a/n: I apologize for this chapter taking so long. I ended up rewriting the entire chapter multiple times before I was satisfied. Thank you for your patience.
Chapter 14: Difficult Paths
One thing that Kyou had learned during Kale's coma was that no matter how burdened you were with grief time would continue to march relentlessly on, regardless if you were ready or not. She had seen that happen to herself which now allowed her to see it as it happened to Kale. As he struggled with the loss of his arm and dream, days flew by. Before they knew it one week had passed since Kale's amputation. The school year ended and Kyou's former students were now getting ready to enter a new phase of their lives.
Kyou let out a heavy sigh as she walked down the hospital corridors. She was happy her precious students were moving on yet she felt that the end of the school year was missing something. Kale wasn't there to see the students progress. Just as Kyou loved the students so too did Kale. He already valued them when he was an unknown janitor and when he started visiting Kyou's class regularly he grew to care about them even more. To be unable to wish them farewell in person did little to help his already poor mood.
"Hopefully he won't miss the end of school next year," sighed Kyou. "What will the next school year even be like?" The question she asked herself hung in the air as she continued to slowly walk down the hallway. At first she wanted to say that she knew what it would be like, at least for herself, but then realized that wasn't true. She knew she would be a teacher for a new group of students but beyond that she wasn't sure. This would be the first year where Tomoyo would be part of the class for the whole time. The same could be said about Kale as well.
"Kale..." she mumbled to herself. As she thought about him uncertainty gripped her heart even more. How well would he be able to handle his job duties now with only one arm? Kyou winced as that thought passed through her head. Every time she thought about his new disability Kyou felt sick to her stomach. The disability itself didn't disgust her, what she loathed was how much she found herself thinking about it. A person shouldn't be defined just by their disability, that was something she had always felt and despised when others did so. Yet here she was now, nearly every thought of her boyfriend accompanied by the question of how his lack of an arm would affect him. Why couldn't she stop thinking about it?!
Kyou shook her head strongly side to side, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. While it did help move them from her active thinking she felt the doubts and worries still nagging her from the back of her mind. Sighing with frustration Kyou did her best to focus on walking and making her way to Kale's room. For the most part she was successful in maintaining her focus and soon enough she found herself in front of the door to Kale's room. After taking a deep breath she entered the room.
"Good morning Kale," said Kyou as she walked in. The first thing she saw when she started to enter the room was Kale sitting on the edge of his bed. It was good to see him not in a reclining position for once. Seeing him sitting up unsupported and not looking exhausted by the effort was proof to Kyou that Kale's rehab was going well. Kyou also noted that he was wearing regular clothes and not a hospital gown. For a brief moment he almost looked completely healthy, almost like how he was before his injury. However, when Kyou saw how the sleeve on the right side of the shirt was folded up and pinned she couldn't help but be thoroughly reminded of Kale's new disability.
"Ah, good morning Kyou," greeted Kale. As he looked up at her there was a smile on his face. It didn't have that familiar warmth and kindness to it though. It was fragile and cold, much like a thin sheet of ice that did little to hide what was underneath it's transparent facade.
'Is that what I looked like to everyone back then?' silently wondered Kyou, thinking back to her bout with depression. It was a little shocking to see how different it looked from the outside. From her experience Kyou knew that while in the depths of sorrow that an attempt like the one Kale was making now felt like it should fool everyone from how much mental effort it took. Seeing it now from the other side she could tell how in at least this circumstance the weak smile wasn't fooling anyone but the unobservant.
"Kale," Kyou started off softly. "You don't have to force a smile around me."
"Who said I was forcing a smile?" asked Kale, giving a nervous chuckle. Kale continued to try and put up a front but Kyou could already see it cracking. His smile wavered just as much as his fake laughter did.
"Kale, please," she said, looking him in the eye. "I may have not dealt with depression as long as you but I did long enough to recognize when I see a fake smile that is trying to hide what is actually being felt."
