Toni hurried down the hospital corridors, each step echoing beneath the lights.
The scent of antiseptic filled the air, cold and unyielding.
He pushed open the door to his mothers room softly, she was sitting up frailer than the last time he saw her. He was surprised to see her sitting up beside the window.
"Mom..." Toni's voiced cracked as he guided her to lie back down. "Did you.... did you see the concert?"
A faint smiled bloomed on her lips, soft and proud, like a fragile flower. "I saw every note," she whispered, voice barely audible but steady. "You were amazing, I always knew you would be."
Toni reached out, taking her hand gently, afraid to break the fragile moment.
"I stopped hanging around those other guys, I knew how much you didn't like them," Toni takes a deep breath before continuing. "I met some new friends actually much better then the old guys, i'm sure you would love them." Toni says gently.
They continued to talk quietly, memories and hopes weaving between them like a fragile thread, but as he spoke, he could see the light in her eyes flicker, slowly growing dimmer.
She took note and squeezed his hand, her voice weak but firm. "Don't worry about me, sweetheart. Tell me about your new friends, all of them."
He smiled through the lump his throat. "Right...." He started. "First it's Rika, she performed with me on stage, the funniest dang girl i ever met, she would have you cracking up all day, Nanami, she's a bit shy but her brain is something else, then there's Dante, He seems like a wimp but he's a kind guy." Toni explains before smiling.
"Then finally there's Kaito, if I never met him truthfully i don't think i would've been able to perform today, he's brave helped me when i felt low, so yeah as you can guess these guys are much better then the old friends. " Toni said.
Even though he had just met them, the laughter and courage, the moments that made the last few days feel like a new beginning.
Then her eyes searched his, glistening with unshed tears. "You're a strong young man Toni, Once you set out there to share your music with the world, there will be those who try to tear you down and stop you, no matter what you play, who you're with that music isn't on your face, it's inside of you brighter than the sun, don't ever dim that light inside of you for anyone."
Her wisdom hitting his chest like a punch to the gut. "When you were on that stage..." she coughs, horse sounds leaving her but she doesn't allow it to stop her. "That passion you felt, do you remember it, all of it?"
Toni swallowed hard, the weight of the moment settling deep in his chest. "I do, Mom. I promise." He answers.
Her hand trembled slightly in his. "Then never... never let anyone stop you, never stop shining that light. You are meant for great thing... amazing things, you have to believe that." His mothers strong words hang with him. All he could do was nod, unable to speak as tears began spilling from his face.
Her grip on his hand weakened. "Promise me Toni."
"I promise mom, i love you." his words barely escaping through sobs.
"That's my son," She whispered, voice breaking. "I love you."
Her breathing slowed, softening like a fading melody.
"Mom?" No answer came.
The silence was replaced with a beeping. She was gone, but she went happily with a smile on her face.
Toni unable to contain himself began crying. Toni brushed his fingers gently over her hair, whispering through his tears. "It's ok Mom i get it, you're really tired, i know how hard you've been fighting, we can talk all about it when you wake up again." Toni's tears fell onto her face.
"I'll be the great musician you've always wanted me to be mom, i promise you! I'll be so great every song i play reaches the heavens, so you can enjoy every last one!"
His lips pressed softly to her forehead, the room heavy with the silence of goodbye. "I love you, Mom. Sleep well." His sobs filled the space between them, raw, aching, and full of a love that words could not hold.
The nurses and doctors entered, and after a long moment, Toni rose and stepped out in the hallway, each step heavy.
In the quiet hallway, bathed in soft, fading light, Kaito, Rika, Dante, and Nanami stood silently, waiting, offering their presence like a fragile lifeline.
Toni's chest tightened painfully, the ache raw and unbearable. His voice trembled, sharp yet fragile, "Why did you follow me?"
Kaito said nothing. Instead, he stepped forward slowly, sensing the heavy sorrow that weighed down Toni's heart. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around him.
In that embrace, the walls Toni had built to protect himself began to crumble, brick by brick. The crushing loneliness that had settled deep inside him softened, replaced by a gentle, fragile hope.
One by one, the others closed in, their arms joining in silent solidarity.
Toni's tears spilled over. They carried the weight of loss, of love, of all the things words could never say. And in their mingling with the quiet comfort around him, his sobs slowly faded, leaving behind a fragile calm.
Hours passed, Toni sat among his friends, mourning, gathering himself.
