I just wanted to quickly inform everyone of when this scene is taking place (for those who've been reading ATOC). It's set in Chapter 2, after Hanako arrives at the Tachibana's house with Makoto once they drop Haru off, and before the next morning when she's examining the grave of the family fish.
I've been wanting to do some little side stories connected to ATOC for awhile now, but never had the courage (har-har) to do so till now. I'm not going to be too focused on getting these out on a specific schedule, as I'll be writing them sort of as they come to me. There's a few I've got in my head that I really want to put to paper and get started on, but they occur much later on in my main story, and posting them now would reveal major plot spoilers.
So while I can't guarantee that short stories will be frequent here, I can however say that yes, there will be more to come. Probably quite a few. So please keep an eye out for those!
Please let me know if you think anything needs changing/fixing, and I hope you enjoy reading my little drabbles!
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Recurring Hallucinations
^.^.^.^
Hanako gazed at the dishes before her, not really taking in what was on them or the casual chatter floating around her.
She faintly recognised a familiar laughter erupting from across the table, but was too pre-occupied with her thoughts to really take note of who it was.
Ever since stepping foot into her Aunt and Uncle's home she'd felt extremely uncomfortable. Hanako remembered when she used to love the weekly to monthly visits she and her family would pay to the small Iwatobi town to see her relatives.
But times had changed, Mr and Mrs Tachibana had aged considerably since then and there were two more little children who ran around the house like Hanako and Makoto used to do all those years ago.
She was no longer a visitor, but had rather forced her company upon the close-knit family. Hanako knew her relatives didn't mind in the least, in fact Aiko Tachibana seemed almost thrilled to be having another girl around the house besides herself and Ran, but that didn't mean she felt any less like an intruder.
Surely having another teenage mouth to feed would put stress on her Uncle's shoulders, right? She didn't want to be a burden...Hanako remembers last year hearing from her cousin during one of their frequent Skype calls that his father was struggling with his job.
What if he's still going through a rough time?
Makoto chuckled at one of his dad's many corny jokes, adding onto it with a phrase of his own. The two men of the house continued like that whilst finishing the rest of their meal.
The swimmer had been pleasantly surprised to see his mother go all out tonight, most likely to cheer up her favourite – and only – niece. The whole house, minus the young ones, knew of the difficult situation the poor girl was going through right now, and Aiko especially cooked Hanako's favourite dishes in hopes to lift the mood a little.
It seemed to be working for everyone except the person it was all geared towards. Makoto glanced over at his silent cousin.
She wore a forlorn look, the corners of her lips pulled down in concern. The teen watched as Hanako half-heartedly pushed the barely touched food around the bowl with her chopsticks.
Cocking his head to the side, the boy placed his own utensils down and stretched out one leg, brushing his bare foot against the other teens.
Hanako jumped at the sudden contact, a loud bang startling everyone seated at the table. The girl yelped and clutched her knee, chopsticks clattering as they rolled off the wooden surface.
"Hanako, are you alright dear?" Aiko instantly got up from her seat and made her way over to her flustered niece, gently taking hold of her hand and pushing it aside to assess the damage.
"Sorry...I'm okay, really." Makoto gulped back a nervous laugh as his cousin sent him an accusing glare. He'd definitely gotten her attention, but he hadn't meant to scare her like that...
"Looks like it's just a minor bruise," The mother of the house quickly confirmed, giving the knee a careful pat before straightening up. "Are you sure you're okay though? You've hardly touched your food."
Hanako quickly tore her eyes from the flinching boy in front of her and placed them on the concerned older woman. "Ah..! I'm sorry," She turned her head to look at the uneaten meal. A flicker of guilt passed through her eyes as she looked back up to face her Aunt. "I let the food get cold, too..."
Aiko simply sent the girl a soft smile before reaching around her niece to retrieve the dishes. The bowls were taken over to the bench as Mrs Tachibana reassured the nervous teen fumbling at her table.
"You don't have to eat if you're not hungry."
The brunette gave a small nod, bowing her head in shame even though her Aunt dismissed the matter.
Makoto watched carefully as his cousin hid behind a curtain of silky locks that barely reached her shoulder blades. Her shoulders were hunched and he could tell her fingers were fidgeting beneath the table from the slight jostle of her arms.
He wanted to say something, anything to alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere that'd befallen the nervous girl, but he wasn't sure what. His mother seemed to have an idea though, as she asked if he could run his cousin a bath.
Makoto quickly accepted the task and pushed his chair out, more than done with his share of the meal anyway. The teen brought the plate over to the kitchen – after dropping whatever meat was left into the twin's bowls – and handed it to the waiting woman at the sink.
