Drip. Drip. Drip.
A tiny puddle began to form in front of one of many doors of the apartment building. The noise of countless raindrops smacking the ground echoed through the open corridor. They masked the heavy breathing of the lone figure standing at the entryway. Drops of water fell from her body as she stood there, chest heaving, hands clutching the straps of a long bag.
"Seriously…" Karin muttered to herself. She laid her bag against the door, gripped her shirt, and squeezed. A stream of water briefly flowed out and added to the growing puddle beneath her. She did the same with her shorts, the puddle absorbing it all into its expanding reach.
When no more could be wrung from her clothes, she finally opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside. Her shoes made squishy noises with each step. They were quickly discarded – her socks, too – in the entryway, freeing her feet from the thoroughly unpleasant soggy feeling. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but she was interrupted by a shiver that shot through her entire body. Was it the cool air of the apartment?
Karin grabbed a nearby towel and began drying herself. Everything was soaked. The storm raging outside definitely hadn't been in the forecast when she'd checked in the morning. It was supposed to be a slightly cloudy but warm day.
Just par for the course today, she mused. She'd started the day feeling under the weather, which wasn't such a terrible thing. Nothing a day of exercises and supplements wouldn't drive off, and so it was that she packed her training gear into her bag, grabbed her bike, and set off to the shore to spend the day working her body back to its normal vigor. The air had turned chilly early on, and even when the clouds began to gather, surely the forecast would have mentioned a chance for rain, right? Or so she believed, right up until the moment the clouds unleashed their freezing liquid fury on her without so much as a warning.
She undid the ribbons in her hair and ran it through the towel. Water dripped from the ends even after doing so. Perhaps rushing straight home hadn't been the best idea. Still, she'd just wanted to get home. She brushed it off. The irritation of having her training abruptly interrupted was justification enough for the lapse in judgement.
Another shiver ran down her spine. She could feel the chill setting in. Between it and racing home after an intense exercise, her body felt heavy as she stripped off her soaked garments. A fresh towel newly in hand, she dried herself fully and slipped into something more suitable for club activities later in the day.
Karin glanced at her couch. It was only just past ten in the morning, but it looked so comfortable. Very unlike the storm outside. She needed to warm up and take a break. It was fine, right? Plenty of time before she needed to meet up with the club later.
She stepped toward the couch. Something caught her attention at the edge of her vision. Turning toward it, she felt like she'd leaned too far. She stepped back to regain her balance, but she was still tipping over. The wall. She grabbed the wall. The world began to shake at the edges. She stepped toward the couch again. She needed to sit down. How far away was it? It was across the room, but now in front of her? She took another step, but did she even move? Everything shifted in front of her. Falling.
Black. Colors. Everything swirling.
Something was wrong. Karin turned around. Nothing moved. Why couldn't she see it? She peered into the emptiness, and the world spun.
Fire. Endless stars.
Her chest felt heavy. Too hot to run. She ran anyway. She couldn't feel anything on one side. The ground greeted her. The heat kept growing. Stifling. She couldn't think. Her heart raced faster, faster. She lay helpless.
A light touch. Warm. Not like the flames. A presence nearby. She wanted to reach out, hold it. It held her instead.
The fire vanished.
The ground drifted away, and a calm settled into her. The darkness rippled and became a soft light.
She floated in the warmth that held her hand.
Karin stirred.
The world shifted again. Where had she just been? She couldn't quite remember the scene before her just moments ago. Darkness. Her mind felt sluggish. Foggy. She couldn't shake it. The sound of leaves rustling echoed in her ears. Her mind lost its grip on the fleeting pieces in her memory.
Karin tried to focus. She let the noise ease in until it was no more than a whisper. Still, the sound was clear, crisp. Not muddled by the noise of the rainstorm. Did it already pass? It'd been pouring just a minute ago. A wisp of air touched her cheek. Did she leave a window open?
She opened her eyes. Her bare bedroom ceiling greeted her, just as it did every morning. Except it wasn't morning, right? Her brows furrowed. She had sat down on the couch… hadn't she?
Her body almost felt disconnected. The sensations she did feel were all jumbled together in her mind. It was an almost familiar feeling. She pushed down the anxiety that crept into her chest. Almost familiar. Not the same. She grabbed at the bedsheets with both her hands, just to prove it to herself.