Those words alone were enough. For a few brief seconds Kale tried to maintain his smile with visible effort before he finally stopped resisting Kyou's words. His smile faded away as his face began to show his true emotions. Kale looked to where his right arm once had been. There was no tears falling from his eyes nor was his mouth contorted into a frown of sorrow or anger. His expression simply spoke of weariness, one that was born out of defeat after a pointless struggle.
"I'm sorry," mumbled Kale, still looking to the residual limb on his right. "I just can't seem to feel happy right now. Even though you, someone I truly love, is here to see me I just can't seem to make myself happy."
Inside her mind Kyou felt great uncertainty. What should she say at this time? She wasn't familiar with having a boyfriend nor had she been faced with how to help someone who had become suddenly disabled. Now in this situation both these unknowns were combined and she had to figure out how to handle it. With no experience to guide her Kyou let her instincts take over.
"It's to be expected," said Kyou as she shrugged her shoulders. She walked forward and sat next to Kale on the edge of the bed. "Something horrible has happened to you. Honestly I'd be more surprised, and maybe even a little bit worried, if this didn't bring down your mood at all."
Those words drew Kale's attention to her, his gaze now turning from his right to his left where Kyou sat. He looked at her with the previous look of defeat lingering for a few moments before being replaced with a smile. Being heavily tainted with sadness the warmth of the smile was nothing like his smiles that Kyou remembered so fondly. It was far better however then the hollow one he had given earlier.
"Thanks, that actually helps a lot," sighed Kale.
"Glad I could help," replied Kyou. In her mind she silently added 'Though I wish I could do a lot more...'
"So why are you dressed up like this?" asked Kyou, attempting to switch the topic of the conversation so she could ignore her feeling of helplessness. "It almost looks like you are going to go out. They aren't discharging you today are they?"
"No, not yet at least," Kale said as he shook his head. "I won't be discharging for a few more days at least. I'm dressed like this because I have somewhere I have to go today."
"Wait a minute, you are going somewhere outside of the hospital today?" Kyou couldn't help but let her voice be colored with surprise. "Is that...well, is that a good idea?"
"They seem to think it will be alright," shrugged Kale. "The physical therapist here says a walk like this would be good rehab. They said that the only stipulations are that someone has to be with me while I walk and I have to come back to the hospital before the day is over." Kale stopped talking and was now looking into Kyou's eyes, a slight blush on his face while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Kyou already knew what Kale was going to say next so she gave her response before a single syllable could be uttered by him.
"Of course I'll come with you on your walk," she quickly said without even a hint of hesitation. "Where is it that we need to go?"
Kale's response did not come immediately. At first he looked at her with eyes widened by surprise, caught off guard by Kyou's preemptive answer. The surprise soon melted away as a chuckle escaped from his lips. "You are quite the mindreader," laughed Kale. Kyou felt herself smile reflexively at the sound of Kale's laughter. She gave him a playful wink before continuing to speak.
"Once in a while I am. But I'm not that good so I have to ask, where is it that we are going to?" she asked, repeating her earlier question.
"To our kindergarten, I've got a meeting there I need to attend," replied Kale. He slid himself off the edge of the bed and put his feet on the ground, supporting the entirety of his weight and maintaining balance with no support. This was vastly different from the time after his coma in which the norm had become a need for some sort of aid, be it person or stabilizing device, whenever he wasn't in bed. Now Kale was demonstrating that he was beginning to leave the lingering effects of the coma behind him. Despite that Kyou still felt a strong sense of concern about the destination.
"Our Kindergarten? That's a bit of a walk to get there, are you sure you will be alright?' asked Kyou as she too slid off the bed. Being far more worried about the amount of walking it would take to get to their work Kyou didn't even think to ask what the meeting was about. All she cared about at that moment was that Kale might be pushing himself too hard too soon.
"I should be," simply replied Kale. As he continued to talk Kale walked out of the room with Kyou making sure she was right by his side. "If I need to I can take a break part way there."
"The meeting isn't until later then?" inquired Kyou. Kale nodded in response.
"It will be this afternoon," he said.
