XX A/N XX
Between the Blood Drive localization announcement, movie trailer, manga announcement, and 3DS port, I've had a itch to write Corpse Party again for a while now. This is just something to get it out of my system till I start my next full length story (not the sequel to December, something different) sometime in August once I find a decent beta reader.
Speaking of December, it wasn't originally intended to be my first story in this category; I originally wanted to post a few oneshots before doing something big. But once I started thinking of some oneshots, the ideas always evolved into something bigger. This is one such idea and the main one December grew out of. It's stuck with me even after all these months, so I finally decided to write it down. You will notice some similarities.
I seem to like using the end of Book of Shadows as a divergent point. I guess I just don't like how the gaps are bridged between the three games. Are we seriously going to believe anyone believed Ayumi when she said she fell and cut herself? Or that Natsumi would dismiss her (thought to be) mentally ill daughter having a near fatal outing with a friend? Or that the girls' friends would act so casually after the event transpired.
I'm not ragging on the story by any means; I love the Corpse Party plot a lot. I just wish in this instance Makoto Kedwin had spent less time thinking of how many references to girls' bathroom habits he could fit in (Blood Drive REALLY goes far with that), and more on bridging the story, cause usually the amount of background information is staggering.
On further reflection, I also seem to like overusing the weird tactics the mind and body have been known to use in extremely traumatic situations. Or the effect our sub-conscious may have on us. We humans are such interesting creatures.
X Early November, 2008 X
It had been quite the commotion when they arrived at Kisaragi General Hospital: two girls, late teens, arriving at just past midnight with an elderly man who'd driven them there. One had already lost consciousness and a lot of blood from several deep lacerations on various parts of the body. The other was physical alright, although covered in blood and clearly in psychological distress. Identification recovered from the girls revealed the former was named Ayumi Shinozaki and the latter Naomi Nakashima.
The hospital hadn't been busy that night, so staff had been able to act quickly and move the more severely injured of the two to intensive care. This haste had no doubt saved the girl's life. The other girl received emergency care, and the police were quickly contacted to investigate the matter since the lacerations appeared to be systematic and from a weapon.
The police didn't have much to go on, however. Shinozaki was still in intensive care and would likely be there for weeks to come. Nakashima was highly distraught and had to be sedated so staff could check her injuries, although she was found to have none. The old man who'd brought the girls didn't have many answers either, only that he'd given them a ride somewhere, and they'd come back later in their current state. It was an odd case with no leads.
Since they were minors, both girls' parents were called to the hospital the morning after they'd arrived, several hours after missing person reports had been filed. All three guardians had been allowed to see their daughters before the police questioned them. That got them their first lead: Nakashima had been in a disturbed mental state, according to her mother. Even though she'd been the one to drag the other girl to safety, the police began suspecting there were not two victims, but one victim and one attacker.
However, they could not confirm this while Shinozaki was still in intensive care. Questioning Nakashima didn't get any new information either. After waking up, the girl had ignored everyone entirely, even her own mother despite the woman shouting so much she had to be escorted away. All questioning was put off until a mental health expert could examine the girl for herself.
Then that night, despite seeming completely out of touch from the world around her, Nakashima had risen from her bed, left her room, and exited the hospital without any of the staff noticing her.
X Residential Area, Kisaragi X
Getting out of the hospital hadn't been much of an issue for Naomi. She was still considered a victim at this point and had been so docile, the need for security hadn't been considered. There wasn't much staff present in the current shift either. This late in the night, no one was out and about to spot or stop her. She could've pulled it off without conscious effort.
In fact, she had pulled it off without conscious effort.
The poor girl's mind had been in tatters since her and her friend's horrific experience in Heavenly Host. And her recent outing to the Shinozaki estate with Ayumi had not helped in the slightest. The image of the Suzumoto-like being they'd summoned twitching and screaming before violently exploding had broken what little sanity was left in her mind. She'd barely been in enough control to save the Class Rep from bleeding to death after things had gone even further to hell from there.
