A/N: Yo! I know it's been a month and 5 days, but I've been quite swamped recently. The fact that I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with this chapter didn't help, either, but it's finally done, and it's much longer than I originally anticipated. Without further ado, here's the long-awaited epilogue to Breaking the Barrier!
Epilogue: Finding the Light
Natsuki subconsciously clutched on to the warm blanket in her deep sleep. She wallowed in the rather unusual comfort she found sleeping in someone else's bed, but under her circumstances, no one could really blame her. The pink-haired girl dreamt of walking through the park by herself, taking in each and every little detail: the birds chirping, the sun warming her skin, the breeze which lightly blew her hair out of her face. It was pure bliss.
That is, until the chirping became screeching. At first, she barely noticed it, but the screeching became louder and louder until her eyes shot open.
'What the hell?'
She bolted upright and slammed down on one of the buttons on the foreign alarm clock.
"Ow..." she uttered, immediately regretting her sudden jolt as pain surged through her bruises.
She slowly rubbed her tired eyes and glanced at the time through the slits of her eyelids. 4:30 AM. Why would she set an alarm for-
'Oh wait, this is Yuri's place...'
Natsuki sank back beneath the blanket and wondered why anyone would willingly wake up at such a ridiculously early time. Luckily, there wasn't enough time for her tiredness to fade enough for her to get up, so she shut off her brain and resolved to re-enter the house of sleep. She came to the sudden realisation that she wasn't entirely sure where her phone – with her own alarm set for an hour later – was, which caused a moment of panic since she would likely oversleep.
'Knowing Yuri, she'll come and wake me up anyway...'
She then relaxed once more, tenderly adjusted her position on the bed for maximum comfort, and allowed sleep to consume her entire being.
If Yuri had a dream, she was so displeased by the muffled, yet ear-shattering noise coming from downstairs that she didn't even bother trying to remember. She pulled the covers over her head in an uncharacteristically stubborn attempt to avoid having to get up. Despite her best efforts, however, the sound never ceased to worm its way into her unusually sensitive ear drums. She took a deep breath, letting out a long sigh before trudging out of her parents' room. Yuri frowned slightly.
'What's wrong with me?'
Normally, she would have no qualms about waking up. Yes, she occasionally wished she could've gotten a few more hours of sleep, or that she didn't have to get out of her warm bed to step into the freezing winter air, but she would consistently bite the bullet and force herself to wake up. So why did she suddenly have an issue with it? Her aching legs snapped her out of her thoughts when she made her way down the stairs. She regretted pushing herself so unnecessarily far, but she resisted dwelling on it; what's done is done, and nothing she could do would be able to change that.
Soon, she reached the object which caused her vexation, Natsuki's phone, and promptly silenced the alarm. She checked the time.
'5:33 AM...I was supposed to have been up for an hour now.'
Despite this, Yuri decided to lie down on the lavender coloured couch. She couldn't find any real reason to go to school besides simply being there and, as such, could find no motivation to get up. Besides, her physics test was only happening the following day.
'I should probably go wake Natsuki...'
Still, she simply could not find it in her to get up. Yuri knew she was being solipsistic, but if she was brutally honest with herself, she didn't really care. She only put her right arm behind her head and adjusted her position on the couch to get more comfortable. Naturally, guilt rose up from the pit of her stomach, but it soon faded as she stared at the ceiling, her mind emptied of all thoughts. Her eyelids started getting heavier after an unknown amount of time, and when the sun's first rays shone through the nearby window, she selfishly allowed sleep to embrace her once more.
Next thing she knew, Natsuki felt light attempting to pierce her eyelids. She opened her eyes slowly, lifted the blanket off of her face and sat upright, raising a small hand to both shield her eyes from the early morning sunlight as well as wipe away the traces of tiredness in her face. The pink-haired girl came to a sudden stop.
'Sunlight..?'
She turned to the clock. 07:19 AM.
"Oh shit, Yuri!"
She sprang out of bed frantically calling for her friend, who simply did not respond. Natsuki scowled.
'She'd better not have let me sleep in and stay here because she felt sorry for me or some crap like that."
"Yuri!"
Again, she was met with silence. Natsuki rushed out of her friend's room, where she made her way to a slightly open door at the end of the somewhat short hallway. She opted to use a more gentle tone as she slowly opened the door.
"Yuri, are you in here?"
