Ryuko wakes up three days after her fight against Nui, and the first thing she sees upon opening her eyes is Mankanshoku Mako.
"Ryuko-chan, thank goodness! You're finally awake! I was so worried!"
Mako's voice is shrill in her excitement and Ryuko winces, ears ringing. Still, she smiles up at her as she rubs here head where it throbs. After a few moments, Mako flops back onto her knees and Ryuko sits up, body aching as she does so.
"I told you I was okay," Ryuko says mildly, softly. Her mouth is dry, her throat is sore and her voice is rusty from disuse, but she tries to give Mako a reassuring smile anyway.
It doesn't seem to work. Mako is still looking at her with an expression that's equal parts relief, exhaustion, and something else Ryuko can't put a name to. It's not an expression Ryuko's ever seen from the girl before. She feels a twinge of unease.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ryuko asks, confused.
Mako stares at her for long moment, lips pressed in a thin, trembling line. She opens her mouth as if to say something but instead of words, a loud sob comes out, followed by fat tears streaming down her cheeks. She throws herself into Ryuko's bosom, rubbing snot and tears all over her front.
"You were so pale and lost a lot of blood and were really close to dying! It's been three days and do you know what happens when people die of blood loss, Ryuko-chan? They die! I don't want you to die!"
Taken aback, Ryuko can only open and close her mouth a couple of times in response. A tide of regret swells in her chest as Mako simply sniffles against her, fists curled up in the thin fabric of her pajama shirt.
I don't even remember putting them on...
Looking down, she can see the top of Mako's head, her brown hair sticking up every which way as if it hadn't been brushed in a while. Ryuko reaches up instinctively and smooths some of the unruly locks back into place. Mako sniffs again, burying her face further in Ryuko's chest.
Death is something Ryuko hardly ever thinks about. It's not like she wants to die or anything, either - she simply doesn't have time to think about it. And if she even did, thinking about her mortality would only serve to paralyze her. But...
Hanging her head, Ryuko closes her eyes with a sigh. Her nose brushes up against Mako's hair as she says, "I'm sorry, Mako."
"Stupid Ryuko-chan," Mako mumbles, squeezing Ryuko tighter.
Ryuko gives a weary laugh and brings her other arm around Mako despite the aches radiating from the girl's vice-like grip around her waist. The warmth of Mako's body bleeds through her clothes, strangely soothing, and Ryuko feels as though she could fall back asleep like this, with her arms around Mako and her face pressed into her hair.
It's a fleeting feeling, though, as Ryuko's stomach suddenly rumbles loudly, having been silent long enough. It's abrupt enough that it startles a giggle out of Mako that quickly morphs into full-blown laughter and Ryuko's dragged right along with it, until the both of them are flushed and breathless.
Mako finally pulls away from Ryuko then, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. Her face is red and her cheeks are stained with tears, but she's smiling now. Instantly Ryuko feels lighter, brighter.
Relieved.
"Oh!" Mako starts, an idea suddenly coming to mind. "Mom made something just for when you woke up! I'll go get it! It'll make you feel better in no time, she's not a back-alley doctor's wife for nothing!"
Standing then, she makes a beeline for the door and is out of sight before Ryuko can say anything about it.
Realizing that she's now alone, Ryuko looks around for Senketsu. She smiles when she sees he's right where she usually hangs him.
"Oi, Senketsu," she says affectionately.
His voice reverberates in her head. Ryuko. It's good to see you're awake.
"Yeah," she says, throwing off the rest of her blankets absentmindedly. "Has it really been three days?"
Senketsu makes a noise of affirmation.
Ryuko frowns a little, stretching back to work knots out of her back. "What happened?"
Yet before Senketsu can answer, Mako peeks back around the door frame. "Ryuko-chan," she says, more like a question than a statement.
Ryuko turns towards Mako's voice mid-stretch. "Hmm?"
"Promise me you won't die, okay?"
"What?"
"Promise."
Ryuko sighs. "Mako..."
"Promise," Mako repeats once more, determination written all over her face. It's obvious she isn't going to reconsider her request.
Defeated, Ryuko's lips quirk up into a crooked smile. "Fine," she mutters, though not unkindly. Her eyes flicker up to Mako's, catching her gaze.
"I promise."
Notes: So I kind of remember seeing a post under the ryumako tag on tumblr where someone wanted fic where Mako was afraid for Ryuko (or something like that) after the events of episode 12. Or something. I can't *quite* remember but the essence of that request stuck with me and manifested in this a bit.