And here's the final part of the story. Will the Nurse use the power of his slitted eyes to save Misha at the last minute? Will Kenji suddenly appear and cockblock Hisao so hard he won't ever have success with any girl for the next century? Will Shizune jump Hisao's boner as he enters her room?.........Nope to all. Enjoy the story.
Shizune's Silent Cries Final Part
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After what seemed like eternity, he finally heard the lock on the door click. The door slowly opened just enough to allow a pair of blue eyes to peer through the crack. Even in the slight darkness of this hallway, he could tell that Shizune had been crying hard from her puffy eyelids, bloodshot eyes, and no glasses. Hisao gave a solemn nod as her eyes widened in shock at her unexpected guest. She shut the door with a loud bang and he jumped back, his heart fluttering just briefly. He shouldn’t have expected this to be easy after all. After thinking for a moment, he decided to press the button one more time and stood in front of the door for as long as he was able to.
After he waited for about ten minutes, the door suddenly opened and this time it gave just enough space for Hisao to walk through. Once through, Shizune slammed the door behind them. He jumped in surprise and she seemed confused at his reaction.
I guess she's not able to tell how loud some of the things she did may be to other people. Now that he was inside, he took a better look at Shizune. She was still in school uniform and she had put her glasses back on. She had a somewhat annoyed expression, amplified by her red cheeks. She started signing with sharp gestures, signaling her anger at this unexpected visit.
“Hisao, what the ____ are you doing coming here ____ while classes are in session??” Hisao assumed the last sign meant “unannounced”. He wasn't sure about the other sign he missed but it didn’t look like it was a pleasant word at all. Shizune sighed harshly as if she just remembered that Hisao didn’t know sign language yet and started searching for a paper and pen.
He tapped on her shoulder and shook his head no when she looked at him. “Shizune….I …came to …see you,” Hisao signed slowly as he struggled to remember the signs he learned from Misha. If the circumstances were better, he would have been very amused at her stunned expression.
“H-how…d-id you learn that? I-I-I didn’t know about this” Shizune struggled to sign through her shock.
Hisao didnt think it was possible to stammer with hands but her skills apparently were at that level. “I…learn from…Misha....secret” Hisao struggled to sign from his memory. He knew he wasn’t even signing a full sentence but that was the extent of what he had learned by now. He hoped she would get the meaning. She seemed to, and he saw her expression soften at the mention of Misha. After a few seconds, she seemed to have realized what might have been his reason for coming and her expression hardened again.
“I am impressed that you learned signs to talk with me but can we do this ____ time? I need to be left alone,” she signed rather sternly, especially at the end. It wasn’t a request. It was more like an order.
Hisao thought she may have signed “another” or “next” from the context. He shook his head firmly, which seemed to have shocked Shizune enough to leave her mouth agape. Disobeying a stern 'request' from her might as well be like having told her he screwed every girl in the school and he expected her to submit to be the last conquest. Before she could sign up a storm and try to kick him out, Hisao held his hand up to appeal to her. She crossed her arms and snorted, her beautiful blue eyes piercing through him. “Misha told me everything. I…want to make sure….you OK and talk,” Hisao clumsily signed.
Shizune let her arms fall to the side and her eyes started to cloud over. She then signed slowly and cautiously. “Why? Why did you have to come here? Why do you care about how I’m feeling? We are just ___.”
He didn’t know that last sign but he assumed she was signing classmates or something equivalent. That somewhat irked him, considering he had been getting some mixed signals from her lately. A flirty statement here and a cute blush there whenever they have been talking over the past month or so. “That’s because I care about you. I came here…because I want to make sure…you ok,” he said, frustrated at his clumsiness with some signs.
“Thank you for your ____, but I will be fine soon. I just need to be alone,” Shizune signed without any emotion. She was clearly waiting for him to leave so she could wallow in her own despair.
Hisao thought the sign he missed might be “concern”. Her attempts to put on a tough front was pissing him off. He thought back to Misha’s words.
She needs you more than ever. He shook his head and continued. “Shizune…it is OK. You are not…alone. I…help you…and Misha. You…should not take this in yourself.”
She only stared at him. She wasn’t sure what to make of this.
“Misha is not the…only one you rely on. Please… I want you to rely on me too.”
That made her flinch. She only did one simple sign.”Why?”
The following words he had in mind, he practiced a lot for when he wanted to explain his feelings. He wished there was a better time for a confession.
“I have been in love with you since the festival and I care about you deeply. I want us to be more than friends. It’s time for you to see that there is… one more person …in…world you can rely on. Misha and I want you to rely on me. I want to make sure you understand I’m there for you for as long as you need someone. Do you understand, Shizune? You’re still not alone,” Hisao signed firmly, only stumbling a couple times, hoping the message got across.
It certainly hit home. Shizune stood there as if frozen solid with mouth agape, as she was apparently trying to work out what she had been told just now in her mind. Her shoulders trembled and her eyes started to water. She suddenly dropped to her knees and she wouldn’t look up at his face. He immediately kneeled down in front of her and reached out to touch her shoulder. She slapped the hand away and started signing furiously. He had no clue what she was saying at this speed.
He ignored her hands slicing through the air and hugged her tightly. Her hands continued to flail around weakly, occasionally hitting Hisao on his back. He was surprised that she felt more fragile in his arms than she looked. He had always thought she was a strong and tough woman. After a moment of struggling, he felt her hands slowing down and falling limp at her sides. He continued to hug her tightly, her head nested against his neck. Unable to see the expressions she was making now, he hoped she would accept what he said. He did not have to think about that long when her hands moved to his back and clutched his shirt tightly and started pulling.