"In that case let's take a little detour along the way," stated Kyou more in the manner of proclaiming a decision then making a request. Somewhat to her surprise Kale started to blush a little.
''I don't think I have enough strength to go on a date as well," Kale quickly said. He didn't appear to be done speaking as he was already opening his mouth to say more. Kyou rolled her eyes and huffed at Kale, interrupting the unnecessary apology before it even began.
"Not to go on a date you idiot," huffed Kyou, unable to completely suppress the blush that kissed her cheeks. "I know a place along the way where you could rest. It isn't along the most direct path to our destination but its not that far out of the way so it should be a good rest stop."
'"Ah, I see," mumbled Kale. Feeling a lot of embarrassment from making an incorrect assumption Kale looked away from Kyou while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Turning his face away allowed him the small comfort that came from hiding his blushing face from Kyou's intense gaze.
"Now that you brought it up though..." Compared to a few moments ago Kyou's voice was a lot less confident when she began speaking again. That unexpected shift in tone, along with trying to be polite by looking at who was talking to him, prompted Kale to look towards Kyou despite his embarrassment. Somewhat to his surprise Kyou was blushing nearly as much, if not more so, than he was. While she hadn't turned her head away her gaze was shifted to the side as much as it could be.
"Since you've been stuck in the hospital all this time we haven't had the chance to go on a date yet," Kyou meekly said, the volume of her voice dropping with each word she managed to force out. For the briefest of moments she fell silent but then quickly made up for it by unintentionally raising her voice loud once she suddenly started speaking again.
"And since it seems so important to you I promise I'll go on a date with you once you are discharged." As if the lack of speed would hide the movement from Kale, Kyou slowly turned her eyes back towards him. The rather pitiful attempt at a stealthy glance proved pointless as Kale was already looking at her and soon enough their eyes met. Immediately Kyou felt her whole body stiffen and her face grow hot as the earlier blush intensified. Much like how her body was going into panic mode so too was her mind.
"B-b-but only because you are so insistent!" stammered Kyou. Body still stiff from panic Kyou was unable to turn her head away. Instead she had to settle for simply shifting her gaze away in a desperate attempt to hide her embarrassment. "I-its not like I'm excited about it or anything! I don't know why you would even suggest such a thing!"
"I didn't say anything about you being excited," simply retorted Kale. Even through the massive amount of embarrassment plaguing her, Kale's voice was able to attract Kyou's attention. She swiveled her eyes back towards Kale.
On Kale's face was a smile. In it Kyou could see echoes of Kale from before his injury, back when he often and without visible hindrance showed his gentle kindness, incredible empathy, and the way he genuinely cherished being with her. Those things that once had only brought her joy now made her heart throb in agony as well for now those aspects of him were marred by an encroaching sadness on his face, much like how his body was so visibly disfigured by injury.
Kyou's earlier embarrassment died as she was suddenly reminded of a harsh reality: the trauma of losing his arm hadn't just been a physical change to Kale, it had injured his mind as well. Kyou knew from personal experience that such deeply inflicted wounds were difficult to heal. That observation though was about as much insight as her experience with depression would grant her. There were aspects of Kale's situation she hadn't faced and therefore had difficulty even imagining. Kale before all this already had to deal with depression on a daily basis and now he was cursed with a situation that there was no hope of recovery from. Unlike awaking from his coma there wasn't even the slimmest of chances of a miracle happening in which his right arm would regrow. Kyou knew all this and that knowledge made her feel absolutely helpless.
"Come on, let's get going," sighed Kyou, her voice and body language now devoid of all panic that had been brought on by embarrassment. Kale wordlessly nodded in response, sensing the shift in Kyou's mood. Without any additional meaningful conversation between them they walked down the hallways to make their way out of the hospital.
Leaving the hospital was far easier than Kyou had been anticipating. All that they had to do before they left was sign a single form that released the hospital of any liability if something happened while they were gone. At first the act that they had to sign such a form made Kyou worry even more about the outing. Those concerns were somewhat alleviated when the hospital staff assured her that this was a standard form for if anyone went out while admitted, regardless of if it was a good idea or not.