His mum gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, her delicate hand squeezing the slightest bit as they shared a knowing look. Makoto gave a quiet nod and smile of his own before re-entering the dining room.
"Come on, Hanako, I'll show you where the bathroom is."
The girl glanced up, her weary features slowly melting away as she placed a tiny hand within her cousin's own large one. The swimmer pulled her onto her feet before leading the way out.
"It hasn't been that long since I was last came over, you know. I'm pretty sure I still know where everything is." Hanako joked lightly, tucking a loose strand of mousy brown hair behind her ear.
Makoto smiled down at his much smaller relative as they crossed the hallway and shuffled up the stairs together, glad to see her lightening up a little.
Hanako veered off into the guest room she was occupying to retrieve a pair of pyjamas while her cousin continued on towards the bathroom.
Her suitcase wasn't very large, and didn't really hold anything except bare necessities. The majority of her belongings were still sitting around her house. Hanako roughly jerked the stubborn zippers around the length of her bag, finally able to flip the lid open and peer inside.
The pyjamas were conveniently buried at the very bottom, so she had to pull everything out, grab the set, and then put everything back in.
She at first tried re-folding the strewn clothes and placing them the way they had been before she'd assaulted her suitcase, but after a few torturous minutes of messily folding and unfolding, only to fold again, Hanako couldn't take it anymore and decided to sort the pile out tomorrow.
Jamming everything down, the teen threw all her weight onto the hard plastic lid as she tried to pull the zipper back around.
Her legs were tucked up beneath her, torso leaning over the bag and head upside down as she tried – unsuccessfully – to get the rebellious zipper to do as she wanted.
Makoto just happened to walk in on the particularly...ungraceful event, about to announce the bath was ready until he set his sights on the scene of his cousin wrestling her travel case.
He decided to lean against the frame of the door and watch for a moment longer, secretly enjoying the poor girl's struggle.
Hanako felt her weight suddenly shift, her body leaning too far forward. Her lower half went flying over her head and before she could do anything to right herself, Hanako's back connected with something hard, earning a breathless gasp from the girl.
A muffled snort made the teen look incredulously up at the bemused smile of none other than Makoto.
She huffed in mock annoyance at his refusal to offer her any kind of assistance, remaining where she was on the floor.
Makoto couldn't help letting out a soft snicker at the dishevelled appearance of his cousin, her brunette locks splayed all around her in a messy halo of hair, sea foam eyes glaring beseechingly up at him.
"Would you like some help?" The swimmer offered, olive brown hair bouncing to the suppressed chuckles he was holding back.
"Why, thank you dear cousin, I'd really appreciate it!" There was no hint of gratefulness whatsoever in the girl's tone of voice. Though to be fair, Makoto didn't really think he deserved it anyway.
This time, the boy stepped into the room and crossed the tatami mats, reaching out to his beloved little cousin. She huffed, cheeks puffed and arms crossed as she contemplated on whether or not to take the out-stretched appendage.
When Makoto's face was graced with his signature good-natured smile, Hanako felt her walls immediately crumble and couldn't help grinning back, linking their hands together.
She got to her feet with his help and quickly brushed herself off, before turning once again to face the terror that'd caused all of this in the first place.
"I'll fix this, you don't want the bath getting cold."
Hanako felt herself being gently shooed from the room, large hands pressing softly to her back as her feet were forced to cross the floor if she didn't want to trip.
"Are you sure? Maybe I should stay and help..."
Hanako's offer was quickly refused with another of his famous smiles and a dismissing wave of the swimmer's hand before the door was softly shut behind her.
She stood there for a moment, reluctant to make the trek to the bathroom. Hanako really didn't want to go in...to see that...
The pitter patter of feet and typical sibling squabbles coming from the staircase was enough to convince the girl to full on sprint into the next room however, hoping to avoid the children of the house.
She felt bad for doing so, Ren and Ran had come up to her earlier to say their greetings, but the girl was so shocked and uncomfortable in their presence that Makoto had to excuse themselves from the saddened children and retreat to the safety of his bedroom.
Sliding the door shut with a soft click. Hanako let out a small exhale of withheld oxygen, gradually slipping out of her outfit and placing the articles of clothing within the nearby hamper.
The brunette kept her gaze focused anywhere but on the large body of water almost overflowing from it's container.
Taking the small plastic stool and placing it in the middle of the room, Hanako reached for the shower head attached to a bendable metal pipe and proceeded with washing herself, scrubbing away the days filth and sending it down the drain.