Her scowl only intensified when all she found was an unmade bed. Yuri had to have slept there. Natsuki held in an animalistic growl.
'I can't believe this!'
She stormed down the stairs with short and quick strides, only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight of purple hair at one end of the couch. Her anger shifted to curiosity.
'What's she doing here?'
Her question was soon answered when she moved to the front of said couch. She could only stare at her friend as she lay sound asleep. Yuri's right foot nearly went over the edge because of her long legs, the left of which was bent, her bandaged arm rested over her abdomen with her right arm shielding her head from the couch's armrest, over which her purple locks were splayed with some of them hanging over the edge, and to top it all off, she took in relaxed breaths through her slightly open mouth.
'Is she...drooling?'
Natsuki had to fight to keep herself from laughing at her previous anger. How could she have thought Yuri would do such a thing? She wondered if Yuri had perhaps seen her like that and decided not to disturb her sleep, because Natsuki was having mixed feelings about waking her friend. Before she made any decisions, she couldn't help but notice that the purple-haired girl wasn't wearing her brown sweater. Had it not been for her friend's habit, Natsuki would've encouraged her to go out in her tank top, but considering the scars, it would take an immense amount of time for Yuri to even contemplate going out in public with her arms on display.
The pink-haired girl shook her head to snap out of her thoughts. She called her friend's name softly in an attempt to wake her.
"Yuri…"
She reached out and gently shook Yuri's shoulders, slightly increasing her volume.
"Yuri, it's time to get up…"
The girl in question made a grumbling noise and slowly opened her purple eyes.
"Na…tsu…ki?"
Yuri closed her eyes once again and took a deep breath, exhaling as one does when they wish to return to their slumber. Natsuki frowned.
"Yuri, get up."
Instead of heeding her friend's instruction, Yuri turned away like a stubborn child.
"It's past 7. We're gonna be extra late if you don't get up now."
"Who cares?" mumbled Yuri.
Natsuki was taken aback by her friend's rather callous statement. Where was the girl who always showed up early?
"Yuri, this isn't like you. Are you okay?"
Yuri considered saying something rude, but decided against it.
"I'm…just not in the mood to go to school."
"In other words, you're saying we did that homework for nothing."
The purple-haired girl couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that unexpected response. She turned on the couch and faced her friend.
"Not entirely for nothing. We don't have to worry about it later."
Natsuki opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped at the sight of the scars on Yuri's right arm. Even though weren't nearly as bad as what she had seen the previous day, Natsuki still had to get used to the consequences of self-harm. Yuri shifted uncomfortably when she noticed this.
"Oh crap, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay. I understand that it must still be quite shocking for you to see."
Yuri sat up, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and shifted her gaze to the floor. Natsuki took a seat next to her.
"So you really don't want to go to school today?"
Yuri nodded.
"Is that all that's wrong?"
Yuri deliberated for a moment before nodding again. Perhaps she just needed a break. Otherwise, if there was something else bothering her, she couldn't pinpoint anything in particular, though her eyes subconsciously wandered to the small pair of feet resting next to her own.
"I'm sorry I didn't wake you. It was rather selfish of me to fall asleep again."
"Don't worry about it. Either way, I don't think I would've gone to school today if you aren't planning on going."
Their eyes met.
"You don't have to stay here because of me."
"Yuri, even though I don't always show it, I care about you. If it was Sayori or Monika in your position, I would do the same, because you guys are my closest friends and I want to make sure you're okay."
She wanted to add "even if I'm not," but she decided against it. Yuri's knowing smile suggested that she heard it regardless of the omission.
"Thank you, Natsuki."
The pink-haired girl grinned in return. She then stood up and placed her hands on her hips, striking a heroic pose in an effort to lighten the mood.
"Well then, since I have a friend who's not feeling all too well, I think it would be a good time to make some breakfast!" said Natsuki.
Yuri laughed melodiously at the shorter girl's antics.
"Alright then," said Yuri, still giggling, "let's go,"
Natsuki lifted a finger to stop the taller girl from getting up.
"I'm the hero here, I'll handle it."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Yuri raised both of her hands to represent her submission to her friend's mission.
"If you say so…"
Natsuki then made her way to the kitchen. It wasn't long before she returned.
"On second thought, it might be best if you help me by showing me where all the ingredients are."
Yuri chuckled at her friend's mild embarrassment before getting up. When they got to the kitchen, Natsuki pointed to the covered cupcakes on the counter.
