It happened so quickly. Isn't that how so many of these things went? There was a car in the road, stalled: it appeared so suddenly, there was no chance to properly avoid it. The wheel turned sharply, the tires squealed in protest, and the vehicle veered hard to the right. If only they hadn't been going so fast, but hindsight was 20/20, wasn't it? It was an awful sound, the sound of metal slamming into concrete. One had to give way, and the barrier was specifically made to hold fast. The car bounced slightly back from the wall, its airbags deploying as the hood crushed in on itself. It was still in drive, but it wasn't going anywhere.
For the occupants of the car, their painful reprieve was short-lived. Another car, trapped between a stalled vehicle and a crashed one, found itself in a very poor place. Their car was sent spinning the moment the other driver slammed into them, the driver's side mirror snapping off and flying off the freeway and to the roads below. When the world finally stopped spinning, the dazed driver fumbled weakly for their seatbelt, letting out a low, painful groan. With all the damage suffered, the door didn't just open: it fell right off the hinges, and Umi fell onto the street alongside it.
Tiny shards of glass cut into her exposed arms, but it was nothing compared to the incredible pain that surged through the entirety of her body. Without a doctor's diagnosis, she could only guess, but she had a feeling that at least one rib was broken, perhaps two. Pieces of glass were stuck in her arms and covering her clothes from when the windshield burst, and something warm ran down from her forehead, obscuring her vision. Still, there was only one thing on Umi's mind: Kotori.
The pain was intense as she grabbed onto her seat, leaving a bloody handprint on the interior. She nearly fell right back on her knees, but through sheer perseverance of will she crawled back into the car. There were lights shining all over, blinking and boring into her dizzy brain. Sirens rang loudly in her ears, but she pushed it all aside like the airbag as she reached for Kotori.
Her angelic little bird was lying limply against the airbag: she wasn't moving. Slowly, carefully Umi lifted her head, and Kotori's eyelids fluttered as she looked up weakly, a faint smile ghosting her lips. It was a weak smile, and even in her pain-addled state, Umi felt the real agony piercing her heart. That must've been where all the glass got to: it hurt that badly. In a tiny, fluttering voice, Kotori whispered, "Hold me, darling. Just for... a little while."
Nodding, Umi wrapped her arms around Kotori, pulling her as close as she could. The seatbelt held her in place, and the added pressure sent pain through Umi's cracked ribs, but she refused to let go. She would never release her beautiful bird. Their faces drew closer together, and they shared one final kiss, letting their lips fall against each other. When she pulled away, Kotori gave her a soft smile, her lips opening slightly. Whatever she wanted to say, if anything at all, would never be heard, as her eyes closed once again.
Tears began to fall from Umi's eyes, raining down on Kotori's pale skin. Her head fell onto an unmoving shoulder, only hearing the presence of others as they began to work open the other door, and she didn't open her eyes as they were pulled apart by the fire department. Though they tried to get her onto a stretcher, Umi refused, instead wobbling to where they were taking Kotori. She wouldn't leave her side: she promised.
They took her into an ambulance, and Umi collapsed against it, refusing to move and forcing the paramedics to take them both in the same ambulance. Reaching out, Umi grabbed Kotori's hand and squeezed it tightly, wiping the blood from her eyes with her other hand to look at her love, her hand cold and lifeless. Staring out of the vehicle, just before the paramedics got in and closed the door, she swore she saw her little bird flying away in the night. She didn't want to see anything anymore.