Even after having been forcefully sedated and well out of danger, her mind hadn't completely rebooted due to lingering shock. Bits and pieces of her memory she could remember, although a lot of it was foggy. She knew she was upset, that much was surprisingly clear. Her basic human instincts were the only thing completely working, and they were the reason she was out here.
Comfort and security. They were two things every intelligence form of life sought, and right now she was no exception. The place she had been hadn't provided either to her. She'd felt vulnerable and hunted. She'd remembered her own mother, a person who'd previously given her these two things. But the effect was no longer there for whatever reason. She hadn't wanted to stay there, so she'd left.
As far as self-preservation went, it wasn't the smartest action. Her blood-soaked uniform had been taken soon after arrival, so she was only wearing her underwear, slippers, and a relatively thin hospital gown. These did little against the November cold, and she was noticeably shivering. Paired with her gaunt face and messy hair, she'd looked absolutely horrible, and some of her steps were more akin to stumbles.
But she continued moving, still reacting to her bleary mind's desires, still seeking some form of security. Her mother may not be able to give her that feeling anymore, but Naomi had hazy memories of something not too long ago when she did feel safe, comfortable, and even happy. She wanted that feeling again so badly at the moment, and even in her state she thought she knew where it was.
X Mochida household X
It was truly remarkable how long a person could function without much sleep. By Satoshi's own calculations, he'd barely gotten a total of 40 hours of sleep in the two weeks since his friends, his sister, and he had returned from Heavenly Host Elementary, and six of those was the night they'd gotten back and he'd passed out from complete exhaustion. And the rest of those hours had been restless and disturbed by horrific imagery or corpses and other grizzly things he'd witnessed.
His sister was the same, as he found out every night. He assumed his friends were the same. He could only assume- he'd rarely seen them recently, although he often wondered about them. They'd gone to school the days following the terrifying survival experience, but not too long later they'd only come every other day or so, looking ragged. Perhaps they'd all skipped school in a bid to get more rest; both Yuka and Satoshi had done so once or twice, much to their parent's concern.
It hadn't helped them, because even if they had more time to rest, they had no way of fending off the terror that would visit them in their dreams once they did close their eyes. And when the terribly realistic images did invade, it was usually enough to convince them they were still there and triggered their bodies fight or flight instincts, waking them up. And after they were up, all that adrenaline meant no immediate hope of going back to sleep.
It'd taken its cost on them. Both siblings had gone through the house's entire supply of sheets and bed supplies, ruining them with copious amounts of sweat, vomit, or urine. Both had at least a few bruises from making a physical movement in their dreams and in reality falling off their bed onto the floor. And the constantly decreasing amount of sleep was making them inept and unfocused in everyday life; Satoshi had already fallen down the stairs twice.
Despite how destructive it was, there wasn't anything they could do about it. Satoshi knew -Satoshi hoped - it would get easier with the passage of time. The more time passed, the less vivid their memories of that place would be, and the nightmares would become manageable. As a terrible trade off though, that meant forgetting his friends he'd lost there too.
The awful thing was, Satoshi sometimes thought it would be a good trade off.
But until that time, they would remain sleep deprived. And on nights where both were up, they chose to go down into the living room, turn on the lights, and curl up on the couch together and usually fall asleep there or stay awake till morning. It was better then waiting in their rooms to calm down.
Tonight was one such night both had been victims. Yuka had woken up first screaming from a nightmare and had been loud enough to bring their parents running as usual. While they'd volunteered to take care of the ruined bedding, Satoshi had agreed to let her sleep in his bed with him for the rest of the night. Only then he'd had a nightmare as soon as he was back asleep, and had nearly struck his sister with his panicked flailing. And so, they'd moved downstairs.
It was 2:14 in the morning, of a school day no less. Later might've been one of the mornings where their parents were too bothered by how terrible they looked and just let them rest before going off to work instead of seeing them off to school. The day would still be horrible, but it would be easier if they didn't have to bother with school. Yuka had already dozed back off and Satoshi was quickly becoming drowsy again, when something brought him back to full consciousness.
