What Is Love?

Chapter Six

The last time I saw Katou, we had just finished the storyboard for our second manga. That was a few days ago. She didn't come to practice today, and she hasn't responded to any of my messages either.

Not seeing Katou for an extended amount of days, even if it was just three, feels unfamiliar. Ever since we met, we've practically been inseparable, even if I wasn't exactly pleased about it at first. I'd see her every day, sometimes more than once. After I started becoming accustomed to this, it became enjoyable for me to see her all the time.

I hope nothing happened to her.

Of course, it hadn't even taken me a second thought to decide to go visit her. I want to make sure she's okay. She could be sick.

It would be unfortunate if that were the case. It's always unpleasant to be sick when you're away from home. Plus, if she is sick, I haven't seen her in a few days so that would mean she could be extremely sick. Geez, I wonder if she went to the hospital. Why wouldn't she tell me though?!

I'm still not even close to being able to call myself an expert on friendship, but I'm fairly certain that if something like that happens you would normally let your friends know at some point. Unless, for instance, you were incapacitated or something. Oh God. I really hope nothing happened to her!

I knock on her door and there's no answer.

"Katou-chan," I say, loudly. "It's Natsuki. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

I stand in front of the door for a few more seconds, wondering if she'll open it. She doesn't have any classes right now so she should still be around. She wouldn't go all the way home without telling me, not after we've gotten so close. There's nowhere else she would have gone, except possibly to go see Kai, but I doubt she would completely ghost me like this if that's where she was. I'd like to think she would have at least given me a heads up.

Just as I'm about to leave, I hear a click, and the door opens. Katou appears in the doorway wearing a blank, empty expression.

After seeing her, I'm able to tell that she's not sick, which means that something else is going on.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

She looks down at the ground and slowly steps aside, opening the door wider so I can come in the room. I enter the dark room, then watch as she lets go of the door and it closes behind us.

In the back of my mind, I am reminded of the one other time that I was in this room and what we had done. I quickly shove the thought down. This isn't the time to be thinking about that. Something is clearly going on and that's what I need to be focusing on right now.

She turns to me, and despite the darkness, I can see that her expression has changed from one of hollowness to one of pain.

I can feel my eyes go wide from shock. Looking into her eyes, it feels like she's pleading for me to make the pain go away. The look she's giving me causing a burning sensation to rise deep within me. One I don't remember ever feeling before today.

I don't know what's causing the pain and she's not saying anything. If I'm not aware of what's going on, I can't help her. I want to help her. I don't want to see her make an expression like the one she's wearing now.

Suddenly, she throws her arms around me, sniffling, and causing me to drop my bag on the ground with a "thud."

"Katou-chan..." I flinch, but once the initial shock is over, I hold onto her with both arms, keeping her upright. She's leaning against my body as if throwing herself towards me took up the last ounce of her strength and she no longer has any remaining.