The Dual Blade Wielder (Discontinued and Rewritten)

Chapter 19: The Promise of a Father

Chapter 19: T h e P r o m i s e o f a F a t h e r

"Tadaima~" Midori said tiredly as she closed the door behind her.

It was nearly eleven by the time she got home. Midori sighed as she dropped her bag on the small cabinet table next to the door. She had just arrived from work and she was ready to go to bed. Judging by the time, Suguha should've gone to bed by now. She dropped her keys next to her bag and took off her shoes, placing them neatly in their place. With a tired sigh, she headed to the kitchen to find something quick to eat. On the table was a wrapped plate of croquettes with a bowl of warm miso soup next to it. A pair of chopsticks was placed neatly next to it. A small note was underneath.

She smiled sadly as she picked up the note and read it.

"--If you haven't eaten yet.

~Sugu"

Without a moment of hesitation, Midori quickly sat with a short "Itadakimasu!" and went ahead. She had to force herself to eat slowly to savor the taste. She wasn't going to deny that she was hungry. In fact, she hadn't eaten since her lunch break nearly ten hours ago. She did have a slice of pound cake earlier, but it didn't really help when she got swept into a meeting. Shortly afterwards, she had a pile of work on her she didn't have the time to take a break!

About half an hour later, she washed her dishes after she ate and headed upstairs with her bag. She paused at Suguha's closed door, debating whether to check on her or not. The date was short lived as Midori opened the door to her daughter's room. She peeked inside and saw Suguha curled up under her blankets, sleeping peacefully. She smiled at Suguha and began to close the door.

Unbeknownst to her, Suguha was just up, pretending to be sleeping. Midori closed the door to her room that she shared with her husband and placed her bag on the dresser. She tiredly dressed out of her day clothes and switched to a baby blue button-down with matching pants for sleeping. She took out her phone and checked if she received any notifications from anything. Suddenly, her phone rang.

*Riiiiing. Riiiiing.Riiiiing.*

Midori blinked at the caller ID.

Kirigaya Minetaka

"Mine-kun...?" she muttered to herself in a slight daze. Her husband, Minetaka, usually never called that late at night when he went on business trips. Surprised but relieved, she hurriedly answered her phone. "H-hello? Minetaka-kun?"

"Ah, Midori-chan. It's good to hear your voice again." came a warm, baritone voice. Midori gripped her phone a little harder.

"It's good to hear yours, too." she said, "Is everything alright? It's very unusual for you to be calling me this late in the evening."

"Sorry, sorry. Were you sleeping?" Minetaka asked. She shook her head, forgetting that her husband couldn't see her.

"Oh, no. I just got home nearly an hour ago. How are you?" Midori questioned.

"I'm well. How are you and the kids?"

Midori frowned as she got up to get a glass of water. "I'm...managing. Work seems to be pulling up a bit, but they're starting to cut me a bit of slack. So, it's not too much. Suguha has been doing well in her studies and practicing every day for the nationals. I'm very sure that she'll do her best."

She quietly headed down the stairs and went into the kitchen. She grabbed a cup and got a glass of water. She paused and drank all of it as Minetaka's voice came again.

"...What about... Kazuto-kun? Is he alright?" His voice was somber. Midori sighed as she placed the cup next to the sink and ran a hand through her hair.

"He's...not doing well." She said, deciding not to sugarcoat anything as she headed back upstairs. "I received a call from Rinko-san, and he has a fever. She's doing everything she can to lower his temperature. I'm sure he'll hate us for this, but I decided to put him on the list for a new heart. Rinko-san helped me with that..."

She stopped at the top of the stairs as she gripped her cell phone with both hands to her ear, her voice shaking. "Minetaka, I don't think I can take this anymore. He doesn't have much time. I can't stand watching him die slowly. I can't help but always wonder, what if his heart fails suddenly? What if this death game kills him instead? What if we never get the chance to talk to him? What if he leaves before you ever get back?"

"Midori-chan-"

"What if he gets out of the game and the heart he desperately needs isn't there? What if-"

"Midori! Stop." Minetaka said firmly. "Don't go any further. Kazuto-kun will live. Stop doubting and start hoping, praying that he will push through and make it out of that game alive! We may not be able to get to him in the game, but the least we can do is support him from the outside.

Midori bit the back of her lips to stop her rant. It was true. She could no longer bear the pain of watching Kazuto living by machines, or the harsh, gut-wrenching stress from the "what if's" that constantly plagued her.

"Please, Midori, don't say those things. We will get through this." he said. Midori closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"Right. We will." she finally said after a moment, leaning against the wall with her back. There was a short moment of silence between them...until Minetaka broke it.

"U-uhm...Midori-chan, I, ah...I was just going to call you about-*sigh* I'll stop stalling. I'm coming home. I'll be there by tomorrow afternoon." He said. Midori stiffened.

"Eh?" Midori asked dumbly as her grip on her cellphone loosened slightly. "I'm sorry, what?"

There was a small sad, yet hopeful chuckle on the other end. "I'm coming home. To Kazuto-kun; to Suguha-chan...and to you. This time, I can be there, I'll be there to see him wake up. I promise."

Midori clamped her hand over her mouth as she slid down the wall when her knees slowly lost their strength. An overwhelming sense of relief and sadness poured over her when it finally sank it.

"I promise."

._._._._._.

Suguha wasn't asleep at all. She was wide awake when she heard her mother talking to someone on the phone. She couldn't really catch who she was talking to, but she heard her brother's name as her mother was coming up the stairs. Her curiosity got the better of her as she leaned her ear against her door and knelt to the floor.

"-on't think I can take this anymore. He doesn't have much time. I can't stand watching him die slowly. I can't help but always wonder, what if his heart fails suddenly? What if this death game kills him instead? What if we never get the chance to talk to him? What if he leaves before you ever get back? What if he gets out of the game and the heart he desperately needs isn't there? What if-"

There was a sudden pause as Suguha gasped quietly. Heart? What heart? She never knew that her brother was on the waiting list. In fact, Kazuto told her himself that he didn't want a new heart. Did her mother get him on the waiting list without his consent?

Suguha moved away from her door and slipped back into bed, laying on her side. But, she could understand why her mother would. She would rather have her brother alive and well, instead of alive, yet dying. She pulled her knees to her chest and closed her eyes, feeling the weight of the stress of reality.

Kazuto was her world. Even though he could not do much on his own, he was always there, giving her hope and joy. To live in a world where he was no longer was physically there was just...scary to Suguha. She couldn't imagine not seeing her brother smiling at her when she comes home every day from school or practice. Her days would be empty.

If the pain in her heart she had now is only just the fact that Kazuto was in a hospital, then how much would that same pain grow if he--

She shook her head and buried her face into her blankets. No, she wouldn't think that way. She could do at the current moment was keep hoping and praying that her brother will come back to her alive and well.

"Please, Kami-sama, don't take Onii-chan. Bring him home." Suguha whispered into her blanket.