Knock Knock Knock.
The house was always quiet at this time of night, save for the washing machine running sometimes, so the sound was unusually loud and just as terrifying. Satoshi jumped with enough force to push Yuka over so she face planted into the couch. Satoshi didn't notice her muffled whining at the sudden movement; his heart was hammering in his chest and a bead of sweat was already formed on his forehead. He had not imagined that.
"Big Broth-" Yuka started to whine in earnest before Satoshi made a shushing sound, silencing her immediately with fright. "W-what is it?" She whispered, as wide awake as her brother now.
"Heard something." Satoshi breathed, peering over the back of the couch at the front door. It was the middle of the night; no sensible person would come knocking at this hour. Could it be a thief? Or someone in need of help? For a wild moment of fear, Satoshi thought it had been something after them, but nothing horrible had followed them from that place to the real world.
Knock Knock Knock. There is was again. Yuka started to yelp but clamped her hands over her mouth just in time.
"Who is it?" She nervously clang to her brother's back. "Should we go get mom and dad?" Satoshi was wondering that himself. Maybe it was someone who needed help if they were being so persistent. There a small viewing hole on the front door though; he could check.
"I'll go see who it is." He got up from the couch. Something so simple as answering the door shouldn't have been terrifying, but the circumstances, frayed nerves, and recent experiences made it seem so. While Yuka watched on anxiously, Satoshi flipped the switch next to the door that turned on the porch light and peered through the viewing hole.
"Huh?!" He reared back as soon as he did before shaking his head and looking back again.
"What is it?" Yuka called.
"Naomi!" It was as much a shocked exclamation as an answer. He couldn't see much, but he definitely recognized his longtime friend's hair and face. What was she doing here? She'd never visited, but they were aware where each other's houses were. And why now at this hour? Of all his remaining friends, Naomi had missed the most school, no doubt mourning the loss of her friend Shinohara. Did that have something to do with why she was here? She had confided in Satoshi about the subject the day after they'd returned.
"Naomi?" All fear forgotten, Yuka jumped off the couch and ran over to see for herself. "Why?"
"Not sure." Satoshi stepped back to let her see for herself. "But it must be important." He moved forward to unlock the door. Yuka stood behind him. Unusual circumstances aside, Satoshi was kind of glad to see her turn up. He'd found himself really depressed when she didn't show up for school and always worrying. To see her again after a few days was a relief no matter what else.
But when he opened the door...
"Wha-?"
"Eeeh?!" Their reactions reflected the confusion and worry that both siblings felt as they actually saw their friend. Neither had been able to discern much from the viewing hole, but once they opened the door and saw her standing under the porch light, it was quickly obvious something was wrong.
The first fact was that she was wearing a hospital gown- a thin one considering the cold outside. In fact, she was visibly shaking from the cold. Who in their right mind would wear something like that outside? Had she been in an accident? The next thing they noted was her face now that they had a clearer sight of it. Her hair was a mess and her eyes just looked...blank. She hadn't reacted to them opening the door, and stood there on the porch in a somewhat slouched position, staring through them.
"N-Naomi?" Yuka asked uncertainly as she hid behind Satoshi. Any confusion or joy in his mind had been replaced by complete worry. Something was very, very wrong here.
"Naomi?" Satoshi spoke her name as well when she didn't react to Yuka. "Are you okay?" His voice had several effects. Her posture straightened and her eyes became more focused. She actually looked from Satoshi's face down to Yuka peering out from behind him. Encouraged by some sign of response, he pressed on. "Naomi, what are- gah!" His sentence turned into a surprised gasp as Naomi suddenly tackled him to the floor. Yuka barely had time to avoid being crushed as the two older teens crashed onto the floor.
