Even though her lungs felt as they were on fire, Hana didn't stop running through the hospital corridors.

The unmistakable smell of disinfectant made her nauseous, but she paid it no mind. Her heels clicked briskly against the white parquet floor, leaving a trail of water behind her. Outside, it was snowing. Big flakes were waltzing through the windows, and if she hadn't been in such a hurry, Hana would probably have stopped to observe this dance worthy of the greatest ballets.

As she passed, the young woman nearly bumped into more than one person. Whether they were patients or families paying a visit, she didn't take the time to differentiate them as she shouted her apologies over her shoulder. She barely turned her head, too focused on the room numbers that flashed before her eyes.

When she received this brief message in the early afternoon, the brunette didn't waste a second in leaving her classroom, claiming she was feeling ill, and jumped in the first transport that would take her to the hospital. On the way, a dull anguish had turned her stomach upside down, and even as she got closer to the place indicated, this fear didn't diminish.

On the contrary, it was as if every step she took only made her anxiety worse.

Perhaps running despite her breathlessness had something to do with it, after all. Hana was even more short of oxygen than she'd been after skating practice. She needed to recheck her cardio. But she'd deal with that later. For now, she'd just reached the right floor. The room numbers were getting dangerously close to the one indicated on the message.

—Stop, Miss, a man hailed her. Journalists are not allowed in this wing of the hospital.

Had he indeed mentioned journalist? Hana stared at the man who had blocked her path. He was staring at her coldly, telling her to back off, but the young woman wasn't impressed.

—There's been a misunderstanding, assured the young woman, who was struggling to speak as much as she was struggling to catch her breath. I'm not a journalist, but a friend of Aka... of Keisuke, the brunette resumed between breaths.

The bodyguard didn't move a muscle, incredulous. Hana wasn't impressed by his threatening air, but no matter how much she explained the reason for her visit, the man wouldn't listen. Except that, having run all this way, the young woman wasn't about to give up so close to her goal and refused to go, as the man suggested, in the opposite direction. She was determined to get through, whatever the cost.

—Only members of the Akaashi family are allowed in here, repeated the guard for what must have been the third time. Journalists...

—But I'm telling you I'm NOT a journalist, Hana retorted again, starting to lose patience. If I'm here, it's because...

—Rules are rules, cut in the guard, who was also getting fed up. You shall not pass.

—But, uh...

—I'll walk you back to reception.

—That won't be necessary, interrupted a third voice.

As one, they both turned sharply, coming face to face with two strangers they hadn't heard approaching. They were a man and a woman, but from the sight of the lady's hands clasped on the man's arm, it was not difficult to deduce that they were a couple. And if there was any doubt, the gold ring shining on one of the woman's fingers dispelled any suspicion.

—You can let her through, continued the woman, without taking her eyes off Hana.

—Yes, ma'am, said the security guard, bowing respectfully.

—Leave us, please, she continued, her voice as gentle as ever.

The guard was quick to move away, leaving Hana alone with the couple. Instinctively, the brunette's eyes fell on the lady who had spoken. The latter was still watching her, a slight, compassionate smile on her lips. Hana couldn't help thinking that she looked like she'd stepped out of a magazine. The clothes she wore came from a couturier whose prices would make anyone swoon, and despite the obvious exhaustion darkening her complexion, her facial features were nonetheless harmonious. In addition to the kindness that seemed to emanate from her aura, one would have to be blind to say that this woman wasn't simply sublime.

Having made this observation, Hana's gaze shifted to the man she found, not surprisingly, just as well-dressed as his wife. However, unlike the lady, there was nothing warm about the man's gaze. It was piercing, icy, as black as the color of his hair. His appearance was worthy of a seasoned businessman, who ran an entire company with an iron fist. Even though he hadn't said a word, he intimidated her. Hana couldn't deny it. And what she couldn't deny either was that, as she forced herself not to bend her gaze before him, the impression of having met him before crept into her mind. His face was both completely unknown and terribly familiar. He reminded her...

Hana barely held back an exclamation of amazement, finally understanding the identity of the couple standing in front of her. As if her mind suddenly remembered good manners, she quickly clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed respectfully.

