• It came swiftly but slowly at the same time. It was as if time slowed down to a stop, just for that single second in life. Snow blanketed the earth, strong winds giving an icey burn on her face. The road was horribly deformed, black tire tracks grinding into the road, scratching off the yellow paint which separated the directions of the car.

    It was fast, before I knew it I hit the floor and darkness covered my vision. She was the last thing I saw before the dark came to me. My last speck of light, the cute, smooth face, big deep indigo and gentle touch of her hands. I couldn't say anything nor do anything but as I began to fade, I could feel the stinging of her cold, wet tears.
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    People called me a bubbly loner. I spent most of my time in a corner of the school by myself, enjoying any cutesy styled doujins or manga's I could find. Nicknames were plentiful for me. Girly Man, Shoujo, etc. I didn't mind though, I was a nice person. I liked being with people and people respected me whenever they needed help. I also liked being alone though, something about being alone made me feel strong, independent. It was nice to feel like I didn't have to rely on anyone. There was one person however that I would be with whenever I can. We were close friends, literally since we were born. She taught me how to do so many things that I can't list them all on paper.

    Every Christmas, we would exchange gifts. It was around November when she reminded me about it. Since I had forgotten completely, she loathed me for it. I haven't talked to her in a long time and I felt guilty. Since then I was looking for something to get her. Not something worth millions of dollars though, just something that she would remember me by.

    It was several seconds...or at least thats what it felt like when I woke up. The doctor said it was a minor concussion and that I would be alright with a weeks rest. They told me to stay in the hospital but I didn't care about that. I asked them if she was alright and she was far from that. She was in a deep sleep, a coma.

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    It was rather difficult to take in. Deep breathing didn't seem to help much either, I was awfully close to breaking down but I quickly regained my composure. No one likes to see a boy cry, after all. It wasn't the fact that she was in comatose that nearly broke me down though, it was the fact that my attempts to prevent her from getting hurt were in vain. She was in a much more worse condition then I thought. Doctors said shes missing something, something very important and that the chances of it returning were slim to none.

    They also said she was lucky to be alive. She had most of her upper half in critical condition and all I had was a minor concussion and STILL I was the first to lose consciousness. God I won't hear the end of it when she wakes up. That is the main thing that I'm really excited about. You can consider me as an optimistic person, but honestly, emos suck, better to think positive then negative, right? Its December, 10, 2009 right now. The accident happened in November, 9, 2009. Someone please tell me she isn't going to die, or wake up as a veggie.

    Its nine at night, almost ten. Visiting hours are almost over and I came as soon as school work was done. The table close to the window had various presents and items on it. A bouquet of tulips that some of her friends chipped in to pay. A wrapped present. A get well card. Yes, I know, who gives a get well card to a person who's been sleeping for almost a month straight? Honestly, I'm kinda jealous and curious towards my friend. I love to sleep, its the only time of the day where I don't have to think about anything. Dreams are fun too, and waking up to the crisp, cool morning breeze is amazing. What is she dreaming of right now?

    Anyways, I can hear footsteps coming down from the hall. It's probably the nurse who always nags at me to leave. I looked up at the clock, it was close to ten now, amazing how quickly time flies when your lost in thought. Yawning, I decided to leave before the nurse can tell me to so she wouldn't get the satisfaction. I quickly cleaned up the table I was working on, putting away the brightly detailed card in a white envelope and my pens and pencils in my bag. Checking my pockets to make sure I didn't forget anything, I left the room. Mom and Dad were probably coming home about now, driving down the road to our home.

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    I sighed as I entered through the same entrance I've been entering through for a month, one week and four days now. Everyone tells me to give up and just go on with life. It was amusing though since they made it sound like she died. Luckily, shes been showing signs of improvement which made me happy. Shes been moving around more in her sleep, squirming and making several small motions. It was as if she was in a dream...or a nightmare. By how she moved it looked like she was having a rather radical one. I quietly sat down on the chair next to the bed, the same one I've sat on weeks before and smiled weakly at her, chuckling. They say that the more time you spend with a person in a comatose, the better chance of them waking up. They say the chances are improved if you talk to them but being the quiet one, I decided to just focus most of my attention on her.

