Butterfly

Epilouge

The boy stood next to the bench, anxiously clutching his sketchbook. He tapped his feet, twisted his fingers, and craned his neck, looking at all the faces of the people walking along the sidewalk beside him. He hadn't been there for more than five minutes, but the anticipation and excitement made it feel as if it had been five hours to him.

The weather was pleasant that day. The sun was shining down on the world, the breeze softly blowing the cherry blossom petals through the air. Spring had bloomed recently.

But to the boy standing on the sidewalk, the world was much more beautiful. He was seeing much more than the tall, swaying trees, he was hearing much more than the people chatting, walking to and fro. No, that day was special to him, so much more than any other day.

His mind was running in circles, rehearsing what he wanted to say, what he thought she would say. He stood there lost in thought, clutching the sketchbook, even until he finally saw her form come into view.

It was like magic. Like the first time he saw her. She walked up slowly, still practicing walking on her two feet. Her brown hair now reaching the tip of her jaw bounced up and down with each step. A silver butterfly necklace hung from around her neck, her blue button up dress flowed perfectly around her body, and her bright sunshine like smile brought everything together.

Mina.

The boy had thought of this moment so many times. Sometimes the daydream was paired with fear, other times with hope. But no matter how many times the doubt came back, telling him she wouldn't make it, Hope was still left over. He knew that somehow, fate would allow this moment. And it did.

As she neared, he felt his heart beat faster and faster. He clutched the sketchbook tighter, thinking of the long and bright future that could lie ahead of them both. He couldn't wait.

"Hi Hobi!" She waved, smiling brightly at him. She would always say she learned to smile like that from him.

"Mina!" He beamed, "You look great today."

She adjusted her dress, her cheeks slightly pink.

"What are we doing?" She asked.

He stared at her for another moment, his smile never fading, before taking her hand in his. Their fingers fit together perfectly, as if they were molded for each other. Mina looked down at their hands, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"Come on." Hobi said.

He pulled her by the hand, winding and weaving through the crowd of people. He finally stopped in front of a little cafe.

"Let's eat lunch here!" He shouted, the excitement dripping from his tone.

Mina couldn't help but laugh at his demeanor, making her heart burst.

So, as the boy had said, they ate at the cafe.

They sat by the window, watching the people go by. The boy watching the girl when she wasn't looking, the girl watching the boy when he wasn't looking. They went about this for what felt like forever.

"Mina~" Hobi cooed.

Mina met his eyes, making his heart pound. He wondered how she could make him feel this nervous, even after all they had been through.

Then finally the waitress came by with the food.

Hobi was faced with a simple cup of soup, where Mina had a croissant placed in front of her.

She raised an eyebrow. "A croissant?"

Hobi held back a giggle as he nodded at her. She just smiled questioningly as she brought the flaky brown piece of bread up to her lips.

"Wahhhh" the girl looked back up at Hobi with wide eyes.

"I told you they're good!" He laughed, taking a bite of the soup.

So they sat. They ate, they talked, they chatted about anything and everything, until all that was left were the crumbs and dirty dishes. After paying, Hobi took her by the hand once more, and left the cafe.

For the second time that day the couple found themselves threading through the busy sidewalk. But soon enough they found themselves in a quieter part of town.

With Hobi still tightly clutching the sketchbook, he led Mina by the hand to a nearby park. He turned and brightly smiled at her.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around.

There were many tall, green trees around, above the lush green grass that was dotted with vibrantly colored flowers. The whole landscape was breathtaking and almost magical.

The boy continued leading the girl by the hand, until he stopped in the middle of the park, where many flowers had bloomed. It only took seconds before the Mina realized what was happening.

Mina drew in a long breath of air before saying anything. "Butterflies." She whispered.

Hobi squeezed her hand, watching as the flowers became inhabited by butterflies one by one. They silently fluttered in blurs of blue, red and purple.

Hobi then let go of Mina's hand, to open up the sketchbook he had been clutching onto the whole day. He flipped through the cream colored pages, filled with drawings and sketches, until he reached the cardboard backing at the end.

"The list of things Hobi and Mina are going to do when Mina gets out." He read aloud.

He placed his finger on the list, tracing down each thing, stopping to read a few.

"Try a croissant, eat lunch together, and," he paused, looking up at Mina, "see the butterflies."

Mina could only stare. She studied the face that had grown so familiar intently. Every curve, every crease, she wondered what would have happened had he never walked into her lonely hospital room. She wondered if she would even be alive.

"I promised you I would take you to see the butterflies." He whispered, brushing back a few strands of Mina's hair that had escaped the rest.

Tears started to well up in her eyes. She couldn't stop thinking of what could've been, and how thankful she was for what is. She rubbed her fingers over the sliver necklace hanging from her neck. The symbol had acquired so much meaning for her.

"Thank you." She finally managed to croak, tears threatening to storm from her eyes.

He kept his promise. A promise he made on a foundation of only hope. But it was kept.

He leaned in closer, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. He continued touching her hair, running his fingers through the short strands, until the gap was completely closed and their lips had met.

He kissed her softer than ever, held her like she was everything in his world, with her returning the same feelings.

He finally leaned back, and looked around at the park once again, before taking her hand.

"I want to marry you one day, Mina." He lilted.

She laughed, face almost aching with how much she smiled.

"Ok," she agreed, "let's do that."

Hobi laughed again before walking around the park with her, hand in hand, chatting the day away, with a new sort of joyfulness in their step.

And the future that lay ahead, was brighter than the smiles they both possessed.

~the end~