Satoshi had the breath knocked out of him, and he had trouble regaining it as Naomi grabbed him in a suffocating tight hug. On top of that, the brunette was too confused and bewildered to respond to whatever had just happened. Yuka was the only sane party for a moment.
"Naomi, you're hurting him!" It almost came out in shrill shriek and the small girl tried to pull the taller girl away. Satoshi had also started trying to pry her off out of not only the need to breath and concern for her behavior, but also flustered embarrassment. His friend only was in a hospital gown, after all. It had rode up quite a bit during the grappling, giving those present a view of her underwear.
Not only that, he was worried the noise they were waking would wake their parents. If they came down here, an already confusing situation would get worse. Satoshi didn't want that; he wanted to figure out what was wrong with his friend quickly and without delays of any sort.
They finally got Naomi to release her death grip and she fell back onto the floor, dazed. There was awkward moment of silence as the three sat near the doorway while cold night air drifted in. Both Mochida siblings were trying to figure out what had just happened, and Naomi seemed to have momentarily shut down. But there were no lights being turned on upstairs, no hurried footsteps coming, or any sign that this little episode had been heard.
It was a small relief for Satoshi, who was still trying to compose himself. So many questions were running through his head, he didn't know where to start. He settled for starting with an obvious problem. "Yuka, close the door please." His sister still stood confused for a moment before nodding and quickly shutting the door, blocking the cold winter air from further invading the home.
Satoshi struggled to his feet before approaching his friend. "Naomi?" He asked softly, standing a little distance away in case his words caused her to jump on him again. Her body gave a little jerk and, just like before, her gaze became more focused. Satoshi tensed, but Naomi didn't jump again. Instead, she just looked around and rubbed her head.
"Satoshi...? Yuka?" Naomi spoke for the first time, acting like she'd just now seen them. "Where am I?" She looked around again. She suddenly realized what she was wearing and quickly covered herself. "What's going on?!" She demanded, her voice breaking slightly. It was question they were all wondering.
"You...don't remember?" Satoshi asked. As hard as she had been squeezing him, Satoshi thought she had to have been making a conscious and focused effort. "This is my house. It's two in morning. You just showed up at our door!" How could she not remember that? It was a good mile between her house and his.
"What?!" Naomi shouted in panic, and a equally panicked Satoshi motioned for her to be quiet.
"Big Brother?" Yuka whispered. "Was Naomi sleepwalking?"
"Sleepwalking?" Naomi repeated. "I've never sleepwalked before." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't remember anything... the last thing I remember was leaving for school yesterday morning." She was clearly upset at the fact; her effort looked more like it was meant to stop tears of frustration.
There were a lot of things wrong in this situation. If Naomi was wearing a hospital gown and was so confused, she'd definitely made her way here from a hospital. But why had she been there and was it safe for her to be out again? Satoshi knew the responsible thing to do was to call and check... but he hadn't seen or really talked to her for what seemed like an eternity. And she had, although without realizing it, come to them. They couldn't just send her off, could they?
A few minutes to talk wouldn't hurt. She apparently wasn't physically injured, so she wouldn't die if she didn't go back. And Satoshi really wanted to find out what was wrong. If it was memories of Heavenly Host, they definitely needed to talk about it again, cause they were the only ones who understood each other. A few minutes wouldn't hurt at all.
"Naomi." Satoshi caught her attention and held out a hand to help her up. "Why don't we all go sit down and try and figure out what happened? I'll lend you some clothes." She blinked at him a few times. She was still blushing and covering herself, but accepted his hand and he helped her up. Creeping upstairs was the dangerous part; if his parents came out to see him sneaking a girl to his room... He shuddered.
But they made it without incident, and Satoshi lent her a shirt and some sweatpants and Yuka showed her into her room so she could change. While that was going on, Satoshi made a stealthy dash downstairs to get some sheets from the dryer; the ones on his bed were wet with sweat just then. Either he was quick or Naomi took her time; the two girls came back just as Satoshi was finishing up.
