For fourteen years, she had been her best friend—and only friend until high school. For fourteen years, Cherry had been the first living being that Minami would go to in a time of need. That fluffy white dog had been there for her through thick and thin, and no matter what she did, Minami never felt judged. Whenever her classmates would pick on her for being antisocial or distant, whenever she felt lonely and so misunderstood, she always went to Cherry. For the longest time, Cherry was the only thing on the planet that had made her feel loved and wanted.
And now Cherry was gone.
Minami used to joke with her parents about how Cherry would live forever since she had surpassed the breed's age expectancy. While they all knew such a thing was impossible, Minami couldn't help but try and convince herself of it. She couldn't imagine life without her stubborn yet quiet canine companion.
She didn't have to imagine anymore.
That nightmare had become a reality that very morning when Minami found Cherry's unmoving and cold form curled up beside her on the bed. At first, she thought that the dog had just been sleeping, but a closer examination revealed that her eyes were open and her heart was silent. For the longest time, Minami had just laid there beside her old companion, stroking the soft white fur for what would be the last time, crying all the while.
Unable to bring herself to go to school after such an event, Minami found herself sitting against the dog house for most of the day, knees drawn up to her chest. She and her father had built the structure when they had first gotten Cherry, and afterwards she would lie in it with her puppy, playing or sleeping or just cuddling. With Cherry, Minami had felt safe and warm. Loved.
And now she just felt empty, like her heart had been torn from her chest. Empty, and oh-so-alone.
Was it really worth it, she mused, loving something that much, only to have it taken away from you? Was it worth all the pain and heartbreak that came afterwards? Her grief-stricken mind didn't think so.
Through her pain-clouded mind, Minami vaguely recognized the sound of the front door being opened, and then closed moments later. Then there was the sound of the back door sliding open. This caught the green-haired girl's attention just slightly, but she remained where she was, eyes closed and head buried in her knees. She heard footsteps—soft and light—coming closer, and within moments two slender arms had encircled her shoulders in a tight embrace. A warm body pressed up against hers, and Minami could feel a strand of hair tickle her tear-stained cheek.
"I'm so sorry…" A quiet, distinctly feminine voice murmured. "I'm so sorry…" Minami bit her lip. She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes again, and that lump in her throat was starting to come back. Feeling a sudden desire to be closer to someone, she quickly hugged Yutaka back, shifting her position slightly so her legs were beneath her. Body wracked with uncontrollable sobs, Minami buried her head in her friend's shoulder, leaning lightly on the smaller girl for support as she did so. She could feel one of Yutaka's hands gently rubbing her back in a circular motion, and the other was still holding onto her tightly. No words were spoken—at that point, they weren't needed. The presence of her best friend was all Minami needed right then, and after awhile, she began to calm down again.
"Th-thank you…" Minami murmured against the other girl's shoulder, and squeezed her just a little tighter.
"I'm here for you, Minami-chan… Always."
A/N: Haha, what an awkward ending. I had no idea as to how I should end it, so I just sorta cut it off there and hoped it would work. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to reverse the dependent-independent dynamic, even though it's probably a pretty popular theme when it comes to characters like these. If you've got suggestions on how I can improve my writing, I'd love to hear them! Hope you enjoyed the story!