"What if I fall and hurt myself? Would you know how to fix me?"
~Hazy, Rosi Golan feat. William Fitzsimmons


Arata's voice on the phone crackles deeply, washing over her. He sets her heartbeat drumming, staccato-like in the otherwise silent room where she waits to recover. During the day, Chihaya writes poems. At night, she watches Arata's match, his smile radiating through the screen, so close she swears she can touch it. In her ears, everything turns fuzzy, electric. She buzzes with anticipation—when next we meet again.

After the hospital discharges her, Chihaya returns to her usual routine. She moves her operated finger experimentally, flexing it, testing its motion. Afterwards, she practices swinging, one arm thrown over her face, the other one trained towards the ceiling as she lies on her back. Chihaya works to extend her reach, so one day she can catch up to Arata, grab him by the sleeve, and, and—

And what? Her mind falters, because what happens when a lifelong goal is achieved? Her vision goes sideways, splintering for a second. There's the awful buzzing sound of cicadas again, swirling in her ears.

And then Taichi's voice cuts through the fog. "Chihaya? Ready to go?" He stands in the doorway, expectant.

Chihaya leaps out of bed, tripping over herself in a frenzy. I'm going to the Fujisaki camp I'm going to get better I'm going to be Queen I'm going to see Arata again—

She pats the floor for her things, only to find Taichi has entered her room in the middle of her whirlwind of thoughts and scooped up her bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He laughs a little as he extends a hand to help her up.

For a second, Chihaya pauses. Something in Taichi's eyes momentarily stills her, keeping her rooted even when he turns and starts to walk downstairs.

Arata makes her feel dizzy with energy and yearning, but Taichi…

Taichi steadies her.


A/N: Inspired by Kanade's explanation of impassionate vs. frenzied in season 2's episode...7, I think it was? Anyways, shipping Chihaya with anyone is agonizing and yet I continue to do it :P