"When are we gonna give those to Sayori and Monika?"
Yuri paused for a moment.
"There's supposed to be a club meeting later today, right?" asked Yuri.
"Yeah, but we won't be there," replied Natsuki.
"That is, unless we have the meeting here."
"Hey, that's a pretty good idea,"
Natsuki silently thanked her intuition for packing more than one clean outfit.
The pink-haired girl noticed her friend eyeing her.
"What?"
"Who's the hero now?"
Natsuki placed a hand on her chest.
"Still me,"
Yuri couldn't help but laugh. Soon, the two found themselves enjoying their breakfast in the dining room. They ate in relative silence, with the birds chirping right outside the window along with the occasional car passing in the distance. Natsuki paid close attention to how Yuri elegantly made use of her knife and fork to shape the eggs and bacon into edible sizes. Her appetite threatened to vanish at the thought of the few opportunities she had to eat comfortably like that with someone else. Fortunately for her, she didn't have much food left on her plate in any case.
When Yuri was finished, she promptly stood up and took their plates in her hands.
"Thanks, Natsuki. I really enjoyed it,"
"It's the least I can do,"
Natsuki stood and followed her friend into the kitchen.
"Oh, I can't expect you to wash the dishes after preparing our breakfast," said Yuri.
"It's no big deal," replied Natsuki.
"I insist-"
"I'll wash, you dry and pack away,"
Yuri sighed and shook her head. There was no winning an argument against this pink-haired girl. Washing the dishes didn't take very long thanks to their team effort. With the kitchen clean, the two of them made their way to the lounge and turned on the TV. This served as nothing more than white noise to them since there wasn't anything particularly interesting playing at that moment, so Yuri picked a novel she hadn't yet finished from the nearby bookshelf and opened to a page in the middle. Natsuki, on the other hand, reached for her phone on the coffee table. One notification.
Sayori: Hey~! I see you guys aren't at school... Is everything alright~?
Hey! Yuri didn't feel like going to school today, so I stayed home with her. Otherwise, we're good!
Sayori: Oh, I see~
Sayori: Actually, I don't. I wanna see you guys~!
Natsuki smirked. She opened the camera app on her phone and switched to selfie mode. She turned so that Yuri would be in the frame.
"Smile!"
"Hmm..?"
Natsuki took the picture as soon as Yuri absentmindedly glanced up at the phone.
"Perfect!"
"W-wait, let me see!"
Yuri reached for the phone, but it was too late; Natsuki already hit send.
"Why did you do that?"
"Sayori wanted to see us, that's all,"
The pink-haired girl noticed her friend's discomfort.
"Sorry about that. It's not a bad picture though, look,"
She held the phone out. Yuri's uneasiness dissipated when she noticed that the scars on her right arm weren't visible. Her completely oblivious facial expression in the picture made her think she actually looked cute despite her fairly messy hair. Natsuki's slightly obnoxious grinning face on the right hand side of the picture only added to that thought. She had to keep herself from smiling.
"Oh, I see... It's fine, I guess,"
"This is more than fine, this is a really great picture."
Her phone vibrated in her hand. She checked the notification.
"I'm not the only one that thinks so, either. Look," said Natsuki. She turned her phone to Yuri once more.
Sayori: Oo~ Yuri looks so pretty in a tank top! Tell her I say hi~!
Yuri flushed with embarrassment.
"She's just saying that..."
"No, she's not,"
"Yes, she is,"
Yuri suddenly grabbed Natsuki's phone out of her hand and started typing a message.
"Hey! What are you-"
"It's only fair,"
Natsuki huffed and sank into the couch.
Shouldn't you be in class?
Sayori: Oh~! You're right! Teacher almost caught me. We'll chat later, bye~!
Yuri then slyly sent the picture to herself before returning Natsuki's phone.
"Don't they just look so cute!"
Sayori shoved her phone in front of her friend's face. Monika slightly shook her head from the opposite side of the cafeteria table as she sipped on her juice box. Even though the picture was sent a number of hours ago, Sayori's was still as excited as ever about it.
"I'm just glad they're okay," said Monika. "Yesterday must've been really tough for them both."
Sayori's face fell slightly. She wasn't really in the mood to talk about the previous day's events.
"Well, the fact that Natsuki stayed by Yuri means they must've made up, right~?"
