“Today, I will begin…” The man started. “…A new beginning with you, my love.”

A young girl immediately turned off the television, not in the mood to watch something like that.

She wanted to be out of the hospital, to be free.

But attaining that was impossible for her.

Makeshift Necklace

It was like a prison, this place. Nothing but white walls and the smell of the medicine you needed to take a little too much more than you wanted. But there was no escape, in this hall, of this building, cause to stay here is to stay here for your whole lifetime. Once you are checked in this part of the hospital the only check out is when the last breath slips out of your body.

That was, more or less, how thought about hall H.

The fourteen year old had grown tired of the sameness in the hall. For years it was the same process, never ending. The doctors and nurses would always say, “You’ll get better soon, –san.” But the girl wasn’t stupid.

She saw the looks on their faces whenever they checked her condition through the monitors. She remembers her mother’s tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes looking at her after talking about the young with the doctor. Her father, as far as she knew, had long given up that his precious daughter would be able to once again play and run free on the court.

“ –san, it’s time for your medication.” A young nurse came in. made a face; it was the same cycle all over again.

* * *


“Buchou!”

Yukimura turned to his team, smile on his face. “Nice of you guys to come by. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem.” Yagyuu Hiroshi said. “You are our buchou, Yukimura.”

Kirihara approached his captain and said, “At least you didn’t get sent to that part of the hospital where the patients have absolutely no hope…” He grinned but the grin immediately turned into a pout when their vice-captain, Sanada, had smacked him on back of his head.

“Don’t say that, Akaya.”

“Alright, alright. Sorry about that, buchou.”

Yukimura’s smile never left his face though. “Its okay, Akaya. Hey, maybe you should run and get us all some snacks from the store nearby. I don’t think you’ll all like the hospital food…” He joked and gave a light chuckle.

“Okay~” Kirihara being the respectful kohai, well to Yukimura, exited the room and started heading out of the hospital.

* * *


“I can never get used to the taste of those medicines.” stuck her tongue out of distaste.

She was taking her daily walk around the hospital. She wasn’t allowed outside without a nurse, but she didn’t want anyone following her around. She felt it constricted her freedom.

needed something to take out the bitter taste in her mouth though. Water wasn’t enough to wash it away. So she asked for a juice box from a nurse. Slightly twitched at the fact that they didn’t have any straws left. Just her luck.

Busy with the thoughts running back and forth in her mind she didn’t notice a young man jogging towards her, that is, until she bumped into him.

“Ahhh---!!!!”

The two crashed and ended up in the floor. A couple of juice boxes and small rice balls were on the ground and immediately picked them up as soon as she got back to her senses. “You should really watch where you’re going…” She said, handing over the food to him.

Akaya looked up at the girl, blinking. “Excuse me?” He asked, eyes now narrowing. “You’re the one who was in my way.”

“You’re not supposed to be running in the halls.”

The Rikkai Dai second year rolled his eyes. “Well, sorry---!” Kirihara stood up and brushed himself, as did the girl. “Kirihara Akaya.” He suddenly introduced himself, not knowing why. Only then did he realize that he was holding his hand out for her to shake.

took the hand, her eyebrows rising a bit. “ .”

The junior ace saw another juice box on the ground and picked it up. “Is this yours?” He saw nod and was about to give it back when he noticed something. “No straw?”

The other shrugged. “The hospital ran out.” She stated simply. looked at him with slight surprise when the boy gave her a straw from the plastic he was carrying along with her juice. “Don’t you need that?”

“It’s okay. I have an extra.” He grinned at her. “Well, I gotta go to my team now. See ya!” Kirihara turned away and headed off to his captain’s room.

stared at his retreating back and frowned. She was sure that he had only enough straws. There was no extra.

True to her thoughts, Kirihara Akaya was lying.

* * *


“You idiot.” Niou bonked him slightly on the head. “You forgot a straw for yourself?”

Kirihara pouted in return. “I didn’t forget.” He stared blankly at his food, his mind suddenly going back to the scene a while ago. He felt like she was familiar, like he had met her long before. He shrugged those thoughts away immediately when his captain called his attention. "Uhmm… yes, buchou?"

Seiichi gentle smile was present on his face once more. "There are many interesting people here, you know." He said, referring to the occupants of this hospital.

Akaya blinked. Is his captain psychic or something?

* * *


The next time he had seen her was two weeks later, when the tennis player had missed the floor where Yukimura was at. He got off the floor above, with all intention to go down the stairs to get to the proper hall. He got redirected though, when he saw a familiar face sitting down on a bed.

"I didn't know you were in this hall."