Naomi looked...better. The shirt was too small and the sweatpants too big, but it was better then the hospital gown. She'd fixed her hair as well. But her face remained unchanged, maintaining its haunted look. Her eyes still seemed to stare into the distance at something the other two couldn't see. "Thank you for the clothes." She told him.
"It's no problem." He quickly assured her. "But why were you at the hospital?" Naomi stood in the middle of the room for a moment, thinking. Yuka stood behind her, holding her hand as a means of comfort.
"I don't know." She said after a moment. "But I checked and I'm not hurt anywhere..."
"Thank god for that." Satoshi sighed. Getting badly hurt after surviving Heavenly Host... that'd be cruel irony. "We should call them just to make sure... but I think you need to rest a little first."
"Thank you." Naomi looked so relieved that they weren't jumping right into that mystery. She sat down on the bed next to Satoshi, and Yuka sat down on her other side. Satoshi squirmed a little at how close she was, their shoulders actually brushing. He was tired and confused, but not enough to forget his best friend was a girl. Although, they'd been a bit more intimately closer during and after the disaster, but that had been special circumstances.
Her sobbing in his shoulder, clinging tightly to him with one arm, beating him with the other, demanding to know why he hadn't been there sooner... Satoshi shook his head before the associated horrific images invaded this mind.
"We haven't seen you around recently." Satoshi told her. "You haven't been coming to school at all."
"I've been staying at home a lot." She admitted guiltily. "I...I can't stand being there where the others use to be." Satoshi understood how hard that could be. He'd earned a slight reputation as a creep and a pervert since getting back because he was always, for reasons he couldn't quite understand, glancing at the seats where the others had used to sit. Even if every time it was the students who'd replaced them, he found himself compelled to look occasionally.
"Yeah, I miss them too." Satoshi sighed. He was sure that wasn't the only reason. Their first full day back, Naomi had asked to speak to Satoshi alone. The subject: Shinohara. Naomi's longtime friend had not survived that cursed school. And the two had been really close friends, together every day, sometimes suspiciously always involved in each other's lives.
To have lost something so deeply ingrained in her daily routine, Satoshi knew Naomi was having a harder time getting over it then the rest of them.
"You're not really alone though." Satoshi vented his own frustrations for a moment. "Yoshiki hasn't been showing up some days either. Even the Class Rep has missed some days."
"The...Class...Rep..." Naomi murmured, staring straight ahead, lost in concentration.
"Is something wrong?" Satoshi asked quickly. Naomi squinted her eyes and shook her head.
"I just got the feeling I forgot something."
"Forgot something?" Satoshi repeated, a new thought dawning on him. She couldn't remember what she'd been doing recently. Had she forgotten other stuff? Maybe she'd gotten a concussion and was suffering from memory loss? "Have you forgotten anything besides what you were just doing?" He asked. After a moment of thought, his friend shook her head.
"No. It's just the last day I can't remember." She was silent for a moment. "Satoshi?" She avoided eye contact. "Do you remember what any of their faces looked like?" Her voice was strangely calm. Satoshi hung his head down. In truth, he couldn't. And any concentrated effort usually ended up with other images invading his mind. Their names, he remembered. The way they'd acted, yes. The things they'd all done together, certainly. He remembered all that, every passing day meant the images of those memories became blurrier and blurrier.
"No, I can't." He admitted sadly, sighing and rubbing his eyes. Since they were sitting so close, Satoshi felt Naomi starting to tremble before he actually saw it.
"Naomi? Are you alright?" Yuka felt it too. Naomi turned and latched onto Satoshi again before she starting sobbing into his shoulder.
"N-Naomi?" He froze, stunned by the sudden contact. This was the second time this had happened tonight, only this time he thought he had an idea about why.
"You can't either?" Satoshi guessed. She stopped her sobbing and sat back, her face already red and swollen.
"No." She choked out. "How can I be sure they existed when I can't remember what they looked like?" Satoshi blinked, stunned that Naomi would even suggest something like that.
