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Ch.19

Haruhi woke with a start. Her body was covered in sweat, but she shivered. She had had a nightmare: She was standing on the edge of the cliff. Not knowing why, she dived into the water. She couldn't swim and something began dragging her deeper and deeper. She suffocated. Everything went black. Suddenly, a bright burst of light had consumed her. Haruhi was standing on the edge of the cliff again, but she wasn't alone. A woman that looked eerily like her stood next to her watching the water. It was odd how slowly the waves moved. It resembled stop motion. The woman turned to her and smiled. It was a smile she had seen many times in pictures. This was her mom! She ran to hug her, but went right through her. Her mom held up her hand.

"I'm sorry, but I can't touch you Haruhi and you can't touch me. I'm only here to tell you how much I love you and that I'm glad you survived. As much as I wanted you with me, I couldn't let you die under those circumstances. You've grown into a beautiful young woman. Just remember, i am always watching."

Before Haruhi could even open her mouth, her mom dove into the water. Haruhi longed to follow her, but knew that if she did, she would die. So, she just stood there watching the water. Somehow, she was pulled from sleep. When her eyes opened, she was alone. She looked around the gently lit room for a sign, any sign that last night with Mori hadn't been a dream too. Her eyes finally settled on a card folded by the window. She climbed out out of the bed to get it. On the outside, it was a plain piece of card stock. On the inside, Mori had written her a letter:

Dear Haruhi,

I had to leave for school, but I'll be back afterwards if you are still here. I hope you slept well. I love you and will be by your house tonight. See you then,

Mori.

She smiled at the card and climbed back into bed. Just then, a doctor came into the room with a clipboard in hand.

"Fujioka Haruhi?" He smiled.

"Yes sir."

"You're being discharged my dear. Is someone here to pick you up?"

"Um no. I was going to take a cab."

"Good, good. Your paperwork is at the font desk. Get plenty of sleep and go to your regular doctor if anything with you feels off, okay?"

"Will do."

"You look kind of pale. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. I promise."

He gave her a questioning look,"Well have a nice day."

With that, he left the room.

About an hour later, she checked out and took a cab home. It was only ten in the morning. When she walked through the front door the curtains were drawn.

"Dad! I'm home."

There was no response. She went and checked the rest of the house. He wasn't anywhere to be found. Settling in, she made herself breakfast. By the time she was done eating, it was 11 o'clock. Haruhi remembered that she hadn't showered in two days. She left her plate and went to run the hot water. She changed her mind and decided to take a bath instead. Making sure no one was home. She stripped in her room and ran into the bathroom. The air was hazy with steam. Slowly, she lowered herself into he tub. The water was just the right temperature to get rid of the grime. She laid back and rested her head on the edge if the tub. Now all she wanted was to sleep. Without realizing, she slipped farther and farther down until her chin was touching the surface. She closed her eyes and slipped all the way under the water, holding her breath. That is when something snapped in her brain. If Haruhi was able to describe it, she would say that it was like a flashback only much more vivid.

Her falling off the cliff replayed in her head. She was drowning and breathing in water. It burned so bad. She woke up on the boat, wooden splinters digging into her exposed skin. Her chest hurt. Mori's lips were on hers. She couldn't stop retching. Everything was black again.

How long had she been holding her breath? She didn't want to move, just lay under the water forever. At least here, she could prevent herself from drowning. She didn't need anyone to save her. She didn't want anyone to save her! When had she become this helpless little girl? When had she started depending on other people to take care of her? She would just stay where she was. Haruhi could take care of herself. Two hands gripped her shoulders and yanked her up from the water. She sputtered and gasped for breath. First she was angry, but that quickly faded to embarrassment. It only took a second for her to come to her senses. She was sitting in her bathtub completely naked and Takashi Morinozuka was less than a foot away from her holding her shoulders. He stared worriedly into her eyes and it almost felt like his grip tightened on her bare skin.

Haruhi whispered," Mori?"

"Haruhi."

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