As the last of the soap glided off her pale skin, Hanako suddenly felt dread creep back into her stomach when she knew the next step to come.
The girl sat there silently under the spray of warm liquid, wondering how she could possibly extend the time.
Hanako glanced nervously at the large, looming tub beside her. Every muscle in her body stiffened at just the sight and she quickly had to turn her head the other way, wet, clumped locks of hair swinging limply to rest over one shoulder.
She really didn't want to...since the accident, Hanako had slowly but surely developed a fear of any body of water big enough to drown in.
Small doses were fine. She could drink from a glass, carry a full bucket and sit under a spray of water just as she was doing right now. But as soon as she actually tried to get into the water is when everything started going south.
Hanako decided to wash her hair, it was getting a little greasy anyway so a quick wash wouldn't hurt, right?
She also followed up with shaving, being extra careful to get every little tiny hair follicle she could visibly see on her legs.
But that too eventually came to an end. She's washed, shaved, and rinsed. There was nothing else left to do but climb...into that.
A violent shudder crawled down the length of the brunette's spine, seeping all the way to her feet and making her toes curl in displeasure.
Sitting here stalling clearly wasn't getting her anywhere.
Sucking in a deep breath and holding it for dear life, Hanako removed herself from the stool, turning off the shower's spray and spinning to face the very thing she feared the most.
Well, "no time like the present" they always say...
Her body recoiled in disgust as she dipped her big toe into the steamy liquid. Hanako wanted nothing more than to run screaming bloody murder from this very room – birthday suit and all – but the girl knew she eventually had to come to terms with it...with this.
This irrational fear she'd developed for even the most harmless bodies of water. She wasn't quite sure when it happened, but Hanako was suddenly very aware of the fact that her entire being was encased in an almost unbearable cloak of H2O.
The water was hot, very hot. Only seconds in and there was already a sheen of sweat building across her forehead.
Though the fact that she was submerged in fluids and her heart was racing a mile a minute probably had more to do with it than the temperature.
Okay...breathe Hanako. Relax Hanako. You can do this...nothing is happening, right? You're okay, just stay...calm...
Just focus on something else...don't look at the water...don't think of the water...
Don't-...
Hanako's little pep talks weren't helping at all. Her pulse was sky rocketing and the pumping organ beneath her ribs was on the verge of having a heart attack.
The teen squeezed her eyes shut, hiding behind her dark lids so she wouldn't have to witness the watery grave she was sitting in.
The water was embracing her from every angle, hugging her skin like an uncomfortable sticky suit. It wouldn't let go, it's hold strong, fierce. She tried wiggling around a little, but the liquid just shifted in time with the movement of her legs before cradling the pale limbs once more.
Biting her lip and digging her nails into the flesh of her outer thighs, the brunette shook her head vehemently and leaned forward, the sensitive skin of her shoulders tingling after being exposed to the cool air.
No, she couldn't do this. She needed to get out.
To escape. She didn't want to be in it anymore, she can't handle it...she needed to get out now!
"Hanako?"
The girl started, her body jerking and eyes flying open at the sudden call of her name. A heavy slosh sounded from the tub as it spilt over the sides and hit the tiled floor.
"U-uh...yes?"
"Mum wanted to know if your knee is doing any better, is everything alright?"
She gazed up at the plain white ceiling, blowing out a large gust of air as her rising anxiety slowly decreased at the sound of Makoto's comforting voice.
"Um, yeah. Please tell Aunt Aiko that it's fine now, she doesn't need to worry anymore."
There was a paused silence after Makoto confirmed he'd tell his mother. Hanako almost thought he'd left, until she heard bare feet shuffling against varnished wood from the other side of the door.
"Makoto?" She called out tentatively, her tilted head slightly rolling to the side as she waited for a response.
"Ah, sorry. I just wanted to ask if you're okay," Hanako wasn't quite sure what he was getting at. The boy must've realised this upon her silence because he quickly elaborated. "I mean, about my siblings...they weren't too much to handle, were they?"
Ah...that's what he was worrying about. Hanako felt guilt pierce her heart. She hated the fact that she couldn't interact with Ren and Ran. They'd seemed so sweet, despite their constant tiffs between each other.
But Hanako just couldn't bring herself to face little kids anymore...She'd once loved them, adored them. But then, as she got older, they started reminding her of things she'd rather forget.
Like with water, her fear of children had become a gradual thing. She hadn't known when it'd started, but Hanako knew it'd only gotten worse as the years went on.
She couldn't even glance at a child across the street without instantly being reminded of...of him.
