It Will End In A Kiss

Undeserving

(ZANE AKAGE)

I stood in one corner of the hospital room with Gilbert and Blu, and watch Robin as my nephew sat by the hospital bed to talk to his grandfather while holding his Ojiisan's hand. It's already nightfall when Gilbert, Robin and Blu arrived here in Tokyo on their flight from Manila. The three of them went straight from the airport to the hospital to come and see my father and me.

My father turned for the worse this morning and I finally decided to call my nephew so Robin and my father could have a chance to say their farewells even if I think Otosan has no rights to receive anything from Robin.

My father may have no rights to my nephew's loving heart but Robin deserves the chance to say his formal goodbye to his Ojiisan.

Still, I hate this and the man lying down on that hospital bed. He threw Robin away and he is leaving me with a mess of dealing with Daimo not getting any inheritance as well as explaining to Robin that he is not really an Akage.

Fuck!

I felt a warm hand grasping mine in a loving hold. I turned my head to see Gilbert looking at me. He leaned close to whisper on my ear. "Is Master Daimo still unaware that Chairman Akage is sick?" He asked.

"Yes," I whispered back my answer. "Like the media and everyone else, Daimo is still unaware that our father is sick. Misaki knows but she is obviously is not talking to my brother."

"Are you okay?" Gilbert gave me a worried look. I nodded and squeezed his hands. Gilbert and I have a lot to talk about and my biggest worry is that Gilbert will finally leave me once we are done talking.

Frankly, I won't blame him if he will pack the boys and just...let me deal with all the chaos alone. Gilbert and the boys are better off without having to confront the messy affairs my father dealt to me when he realized that he is no longer long for this world.

"I love you, Ojiisan." I heard Robin telling his grandfather.

"And I love you, my Keito." The raspy tone of my father's voice indicate how much effort he is giving just so he can utter the words. Cancer is rapidly devouring my father's strength and life.

My father put a trembling hand on Robin's cheek. Behind the breathing tube placed under his nose, my father smiled at his grandson he decided to forsake in his will. "Remember, all I ever wanted is to love you right. All I ever do is for you, Keito. I'm sorry, my boy. I'm sorry I cannot live longer to protect you. I'm sorry..."

"Don't say that. Don't be sorry, Ojiisan. I know how much you love me. I know..." Robin hugged his grandfather's waist and lean his cheek on his Ojiisan's arm. My father sighed with a smile as he patted Robin's head.

I want to snort at his acting prowess.

After his tender moment with Robin, my father was advised to rest by his doctors and nurses. We piled out of the hospital room and Rumi gets in to look after my father as the patient sleeps.

I took my family home to the Akage ancestral house. Robin and Gilbert are quite familiar with the place but this is Blu's first time to see an authentic Japanese household.

"Wow," Blu gaped in awe as he stood beside a tree in the garden. "A real sakura tree," he added in a whimsical way.

"Yes. But as you can see, the flowers are missing and its all leaves. Sakura flowers bloom during springtime sometimes in April up to May. But since its September, that's how it looks." I said to my ward.

Blu turned to his head to Gilbert. "Why can't we have a sakura tree in our garden?"

"Sakura trees could be a tricky tree to maintain. There are a lot of factors going on it to make them bloosom. But I will research about it and see if we can have one in our garden." Gilbert said as a compromise.