"Nice to meet you." Keanu's mother greets Dr. Parker and Dr. Tanaka. They arrived to New York very early in the morning, and the doctors were willing to meet their patient as soon as possible.

"Nice to meet you too. Now, which one is Keanu?" Dr. Parker inquires, looking between Alex and Keanu. Alex immediately points at Keanu, who was standing to him.

"Nice to meet you as well." Keanu mumbles out, as each doctor shakes his hand firmly. The truth was, it wasn't nice meeting them, at least under the reason he was here for. Keanu briefly wonders if the surgery process would hurt.

He decides not to think about it much longer. It'll just worry him, and it's the last thing everyone needs. Keanu sits on a black chair, besides Alex, as his mother discusses what's going to happen next.

Keanu decides he hates the smell of hospitals, it's a pungent scent, reeking of chemicals. It was also cold, to the point where the red flannel he wore wasn't enough to keep the goosebumps on his arms away. Alex and his mother are attentively listening, but Keanu isn't.

Keanu knows he'll forget, and that's all he needs to know. He'll forget about every memory and every emotion he's shared with Ren. It's fine, Ren would be happier with him just out the picture. She's happy with River, and River is happy with her. For once, Keanu wants to feel happy for them too, which is why this must be done.

Keanu eventually feels himself slowly falling asleep, droning out all the voices in the room about his health and future. When he's awaken by Alex, it's already noon, and his body aches.

"You know I'll always be there for you, right?" Alex asks Keanu, who's sitting blinking off the sleepiness.

"Yeah, I do. Thank you." Keanu mumbles, a bit more aware of his surroundings, giving Alex a small smile. It felt like a genuine smile, which was a first in a long time. This signals a new beginning, Keanu will embrace it because what choice does he have?

The return to the hotel shortly after concluding the paper work and a few tests. Keanu's mother insists that he rests, considering he'll be in surgery for a long period of time tomorrow.

"What are we going to do about Ren and River? I can't see them afterwards, it'll trigger a relapse, and you've heard what they said..." Keanu mumbles off, thinking of what's the politest way to tell his best friends he can never see them again.

"...You could die from the shock of remembering—I know." Alex finishes Keanu's sentence, thinking of what the aftermath would be.

Keanu knows whenever he returns, Ren would want to talk to, perhaps make sense of what's between them. But when Keanu returns, it'll be as if nothing was between them.

"I could write a letter to them." Keanu reveals a moment later, before standing up from the bed and walking toward's the hotel desk. He sits down, takes the hotel provided notepad and pen, and starts articulating his thoughts.

He writes so much, each letter consists of at least five notepad pages. There's only so much he could tell them, his best friends, before tomorrow.

Keanu writes to Ren and River, apologizing profusely through the letter, and telling them
it's okay if they hate him for his decision. The old him would be heartbroken but would understand. Keanu also writes the love confession he should had told Ren a long time ago, and tells River that he'll always be his friend.

That night, Keanu goes to bed, having one last dream of Ren, except it isn't a nightmare, just a melancholy goodbye.

Alex Winter sits in the uncomfortable chairs of the waiting room, next to his best friend's anxious mother. Keanu has been in surgery for about three hours, and it's been hell waiting.

Even with Dr. Parker's explanations yesterday, Alex can't truly wrap his mind around this strange phenomenon. Imagine getting surgery, go forget someone, because your unrequited love is killing you. It's unheard of! Any other sane person would've thought he was crazy. It's strange but true, the flowers of love was killing Keanu.

All because he adored Ren Fujioka. It just seemed as if the world was cruel. Hospitals was a vital place for healing and health, but the concept of it gradually being distorted, like the abstract portrait he did for freshmen year in art. It was all twisted and bent out of place—the meaning of the hospital.

All Keanu's mother could think about was those black daffodils, covered in specks of blood. She was incredibly nervous, and desperate for her son to be fine. It baffled her that such a thing could happen, let alone to her own child!

In her head, she's already thinking about the the aftermath. It was time for a new start, away from the quaint town the lived in, and into a new life. Keanu's mother doesn't want to leave, but her son is her priority. She doesn't wish for him to relapse if he were to see Ren.

The mother sits in the waiting room, feeling the anxiety wrap around her. But she briefly thinks about Ren Fujioka, and mourns for the friendship she had with Keanu.

Alex, who left to the hospital's kitchen, returns with two sandwiches and water bottles.

"Here you go, Miss." He tells Keanu's mother, handing her the food, and sitting beside her.

"Thank you, Alex." She responds with a small smile, opening the wrapper of the sandwich.

"How much longer?" Alex asks, in between bites, and usually the mother would reprimanded him but decided to let it go. Alex would just struggle off the suggestion to not eat while talking.

"Probably another hour or so. What Dr. Tanaka and Dr. Parker is doing is extensive work...reworking some memories to fill in the hollow gaps." Keanu's mother informs Alex.

Reworking memories was the fancier, perhaps politer way of saying implanting false memories. It's sad to see how much of Keanu's life is going to be altered, considering Ren had always been there since their diaper days.

"It's a success!" Dr. Parker informs them, almost two hours later, still in her surgical clothing.

Keanu's mother cries in relief, and Alex gives a faint smile.

"He'll be recovering here for two days. Afterwards, he's all yours." Dr. Tanaka adds on to the announcement, giving a bright smile to the jovial mother.

Keanu will be fine, even if his life will no longer be the same. The Hanakaki disease is finally gone but so is Keanu's life with Ren Fujioka.

It was a beginning of a new chapter in all their lives, for better or for worst.

•••
Author's Note:
It's almost done! The ending of the story is coming soon, and perhaps there will be a sequel! Also, remember that the flower disease is fictional, and so is the surgical process. By no means am I a doctor, so keep that in mind. I apologize for any grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors!