Birds chirping and the sound of breathing made me self-aware of the fact that I was asleep. My eyes crept open slowly and I looked over to the small clothesline, where a couple birds were resting, chirping happily. I looked up at the sky. It was a warm orange-red color. The sun must've just been rising. I yawned as I adjusted myself against the balcony's railing, closing my eyes again.

Wait, the balcony? What was I doing on the balcony? I opened my eyes and looked to the source of the sound of breathing I had heard while waking. Looking down, I saw Mado huddled against me, asleep. Well, that was unusual. I yawned a bit and took a moment to collect my thoughts. I must've sat down because I was feeling tired and ended up falling asleep against the fence. That made sense, but what made Mado want to come out here with me, though?

I watched her shudder a bit as she slept. Maybe she had a nightmare and felt safer near me? Who knew. It didn't matter anyways, I didn't have work today either. I shook Madotsuki awake. "Hey, Mado. Time to wake up." I said as she grumbled a bit. "Don't gimme that. Just wake up, alright?" I asked as I stood up and stretched. Madotsuki yawned and simply stared at the balcony's concrete floor.

I looked to her as I moved towards the glass door, reaching out with a hand to open it. Mado's hair was matted and it looked kind of greasy. "Why don't you take a shower, too? Your hair looks like it'll thank you." I said with a laugh as she raised a hand to her braided ponytail, looking at it dejectedly. Pulling the glass door over, I left it open so she could walk through after me whenever she wanted. I walked towards the door to the apartment, opening it and closing it behind me as I exited. I then began walking towards the staircase that lead to the eighth floor.

I wondered what I'd make for breakfast. I could easily make waffles, pancakes or bacon and sausage... toast was a requirement of any breakfast, as was eggs. I scratched my chin as I walked towards the community kitchen. It wasn't the best and it wasn't always perfectly clean, but it didn't bother me too much. I was used to cleaning stovetops at my job.

I grabbed a skittle and a frying pan, having decided on making pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast. It was simple order, something I usually did a dozen or two times during the breakfast runs on busy mornings. I was able to cook it fairly fast without compromising quality. Ahh, the skills you gain when a chef. I looked amiably at my creations. Fluffy pancakes and eggs, nice and crisp bacon. Golden toast on the side. "Perfect." I said happily as I grabbed the plates, holding one in my hand and then a couple on my forearm and bicep, the fourth plate in my right hand.

"Well... how the *** am I supposed to open a door like this?" I muttered to myself. "Would you like some help?" Someone asked from behind me. "Uh, sure. Could you grab-" I asked, turning around. A pretty looking young brunette woman was standing there. "You're new." I said, my train of thought suddenly hopping tracks. She laughed. "Yes, I am. How'd you know? Are you a resident?" She asked. I tilted my head left and right. "In a sense. Could ya grab these plates from my arm?" I asked with a grin. She did so and I placed the plate in my right hand on my forearm as I walked towards the stairs.

"Well, aren't you coordinated." She said with a smile. I shrugged. "I do this all the time, sometimes when there isn't enough waiters at the diner, I have to carry some food out." I said and she seemed interested. "Oh, you're a chef?" She inquired. I nodded. "Yep. Work at a small diner." I said. The woman looked to the plates as I lead her up the dim stairwell that lead to Mado's apartment.

"Uhhh... are you visiting someone?" The woman asked as I opened the door and the sound of running water came from within the room. "Yep. Mado, breakfast is done so hurry up in the shower. I don't want the food to go cold." I called into the room after taking the plates from the woman and placed them on the table. The girl's voice responded, which I didn't expect. "Ok." Madotsuki called out from the small shower room.

"Is she your lover...?" The woman asked, suddenly looking abashed. I laughed, not realizing that she looked depressed at the concept. "No, I'm just her guardian. She's only fifteen. A kid." I said. The woman looked confused at my statement of being a 'guardian'. It wasn't completely true, but it mostly was. I had no legal rights, but I did take care of her like a guardian did. "She's a shut-in, never comes out. Someone's got to take care of her." I said as I stood in the doorway. "Either way, she'll be *** if I let someone else in here, so this is goodbye." I said, extending a hand. "Makoto." I said, introducing myself briefly. She smiled and shook it daintily. "Aimi." She said. I nodded. "Pretty name. Well, if I see you again, I'll make sure to say hi." I said with a slight wave, closing the door.

I sat down at the desk, resisting reaching over and beginning to eat the food. Instead, I saw a fresh header in Madotsuki's dream diary. It seemed she stopped labeling the days and month now. Instead, it was just a long passage. Turning in the seat to read, I read about things that shocked me. Things I didn't know about her. How she started being bullied, how she felt when she lost her best friend. What she wanted to do to Monoe's father. What my shadow self had been doing within her mind. It also seemed her dreams were starting to blend with her past.