Something made a tiny noise next to her head.
Karin turned her head toward the sound. Red hair entered her vision, tied back with a ribbon. She felt something slide across her forehead and fall in front of her eyes and hang there, hiding the face of the person with her upper body draped onto the bed. After a moment, the object slipped off and fell to the bed with a soft thump.
Yuuna stirred, her revealed face tensing briefly as she, almost half heartedly, tried to bury one side of her face into her arm she was using as a pillow. Karin couldn't help but stare. Her friend's gentle face, settled back into peaceful slumber, entranced her. Every deep breath she took resounded clearly in the silence that surrounded them. Watching her, Karin felt herself relax. The emotions bubbling up just a minute before faded away.
Why? Karin found herself wondering that. Why was Yuuna sleeping next to her? What was she doing here at all? Ignoring the protests of some part of her consciousness, she forced her arm behind her and pushed. She had to get up and—
The world spun. What little strength she had mustered to prop herself up vanished in an instant, and her body fell limp back onto the bed. She shut her eyes. Her breathing quickened, labored. Even that much effort was too much.
The realization finally dawned on her.
Minuted passed. She willed her body to calm down again. After what felt like an eternity, her breathing returned to normal, and opening her eyes didn't greet her with nauseating spinning. Slowly, carefully, she turned her head back to Yuuna's sleeping form. She hadn't moved at all. Karin smiled slightly. The girl looked so fragile laying there. And in some ways, she was. But she was so strong beneath it all. The events months before sprung to mind. The pain she had to go through.
Karin lifted her hand – or at least, tried to. Her hand felt heavy, like she was holding something. She suddenly became very aware that something was resting in her palm. She slowly closed her fingers around it. The warmth that had been there the entire time grew stronger. She rubbed the soft skin underneath her fingertips, and her mind wandered back to the days just after making their final stand against the Vertex. Back when the Mankai system had taken so much from them. Back when Yuuna had given everything of herself. When all Karin wanted was to feel Yuuna's presence, she held her hand but felt nothing of her dearest friend's life and strength. That moment when the despair hit her…
Karin felt her heart sink just remembering that time. She squeezed Yuuna's hand, gently, yet into which she poured every ounce of her being. She wanted – no, needed to know she was actually there beside her this time. Despite being able to see her, what she wanted was to feel her presence.
She felt Yuuna's fingers tighten around her hand. A muffled voice broke the silence. Yuuna's back rose as she took a deep breath and sighed. She turned her head and gazed at Karin with half-lidded eyes that opened wide the moment they focused on her face.
"Ah… Karin-chan!"
It was as if her heart leapt into her throat, that Karin opened her mouth to speak but made no sounds. Caught in a vulnerable moment, her cheeks flushed slightly more than they already were. She fidgeted. Their hands remained firmly grasped around each other.
Yuuna picked herself up off the bed and rubbed her eyes. "How are you feeling?" Her voice was soft, filled with concern.
"F-F-Fine, I guess." The words barely made it out of her. It was half-true. She didn't feel well physically, but Yuuna's presence made it much easier to cope with the disorientation and weakness.
Not that she could say that aloud, of course.
"Really? You're still so red, though…"
Karin's eyes shot open as Yuuna leaned in close. Yuuna's free hand brushed aside her bangs, and she touched her forehead to hers. One moment. Two. Ten. They remained perfectly still. Karin stared straight ahead, her eyes locked with Yuuna's. A jumble of thoughts raced through Karin's mind. What was Yuuna thinking? She was taking so long. Was she doing this on purpose?
"You still have a fever," Yuuna said, finally pulling away. She picked up the washcloth from the bed and turned away. "I'll go soak this again. I'll be right back, okay?"
Yuuna said that, but she didn't walk away. She turned her head back to Karin. Karin looked back at her and wondered why she wasn't going anywhere.
A slight tug at her hand. Karin looked down; she was still firmly gripping Yuuna's hand. Yuuna was still smiling back at her, waiting. Karin released her grip on the girl and hastily pulled her arm in tight to her chest. Yuuna giggled and then disappeared into the other room.
