Exhale
The rain was gone now, drifting into a vanilla smeared night that receded into silvery dawn with its jutting beams of light. Snail-like streaks occupied the glassy surface of the hospital window, which was covered with a heavy tapestry. Not tapestry that was picked out with the intention of being cheerfully pulled back each day, silky and lustrous, but rough and burlap, weighty to the touch. Many a soul had occupied this room before, drowning themselves in their depressing illnesses, fading away with the dusky night. But with one such person, the odds would be tilted in their favor, the bleak curtains lifted, and light allowed to stream in.
Minako sat up in her bed, taking in deep breaths of air. Clean, crisp air, as clean and crisp as the snow-white sheets on her bed. She slowly lifted them, the quiet in the room deafening. Peeking her toes from beneath the sheets, she stretched them out and placed her feet on the floor. This odd feeling, stretching out her muscles after this demi-permanent stiffness had inhabited them for so long.
Straightening her back, she lifted her body slowly and shakily from the safeness of her bed. Sucking in breath. This airy feeling, feeling of fearlessness, she wanted it to last. She had been denied this for so long, she couldn't let go. She needed to be free so bad, to be broken from this unending circle desperately, to be unhooked from this madness.
One small, prolonged step at a time. One wobbly walk across the room. Aches radiated up and down her once dormant limbs, exercising as if they had been unearthed from a dark tomb. This small dance she was practicing, this silent song for freedom, it needed to be done, it needed to be sung, it needed to be heard and echoed and screamed and celebrated.
Reaching the curtains, Minako clung to them, digging her fingernails into the fabric for support. The metal rungs at the top held strong, though they groaned and creaked. Steadying herself, she could feel the sweat perspiring on her porcelain skin.
She took her hands and pulled them in between the folds of the tapestry and grasped it, witnessing a clip of the glittering bluish sky. With mighty force, as if her life depended on it, she threw them to the side, taking in the rising vision of the sun beyond the glasslike sky. Minako took a deep breath in, holding it inside her chest as if when she let go, her soul would escape through her mouth. With wonder and awe, she gazed at the rising light, the beautiful blue sky, the silver streaks dancing around like faeries suspended in flight, their wings sprinkling glitter about the damp coolness.
Minako closed her eyes, listening to this symphony of silence and peace and freedom. Little ghosts that once chased her about in her head seemed to wisp away, replaced with music. The sweetest music to her ears.
Minako exhaled.
* * *
Makoto lay in her bed, damp and shivering. Everything seemed to be frozen, to be shivering in desperation and confusedness. Her world was shaking, was rattled by something she didn't understand, something that took hold of her and refused to let go. This wobbly, shaking motion dizzied her to no end.
One kiss, one simple gesture, it could change everything. There she was, wet and cold and needy on his doorstep. And there he was, frozen in fear and speculation and the future, shrouded in a darkness that she couldn't fathom, even in her darkest hours through this whole trial. What was she dealing with, really? She couldn't mess with this, couldn't topple what she had managed to grab on to. But that kiss, that unthinkable action, that had changed everything. Her lips tingled at the spot where his lips had met hers. Nothing could replace this…nothing could replace Usagi….she didn't want to replace her.
Makoto's heart raced uncontrollably. Shivers cascaded down her spine to her heels. The locket was laying on the table beside her bed, and there Makoto lay, frozen damply on her side, fixated on the object. Through her windows there came streaks of blue-yellow light, signaling the coming of dawn. She had sat there the whole night, awake and freezing.
The bleeding red numbers on her digital clock clicked slowly to 6:30 AM. The radio turned on, radiating a sultry tune whispered among light beats. She could go to school if she wanted, but would there be any difference? She'd simply stare through her classes like she had done the night before, unable to come out of this haze.
In chilling detail, she had witnessed the last moments of her best friend's life. She was right there, and instead of her dying, Usagi did. This thought she could not shake. And then, to add insult to injury, the unthinkable had happened. She had shared a kiss with Mamoru. Usagi wasn't even rotting in the ground and she was already moving in on her territory, Makoto thought horrifically.
'I'm horrible,' Makoto thought gravely. 'I'm sick and twisted and deluded and absolutely horrible...' Makoto turned onto her other side and thought idly about the other girls, about Minako, about fighting evil and about going to school again to face her fears. Feeling safe was a thing she may have to take time to get used to now. She was filled with fear, fear that had replaced her raw brutality and nerves of steel. Something had been stolen from her, and she vowed she would get it back, somehow.
The music continued on and echoed off her pale walls, Makoto closing her emerald eyes and falling off into a dreamless sleep.
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A/N: This has to be one of the best chapters written for "Exhale" yet. More to come in the next chapter!