Love You till the Last Rose Dies [KOTLC Sokeefe fanfic]

Chapter 4: The Truth

Keefe's Pov

The situation held static for a few days. Yup. Just casually coughing up flower petals, not a big deal. Of course, no one knew yet. Except for Dex. I think he knows what's going on. Maybe it's just nothing and he doesn't think it would be necessary to tell me? Or maybe it's really bad. I hope it's the first option.

Dex's Pov

It's really bad. It turns out to be worse than I thought. But, I don't know how to tell him.

Keefe's Pov

"Hey, Dex!" I walked up to him, hoping maybe he'd come up with something.

"Hey, Keefe." Boy, he did not look happy.

"Did you find anything on what's going on?"

Dex cringed. Really obviously.

"So, I'm guessing that it's bad, huh?" I didn't know what else to say. All I wanted was an answer to my worries.

Dex hesitated, and then said, "I think we should go talk to Forkle about this."

Now I was listening. "Forkle? It can't be that serious, can it?"

An unnerving silence fell. Finally, Dex looked down. "Right now? I'm hoping I'm really, really wrong."

Shoot. This has to be really bad.

---

"No. That can't be it!" Magnate Leto was pacing around his office.

"All the symptoms seem to be there!" Dex was looking desperate.

"I can't... It's not possible!"

I had been sitting here for quite a well now, while Dex and the principal conversed. And frankly, I have no idea what they're talking about. "What's going on! What's not possible?"

Magnate Leto had quite a frantic look on his face. "Do you really want to know?"

"Oh, I wonder." I was probably reaching a new level of sarcasm. "I'm randomly coughing up flower petals. Totally normal." I dropped my smile. "Of course I want to know!"

"Fine. But do not inform anyone other than your immediate friends about it."

"Ok?"

Magnate Leto sat down in his chair heavily. "You, Mr. Sencen, seem to be suffering from a human disease. Actually, I wouldn't even call it a human disease. It should be completely fictional!"

"Could I get a straight answer now?" I was getting really impatient. Which is weird, cause I usually have all the patience in the world.

"Hanahaki." As soon as the words left his mouth, a shiver seemed to go down his spine.

"What's Hanahaki?"

"It's a disease," Dex explained. "A disease that someone suffers from when they love someone, but that someone doesn't love them back. Apparently, a flower blooms in your lungs and you start coughing up flower petals until they..." Dex faltered.

"Until they what?" I was glad that I was the only empath in the room, or else they would have all felt my blood turn cold.

"They die."

Those two words resonated in my mind. Die? No. That couldn't be right. "How?"

"They either choke on the flower petals or they suffocate."

"You know, I don't like either option. I always thought that if I had to die, I would die in battle or something. Not from choking on flowers." I knew this wasn't really the time to joke, but that's how I deal with my life. "Is there a way to cure it?"

Magnate Leto was now flipping through his books. "That's the thing. There's supposedly a surgery that can be done to remove the flower, but we can't risk it. We know nothing about this disease."

"So I'm just gonna die?"

"There is another way." Dex was really pale. I have never seen anyone that pale. Except for Foster.

"What is it?"

"Your love has to be reciprocated. Like, the person you like has to like you back. But the thing is... It's kinda obvious who you like."

"Yeah. Ms. Foster."

"Is it that obvious?" I wasn't that obvious, right?

"Kinda. But the thing is, she seems really happy with Fitz. And, I don't think you would take her away from that relationship."

I wasn't sure what my answer would be. Would I make Sophie love me and leave Fitz if it meant I wouldn't die? No. I couldn't do that. "So... I'm guessing my only solution is to die."

Dex turned away. "That's the best way to put it."

"This is going to be bad." I broke into another fit of coughing, spreading the rose petals throughout the office. Then I noticed something. Yes, they were still the colour of Foster's eyes, but there was something else. Red. Blood. My blood. Oh god. Dex and Magnate Leto were both staring at the petals with terror in their eyes.