"I may not know what will come in the future, but I know that I love you more and more each day."
Sakura had never imagined that when she said those words ten years ago, just how true they would be. Even when that same day, the love of her life had ended up going into a coma to save her.
No one else would have risked so much for her, yet he didn't even hesitate.
She had heard the story from Rio, and that night she had cried herself to sleep. Just as things seemed to be going so well in her life, the fate had one last cruel joke to play.
The following months had been the hardest test of her life, having to simply sit by his side… hoping that today would be the day that he would wake up.
When Christmas began to roll around the corner, she had prayed and wished for just one miracle, the only present she truly ever wanted.
Her spirits had soared when the nurse told her that he might be finally waking up.
But perhaps Sakura had wished for one too many things in her life, and he stayed in the coma.
Sure, the doctors gave her reassuring words about how his condition was improving, but she wouldn't be happy until he opened his eyes.
22nd April
It wasn't until a whole year after they had first encountered each other at the hospital, that her wish finally came true.
Perhaps it was some irony from a God long forgotten, having the boy named after spring returning to his cherry blossom.
"What's happening?"
Sakura stood to the back of the room as a team of doctors hurried into the room.
Some began checking the machines that Haruki was hooked up to, as others began taking vitals. A nurse came up to her and gently pulled her from the room.
"My apologies, but the doctors need to do their work. It seems that he is finally coming out of the coma. Did you do anything different today that may have triggered this?"
She recalled exactly what she had been doing.
"I was sitting by his side, holding his hand. I was talking to him about how much had happened since that day we first met, and how it was the happiest day of my life."
She didn't tell the nurse everything she had said, some things were better kept personal. The nurse, as expected, had written everything down.
"You'll be able to go back into the room momentarily, please take a seat and one of the doctors will come for you when they are ready."
The nurse gestured to one of the seats outside the room before entering the door, closing behind her. Taking a seat, she was too stunned to even think of calling anyone.
Before, she had always thought about who she would contact first. But all her planning was for naught, and in a daze she missed when the doctor came out and spoke.
"Miss Yamauchi, are you feeling okay?"
The doctor had squared down, a look of concern on his face. She sat up straight, finally focused.
"Yes, sorry I was just lost in my thoughts for a moment."
The doctor nodded, understanding.
"Would you like to see him?"
She stood up, a bit too fast as she soon felt a bit lightheaded from the sudden movement.
Following the doctor into the room, her eyes were glued to Haruki as he weakly smiled back at her.
"I'll give you two sometime to yourselves, if anything happens, please press the button by his bed and we will be back in an instant."
The doctor left the room, and she was finally reunited with the person who had saved her countless times over.
"This is real, right? I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Haruki smiled, his voice a bit harsh from a lack of using it after so long.
"Well, I was the one that was dreaming for a long time, so I think I know the difference by now. Did you miss me?"
Sakura smiled and shook her head at the memory, noticing some tears had fallen during her remembrance.
Mai would have to come back in and work her magic once again, and Sakura would have to hold her emotions in check for a bit longer.
A knock at the door shook Sakura from her thoughts, and she turned and yelled out.
"Who is it?"
The door opened and Kyoko peaked her head in, before entering the room. As the door closed behind her, Kyoko smiled warmly.
"You look incredible, but your make up is a bit messed up now. Should I call for Mai-san to come up?"
Sakura nodded, standing up to quickly embrace her longtime friend.
"No. Also, she's on a shoot for her new film starting today. And you look just as beautiful. I guess you'll be turning plenty of heads today."
"Not as many as you, besides there's only one head I want to make turn right now."
The two girls shared a knowing smile, it had taken forever for Kyoko to finally make a move on Issei but now they had been going steady for a few months.
"Say, how did you know that you first loved him?"
Kyoko sat in one of the open seats of the room, a faint blush on her cheeks. Sakura chuckled and took her seat once more.
"Haven't I told you the story before? If you want to hear it one more time, I suppose I can say it again."
