Where the Paths Take Me ♡ C O M P L E T E D ♡

Chapter 8 ~ Megumi's Past [Part 2] ~

First Arc: Megumi's Past [Part 2]

Red. Black. Hikari?

Megumi opened her eyes but, quickly closed it again due to the bright light coming from the ceilings. Her chest felt heavy as she saw images of what happened in her head.

The hysterical laughs.

Glares.

Pain.

Glass shards.

Blood.

"Hi-Hicchan.." Megumi said weakly. She coughed as soon as those words left his mouth.

"Megumi," Megumi heard the familiar voice of her brother. "Oka-san, she's awake!"

"Micchan! Thank goodness," she then saw the blurry look of her mother, smiling at her with teary eyes. Eyebags were visible under her eyes. She hasn't slept in days. Her tired eyes also looked puffy. She must have cried a lot too.

"Oka-san," Megumi said.

Megumi shut her eyes and did her best to sit up.

"Argh!" she yelped when she felt the piercing pain on her leg.

"Please don't move too much, sweetie.." Megumi felt her hair being softly stroked followed by a warm touch on her forehead. The soft kiss her mother gave on her forehead - Megumi was too numb with pain to even properly feel it. She tried to open her eyes again, slowly.

Her mother's long raven hair and soft magenta eyes came into view. She glanced to the side and saw Minato standing anxiously behind their mother. She looked to the other side, looking for her sister. But, nothing was there other than the vase full of flowers on the bedside table.

"Where's Hicchan?" she asked.

No one answered that question. All she received were sad looks and silence.

"What's wrong? Where did Hicchan go?" she sit up, using her elbows to help her up. "Aniki.. Where's Hicchan?"

"She's-"

The door opened and her father came in. He sighed in relief when he saw Megumi awake. The man gave Megumi a gentle pat on the head before pulling his wife by the arm, asking her to walk with him away from their two children.

"Hoshiko, Hikari still haven't woken up.." her father whispered to Hoshiko.

"What else did the doctor say?" Hoshiko leaned in closer to her husband, careful not to let the things they say be heard by their daughter.

Megumi sat there with a confused weight in her chest. Minato could only stare back and fort between them.

"Oto-san?"

Masaru was still talking to Hoshiko. They were still hesitant to tell her the truth.

"Oto-san, where's Hicchan?" Her parents stopped whispering when they heard the half angry tone in her voice.

Her father, Masaru looked at her with his soft expression.

The room fell silent once again as he walked over to the side of the hospital bed, Hoshiko beside him.

"She's.."

_______

The orange rays of the sun iluminated the pale face of Hikari that evening. Her pink lips were now dry and pale. Her blue eyes were shut. Her chest rising and falling in a steady breathing but, there was no hint of her waking up.

Megumi sat there beside Hikari in her wheelchair.

Her eyes fell on Hikari's bandaged head. There wasn't a single strand of brown hair anymore. It was all shaved off due to the many stitches needed to mend her head injuries.