He probably startled her, seeing as she jumped slightly at his voice. "Ah… sorry. Did I surprise you?" He asked apologetically. The girl turned to him as he approached her bed.

"It's not that… I'm just not used to getting visitors anymore." replied simply, traces of previous boredom slightly disappearing. "Why are you here?"

He laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I was thinking too much… so I missed the floor my captain's at while riding the elevator." Akaya saw her mouth form a small smile, and at that moment he felt something warm bloom in his chest.

"Captain?" The young asked, seemingly interested. "Do you play a sport?"

At that Akaya smiled proudly. "Yup! I'm part of the Rikkai Dai tennis regulars!"

"Tennis?" She blinked up at him. "I used to play tennis, too."

"Really?! Hey, maybe when you get better we can play sometime!" He said enthusiastically.

He didn't notice her smile dropping a little. "Maybe."

"Great!"

* * *


sighed as soon as the boy left. Even now, she didn't want to accept the fact that she can never play her favorite sport ever again. She may be denying her sickness with that, but she didn't care. There were times she denies everything around her.

She refused to believe it all even after four years in this hospital. Her condition, the hospital, the medicines, the fact that she was going to die… all of it, she didn't want to believe.

But knew she had to accept everything soon…

Her time was already running out.

* * *


Kirihara visited her again after stopping by his captain's room. He saw her reading a tennis magazine featuring, Rikkai Dai and Seigaku, the two teams up in the Kantou finals.

He grabbed a chair from the side and sat beside her bed. "What do you think? About my team, I mean."

glanced at him and shrugged. "People expect a lot from all of you… being champions for the past two years." She closed the magazine and set it aside.

He grinned back at her. "And we're making this year our glorious third win." That was when he noticed a string wrapped around her neck. "What's that?" Akaya asked, pointing at the makeshift necklace.

She took it out from inside her shirt, to show it better. Strangely enough, hanging from the string were two pieces of cylinder shaped plastic. The dark haired boy looked at it carefully. "Pieces of straw?"

"People may think of it as weird, but these two have some significant memory in them…" She said. "One of them came from a boy I met a couple of years ago…"

"And the other one?" Kirihara couldn't help but feel they both looked familiar.

"Ah… It's the one you gave me the first time we met."

Kirihara looked at her face, eyebrows raised. He noticed a faint blush on her cheeks creeping up and grinned. "That's significant?"

clutched the two pieces of straw in her hand. "I haven't gotten anything from everyone in a long time, okay?" She was looking away, face red. She turned her face back to him when she heard him laugh.

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about, –chan." He smiled, not minding the fact he had used her given name. "I'm honored, really."

She smiled at him for the second time since they met and Akaya felt that he was, indeed, honored.

* * *


Rikkai Dai lost the Kantou championship.

Kirihara was devastated, but at the same time relieved that at least Yukimura-buchou was alive and well. But with so much anger at himself, he couldn't help but need someone to talk to.

That's when he found himself crying his frustrations out to .

"We lost…" He murmured, his voice sounding a bit like a growl, between the sheets of her hospital bed. gave him a sympathetic look knowing he was upset and angry.

"It's okay…" She told Kirihara. She really didn't know what to say. She didn't actually expect for him to come to her.

Akaya looked up at her, eyes flaring. "How did I lose to him? I shouldn't have!"

"You loss the match…"

"I didn't! I refuse to have lost!"

"You're in denial."

"I am not!" He growled, but then he felt himself getting quiet when he saw 's expression.

"Denying is never a good thing." She stared at him with a face he had never seen before. "Right now, you're denying your loss, Kirihara Akaya. As an athlete you shouldn't do that." Kirihara looked away from her. He knew she was right.

"…" He glanced back up and saw a frown on 's face.

"I know how you feel, somehow." said. "I've been denying my sickness since day one. Thinking it's the end of the road for me. But I forgot one thing; you should accept what has happened rather contradicting with it. Losses always lead new beginnings, you know. Besides, you haven't lost yet. You can still redeem yourself in the Nationals."

Akaya took a deep breath, and exhaled all his anger away. "You're right, . Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Kirihara had never been so thankful to have a friend like her.

* * *


The second year ace visited the sick girl often, enjoying his time with her. They talked about various things, from food to tennis to even books. And when Kirihara came back from the Junior Selection Camp, he went straight to her hospital room, telling her all about it.

"Hey, when do you think you'll be released?" He carelessly asked one day. He was too busy looking at the game they were playing to notice her smile dropping.

"I'm not sure." She replied with no emotion.