How could she have not realized she was still holding on? Surely Yuuna must've been bothered by her clinginess. But it's Yuuna, she's fine with it, right? And why was she even being clingy at all? Karin's mind raced, filling the silence in the room with anxious thoughts only she could hear. She closed her eyes and tried to shut them out.
The sound of footsteps coming closer brought her attention back to the room around her. Yuuna had returned holding a small plastic bucket. Wordlessly, she knelt down next to the bed and picked up the washcloth draped over the edge and dipped it in. The sound of trickling water washed over her. Calming. She watched the water be squeezed out from the washcloth by those firm and gentle hands Yuuna's always had. Slowly, the last of the water dripped out of the cloth. Yuuna folded it back up and reached over.
"Karin-chan. Turn your head, okay?"
The pillows under her head shifted slightly. She felt Yuuna's fingertips sneak under her and touch lightly against her cheek and temple. Karin, without a thought, turned her head slowly at the gentle prompting of those fingers, helped along by Yuuna.
She grimaced. The world spun again. She shut her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Karin-chan." She said it barely above a whisper, but the care and concern Yuuna said it with couldn't have been more clear.
Face-up again, a damp chill settled onto Karin's forehead. She opened her eyes to Yuuna pulling her arm back, the washcloth now put back in place. In the corner of her vision, her other arm still extended out to her. The faint sensation of Yuuna's touch remained on her cheek.
"How's it feel?"
Karin let out some approximation of a content grunt and shut her eyes again. The cold washcloth against her forehead really did feel good. The chill seeped into her, pushing back the uncomfortable heat. The constant feeling of physical unease faded. Little by little, she felt her mind and body relax.
Yuuna's hand continued to linger.
Karin slowly opened her eyes. The haze on her mind had cleared somewhat. Quickly, at that. Or had it? A faint sense of the passage of time slowly creeped into her consciousness. The coolness of the cloth against her head was faded, barely there. Had she dozed off? She glanced over to her side, careful not to move her head this time.
"Yuuna."
Yuuna smiled back at her. "Better?" She propped her head up on the bed with her arm. She hadn't moved from the spot next to her.
"Yeah. A bit." Her voice was little more than a murmur. She took a deep breath. The air was crisp. "What are you doing here?" Really, she had a lot of questions now that she could actually think, but Yuuna's presence was the one she latched on to. No real reason to that, of course.
"You didn't show up to the shelter today, and you weren't answering your phone—"
Karin flinched. She was supposed to help at a local animal shelter in the afternoon with everyone else! Maybe it wasn't too late to get there to help, she thought, but Yuuna put a hand on her shoulder before she could try to jump up.
"—so I came looking for you while the others stayed there. They came by afterward, but you were still sleeping."
Something about the way Yuuna answered struck Karin as odd. Her expression said there was something more beyond the answer she gave. But what was it?
"Are you hungry? Tougou-san made some things to eat while she was here."
"… Not really," Karin said. If Tougou was here long enough to make them meals, how long had she been sleeping? "Is it dinnertime or something?"
Yuuna giggled lightly. "It's around three in the morning now. You were asleep for a long time."
"Three… Really?" Karin started. "Why are you still here, you should be at home asleep!" She had meant to say it sternly, but all that came out was a slightly more forceful murmur.
"But I need to take care of you." Yuuna said it completely matter-of-fact. She pulled the washcloth off Karin's head and wrung it dry over the water bucket before putting it in to soak again. "If you're not hungry, then let me wipe the sweat off you."
Karin's cheeks flushed red. "Wha–What do you need to do that for?"
Yuuna seemingly ignored the question with one of her own. "Can you sit up?" She looked down at Karin with slightly worried eyes. "Do you feel okay to do that?"
Karin remained silent for a moment. Yuuna's eyes didn't break with hers. What did she want to do?
"… Yeah," she finally said, breaking from her gaze. Yuuna could be so hard to deny sometimes. She braced her arms against the bed and readied herself for the disorientation once again.
"Ah, Karin-chan, wait!" Yuuna stood up and reached over. She slipped her hands underneath Karin's back and neck. They were warm, even through her clothes. "Alright, there we go. One, two, and up!" Slowly, she lifted Karin upright.
