EIGHTEEN
She's surprised at her get-well wishes: she has a little bouquet of flowers in a small glass jar, a worn out plush bunny, and a box.
The flowers probably came from Hashiri, so they probably have some hidden meaning that she'll look up later—she doesn't want to be caught off guard if Hashiri wants to play another "game"—and the plush bunny is definitely Chino's, so she'll have to give that back as soon as possible, and the box…?
What is in the box?
She flails her arms in frustration when she realizes that the box is just out of her reach. If she stretches any further, she'll tumble to the floor. She can't get out of bed, either, or else one of the nurses will sweep in right at that moment and scold her for not taking it easy.
She doesn't even have a cold!
More seriously though, she settles down to give herself the proper attention she requires.
After all, it's been eighteen days since her last panic attack—a new record, so that's something to feel good about.
She has to keep ahold of that fact with her whole body. She can't let it escape.
Eighteen days is the longest she's gone without a debilitating flashback. It is progress. Itty bitty progress, true, but it's progress, gosh darn it! As long as she remembers, she'll get better.
Alright, enough heavy thinking.
Curiosity is much more satisfying, so she throws caution into the winds and has the box with her on the bed in just a handful of seconds. Her feet aren't even cold from touching the tiles.
She looks in the box.
A girl with really wild red hair and a super-happy grin stares up at her, frozen mid-wave—from a hospital bed. Oh. She wears a hospital gown. Wires connect her to stuff out of the camera's view. She doesn't look sickly, though.
Beneath it are more photos: the same girl, now properly clothed, waves again, but this time she's with an older man and they're standing in front of an apartment. Next, she is in a living room; another girl is beside her, gaze downwards and hands clasped in her lap.
Hey, that girl actually looks like Mrs. Tsubasa.
Then, they are at a concert, and Mrs. Tsubasa—Miss Tsubasa, probably—looks a lot more relaxed.
A stage, with Miss Tsubasa and the girl holding microphones; it's too blurry and dark to make out their expressions.
Another stage, brighter lights, and complete costumes. Miss Tsubasa and the girl look really, really happy. There are a few more with similar theme.
Then it's a hospital again. The girl is asleep… she looks… sick.
Then, a grave stone. It's blurry, but: Kanade Amou.
A time skip, probably, because the next is Miss Tsubasa alone on stage. Then there's Miss Tsubasa and Miss Maria. They perform together a lot.
It ends with a wedding picture.
Oh.
It's a story with a happy ending.
a/n: Thank you guest for reviewing! I suck at humor, but I will try to to one soon. Also, this chapter partially answers your question about Tsubasa and Maria's pasts, but to clarify - there will be more flashbacks, yes, along with other allusions to the past. Hopefully not as sad, though.
Please review!