When morning broke out, Chieko pulled the covers over her face to block out the sunlight and turned over. She didn't feel like getting up, despite having slept for over eight hours she felt like she had barely slept at all. She didn't want to leave the bed, it was comfortable, and safe. But she had school, and she already missed one whole day.
When she heard footsteps closing in, she fully expected to get ready for an exhausting, horrible school day she didn't want to go through, though had no choice but to. She let out a deep sigh when she heard her mother enter the room, but didn't shift from underneath her covers.
She heard the footsteps stop, and she knew her mother stood beside her bed. "Fujiko?" She had nothing to say, she moved under her covers and flipped around to face her, still hidden. She felt a sudden weight on her bed, her mother had sat down and looked at her with sad eyes and a frown on her lips.
"I... know how you must be feeling, horrible, afraid, and I know telling you everything will be alright won't make a difference. So, just take your time and relax, sleep in for the day, do whatever you want. You can stay home for today, okay?" She placed her hand on Chieko's shoulder, not expecting a response.
Chieko pushed her head above the covers, and pulled herself up. She looked at her mother with an uncommon expression, puppy dog eyes filled with sadness, and pulling at her mouth. School was compulsory, she had already missed one day and surely had a stack of work to complete already, and she didn't want to double that by missing out on another day. But her chest felt heavy, her heart dragged down, and she didn't have any energy in her entire body. She felt absolutely horrible.
So she didn't bother to argue, complaining about how much work she'll have, because at that moment it doesn't matter. She doesn't care, maybe she will tomorrow and make a big deal out of it, but today, it just didn't bother her. So she simply nodded her head and slipped back under the covers, where she felt safe and comfortable.
"I'll just be here whenever you need me," her mother said softly, leaning over and planting a kiss on Chieko's forehead. Who only responded in another small nod, and made herself comfortable, closing her eyes. Her mother's frown lifted up and formed a smile, and she stood up. "Sleep tight, Fuji," brushing a strand of hair out of her face, her mother then turned around and quietly exited the room, making sure not to make a noise when she closed the door behind her, glancing back and smiling at her daughter.
For the first couple of minutes, Chieko couldn't sleep. With her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face, she sure appeared to be asleep, but she was wide awake. Tangled in her thoughts, she desperately tried to clear her head and fall asleep, she had been given extra time to do so and she wasn't going to let that go to waste.
Trapped in her thoughts, she couldn't help but think back to yesterday's events. Things had been a mess, and only spiralled into a disaster. She found herself regretting sending Taichi off, but at the same time she didn't, because she knew he had been there to comfort Satou when it looked like he was about to fall about. She wondered how they were doing, she wondered how Minji was doing ─ if she was still breathing.
Hopefully, yes, and if not... no, she wasn't going to think about that, even though she literally saw the girl's heart stop and the life drain from her body, that didn't mean anything. Despite the horrible condition she saw her in, Chieko was certain that Minji could still make a full recovery, after all, nothing could stop that girl. Or so, she believed.
Without a doubt, no matter how exhausted she felt, she was going to see Minji in the hospital. But for right now, and the next hour or two, she'd be enjoying her extra time of sleep. She rustled and got back under the covers, she stared at nothing, pondering in her thoughts for a few seconds. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.
─
It was so quiet he could literally hear his heart beat, ringing in his ears. Thump thump thump was all he could hear, all he could pay attention to. His mind wandered and drifted aimlessly, not a single thought caught in the endless sea that was his mind. Thump thump thump, echoing through his head as he sat there and stared up at the blank ceiling.
Breathing through corrupted lungs, if he could simply stop his heart from beating ─ ironically, he would've done it in a heartbeat. He let out a deep sigh, a look that could only belong to a broken man plastered to his pale face. His eyes slowly glanced around the room, and he sat up from his slouching position.
He muttered something under his breath, leaned forward running his fingers through his hair. His eyes turned to the door a split second before it creaked open, his eyes widened and he jumped up to his feet. A woman, a nurse, entered the room and her eyes scanned the room, skimming past Satou's frozen stature.
"Huh," she sounded confused, a puzzled look on her features. "I thought someone was still in here," with a small shrug of her shoulders, she walked back out the door and closed the door behind her. Satou let out a quiet sigh letting his shoulders fall, as his body became visible again. He rubbed his tired eyes, then glanced at the empty hospital bed. He lifted up both hands and moved them through his hair, closing his eyes.
His blond hair dropped and his eyes opened, glowing light grey. He turned back to the hospital bed, and pulled out a sticky-note from his pocket, and a pen. Writing a few words on the note, he shoved the items back into his pocket, turned to the door and walked straight out.