"You've got a point,"
Monika noticed her friend's expression.
"And you're right, they do look cute. Just don't tell Natsuki I said that," she said. Sayori laughed merrily with the president. The cheery girl felt her phone vibrate in her hand.
"Ooh, Yuri wants us to have the club meeting at her house today,"
"Oh dear, I didn't even come up with a plan for today," replied Monika.
"So...what should I tell her?"
Monika thought for a moment.
"Tell her we won't be having a club meeting today."
Sayori looked rather disappointed. Monika smiled.
"Lighten up! That doesn't mean we can't go over there just for fun!"
Sayori practically bounced out of her seat to hug her friend across the table. The long-haired girl could only wonder how her friend could be so consistently energetic; all she could do was hope that it didn't affect her mind negatively. Although Sayori was on medication, putting on an act for so long couldn't possibly be good for her. Then again, she had always been like that, so was it really an act?
The bell interrupted Monika's thoughts. She offered a smile.
"2 more hours and we'll be done here,"
Sayori grinned in response.
The two of them then packed away their lunch and walked off to attend their last couple of classes.
Yuri sat on her freshly made bed and waited for her friend to finish up in the bathroom. She slouched, tentatively running her fingers over the bandages on her left arm. Her eyes wandered to the raccoon sticker on her drawer.
'I hope Natsuki didn't...'
She didn't bother to complete that thought. Her fingers curled around the handle. She slowly pulled it open. A relieved sigh escaped from her lips, for the knife had no visible traces of blood on the blade. Despite the fact that Natsuki had seen the results of her...habit, Yuri felt uncomfortable with the idea of her friend finding a knife stained with her blood so close to her bed. She removed the knife from the drawer. The purple-haired girl spent a fairly long time examining the intricate details etched into the violet handle before deciding to return the blade to where she kept the rest of her collection: a big black box found on the top shelf of her closet.
Yuri felt disappointed that she originally kept the blade close to her bed for a sense of security when, ironically, it was that very blade she had to resist.
"Whatcha doin'?"
The purple-haired girl jolted at the sound of her friend's voice.
"Damn it, Natsuki! You startled me!"
The pink-haired girl was taken aback by Yuri's rather aggressive response.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,"
Yuri sighed.
"Sorry, it's just..."
She started playing with her hair when the words refused to come out.
"Don't feel obligated to say anything, it's okay."
"No...I just...I put my knife back with the others..."
Natsuki offered a sad smile.
"I understand. Don't worry about it."
"Th-thank you."
The shorter girl couldn't help but let her curiosity get the best of her.
"May I take a look? That is, if you don't mind,"
Yuri froze for a moment.
"O-okay,"
She reached up, standing on her toes to grab the box again before handing it to Natsuki.
"You can leave it next to my bed when you're done. I need to get myself ready for when the others show up,"
Natsuki nodded as her friend made her way out of the room. At first glance, the box in her hands seemed plain, but the velvety fabric had subtle patterns that were only visible when the light hit it at certain angles. She placed it on the bed and undid the latch. Although there were no physical compartments, Yuri clearly organised her collection in such a fashion. There were at least a dozen different knives, each with differently shaped blades and equally unique handles.
"Wow..."
One by one, she delicately handled each of the knives, admiring the remarkable craftsmanship needed to create such alluring objects. She felt relieved to see that each blade was clean, though she couldn't help but wonder which ones Yuri had used to feed her addiction. She shook her head in an effort to dispose of those thoughts. It wasn't hard for anyone to appreciate such exquisite blades. After an unknown amount of time passed, Natsuki delicately placed each of Yuri's knives back in the positions she took careful consideration to remember when she removed them.
By the time she put the box next to Yuri's bed, she heard the shower water shut off.
Yuri opened the door to find herself being smothered in an embrace from an overly bubbly Sayori.
"H-hello, Sayori," she tried to say.
"Hey~! I'm so glad to see you!"
"It's only been a day, really,"
Sayori let go of her tall friend and smiled happily.
"That's more than enough time to start missing someone,"
She then noticed Natsuki standing behind Yuri with her arms crossed.
"Natsuki!"
Had it not been for the door standing wide open, Yuri would've been bowled over by the ball of energy with a red bow rushing into the house. Sayori held the shorter girl in a deliberately loose embrace.
Yuri almost forgot that Monika was still standing outside in the afternoon sun. She turned and waved her hand in greeting, looking off to the side in embarrassment.
