“If you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. And to you, I shall be unique in all the world...” - The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Yuki woke up with puffy eyes and a severe headache. The room was still dim with only sunlight seeping through the cracks of the closed curtains. Yuki lay deeper against her pillows, closing her eyes tightly.   She couldn't remember the last time she had cried herself to sleep.

When Taehyung left last night, Yuki felt an undeniable pain against her chest like something had drilled a hole through it. It's almost like Taehyung had punched his fist through her chest and grabbed whatever's left of her emotions; taking every piece of her heart with him. Yuki felt hollow and empty, unable to do anything other than open her eyes and stare at the ceiling.

For the first time since she met Taehyung, she realized, she actually felt like she was dying.

Another tear escaped her eye as she recalled the pain reflected upon Taehyung's eyes when she had said no. When she had told him she couldn’t—wouldn’t—love him. She let out a shaky breathe just as a soft knock sounded from her door.

Yuki didn't bother answering and turned away instead, sniffing slightly. She felt a presence entering her room and soon also felt a slight dip on the mattress.

"Yuki?" A voice called which she recognized as Adella's. "Would you like some tea?"

"No… thanks, Adella. I'd like to sleep in for the day if you don't mind.” she said. "I’ll call you if I need anything."

"But—"

"Please."

Adella paused, sensing the way Yuki's voice cracked. She sighed then, thinking of the only possible reason. She had heard their fight last night, and caught Taehyung leaving in the lodge in haste with a pained and upset look on his face.

Adella had been taking care of Yuki for more than two years now and though she might be a little difficult, Adella found her to be an altogether kind, smart, and talented girl. It was her disease that made her like this: aloof and a little cruel to anyone who ever came near. It was her sickness that made her want to hide; hide from her true, fragile, and kind-hearted self while burying it deep within a steely and strong facade.

But then Taehyung came along and everything started to change. Adella had watched with her own eyes how the boy managed to melt the ice that covered her heart; to not break—but climb over her walls and into a place where she had hidden herself in too deep; even going as far as to persuading her to come with him over the walls and into a brighter and more hopeful tomorrow.

It was beautiful: the way they fell in love. Adella felt like she was watching a movie as they did; watching everything unfold slowly… watching the little things they did for one another pave way to a love that was so strong, it made her believe in the impossible again.

But it was a shame reality had to come in and ruin everything.

"You know... I understand why you did it." Adella finally said. "I understand why you didn't want to be with him even though it was very clear how much you..." She paused smiling slightly as she recalled how Yuki's face would brighten whenever Taehyung arrived or how her voice sounded more chipper when the conversation involved him. Adella had been married to her husband fro almost thirty years now and she had watched her own children grow, fall in love, and get married. She knew what loved looked like in the eyes of the youth. And that's exactly what she saw every time Yuki looked at Taehyung and he at her.

"Did I really?" Yuki croaked. "But all I did was hurt him."

"Love... takes sacrifices, sweetheart." Adella sighed. "And I know you loved him that's why you said no."

"I want him to have a good life." Yuki nodded. "To fall in love with someone whom he could hold hands with and walk through the parks in Autumn with like he always told me. I didn't want him to be… tied down to me, you know? I… I wanted him to be free to live his life. Why can't he understand that?"

Adella bit her lip, unsure if she should disclose what she knows but seeing the way Yuki was buried under blankets with puffy eyes and a red nose, she couldn't help it.

"Perhaps it would be best, if you understand his side as well." She suggested and Yuki blinked, confused. "To him, it seemed that you were throwing your life away. You were wanting to die. And well..."

"What?" Yuki asked, seeing the hesitation in Adella's eyes.

"When Taehyung was young, his... his mother got sick. Cancer, I believe." She said. "And it was terminal."

Yuki's eyes widened and all of a sudden everything fell into place. No wonder Taehyung was so angry and...

Hurt.

"Oh god." Yuki closed her eyes painfully. "I'm such an idiot. I need to apologize—"

"You didn't know." Adella reasoned. "But I guess now you understand why Taehyung reacted that way when he found out you didn't want to get better. He told me how his mother fought long and hard but eventually passed when her medications stopped taking effect." Adella sighed sadly. "She fought yet she didn't get another chance at life. But you..." She pointed out. "You have a chance and you won't even take it. I think that's what made him upset."

Yuki pressed her lips together, feeling tears threatening to fall yet again. "You don't understand. I'm just so sick of it, okay? I hate what I've become. I hate being in this goddamn chair all day. I hate being so... dependent!"

Adella frowned, watching the tears streaming down Yuki's cheeks as she continued. "And I hate that I can't love Taehyung the way he should be loved." She admitted. "I... I can't hold him. I can’t hug him. I can't do a lot of things to make him feel how much I care about him and it’s frustrating, Adella! And I'm sure he's going to see that eventually and—" she hiccuped then turned away slightly. "And then leave me for someone better. Someone who isn't… broken."