He found Taichi talking to the lady at the counter, a broken look in his eyes as he pleaded with the lady. With ease, he slipped into invisibility and approached the younger boy. Taking out the sticky-note from his pocket, he stuck it onto the back of the boy's hoodie and immediately afterwards turned on his heel and walked towards the exit.
He hadn't gotten far when he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing his entire body to freeze up and accidentally deactivated his ability, making him visible again. Clearly startled, he slowly turned his head to look behind him, and his body only loosened up a little bit when he recognized those dark green eyes. Shoulders still tense, he looked at Taichi with wide eyes.
A playful smile glued to his face, Taichi held up the sticky-note which read "I'm going to get revenge, don't try following me. I'll probably be gone for a few days."
"What's this, huh?" Taichi questioned with an eyebrow raised, Satou opened his mouth to answer, closed it, opened it again but all that came out was an almost silent squeak. His lips pursing into a thin line, he turned around to face Taichi, his expression shifting into one of determination. Just as he was about to speak, he lost the chance.
"If you're going to get revenge on those bastards, then you have no choice but to let me follow."
That's where he was wrong, he did have a choice. Taichi, on the other hand, didn't have the option to choose whether he'd follow or stay behind. Satou had made that decision for him.
─
She doesn't know how long it's been, an hour or so perhaps. The sun was still shining down brightly through the curtains, which she swore she had closed. Light shining in her eyes, she figured it was time to wake up. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and glanced at the clock sitting on her bedside table.
Getting changed out of her pyjamas, Chieko headed downstairs to find her mother relaxing in the lounge room. Walking into the kitchen, she unwrapped a rice bubble bar and made her way towards the lounge room. Hearing her footsteps, her mother turned her head and watched her walk in and sit beside her. "Oh, I was just about to wake you up."
Chieko wanted to visit Minji at the hospital, but she feared she'd no longer be there. Things could easily get messy, and although she wasn't sure if she was ready to face her fear, she had to know if Minji was alive. She spent a few minutes just relaxing, watching whatever was on TV, nothing too interesting.
Then, she thought it was a good time to ask. It was already around eleven-twelve am, right? Somewhat early in the morning. "Hey mom... is it okay if I go to the hospital to visit my friend?" She asked, turning her head to look at her mother sitting beside her. Who returned her glance, and with a sympathetic smile on her lips, she nodded her head.
"Of course, but um, do you know where it is?" Now that she thought about it, she didn't exactly know where the hospital was. She didn't pay attention to where she was going, just kept her eyes on Taichi as she followed after him. So no, she didn't know where the hospital was. "Uhhh... yeah, no, no I don't."
Her mother gave her directions which were a little confusing, she had to admit. Though she got the general idea of it, and figured she'd be fine going on her own, after all, she didn't want her mother to meet Satou and Taichi, not yet at least.
Before she left, her mother insisted she had a proper breakfast, or lunch it was turning to. So she had a ham and cheese sandwich before heading off, not really in a rush. Surely Satou and Taichi were already at the hospital, actually, it wouldn't surprise her if they had stayed the night. It'd be more surprising if they hadn't.
Repeating the directions her mother gave her in her head, she tried her best not to get distracted and possibly end up lost, again. Worrisome thoughts began to cloud her mind, but she shoved them all into a small box hidden away. It was difficult to think positive in this kind of situation, with a life at stake.
But surely Minji would be okay, she's a tough one after all, who had only been beaten due to painful body conditions. It'd be a miracle for all her scars to be healed, for her to be at her one hundred percent again, but that seemed impossible. Over the years Minji had been collecting scars, her armour slowly but surely falling apart with each dent it got, until it became useless, dented and beaten into an unusable hunk of metal.
Chieko feared that one day, Minji would be unable to fight any longer, and lose the war she had been battling for years. She feared that Minji simply didn't have the strength to go on, even if she wanted to. She tried to convince herself that'd never happen, and that Minji, even with all her battle scars and still healing injuries, would continue to fight, but... evidence proved her wrong.
She failed to tell herself everything would be okay, because she know it was a lie. Nothing was going to be okay, things might never go back to the way they used to be, everything has changed. While she feels bad, she pondered on how Satou and Taichi must feel. Sure, Chieko had grown close to Minji these past months, but Taichi and Satou... they've known her so much longer, the three aren't just friends ─ they're literal family. Chieko, wasn't exactly a part of that family, she still knew so little about the three, and she may never know the rest.
As long as Minji was okay, as long as she could still breathe, then Chieko didn't mind being excluded. As long as Minji was okay, then so was she.
