We are reaching the end of Cry of the Flowers here! Just a few more chapters. Trust me, there's still stuff to be said and done here.
Seizure warning for the picture above.

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I went to visit the twins, but it just so happened that some nurses were taking care of them. I decided it could wait a bit longer. I did just wake up from a coma.

When it got dark, I really didn't want to go back to sleep. I didn't want to fall asleep and not wake up for weeks. I know now it was a silly fear, but after what I went through, I was so changed by everything. How else was I supposed to feel?

I finally closed my eyes, sighing. Then, just as I was about to go to sleep, I heard footsteps approach. “Ritsuko? Ritsuko.” A very familiar high pitched and cheery voice murmured.

My eyes widened, I sat up and turned the other direction. I gasped in surprise, my body tensing up. “M-Maiko?”

The light haired girl sat in a chair by my bed, smiling. “Hi, Ritsuko.” I stammered, “M-m-...How did you g-get here? I-I thought you were dead!”

She tilted her head and smiled again. “It's okay, Ritsuko. I'm not mad at you for what happened. I sacrificed myself because I didn't want to die betraying you. I hope you forgive me for the lies I told you. I would never want to hurt you or Akito.” She shook her head.

I sniffled, “I'm sorry I left you.” She chuckled, “It's fine. The important thing is that you two live and go on. I know Akito and Papa will miss me, but I just want you to tell them I did it for you guys.” she put her hand to my cheek. “Just make sure you protect him for me.”

I saw a red liquid start to come from her mouth. She looked down at herself and that's when I noticed the knife in her chest and the injuries on her stomach. One of her arms was now gone and it was torn off, leaving a huge bloody gap in her shoulder. “Protect Akito for me. I don't want him to die yet. Protect all of them for us.”

I yelped and jumped back as I now saw multiple people behind her. Some were unfamiliar while others I could remember. I recognized Tadaaki's face and Hiroshi's smile. A bloody hole was in his head. “Protect them for us before it's too late.” They all said in unison.

I shrieked in horror to open my eyes again. Cold sweat was running down my face. I jumped out of my bed, making sure I was alone.

My leg was sore, but I ran out of my room and down the hall to go downstairs. I whimpered at the thoughts racing through my head. It was dark, especially since it was the middle of the night.

Downstairs, I rushed to the door and opened it. Akito was in the bed, sleeping peacefully, unharmed. “Akito.” I whispered like a scared child.

He stirred in his sleep, groaning. “Akito??” I asked a bit louder. He lifted his head a little and tried to open his eyes. “What?”

I was still panicked from the nightmare that I didn't even think when I went to his bedside and put my arms around him. He was still half-asleep, but I did feel him stiffen up.

“You're still here, right?” I cried quietly, gripping him closer. “This isn't a dream where I'll just wake up to find myself without you?”

Akito’s heartbeat accelerated and I felt it as I was so close to him. He gulped tightly. “No, of course not.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I'm here, Ritsuko, I promise.” I looked up at him, already practically on the bed. “I had a nightmare.” I confessed. “Maiko told me to protect you before you died.” His eyes widened at the mention of her name. “She was right here telling me not to let you die. I was afraid I might've been relaxing too soon and you could've died.” I sniffed, wiping my eyes.

He shook his head. “No, Ritsuko. It's okay. I'm still here. It was just a nightmare.” He pulled me close and stroked my hair gently. I whimpered, burying my face in his chest. “Please don't go, Akito.” I begged. “I'm sorry I almost got you killed. Just don't go, please.”

“Shh, shh. It's okay. I'm alright now. You don't have to worry about that now.” He whispered. I bit my lip, wanting to believe him. I gripped onto his shirt and held on tightly. I never wanted to let go.

Akito sighed. “Come here. I’ve got you.” He moved back a little and gave me space to get in the bed comfortably. He put his hand on my cheek. “You're pretty shaken up after what happened, right?”

I nodded in response. His cobalt eyes dragged down. “So am I. I've had some pretty bad dreams ever since I woke up.” I exhaled forcedly, “You could've died.”

“But I didn't. And I’m glad I didn't. I wouldn't have been able to see you, or my dad, or anyone else.”

“I'm afraid I might not be able to be a Despair Healer. After everything that happened, I can't handle a job like this.” I shook my head and frowned. He sighed. “I know what happened here is not good for a first time healing people. But I don't think that means every case will be like this.”