Adella looked down at her sadly before reaching out and caressing her cheek. "Oh sweetie, if that's what you think then you're truly underestimating the boy. Taehyung adores you, that much I can assure you."

"Maybe. But for how long?" She said bitterly. "Sooner or later he's going to get tired of me. He's going to see how broken and unfixable I am and—" She let out a shaky breath. "I don't think I can take another disappointment in my life, Adella. I already lost so much… I can’t lose him too. I already hate myself for being so broken and who knows? Maybe he'll hate me too—"

"Hate isn't what breaks love, Yuki." Adella stated. "And I know you don't hate yourself."

Yuki snickered but it was weak, "Oh but I do—"

"You're afraid." Adella interrupted, making Yuki look up at her. "It's fear, Yuki. It's fear which stops you from trusting. And you need to trust, sweetheart. You need to trust that Taehyung is going to love you... No matter how broken you are."

Yuki looked up at her with tear-filled eyes and Adella saw the little girl hiding behind her strong facade. "Why would he settle for something broken when he could have—"

"Because he loves you." Adella said simply. "He chose to love you. You don't look at people and see if they are fixable or not. You look at people and find something special to love about them." She smiled as she placed a hand over hers. "I believe Taehyung found that in you... And I know you found it in him too."

Yuki's mouth hung open at her words, feeling a warmth spreading through her chest. She was just about to reply when the door to her bedroom opened and in came a very distressed-looking Yoongi.

“Yoongi?” she asked, feeling slightly panicked at the way her brother looked so distressed. “What—"

"Yuki." He simply said and his next words made her wish she had been braver... 

And trusted a lot sooner.

~~~

Yuki hated hospitals. It's partly the reason why she had wanted to stop with her medications. If she was going to die, she didn't want to die in such a place where it smelt strongly of antiseptic; where she was surrounded by sick people, professionals in lab coats, and crying family members… She would rather die at home where she could be at peace. Hospitals always made her feel anxious.

But as she, Yoongi, her mother, and Adella rushed through the white halls of the local hospital, Yuki felt more frightened than ever before. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest, and her breathing was shallow as they were lead to the room where he would be...

Where her Taehyung would be.

After a series of turns and a lot of walking, they finally arrived at their destination. A few people were waiting outside by the benches. Yuki recognized Jungkook in the group, and next to him were two guys: one with black hair and the other with light brown locks. The black-haired guy was talking to middle-aged man, who looked awfully familiar and he was holding the hand of a little girl who had long black hair and puffy eyes...

Eyes she recognized were the same as—

"Mr. Kim." Yoongi spoke first and the middle-aged man looked up, looking worse for wear. He stood up and shook Yoongi's hand and the two men whispered amongst themselves before finally looking at us.

Mr. Kim looked a lot like Taehyung except he didn't have his eyes. Perhaps that was something he had taken from his mother...

"This is my mother, Ha Ri, and my sister Yuki. This our friend Adella."

"Thank you for coming." Mr. Kim said, his voice shaky.

"How is he?" Yuki asked, her voice quiet.

"He's stable. But he was injured badly due to the… collision." He said, looking like he was trying very hard not to cry. "It was all so sudden—we didn’t know what to do—"

Yoongi held the man's shoulder and gripped it comfortingly. "We're so sorry. We will do anything in our capacity to help. I already asked the best doctor in this facility to handle Taehyung's case. Kim Suho is a good friend of mine. Your son is in good hands."

"Thank you."

Yuki bit her lip, trying to keep her composure but she couldn't help it when she asked, "Can I… see him?"

Mr. Kim looked at her and it's almost like an understanding passed through their gazes. The man nodded before calling for the nurse to let her in.

“Would you like me to come with you?" Yoongi asked.

"Just give me a few minutes...please?" She answered and Yoongi nodded before opening the door for her.

Yuki wasn't sure what she expected the moment she entered the room. She had tried to mentally prepare herself for this moment on the ride going here but nothing really could have prepared her for the real thing and Yuki gasped upon finally seeing him.

Taehyung was lying on the hospital bed, his arms bandaged and leg up on a cast. He was connected to a machine and she could see an IV injected on his forearm. His face was littered with small scratches and there was a huge white bandage wrapped around his head. Yuki's lips shook as she tried to hold back tears, seeing how the blood had seeped through the bandage on his head.

She couldn't speak for a while as she sat there by his bedside, her eyes unable to look away even though she couldn't bear seeing him like this.

Seeing Taehyung so still...

And so broken, she thought. At that realization, Yuki felt like the world was crumbling beneath her feet and she knew that if she was going to be given a chance, she would trade places with him without a second thought. Because if someone deserved to be in this state, it was her.

"Taehyung..." She gasped. “Taehyung, I'm so sorry."

Taehyung remained still, the steady beeping of the monitor the only thing being heard through the small room and Yuki felt her composure break...

The way she had broken Taehyung.

"Oh god Tae..." She sobbed. "Oh god I'm sorry. I did this to you... If I hadn't—" she didn't get to finish before her tears consumed her; lips shaking violently as cries of pain and sadness overwhelemed her. Thoughts ran through her head a million miles per hour; memories of that night and how they had fought, causing Taehyung to run off into the night...

Run off to this awful accident.

"It's all my fault." She sobbed. "It's all my fault."

Yuki wasn't sure how long she had sat there crying but soon she felt warm hands over her shoulders, rubbing comfortingly. She felt someone hug her too which she soon realized was her mother, murmuring assurances in her ear. They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other while Yuki cried and cried… wishing with all her heart that she could turn back the time and changed her decision; wishing she could’ve just been honest with him and herself.

Yuki wished simply... That she had told him how much she loved him back.

