Nico had to steel herself before entering the dreaded hospital room, her hand resting on the handle for a lot longer than necessary before finally pushing it open. She really could've used a bit more courage right now.

"Nico-chan?" She heard a slightly raspy voice say and Nico sighed in response as she finally faced Hanayo.

"Hey," She managed to get out, trying not to react too badly to her appearance. The bruises were ugly and really didn't do too well for someone like her. She didn't deserve any of this.

"How are you feeling?"

Hanayo paused at that, "Better now."

Nico was happy to see that Hanayo could still manage a smile and she drew up the chair beside the bed and sat down.

But it felt like they were ignoring the elephant in the room. Nico shook her head and decided they needed to get on with this.

"Look I'm… Sorry I didn't do anything. I had really strong suspicions, but…"

"No, it's okay… I kept telling myself things we're fine, that we were both okay," She fiddled with the hem of the bed sheets, "It was my own fault it happened like this…"

"What? No, no," She protested, "I'm not letting that slide. How is it your fault? You weren't drinking; you weren't enabling Eli either."

"I should have told somebody though…"

"I'll admit, I was running around in the dark, but I didn't expect you to come forward… It's a difficult thing to tell someone. You really shouldn't blame yourself, it isn't healthy."

Hanayo glanced away and cleared her throat, "I know… I don't know what's going to happen and I'm just…" She sniffled and her eyes became glassy, "I'm scared…"

"Hey, hey," Nico took her by the hand and stroked the back of her hand with her thumb, "Why're you scared?"

"Because I don't know what's going to happen… I don't want to be with Eli-chan anymore but I don't know where to go…"

Nico swallowed. At least her work was cut out for her; she didn't have to convince Hanayo that Eli wasn't good enough for her and she already had something sorted out of her.

"Listen… When I first suspected that things weren't quite right I went to Kotori and she agreed she would be willing to take you in if things got to this point."

Hanayo visibly brightened at that, and Nico concluded that it looked far better on her than being near to tears, "Sh-she is…?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, would I?" She managed a gentle smile.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes gently as to not aggravate her bruises, "I don't know how to thank you, Nico-chan…"

"Just seeing you happy is enough. We're friends and you needed help. So I helped. I don't expect anything in return, okay? I only wish I could've helped a little more…"

Hanayo shook her head, "No, no, you've done plenty. It's not your fault things happened this way."

"Yeah… I guess…"

After a short pause, Nico spoke up again, "The others want to see you. Are you ready to face them?"

Hanayo took her time with the answer, even though it was simple.

"I am."

Nozomi was sent in despite her poor state. Besides, she did want to see Hanayo. Nico had ran down the details for her, probably skimping over the finer things before she went in to see her. Maki had come to offer her sympathies, but she never had been brilliant with words, or some kinds of physical contact, but Kotori took most of that upon herself, comforting Nozomi to the best of her shaken abilities.

Nozomi uneasily pushed open the door after wiping at the tear tracks on her face, but she immediately felt her eyes welling up again when she saw Hanayo in such a state on the bed. She was finally face to face with what her best friend had done. What Eli had done.

But even through that, Hanayo smiled at her and greeted her with just as much energy as she would have done had she not been in that bed. And Nozomi's heart was heavier than it had ever been.

"Hi."

Her voice trembled and felt like it would break at any moment as she sniffed and sat down next to her.

"This is difficult, right?" Hanayo managed to break the silence and the deep atmosphere that had suddenly fell upon the room. Nozomi could only nod silently.

"I'm... Sorry Nozomi-chan." She tried not to choke on the word 'sorry.'

"There's… Nothing you have to be sorry for," She croaked, "Even if I still can't get my head around this…"

"Me neither, to be honest… But I don't want you to blame yourself."

"I know, but… It's difficult," Nozomi noticed Hanayo had offered her hand to her, and she gladly took it, "Nicocchi - Nicocchi kept dropping hints. She was trying to get me to actually see that something was wrong… I made excuses for Elichi to her and to myself. I'm her best friend for God's sake… I could have done something."

"But the fact that she's your best friend means that you didn't really think anything was happening, you know? I didn't think anything was wrong either, really. Or, I didn't want to think anything was wrong…"

"You don't blame me at all… Do you?"

"Of course not," Hanayo suddenly looked worried, "Don't think that, okay?"

Nozomi took Hanayo's hand in both of hers, lowering her head and breaking into sobs, apologies and incoherent messes of words.

Even in her position, with a dull pain in her abdomen, she leant over and brought Nozomi in for a hug. She could only imagine how this felt; to have what Nozomi likely felt was a second family to her, and perhaps a closer one, to be torn by such a jarring event.

Hanayo was surprised to find that she had managed to hold back any tears for as long as she had done, if she was honest. But now, the dam finally broke, and she cried with her.

Next, Umi and Honoka agreed to go in at once. But Umi was the one to push the door open and wince inwardly at Hanayo and she occupied herself with pulling up another chair as Honoka took the one already in place with more than a hint of unease.

Umi knew the topic would eventually come up. So, she figured it was best to get things out the way.