"H-hi. Sorry..."
"Hey Yuri, it's okay. You know Sayori can be a bit much sometimes."
They stood somewhat awkwardly for a moment, both of them contemplating the events of the previous day. Monika then took a deep breath and copied Sayori, albeit with far less force. The taller girl was taken by surprise, but quickly returned Monika's hug.
"Let's go inside," offered Yuri. The green-eyed girl nodded and walked inside before Yuri closed the door behind them. The president was greeted by Natsuki standing with a proud grin plastered on her face.
"Hey Monika!"
"Hi Natsuki,"
Something about Natsuki's carefree disposition made Monika feel uneasy; as if she didn't deserve to be treated so kindly after her previous failure to console her friend. Natsuki, on the other hand, did not bat an eye.
"I'm glad you two could make it," said Natsuki, "we made a little something for you,"
"You didn't have to," said Monika sheepishly. Sayori merely hummed in curiosity.
"We may not have had to," added Yuri, "but I assure you: it's something we wanted to do."
"Come on!"
Natsuki grabbed her uniformed friends by the cuffs of their sleeves and led them to Yuri's lounge. The purple-haired girl didn't even realise she was smiling as she watched this take place. When they reached their destination, they found a tray covered with a cloth along with a tea set, complete with four identical teacups. Natsuki let go of her friends to pull off the cloth majestically.
"Ta-da!"
The two girls gasped when they saw the dozen cupcakes. Eight of them were decorated rather plainly but tastefully, while the remaining four were far more impressive. Natsuki pointed to a cupcake decorated like a dog.
"That's mine,"
Then to the raccoon.
"That's Yuri's,"
Then to the owl cupcake."
"That's yours, Sayori,"
And finally to the lion cupcake.
"And that's for you, Monika,"
"Ooh~! They look so yummy!" squealed Sayori.
"Thanks guys!" exclaimed Monika.
"You should be thanking Natsuki," said Yuri, "I just helped take out the ingredients,"
"Nonsense! You helped with the batter as well,"
"Either way," chimed Sayori, "they look great!"
Yuri noticed that Monika looked slightly tense.
"Monika, is everything okay?"
Her soft voice snapped the president out of her thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but why exactly did you guys make this for us?"
Both Yuri and Natsuki's faces fell slightly at the unexpected question. They looked at each other, as if the act of doing so would answer Monika.
"S-sorry," stammered Monika, "that was a bit insensitive-"
"No," said Natsuki, cutting her off. "I just figured that...yesterday, I wasn't exactly kind to you guys..."
Her gaze shifted to the floor.
"...even though you were just trying to help me,"
"And the way I ran off wasn't exactly polite," added Yuri, "so Natsuki suggested that we should bake cupcakes for you two...to say sorry,"
Sayori smiled sadly at her friends.
"I see..." said Monika thoughtfully.
She discarded the thoughts of her own perceived failure in helping her friends. This was not about her, after all; it was about them.
"This really means a lot to us,"
"Yeah, thanks a lot!"
Natsuki beamed while Yuri opted for a gentler smile at their friends' affirmations. Monika was not expecting to be embraced by the pink-haired girl. It was almost as if Natsuki could read her mind. The shorter girl promptly let go of her friend.
"What are we waiting for?" she said, "Let's have some cupcakes!"
With that, the four girls sat around the coffee table and chatted away, each of them with genuine smiles that they hadn't experienced for far too long.
It was nearly sunset by the time Sayori and Monika were walking out the door. Having spent hours in necessary elation, none of the four girls wanted to part. Nevertheless, time waits for no one.
"Thank you so much for having us, Yuri," said Monika.
"Thank you for coming over," replied Yuri.
"And thanks for the cupcakes~!" exclaimed Sayori. Natsuki grinned in response.
Monika's eyes suddenly lit up in remembrance.
"Sayori, the homework we got today,"
"Oh~! I can't believe we almost forgot,"
Both girls simultaneously opened their bags and handed notes to their friends.
"Thank you," said the tall girl.
"Thanks guys," said the short girl.
Sayori beamed while Monika opted for a gentler smile.
"We'll see you guys tomorrow," said the president. She then turned and waved, and Sayori followed.
"Bye~!"