    I chuckled softly as I gently moved my left hand from my legs up to her head. Her hair had grown out a little and a bit more messier then usual. Moving some stray strands away from her face, I couldn't help but frown when I saw the bandages that were wrapped around. The doctors would refresh the bandages every day in hopes of preventing infection and helping her recover. I gently placed a hand on my left cheek, letting my fingers run down slowly down to my throat. I had a small scar on the upper left part of my forehead, concealed by my shaggy black hair along with some disappearing bruises across the left side of my face. I chuckled, it was a sad one though. Sinking my head, I was happy that she would be waking up soon but also saddened and scared. I remembered clearly what she was missing and I didn't want her to wake up with tears in her eyes and confusion in her mind. Unfortunately, no one was willing to give up what she needed though and I chuckled. I gently touched over the wounded part of my face. I tried talking to my parents. Of course they disagreed heavily, calling me a lunatic but they finally caved in. It wouldn't be easy on my side but I couldn't afford to waste much time. Hearing knocking on the door, I turned around and stood up, watching as a nurse entered.

    "Sir, the doctor will see you now" she said.

    I nodded awkwardly and walked towards the entrance. The nurse turned around and led me down the hall. I dug my hands into my pockets nervously, this was something I had to do.

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    "Do you think she'll notice?"
    "Of course she will, it won't be clear until she looks at herself but it will be obvious"
    "...I see"
    "Your a crazy friend, or like her sibling if you were willing to sacrifice yourself for such a frail girl"
    ".....somewhere inbetween that"
    "You know she probably won't be up by the time your gone"
    "Its okay, I'm not angry"

    My body felt horrible. My muscles ached and my lips were awfully dry. I couldn't move my arms or legs at all, I felt awfully weak and a little pained. It took me a minute to gather up the guts to open my eyes. It was such a wonderful sleep. The warmth, comfort, I just wanted to sleep forever but something in my head forced me to wake up. I remembered suddenly what caused me to try so hard to wake up. Then, my eyes fluttered open. I temporarily blind and screamed softly, my eyes burning from the unexpected light. Sitting up, my vision was extremely blurry but I could tell someone entered the room. Actually a group of people. First a man in white, then a woman in white, then several people in casual clothing. My vision began to improve slowly and I recognized the people behind the people in white, my family. I looked around though, someone was missing, he was missing and for some strange reason, I began to scream.

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    Its been two days since I woke up from comatose. In those two days, I had to spend some time with getting reacquantained with my legs. It was so embarrassing, I had forgotten how to walk and occasionally tripped or stumbled to the ground. They said I was lucky that my body wasn't too weakened and they wouldn't let me out of the hospital until I passed rehabilitation. I also spent the free time doing school work in the hospital. It was awfully boring but I managed to get all of the important junk down in the two days. I was in some fresh clothes now, finally. My favorite winter outfit, a blue wool sweater that I proudly made myself. It had some black star designs on it and over the sweater I wore a white bubble jacket. A long green scarf that reached down towards my kneecaps was wrapped nice and snug around my neck as I followed daddy out of the hospital and into the car. Adjusting my rather loosely fit white pants, I shook the snow off my black boots as I entered the back seat, tucking in the seat belt.

    "Are you excited to see him for the first time after your beauty sleep, dear?"

    I raised my head and looked at my dad. I shook my head slowly and then nodded, nervously fumbling with a small purple present box I had in my lap.

    "Um...yes and no" I replied.

    Lowering my head, I stared at my feet, shuffling them nervously as I chuckled weakly.

    "He's leaving, right?" I asked.
    "Don't get upset dear, just because hes going to leave doesn't mean you won't see him ever again" he replied.

