-1Open my eyes. The sun's bright today, but the sky's grey. Maybe it'll snow. Sit up, get out of bed, stretching and yawning. Pull a warm robe on over my nightshirt. It's one of your shirts, that I found lying around. It smells like you, like blood. But don't think on that. Walk into the kitchen, open the fridge and get out a carton of orange juice. Close the fridge with my foot, walk over to the shelf. Stand on tiptoes, still short. Grab a glass. It slips from my grasp and shatters on the floor. I stare at it for a moment, as the shards pierce my foot. Do you remember? When you dropped the glass, and nearly had a heart attack because I stood on a shard, and it cut my foot open? God, the tears are coming again. I'm on my knees, heedless of cuts and scrapes, sobbing. It doesn't matter, nothing does, because you're not here. I hear footsteps, light, fast. Kuro. He doesn't need to see me cry. I straighten up, wipe away my tears. Take deep breaths. I look down at the mess, the blood, and I see your face. I'm shaking all over. Then I feel warmth against my back, arms around my waist.
"It still hurts, doesn't it?" Lika. My best friend in the whole world. I turn to face her, burying my head against her shoulder, wishing it was you holding me. Another pair of arms around my waist, a face against my side. I reach down and ruffle his hair, stroking the back of his feline ear. Sometimes I feel selfish in my grief. He lost his brother, the only family he had. I just lost my lover. But now, the three of us are locked together in our mourning, clinging to each other like rocks in a stormy sea. After a moment, we look at each other. Lika takes my left hand, Kuro my right.
"Let's get you cleaned up," she smiles, and I smile back. I'll never be completely healed, but I think I'm getting better.