"Geez, to be reduced to such a state…" Karin muttered, in contrast to Yuuna's cheery voice. She slouched over slightly; she felt too weak to sit upright. She tried to ignore the spinning sensation, at least enough to not let it seep into her voice. "Sorry, Yuuna…"
"It's fine! I'm happy I'm able to help you like this."
The bed shuddered a bit. Karin glanced over to see Yuuna setting her pillows aside and climbing onto the bed. She disappeared from her limited field of view, but she felt the bed continue to shift as she settled in behind her.
Karin wasn't sure what to say. She had expected Yuuna to stay where she was, but this was fine, right? It'd be easier than Yuuna trying to reach over, or her having to move to face away from Yuuna.
It was just that she was now so close.
Karin fidgeted as Yuuna found the bottom edge of her shirt, her fingers brushing up against her skin. Gently, she started lifting it up off her back. The fabric peeled off her skin, exposing it to the cool air. The sudden change sent a shiver down Karin's back, but it felt so good. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how disgustingly damp her shirt was the entire time. But of course Yuuna knew, that's why she was insistent.
Yuuna pulled the shirt up to her arms, exposing her stomach, and Karin couldn't hold back the sigh of relief that had been forming on her lips.
And then Yuuna didn't stop at her arms.
Before Karin realized it, Yuuna had lifted her arms and pulled her shirt up and over her head. "Hey, wait a se—"
"There we go!" Yuuna said, pulling the shirt free of Karin's arms.
"Yuuna, what are you doing?" Karin demanded. She hastily grabbed a bundle of the bedsheets and pulled it up to her chest.
"It's soaked, Karin-chan. After I'm done, I'll put on a fresh new shirt."
"B-b-b-but…" Karin could feel the heat beginning to return to her cheeks.
"And now for the last bit…"
Karin felt the tight band around her chest suddenly come loose. Her face blazed crimson.
"Eeh?! Yuuna?!"
Yuuna didn't respond. For a moment nothing happened, but then Karin felt Yuuna's fingertips brush against her fully exposed skin one at a time, lightly tracing a line down to the small of her back. The gentle sensation sent even stronger tremors through Karin's body. Her breathing quickened. Yuuna was so close. Her back was exposed to her. What was she doing?
Yuuna's fingertips lingered, not moving. Still, she said not a word.
"... Yuuna?" Karin asked, slightly concerned. It wasn't like Yuuna to do something like that and not say anything.
"Ah." Yuuna gasped slightly. "Nothing! It's nothing." She grabbed the washcloth from the bucket at the side of the bed and squeezed the excess water out. "I'll get started!"
Karin reflexively straightened up her back the moment the washcloth made contact. Damp fabric slid across her back from one shoulder to the other, a streak of cold following in its wake. Karin, still flushed red, found herself torn between the cool, soothing feeling passing over her back and the heat of embarrassment in her head from being so exposed. With each stroke, she squirmed slightly, the sensation welcome yet conflicted. Stray drops of water trickled down her back, and with them a tantalizing taste of what was to come. Slowly, the soothing relief pushed aside her apprehension. The tension in Karin's muscles drained away as Yuuna settled into a gentle rhythm.
"How's it feel?" Yuuna asked upon hearing a sigh slip from Karin's lips.
"Good. It feels good, Yuuna." Free from the tension, Karin could feel her eyelids getting heavy again.
"I'm glad." Her voice was soft. Somehow, Karin could feel the warmth of Yuuna's smile. The room was quiet. Her movements slowed as she moved down Karin's back, her touch conveying the emotions running through her. From appreciation, to thoughtfulness, to affection, to…
Yuuna's hands stopped moving. "Karin-chan, I was really worried, you know? You're never late, you never miss our activities. So when I saw you collapsed in the middle of the room, I thought…" Her voice caught in her throat.
Karin's heart sank. This was what she noticed earlier. What Yuuna hadn't said. Yuuna was strong, but also so compassionate. How much had she panicked, not having everyone else nearby to help? Seeing her lying there, unconscious, had Yuuna remembered when she had found her helpless after her battle? Like she had earlier? She could only guess. She hadn't ever meant to hurt Yuuna, but just by not noticing her own sickness, her own carelessness had clearly done exactly what she never wanted.