—Hello, my name is Hana Hoshino, the brunette introduced herself clearly. I... your son informed me of the situation, so I came as soon as I could.

Slowly, the young woman straightened up to re-establish eye contact with her interlocutors. Hana wanted to speak but was unable to. Her throat was dry and her mouth so pasty. Not a word escaped her lips.

Fear had immobilized her. Hana was terrified. The mere possibility that the news could be bad frightened her to the core. Hana saw herself in Honoka's shoes, waiting unbearably for the doctors' verdict. It was as if she'd been taken back three years. Just after the accident, but just before the hope that her parents would live was buried with them.

But navigating ignorance out of fear of reality was perhaps even more agonizing than facing the truth.

Her heart was pounding. So painfully that it felt like the bones in her rib cage would give way. Her fists clenched so tightly that her fingernails pierced the palms of her hands. Yet Hana managed to ignore this, mustering the courage she lacked to formulate the question that so distressed her.

—Is she... going to be all right?

Please, she screamed mentally. Tell me she's all right. Tell me it's nothing serious and that everything's fine.

—The doctors want to keep Rina under observation for a while to make sure she doesn't develop any other worrying symptoms, but her aren't numbered. For the time being, she sleeps.

A wave of relief swept over Hana, so powerful that she felt she was losing her balance. The brunette took deep breaths as she let the lady's words sink into her mind. Unconsciously, one of her hands placed itself over her heart to calm its rhythm.

—I'm relieved to hear it, Hana managed to say without her voice trembling.

Honoka gave her a grateful smile, touched by this young stranger's attitude to the health of her youngest child. The concern in her eyes was genuine. Her intentions were genuine, not for a moment tainted by the vice of hypocrisy or the desire to curry favor. And for that...

—On behalf of my family, we're all very grateful that you came here, replied Honoka, bending down as low as her body would allow.

Faced with so many honors, Hana felt the heat spread to the back of her neck, both flattered and extremely embarrassed by the situation. She didn't deserve so much. Fortunately, the adult straightened up before the red could spread across her face.

—I suppose you've come to see my son too, the adult guessed with an amused smile. Keisuke is out for a breath of fresh air on the waiting room balcony, far to the left. I'm sure he'd appreciate your company.

Realizing this was the end of their conversation, Hana thanked her interlocutor and turned on her heels. She was just starting to walk away when Honoka's voice called out to her again.

—It was a pleasure to meet you, Hana.

—The pleasure's mutual, ma'am, the young woman assured Honoka politely, returning her smile.

—Honoka, she corrected gently. You can call me Honoka.

And with those last words, Hana slipped away for good.

─── ∗∙⋅❀⋅∙∗ ───

Keisuke had been standing facing the balcony railing for over an hour, absent-mindedly observing the hospital gardens covered in a thick white blanket. Snowflakes had finally clung to his fir-green woolen beanie. His fingers were trembling, but Keisuke preferred to think that this was only the due of the bitter cold and not of his emotional overload.

The ashtray beside him was full, and he was solely responsible for it, yet no cigarette had been able to calm his agitation. His right leg was still shaking as nervously as ever, and sighs kept escaping him. Recent events had affected him far more than he cared to admit.

Behind his back, Keisuke heard the sound of the bay window being slid open, but he didn't bother to turn around. It was probably his mom again, just checking to make sure he hadn't frozen into an ice cube. She had tried to engage a conversation before, but he had remained silent, almost ignoring her. He didn't want to talk, not to her, not to anyone. She had finally given up, content to observe him from a distance so as not to have to inhale the awful smell of smoke that filled the air.

With a weary gesture, the smoker brought the orange tube to his lips and inhaled at length, until his irritated throat burned. He held his breath as long as he could, until the stars began to dance among the snowflakes, then exhaled the noxious smoke intoxicating his lungs. Behind him, Keisuke heard the rustle of clothes, then footsteps approaching. Another weary sigh passed through him as he finally deigned to turn around, ready to dismiss his mother, but the face his eyes fell on left him speechless.

