But You Don't Care

jyugo (Epilogue)

Tomomi sat with Rie laying down next to her, her head up against the gravestone in front of her.

"Matsuno Karamatsu," the characters down the front read. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't be here for him. She couldn't help him. She failed him. Of course, Karamatsu wouldn't want her to think that, it wasn't true. If he were still here, he would tell her that it wasn't her fault, that there was nothing she could've done. Which is true, Karamatsu had decided to carry out this deed long ago. There's nothing that anyone could have done. Yet she blamed herself.

"Tomomi," Choromatsu said quietly as he approached her. He took a seat next to her after no response.

"He never really told us what exactly was wrong with him."

"He was ashamed of it. Of course he would never tell you. He kept a lot of things between him and my father. I didn't know half the things he felt. I just...wish I could've seen what the inside of his head looked like. Maybe then I could've helped him."

"I don't think there was anything you could've done to help him, Tomomi. He was too far gone. Just know that you made his life better."

"I...guess."

"And who knows, maybe we'll see him again in another life."

"I hope so. He was too good for this life."

There was a heavy silence between the two of them before Choromatsu rustled in his pocket. He handed a letter with the number 7 on the front to her.

"This is for you," he said quietly. "It's the last thing he wrote before he...yeah."

Tomomi gazed up at the green Matsu before taking the letter gently. She opened it, and out slid the note inside.

"My dearest friend Tomomi,

I guess I really messed up this time, huh? I know I promised you that I would stick around, and I deeply apologize for breaking that. I make for a lousy friend after all. I'm going to miss you more than you can ever think. You're so sweet and beautiful, don't ever forget that. I'll miss our long walks and our hot chocolate dates. I hope you can find forgiveness for what I've done, even though you may not want to.

Love,
Karamatsu"

Tomomi teared up again, furiously wiping her tears on her sleeve. Choromatsu wasn't quite sure what to do, so he simply put his arm around her shoulders, letting her cry into him. They sat like that for a short while, Choromatsu even started crying again. After they settled down, Choromatsu turned to Tomomi.

"Let's go home. Maybe we can all do something to occupy our minds."

Tomomi nodded, gripping Rie's leash. Rie let out a whine, obviously not wanting to leave. Tomomi sighed heavily.

"Come on, girl. We have to go home." She begged. Rie hesitated before following her and Choromatsu. The two of them walked quietly.

"So... What are you going to do now?" Choromatsu asked. Tomomi stared at the ground.

"I'm going to finish college. I know Karamatsu would've wanted me to. I'll get a pet or something. Something to occupy my mind."

"Yeah? I think that would be good for you. We'll take good of Rie."

Tomomi smiled up at him shallowly.
"I know you will."

~~~

After coming home to nobody in the States, a pet was a great thing for Tomomi. She wanted something small, a bird perhaps. She decided on a young blue parakeet. He was very vocal, constantly following her movements. He nudged her finger when she scratched his head, and she instantly fell in love. She took him home in a cage and other essentials. Upon arriving at home, she took him out of the cage, letting him hop around on the table. He took interest in the sunglasses on the table, ducking down to peer through them with a happy screech.

"You remind me a lot of my old friend." Tomomi smiled sadly. The parakeet cocked his head to the side and hopped forward.

"I'm gonna name you Kara. Do you like that?" She asked. The bird hopped and chirped, jumping back into his cage. Tomomi smiled at her new bird companion. As much as she missed Karamatsu, she knew her new pet would help fill the void in her heart.

She never let him slip out of her mind. She promised she would never forget him. Besides, he's not someone you can forget.

It turns out that someone did care.

~~~

That's all, everyone! Wow, this was a journey! I just want to say thank you so much for reading my story. Despite everything that has hindered the progress of this story, we made it to the end! When I started this story, I never expected this story to get as far as it did. Hell, it wasn't supposed to make it past chapter three. But seeing how many people adored this story pushed me to complete it. I certainly hope you enjoyed it, and thank you again!

-Dakota