    Daddy closed the door for me and I smiled, blushing as I silently thanked him. Watching as he entered the drivers seat, I heard the car cough and stutter until it roared with life, the lights turning on and green neon lighting up the speed o' meter. Watching as we left the driveway, I sighed softly, taking off my scarf and bubble jacket. The car began to heat up through the heater and I blushed gently, placing my hands on my laps, tightly holding the present box. Was he okay? Was he mad at me for falling asleep for so long? Should I feel happy, sad or something else? All of these questions were going through my mind. It was funny since I was the one that saved his butt from harm and yet I felt like it was all my fault. I closed my eyes and sighed, maybe I'll know what to do once I get to the airport.

    A gentle nudge on my shoulder woke me up and I slowly opened my eyes. Looking to my right, I noticed the door was open.

    "Dad?" I asked.

    Once my vision settled, I gasped quietly, surprised to see who it really was. I smiled softly and gently took his hand, letting him guide me out of the car, using my free hand to place the present box in my pocket. I immediatedly hugged the boy, my friend as soon as I got out of the car and smiled happily.

    "Its you!"

    The boy looked at me straight in the eye. Though his face seemed stotic, a small tint of pink flushed his cheeks and I giggled as quietly as I could. He seemed much different, not just the fact that he looked thinner but also his eyes..or should I say eye. His hair had grown, it was longer then a boys hair should have been the last time I saw him but now it went down his shoulders. One side of his face was covered with his long bangs and after staring at me for a couple of seconds he smiled.

    "I'm sorry for bringing you out here like this". The boy gently slipped out of my hug and bowed half way.
    "Hey, hey, no formalities, I told you time and time again", I replied, slightly annoyed. I pat his back and laughed lightly, trying to keep the mood upbeat and cheerful. "I came here on my own, ditching you would have been too cruel" I explained.

    The boy's blush intensified and he looked away, nodding as he folded his arms across his chest. He pointed towards two distant figures near the entrance and I immediatetly recognized them as his parents. Looking behind me, I noticed that my dad was already gone, perhaps looking for a parking space. I waved at the parents and jogged up to them, smiling as I hugged them both tightly.

    "Mister and Misses Kin! It's so good to see you two"
    The two looked at me awkwardly and nervously but managed to put on a small smile.
    "Y-Yes, its good to see you too, Kimimori" said the father.

    Motioning towards the entrance, the father looked at his son and then me. "You two go ahead, we will catch up".

    I looked at my friend who had already snuck up to my side. Smiling at him, I tried my best to keep my personality cheerful but each passing minute seemed to strain my heart. "Come on then, lets go on a date~~". Grabbing his hand, I led him through the airport, keeping up in front of him as I stared forward sadly. "Only two more hours, huh?".

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    An hour and twenty minutes had passed. Sitting on a ledge, slurping up the remains of my soda, I looked up at the boy and smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm sure your father was stationed there for a good reason, right?" I asked optimistically. Leaping down when I finished drinking my soda, I threw away the empty cup and looked at him, a little sad. "Um..lets go then, right?" I asked, my voice now soft and weak. I walked with him up to security and then a security guard stopping me, guiding me to the terminal that had my friend and his family's flight. He told me to wait there and that they would come up in a couple of minutes. Deciding to take the alone time to reflect, I sat down on one of the empty seats and sighed. Closing my eyes, I frowned as I looked down at the ground, most of my hair covering my face as I took several deep breaths. It was so difficult to take in. Why did he have to leave? It wasn't fair. Before I could break down and cry, I felt something tug at my pants and I looked up.

    A young boy, no older then nine was pulling on my pants, trying to get my attention. I wiped my eyes, even though they were dry and smiled at him. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

    The kid only smiled at me for a couple of seconds with his youthful face and I smiled back. He then leaned forward and said...
    "Why do your eyes look weird?"

    I looked at him, confused. Chuckling nervously, I shook my head at him. "Umm...I think you should go back to your parents". I heard someone calling for a 'Ken' and before the boy could say anything else, he left. I was confused though, about what he said. Before I knew it though, I felt two hands on my shoulders and I looked up. Smiling weakly to see it was him, I tilted my head and chuckled. "We only got five more minutes huh?" I asked. Standing up, I looked at him and reached into my pockets. "Before I forget, please take this" I pleaded, handing him a present with both hands.