There she was. Hana had come, and without uttering a single word, she had just taken him in her arms.

Keisuke blinked in astonishment, but immediately, his fingers had abandoned his half-burnt cigarette to slip around the young woman's body. His hands locked onto the small of her back, and he returned her embrace without a second thought, letting himself sink into the comfort of her arms. His cheek rested on the top of her head, and his eyelids gently closed as he inhaled her fragrance at the top of his lungs.

—I didn't think you'd come so soon, whispered the dark-haired boy.

-— came as fast as I could, she whispered back.

—Even if it meant skipping the first classes of the year ?

—Mmh shut up, retorted Hana, pinching his arm. Happy New Year, by the way, she added with amusement.

—Yeah, happy new year, replied the young man in the same tone.

The silence fell again without either of them daring to broach the subject that was troubling them, simply enjoying each other's presence. They hadn't seen each other since the end of exams. Two weeks of winter vacation had followed, still without news, and then the first week of classes had followed in the same way. Although they could have wished for a slightly happier context for their reunion, they weren't going to complain.

—What happened, Akaashi? Hana finally asked after a few moments of silence.

—It's a long story, he said, for want of a better word.

—I've got plenty of time, she informed him in return. No one goes to the hospital for no reason.

Despite the thickness of his jacket, the young woman could have sworn she felt him tense up at her questioning. But whether this was really the case or not, there was nothing in his voice to betray him as he spoke. He always spoke in that same calm, slightly drawling voice, as if he were talking about rain or shine.

—My mother suffers from an incurable disease that leaves her with no more than a dozen years at most, the boy summed up briefly. And a few days ago, Rina started to show similar symptoms. She was very tired, with fever and stomachache. We were afraid that her body had finally developed the same pathology.

Attentive, Hana listened to her without interrupting. Despite the constant spotlight on them, the family had always remained discreet about Honoka Akaashi's state of health. It was common knowledge that she had a frail constitution, but the rest was mere rumor and speculation on the part of viewers who followed the news assiduously. The information he was sharing with her was strictly confidential, and Hana could only feel touched by his trust in her.

Hana's thoughts immediately turned to Honoka, and her heart clenched with grief. She would never have guessed that such a grave evil weighed on her shoulders. This woman was so smiling, so pretty, and she had addressed her with such kindness and benevolence. How could she hide within herself the heavy burden of an illness that no remedy could cure? How could she go on knowing that the sword of Damocles could fall on her neck at any moment? She didn't deserve it. A woman like her didn't deserve to live in terror of abandoning her children at any moment.

Fate had a cruel way of choosing its victims.

—In the end, we were worried about nothing, added Akaashi before sighing - whether with relief or annoyance, Hana couldn't tell. It's probably just some stupid allergic reaction or something. I don't know, I'm not a doctor. And I don't care, as long as it's nothing serious.

—It would have been a hell of a coincidence if your sister had the same thing as your mother, wouldn't it?

—Not when you consider that it's a hereditary disease that is difficult to detect and can break out at any time, informed the young man in a neutral voice.

Hana felt her heart drop. Had he indeed mentioned the word...

—Hereditary ? She repeated in horror, as if to make sure she'd understood correctly.

—Yeah.

Calm. Hana found him too calm to talk about such a frightening thing. Without breaking away from his embrace, the young woman pulled away slightly, just enough to look into Akaashi's eyes. With her head tilted back, she had plenty of time to scan the terribly serene expression on his face.

—What about you, then? She asked, slightly confused. Aren't you afraid that...?

Keisuke raised an eyebrow, Hana fell silent. Then he realized what she was getting at, and a laugh almost escaped him. Of course, she probably didn't know...

—Even though I consider her as my mother, I'm not blood related to Honoka, admitted the dark-haired boy, both amused and astonished that he'd never broached the subject with her. Rina is actually my half-sister, we only have our father in common.

—Oh, Hana blurted out in a dazed intonation.

Usually, the young man never bothered to go into details. He wasn't really the type to vent, and even less so on such personal subjects. Yet, without being able to explain it, he felt the urge to do so. Perhaps because his hours of solitude had made him feel like chatting, or perhaps because he simply felt safe with Hana. He couldn't say, but he didn't try to find out, just listening to what he wanted to say without worrying.

