Mikan's Little Twin

Chapter 129: Until Then

She was awake. She was alert and staring up at him, calling out to him.

He came. He was by her side and holding her hand, ready for her.

"Akako..." Natsume chokes out, his eyes watering at the sight of her as a weak smile graces itself upon her chapped lips. That's when he breaks. All of the emotions that Natsume tried to keep bottled up burst through the surface and tears fell from his red eyes. He brings Akako's hand to his forehead, holding her knuckles against his skin as he's smacked with the news- Akako was really awake, awake and better than she was before.

Akako's heart twists in her chest when she sees all of her friends with tears in their eyes. After all, Natsume wasn't one to be like this in front of others. Hotaru's hands are clasped over her mouth in disbelief. It'd been so long since they'd seen her looking back at them, it almost felt like a dream. A beautiful dream that they wish to stay in- a dream that they would soon wake from and be thrust into the crushing reality where this wasn't so. Hotaru rushes to Akako's other side, wrapping her arms over the girl in a haste.

Even though Ruka had already seen Akako awake, hearing her voice sent him over the edge. He trembles at the sound of it even though it was raspy from months of dehydration.

Akako weakly raises her right arm to attempt to hug Hotaru but her thin arm trembled with the effort, seeing as she hadn't used her muscles in almost four months. Natsume tried composing himself once more but was stunned by the overwhelming relief that caused him to sob. Hotaru leans away, grabbing Akako's face in her hands as she studies every crevice of her expression . Akako's blue eyes look to her friends own violet ones, finding comfort in them as they glisten.

"Baka.... Baka-Akako..." Hotaru shakes her head and wipes her eyes with her sleeve, "Why would you do that to all of us...?" she sniffs. The two most stoic people that Benjiro had met were unfolding in front of his eyes, not realizing that his own vision wavered as everything blurred with his own tears. He hadn't been as close with Akako for sure, but always watched her from afar... Watching her smile light up their classroom as she laughed with their classmates.

Akako tries her best to smile at those around her to try and make them feel better. How could they be crying at a moment like this? She came back to them, just as she had promised. It seemed to her that it obviously took a while, though it seemed like no more than a few days for her. "Go.." she tries to speak but it comes more like a ragged whisper. Her throat seemed to crack inside from not drinking water. She tries again.

"Go..men..e," Akako inhales, trying to get the last word out, "minna..."

"There's someone coming!" Benjiro gasps, hearing footsteps headed their way. He begins panicking when he realizes how close he had let them get after being distracted by Akako's recovery.

All heads turn towards the door that Benjiro closes as he scrambled towards them, "Maybe we can escape through the roof panels! Wait- there's a vent!" He points to the ceiling.

Natsume tightens his grip on Akako, upset that they had to quickly depart when he finally got to be in her sight. Akako looks around, everything happening too fast for her brain to comprehend what was going on. All she could understand was that all of her friends were leaving her.

And she didn't want to be alone again.

She didn't want to return to that abyss alone, without anyone holding her hand. So as Natsume begins to turn away in haste, her grip tightens ever so slightly. It was so faint that if Natsume weren't hyper aware of everything to do with Akako, he would have missed it. The small amount of pressure made Natsume freeze, instantly turning towards Akako who was begging him with her eyes to not leave her. Her expression being one of fear and desperation, halting his quick attempt of escaping.