Natsuki and Yuri waved back, watching their friends slowly retreat into the distance. Once they were completely out of sight, the two of them went back into the house, making sure to close the door behind them. They looked at each other for a moment and smiled knowingly before wordlessly making their way to the lounge. After putting the notes aside, they each took the items from the coffee table, sans their phones, and proceeded to go along with their previous arrangement, with Natsuki washing the dishes while Yuri dried and packed away. Soon, the few dishes were all back where they belonged. The two of them sat on the couches with a sigh.
"So...what now?" asked Natsuki.
"I guess we can get started on this homework," replied Yuri, "we don't want to fall behind,"
"I guess you're right,"
The pink-haired girl grabbed her phone from the table and turned on the screen.
She froze.
"Oh shit..."
"What is it?" asked Yuri, naturally concerned.
"It's...it's my..."
The words couldn't form in her mouth, so she showed Yuri the message.
Dad: I don't know where the hell you are, but I suggest you get back here soon if you know what's good for you. – 17 minutes ago
"Sorry, but I really have to go," said Natsuki, completely downtrodden.
"It's okay, I understand,"
Even small movements required a fair amount of effort in the suddenly tense atmosphere. The silence between the two friends as Natsuki packed her bag was far from the quiet comfort they had experienced just moments before they saw the message. The time had come for Natsuki to walk home. She couldn't help but wonder why that scumbag decided to care where she was, especially at a time when she could just forget about everything for a couple of hours. She stood in the doorway which separated her from her escape from the real world.
'I really don't wanna go,'
She turned around and tried to offer a smile to her friend, but it just wouldn't work. All she wanted to do was cry. Yuri suddenly embraced her, holding her friend tightly but tenderly.
"Please stay safe," she said.
Natsuki broke the embrace and let out a bittersweet chuckle.
"You know me," she replied, "I'll be okay,"
Yuri could only smile sadly.
"Thanks for everything," said Natsuki, "I'll see you tomorrow,"
"See you tomorrow," replied Yuri, waving her hand in greeting.
And with that, Yuri watched as her friend disappeared in the distance. She sighed before retreating into her home and closing the door. The purple-haired girl reflected on the past few hours she spent with her friends. She couldn't help but smile, but at the same time, the knowledge of Natsuki's burdens at home made her feel guilty for doing so. She stood with her back against the door, slowly sliding to the floor much like she had done the previous day. It was hard for her to believe that she had felt so utterly hopeless just 24 hours prior; it almost felt surreal.
She rolled up her left sleeve, caressing the newly forming scab on her bare arm. She could only hope that the person who had tended to her self-inflicted wound would be okay. Yuri sighed once more before standing up.
The only positive thing she could think of as she walked upstairs, homework notes in her hands, was that her legs weren't so sore anymore.
Natsuki stood at the door of her father's house, bathed in orange light, much like how she stood at Yuri's house the previous day. She cleared her throat in hopes of not losing her voice when she came face to face with the man that made her life a living hell. She cautiously opened the door and heard sounds coming from the TV in the lounge. Her hands shook as she closed the door behind her, so she resolved to get this over with as soon as possible. The pink-haired girl gingerly took a couple of steps, taking a deep breath. She found her father sitting on the couch, a glass of cola in one hand and the TV remote in the other.
"H-hi Papa," she said, trying her hardest not to sound as though she were whimpering.
"Where were you?" demanded her father.
"I was b-by my friend's place,"
'Why can't I just talk normally? Why am I so pathetic?'
Her father's silence was far more than enough to drown out the noise from the TV.
"I see," he said. His tone was unsettlingly neutral.
"Next time," he continued, turning to look at her for the first time, "you tell me where you go. Do I make myself clear, Natsuki?"
"Y-yes, Papa,"
"Good,"
He turned back to the TV.
"There's pizza in the kitchen if you're hungry. You can take any leftover slices for lunch tomorrow or something, 'cause I don't find that flavour very appetising,"
Natsuki had to keep herself from gasping.
"Really?" she asked. Her normal tone was surfacing.
"Yeah, really," he replied, exasperated.
She was speechless.
"Thanks, Papa!" she exclaimed, making sure to keep her voice low enough for him to not get irritated.
"Yeah, yeah. If you don't mind, I'm trying to watch a show here,"
"Sorry..."