"Bad timing earlier, right?" She said after she had sat down, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry, you had the best intentions. I kinda want to have people stop being sorry too… It's no one's fault."

"No one but Eli's." Umi sighed.

Hanayo faltered at that, but didn't say a word.

Honoka shifted in her chair with a quiet sniffle and Umi intertwined her fingers with hers. She was being uncharacteristically silent, and if Umi was honest, that worried her far more than she thought it would.

"Still, this isn't the place to assign blame," Umi backtracked, "How are you feeling?"

"A little better at least," Hanayo said, fiddling with the bedsheet, "Thanks for coming to see me though."

"Of course. No matter the time or the weather we'll be here for you."

Honoka nodded and burst into tears, suddenly wrapping her arms around Hanayo, who seemed quite startled by the sudden shift in tone.

Umi frowned and swallowed the lump gradually pushing its way up her throat, rubbing small circles on her back, whilst Hanayo held her in return. It hurt. She didn't want Honoka to be affected so deeply by this. She didn't want to have caused this much trouble.

She realised that any one of them would chastise her for thinking that she had caused her own trouble. So she pushed that thought out of her head. She knew she had to, and that it was the right thing to do. The healing had to begin here, right?

When Honoka pulled away from a grip that was perhaps too tight for someone in her state, whilst Umi tilted Honoka's head so she could thumb away her tears and smile to her.

"I'm just… Just happy that… That you're okay now." Honoka said through sniffles when she finally faced Hanayo again.

Whilst Umi comforted Honoka, she spoke to Hanayo, "I think Kotori wants to see you. Now that you're awake, after all."

Hanayo nodded. Truthfully, she wanted to see her to.

Kotori had stood outside that door for what felt like hours rather than minutes. Her hand was loosely draped on the handle, and her other was rubbing her reddened, stinging eyes. And even though she wanted so much to see her again, she remembered the ambulance ride and how she had looked unconscious. She knew that she was awake now of course, but she knew she couldn't stay there forever, so eventually, she mustered up the courage to push down and step inside.

Even if she had been sat in the room prior, now that Hanayo was awake, she still looked positively glowing. She was a wonder; a miracle Kotori thought. And whilst her heart twinged to see her like this, she admired her resilience.

As Hanayo had grown older, especially through this ordeal, she had become the person that didn't want to trouble anyone else with her worries or issues. Perhaps if someone had asked her if she was being hurt, she would simply wave it off. She was so selfless; so incredible… But perhaps not in a good way. There was a difference between being selfless and ignoring your own health and your own needs.

She sat down next to her with a smile that she had somehow found after seeing her awake and seemingly positive.

They hadn't spoken since the short and panicked phone call.

"Kotori-chan… Thank you."

She nearly felt her heart burst then and there. Indulging herself, she reached out a hand and took Hanayo's. She knew it was selfish and possibly taking advantage, but Hanayo had no quarrels, in fact, she squeezed her hand gently in return.

"I did what any one of us would do."

"But you did it. Without you I don't know what would have happened… What position I would have been in."

Kotori sniffed, but found it difficult to act so humble. She had been the most skeptical when it came to Eli and Hanayo's relationship, but it was mostly born out of jealously, and she admitted that.

But as she had watched this happen; had even had the thought that this was happening, it didn't make her feel better to know that she had been correct about anything negative that she had thought. If anything, it made her feel worse.

She didn't know if it was the best thing for her to drop on Hanayo at this point, but she didn't feel like she should hold this back any more.

"Hanayo-chan… Can I confess something to you?"

Hanayo looked a little bit concerned, but she nodded slowly.

"I… Well, ever… Ever since μ's was established I… I fell in love with you. A-and I tried… I tried really hard to hide it, I tried really hard to be happy for you; the both of you when you got together…!" Kotori felt more tears rise, not daring to look her in the eyes as she burned holes in her lap, taking Hanayo's hand with both of her own, bringing it closer to her forehead.

"You might think it selfish of me, but I'll admit that I even had thoughts of wanting it to fail… But… I never imagined this would happen and God, I'm so sorry… But I do still love you, even through all these years, it never faded and I have no idea how I lasted this long and I'm sorry it had to come out here and now, but I feel like you needed to know…"

A shudder and a sob wracked her frame and she vaguely registered Hanayo's grip on her hand tightening. She knew it was sympathy; she just knew.

"Thank you for telling me. But…"

Here it comes, Kotori thought.

"I'll need some time… To, you know, get over this and to figure out my feelings. For both you and Eli-chan."

"Eh?" Kotori raised her head in surprise, wiping her wet eyes with the back of her arm, "You - you mean it?"

"Of course I do."

Kotori was in complete awe; after years of unrequited love she was finally being given a small chance.

Or it was just out of pity.

But she shook her head, "Thank you. I'm sorry for putting you in that position as well, I wasn't thinking. I should probably leave you to it, no?"

"I suppose so."

Kotori smiled and leant forward, giving her a reassuring kiss on the forehead, perhaps a bit too indulgent, but Hanayo didn't seem to mind, in fact, she smiled as Kotori stood up to leave the room.

"Get well soon."

And she couldn't help but think that she couldn't remember the last time she was kissed with so much love.