Author's Note: I'm sorry for the wait! I've been writing a book and I've been sick and all sorts of stuff! I know my excuses are probably not enough to quell your rage, so, please, don't hurt me! ;;
Welcoming the Light
Chapter 5
Mitsuko found herself wandering around the house like she always did when everyone was away, leaving her alone and in a constant stupor. They left her simply because they knew she was no invalid and could very well take care of herself, that and she seemed to prefer it. And as they saw it, any bit of happiness they could instill in Mitsuko's life was beneficial. For maybe, just maybe, that little bit of happiness and bliss could awaken Mitsuko's tongue and elicit her to be 'normal' again.
Mitsuko stared out at the beach for the umpteenth time in the period she had been left alone. She had no idea what was going on, or why they had left this time. They had simply all been full of smiles, some of them looking half fake, as they told her they'd be gone for a few hours. Hours that, to Mitsuko, could seem like eternity.
But she didn't mind it, no, she definitely didn't mind it as it gave her time to be alone with her thoughts and walk the beach by her lonesome, instead of being faced with their sympathetic looks and their sad gazes. And as she walked the beach now, Mitsuko felt totally at peace with herself as she reflected on past memories.
This very beach was the spot Cloud had conducted her experiment on Mitsuko's underwater change. They had laughed about it then, and Mitsuko even aloud herself to smile now at the memory. She had freaked out, royally, but then she had begun laughing when Cloud began to joke around, calling her a 'real fish' now. It had been a wonderfully brilliant and harmonious day…
Of course, this was also the same beach Cloud had died upon, disappearing forever under the water depths. Her body still hadn't been found, and that gave Mitsuko some hope as to her friend being alive. But inside she knew it was impossible, no one could have survived the blast she herself had thrown out. No one. And she knew that someday she would have to get over her recently developed fear of the water and face reality; Cloud was not coming back, she was dead. And so was Touma. Both her friends were dead.
Tears then leaked out of Mitsuko's eyes as she pushed away the painful memories and resumed her lethargic walk. She had been so tired as of late, and she knew her friends were worried about her. Chang himself had been trying to conceive a variety of food to help her wake up more, but none of it had worked and she had become almost averse to eating. She knew she was starving herself, somewhere she knew it, but Mitsuko just couldn't find anything within her that cared if she lived or died.
'I am such a worthless thing.' Mitsuko thought to herself, her eyes cast down to look at her feet as they maneuvered their way upon the sand, staying far away from the ocean's encouraging swells. She would have nothing o do with her former love. She wouldn't speak, nor would she seek relief and comfort in the water. She would have nothing to do with it. Every time she stepped close to those beautiful waves, images of her dead friend flashed through her mind, paralyzing her and stopping her from embracing nature's gift.
So, Mitsuko continued wandering the beach, looking out at the waves for a sign, anything, that would tell her that her friend was alive. It was then she happened to see something in the distance. Squinting, trying to get a better look from where she stood, Mitsuko dried to discern if the object was driftwood.
Something in Mitsuko's heart panged when the driftwood began to seemingly take human shape. Her mind was screaming at her that it was impossible, that it was driftwood and she should not investigate, but the pang in her heart told her otherwise. Tears began to burn her eyes and her heart and head began to pound as Mitsuko began running towards the figure in the difference. And as she drew nearer and nearer, her hope ready to explode from the chest as the driftwood began to look more and more human-like, Mitsuko's sobs and tears increased.
Then, she stood there, a few feat away from the creature, and she could hear only her heart and her cries. She stepped closer and her knees crumbled underneath her, as she scooted closer. Not daring to breathing, she reached out to see if her hand would pass through, that the thing before her was only an illusion. It didn't, and Mitsuko's hand came in contact with slightly damp cloth.
The ears, the tail, all were there. Her hair was longer than she remembered, and her stomach swollen, but Mitsuko knew as she'd known when she'd first seen the shape; it was Cloud. It was Cloud, and she was alive. The sea salt had not marred her delicate skin, and the sun had not scorched her as of yet, and only Mitsuko's tears fell upon her now as she gazed at the peaceful face of her friend, hovering over her in shock, awe, and happiness. Words wanted to spill from her throat, and flow of Cloud in a waterfall. But all the years of not speaking made it difficult for even one word to form, let alone a barrage of sentences.
"Cloud…" Mitsuko croaked, speaking for the first time in many years. Her throat ached and her vocal cords strained with the effort it took, but she managed it, somehow. Then, Mitsuko buckled under all the years of stress and depression; she curled around herself and screamed out sobs of joy.
TBC
Author's Note: I know, I know. It's short! I'm sorry, I'm trying though! Sorry for the wait! I'm writing a book! Lol.