I paused for a moment. So, back then in elementary school was when she first started getting bullied? And she never had anyone to defend her until middle school until she met Monoe, who was taken from her shortly after. I sighed. The kid never seemed to catch a break, did she? And even when she did seem to finally get a bit of relief, it was always a cruel joke that life laughed at her expense. It really depressed me at times, how badly she always got the short end of the stick.

Just as I was thinking that our food was getting cold, the water in the small bathroom shut off. "Finally..." I muttered to myself as the door opened and Madotsuki walked out, topless, only a pair of white panties on. I froze for a moment as she dried off her hair with the towel, walking towards her bed. "Hey, whoa. Put a shirt on or something." I said, looking away from her.

Madotsuki left the towel on her head, brushing aside a long wet strand of hair from her face. "Why?" She asked, as if there wasn't such a thing as decency. "Well, you're a girl. You shouldn't be walking around shirtless around other people." I told her matter-of-factly. She walked back in front of my view, moving her hair away from her chest, a strange smile on her face.

"This is my apartment. I can walk around without a top if I want." She said as I diverted my eyes again. "What?" She asked, the grin becoming even more deviant. "Don't like what you see?" She asked. I focused my gaze on her eyes, my expression incredulous. I didn't believe this. "What the *** are you saying?" I asked and Madotsuki's smile remained. "You can touch if you want." She said, her hands reaching out for mine. I pulled them away. "No!" I exclaimed, horrified that she'd suggest something like that.

"Why not?" She asked, her frown folded into a neat crease. "It's not like my body is anything special to me." She said, her voice lowering and her tone becoming dire. "I'm broken, anyways. No one will want a broken toy." She said, a tone of sadness in her voice that resonated through me. I sighed at her, reaching over to a dresser that was built into the bottom of her bookshelf. I pulled out one of her pink turtlenecks and one of her small bras, motioning for her to come closer to me.

I removed the towel from Madotsuki's head and handed her the bra to put on. She frowned to herself, accepting defeat. "Arms up." I commanded softly, to which she listened reluctantly. Mado raised her arms up slowly and I pulled her shirt over her head. After that, I pulled her into a hug, surprising her. "It's not that I don'twant you or that I think you're broken." I said to Madotsuki as she remained limp in my arms. "I just care about you, alright? You shouldn't just throw yourself at someone like that. Wait for someone you love before you start offering stuff like that to." I said as I pulled away from her.

"You understand?" I asked. She looked at me, her eyes half open. In the half of her irises that I could see, I could see a mix of emotions. Part of those emotions seemed to be embarrassment, the other portion seeming like a kind of rejection. Eventually she nodded. "Good. Now, lets eat. I'll brush your hair afterwards." I said, which seemed to cheer her up at least. I handed Mado her plate and finally dug into my own food. I was pretty hungry and cooking the food made me even hungrier. After eating, I placed the fork down and looked to one of the bookshelf's shelves. They were filled with stupid books her uncle had read ages ago. I remember seeing a brush on one of the shelves before.

Eventually I found it. "Aha." I mumbled to myself triumphantly as I turned back to Madotsuki. She still wasn't wearing a skirt, but at least her long shirt covered most of her. "Alright, let me sit there." I said, motioning for her to sit on the floor in front of where she had been sitting on her bed. The difference in height would make it easier for me to brush her hair. I sat behind her as she faced away from me.

As I brushed her hair, she managed to grab her system's remote control with her toes. Dragging the remote and the system slightly towards her, she was able to play the game I had given her while I brushed her hair. I tried to be gentle with Madotsuki, but her hair was riddled with knots. "Jeez, when was the last time you showered and brushed your own hair?" I asked, tugging at her hair's resilient knot's. Mado didn't seem bothered by my tugging, which was good at least. A low hum came from Madotsuki as she thought. "Maybe last week?" She answered with a question. I sighed. "That's not healthy, kiddo." I told her as I managed to brush a majority of the knots out of her hair.

"This is nice, isn't it?" I asked her as I looked at my handiwork. Nice, smooth, straight brown hair. Madotsuki tilted her head back, looking up at me. "Mhm." She said and I paused. She was a cute kid. Nice face, pretty eyes. She'd probably be able to find someone easily if she overcame her obstacles. It only ever seemed she was the one holding herself back. It wasn't like her stutter was there anymore and I'm sure no one would remember her if she went back to school. It'd been a while since she dropped out. She'd have a fresh start. Well, one step at a time.

"It's like we're friends." Madotsuki said as she played Dreams of the Colossus, defeating randomly encountered monsters as she adventured through a massive overworld. I bopped her on the head with the brush before I put it down on her bed. "That's because we are, knucklehead." I said as I grabbed her long hair and divided it into two. "We are?" Madotsuki asked, pausing the game for a moment. "Duh. Why else would I have stuck by you this long? I think of you as my friend and I care about you. I'm not here because I feel like I have to be." I told her. Madotsuki was silent, her hands not moving as her game remained paused. "Oh." She said as if the thought had never crossed her mind until now.