Keisuke's gaze fell on the snowy landscape, and after a final breath, he launched into his story.

—My biological mother is European. As far as I know, she was part of a circus that traveled extensively throughout the country. So it was totally by chance that she happened to be in the same town as my father, who was in Europe for a business trip. He had moved there temporarily to manage some big contracts with new collaborators.

Or so he'd always been told. Keisuke didn't question the existence of this circus, having personally found corroborating information on the subject during his research. What he did question, however, were the circumstances of their meeting. He couldn't see his father, such a chic and sophisticated man, spending his evenings under a big top watching people make a spectacle of themselves in this way, and even less could he see him going there to court a woman from a social class so different from his own. His father could very well have met her in a seedy cabaret, where she played the fille de joie to make ends meet. It was already a possibility that the young man found more plausible.

Well, he didn't know, and in all honesty, he wasn't sure he wanted to know this detail.

—It was never serious between them, Keisuke continued, returning to the present moment. I think they knew as well as each other that it couldn't be done, with their lifestyles so... different.

The dark-haired man paused briefly to catch his breath, pondering how to chew over his words before finally deciding to continue straightforwardly.

—I wasn't planned, the boy blurted out. But this woman decided to keep me anyway. Or maybe she didn't have the means or the courage to do otherwise. Whatever. That didn't stop her from abandoning me to my father when I was born and disappearing into the wild with her troop.

Contrary to what one might think, Keisuke wasn't really angry at his biological mother for leaving him in his father's care. He was neither angry nor sad about the event. Deep down, he could almost understand her choice. He too, in her place, would not have stayed with such a nice person as Ichiro Akaashi. What he did care about, however, was being reminded of his mother's existence.

She had deliberately chosen to leave his life. He was choosing never to let her be a part of it again. Simple as that.

—It took my father five years, Keisuke sneered in a slightly acid tone. Five years to realize that he'd never see that woman again, and that he'd have to raise the son he didn't even want on his own. That's when he decided to move back to Japan. Afterward, he married Honoka, and Rina was born when I was ten.

The ending was abrupt, but Keisuke didn't feel able to say any more. Telling this bit of his life was one thing, but going into the details of his childhood was quite another. The wounds in his mind and body were still too fresh for him to recount without rage or shame getting the better of him.

Throughout the story, Keisuke had kept his eyes riveted straight ahead. He felt much more exposed than when he took off his clothes, totally vulnerable - a little silly, too - but above all slightly apprehensive, something he hadn't expected. He hadn't expected anyone's opinion - other than his mother's or sister's - to matter to him. And yet, inwardly, he was afraid that the way Hana saw him would change. He feared that she would start to look at him with pity, he feared that judgment would float into the depths of her eyes.

He feared he'd finally been wrong about her.

Would he have been better off keeping his mouth shut?

Keisuke ventured a glance at Hana. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as she stared at an imaginary point on the floor, obviously lost in thought. And before he could even wonder what was bothering her, the brunette began to mumble.

—It surprised me, but it's one of the first things I thought when I met you. I don't know how my brain could have put it aside all this time. And now that you mention it, it makes so much sense...

—Hey, interrupted the young man, raising an eyebrow. What are you yapping about?

—Your eyes, replied Hana in a matter-of-fact tone, raising her head towards him. Blue eyes aren't very common around here, and...

—Wait, is that really the only thing you remember? Akaashi asked in a disillusioned tone.

Faced with the absurdity of the situation, Keisuke couldn't contain himself. A mocking smile twisted his lips, and a light laugh escaped him.

—Really, Hana? He teased in a falsely reproving tone.

Hana's eyes widened, and a chuckle escaped her, echoing the young man's. Both mortified and dead with laughter, Hana wasted no time in apologizing.

—No, wait! She exclaimed, unable to break her smile. I'm sorry, that's not what I meant!

—Yeah yeah, right, interrupted Akaashi, pretending to be offended.

—But seriously...