"How can you say that?" Satoshi demanded. "Of course they all existed!" Naomi recoiled when he raised his voice. He hadn't meant to sound mad at her, but he'd always feared something similar, that one day he wouldn't be able to differentiate what really happened and the lies he made up to keep his sanity in a changed world. And that same fear had just made him snap at her.
"I'm sorry." Satoshi said quickly. "But they existed, Naomi. They all really did." His outburst had stunned Naomi, and she sat there blankly while Satoshi's words sank in. Yuka, had leaned forward to hug Naomi from behind in an attempt to calm her down, but it was clear she was scared by how the older girl was acting.
"Even Seiko?" Naomi asked quietly. Satoshi was put off by the desperation if her eyes as she waited for him to answer. It had only been two weeks since they'd gotten back, but Naomi had still looked far better then she now sounded: desperate and confused. How bad had she gotten so quickly?
"Yeah." Satoshi said after a moment. "Shinohara really did exist, Naomi. Never forget that. We can't forget any of them ever..."
"Every day..." Naomi started. "My mom keeps saying Seiko didn't exist. That I'm crazy. That I need to stop saying these things..." Satoshi gaped at her in a mix of surprise and horror. She'd told her mother? The story itself was unbelievable enough, but the fact was reality itself was different; the others no longer existed. They never had. It would be impossible for anyone to recall those people now.
Was that why she was in the hospital? Did her mother think she was crazy and wanted to have her checked? If Naomi kept insisting, she could be institutionalized. Separated from him. That last thought filled Satoshi with a moment of terrified fear. He'd lost so many friends already, he couldn't comprehend losing another.
"Naomi." Satoshi reached forward and grabbed her shoulders. "You can't do that." He told her. "You were there that day. You know they don't exist here anymore." She'd seemed surprised when he grabbed her, but at his last words, anger flashed in her eyes. Satoshi's head jerked to the side and a stinging sensation began on his cheek.
She'd slapped him. And that wasn't all.
"How the hell can you say that?!" She demanded, making no effort to keep her voice down. "They all existed! Seiko existed! She was here!"
"Naomi, shh!" Yuka begged. Satoshi eyes were nearly bulging in fear that they'd be discovered now. He opened his mouth, but he'd set her off and she wasn't going to let him get a word in.
"She was real. We were friends for years. She slept over at my house the night before the festival. We were stuck in that place together. And I...I..." Naomi's voice had cracked and gotten quieter as she went on. "I..." Tears started leaking from her eyes again and she never finished her sentence. She just broke down sobbing again.
"Seiko..." She moaned and fell forward. Satoshi quickly caught her. "Seiko!" She clung to Satoshi and sobbed into his chest. Satoshi didn't know what to say, and truthfully was fearful to try in case he upset her again. The only thing that occurred to him was to keep holding onto her and wait for her to stop. She'd taken the loss of her best friend harder then he could've ever imagined.
"Big Brother," Yuka whispered. "I think mom and dad are still asleep." Satoshi stopped for a moment to listen, and couldn't hear anything but Naomi's now muffled solving. They'd avoided discovery yet again. "Is Naomi okay?" Yuka asked worriedly. Satoshi had known Naomi for a long time. She'd always been teasing, confident, and independent. Had been.
"...No..." Satoshi admitted. He couldn't stop a feeling of guilt that was starting to form in his mind. He'd been at home suffering since they got back, only really helping his little sister. He'd wondered about his friends, but he hadn't actually sought them out, thinking they all just needed rest to overcome what had happened. Were the others like his friend before him? Naomi had been sitting at home these last two weeks going insane. Could he have helped his best friend before she went insane? Should he have comforted her again after the first day they were back?
"Naomi, please stop crying." Yuka pleaded, hugging Naomi from behind. With both Mochida siblings holding onto her, Naomi started to calm down some.