She arrived at the hospital, thankfully. She hesitated for a split second, but pushed forward and walked through the doors. Glancing around, she saw no sign of Satou nor Taichi, but she shouldn't be surprised, most likely they were keeping Minji company. She walked over to the receptionist, and she couldn't help feeling the slightest bit nervous.
"H-hello," she greeted shyly, looking up at the young male. "I'm here to see Minji..." she trailed off when she realized she didn't know Minji's surname, and her mind went completely blank. The receptionist gave her a slightly confused look, waiting for her to continue. She awkwardly cleared her throat, trying to think of a solution.
"S-sorry, I uhh... kind of forgot her surname. She was admitted to the hospital two nights ago and...Yeah," not knowing what else to say, she lowered her head in embarrassment. The receptionist continued to stare at her in confusion, lips formed into a small frown.
"I'm sorry, but without their full name I can't tell you anything about them." He apologized, scratching the back of his neck. Chieko let out a sigh, telling him that she understood before sadly walking away. She tried to remember which room Minji had been in, it took a few minutes, she had to find a map. Though when she did and a few seconds later, she remembered. Room 304.
She dashed up the flights of stairs, speeding her way through the halls as her eyes scanned the numbers written on the doors. The one hundreds, the two hundreds, aha! Three hundreds. She slowed down and stopped when she reached the room she had been searching for, above the door the numbers 304.
She took a deep breath, expecting to see Minji in the same condition as before, along with Taichi and Satou beside her bed. Though when she pushed open the door and walked inside, she was shocked to find the room was completely empty, not a single person inside.
This made no sense. She must have remembered wrong, but she swore the receptionist had said room 304. She checked the other rooms nearby, but she couldn't find Minji. Fear started to boil in her stomach, 304 was definitely Minji's room, and yet it was empty. So what had happened to Minji...?
Eyes wide, she cupped her hands over her mouth. No no no, she can't be─ if Minji wasn't here, then she really must be...
"Chieko?"
Spinning around to face Taichi, she could feel her heart beat quicken. "T-Taichi..." She whimpered, taking half a step towards him. "Where's Minji? She, she's not in her room─" she cut herself off and gulped before she could say the words. No, Minji couldn't actually be... They couldn't lose her.
A visible frown on his lips but the familiar stone cold expression attached to his face, he let out a small sigh. "Calm down, she's in surgery." Those words made her heart skip a beat, and then freeze. So she had thought wrong... she couldn't express how much of a relief it was to hear those words. Legs shaking, she almost found herself collapsing to her knees.
"S-so she's o-okay..." She breathed out, letting out a deep breath she calmed down and lifted her head to look at Taichi. "She is okay, right?" She didn't know the actual extent to Minji's injuries, but she knew they covered their entire body and were quite severe. The memory of heading to the first floor to find a bleeding out Minji being attended to by Satou and Taichi had been horrific and traumatizing. When the sight popped into her head without warning, she immediately felt sick and had to cover her mouth.
"Her wounds are... far from healing, most of them are relatively old but since they never got properly operated on ─ the doctors are trying to heal them. The surgery started around twenty minutes ago and I have no idea how long it'll take, and there'll most likely be more surgeries afterwards..." Taichi explained, letting out a huff and shoving his hands into his pockets.
Minji was okay, I mean, things couldn't get worse, right? Though if the doctors try to operate on a sensitive part of the body... No, they were professionals, they know what they're doing and Minji will be fine. She nodded her head, and after that, since neither of them had anything else to say, they were left with silence.
Taichi... seemed okay, to put it simple. Though he had dark circles under his eyes and was slouched over a little more than usual. When she focused more on his features, she realized that he wasn't okay, of course he wasn't, who could be in this situation? He looked like he hadn't slept at all, has he even eaten?
Remembering the packet of chips she had stashed in her pocket, she pulled it out and held them out. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I know it's not the healthiest but..." Taichi looked at the bag of chips, an unreadable tired expression on his face, before reaching out his hand and taking the bag.
"Thanks..." His voice came out surprisingly quiet as he teared open the bag and immediately dug in. A small smile appeared on Chieko's lips as she watched him, and the silence returned but it felt much more relaxing. Until Chieko realized something, someone was missing. She looked around and still didn't see him.
"Where's Satou?" She asked Taichi, continuing to glance around. Had he turned himself invisible? There was no need to, though. When she looked back at Taichi, her eyes slightly widened spotting the bitter look on his face, his hand crushing the bag of chips.
She realized Satou hadn't turned invisible, and her expression softened. "Taichi," she said in a soft tone, as he looked away with narrowed eyes. Something was wrong, clearly, and she could feel the familiar sense of worry bubbling in the pit of her stomach.
"Where's Satou?"