h-e-a-r-t-b-e-a-t-s
One beat; the flower waxes.
Two beats; the flower blooms.
Three beats; the flower wanes.
Four beats; and the flower is no more.
One beat.
The flower waxes.
She smiles.
"Nobara-chan! Let's try it!" her friend exclaims happily, "One, two, three!"
She shoots a stream of snow at the piece of Christmas cake, while the friend nullifies it before it freezes the cake; it is their twelfth try.
And it is unsuccessful.
"Eto... Mikan-chan..." she whispers, scared, "we should stop... People... Staring..."
The friend insists they try again and they do, finally getting success on the thirteenth try.
Two beats.
The flower blooms.
She now stands in front of that same friend, them, and him.
"Mikan-chan... Go..." she whispers, so soft, only the friend and he hears; any softer, only he would hear, instead of the friend.
He growls in anger – frustration. She was helping the friend to get away.
The friend and the friend's boy escape. She was successful. No need to care about herself.
And he hurls verbal abuse at her, not noticing the soft movement and sound her lips produce.
"I'm sorry..." but her voice is not yet done.
"... I failed you..."
Three beats.
The flower wanes.
She stands face to face with him, an epitome of willing sacrifice. She would sacrifice herself for the friend – it was meant to be; their friendship was the friend's gift to her, and her sacrifice would be the one she gave back.
They speak no words.
It is in their eyes.
The determination. The pain. The power. The agony. The driving fuel for her last battle – the most disastrous.
And it is over even before she knows it – she has slipped into the last slumber she'd ever experience.
But her last words are heard. The very last.
A lone tear slips from her eye.
"... I never... Gave up..."
The last beat.
And the flower is no more.
A/N: I really think this doesn't make up for my hiatus and is up to my usual standards. Anyways, this was written a few months ago. And Sekihi will be reaching its first anniversary soon!