiled, along with Kouichi and Natsu. Oh, also, Yui's parents left to England for 5 years because of work and so, they left her best friend, Kimi, to take good care of her. 'Kimi..?' Yui said in a soft and fragile voice. 'Can I speak with you for a moment?' The 2 girls scooted over to Yui's room and had a little conversation of their own. In the meantime, Natsu and Kouichi observed the house. Kouichi smiled as he saw something which made him feel happy. 'Hey, Natsu. Look at this.' Natsu walked over to see a frame on the wall with a photo of Tsuki, Tsuna, Yui, Kouichi and himself on it while they were still all very young. He gave himself a slight chuckle. 'I still remember that time; Book Day. We were all dressed up as our favourite book characters and we had to do that parade thing to share your costumes with everyone else.' Kouichi remembered too once he saw the photo.

'What is it?' Kimi asked. Yui looked down, as if it was something too important for her to talk about but she had to. 'Well, you see, Kimi,' she started saying. 'all this was just a--' Suddenly, Yui's heart stopped beating and her eyes went wide. Kimi gasped. 'Y-Yui..?!' She caught her friend from falling and looked at her with sadness from the look on her face. Kimi began to pat Yui's cheek rapidly and gently, trying to wake her up. 'Yui, please, wake up..!' she started saying. 'Yui! Yui! Please, d-don't..!' Kimi's eyes were filled with tears as Natsu and Kouichi entered the room. 'What's go--' Natsu couldn't believe what he was actually seeing. No, he couldn't deny it - this was reality. Kouichi just stood there like a statue, also shocked.

After calling the hospital, an ambulance came to get Yui and back to the hospital immediately. Natsu and Kouichi prayed for her as they took her away.

Kimi cried her heart out, begging God to bring her dear friend back to the living world.

It was too late...

                                    ...Yui didn't make it.

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[Author's Note: Here's a little piece of advice for you; not every story has a good ending to it. This chapter was all about life in God's hands. Taking Yui away was the only solution to her critical conditions. I didn't mention this in the chapter, but when Yui was injured, her skull was fragile and had to be carefully taken care of. The 3 friends didn't know about this one; the doctor tried to hide the fact that Yui didn't have a long time to live. I'll keep on adding on parts of this Friendship From Afar book and as always, bai-bai~!]