Few days went by and Haruki's condition started improving. Mostly because Sakura was helping him to get him back to his feet.
Finally, he was discharged from the hospital. Sakura helped him to catch up to his studies. Maybe returning the same favor he did when she was admitted to the hospital before all the adolescence syndrome events.
Also, Haruki started to make new friends in their high school with Sakura's help as she introduced him to them. Starting with Takahiro when apologized to the couple for his rude behavior last year.
Till that time, Mai's new movie was released. It was an instant hit in the box office.
I Want To Eat Your Pancreas
She kept it a secret from Haruki and Sakura to surprise them. Of course, she didn't use their real names in the movie and changed some bits of their story.
The day came for the double date with them as they all decided to visit the shrine of Enoshima.
"Hurry, we're going to be late."
Sakura called from ahead, as he struggled to keep her frantic pace.
"You do know that I've only been back among the living after a few months, right?"
It was a shock to say the least, waking up in that hospital room. The weeks after were a blur of therapy for all that he had spent laying in the hospital bed, slowly regaining the use of his body.
Thanks to some new breakthroughs in medicine, he was able to recover quickly but he still had some trouble from time to time.
Namely right now.
"Sakura if you keep this pace up, I might not make it to our double date."
She finally stopped and waited for me to catch up, linking her arm around mine once I finally did.
"Sorry, I'm just excited. We've talked about this double date with Sakuta and Mai-san for so long."
She smiled sweetly, quickly touching up my hair that had gotten messed up in our little chase.
"That's better."
It was almost a reverse of our relationship before.
Now, he was the one who needed to lean on her. Sakura had been nothing but patient, caring, and understanding with him since he had woken up from the coma.
She listened to him complain and rage when he had trouble walking or standing for long periods of time, soothing him with words of encouragement.
She went to every training session, always on the sidelines cheering him on even if he didn't make any progress.
"How have you been feeling since that day?"
They didn't really talk much about it, when they did it was mainly about the ceremony before. Sakura took a moment to respond, understanding what he was really asking.
"Well, I haven't had to go back to a hospital because of my illness, so I'd say pretty well. I'll have to go back for a checkup, but that's just to make sure it isn't sneaking back up on me."
She leaned over, laying her head on his shoulder.
"You just keep saving me, I don't know how I could ever repay you for everything you've done."
"Well, you could start by walking a little slower. That would be a good start."
Sakura laughed, lifting her head up and walking in pace with him.
"I suppose I could at least do that."
They walked together in silence, taking in the warm summer day around them. The sounds of children playing in the nearby park, cars driving past, the birds flying overhead filled their ears with the song of summer.
"There's something I was curious about."
Sakura finally said after some time. Haruki looked over at her and she continued.
"You haven't had any more, well let's call them dreams?"
He shook my head.
Ever since that day, he stopped having those visions, the dreams. He assumed it was simply the end of the syndrome, gone as mysteriously as when it had arrived.
"Suppose that I had one more dream, about us. Would you want to know what it was?"
He shook his head once more.
"I think I'd like to live life a little blind. If we ever do get close to the day you saw, feel free to tell me about it then."
Sakura smiled warmly, a hint of mischief underneath.
"I'll give you a little hint when we get close to it then."
After a few months, they both attended Sakuta's and Mai's wedding. The married couple moved to Yokohama in their new house with their sisters, Kaede and Nodoka, near his family's home.
And as always Mai teased Sakuta that she kept the name as Azusagawa Residence just because of his sister.
-
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A knock at the door caused Haruki to raise his head from the book he was reading.
"Come in."
Glancing at the clock on the desk, he sighed in relief that he wasn't late.
He'd never hear the end of it, especially if she knew the reason was because he was reading.
Sakuta entered the room, closing the door behind him.
"Hey tough guy, how are you holding up?"
Haruki just shrugged, standing to greet his close friend.