She almost bounced her way to the kitchen. To say she was relieved was a major understatement. The 5 slices of pizza in the box had been standing there for at least half an hour, so she took 2 slices with shaky hands and heated them up in the microwave. Plate of pizza in hand, she made her way to her room and dropped her bag by her desk. After an episode of light-hearted anime had finished watching on her mother's old laptop, she was satisfied. Natsuki then took her plate back to the kitchen and grabbed a teabag from the box in the unusually full cupboard, one of the few steps required to prepare the very essence of her survival when laboriously working through her assigned homework.
That day, however, she felt like she didn't really need the tea. It was hard for her to believe that she had felt so utterly hopeless just 24 hours prior; it almost felt surreal. In that moment, she completely forgot about the bruises on her abdomen.
Before she knew it, Natsuki wrote the answer to the last equation and happily closed her math book. She checked the time to find that it was 8:46 PM. Barely feeling tired, Natsuki decided to do the dishes, more to keep herself busy than for the sake of cleanliness. She walked to the kitchen and dutifully washed the two plates, her mug and her father's empty glass of cola found by the sink. Her father then turned off the TV. An uncontained yawn told Natsuki that he was more than ready to sleep.
"Good night, Papa," she called,
She almost covered her mouth. Her heart started pounding unnaturally.
'Such an idiot! Why did I say that?'
"Night, Natsuki," he called back, practically mumbling the words in his tiredness.
The pink-haired girl let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She could only enjoy her father's tolerance of her, for she knew better than to question his unusually good mood. Soon, she found herself back in her room with nothing to do. She took her phone off the charger, laid down on her bed and instinctively opened her messenger app.
"Hmm..?"
Natsuki noticed that Yuri's chat was at the top – the most recent conversation.
'I don't recall messaging her...'
She opened the chat to find the picture of her and Yuri that she had taken earlier. A giggle escaped from her lips as she typed a message.
Yuri was reading through her physics textbook when her phone vibrated. She had already started to lose her focus on the rather monotonous work, so she figured that she might as well check who it was.
Natsuki: "It's fine, I guess" she said.
She frowned in confusion.
What do you mean?
Natsuki: Stop using quick reply and you'll see what I mean.
Curiously, Yuri opened up their conversation to find the picture she not-so-secretly sent to herself. Her face flushed with embarrassment.
It seems as though I've been caught.
Natsuki: Damn straight! Though it's not like I can blame you haha
Natsuki: You done with your work?
Just doing some revision for tomorrow's test. What about you?
Natsuki: Yeah, finished it a while ago
Yuri noticed Natsuki was typing for a fairly long time. However, when she stopped, no message came through.
Is everything alright?
A minute passed.
Natsuki: Actually, yes, believe it or not...
Natsuki: Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised when I got home.
Yuri smiled.
That's good to hear. So I'll see you tomorrow then?
Natsuki: Yeah, definitely. I should actually be the one asking you that question lol
Yuri felt slightly embarrassed by her friend's comment, but she chuckled nonetheless.
I guess you're right, haha
A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over Yuri, despite the night being fairly young.
I'm actually quite spent. I suppose we may have had a bit too much fun today.
Natsuki: Hey! There's no such thing as too much fun!
Natsuki: So you're calling it a night then?
Had Natsuki been in the room, Yuri's deep yawn would've been more than enough to answer her question.
Yes, yes I am. Good night, Natsuki.
Natsuki: Night, Yuri.
And so, both Natsuki and Yuri took one final look at the picture of them before putting their phones down for the night. Pink locks rested on small hands while purple eyes gazed out of the nearby window. The two of them smiled fondly at the realisation that they could finally move forward once again.
Perhaps their newfound friendship was the light at the end of the tunnel they so desperately needed to find.
A/N: And there you have it! Thanks for reading my story to the end. It was truly a joy to type up. The direction it took actually got me thinking of doing more. As you've noticed, this chapter is quite different from the rest in that it's told more like a story, if that makes sense. I sort of experimented a bit with having more than two characters as the focus in some parts, so I hope I didn't do too badly there.
Anyway, I have big plans for a future DDLC fanfic focusing on all the girls, not just Natsuki and Yuri. I can't tell you exactly when I'll be able to put said plans into fruition, but I can say that it'll be a rather ambitious project for me. I may also type up a few one shots here and there.
As for this story: I'm glad it turned out the way it did. It helped me re-establish my writing style, and I've actually started writing more often because of it. In any case, while the wait was long, I hope it was worth it in the end. I'll see you (hopefully) before the end of June with the first chapter of my new DDLC story. Have a good one!
