A Letter to Attack on Mango

After a lengthy stay in the hospital, Nar has finally been discharged, and is happily re-united with his bandmates in their home. They had planned to celebrate at Shifty Sai's, but it was closed due to a pipe bursting. So instead, the band sits in the living room of their home with an extra large pepperoni pizza, cheesy breadsticks, cinnamon squares, and multiple 2 liter sodas on the coffee table in the middle of them. Once everyone has had their fill of the food, Asuka stands, and exits the room, only to return with an envelope shortly after. The writing on the back shows the contents to be addressed to the band as a whole. "You remember Troy, right Nar?" Asuka questions as she flops back down onto the couch. "'Course I do! How could I forget our biggest fan?" Nar answers, a large smile across his face. "Well. This letter is from his parents. We got it while you were in the hospital. We wanted to wait until you were discharged so we could all read it together." "Then get it open! I wanna hear about how our biggest fan is doing!" For 3 seconds, the only sound in the room is of Asuka carefully opening the envelope. She slides a folded up letter out of the envelope, and gingerly unfolds it. She then takes a moment to gently set the envelope down on the coffee table before holding the letter up to read it. "Dear Attack on Mango, We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the joy, and happiness you brought to our son's life." There's a short pause. The mood in the room quickly shifts. "Ever since Troy became a fan of you, he's always had something to look forward to. The day he got to spend with his favorite band was the happiest day of his life. He would always go on, and on about the time he spent with you during his visits to the hospital. You brought him so many smiles, and so much happiness when he was in so much pain." Asuka can feel her eyes beginning to warm with tears. She knows where this is going. They all do. "Throughout his treatment, Troy stayed strong. He told us that he was going to get better because he needed to go to one of your shows again. During the last few months, Troy was keeping up with every bit of news about your battle of the bands. He's watched every challenge, wore your shirts to school, and even got his class to help him make posters to support you. He was so excited to watch you in the upcoming battle." Asuka has to pause. She can feel a lump in her throat, and her voice is starting to crack. A quick glance around the room shows that she is not alone in her welling tears. "As his favorite band, and some of his bets friends, we feel that you should know that Troy lost his battle against his disease on August 2nd, but he never gave up his fight. You inspired him to keep fighting despite immense pain, and hardship. If it weren't for you, we don't think he would have held on as long as he did. Thank you for all the happiness, and joy you brought our son. Because of you, he was able to leave us with a smile. We'll be cheering you on in your upcoming battle for him. Sincerely, The Jan's." The floodgates are opened. Asuka sinks into the couch, and begins to openly weep. The letter falls from her hands, and lands on the floor in front of the couch. Around her, Juno, and Nar's voices join her own in weeping. She feels an arm wrap around her back, and she is gently pulled into an embrace with Nar, and Juno. Ruby simply places a hand on her back, and gently rubs it while speaking softly to the three. She wasn't in the band when the band met Troy for the Grant-A-Spell foundation. She doesn't quite feel the grief of the rest of the band, but she understands just how devastating this is for them. For nearly 5 minutes, the band huddles together on the couch in a big, sobbing ball. To Asuka, it feels much longer. The sobbing only begins to slow when Nar rises from the hug, and wipes away his tears. The others begin to grow quiet as they turn to look up at him. Instead of the grimace of before, Nar's face is now filled with a fiery determination. With a clenched fist, Nar makes a simple declaration. "We're gonna win this. For Troy." The others nod in silent agreement. "So." He starts again. "We're gonna practice like hell until the battle. Either we win, or we don't deserve to call ourselves a band at all." He then sticks his hand into the middle of the group, and stares intently at the others. One by one, the band places a hand atop his. Then, with a deep breath, Nar's hand falls for a moment. "Let's do this! Mango!" His hand then begins to rise, guiding the others upwards. Four hands shoot into the air, and the band shouts in unison. "Mango!"