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“Emma! I came as soon as I could! What happened?!” Karin exclaimed as she burst through the hospital room door.
“K-Karin-chan?” Emma was laying down in a white hospital bed, dressed in a pink hospital gown. Her face was pale and her teal eyes were red from irritation. She didn’t look well, to say the least.
Karin immediately ran up to Emma and crouched by the bed. “What happened?”
“I- I um…” Emma stuttered out, finding it hard to convey her sickness. “I threw up blood and… and roses. So much that it caused me to be hospitalized.”
“Roses? How did you throw up roses?! What’s going on? This doesn’t make any sense.”
“Karin, there’s something I haven’t told you yet. Before I tell you, can we go outside? I want to get some fresh air.”
“Are you allowed to?”
“I did it earlier with the nurse, we just need to take that with us.” Emma explained, pointing to a tall machine that had a long tube connecting to her arm.
“Okay, I’ll help you up.” With Karin’s help, Emma broke away from her warm bed and placed her feet on the cold tile, sending cold shivers up her spine. She pointed to her shoes on the floor by the edge of the bed, prompting Karin to get them for her.
Hand in hand, they both walk out of the room and to the hospital roof. It wasn’t much, really. Just a flat white concrete floor and horizontal railings all across the edges of the roof.
Emma and Karin stood side by side, staring into the blue sky filled with clouds and a bright sun. The two make their way to the edge, hanging onto the rails and staring at the view ahead of them.
“So, um… do you want to tell me whats going on?” Karin says nervously, looking at Emma’s emotionless face next to her.
“I mean, not really,” Emma said neutrally, not breaking eye contact the skyline, “but I guess I could die at any moment now, seeing how bad it is, so I’ll tell you.” Emma takes a deep breath before continuing, “You know that one disease that makes you throw up flowers? The one that’s caused by unrequited love?”
Karin slowly nods her head.
“Well, I have it. I’ve had it for a couple months actually. You start small, just small flower petals until eventually you get to blood and full flowers. The only way to get rid of it is a very expensive surgery or the person you love says they love you back.” Emma wipes a tear from her cheek and turns around, leaning her back against the railing.
“I- I had no idea… but we’re together all the time, how could I not have noticed?”
“I mean, count the amount of times I’ve gone to the bathroom or excused myself during activities.”
“Oh… I see. Well, why haven’t you gotten the surgery or confess to this person? That person would be stupid to not love you back.”
Emma sadly chuckles. “I guess they’re really stupid then.”
“What if I pay for the surgery? I’ve got money from modeling.”
“No, I don’t want it. Your complete memory of that person disappears. I don’t want to forget them. Thanks though.”
“There has to be a way! I- I can’t lose you, Emma! You’re my best friend, I don’t know what I’d do without you!” Karin pleads while tears start to steam down her face, panicking at the thought of loosing her dearest friend.
“Thats the problem, Karin-chan.” Emma says, another tear falling from her teal eye.
“W-what?”
“I’m your best friend, that’s the problem.”
“I’m not following. Do you not like being friends?” Karin questioned, genuinely confused.
“No, well yes but-.” Emma wipes her tears with her shaking hand, trying to keep herself together. “I don’t- I don’t want to lose you, and that’s why… that’s why I’m like this.”
Karin was still lost, looking at Emma confusingly with foggy vision from crying.
“What are you trying to say? I don’t want to lose you either but I’m still very confused.”
“You know what? I can tell I don’t have much time left anyways-”
“No, Emma don’t say that! You’ll get better and- and you can continue to study at Bunka! And- and then you’ll be a fashion designer and then design clothes that I then model! Re- remember we were going to adopt a cat? We were gonna name her Bella! We would grow old together-” Karin ranted out in between hiccups and sobs. Seeing Karin ball her eyes out all because of her made Emma equally as devastated.
“I really want to stay. I want to live the rest of my life with you, Karin. But- But I can’t.”
“Yes you can! Please, there two solutions! I know this is selfish of me but I can’t live without you so please, choose one. For me.” Karin pleaded, looking deap into Emma’s eyes.