"Oh. Ok." Kirihara continued pressing the buttons on his controller. "But you should come watch one of my matches sometime, if you like."

"I wish I could. If I had enough time."

* * *


"Akaya~! You lost! Haha!"

"Wah~! No fair!" A small kid with wild hair pouted at his friend.

"You gotta buy me some juice now!" Akaya's playmate grinned.

Kirihara grumbled at his loss, and started to head for the vending machine. There he found a girl his age staring at her juice box.

"Is there something wrong?" He casually asked. The girl was startled, but she looked up at him and nodded her head a bit.

"No straw."

Akaya blinked and continued to the machine. He dropped a couple of coins into the slot and out came two boxes of juice, both with straws stuck on it. The boy took a straw from one of the juice boxes and held it out to her. "Here."

"But… don't you need it?"

"It’s okay!" He grinned at her. "Oh yeah, my name is Kirihara Akaya! You?"

"My name is---- "

Beep---- Beep----

Akaya grumbled, his hands searching for the button to turn the alarm off. He sat up rubbing his eyes. 'What a strange dream…'

He yawned and headed for the bathroom. He had school to attend to.

* * *


Even if the Nationals were already taking place, Kirihara still found time to come over to 's room. Most of the staff working there already knew him and always greeted the boy whenever he came by. He was getting along with , and the nurses appreciated that. But some of them also thought that he was getting along with her too well.

Weeks passed by with almost daily visits. It was a small observation but it seemed that got paler and more exhausted each day. Kirihara frowned whenever he looked at her, but he shrugged it off. It was probably something that happens to her once in a while. He knew though that he was worried… and in denial.

In denial at the fact that something was terribly wrong with her.

* * *


"My name is---- "

Beep---- Beep----

The tennis player slowly opened his eyes. It was that dream again. The girl and the straw.

He jumped off his bed in slight irritation. He never found out the name of the girl. Akaya had long found out that it wasn't a simple dream, that it was something from his past. So he wanted to know that girl. But besides it being an event from his childhood, he swore that someone mentioned something like that to him. Kirihara cursed at the fact that he could be forgetful.

He took a shower and dressed up, with all intention to visit once more. He was drawn to her - attracted, maybe. Kirihara wanted to smack himself whenever Niou teased him about 'being in love with the secret girl in the hospital' and found he did not mind the teasing at all.

Because the truth was, he liked her. It may not be love, but he liked her.

She was good company and a good friend. Whenever she smiled, Akaya found himself smiling too. was his first female friend, as most girls were afraid of him after seeing his tennis. But the had claimed to have seen his matches on TV and said that she enjoyed watching him play. Kirihara may not admit it, but he wanted to hug her when she said that. All in all, was someone he was glad to have met.

And somehow, she reminded him of someone in his dreams.

* * *


"Yeah! We're in the Finals, !" Kirihara exclaimed after busting in her room. "We are SO gonna beat Seigaku this time!"

gave him a smile. "Congratulations."

He sat down on the chair beside her bed grinning wide. "Thanks."

avoided eye contact for a moment or two, contemplating if she should tell him. She sighed, and decided that he had the right to know.

Kirihara looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Is there something wrong?" He didn't know if it was a yes or a no when she just smiled weakly.

"You know, it's strange that I met you in such a weird way." 's fingers found their way to the string on her neck. "Through a straw, out of all things." She chuckled. "I met someone the same way before."

Akaya frowned, he didn't understand where this was going.

"I met him again, the same boy from years ago. I was really glad I did, for some reason.

"…Kirihara-kun, I'm going to… 'go' sometime this week. Thursday, maybe."

"Oh!" The tennis player's eyes widened. "Really?! That's great, isn't it? Hey, maybe you'll be able to watch my match! It's on Thursday too!"

gave him a sad smile. "I don't think I can. I may not be able to see you again."

Suddenly, Kirihara felt all his energy being drained away from him. "…Oh."

Seeing his reaction, she reached from behind her neck and handed her makeshift necklace to him. "Here." The other looked at her questionably. "For good luck." She smiled.

He took it from her staring at it. Two cut pieces of straw hung from the string, making it like the charms of the necklace. "Thanks. I'll wear it during my match."

For some reason, a few seconds later, he found himself doing an unexpected act.

He kissed her.

It was a light one, but once he realized what he had done he immediately pulled away. Akaya turned red in embarrassment and stood up. "I'm sorry." He murmured. "I have to go." The dark haired teen rushed out of the door, not hearing what had said.

"Goodbye."

He didn't visit her anymore.

