ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｆｏｒｔｙ－ｆｉｖｅ

[chapter's ost]

♟

The lights flickered for awhile as the electricity seemed to be malfunctioning, the generator machine immediately taking cover. A loud buzzing pushed through the thick barrier of silence right after the room became surprisingly cold.

Daisuke remained wordless while scanning the holographic screen that the medical staff plastered in front of them. Some of her words were inaudibly fuzzy for him, the hollow daze in his chest producing more sound in his perspective than the mumbling of the woman.

"While making the medicine, we ran tests with willing volunteers who were a carrier of the disease. We were very satisfied with the results since the glucose level seemed to be highly decreasing and were maintained in a stable percentage." The redhead glided her fingers, zooming on some of the statistical analysis that would support her statement.

"However after a handful of months after the volunteers' intake, their islets of Langerhans seemed to reduce its synthesizing function. This resulted to the resuming of the organ's inability to control its production of insulin."

"It's.. It's really impossible to deter this kind of disease, especially since it was genetic."

The continuation of her sentence pierced through the ravenette's hearing quite clearly, yet he somehow just wished that he wasn't able to apprehend what it meant. His temper seemed to abnormally rise, his weak and fragile heart begging for him to melt. He unconsciously clenched his teeth together without parting his lips, his jaw moving in an exasperated pace.

"W.. Then.. Why.. Why did you gave me that.. that medication when it was still actually not completely proven to work?"

"We predicted it to be successful, Mr. Kambe. There was some good progress on the reports that we were compiling about the test subjects. It's just that, the human body immediately built a resistance force against the DPP-4."

There was a stinging sound of harsh metal thud that snapped the middle-aged woman's attention away from the files that she was trying so hard to explain. The dullness that her dark eyes possessed seemed to crash in a quick second after witnessing the male slamming his palm on top of her working desk.

The doctor was intimated but, she can't blame the boy. His reaction was reasonable, most especially since she gave him a bittersweet false hope despite her not intending to. She felt horrible to look at the pained expression on his once composed stance, her own self disappointed with what she just caused to.

"I did not pay you and your team to predict. I paid you to.. to save a life."

With his chest and mind that seemed to tug his soul desperately out of his body, he wasn't able to control his self as he aggressively shove his hands into his face before sliding it into the locks of his hair. He tilted his head up while pleading his emotions to not attempt an escape from the grasp of his eyes.

"I'm.. deeply sorry, Mr. Kambe. B-But, there's this one benefit that the team and I would like to inform you... I.. I hope you would still hear me out."

•••

A staggering amount of heavily-tinted clouds pestered what was supposed to be a cheerful night sky. The buoyant color of bluish violet transformed into a grayish hue as the wisp of wind became sickeningly freezing. Strong drops of water fell down the earth, beating unto the earth's ground like a humongous drum.

(Y/N) shuddered upon the same set of air passed right through the exposed skin of her neck. A frown conquered the best of her expression while observing her precious pet chicken shivering with the cold weather as well despite the fowl now being wrapped with a mini comforter.

She proceeded to mix her cocoa powder with the hot water, her eyes strained on the satisfying scene of the fine particles being dominated with the warmth of the liquid that she was pouring into her mug. There was a sweet hum that triumphantly spurted out of her as the bitter drink trickled down her throat.

Just before she could take another sip on the satisfying chocolate refreshment, there was a knock heard on her front door. A feeling of confusion and curiosity won the best of her while she made her way to the origin of the sound. Her fingers gripped on the knob and turned it hesitantly.

The rain was still hostile that it pummeled above her poor roof. Some whisks of thunder occasionally whispered on the sleeping earth, the menacing lightning running a few seconds before it. As cunning as the situation sounds, there seems to be a certain individual that still persisted to stand on her front porch amidst the weather.

"D-Daisuke! What are you-" Her own sentence was cut by the spontaneous stopping of her futile heartbeats after feeling her sweater desperately seeping the chilling temperature of the water from the boy's hair as he suddenly dropped his forehead on the comfort of her shoulder.

The ravenette was ashamed with the fact that he was very drenched yet he still has the audacity to bombard her supposed to be resting time and actually caused her clothes to be damp with him. Out of instinct, he flinched upon noticing a new source of warmth and later on realized that it was the young woman patting his back.

She has no idea why he was here at this time yet she knew something was wrong. Daisuke is very secretive with his emotions and she knows this too well. Him being this freely expressive towards her means that there is something that he would like to be comforted with. Even if her mind was persuading her to brace herself for the upcoming events, she still absentmindedly welcomed the soaked boy by wrapping her arms around his slumped shoulders ever so gently.

