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Esperança

She turned to cover her face using the white sheet, preventing the sunlight passing through the window to penetrate her hazy eyes. The lady grabbed a firm hold of the blanket as she felt that there was someone tugging at the end of it.

"Five more minutes!" a groan escaped from her lips as she stubbornly tried to sleep again.

"It's time to drink your medicine; the nurse will come to check you up soon." At last, the other woman succeeded to wake her up. Slowly, she got up from her bed with her bestfriend's help. "Good morning Moko-san!" the injured person greeted Kanae Kotonami as she glared at her in return while putting her breakfast on her bed's table.

"Thank you!" she energetically lifted her chopsticks as she looked at Kanae, "Have you eaten already? We should eat; food tastes better when we eat it with someone!" Her cheerfulness slowly disappeared as she scanned her surroundings, sinking in to her mind that she was still in the hospital.

"Moko-san."

"What?"

"Has he—" her question was cut off with a light knock from the door as a man wearing his white uniform entered her room. She smiled and greeted him, forgetting her gloomy expression earlier.

"How are you feeling today? Have you drunk your medicine yet?" the man inquired as Kanae stood up from the chair beside Kyoko's bed and sat on the couch at the side instead, offering her previous sit to the visitor.

The interrogatee nervously looked at her bestfriend as they exchanged glances. "I'll be taking that as not yet."

"A-are you angry? I-I haven't finish eating my breakfast yet." She peaked at his face; her face fell as a look of disappointment flashed in it. "S-sorry," that sounded like a whisper but it never escaped from his ears.

"Look at me," tension ran into her body. He's angry.

"Look at me," he repeated. He's really angry.

She hesitated but complied; she looked up and was surprised because of his chuckle. "I'm just joking Kyoko-chan." Kyoko lightly hit his arm as she laugh together with him, "Don't scare me like that! I thought you're mad for real!"

Hiding his smile, he eyed her remaining food as he grasped the chopstick and took a piece of food then placed it in front of her. "Finish your food so you can drink your medicine." The girl just stared at the food, "Eat," he sound as if commanding.

"I can use my hands," she tried to snatch the chopsticks from him but his hand not even budged.

"No, eat." He gave her no choice but to follow him even if she was a bit embarrassed by this situation. She looked at the couch to ask for some back up from her bestfriend but she was not there. She guessed that she already went to work and she did not even noticed because her mind was preoccupied of the conversation between her and the white clothed man.

"Staying in this room all the time is tiresome isn't it?" Kyoko had finished drinking her medicine a while ago and they were just chatting now like their everyday routine. The man was assigned to attend to her ever since she woke up from a three-day comatose.

Her memory of the accident was a little foggy for her mind to fully remember detail by detail but only one thing mattered most: if it wasn't for that accident then he would still be there.

"Good morning, Kyoko-chan." He greeted her with a smile, "How was your sleep?"

"Nurse, what's your name again?"

"S-sho."

"Ah, Sho-san. You know, you have the same hair colour as him." She said with a pained expression.

"Kyoko-chan, you should smile more. It suits you. "

She forced a smile, "There. "

"Sho-chan, when will I be discharge?"

"Why? Don't you want to see me anymore?" He inquired, teasing her in the process.

Her voiced was a little bit loud this time. "No, I'm glad that you were here Sho-chan. But—" she trailed off with the same sad expression that reached her eyes again.

"No! Kuon, don't leave me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. It was like the other nights; there she was, screaming again in another nightmare. The damages she had due to the accident were slowly healing, but not her heart. Not her loneliness with his absence.

"Kyoko-chan," seconds later he rushed to her room as soon as he heard her scream. After all, he was there at the front of her door all along.

"Are you alright?" he handed her a glass of water then assisted her to get up.

"Sho-chan." Tears started to stream from her eyes, the tears that she tried to suppress until that moment. He patted her shaking shoulders, "What should I do Sho-chan?"

"Do you love him that much?" There was a pain hinted in his voice but she didn't notice it.

"Moko-san, when is he coming back?" Kanae just stared at her, not saying anything.

"Moko-san, he promised me!" Kyoko shook her arms but she refused to say anything. Her hysteria was becoming more frequent.

Kyoko sobbed like there was no tomorrow. Along her cries were words of longing to her beloved. She stood up to rip the needles attached to her. Kanae tried to stop her but she was unstoppable.

"Stop it, Kyoko!" Kanae shouted in frustration and worry.

"Where is he? If he won't come I'm going to find him!" Kyoko turned to run for the door but a man blocked her way.

"Don't try to stop me Sho-chan."

Paying no heed to her words, he carried her back to her bed as she struggled to get away.

"Kuon, where are you?" she buried her palms in her face as her cries got louder. Seeing her damaged state, the blonde hugged his shaking framed to coo her. "It's alright now, I'm here Kyoko."

But she forced herself to be freed from his embrace. "Don't touch me; I don't need you Sho-chan. You're not Kuon." His eyes got widen but he did not say anything and he slowly backed off, flashing an apologetic glance at Kanae's direction.

Seeing him leave, Kanae approached her bed. "Moko-san, Kuon loves me right?" Kyoko's temperament changed from one to another like some crazy person. She stared at her and was surprised when Kanae slapped her.

"Moko-san. why?"

"Kyoko, wake up!" The girl just looked at her puzzled.

"Huh?"

"How about this, can you still remember Kuon-san?"

"Yes, how can I ever forget? I love him. I will never forget him."

"Then how does he look like?"

"That's an out of the topic question with obvious answer, Moko-san."

"Just answer it, will you?"

"Of course, Kuon has blonde hair and," she paused, trying to recollect the face of her lover.

"And what?" Kanae retorted.

"And—" she clutched her head. Why couldn't she remember? "I don't know." Her agonising cries started again as Kanae looked at her with pity in her eyes. She left her, facing the blonde man who was worried and pained.

"How is she, Kanae-san?"

"Just how long can you keep this up?" She inquired, eyeing the broken man in front of her.

"I don't know."

"She doesn't even remember your face or anything about you!"

"But she remembered my name." his voice was starting to crack.

"But Kuon-san, she did not even recognize you! How pathetic can you get? You're just hurting yourself. To her, you are just nothing but Sho-chan." She ruffled her hair in frustration, "I don't know what to do with you two."

The pain, passion and love were evident in his eyes as he smiled bitterly, "Then I will be Sho-chan for her."

Esperança-Hope