When they first walked out the main doors of the hospital Kyou started to think that maybe the outing was a good idea after all. Although depression still marred it, Kale's demeanor brightened some when they stepped outside the hospital. His face was turned upwards, bathing in sunlight that wasn't filtered through a hospital window. Kyou could hear Kale as he took in a deep breath through his nose, obviously savoring the natural air. She remained silent, wishing to let Kale relish in this moment as long as possible.
There was another though who did not allow such a luxury, though it wasn't due to any sort of ill intent. The sounds of a happy 'gof gof' and hooves rapidly coming this way instead spoke of excitement. Both Kyou and Kale turned and saw Botan quickly making her way over to them. Kale's expression brightened even more upon seeing the excited boar.
"Botan! It's so good to see you!" exclaimed Kale. Much to Kyou's surprise Botan passed her and greeted Kale first. A pang of jealousy struck Kyou momentarily as she watched her treasured pet nuzzle against Kale's legs with affection that, if not solely reserved for her, was at least usually given to her first. The possessive emotion quickly passed once Kyou reminded herself of the fact that although she had been visiting Kale everyday it had been more than three long months since Botan had seen Kale. The last time they had been face to face was a few days before New Years Eve.
"She's very happy to see you," said Kyou. Looking at the two of them Kyou couldn't help but smile. The scene in front of her was one that she had never fantasized about before but now she couldn't even imagine living without it after seeing it. Someone she loved so much that she called him boyfriend was showing affection to her beloved pet and was receiving it in return.
"And I'm happy to she her," chuckled Kale as he reached down to give Botan some scratches. "It's been far too long."
After nuzzling against Kale's legs some more and receiving some more scratches behind the ears in return, Botan shifted her attention to Kyou. The greeting she gave her master was just as enthusiastic as the one given to Kale. Kyou returned the greeting and also gave some loving scratches that elicited a very satisfied 'gof gof' from the boar.
With morning greetings exchanged, the three began their walk to the kindergarten. The first part of the journey was along a sloping walkway that ran down from the top of the hill where the hospital sat. It was an easy start, Kyou felt, since the gentle angle of descent took less energy to traverse than a flat surface or an upwards slope. It was so easy in fact that it felt rejuvenating to Kyou. By the time that they reached the foot of the hill Kyou realized that while it had been easy for her it had been anything but that for Kale. Walking down the hill had caused Kale's breathing to become labored as if he had just done a considerable amount of exercise. This made it so that he was unable to easily hold a conversation.
"Kale, are you okay?" asked Kyou, concern quite visible on her face and in every word she spoke. "Do we need to stop and go back?"
"No, I'm-" Kale interrupted himself by taking in a few deep breaths of morning air. "I'm okay...I'm just tired...That's all."
"But all we did was walk down a hill. That shouldn't make you this tired," argued Kyou.
"Normally you would be right," agreed Kale. He paused and again took in more deep breaths. The pause had more effect this time and his breathing was beginning to return to normal. "But right now I've got two things working against me. First is that my muscles atrophied while I was in my coma, that's why I've been having to do rehab. The second thing is that my body did go through a lot of trauma when..." He paused, though this time it wasn't to catch his breath. Kale's head turned to look at where his right arm had been. His gaze lingered on the residual limb for a few brief moments. "When my arm had to be amputated," finished Kale, turning his head to look back at Kyou.
"I guess that makes sense..." Kyou mumbled in agreement. "Just don't push yourself too hard. We'll go slowly, take breaks when you need to, and if you want you can lean on me or Botan for support while you walk. You won't mind, will you Botan?"
"Gof gof!" grunted Botan. She showed just how eager she was to help by immediately positioning herself so that she was facing the same direction as Kale, standing only a few inches away from his left side. Botan tilted her head up to look at Kale.