It wouldn't surprise me if it hadn't. I mean, how many times did I try and reach out to her? Not often until recently did I try. Eventually she unpaused her game and I continued to work on her hair. With one of her hair's divisions, I began braiding it like it normally was. A girl I dated a long time ago taught me how to do this because she always had trouble doing her own hair. Once I finished braiding it, I looked around for her beaded elastic. Where was it? "Hey, Mado. Hold this for me. Make sure to hold it tight or the braid will come out. Gotta find your elastics." I said and she took hold of them. "They're on the sink." She said as I got up. "Ah, thanks." I responded as I head into the bathroom. I rarely ever used it, it was so tiny and cramped. It was an addition her uncle made to the room, this room was originally a storage room. But when they were the only family that could take Madotsuki, he had to renovate it and put in a bathroom. Walking into the bathroom, I found them fairly quickly after turning on the light. They were right across from me, sitting on the sink's lip. Grabbing them, I flicked the light off and walked into the main room of the apartment.

Walking out, I saw that Madotsuki was frantically wiping her eyes with one hand. I paused for a moment and she saw me staring at her. She lowered her head, letting her bangs fall into her eyes. Was she… crying? I sat back down behind her and took back the braid from her, tying it up and beginning on her second braid. After I did that one as well, I wondered why she might've been crying. Did I do something wrong? "I'm really happy we're friends." Madotsuki said softly after a long silence. Ah, that's what it was. I smiled to myself as I pat her on the head. "Good. You deserve to be happy." I told her as I finished her braids and grabbed the plates on her desk. "I'm gonna go wash these, I'll be back in a little." I said, eliciting a nod of acknowledgment from her. And before, she wouldn't even glance my way when I'd say things like that… I was surprised at how much progress so little progress actually felt like.

I brought down the plates and began to wash them off. Happiness and friends. Two things that went hand in hand. Madotsuki had been alienated for so long because of her awkward stutter and strange outlook on things. Her entry had got me thinking. She had made only one friend after Monoe before dropping out of school. A girl named Poniko. Just her name floating through my mind was enough to make me cringe. She was well known as the girl who controlled everyone in our combined junior and senior highschool. In the same grade as me, the thin, intelligent beauty was a terror if your interests ever crossed hers.

But somehow, Madotsuki and Poniko became close friends. It was a time in Madotsuki's life that was absolutely hands-off for me. That terror Poniko had a hatred for me but couldn't do much about it, most of her flunkies were good friends of mine or respected me more than they respected her. I was in a gray zone out of her reach. But when Madotsuki was with her, she also fell into a gray zone I couldn't reach. I frowned to myself as I scrubbed the syrup off of the plates. For someone who had made such a solemn vow to protect her, I sure did a *** job of keeping it back then.

Finished with my dishes, I went back upstairs to Madotsuki's room. When I got up there, I saw that Madotsuki had put down her game and was under her covers, her face just peeking out from the brim. "Going to sleep?" I asked, causing her to nod her head. "Makoto…" She began tentatively, as if she were going to ask me something. "Hm?" I asked, sitting at her desk. "You said you're a chef where you work." Madotsuki followed up. I nodded slowly. "Yep." I answered. "Do you have work tomorrow?" She asked. I flicked open my phone. It was Saturday. Tomorrow was Sunday. I had the weekend off. "Nope." I responded. "Could you… stay here with me?" She asked. I chuckled. "Well…" I began, looking at my opened phone. I would probably be getting messages from friends asking where I was and if I would be available to hang out with them.

I held down the power button on my phone, shutting it off. "***, why not." I said as my phone turned off and I closed it. "Only if you try to get some good dreams, alright?" I asked and Madotsuki nodded as she turned over onto her side, closing her eyes. "Could you turn off the room's light?" She asked me as she opened her eyes slowly. "Oh, sure." I said, walking over to the lightswitch and reaching for it tentatively. She hated the dark for reasons I didn't know. She always slept with the light on and hid from it under her covers. But now… it was like she was slowly coming out of her own shell, trying to confront the darkness. As I flicked it off, I saw in the dim light of her television that her eyes were still wide open.

"Don't turn the TV off, ok?" She asked and I grinned to myself. "Sure. I'll make a save file and play some Dreams of the Colossus while you sleep." I said, walking over to the side of her bed and leaning against it while picking up her remote. "Good night." Madotsuki said softly, in a strange tone. I guess she was joking around with me, seeing as it was around seven in the morning. I saved her game and started my own file, sitting in the darkness during the early morning. Not even light was piercing through her glass door, she had closed it tight and drawn the black curtain over it. Even though it was morning outdoors, in this room, in this world, it felt like the darkest night as I sat in front of that television.

I couldn't think of much to say in response to Madotsuki. The darkness around me seemed to trap in my wit and humor, only enabling me to respond with a soft statement. "Sleep well."