She doesn't have the words.
Even if she wanted to she couldn't explain just how radiant he really was. He tells her that she doesn't see how beautiful she is but she thinks that there's something wrong with his eyes. There must be, because no matter what he still hasn't realised how radiant he is.
Sometimes...No, most times she hates him for it. Even with her eyes shadowed by bangs she can still see the truth that he denies. He leans in so close that all she can see are his eyes. And she sees the veins under his translucent skin giving him dark circles, the stray hair from his eyebrow poking out and ruining the picture, the twitch in his eye from how angry he is and he shouldn't be radiant but he still is. They all are.
Because they weren't just beautiful beings on the outside. They glowed from the inside out. And he glowed the brightest of them all.
He was pretty sure that the idiot was blinded. Yes, that had to be it. Once upon a time that girl must have been able to see through to people's inner radiance (now he was even talking like that idiot) and she looked in the mirror one day and went blind. That must have been it.
What kind of idiot took one guy's idiotic rejection (which still didn't make any sense to him) and took it to be gospel, changing her whole life for it?
That idiot girl he lived with that's who.
Sunako came to, panicking. She was awake but in the dark, something she should have been used to but this felt different. This felt strange. Her eyes were open and yet she couldn't see a thing.
"Sit down before you hurt yourself woman!" The Radiant Being yelled and a rough hand on her elbow guided her to a seat.
Sunako didn't understand, what was going on? How could it be that it was so dark?
"Sunako-chan!" All her housemates were suddenly there and holding her tightly.
"Don't hurt yourself." Takenaga said.
"Silly goose."
"What's going on? Why are you all in my room?" Sunako guessed wildly but from the way the silence had grown tense that stab in the dark had fallen short.
"Sunako...do you remember what happened last time?"
Sunako thought back and felt the smirk creeping onto her face. Oh she certainly remembered the beautiful explosion. Bright colours and hellfire that turned everything into darkness! Such beauty!
"That's a yes." Kyouhei's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and he turned a glare to where his voice came from.
But how could he have seen her smirk in the darkness?
"Sunako-chan," Yuki whispered sweetly. "The explosion did something, the doctors say that you won't be able to see for the next few days."
What? Not being able to see Josephine and Hiroshi? How would she cook the cake she had all that chocolate stockpiled for? And what about the rest of them, how would her boys manag-
Oh. When had they become her boys?
"Don't worry Sunako, it's just a few days, four at most the doctor said. And you have Kyouhei here to keep you company." Ranmaru said smooth and low.
"How am I supposed to live with that radiant creature in my-!"
"Shut up already. You can't even see me so I'm not exactly 'blinding you' am I?" The subject of the conversation interrupted scoffing. In this state of darkness her senses had heightened but there little to feel. Only the sound of Kyouhei munching on food invaded her senses.
"And our poor dear Kyouhei may not be radiant at all once the bandages come off. That was quite a savage nose breaking he suffered." In her mind she could Ranmaru draping himself over Kyouhei and batting his eyelashes, swooning dramatically and snickering.
"I doubt that." How many fights had they all been in? How many times had Kyouhei been beaten up, usually when trying to save them all and yet he was flawless, radiant, like the sun.
"Nya nya nya na." He imitated her way of speaking and blew a raspberry.
Alight he wasn't really that radiant after all.
It was night soon and Sunako tossed and turned, trying to get some sleep as the doctor had suggested. The others had left hours ago leaving her to her fate, sharing her hospital room with Kyouhei. He had been fairly quiet though especially when the nurse had barged in and stolen the TV remote so they were stuck watching, or in her case, listening to a silly soap opera instead of the violent zombie movie.
The low hum of the TV and the ticking of the clock was soothing, lulling Sunako into a peaceful state but no matter how much she tried she couldn't sleep. She was kept awake by her loud thoughts and with a sigh she got up, shifting back down the bed and leaning against the headboard.
"Couldn't sleep?" Kyouhei's voice sounded but she wasn't surprised. She could tell by the lack of loud snores that he wasn't asleep even though the doctors had told them both to get some rest.
"You?"
"They won't give me the good painkillers in case I became an addict." He scoffed but if it was the lack of painkillers that kept him awake then that meant he was in pain. Sunako was too confused to even be interested and excited at the thought of his pain and simply sighed instead.
"Does it hurt so much?"
She could hear the rustle of his hospital gown as he (probably) shrugged.
"It's not that bad. Dull throbbing that's all, just hard to sleep." There was a beat. "I want fried shrimp." He complained and Sunako wanted to laugh and shake her fist at his stupid hunger at a time like this, all at once.
And with her like this she couldn't even make him some fried shrimp.
"Oi, distract me!" He commanded and she shook a fist in his general direction. "Tell me what you're thinking about so loudly that you can't sleep."
Her hand fell to her side and she worried it into her covers.
"I don't understand." She said as the silence grew too long. In this blind state she couldn't stand silence.
"Understand what?"
"I'm in the dark but...it's not comforting." She gulped as if it would help her swallow her fears. If she didn't even have the dark anymore then what was she? What kind of person existed neither in the light nor the dark?
"You need light." He said bluntly.
"But I never needed it before."
Kyouhei scoffed. She wished she could see so she could aim the pit from the peach she had eaten at his head.
"Course you did, what did you think that when you watch those terrible movies on your TV that there's no light involved?"
"That's different." She protested. Those movies maybe spun out of light but their substance was as dark as her soul.
"No it's not. If it wasn't for the light you wouldn't be able to appreciate the dark and it works the other way around too. Light needs darkness and darkness needs light."
What? How could that be? Why did that make sense?
But it was true. She needed the weakest of lights to see Josephine. Hiroshi needed to be aired out in the sun once a month to prevent rot. Light needed dark, the moon needed the night, Sunako needed Ky-
No, she didn't need anything.
"I don't need light." She said resolutely and settled back under the covers determined to give in to the dark and sleep. It took a long time but finally she felt the oblivion of sleep almost taking over her and she was drifting when a sudden urge woke her up quickly and she sat up with a sigh. It seemed to be something she did often in the last day. She hadn't even swung her legs over the side when it struck her that she had no idea how to get to the bathroom beyond putting her arms out and groping for the wall.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kyouhei squawked and stood up himself, his feet falling onto the floor with loud thuds.
"I need to go to the bathroom!" She snapped, the vulnerability she was feeling along with the sleepiness and confusion driving all patience out of her. But it seemed like all the patience that she had lost was given to him in spades and his hand curled around hers.
"I'll help."
And yet he wondered why he was dazzling for her.
He waited for her permission, hand still hovering over her wrist and she acquiesced, slipping her hand into his and gripping it. His calloused fingers slipped over the smooth skin of her palms and her breath hitched and she bit her lip. Slowly he led her into the bathroom and guided her hands to become familiar with the objects there before leaving but not without reminding her to holler for him when she was done. Sunako sat there for a few minutes more than needed and let her head fall into the cradle of her palms allowing herself some comfort, slipping into a brief fantasy that she wasn't temporarily blind but simply choosing to block the world out and when she finally regained her equilibrium she called out for him and he came, setting her world into a spiral again.
She was already swaying by the time they reached her bed again and this time when she drifted off to sleep the memory of calloused hands tucking her into bed, sorting out her bangs and lingering briefly on her cheek led her to a dreamless happy sleep, his name lingering on her lips.