"... Sorry to put you through all that."
Immediately, Yuuna hurried to respond. "No, no! It wasn't your fault, Karin-chan!" She pulled back Karin's arm and ran the washcloth down its length, trying to divert Karin's attention. Or perhaps her own.
It was the answer Karin expected, and she sighed. Yuuna could be a handful sometimes. Mustering up the last of her strength, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Slowly, carefully, she lowered herself down onto her back, her head coming to rest on Yuuna's chest. Her bare back, cleansed, now felt the warmth of Yuuna's body. It felt right.
"Karin… chan?"
Karin opened her eyes. The spinning sensation came to an end, leaving her gazing directly up into the beautiful red eyes looking down at her with a puzzled expression. She reached up with her arm and hung her outstretched hand loosely in the air.
"I won't make you worry about me like this again. And next time, it'll be my turn to care for you." She smiled. "Okay?"
Yuuna remained silent and glanced at Karin's hand, then back to Karin herself. Karin waited. The expressions they exchanged between them spoke more than words could. Finally, Yuuna took Karin's hand in hers and smiled back.
"Yeah."
Karin pulled their hands to her chest. She found each of Yuuna's fingers and intertwined them with her own. She squeezed. Yuuna squeezed back. Their intertwined fingers caressed the other's in turn. The room was quiet again, with only their rhythmic breathing breaking the silence. Yuuna put her free hand onto Karin's shoulder and traced circles on her skin with her fingertips, occasionally stopping only to lightly massage the area. All the while, their gazes never broke from one another's.
Karin felt like she was sinking into Yuuna. The softness against her body enveloping her. She was fine with that, if it comforted Yuuna. That's what Yuuna needed, right? And maybe she did, too. She let her eyes close. Her breathing slowed. She felt herself drifting back to sleep. Somewhere in her still conscious mind, she noticed a change in the movement of Yuuna's fingertips on her shoulder. No longer a circle. More like she was tracing a path. A letter? Something familiar… She tried to focus on it, picture the movements in her mind, but it all slipped through her grasp.
Just as her consciousness drifted away, she felt something soft touch her forehead.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
A tiny puddle began to form at the door Karin stood in front of. The noise of countless raindrops smacking the ground behind her drifted away into the storm. She shook the closed umbrella in her hand; no need to bring inside all that extra water that was just going to drip off it anyway.
"Seriously…" Karin muttered to herself. "They said it'd be sunny all day! Why can't the forecast get it right?" She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and stepped inside the house. It'd only been a couple days since the last storm they'd failed to predict, and just a day since she'd gotten back on her feet. Why did it have to suddenly rain on her again so soon? And now, of all times?
She sighed and put down her umbrella in the entryway and set aside her shoes. The house was quiet. Not unexpected for being so late in the evening. She made her way up the stairs to the second floor, passing through the unlit rooms along the way. The door to her destination was ajar, and a dim light shone through the opening. Carefully, without a sound, Karin pushed it open.
"Ah, Karin-chan." A quiet voice greeted her.
"You know, Yuuna," Karin said back as she stepped into Yuuna's bedroom, putting up an air of annoyance in her words, "when I said next time it would be my turn, I didn't mean for it to be so soon."
"Ehehe." Yuuna giggled softly; Karin almost didn't hear her from across the room. She laid on her bed with the covers over her, but Karin could see that she was still wearing her clothes from earlier in the day, during their club activities. She had seemed fine then, but Karin knew from experience that illnesses could come on pretty quickly. She made it to her bed, at least, a fact she was very thankful for.
Karin walked over to her illness-stricken friend and set her bag down. "Everyone else would probably catch the same thing if they stayed with you overnight. I suppose it's up to me to take care of you on my own." She leaned over and touched her forehead to Yuuna's. A smile formed on her lips, and her words came out softly. "Right, Yuuna?"
"Yeah." Yuuna smiled back at her, weak but full of her usual spirit. "Thank you, Karin-chan."
Karin blushed. She pulled herself away and averted her eyes for a moment. Finally, cheeks still red, she spoke up.
"… Well, your fever isn't too bad yet, but let's not wait for that to happen. I'll go find a washcloth and get it ready for you."