"Sorry you all had to see that." Toni apologizes.
Nanami shakes her head. "Nothing is wrong with your emotions."
He finally stood, his voice was quiet but sure. "Thank you. For everything. I'll be okay now." Toni says bidding a farewell.
They all smile at Kaito who giggles. Toni looks confused. "What? You are adventurers right? I'm sure you fellas are might busy." He continues.
Kaito stands up with him. "That's true, but i was thinking." Kaito starts.
He smiles brightly at Toni offering his hand. "I really do like you're music, so do you wanna come spread it around the world with me?" Kaito asks.
Dante smiles too. "Yeah we're on a journey around the whole world some music would make everything better!"
"I could use some to make me feel more epic too!" Rika says.
Nanami nods. "A soft melody would help with studying too."
Toni laughed softly, the first genuine smile in days. "Well, how could i say no? The whole worlds waitin'."
He thought to the goodbye from a few hours ago. "I'll make you proud mom, I promise." He stepped forward, surrounded by friends who could help him carry the weight of tomorrow.
Hours later Toni had buried his mother, his heart still heavy.
The sun had dipped low by the time they left the graveyard. The world felt slower now, more deliberate like it, too, was mourning. But Toni walked with a new stillness in his heart, not hollow, but full. Heavy, yes, but not empty.
They didn't say much at first.
Silence wasn't awkward with this group. As they made their way back to the small inn they were staying at, Kaito kept glancing at Toni, as if checking a compass. Toni caught him once and raised an eyebrow.
"You good?" Kaito asked.
Toni nodded, slowly. "No. Friend, But I will be."
That was enough. Toni standing up from the bed stretches. "I gotta handle something else real quick, i'll meet you fellas here."
The gate creaked softly as Toni pushed it open. The old stone building loomed ahead.
Toni's chest tightened as he stepped through the hallway, his heart beating a strange rhythm: sorrow and anticipation colliding. He carried his guitar case over his shoulder, not just an instrument now a promise.
He found her exactly where he expected, curled up in the little reading nook near the window.
"Emi," he said softly.
His sister looked up, her eyes lighting up when she saw him. She leapt up and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Toni! You were awesome!"
He knelt to her level, ruffling her hair with a soft smile, even as his eyes shimmered. "Of course I was. I promised, didn't I?"
She grinned. "Is Mom okay?"
The question hit him like a knife. But he kept his smile, full of love. "She's... she's resting now, Emi. She was so proud of you. Proud of us."
Emi's face fell slightly, the meaning behind his words settling in. Her eyes welled, but she nodded slowly, bravely. "She's in the stars now, right?"
Toni swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah. Watching over us, every night. Probably arguing with the moon 'cause she thinks it's hogging the spotlight."
That earned him a weak giggle.
He gently took her hands. "Emi, I need to tell you something else too, okay?"
She tilted her head. "What is it?"
"I'm… I'm going to be leaving for a while. Me and some friends, we're going on a journey. Around the world, kinda like the stories you love. I'm gonna play music in every place we go. Songs for Mom. Songs for you."
Her eyes widened, a mix of awe and fear. "But… you'll come back, right?"
Toni pulled her into a tight hug. "Always. I promise. And I'll write you all the time. Maybe even send you songs before anyone else hears them."
"Like secret songs?"
He smiled. "Exactly. You'll be the first to hear every new piece. But I need you to do something for me while I'm gone, mkay?"
She nodded, sniffling.
"Keep dreaming. Keep being brave. Mom always said you were the strongest person she knew, even stronger than me."
Emi pulled back just enough to look at him. "Mkay. But only if you don't forget me."
Toni gently tapped her forehead with his own. "Not in a million years. You're the beat of every song I play."
He handed her a small, hand-folded paper crane from his pocket, her favorite animal, made from sheet music. "Keep this. When you miss me, just hold it and listen. I bet you'll hear me playing."
She took it with trembling fingers, holding it to her chest.
"I love you, Emi."
"I love you more, Toni."
He stood slowly, the weight of goodbye pressing against him. But this time, it didn't crush, it carried him.
As he turned to leave, he heard her voice behind him, small but sure.
"Make the whole world sing, big brother."
Toni stopped in the doorway, tears in his eyes, and smiled.
"I will."
Returning to the inn Toni sighs before facing everyone. Opening up the door with a smile. "I'm ready."