* * *


It was finally the grand finals of this year's Nationals. It'll be Rikkai Dai's third win, no doubt. Everyone was excited about the whole event…

…. Except Kirihara Akaya.

He was looking around the audience hoping to see one particular face. He was clearly disappointed when he wasn't able to find what he was looking for.

"Looking for your girlfriend, Akaya?" Niou asked the junior when he had caught him looking around for the nth time.

Kirihara glared at his senpai. "She's not my girlfriend." He said quite sourly.

"I thought she wasn't allowed out of the hospital…" Marui popped in the conversation.

"She's being released today." That, apparently, caught Yukimura's attention.

The captain approached him. "Akaya, you never told us which hall your friend's in…"

Kirihara looked back at him. "Uhmm… Hall H." He then noticed a frown forming on Seiichi's face. "Why?"

"Akaya… I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"…Your loss."

He was confused at the reply at first, but then realization suddenly dawned upon him. "… That hall is…"

* * *


He ran to the hospital as if his life depended on it.

"…That hall is…"

"The only way you can check out of that hall… is when you die."

After finding about that, Yukimura let him go reassuring him that they'll do okay without him.

'Stupid! Idiot!' He mentally scolded himself. 'You should've known!'

"Really?! Hey, maybe when you get better we can play sometime!"
"Maybe."

'When she said 'maybe', she meant about getting better!'

"I've been denying my sickness since day one, thinking it's the end of the road for me."

'‘The end of the road for me' meant the end of her life, moron!'

"Hey, when do you think you'll be released?"
"…I'm not sure."

'She wasn't sure because she would never be released!'

"Oh ok. But you should come and watch one of my matches sometime, if you like."
"I wish I could. If I had enough time."

'She doesn't have enough time because she's gonna die! She was getting paler everyday, too!'

"I may not be able to see you again."

Kirihara wanted to hit himself so bad. He was really a damned moron! He was unconsciously denying the fact that she was sick… terribly sick. Not only that but he had also denied his feelings for her.

He took 's necklace out of his pocket and clenched it. He wished he would be able to make it in time.

Suddenly, he tripped forward and hit his head on the pavement. Akaya groaned at the pain and with his vision getting blurry he saw a familiar playground with vending machines before his mind blacked out.

"Oh yeah! My name is Kirihara Akaya! Yours?"
"My name is . Nice to meet you."
Kirihara grinned. "You too." He then heard his name being called. "Oh… I gotta go now. See ya!" He turned and started running off.
"Thank you! I'll treasure the straw forever."
Akaya looked back at the girl with a confused face. "She's weird." He murmured. Then when he saw her smiling at him he thought that she may be weird, but she was cute.

Kirihara immediately snapped out of his dream and regained consciousness. He slowly stood up, necklace still in hand. He looked at the two pieces of straw.

"I'll treasure the straw forever!"

"It was…her."

Once again he broke into a mad dash to the hospital.

* * *


" ---!!!"

Kirihara's hope was all lost when he saw her face being covered with a white sheet.

"…No…" He ignored the stares he was getting from, who were probably, 's parents. Out of both disbelief and exhaustion, he fell on to his knees, fists clenched and tears threatening to fall.

"I'm sorry…" A nurse he had seen around a couple of times approached him. "She's gone."

Akaya was having mixed emotions about it all and he ended up shouting. "No! She's not dead, dammit! She can't be!!" His head dropped down low. "She just… can't."

"Come on, I'll take you outside." The nurse helped him up and led him to the waiting room where he sat down silently, staring at the only thing of 's that he had.

An hour later, his team came all wearing gold medals and Yukimura holding a trophy. Rikkai Dai won the Nationals the third straight year in a row. But even so, the air was gloomy as they looked at their youngest member.

The whole time while he waited for his team mates, Kirihara let his thoughts flow. At first he was angry. He was angry at her for not telling him about her condition. But then he realized that she probably didn't want him to worry about her, so she kept herself discreet. Then, he started realizing some things.

Like how much she had meant to him.

How much he cared for her. How much he had slowly fallen for her. Those things he never noticed or gave much thought, even after months of knowing each other. Maybe it was because he was always denying and ignoring everything he felt about her, despite him knowing that he liked her, that he had forgotten to acknowledge what she really meant to him. He cursed himself that he had never gotten the chance to actually appreciate her.

was right. Denying was never a good thing. Because he denied his feelings somehow, he could never get the chance to tell her about how important she was to him. He regretted it. Also, he denied her death at first, but now he had finally acknowledged the fact that she was gone, he no longer disagreed with that very fact.

One thing he will never deny though is that someone by the name of had affected him a lot.




©Karu