“Okay, then.” Emma wipes her tears and gets up off the railing. She stares back into Karin’s puffy blueberry eyes. She takes a deep breath before continuing, tears rolling out of her eyes once again.
“You. It’s you, Karin-chan. I throw up red roses, your favorite flowers are red roses. You’re the person I love. I- I lo-“ Suddenly, Emma drops to the ground and stars gagging. Beautiful roses covered in dark, red blood coated a spot on the white concrete.
“E-Emma!” Karin crouches down, completely panicking at the traumatizing view of her best friend. She places a hand on Emma’s back, “Emma!”
Emma stops throwing up after a minute and looks up at Karin, breathing heavily. She smiles weekly up at her, tears streaming down her pale face.
Karin places a hand on Emma’s cheek and kisses her on the lips. After a few seconds Karin breaks it, hoping that solved the issue. She stares into Emma’s teal eyes with a slight hope. “I love you, too Emma! I love you!”
But it was already too late.
After saying that, Emma bursts into another throw up session, this one more intense than the last. Karin is left frozen, her eyes glued to the horror infront of her. Emma finally stops and makes eye contact with Karin’s blue eyes, a weak smile painted on her face.
“Thank you, for everything… Karin-chan.” Emma managed to say before falling to her left and onto Karin’s lap. “E-Emma? Emma, wake up! Come on! I’ll get you all the bread and Japanese cuisine! Just- please wake up! Emma!” Karin stared at the person laying in her lap, lightly shaking her. “No no no no no! Please! Please Emma… don’t leave me…” It takes a couple moments for her to finally realize that her dear Emma had passed. She lets out a deafening scream, alerting people in the hospital as well as people walking the streets down below.
~~~
“Karin! Wake up!”
Karin opens her eyes to see a worried brunette shaking her. “Are you okay? You kept making distressed noises in your sleep.”
“Emma?” Karin squinted her eyes, trying to identify the person. Once she came to realize it was really her, she shot up from her spot and bear hugged Emma next to her. “Emma! Im so glad you’re okay!”Emma hugs her back tightly, rubbing her girlfriend’s back for comfort.
They stayed like that for a while, the only noise being Karin’s cries and Emma’s quiet affirmations.
“Can you promise me something?” Karin asks, her face snuggled into the crook of Emma’s neck.
“Depends…” Emma replied, knowing some odd things she’d promised karin before.
“Can you promise to never leave me?”
“I promise I’ll never leave you, Karin. I mean, it would be hard to spend the rest of our lives together if I were to leave you.”
“Thanks, Emma.”
“I’m guessing you had a nightmare about me leaving you?”
“Yeah… But I’m no longer worried about it.” Karin sits up and locks eyes with Emma. Emma gracefully glides her thumb across Karin’s cheek, wiping away her salty tears. “Hey, Emma?”
“Yes?”
“I love you. I know I don’t say it a lot but I truly do. I love you to the moon and back.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Emma asked, surprised at the cheesy, yet sweet, thing her partner said.
“What? Do you not love me back?” Karin pouted, half joking.
“Of course I do! I love you more than anything! But you rarely say stuff like that.”
“Ara ara, you’re turning red Emma.” Karin says smugly, putting a hand under Emma’s chin.
“K-Karin! Wait, it’s pitch black! You can’t even see anything!” Emma pouts.
“You just confessed you were.”
“Bed. I’m going to bed now. I’ve gotta wake up early for collage.” Emma lays down and lays the comforter nicely ontop of her.
“Yeah, yeah…”
“Don’t forget to take Bella to the vet tomorrow.”
“Okay, mama Emma.”
“I’m not a mom…“
“I could make you one.” Karin flashed a foxy grin at Emma.
“How are you horny after having a nightmare?! Plus, it doesn’t even work like that.” Emma playfully argues back, pushing Karin lightly down onto the bed.
“Really? I don’t believe you. We should try, just in case.”
“Ughhhh I’m tiredddd.”
Karin laughs softly before snuggling up against Emma’s chest. “Goodnight, Emma.”
“Goodnight, Karin.”