—Catch yourself as best you can, he cut in again, turning his head away to ignore her.

—Stop interrupting me and listen to me, ordered the young woman between two laughs.

—I'm sooo very interested in whatever you have to say, replied the dark-haired boy quietly, gazing up at the clouds.

—Keisuke!

Before he could even register that she had pronounced his name for the first time, Keisuke felt the young woman's hands slip over his cheeks to force him to bow his head. He gave in without the slightest resistance, and their eyes met again.

—Thank you, Hana murmured in a voice filled with gratitude. Thank you for trusting me.

Thank you for making me feel special in your eyes. That's what she wanted to say aloud but would never dare.

The distance between them was as meager as ever. Ever since his hands had clasped behind Hana's back, Keisuke hadn't bothered to separate them. Or rather, the idea of pulling away from her hadn't even crossed his mind, and now that the young woman's thumbs were tenderly caressing his cheeks, for nothing in the world would he have moved away, even by a millimeter.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Keisuke could only dream of one thing: erasing what little space remained between them. The sensation of those lips against his came back to his mind, and the furious urge to make that memory a reality had taken hold of him. The desire to taste it again grew stronger with every passing second. There she was, so close and yet so far from him. All he had to do was lower his head for their mouths to meet.

Keisuke wanted to kiss her. And that's exactly what he did.

He hadn't thought about it. The young man had let himself be carried away by his desire like a leaf in the wind, swirling in the flood of sensation without trying to restrain it. A soft warmth had enveloped his heart, so comforting that all he wanted was for it to spread throughout his entire body.

Only, the second he felt it, his reason came rushing back. As if suddenly aware of what he had done, Keisuke abruptly broke the kiss. The spell was broken, giving way to a wave of confusion that swept away everything else, leaving him standing there, eyes wide and mouth open.

What the hell had gotten into him? He shouldn't have acted the way he had. He shouldn't have kissed her like that. It wasn't an appropriate thing to do. He had no right to. So why had he done it?

As he measured the magnitude of his gesture, another thought struck the student. A thought so appalling to him that a chill ran unpleasantly down his spine. Suddenly, the fact that he'd kissed her for no reason seemed secondary, because deep down, Keisuke had done much worse.

He'd sent her a message to come over without even realizing that this was far beyond the limit he'd set himself. And what's worse, he'd done it because he didn't consider his relationship with Hana to be anything like the previous ones he'd had. He had become far more attached to her than he should have. He saw her as a friend. A confidante. A girl for whom he was ready to give more than he should.

And it scared him. It scared him almost as much as not knowing what to say to her now. Words failed him while those thoughts were still spinning at full speed. Should he apologize? Or pretend nothing had happened? Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time this had happened. Hana had already kissed him for no reason. And more than once. She'd allowed herself to do it, and he hadn't made a big deal of it. So why was it different today? Because he had decided? The one who'd let himself succumb to temptation when he was supposed to be the one maintaining the limits?

Keisuke closed his eyes, forcing himself to regain possession of his mind. He was upset by recent events, that's all. What had happened with his sister had been so unpredictable that it had taken him by surprise. He'd had one of those rare moments of weakness, and he hadn't been able to deal with it properly. He hadn't thought it through. Things had just happened without him being able to control them.

It happens.

—Hana, he called calmly, opening his eyes to face her. Listen, I...

At the same moment, the sound of sliding glass interrupted him. The young woman moved quickly away from him, as if caught red-handed, to restore a reasonable distance between them.

Opposite them, in the window embrasure, stood none other than his father. The look the latter gave them in turn expressed not the slightest hint of emotion, but Keisuke suspected he was thinking no less. He was inwardly judging the young woman at his side, and whatever he thought of her, Keisuke didn't like her. His father's presence already annoyed him, so the fact that they'd interrupted him in such a situation annoyed him all the more.

Luckily for him - and perhaps because he couldn't resist giving him a murderous glare - Ichiro Akaashi didn't drag the moment out. Focusing his attention on his son, he quickly explained why he had come.

—Rina has woken up. She's waiting for you.

She is fine.

Everything's fine.