"Let's get married. I want to tell everyone I love you, no matter what."

He always knew what to say. Without a doubt, he was my other half. I'd been thinking terrible things, and he snapped me out of it. Those simple words, but not so simple. They were my everything.

I should die, so you can live. Why would you ever love me? I bring you nothing but trouble. You want to go on vacation with me, but it won't be a vacation. You'll be taking care of me, and that's not a vacation. I'm only a trouble to you. I want to go away, so you don't have to deal with me anymore. I never should have entered your life. It was such a mistake. How happy you'd still be, if you'd never met me.

But, then he'd said that. He broke my thoughts, bringing me back. I heard the birds singing. I felt the warm air, and the nice stew he'd just fed me sitting in a good place inside. How much he cared for me, holding me like this. How much he loved me, though I don't love myself. Not anymore.

Since last night, telling myself I'm worth nothing. Just a pain to everyone. Set off, because of an object that stands in my way.

My wheelchair. It makes people see me differently. I don't want their stares. Their overly kind words when they see me. Their fake smiles. Strangers, overcome with the miracle that is me going by in my wheelchair. An inspiration, maybe.

I don't want any of it. I don't want strangers trying to help me at the store without being asked. I don't want to be sitting lower than everyone else, always having to look up at them. I don't want them to think I'm any different than they are.

The idea of going to Okinawa. All those strangers. The accessible room.

Panic turned into simply not wanting to be here anymore. Not wanting any of it. I'd rather die, than be like this. That was my thought. Their pity and stares. All those stares, them thinking, "poor thing, I wonder what happened. Does he have a disease? Do his legs work? That person with him, is he his nurse?" Tetsu, most of all. I don't want them to think of him differently, either. The things I've already done to him. Making him live like this.

But, then after the stew he fed me, he said those words.

"I want to tell everyone I love you, no matter what."

Oh, Tetsu, why? Why do you love me like that? I'll never understand. What do I have to give you? You gave me everything. I don't have anything to give. But, you don't care, do you? You just love me, and I'm somehow enough.

That's something I can never repay.

We got up, and he held me close with one strong arm, my chest touching his ribcage. Slightly above me, his face was so close to level with mine. His face was a beauty, his lips a deeper color from just having eaten. His eyes were half lidded, his dark lashes almost brushing his cheeks as he looked down at me. His full lips parted, and his front teeth peeked through, as he brought his thumb to my bottom lip, wiping away a small bit of sauce. I was utterly hypnotized. This thumb went to the middle of his lips, and he sucked the sauce off it with a loud kissing sound. My heart went a bit faster. His hand went up, and he brushed away my bangs from my eyes, so focused on this task. His large eyes were my world, watching them look up at my forehead, searching me.

I adored him utterly. Any thoughts of leaving him were ridiculous now. He'd erased them completely.

My lips puckered up to him. Watching him, his golden dark skin in the sun. His wavy black hair flying in the breeze. Those eyes a whole universe, taking me away.

His hand went down, and I felt it curl around my fingers. Taking my hand, making me feel so safe. He leaned close, and suddenly the soft warmth of his lips took me away. Behind the darkness of my closed eyes, we could be dancing. We could be cascading in the stars, or lying in a bed of roses. We could be in dreams, swimming in a sea of glowing lights.

Or, we could be here, just in this moment. And, I'd rather be nowhere else. Being held by him, being kissed by him in this garden. That's all I wanted. His love, that's all I'd ever need.

We met Yami at our house in the evening. He was already on the roof, standing there commandingly in his work clothes and hard hat, observing us. He didn't look happy.

"Where's your wheelchair?!" He shouted through cupped hands. "It better be broken, and if it is, let's go get another one right now!"

But, he couldn't faze me. I was too happy.

I shook my head, in Tetsu's arms. He was slowly walking me up the sidewalk as I held on piggyback style. I felt strong enough to do this, encouraging myself. The way he didn't protest when I said I didn't want to use my wheelchair today. I didn't know why he agreed. He didn't say no, or try to convince me otherwise. Just a quiet agreement. I'd use it tomorrow, but I wanted just one day. Something. It was already healing, in a way.

I'd use it some other day. I knew I'd have to some day. Slowly, myself was coming back. This one, with my fist in the air, shaking it, trying to be a fighter. The one I discovered so long ago, a strange part of myself that I never knew I had. Shouting that I wouldn't let this disease win, come run at me, I'm ready. You're going to lose. Sometimes, another part of myself won, despairing and not wanting to be here. But, inevitably, this part was covered up with that odd will to fight, no idea where it was coming from.

But, today, I was having a rest. Knowing Tetsu would take care of me, literally carrying me away.