"I guess it hasn't really hit me yet, though partly because I had some time to read so I kinda lost myself in the book for a bit."
Sakuta laughed, taking a seat on the couch.
"That's just like you. And here I thought Sakura was going to get your head out of the books all this while."
Taking his seat once more, turning to face Sakuta, Haruki simply smiled.
"Well, she has had plenty of time to make me appreciate the world around me. But sometimes it's nice to lose yourself in the pages."
Sakuta leaned up behind him, curiosity on his mind.
"What's so interesting that you'd lose yourself in it on such a big day?"
He turned, grabbing the book as he handed it over to him. Quickly glancing at the cover, Sakuta turned to the pages that Haruki was last reading.
"Myths From Around The World huh? I think I've heard of this one. I can see why you'd be reading about the Jian."
The Jian: A bird born with only one wing and one eye, unable to fly until it finds another to lean on and act as one.
For him and Sakura, he thought it fits them the best. Before they found each other, they flew adrift in their lives. Once they began to support each other, there were no heights they couldn't reach.
"I think it describes us pretty well. And from what you told me, it fits you and Mai-san too."
Over the years, Sakuta and Haruki had become very close friends. Bonding over their experiences with the syndrome and having the women in their lives that they were lucky to have… the two of them had become basically brothers.
"Oh absolutely. Because of her, my life has become so much better since I met her at the library. There's no way I'd be working where I am today if it wasn't for her pushing me to be the best version of myself."
Sakuta glanced down at his watch.
"And speaking of the lovely women in our lives, it's time for me to head down. Don't spend too long reading."
A quick hug and Sakuta was gone.
Placing a bookmark in the mythology book, Haruki glanced in the mirror one last time. Making sure that nothing was out of place.
He then headed out of the room… for the biggest moment of his life.
Just as he saw a glimpse all those years ago, things played out just the same way.
Kyoko rushing around making sure everything was perfect, a big smile on her face. Sakura's mother taking her place in the front row.
Now, the familiar song played once again as everyone stood and turned to see Sakura enter the chapel.
Escorted down the aisle by her father, she was wearing a white dress that at certain angles had a pink sheen to it. Just like the suit I was wearing, which had a green hue to it from certain angles.
It had originally been Sakura's idea.
"Well green is a color of spring, and cherry blossoms are pink. So wouldn't it be fun to have what we're wearing symbolize that in some way?"
He had agreed, and after spending some time looking around at shops, they found one that could accommodate their request.
Much of the ceremony was similar to what they had gone through all those years ago, though not as abbreviated.
Finally, they reached the biggest moment of the ceremony.
"I understand the couple has written vows, the groom will be the first to share."
Sakura and Haruki turned to face one another, hands clasped.
"In all the years we've spent together, one thing that never fails to amaze me is how full of life you are. Sometimes I wonder how you always have so much energy, always ready for another adventure. While it may have taken me a while to get used to, I'm grateful that you've been there pushing me to be better each and every day. There's no one else I could imagine spending the rest of my life with, when you're the one who makes me feel like I can fly when I'm with you."
"I used to love the stories of the knight in shining armor saving the princess when I was younger, and I always hoped I'd find my own knight someday. You may not wear a suit of armor, but I feel safe whenever I'm with you. You've saved me from time and time again, always there when I need you. All the time I searched, not knowing all I'd have to do is wait for my spring."
We placed the rings on each other's hands, smiling like fools the entire time.
Then came the final moment of the ceremony.
"You may kiss the bride."
Just like all those years ago, they lean into each other, lips pressed together marking them as one. As they pulled away after what felt like a lifetime of bliss, Sakura quickly whispered.
"I have something to tell you."
They made their way down the aisle, showered in claps and cheers from the guests. As they exited the room, they both let out a sigh of relief.
Standing in front of family and friends proclaiming their undying love for one another can be a bit nerve wrecking.
He turned to Sakura, waiting to hear what she had to say.