He finally heard a sound out of her - a sniff at first. Before long, a series of sniffs and sobs started to take over as her body racked with each sob in his arms. Shizune then pulled Hisao in for a tighter hug with her arms and she nuzzled her nose in his shoulder and he could feel warm tears rolling down his collarbone onto his shirt, as if to mix with Misha’s tears from earlier. “Eeeh…ehh…” a very quiet sound emerged from deep within Shizune’s throat. However, that was all the sound her mute voice could make. He probably wouldn’t have heard it if his ear weren’t next to her neck. He felt her mouth open as if she wanted to really cry out, but no sound came out…only loud sobs and heavy breathing. He got the heart-wrenching message clearly: If she had a voice, he knew she would be crying the loudest she ever could so far in her life.
Shizune’s silent wailing continued for who knew how long. He started to rock her and let her tears flow however much she needed to. He refused to move from there until she squeezed out every last tear. He realized how she cried, even silent, was the same as any other girl’s. Such a vulnerable and precious girl he had fallen for. He wished he could have told her his feelings under better circumstances but she needed it in this uncertain time.
After what felt like eternity, he came to realize that she had fallen asleep on his shoulder and he hadn’t noticed when. He leaned back against her bed and she was practically sitting on his lap. He shook her gently, and she stirred for a moment. He could feel her body stiffen as she seemed to remember where she was then relaxed. She moved her head closer to his neck to nuzzle her nose and lips on it and hugged him tightly. He had to admit it felt amazing to have a girl do that to his neck, but that was for another time; there was something he needed to do.
He allowed a few minutes to pass before he gently pushed her back to reveal her somewhat puffy face after so much crying. She took a moment to wipe her wet cheeks. She kept a patient expression until Hisao started to sign. “Shizune. There is…something….I want you to do…for both me and Misha.”
Shizune gave a quizzical look.
“Please….please…see Misha again today.”
Shizune froze at the request and looked ready to shake her head no. He could understand the feeling. It must have been too painful for her to see her best friend in a hospital bed, not knowing when she might pass away…just that it was soon.
“Shizune…she needs you as much…as you need her. Her dream…had been to finish…school with her friends and now…that may not…happen. We need…to be there for her and make…time good…for her as…much we can.”
“I can’t stand seeing her like that. I need…time,” Shizune signed dejectedly.
“I know…I feel the…same….but you also can’t …stand…not being there for her. It will be…worse for both you. It would…make me not happy…seeing you like that,” Hisao tried his best for her to understand him. Shizune let out a loud shuddering breath at the thought.
“Shizune…please? I…promised…I not leave her alone. I need your help to…keep promise. It would…make her feel better if…you see her now,” Hisao finally said.
After a long minute of thinking, Shizune shut her eyes and only nodded yes with a bitter smile. He smiled back at her. The image of Misha went through his mind. It would be painful but all three of them could deal with it.
She got off his lap, kneeled next to him, and faced him as if she was being formal. Then she had a shy look on her face. “Hisao, about what you said earlier…please repeat it,” Shizune signed as her entire face became bright red. She then looked down meekly and started wringing her fingers.
So cute! Hisao thought as he smiled, knowing what she wanted him to say. He put a finger to her chin to gently pull her gaze level with his. “I love you very much, Shizune,” he said with perfect signing.
Still beet red, she only smiled and stopped wringing her hands long enough to reply. “That helped a lot. Thank you…and I love you too. I’ve always liked you since I first met you.” She moved in and gave him a long and soft kiss on his lips before he could react. His face turned the same shade of red as hers. They broke into smiles and hugged each other once more.
She then suddenly had something more to say. “Aside from your confession, the rest of your signing is terrible!” She then made a giggling motion.
Hisao let out a sigh and smiled. She had to get the last word in.
Thirty minutes later, after they cleaned themselves up and ate something, Shizune and Hisao headed to the nurse’s office, holding hands tightly. Hisao knocked on the door and the Nurse promptly answered.
“Welcome back Mr. Nakai and Miss Hakamichi. Miss Mikido has been expecting you. Stay as long as you need,” he said as he stepped aside. Hisao felt Shizune’s hand tremble and tighten as they walked to the rear toward Misha’s bed. Misha’s expression brightened like a thousand suns at the sight of her best friend approaching. There was no need for words as Shizune stood still at the end of her friend’s bed for a few seconds and they stared at each other in silence.
As if it was on cue, both the girls’ expressions became teary and they looked like they could bawl any second. Shizune suddenly rushed to her best friend’s bedside and they clamped into a tight hug. Hisao stayed back and let the two girls sort out their feelings as they both started to cry happy tears in each other’s arms. He knew after this they wouldn’t cry again for a long while. He promised to himself he would make sure that his new girlfriend, Shizune Hakamichi, understood that he would be there for her no matter what.
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And that's it. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing this. I appreciate any opinion you offer and I want to thank griffon8 and Mirage GSM for offering their editing advice through PM. If you have already read the first two parts, keep in mind I made some slight changes if you're interested.
I plan on making up for this somber story with a comedy next time. I already have a concept brewing so keep an eye out for that in the next couple weeks.
Being deaf has its advantages...such as I don't have to run into a burning building because I can't hear the screams for help.
you better be releasing the next part soon, I really want to see what happens next...
