They all looked at the blonde laying in the hospital bed. She was gaunt and thin, the hospital gown doing little to hide her bones. Her once sun-gold hair was now brittle and faded, like old straw. Once tanned, her skin as now pale enough that one could see the veins underneath. For a few moments only the beep of the machines hooked up to her sounded throughout the room. All the occupants were thinking the same thing. All knew that she signs had been there. All knew they had each seen one. All knew that they should have pieced together what they knew – what they saw – and what she was doing, before things came to this.
I should have known. One by one, they began to voice their thoughts. The first, as expected, as the blonde's lover.
"I should have known, when I gripped her wrist that day, and felt her bones press against my hand."
The next to speak, was her younger sister.
"I should have known, when I hugged her, and could have sworn that I felt her ribs."
This was followed by her best friend.
"I should have known, when she kept begging off going to a cafe with Michiru and I."
Her daughter.
"I should have known, every time she held me on her lap, and I felt her hipbones."
The genius.
"I should have known, when we first met, and I could see her collarbones from her slightly open shirt across the room."
The priestess.
"I should have known, when she hugged me, and I felt what should have been hard muscle, but almost completely concave."
The would-be idol.
"I should have known, when we talked that day, why she seemed winded after just walking a few blocks with me."
The Princess.
"I should have known, when we were chained together that time in the cave, and it seemed that her cheeks were almost sunken in."
The Prince.
"I should have known, when I arranged her body into a more proper position on that Cathedral floor, and I could feel every bone through her fuku."
"The future princess.
"I should have known, when she attacked Hotaru, and her attack wasn't even half as powerful as it should have been."
Herself.
"I should have known, when I couldn't harm Galaxia with my Space Sword – it was never the sword. I should have known, when one of her attacks almost had me passing out. I should have known, that Michiru was gasping in horror at something else, the first time she was me naked, the time we both came back from touring the world and fulfilling our dreams. I should have known, when my own daughter refused to look at me anymore – when my best friend couldn't speak to me without things being awkward – when I couldn't bring myself to touch my soul mate for shame, after I had dragged her with me to Hell – when I finally came to grips with the fact that I deserved the constant pain that hunger brought."
A mental, bitter laugh, as she felt herself disappear into the wind she had so longed to be.
"I should have known, when I came to that conclusion, that this would kill me."
The monitor flat lined, and a breeze swept through the room.
A/N: An early morning for the angst, it seems... Sorry if that was depressing; just a sort-of piece of what I'm dealing with myself.
~Haru.