They're happy smiles, they're infectious laughter, they're mischievous grins when they were up to no good. It all reminded her of him...her little brother. Someone she'd never get to see again.
Realising her cousin was still patiently waiting on the girl's answer, Hanako cleared her throat and straightened up again, bring her gaze down from the view above.
"N-no, it's fine! I'm the one who should-"
Oh no...
Hanako's heart stopped.
Not again...
Every fibre in her being froze and her blood ran cold.
Why does this always happen..?
Her green gaze had flicked for only a second down to the clutches of the bath. Big mistake.
She knew this would happen, it always happened. Why hadn't she left the tub when she'd had the chance? What was she trying to prove by forcing herself to stay? Hanako knew she'd never be able to overcome this irrational fear, so why even try?
The water, once clear, was now a dark, smoky black. What was once gentle ripples gliding across the surface from the drip of the over-hanging tap was now large, clunky waves clawing up and around her arms and chest, crawling over her prickled skin in soggy gloops.
It had a mind of it's own, trying desperately to drag the girl in and pin her within it's large, inky mass.
Her every limb felt heavy and weighed down, like someone had taken the time to tie prison balls to her feet and wrists.
Hanako couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. She needed out, and she needed it now!
Just as a slimmer of strength returned to the paralysed girl, the surface of the water suddenly stilled.
No waves crashing at her, no corrupted ripples climbing their way up her body. Nothing. Or at least, she thought it was nothing.
Until she saw it.
There was a feint bubbling coming from in the center of the tub, just above her stomach. Hanako watched in terror as the inky liquid slowly took shape, her mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
The bubbles increased at an alarming rate, the sound of water splashing up out of the bath and landing back within it's container deafening in the brunette's ringing ears.
A small, oozing appendage suddenly began to stretch out towards her, tiny chubby fingers clasping hungrily at the frightened girl's figure.
A hiss, like a leak in a gas line, followed after the gloopy hand. Fat, thick drops of black rolling between it's fingers and melding back into the substance Hanako was trapped within.
Screaming. That's all Hanako could hear. The hissing was unbearably loud, but the shrill cry was enough to make it recede back into the watery depths from where it came.
Furious banging suddenly entered the fray of noise. Hanako noticed a dull ache springing to life in her tail bone, slowly crawling up from the base of her spine.
Her behind was flush with something cold, her shaking hands pressed firmly against whatever cool surface she was on.
When had Hanako gotten out of the bath, she wondered?
The screaming stopped. The smoky water and child's hand completely gone.
There was a new sound, someone calling out to her. Hanako couldn't quite register who it was, until she finally remembered who she'd been talking to only moments ago.
Before...all that happened.
"Hanako! What's wrong? What happened?! I'm coming in!"
The girl instantly thawed out at those words, scrambling across the tiles on her hands and knees to hold the door shut before the older teen could barge in on her indecency.
"No!" She choked out, finding her voice rather hoarse. Had she been the one screaming? "No...I-I'm fine. I'm-...okay."
Makoto stayed quiet, making Hanako wish he'd say something, anything at all to break the terrifying silence.
"...Okay." Came the boy's hesitant response. She could tell he was clearly disbelieving of her words, but in typical Makoto fashion he didn't push for an honest answer. Hanako thanked whoever was up there for her cousin's lack of curiosity.
Just how does one exactly explain the type of hallucination they'd just witnessed without coming off as some sort of mental case escapee?
"I'll be downstairs, call if you need me." Makoto's voice was laced with concern, but he remained ever the gentle giant he was with his usual sweet and calming tone. Though Hanako felt anything but calm at the mention of her cousin leaving.
In one quick movement the girl reached for the handle of the door and peeled it open enough to stick her arm through, reaching up and grabbing hold of a warm wrist through the crack.
The person she was clinging to stopped in their tracks, gazing down in surprise at the offending hand.
"P-please..." Hanako croaked, having difficulty swallowing past the suffocating lump in her throat. "Please don't leave. Can we just...stay like this? For a little bit..."
Makoto's features immediately softened, sliding his hand up to carefully take hold of his cousin's before lowering himself to the floor, so the height difference between them wasn't such an issue. She was trembling, that much he could tell without having to see her.
As the two sat in silence, Makoto slowly caressing the fragile hand clinging to his own, he couldn't ignore the thoughts running through his head.
What had been so terrible to scare his closest relative like that..? Out of all the years they'd known each other, he'd never seen her this shaken up before, not since the accident...
Though he didn't dare voice his question aloud, choosing to instead remain with his back against the wall, silently comforting the frightened girl with his presence.