"Are you sure you want to hear it now? It may distract you for the rest of the night, we still have the reception to go through after all."
Sakura smiled, a hint of teasing behind it.
"Well, what does it have to pertain to?"
"You did say if we ever got close to the day I saw, I could tell you about the dream. And well we're pretty close to it."
Haruki had almost forgotten about the final dream she had mentioned. It had stayed on his mind for a few years, but as time went on it slowly slipped away from the spotlight.
"If you think it's better to wait, I suppose a few hours wouldn't hurt."
Sakura leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"You'll be glad you waited, just a few hours my husband."
After changing into something a little more comfortable, the two of them headed into the reception.
One of the first people to come up to them was Rio.
"Well, you guys are two for two on coming up with vows. Maybe I should consult with you two when I would be getting married."
"You would do a great job without our help, but thank you for the compliment. We should really be thanking you for helping us to get where we are today. If I didn't meet you at that net café in Fujisawa… none of this would've even been happening right now."
"Come on, It was nothing. Though I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask that how you two are doing."
They immediately knew what she was talking about, and it wasn't about the wedding.
"Still no dreams, though I'm okay with that."
He truly had no desire to experience those again, and if losing that meant saving Sakura that day, then it was well worth it.
"That's good, and how about you Sakura?"
Sakura paused from taking a drink of water.
"As with all the other past checkups, there's no sign of the illness returning and no signs that I should be worried about coming back. I think the time left of having those dreams is nearly over now, they've happened less and less and are harder to remember each time."
This wasn't much of a surprise to him. Sakura would mention if she had one but as they both agreed that she wouldn't share what they were about.
If she had told anyone else or decided to write them down in her diary, then he had no idea.
"I figured that might happen. Well, it sounds like everything is going great, so I'll let you two enjoy."
A quick hug from the both of them and Rio then headed towards Sakuta and Mai.
The next few hours were a blur, as he soon found it hard to keep track of everyone he had spoken with.
But there was one conversation that stood out.
"You know, I was wondering when you two would go through the real thing."
Kyoko slid up next to Haruki as Sakura danced with her father. Sakura had ended up telling her what we had done before the operation all those years ago, needing someone to tell besides her parents.
"Were you just waiting so you could get ideas for yours?"
He gestured to the ring on her hand, and she smiled.
"I may have been, then I figured if anyone would have good ideas it would be you and Sakura."
Kyoko held out her hand, and he took it.
The two of them danced next to Sakura and Sakuta with Mai and Issei, before the best man and maid of honor paired the new husband and wife together.
Then Sakuta danced with Mai and Kyoko with Issei.
"Are you having fun? I can see all the practice is paying off."
Sakura whispered to Haruki as they now danced together.
Realizing well in advance that his skills in dancing would need some work, the two of them had practiced for months.
Some nights they'd go out to local dance halls, other nights they'd twirl together in their living room, a slow song playing just like the one currently playing in the reception.
"Of course, I get to see everyone that I care about and right now I get to hold the person I care most about in my arms. What could be more fun?"
Sakura laughed, waiting as he spun her around before continuing.
"Not even reading would be more fun? I'm surprised! Who are you and what did you do with my husband?"
Haruki laughed, leaning in as Sakura rested her head on his shoulder.
"No, not even reading would be more fun than this moment. Besides I got some reading in before the ceremony, so I'm content."
He could sense Sakura rolling her eyes at him.
"Why am I not surprised that you found time to read? Though that is part of what I love about you so I can't really complain about it, can I?"
The dim lighting on the dance floor as they danced together made them feel like they were in their own little world.
"So, I suppose I did say that I'd tell you later, and now seems like a good a time as any."
Haruki nodded, her words from early still ever present on my mind.
"So, what was it about?"
His words barely a whisper, keeping the illusion of the moment.
"Well, you know how I'm an aunt and you're now an uncle right?"
Her brother had a daughter, who we had spent plenty of time watching her grow.