    "Don't open it until you get in the plane...I'm sorry it isn't much"
    "So, what did you get for me?" I asked, curious as my eyes sparkled lightly.

    The boy smiled and he reached into one of his briefcases, unzipping a small pocket and taking out a strangely shaped present wrapped in blue. I offered it to me and I stared at it for a moment.

    "Take it" he said.
    "Oh, right, sorry" I replied.

    Taking the present, I looked up at him and tilted my head. "What is it?" I asked. The boy shook his head. "Be patient, wait until I'm gone" he replied. I nodded and held it tightly in my left hand.

    "So this is the end of the line...huh?" I asked.

    The boy said nothing and I grapped onto my leg arm with my right tightly, sometimes he seemed to be cold. Staring at the ground, I began to shake weakly.

    "A boy said...my eyes look weird...do you know what he meant by it?" I asked.

    The boy looked at me but said nothing, his face stern.

    I looked up at the boy then down at the ground, biting my lower lip to prevent myself from crying. "...why do you have to leave" I asked. Shaking my head, I sat back down, sadness clenching my heart tightly. "Please don't go..".

    The boy just looked at me and kneeled, hugging me tight as he nuzzled his forehead close to mine affectionently. "Say no more and stop crying" he replied. Looking at me after a good minute or so, he let go of me. "No matter where I am, we will still have each other". The boy smiled and stood up, petting my head gently, the way he would always do whenever I'd feel down. "...Good bye, Triona". The boy turned around and left. Looking up at him, I watched as he entered into the tunnel with his family, into the airplane. Once he left, my hands shaking, I ripped up the wrapped up present.

    It was a mirror, a really nice one with a gold handle with a note taped on the back. Deciding to read the letter first, I removed the tape and unfolded it, reading it quietly.

    Triona,
    I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, after you had just woken up from the comatose. I know that by the time you got this present you must be confused, emotionally and mentally. Knowing me, you probably know that I'm not very good at expressing words through sound which is why I decided to write this letter. I just wanted to thank you for everything. You became a friend, despite the fact that I had no one else. You accepted me for who I was, not who you wanted me to be. I cannot thank you enough for the loving, cherish and previous moments of life that we shared through the fifteen years of our lives. I hope you like the mirror that I gave you, but thats not the true present that I decided to give you this christmas. When the doctors were examining you, your left eye became blind. I know you still could probably see through your right but it wasn't enough to me. I didn't want you to wake up, knowing that one eye would be blind forever. Please don't think badly of me because of this.
    -Shouhei


    I looked at the letter, shocked after I finished reading it. It was getting more and more difficult to understand. Blind eye? I began to sob quietly. It seemed to make sense, why people tried their best to keep me away from reflective objects. It seemed like nobody wanted me to know until now. Overwhelming emotion surged through my body as tears began to form in my eyes. Looking at the letter one last time as I stifled a sob, I noticed one small part, slightly erased but still readable.

    Don't cry, stare at the road in front of you. Conserve your tears. Save them for when we meet again.

    I wiped the tears from my eyes slowly before they could fully form and coughed, covering my mouth. Soon, the emotion dwindled and I sighed, laying back against the chair, covering my head. "No...I can't cry..." I murmured softly.

    A fierce determenation came into me. I wouldn't cry, there isn't a reason to cry. I know that we would meet again, he even promised. Knowing Shouhei, he kept all of his promises. Instead, my heart felt lighter. Walking up to the large window, I watched as the plane left the strip before looking into the mirror that I had. Starting at my reflection closely, it was then when I noticed what he meant by 'We will still have each other'. I gently let the tips of my fingers run past my left eye. It was an icey blue. The same color as Shouhei's eyes. I scoffed and smiled weakly. A tear leaving my left eye.

    "Sorry....I guess one tear wouldn't be too bad..."

    Then, I noticed small engravings near the top of the mirror. Looking closely, I read it softly and this is what it said.

    "Merry Christmas"



    -end <3