~~~

Yuki found it completely cruel how the word decided to punish people for the mistakes another did. Even though it was an accident, Yuki felt the weight of the responsibility sitting heavily on her shoulders. Mostly because she knew that if they hadn't fought that night… if she hadn't broken his heart and just told him the truth, he wouldn't be lying on this bed right now.

It was five days since the accident and Taehyung has still not woken up. Yuki was afraid—everyone was, but they hoped. They knew Taehyung was strong enough and that he was going to fight through this.

So Yuki spent her days at the hospital; sitting beside him and reading him books or watching films on her laptop. They say people in a state of comatose could actually hear you and so Yuki did her best to make Taehyung feel that she was right there… that she was right there beside him, waiting for him.

"Hey Tae, how are you feeling today?" She asked him. "I bought your favorite book today..."

Yuki asked Adella to take the book from the bag and the latter laid the hard cover on the desk for her to be able to read. The woman then sat back beside her and prepared to flip the pages for her.

"'The Little Prince'." Yuki announced. "I know I told you I hated reading this since we've practically gone through this book a hundred times already but..." She took a shaky breath and smiled at him. "But I'll make an exception for you today."

And so Yuki read. She tried really, to keep her voice as steady as possible but there were words in the book that cut through her heart, simply because it reminded her so much of Taehyung and how they became friends… and how she fell in love with him through the months they spent together.

"'It is the time that you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so special.'" Yuki read and felt her restraint disintegrate. She looked at Taehyung with tear-filled eyes, knowing that the time she spent with him—from the huge things he did like that dinner date he took her to, down to the little things he did for her: like when he asked what tea flavor she liked every morning or his jokes that never failed to make her laugh no matter how corny, were something she treasured dearly and had become reasons why she had fallen for him in the first place.

Time, she thought. And the little things that come with it, is what builds love between people.

"I'll do anything to have that with you again, Taehyung." She half-sobbed. "I will fight for you. I will fight. Just please... stay. Please wake up, Tae."

Adella held her as she cried and she figured there would never be an end to her tears...

Not until she sees her only happiness smiling back at her.

~~~

"How is he?"

It was one of their rare days when Yuki catches Doctor Kim as he does his rounds. It was Saturday and Yuki should've been home by now but had decided to stay. Jungkook was visiting and he was out to get some food with Adella at the cafeteria when Dr. Kim came in to check on Taehyung.

"He's getting better." He said with a smile. Yuki thought he was a very handsome man, with pale skin and an amiable face. She wondered how the nurses in the hospital reacted to such a good-looking doctor.

"That's… good to know."

“Yes, although… I’m more worried about the head trauma." He said and anxiety spiked in Yuki's bones once again.

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Kim hurt his head pretty badly in the accident.” He explained. "He may not be able to walk for a while but his bones will heal through time." He said and Yuki let out a sigh of relief. She could never forgive herself if she learned Taehyung would be paralysed… that he could never walk again the way she couldn't.

"But there are parts of his brain that were severely damaged… specifically his temporal and frontal lobes." He explained and Yuki was familiar with the terms from her limited knowledge on Science but she wasn't exactly sure what that meant for Taehyung.

"Taehyung is suffering from cranial trauma." He repeated, putting it simply. "He took a blow in the head when the car hit him and caused him flying off from his bike." He said and Yuki wished she didn't have to hear that because now she could see vivid images forming in her head.

"What does that mean?" She asked, getting impatient and a little desperate to know. Dr. Kim looked at her steadily and Yuki held her breath for his response.

"I'm afraid that trauma causes memory disfunction, Ms. Min. Taehyung might be okay but he's going to suffer from memory loss and might not be able to remember things that happened prior to the accident."

~~~

Yuki stayed with Taehyung that night, refusing to leave his side. Yoongi came in earlier that afternoon bringing some food but then he had to leave because he has a meeting with a client that evening.

"You should go home, Yuki. Freshen up a bit. We can come back tomorrow—"

"Just for tonight. I want to stay, Yoongi. I promise I'll go home tomorrow."

Yoongi sighed, already defeated. "Okay. Fine. Just...call me when you need anything okay? And if there's an update on Taehyung."