After Story: Potential

Chapter Sixteen: Sick Leave

Several days passed. Along with the wedding planning and our work schedules we would make time to visit Furukawa at home; sometimes the twins would visit, sometimes Kotomi and I would visit. Sometimes one of the girls would visit her alone. Of course, for obvious reasons, I could never bring myself to visit her alone.

Some days she would seem fine. Others, she'd be sleeping. I'd heard from Furukawa's parents that she'd managed to sleep a little, eat a little, toss and turn a lot. Guilt messed up my appetite and Kotomi had noticed.

"You are very worried about Nagisa-chan," she would say.

My answer was always the same: "Yeah, and I feel like her sickness is all my fault."

Her reply was also the same: "Tomoya-kun, please do not blame yourself. Her parents do not." Then I would hold her as she cried.

On the bright side, at least Furukawa got to finish high school this time.

***

After several days Furukawa still hadn't gotten better so I decided to visit her along with Kotomi and the twins...with her parents' permission, of course.

"Okazaki-san," she cooed as we entered her room. She had several blankets covering her. "Kotomi-chan, Kyou-chan, Ryou-" I cringed as she cut herself off with a coughing fit before quickly taking a drink of water. "...Ryou-chan, it's good to see all of you."

"How're you feeling?" Kyou asked. "You look really tired."

"Oh, I'm fine," she replied with a tired smile.

"G-Good," Kyou retorted. "Then you can start helping with the wedding plans, right?" she finished with a catlike smile.

"Onee-chan, don't tease her yet," protested Fujibayashi. "Even if she isn't sick, she still doesn't have all of her strength back!"

"That's true," Kyou conceded. "All right Nagisa, you're off the hook for now."

"Thank you," Furukawa replied weakly. She looked to me and something...changed...in her expression. Like she'd lost something.

"Ryou, Kotomi-chan, let's go and buy some fruit for her," Kyou said rather suddenly. I looked over at her with what must have been a puzzled look; she looked back with a meaningful expression. She was giving Furukawa the chance, wasn't she?

"Kyou, I can-" I started to say. I was really afraid of being alone with Furukawa.

"You need to stay and keep an eye on her," Kyou interrupted, again with that meaningful expression, as she dragged two protesting girls out the door.

Furukawa and I enjoyed the quiet for several minutes. Well, I think we did; I wasn't really sure. In any case, Kyou was quite the noisemaker, so the break was refreshing.

"Okazaki-san?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"How's the wedding planning going?"

I leaned back to think, putting my hands on the floor behind me to prop myself up. "Well, I think everything's about done. I mean, the dress was really the last thing. The decorations are at our house, the cake is supposed to be ready by Friday...the Friday before the wedding, I mean...and Kotomi's dress is ready. Oh, and my suit is ready."

She smiled softly. "So lucky..."

I smiled as well. "Yeah, I'm a pretty lucky guy."

She shook her head ever so slightly. "I'm not talking about you."

My smiled faded. "Then...who are you talking about?" Playing dumb was the best thing to do, sure.

"Kotomi-chan."

Here it comes... "Wh-Why her?"

She pulled her hand from under the covers and reached for me. I reflexively took hold of her hand with both of mine. "Okazaki-san...Tomoya..."

I licked my suddenly dry lips. "Yeah, Furukawa?"

"Would...would you say my name? Without the honorifics?"

"Your name?" I asked somewhat stupidly. "You want me to say your name?"

She nodded.

I felt the blood drain from my face. "F-Furuka-"

"No," she objected with a pained expression and a slight squeeze to my hands. "My name."

I knew what she was asking for, but... "I...I don't think it's appropri..." I let the sentence fade as I saw her gaze on me. She might not be here tomorrow. All she wanted was for someone she loved to acknowledge her.

I sighed heavily. Embarrassment forced my eyes shut.

"No...please look at me." She really wasn't going to make this easy, was she? I smiled humorlessly at my own cowardice.

I just had to say it once...just once...I looked her in the eye; something about the expression in her eyes made me afraid and sad and happy at the same time. "N-Nagisa...."

Her lower lip trembled along with the hand I held as tears began to pool in her eyes. "Tomoya...I...I..."

Oh God, here it comes...

"...I love you...so much..."

"Furuka – Nagisa," I quickly amended at her distressed look. "What am I supposed to say? I don't want to hurt you while you're sick, but I can't return your feelings."

She smiled sadly. "You say 'I'm sorry that I can't return your feelings, because I'm already with someone I love'."

I barked a laugh as I wiped a tear from my eye; that had been exactly what Fujibayashi had told me what seemed like a long time ago. "Yeah, I guess that's all I can do, huh?"

She nodded, sad smile still in place.

I pulled myself together and looked her in the eye once more: "I'm sorry that I can't return your feelings, because I'm already with someone I love."

With that she finally allowed herself to fall apart; whether her weakened state had anything to do with it or not I'd never know, but she burst into tears as she reached for me. I leaned down and let her wrap her arms around my neck and hold me tightly as she cried. The illness must have really weakened her resolve.

Eventually she loosened her grip on me, and I smiled as I sat back up after gently placing her arms back under the covers. "Sleep well, Nagis-"

Something wasn't right. I didn't know what, but I just felt it.

I looked around me, but Nagisa and I were still alone. Her parents were in the bakery, but I didn't dare leave her by herself...not with this...feeling.

I looked back down at her and realized: the blanket over her chest wasn't moving. "Nagisa?"

I quickly licked my finger and put it under her nostrils. No air movement could be felt. "Nagisa?!"

"Hey Tomoya, what's-"

Kyou never had the chance to finish her sentence. "Get her mom and dad!" I barked, causing her to drop an apple. "She's not breathing!"