Kale looked at Botan for a few moments than shifted his attention to Kyou. Before he could even think of a single word to say Kyou gave him a sharp glare. She knew him well enough that she could tell that Kale wanted to protest at the idea of bothering either her or Botan. Kyou kept glaring at him until the barely-formed idea of protest burned away. It didn't take much time though as Kale knew that he needed help, he just didn't want to bother those precious to him. The intense glare from Kyou proved that rejecting the offer of help would be more of a bother than accepting it.
"Alright, I'll make sure to not push myself too much," sighed Kale in defeat. Slowly he placed his left hand on Botan's back. Through the boar's bristly hairs Kale could feel the powerful muscles that ran along her back. Kale changed his stance so that his arm helped bear his weight and Botan's muscles flexed in response, easily providing the support that Kale needed. "Just please tell me if it hurts or gets to be too much," asked Kale.
"Gof!" replied Botan.
"That means she will let you know," assured Kyou as she allowed her fierce gaze to soften into a more loving one "And if that happens then I want you to use me for support, okay?"
"Okay, I'll do that," replied Kale, sealing his promise with a kind but helpless smile.
They started their walk again and Botan's support proved to be quite helpful. Kale was walking slower than before but he was able to walk for a lot longer. Eventually they took a break so Kale could catch his breath then they continued on. Although their pace continued to be slow it also proved to be consistent. After about an hour they made it a bit more than half of the way.
Kyou was shocked when she realized this. In the past few months she had walked between the hospital and and her work countless times, giving her ample opportunity to burn every little detail about it into her mind. Normally for herself it took less then an hour to make the trip, yet they had made it only a fraction of the way in the same amount of time. Even if she were to account for the differences of taking a slight detour or her slightly faster than average walking speed when alone Kyou couldn't help but be surprised The stark difference between the travel times forcibly reminded Kyou that the effects of the trauma that had been inflicted upon Kale weren't all as obvious as his amputated arm.
As she went over all of this in her mind she instinctively looked at the subject of her thoughts. Everything about him now screamed of immense fatigue. Kale's brow perspired heavily and his breathing was reduced to little more than ragged gasps. His sight was transfixed on the path forward, determination in his mind the only thing driving him forward as the rest of his body screamed at him to rest.
"Not much further to our rest stop," informed Kyou. The feeble attempt at encouragement was tainted by a concern that bled into her words. Botan's grunts mirrored the same concern as she looked up at Kale. Unable to give a response to either of them Kale instead just gave a shaky nod.
After turning down a few more streets Kyou gave out a sigh of relief. Down the road she saw the sign for the Furukawa Bakery. Never before had she been as glad as she was now to see it.
"There it is Kale," said Kyou, gently placing a hand on his shoulder and using her other hand to point at the bakery. "They won't mind if you take a rest there, I'm sure of it." When Kale only gave another shaky nod Kyou knew that Kale truly was exhausted; he wasn't even voicing any concerns about bothering someone!
After they slowly made their way to the shop Kyou wrapped an arm around Kale to give additional support as he moved away from Botan and leaned against her shoulder. Kyou told Botan to wait outside and then used her free hand to open the sliding glass door. They only made it a few steps in before a voice greeted them.
"Welcome! Is there- Oh my, what happened?" The soft lilting voice of Sanae Furukawa quickly changed from a oft-rehearsed calm greeting into an exclamation of surprise. Kyou looked up to see Sanae standing behind the register. Silently Kyou sighed to herself in relief. She hadn't been sure how Akio would react so she was glad to see that the one taking care of the store at the time was the much more gentle Sanae. Neither Sanae's gentle nature or apparent surprise seemed to slow her though as there was little hesitation in the baker's actions. Sanae came out from behind the counter and rushed over to Kale and Kyou, visibly eager to help but not yet quite sure how to.
"Sorry to bother you but is it alright if Kale rests here for a while?" asked Kyou. Even with being as brash of a person as she was Kyou couldn't help but feel a little bad for greeting someone in such a way so suddenly. Her concern for Kale though far outweighed what little concern she had for social decorum on a day to day basis.
