Holder of Sorrow

ᴘᴏʀᴄᴇʟᴀɪɴ ᴅᴏᴠᴇ

(A/N): Your boyfriend/husband is Rin Matsuoka from the anime Free! Eternal Summer! Enjoy~!

(Y/N) • Your Name
(H/L) • Hair Length
(H/C) • Hair Color
(F/C) • Favorite Color
(E/C) • Eye Color

3rd Person POV

One.

Rin scratched the back of his head in confusion, glancing back and forth between the piece of stationary lying flat on his desk to the guide, which was practically taunting him.
"I can do this," he mumbled as he picked up the colorful paper, struggling to fold it as instructed.

"(Y/N)?" Rin hummed to his lover as he smiled. She was sitting in front of him, her (H/L) (H/C) hair being brushed carefully by him by the (F/C) comb in his hand. "Hm? What is it?" She glanced back at him, reaching a hand back to gently touch his knee. "When we get married—"

"When?" (Y/N) couldn't help but laugh, turning around to face the male. "Yeah, when." Rin stuck his tongue out playfully before he placed a brief kiss on (Y/C)'s nose. "Anyways, when we get married, how many kids do you want?" (Y/N) laughed yet again before humming thoughtfully. She then jokingly replied, "How about..."

Ten.

Although the folds weren't as neat as he hoped, Rin was still proud of his handiwork. The origami birds weren't as bad as the first five he tried to fold.
But he didn't stop to perfect his work. He couldn't, really. Time was of the essence.

"(Y/N)? What's wrong?" Rin was looking down at his lover as they walked together, his eyes holding a look of concern within them. The very girl he was speaking to looked back at him, arching an eyebrow at him in a questioning manner. "What? Nothing's wrong... why're you asking?"

The male narrowed his eyes before shrugging. "Must be my imagination..." (Y/N) merely hummed as she smiled before she moved closer to the male, holding his hand in her own. "Say, how many years do you want to stay married?" A sly smile came upon her lips as she wiggled her ring finger; the sun made the diamond glimmer.

The sight of the ring brought a smile to Rin's lips. He then hummed thoughtfully before bringing up his newly wedded wife's hand up to his lips, kissing the ring. "More than..."

Fifty.

He didn't even need the guide anymore. His fingers had become like tiny experts, working on every crease, every fold, making sure the cranes came out as best as they could.
Despite the fact that his fingers were now bandaged, due to the amounts of cuts he acquired while endlessly folding the paper, Rin continued the laborious task.

"(Y/N)!" Rin was fighting his way through the flustered crowd, his eyes wide in fright. He had been waiting in his car for at least ten minutes, waiting for his wife, who was inside one of the restrooms. 'What's taking her so long?' Rin looked at his watch, biting his lip nervously.

Once he realized that he had waited for fifteen minutes, Rin exited the vehicle and rushed inside. His nerves were battling with each other in his stomach, making him feel nauseous. That feeling doubled when he realized his wife was most definitely outside the restroom—

But something was obviously wrong. For one,
(Y/N) was lying limp on the floor. For another, a crowd had gathered around her, some asking whether or not they should call for help. And it was only until Rin had broke the crowd apart that he saw the real issue.

Blood. All over (Y/N)'s mouth and dripping onto the floor. Without another word, Rin grit his teeth as he dropped to his knees, gathering (Y/N) into his arms and picking her up into his hold, having her head rest against his chest. He then dashed away from the crowd, racing to the car parked outside before carefully settling his unconscious beloved into the passenger seat. "R-Rin..?" (Y/N) whimpered as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Shh... it's gonna be okay, (Y/N). I'm right here, I promise." And he kept true to his promise. Even as he drove to the nearest hospital, he held his worried love's hand in his own. Even as he brought her in to be looked after by startled doctors and nurses, he held her close to him. And when she was being carted away to be checked on, he stayed by her side through it all. "Hey, hey... stay with me, okay? I promise, I'm right here. Always."

(Y/N)'s eyes were glossy. She looked so weak, but she was miraculously conscious. "Hey," She whispered softly, smiling a bit. "We... we'll still grow old together... r-right?" Rin began tearing up a bit as well, nodding his head eagerly. "Of course. We'll live happily together, with our own little family. We'll grow old together, maybe even to..."

Five hundred.

"Five hundred more to go..." Rin sighed softly, placing the five hundredth crane into a partially filled box by his left leg. Two other boxes rested by his right leg, waiting to be carried off.
His eyes nervously traveled to the clock hanging on his wall. What if he was too late? "No... no, I won't be. For her." He focused on the task at hand once more, biting his lip nervously as he continued the task before him.

"Paper cranes," (Y/N) whispered. "What?" Rin moved closer to the hospital bed, kneeling down as he gently grasped (Y/N)'s delicate hand in his own. "Paper cranes... I read about them in a book once. They're able to grant a wish of yours if you make them."

There was a glimmer in her (E/C) hues that revealed her determination. Rin smiled at the sight, gently squeezing the small hand in his own. "Paper cranes? I can make them. How many should I make for our wish to come true?" (Y/C) smiled as tears gathered in her eyes, weakly squeezing Rin's hand back. The weak touch broke Rin inside.

She then answered, her voice cracking a bit as a cough fought its way towards existence from within her. "We need..."

One thousand.

Finally — he was done! 'Gotta hurry!' Rin, now filled with hope and excitement, picked up the five boxes stacked close to his legs before he raced out of his house, piling each box carefully into the passenger side of his car. He then drove towards the hospital, his eyes glimmering with determination.

"(Y/N)!" Rin called out cheerfully, hurrying as quickly as he could into his sick beloved's room, his voice laced with adoration. "I'm here! How is—?" The moment he opened the doors, the air shifted.
Where he hoped to see bright, happy (E/C) eyes, Rin could only see the sickly pale skin, the chapped white lips...

And a still chest.

The boxes fell from his arms. Colorful paper cranes spilled across the smooth floors, but Rin didn't see the plethora of bright hues. They were bleak to him; the tears gathering in his eyes made it impossible for him to see clearly. "No..." His voice became tight with his sadness as he hesitantly stepped forward, his body shaking more and more with each step. "No... no! Please, no!"

By the time he made it to the side of the bed, his legs buckled beneath him, forcing him to fall to his knees as he broke. "(Y/N), no! Open your eyes! I-I'm right here!" His voice was shaking as much as his body was, cracking with each fracture that was inflicted upon his weak heart.

His warm hands grasped her cold ones, raising them to his lips. "Please... please, c-come back to me..."

One tear escaped: it trailed down his cheek, cascaded down to his chin, and then landed on the top of his dead lover's hand.

A thousand more tears followed.

• • •
Remember Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes? Oh yeah, my bbs.
*hands out tissues*