"Naomi, Shinohara was real." Satoshi tried to reassure her. "She was real and was with us everyday..." He wanted to reassure her and calm her down, but at the same time he knew she had to stop insisting Shinohara had been real to the rest of the world. "But now she only did to us."
"No!" She protested stubbornly. "She was real! If I just remind everyone-"
"Naomi." Satoshi said more forcefully. "What if you were at the hospital because they thought you were insane? What if they send you somewhere because of it?"
"We don't want you to go away!" Yuka grabbed Naomi's arm protectively. "Please listen to him!"
"I... can't just accept that!" Naomi sat up and shook her head. "We said we'd always be friends! She wouldn't leave me alone like this!" Satoshi had noticed it during her earlier rant, but it seemed as if Naomi was trying to convince herself more then him or Yuka. She was so torn up over it... Damn, wasn't there anything he could do to help her? She was his best friend, he'd saved her life once before, why couldn't he help her now?
"Naomi?" Yuka said quietly. "You're not alone right now, you're with friends." Yuka hugged her again, and Satoshi just realized his sister had given him something to work with.
"She's right." Satoshi nodded. "We're your friends too, and we're never going to leave you alone, understand?" Satoshi could actually see Naomi's eyes dim and her mind shut down as she took in their words. Shinohara had been a major part of her life, so much Satoshi wouldn't be surprised if Naomi had sometimes forgotten the rest of them even existed.
Satoshi thought back to earlier, and how this may have not happened if all of them hadn't drifted apart. This had been a wake up call to tell him of a real danger they all faced now. Some damage had already been done, he knew. But maybe now is they all started putting in effort they could fix it. It wouldn't be a quick resolve; Naomi wasn't going to get over her best friend's death in a day, and the others likely had issues of their own. But if he reached out to them starting tomorrow, he was sure none of them would ever get this bad again.
"You're right." Naomi had returned to them, sounding surprised. "All of you are my friends...You know what it's like...I should've come to you guys in the first place..."
"Maybe you came here because you realized that?" Yuka suggested. It was still a mystery as to why and how a half-conscious Naomi had made her way here. Sleepwalking was still a possibility. Or perhaps she'd been coming off some sort of medication with unusual side effects? Whatever had caused it, and however messed up it had been, Satoshi was glad it had happened now.
"Maybe it was." Naomi admitted thoughtfully, although she looked unsure. Satoshi could've swore he saw a blush creeping across her face.
"At least you realize it now. It's a start." Satoshi told her.
"It's a start..." Naomi repeated, her expression fading when she also realized it would still be a long road. But for a moment after that she looked relieved. "Satoshi, Yuka, thanks. I'm not sure why I came here, but it's made me feel a lot better." She did blush deeply then, probably remembering what she'd done tonight. His thoughts no longer clouded by worry, Satoshi remembered as well, and unconsciously scooted away from her.
"Maybe we should check now about the hospital." Satoshi changed the subject. "If you just walked out of there, they'll be looking for you. The police might get involved." He watched Naomi hold her head for a few moments, apparently trying to think. "Are you okay?" Naomi shook her head, looking slightly ill all of a sudden.
"I still can't remember why I would be there." She admitted. "I... really don't want to go back while I can't remember." Satoshi nodded. That was understandable. "Can I stay here for tonight?"
"What?" Satoshi asked in surprise, leaning back. Had she really just asked to spend the night? Satoshi hadn't thought he'd ever hear a request like that. Then again, he hadn't thought his best friend would show up at his house in the middle of the night either. But his best friend - a girl - spending the night was a thought that made him extremely uncomfortable for obvious reasons.
Naomi was blushing too, meaning she understood what she'd asked. But she was looking hopeful that he'd agree. Why not? She'd said she was scared because she didn't know. What human being wouldn't? Yuka, by comparison, looked excited at the idea.
Satoshi felt himself calm a little bit, realizing he was overreacting. Nothing obscene was going to happen. It was just to make her feel better, and the absolute least he could do. Satoshi didn't have a record of refusing requests from friends anyway. He'd have a hell of a lot to explain to his parents tomorrow, but it was a small price to pay, he decided.