I gulped, “My parents must be so disappointed. My Master must be ashamed. I wish I could've done better. Then I wouldn't be here and everything would be alright.”

He patted my shoulder. “Hey, I don't want you talking like that. You can't blame yourself for all the things that happened. All of it isn't your fault. Remember that.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “How do you do it? You don't seem to be mad at me, or upset.”

Akito chuckled, lowering his head. “Trust me.” He inhaled sharply. “It hurts me as much as it does for you. You know how hard it is to explain to your dad that your little sister was killed? It's the worst thing.” He smiled sadly at me. “But I know Maiko wouldn't like it if I cried. Even though I let her and my mom down by letting her die, I know I can't cry.”

“I'm so sorry for what happened to her. I don't believe you let your mom down. You did your best to take care of her.” I leaned closer to him. “I know you did.” He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled quietly. “I'm glad you're still here so we can support each other like this.” He hugged me close and kissed my forehead.

My arms went around him and I blushed. “I promise I won't go. I'll be here always.” He sighed, getting comfortable and resting his head on me. I closed my eyes to doze off into a peaceful sleep.

The next day, I woke up with Akito. We were still alone and no one had seen us, thankfully. I went back upstairs to my room when I saw the Koizumi twins standing in front of my bed. Rosalina had some crutches while Alexandra had some wraps on her arm and neck.

I closed the door. “Alexandra, Rosalina...what are you two doing here?”

Alexandra started with a long exhale, her brown eyes closing. “I know you must feel so much anger and hate toward us. We both know that we don't deserve to be healed. We should have stayed the way we were, and hopefully we would have died.”

She went on, “The least we can do is ask for your forgiveness and everyone else's. You don't have to accept the apology, but-”

Rosalina cleared her throat, obviously wanting to say something better. She limped closer to me. “I’m going to be blunt here. We screwed up. We’re the worst people. I know we have to pay for what we did. For killing all those innocent people, for terrorizing everyone, everything.” She sniffled. “So you can do whatever you want to us. We deserve it, and we have no excuse. We're sorry, Ritsuko Akiyama.” She leaned forward and bowed her head.

Alexandra followed suit, repeating the same. Meanwhile, I had no idea how to react. “I know all of this, and I forgive you.”

I picked their heads up and shook my head. “I messed up as well. I should have healed you earlier. We could have avoided this situation. I apologize as well.”

The twins kept their eyes on me, confused looks on their faces. I looked back to the door. “I already spoke to Michael. Once I get released, I will talk to Dominic next. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone about what you did.”

Their faces paled. “What?! Why?!!” Rosalina snapped.

“I'll explain it once I have all of you together. For now, just focus on recovering.” I informed.

Alexandra nodded. “Whatever you say we will do.” Rosalina gulped, “Yes, whatever it is.”

I smiled a little and dismissed them. They left in a hurry. I was left to think. Now what do I do? I was cooped up in a hospital for an uncertain amount of time with so much to take care of outside of that.

I sat down beside the window and stared outside. I felt like I was useless in there. My job was done, I just needed to fix everything then leave. But how could I leave Akito? He was the only thing I had left here, but he mattered almost everything to me.

Now I had to go back to Baktavia and see what I had to do next. Would my Master even let me continue my work? Or would he decide to strip me of my title? What would my parents say? I shuddered at these thoughts. I was a good student then.

Maybe I wasn't ready to do this alone. Maybe I still needed more guidance. I could possibly keep learning and doing my work under my Master's and parent's supervision. I was also at risk of losing everything as well. I felt at a loss.

“Ms. Akiyama?” My nurse called behind me. I didn't even realize she came in. How long was I thinking? I forgot. “Yes?” I turned. She explained. “You have some visitors downstairs who would like to see you. Do I have your permission to let them in?”

I nodded. “Yes, let them in, please.” I honestly had no idea who they could be. Could they be the Hoshida family? Rin and Kyoko?

I waited in a antsy manner for them to come up. My door was knocked on suddenly and I blinked repeatedly. “Come in.”

The nurse came in with a polite grin. “Ms. Akiyama, here are your visitors.” She stepped to the side to let my parents in. My Master was right behind them as well.

My body stood up as if on its own. My eyes widened and my breath was cut short. I was so tense, I could feel it constricting me. What am I going to say?

I drew a blank.

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Well, at least we finally get to see some more of Ritsuko's parents. Only thing is, how will it go down? Find out in the next update. I apologize for skipping last week's update.