"Yes yes, of course he can," said Sanae without hesitation. "Follow me," Sanae turned and went through the entryway that led from the shop into the rest of the Furukawa house. Slowly but surely behind her followed Kyou and Kale.
"Here is the tea Fujibayashi-san," quietly announced Sanae as she moved from the kitchen into the adjoining room where Kyou and Kale were. In her hands Sanae carried a tray that had three cups and a kettle on it. After setting the tray down on the low table in the room Sanae poured some tea from the kettle into one of the cups. She then offered one of the cups to Kyou.
"Thanks," replied Kyou as she gently received the cup with both hands. For a moment Kyou was tempted to object to the use of honorifics with her name but decided against it. Even she couldn't be so rude as to argue over something so petty when Sanae was doing her a huge favor. The warmth and familiar flavors of the tea coaxed a sigh of refreshment from Kyou after she took a sip.
"And thank you also for letting Kale rest here," added Kyou in a quiet voice. As she placed her cup of tea down on the table she glanced down at her lap where Kale was resting his head. She watched his chest fall and rise in the slow rhythm of gentle breathing as his eyes continued to remain closed. "I knew he needed to rest but I didn't expect him to actually fall asleep. Sorry to be such a bother."
Sanae gave a smile and softly shook her head as she poured herself a cup of tea as well. "It's quite alright. You and Saunders-san are always welcome here. I'm also quite glad we could be of help." Sanae briefly interrupted herself by taking a sip of the tea. "I must say though I was quite surprised when you two came in."
"Yeah, sorry about that," apologized Kyou with a sheepish grin. "I know I should have asked ahead of time if we could stop here but I didn't know we were going on this walk until this morning."
"Please don't concern yourself about it. Like I said, you two are always welcome here." Even though Sanae wore a smile on her face instead of a frown Kyou could sense a stubbornness that was quite similar to Nagisa whenever she got an idea stuck in her head.
"Okay, okay..." said Kyou, relenting to Sanae's unwavering generosity. Kyou masked the fact that she didn't know what to say next by taking another sip of tea. Quite deliberately Kyou took her time in consuming the beverage though it wasn't to savor the tea like last time. Eventually the need for air forced Kyou to halt her social retreat and she lowered the cup of tea. She looked at Sanae who simply smiled back at her. Silence continued to persist so Kyou escaped conversational obligation again by drinking more tea.
"So how are you doing?" asked Sanae as Kyou was mid-gulp. The question, despite being as innocent and quiet as it was, proved to be sudden enough that it caused Kyou and cough and sputter. As she cleared her throat Kyou heard a soft moan and felt Kale's head shift in her lap. Keeping her mouth clamped shut, Kyou looked down at Kale and waited until he was still once more and his breathing resumed its slowly and steady rhythm.
"Why are you asking me?" questioned Kyou, finally daring to speak though it was in little more than a whisper.
"Whatever do you mean?" Sanae asked sincerely, head tilted to the side in clear confusion.
"Well...Shouldn't you be more worried about him?" Kyou pointed down at Kale. "After all, he is the one that is suffering."
"Aren't you as well Fujibayashi-san?" Kyou opened her mouth to voice her objection to Sanae's statement but found that the words died in her throat. She tried again and the words continued in their failure to be expressed. Speech was still capable for Kyou on a physical level, what was halting her words was her mind. In a low but undeniable whisper it told her that Sanae's words were true, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.
"I guess I am..." finally sighed Kyou in defeat. "I must be some kind of idiot to allow myself to feel this way. Kale is the one that is hurt, not me."
"You are not an idiot." Sanae's statement was unexpectedly scolding in tone, much like how a mother would talk to a child that had done something wrong. Kyou's body jerked a little in response to Sanae's harsh tone and she instinctively turned her full attention to Sanae. The woman had a scowl on her face that was so unyielding in ferocity that all Kyou could do was stare back in stunned silence. How could such a gentle soul wield such a scary expression with such expertise?
"You are not an idiot," repeated Sanae. The words were spoken softer this time but still radiated the infinite strength of a mother. "You are in love. When the person you love is hurting you will hurt as well."