"Alright." Satoshi nodded. "You can stay the nig- aah!" After Naomi had calmed down, Satoshi certainly hadn't expected her to reach over and hug him again. He blushed again as she pressed against him and her hair brushed the side of his face.
"Thanks, Satoshi." She sighed. "I think this is the first time I've really felt safe since I got back."
"Ah, n-no problem." He stuttered.
"Group hug!" Yuka declared and hugged Naomi from behind. Unfortunately for Satoshi, the weight pushed him back onto his bed and it quickly became a dog pile with him at the bottom. The girls clearly found it more funny then Satoshi, because they started laughing before Yuka got off and Naomi rolled off of him onto the bed space beside him. Yuka quickly squeezed into the spot between the two. The three of them laid there smiling at each other for a few moments before Satoshi realized what he was doing and quickly sat up, still blushing.
"Well, uh... I guess you can use my bed if you're staying the night." Satoshi offered. It was the only unoccupied bed in the house that was actually made, and Satoshi didn't think they had any spares around the house.
"Where will you sleep?" Naomi asked, lifting her head.
"Yuka and me were sleeping on the couch downstairs." Satoshi explained. "Had trouble sleeping so we moved. Really, I don't mind. You can use it for tonight. You really look like you need some sleep." Naomi studied him for a few moments before nodding and laying back down.
"Thanks."
"Yuka still stay up here with Naomi!" Yuka volunteered quickly before crawling up to grab some pillow space. Naomi giggled at the display and hugged the younger girl.
"You have such a wonderful sister, Satoshi." She told him. Satoshi smiled and nodded. It was a good idea. Their parents knew they'd moved downstairs, but on the off chance they checked their rooms first, Yuka's princess act would soften whatever chaos unfolded. And both girls would get some much needed rest. He could just sleep on the couch by himself.
Only when he got up to leave, Naomi stopped him. "Satoshi? Can you stay just till I fall asleep?"
"Huh? Oh. Sure." Satoshi sat back down on the side of the bed. Naomi nodded gratefully at him rested her head on the pillow before closing her eyes. Yuka seemed to have already fallen asleep- not surprising given how exhausted she was. The shock of the evening wearing off, Satoshi was starting to feel his eyelids become heavy as well.
"Satoshi?" Naomi's voice made his eyes snap back open. "Will things really get better?" She murmured, not opening her eyes.
"Positive." Satoshi yawned. "We got out of that place by sticking together, so we can get over it by sticking together. You should rest now. You've had a rough time." Naomi smiled and gave a small nod before staying still. Satoshi sat there a few more moments until her breathing evened out and he was certain she was asleep. He watched the two of them- the most important people to him right- sleeping and looking more peaceful then he could ever recall, and smiled.
Despite his earlier pledge to sleep on the couch, Satoshi didn't seem to be able to make himself stand up to move downstairs. And the more and more he sat there, the more welcoming the remaining bed space looked till he decided he could rest for a moment before heading downstairs. Unsurprisingly, he was even more unwilling to move from that spot.
It was definitely a bad idea to fall asleep here, Satoshi knew. Once their parents didn't find them downstairs, they'd definitely come look in the room. Although Yuka being here would lessen the accusations, it would still be a compromising image. His parents would have a lot to say to him. Naomi's mother as well, perhaps even the police if the hospital was already looking for Naomi. Satoshi knew, but he didn't really care enough to get back up and just let sleep take him.
After worrying for so long, he finally knew at least one of his friends was alright, and he knew he'd helped. His little sister was showing some of the first positive signs since they'd returned now too. He thought the darkest path of the aftermath was past, and that things could only get better from there on. It all accumulated in so much relief and lost stress, Satoshi literally could not resist against all the exhaustion he'd racked up in the same time period filling in those vacant spots in his mind.
Side by side, all three of them slept peacefully that night.