"You did good by us, and I'll never forget that, but... we've got something better now, don't you think?"
"We can go back. Have normal lives again."
"..." - A head shake.
"What we were doing... It was wrong."
"I... can't return your feelings. I'm sorry. Goodbye."
A sudden noise pulls you out of your thoughts. No, not sudden, you just hadn't noticed it...
Chatter. Footsteps.
"... yeah, and maybe they can have a nice chat over tea, and become super friends forever."
"Sakura."
Approaching.
"Did you forget about the whole catatonia thing? This is a bad idea."
"I promised I'd... pass the message along, so I'll do just that, OK?"
Anxiety.
"You know, I wasn't there, but I somehow doubt you used that wording- Oh."
Sakura's mouth snaps shut with 'click'.
Rin almost walks into her, but catches herself on the doorframe.
"You're up today," blurts Sakura, "I mean, that's good."
You stare at your long time friend, wondering whether you should muster the will to say anything.
"Well, 'up'. You're sitting down, but you know what I mean..."
Rin cute the blabble short by placing a hand over Sakura's mouth. Her other hand busy massaging her temple.
"Hello, Akiko," she greets you codially a few seconds later, as both girls enter your room.
Sakura wisely keeps her moth shut. You take the opportunity to notice the tray she's carrying.
A dish filled with fish and vegetables. Utensils. A glass. A round pitcher.
Is it supper time already? It feels like you've just eaten.
Or maybe it doesn't. Nothing seems to fill the void inside anymore.
The silence stretches out. Some part of you understand it's awkward.
"I hope you're feeling better," says Rin, taking seat beside you. The bed shifts slightly as she does, causing you to tilt slightly her way.
You watch as Sakura, unwilling to meet your eyes, takes her time placing down the tray on your bedside table.
"If you need anything, you know you can count on us, Akiko," your Healer friend sounds kind and sure as she looks you over, a confident smile on her lips. You used to talk like that. "If you want help eating-"
"I can feed myself," you interrupt.
Silence. Both your friends still, even holding their breath. They look at you as if you were a small, frail porcelain statue, ready to break at the slightest touch.
They might be right.
"Great," Sakura takes a step back, "you'll be alright, Akiko, I know it," she nods, more to herself than to you. "Come on, Rin-"
"You go," the blonde waves away Sakura's hand, much to her chagrin.
The two stare at each other silently for a moment, before the Teleporter grits her teeth, nods, and stomps out of your room.
Rin looks after Sakura's retreating back with a grimace, and keeps staring a minute after she's gone.
She turns to find you staring straight at her.
She flinches. Almost imperceptibly so. But you notice. You always do.
They think you don't, that you stopped noticing things, but you haven't. Not really.
"So, hungry?" Rin nods towards the tray, and the waiting food.
Mechanically, you shift closer to your nightstand, and eat.
"... Yumi's been thinking of calling her parents," Rin speaks to fill the void, the silence, "and she might actually do it this time, I think. I hope. It'd be good, you know? I know I'm still kind of new, but she... Yumi, and Tamiko, and Sakura seem more relaxed lately. I think, maybe..."
"You took my team away from me," you mutter.
Your mattress creaks and shifts. You keep eating.
After a long pause with only the sound of cuttlery and your own chewing for company, Rin audibly gulps and resumes talking as if nothing had happened.
"I met an interesting girl the other day, a Magical Girl, Bennouna Nadia. The others already knew her, so I guess you did, too. We talked a bit by telepathy, about..." she hesitates, "... things. Did you know there's Magical Girls who Wished to be fictional characters? I know we're, well, Magical Girls, but can you imagine walking down the street and meeting, I don't know, Sailor Moon? Or Nanoha? Even though you'd know they aren't the 'real' thing, it would be... well, you know, kind of cool? Not that the others seemed to care much... I guess you don't either..." she trailed off.
Another minute passes in relative silence.
You put your fork down.
"Ah, sorry, if I'm bothering you..."
"Don't apologize," you say, your voice suddenly hoarse.
"R-right," Rin stutters, standing up to grab the pitcher. She fills your glass and practically shoves it your hand, smiling in a way that almost doesn't look forced.
You almost feel proud, you think as you gulp down the juice.
Once you're done, you stare at your friend, and wait.
"Ah, go on, I'm just here to give you company," she nods towards your half-finished supper.
You shake your head, your blue eyes not straying from her green ones.
"You have a message," you state, rather than ask.
Rin blinks.
"Maybe you should finish first?" a trace of anxiety enters her voice. You don't answer, and she smiles nervously. "Better to talk on a full stomach-"
CRACK!
Rin flinches as you slam the glass down on the table, a half-formed curse dying in her lips.
"I'm not hungry," you state. You let go of the fissured glass -slowly. You bring your shaking hand to your lap, and hold it there.
The Healer nods a few times. "Fine. Fine..." she takes a deep breath, before looking you in the eye. "You know about the Clear Seed," she states.
You feel a knot form in your stomach.
"It's nothing you have to answer," Rin holds up a hand defensively. "You can just ignore it, but Sabrina asked me to tell you, she..." Rin hesitates, "she-she wanted to talk."
The fish you ingested swims inside your gut.
"I told her it was a bad idea," the Healer shakes her head, "you don't have to talk to her if you don't want to, much less meet up, you know that..."
"Get out," you snap.
Rin bites her lip. "I didn't mean-"
"OUT!" you lash out, sweeping the tray off the table.
It crashes against the wall.
Glass breaks, metal clatters, food flies, the pitcher clangs and spills its contents, some of it splashes on your face.
Rin sits ramrod straight with her eyes closed until the small pandemonium ends, which it does with the pitcher rolling to clack against the wall.
"Right, message delivered," the Healer states, standing up and patting down her dress. "I'll clean up later. See you... later, Akiko. Get better soon."
Without even looking back at you, she walks out.
You're left sitting in an empty room, you heart hammering inside your chest, with bits of fish and vegetables strewn around the floor, broken pieces of glass on your table, liquid staining the floor and walls, and some more of it running down your cheek.