Haruki did his best to try and get her into literature, finding children's books she might enjoy at the nearby book store each time they would go over to visit.
"Of course, I do wish they had been able to make it to the reception. But there was a big job offer so I can understand why they had to leave after the ceremony."
He could feel Sakura smile, the moment she had waited years to finally tell him.
"Well, you might want to start thinking of some names, before long our niece will have a cousin to play with."
It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about, as he had tried to think who in her family would be expecting.
"You mean?"
Sakura nodded, kissing him on the cheek.
"Not right away, but sooner than later. I could tell that much from what I saw."
She smiled at him, so full of joy in that moment that he knew he'd never forget such a sight for the rest of his days.
As he laid in bed that night, three things dominated his mind.
One was the sounds of breathing next to him as his soulmate slept soundly by his side. They had agreed to keep things to themselves for now, waiting to share the news for when they were actually expecting.
The second was, like she had said, names. Countless ideas filled his head, but none seemed right.
Maybe something relating to a combination of Spring & Cherry Blossoms?
Fuyumi if they have a daughter.
He realized that he didn't know if they'd have either a boy or a girl, but maybe Itsuki if we had a boy.
All Haruki knew was that they had time to figure it out, and he was sure that Sakura had been thinking of names for a while.
The third thing that he thought of before falling asleep was how they had come to this day. He leaned over and opened the drawer of his nightstand.
Inside sat an outdated phone, kept simply for sentimental value. He flipped it open and powered it on, waiting for it to come to life.
Opening the messages, he scrolled down to what felt like the most important message he had ever sent.
The message was still there, saved over the years since that day.
To think, all of this came from just six words. To most, it would come off as a strange proposal. Perhaps a dark joke… a sign that the person saying the words may have a taste for human flesh.
To Haruki & Sakura, those words conveyed more emotion than they could ever describe.
A story of love, loss, joy overflowing, and pain that sears to the core. Words that brought the two of them together, flying alone with one wing throughout life simply adrift before that moment.
Haruki turned the phone off, closing it back up and placing it back in the nightstand.
Turning over to face his everything, he smiled as he whispered the words on the screen to her as she slept, who in return gave him a smile back after hearing those six words.
"I Want To Eat Your Pancreas."
AFTERWORD
Well, if you're reading this afterword, then I guess you're finally finished with this story. We hope that you enjoyed this crossover fan-made tale between 'I Want To Eat Your Pancreas' and 'Rascal Doesn't Dream' series.
The reason we had to update this because the Rascal Doesn't Dream light novel has finally ended last year, 2024, and there were some things that we had to change to make this story fall in line with the canon timeline in that universe. If you're new and want to read the old version, then it's called as 'I Don't Dream Of Eating Your Pancreas'. You can search up this name in Scribd, Wattpad, and Fanfiction.net to read that old version.
As you've probably noticed, most of the things are the same, except that we've added and removed some little things, plus I included few visual illustrations to make the story more interesting.
All the credit goes to Drake Key who had made this beautiful story come to fruition. Please support him via Wattpad and Fanfiction.net for his other works. Also unofficially, to Yoru Sumino and Hajime Kamoshida for introducing us to such compelling characters and their respective in-depth stories. Without them, none of this would've been possible. As well as thanking to those people in Reddit who were constantly supporting this project.
By the way, remember that this story is made just for entertainment purposes only, and does not serve any purpose of any such kind of monetization.
Also, good news for those who were waiting for the manga version that I promised almost 3 years ago. Its almost ready and will probably release during late July or early August. My goal is to finish the manga before late 2025 and I'm really excited to share that version of this story with you guys.
Thanks again for all the support and see you next time!
PS: Thank you, Akshat Raj for always being there and guiding me through your advice and constant support.
For reading the light novel properly, here's the Google Drive Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WYhAaqK5z6KgTH3qv_JHcttisKWRAOpL/view?usp=sharing
Also don't forget to follow 'DrakeKey7' on Wattpad.