Kyou continued to stare at Sanae as questions swirled in her head. Why did Sanae's words seem so powerful and absolute? Was it because of how confident she was? How though was Sanae able to speak about such things with the utmost confidence? Suddenly Kyou was struck with realization that in hindsight seemed so obvious that Kyou even felt a little ashamed that she didn't think of it immediately. "Sort of like how you felt when Nagisa was young and got sick a lot?"
"Yes," replied Sanae. It was such a simple answer in its brevity but behind it Kyou thought she saw something. It was just a brief glimpse since the response had been nothing but a single word but Kyou felt certain that she had seen in Sanae an immense sadness. The sorrow, despite it's brief appearance, had seemed so strong that Kyou hadn't thought it possible to afflict anyone as cheerful as Sanae Furukawa. Much to Kyou's surprise the unexpected strength of Sanae's hidden sadness felt oddly familiar. It was then that Kyou shuddered as she recalled the horrible darkness she had felt while struggling with depression.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have reminded you of such dark times," mumbled Kyou in apology.
"It's okay," Sanae said in return, reinforcing her comforting words by placing a calming hand on Kyou's shoulder. "When I think of the past I may remember some bad memories, even some really painful ones. But I also remember some really good ones."
"Huh?" blurted out Kyou in surprise. Kale stirred once more at Kyou's newest exclamation. Just like last time as well Kyou kept quite for a minute or two until Kale resumed a more peaceful sleep. Once he did Kyou continued speaking. "If you don't mind me asking, how is that possible? How can you have good memories from such a time?"
"Because I had a second chance," answered Sanae with a smile. Being given yet another incomplete answer from Sanae, Kyou much to her dismay had to repeat her reaction of looking back with confusion on her face. Thankfully like the other times it prompted Sanae to elaborate further. "I'm not sure if you knew but when Nagisa was really young she nearly died. By some sort of miracle though she managed to survive. It is true that she had to face many hardships afterwards and that was painful to watch. That is where the bad memories come form. But because she faced those hardships she was given a second chance to live and I was given a second chance to have her in my life. I couldn't let all of her efforts and struggles go to waste so I've used that second chance as much as I can to make as many happy memories as possible."
After those words were spoken Kyou felt that she could see a more complete picture of Sanae now. The earlier one word response that had given Kyou a glimpse of sadness in Sanae wasn't a crack in a thin shell of pleasantness underneath which darkness lurked. Instead the sadness the one word response had revealed was like a few brushstrokes in a painting. They were there but they were only a part of her life. Sanae's other words had confirmed that she hadn't let the streaks of sadness entirely determine how she would paint the rest of her life nor did she try to paint over them to pretend they didn't exist. She built around them, used them to create the painting that was her life which was only more beautiful because of the contrasts in the colors that were her experiences.
"I hope you realize by now that Saunders-san isn't the only one having to face some difficulties in life," said Sanae, interrupting Kyou's silent pondering. "So, if I may ask again, how are you doing Fujibayashi-san?"
Kyou didn't answer Sanae immediately. She looked back at her though for once it wasn't with confusion. A small warm smile on Kyou steadily grew while not hiding the sadness, just existing at the same time. "I'm going through some rough times," she began. "But I think I will be okay. I have amazing people in my life who love me and I just got some wonderfully helpful advice from an incredible woman." Kyou punctuated the sentence with a wink towards Sanae.
"I'm very happy I could help," beamed Sanae with innocent child-like joy. "If there is ever anything I or Akio-san can do for you or Kale please let us know."
"I will," replied Kyou, returning the smile while she gently brushed Kale's hair with one of her hands. Kyou continued to smile even when she was no longer looking at Sanae. For the first time since Kale's amputation Kyou felt brave enough to face the unknowns that she and Kale were up against, brave enough to choose how to paint her life and the time she would spend with Kale.
A/n: I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story this far. Please leave a review, either story or chapter specific, if you have the time and its not a bother. Thank you so much for reading, I truly appreciate it.