I was so grateful that I could burst, so happy about him that I couldn't stop smiling now.

"My wheelchair is an asshole!" I shouted at Yami.

This made Tetsu stop in his tracks. I felt his shoulders go up, and so did my arms as they did. He exploded in laughter. Beside himself. His adorable, loud, ridiculous laughs. I started laughing, too. Unable to contain myself. He gasped.

"Oh, Sana, you're laughing!" He said, such disbelief in his voice. He adjusted me upwards quickly, unnecessary, but I loved it.

"That's right," I said, pressing my cheek to the back of his head in love. He sighed deeply, and I knew he was smiling. That beautiful smile.

Sawai-san came up behind us. "How are those gutters looking?" She called to Yami. He put his hands up in a giant shrug.

"I think I'm just going to take them off. They look dumb, right? Why would this house need gutters? Vanity? I think it would look better with traditional tile. It needs it, right? Why not restore it to its former glory? All the other roofs around here have tile. This modern one looks like an insult to the neighborhood."

"Tile?" Tetsu called to him. "Won't that be expensive?" He sounded full of gladness, though. I knew with him loving traditional things, his heart must be singing at this suggestion. I tried to envision this house with tile. Ah, it was gorgeous.

"Who cares? You're not paying for it." Yami walked over to the ladder, and turned. Before we knew it, he was going down it as expertly as a spider. "Anyway, come over to the back of the house. I bought you a gift you're going to like. I saw it yesterday, and couldn't resist."

"Oh? A gift?" Tetsu asked. He was childlike in his excitement. I admit, I was, too. It wasn't like Yami to buy gifts. He was always thrifty with his money.

"Yeah. It wasn't too expensive, but I thought it would go perfectly."

As we rounded the right side of the house, I began to hear it. A shining, light, high sound. Sparkling in the cool breeze. I gasped, unable to contain my merriment. How strange, to go from such a low feeling this morning, to now such a high one. Almost as if the low feeling never existed. Just a pure joy, captured, hearing this sound in the distance.

"Is that what I think it is?" Tetsu asked, just as full of wonder. Yami looked back at us, his smile as big as mine. So proud to show us.

We rounded to the back of the house, and there it was. A small thing, hanging from the porch roof. A cute, bowl shaped bell gently swaying in the breeze, little pink, yellow, and purple flowers painted inside. The clapper made the shining, ringing sound, being propelled by a flapping rectangular strip of ombre orange to yellow to pink paper, a sunset sort of design, I thought. I always thought furin wind chimes looked like jellyfish. It was absolutely perfect, like the cherry on top of a sundae, the most wonderful addition to our house.

I wanted to kiss Yami on the cheek. He'd never been this nice before, this thoughtful. I didn't think he was capable. How sweet he was. He always acted so tough, who knew he had this potential inside?

He acted like he hadn't done anything different. As we watched the chime, he kept on talking, casual, like nothing had happened.

"So, while we're in Okinawa I'll get it arranged so that the roof can be done. Expedited. I wonder if Keitaro can pay them that fast. I have a buddy who knows a guy. We've been discussing your house at work. I think we've got it under control. The roof probably needed to be replaced, anyway. I think it's warped, that has to be how the bees got in. I noticed there's a small leak somewhere in the..."

His words faded out in my mind. Not so important. I snuggled my cheek against Tetsu's cheek, and he attempted to turn it towards me. I was too fast, though. I settled my chin on his shoulder, and we watched the wind chime together as it danced in the breeze, singing to us. Like a serenade.

It swayed in the wind. Somewhere in the far distance, the sound of thunder. Yami stopped talking, looking to the sky.

"Time to go inside," Sawai-san commanded, already coming at us to rush us in.

"That's fine, I've got your swimsuits in there, anyway. Let's talk about Okinawa. Did you make the hotel arrangements? Where are we staying? I found some cool stuff for us to do. I want to show you. You're not going to believe..."

I tuned him out again. I pressed my cheek more to Tetsu's as he started to go in the opposite direction, to the front of the house where the wheelchair ramp is. The others followed, still talking to each other. Sawai-san started talking about ordering dinner, wondering what to get. It didn't matter to me.

The singing chime sound followed us as we made our slow journey up the grass. Our maple tree started joining in the chime's song. Somewhere, on the other side of the house, there must be buzzing from our wild honey bees.

The beautiful song of our house. Tetsu, breathing quietly against my body, making a beat. It all came together. This song of joy.

It resonated in my heart, and I felt, how much of a fool I'd been. Here's all that I needed. A relief came over me like being able to breathe again. The cool air in my lungs, making my brain clear and free.