"Let's get inside and dry you up, Daisuke. I don't want you to catch a cold."

•••

(Y/N) took another long sip on her cocoa before gingerly placing her mug back on top of her center table. Her (e/c) irises landed on the male who was currently being wrapped with a couple of blankets and was now in a fresh set of clothes. It was a good thing that she owns a lot of baggy pajamas.

Daisuke's sight was strained on the floor as he just successfully explained everything to the young woman. He thought that the imaginary rock that was weighing him down would disappear once he have told her the misfortunes that he have encountered with yet for some very odd reason, it just stayed there.

"So.. the cure did not actually lifted my disease away from my bloodstream... however... it gave me somewhat an extension of a maximum of five more years to live?"

He refused to look at her directly as she spoke once again. The pang of pain that ached through his chest was too much and he was well aware that it would be strengthened if he gave his self a chance to gaze at the softness that her (e/c) eyes hold. All he could do as a response was a nod.

The young woman's lips were slightly curved in dismay... but this is not because she was disappointed that the medicine did not work. She already expected to have a certain deadline anyway; in fact, having an additional years to bask into the world's sunlight for the second time is a blessing for her.

What she was worried about was the extreme grief that plaid across the ravenette's unflawed porcelain skin.

"Can't I just you know.. drink the medicine every five years so that.. I could always extend my numbered days here." She grinned with her mundane jokes in an attempt to uplift his mood up along with some childish chuckles. In accordance to receiving no positive reaction to her statement, the smile that she sewed on her lips faltered as she stopped her quiet giggles.

"An individual can only drink the cure once in their life due to it having high levels of toxins." His straight-to-the-point answer made her clear her throat, dusting her clothes afterwards.

"Ah.. bummer." (Y/N) mumbled before taking her mug again to take another sip.

It was very peculiar for Daisuke to hear her so casually talking about her literal deadline. This seemed to strike something in him as another wave of guilt and anxiety came crashing down at him after he comprehended why she was like this. She was already used to thinking that she's going to depart young. It pained him to think about this because even if she was prepared to cross the other side of the line...

...he knew too well that he will never be ready if that day comes.

The ravenette, without hesitation, gripped on the blankets and took it away from him. The fabric slid down his shoulders at ease for it was incredibly soft. His next move was something that he never saw his self doing that even the young woman was surprised.

(Y/N) panicked upon witnessing Daisuke a couple of steps away from her, only this time he was on his knees. His abrupt action caused her mind to burst into different questions as she mentally asked herself why he was doing it.

"O-Oi! The floor's very dirty, please stand-"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence when the male let his arms be propped on the ground, his composure now switched into a grovelling stance. His head was hung so low that he could already feel the dust from the floor clutching unto his bare forehead.

Not once in his life did he ever envision himself to submit into this kind of pitiful act yet this certain woman that he cared ever so deeply made him do this without even asking to. It was out of his will to do so... he might never know how, but one thing is for sure.

He loves her so much.

"I... I am sorry, (Y/N). All.. All I wanted was to.. to give you a lifetime to spend with someone that will make you happy... I never intended to.. bring false hope." Daisuke cursed himself after feeling the planks beneath his ever so tantalizing oceanic irises be pestered with warm droplets of salty liquid. Is he crying?

He is.

"Don't.. don't say it like that, Daisuke. You did nothing wrong."

The boy winced after feeling a pair of hands pressed against his cheeks. He was carefully guided to look up as a view of the (h/c) haired girl now kneeling down as well infront of him welcomed his sight. She tenderly caressed his face while wiping the tears that shamelessly adorned him, a genuine smile now etched on her lips.

Her beam made his breath hitch as he stared at how the fluorescent light glossed her eyes that seemed to be holding hundreds of emotions at this moment. It was magnificent how her touch calmed him, his head tilting to the side as he begged to feel more of her warmth. He just hopes that he doesn't look pathetic towards her.

"I.. I should actually thank you.." (Y/N) slowly directed his body to sit up to which he mindlessly obliged. His body was as versatile as water when she's the one controlling and this never bothered him.

The young woman leaned closer towards him before wrapping her arms around him, burying her face on the side of his neck. His hand landed immediately on her back, gripping on her shirt like a defenseless child as he fluttered his eyes closed and drowned himself with the feeling of comfort around her.

"You gave me a chance to spend more time with you."