You're Welcome
Mid-morning of May 6th...
"Serizawa-san... Hello? Serizawa-san?" a male voice called gently, sounding far off.
Miyabi's face scrunched slightly at hearing the voice, it was disturbing her from whatever dream she'd been having and she didn't recognize whose voice it was. Deciding that it was probably just her imagination and that she wanted more sleep, she opted to ignore it and went to roll over onto her side, noting that she wasn't very comfortable. The sensation of falling jolted her awake right before her fall was halted, blinking in confusion she blurted, "What?! Where?!"
"Easy there... you must have dozed off out here. Sorry about that, interviewing Fuji-san took a bit longer than I had expected it would," the male voice said, much closer than it had been before.
Miyabi's weary mind snapped back to reality, the events of the previous night and the early morning flooding back to her. She looked to the source of the voice and found that Detective Dojima had caught her just as she rolled off the bench and carefully moving her back onto it and was now kneeling beside it looking both apologetic and concerned. "Detective... thank you," she said, pausing to sit up to properly address him, "I guess after I finished my body was able to relax for the first time since last night. I don't even remember laying down."
Dojima stood so he could then move to sit on the bench himself as he replied, "That makes sense. You were probably running on pure adrenaline and will power all night. Fuji-san explained that the call you were taking was from his girlfriend, Tachibana Rui. Is she on her way?"
Shaking her head slightly as she sighed Miyabi answered, "Unlikely. Rui-san is overseas right now, in New York City, for culinary training. At her request though I did contact Natsuo-kun's father so he's on his way."
"Beat me to it then," Dojima responded with a subdued chuckle, "I was going to suggest that be done now that Fuji-san is awake. Did he say when he'd be here?"
"He said he'd be here as soon as possible..." she trailed off in thought before she asked, "How long was I asleep?"
Dojima gave a shrug before he replied, "Not sure, but the interview took about an hour and a half."
"Then... depending on traffic he probably won't get here for at least another hour or so. Rui-san mentioned she'd be contacting her mother as well, so she may be on her way too," Miyabi stated as she leaned back against the wall. There was an uneasy silence before she asked, "How is he?"
The silence continued as Dojima thought about how to respond to the question, before deciding that being straightforward would be the best option, "Physically he seems fine. From what the staff here have told me they plan to keep him here at least until tonight, maybe until tomorrow morning just in case. Mentally and emotionally though? He's... shaken to put it lightly. It's a completely normal reaction to what happened... though I'll admit I don't have much experience with male victims, most cases are the other way around. Thanks to you and Mizusawa-san though the worst was prevented, and that means a lot for his well being."
"So what now?" Miyabi asked simply.
"With Fuji-san's statement taken, and his confirmation that he'd like to press charges, we give the evidence and statements we have to the prosecutor's office. Once they give the approval Kuzuoka Nene will be charged with the applicable crimes, we work with the prosecutor to build a case... and then court..." Dojima rattled off almost robotically before stifling a yawn and adding, "But before all of that everyone needs to rest. I can give you a lift to the station so you can get some sleep, the bunk room may not be a five star hotel but it's better than a hard wooden bench in the hallway."
Miyabi chuckled slightly at the attempt at humor before she responded, "I appreciate that Detective, but I'll wait here for now. I think it's still best if someone is here with him until his family gets here."
Dojima nodded as he stood up and said, "I had a feeling you'd say that, you're a good friend. Even still, I doubt the nap you managed will keep you going for long. I'll see if the staff here can arrange something for you once you can pass off watch duty."
She thanked him again as he walked towards the floor's nurse's station to make the request. He simply waved in response as he walked, signaling that the thanks weren't needed. Taking a breath she steeled herself before getting up and moving to the door to Natsuo's room. Not allowing herself the chance to hesitate she entered to room to see him laying down, the bed raised into a recliner position, as he stared out the window at the brightly lit countryside. Realizing he hadn't noticed her, Miyabi spoke, "I explained to Rui-san what happened, and she had me call your father while she called her mother. They're both on their way."
Natsuo's eyes refocused as he turned his head towards her and replied, "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in," he paused before he asked, "How did Rui handle it?"
Miyabi made her way back over to the chair she'd sat in most of the night before she answered, "Not well... at first. I'm pretty sure she broke something, sounded like a plate or a glass... By the end of the conversation she had managed to calm down a bit though. She wants you to call her as soon as you can, she said she was sure you'd be busy but that she really needs to hear your voice." As she finished relaying Rui's request she handed Natsuo's phone back to him.
"I know the feeling..." Natsuo trailed off as he accepted the phone and stared at it for a moment. He then glanced back up and Miyabi, his eyes widening slightly before he asked, "How are you doing? You look exhausted... and your eye..."
As though conjured by his words, a sudden sharp pain reminded her that Nene had headbutted her in the left eye. She took out her phone and used the camera to get a good look at herself and cursed, "Damn... I haven't iced it since I left the room, the bruising and swelling have gotten worse." The swelling had increased, though not to the point of impairing her vision, though if she didn't ice it soon it might, and the skin around her eye was a motley mix of blue and purple. She sighed slightly before adding, "It's okay, they checked me out when I got here and they said there's nothing broken, just going to be bruised for a while. Same with my hand: nothing broken, just sore."
Natsuo mumbled something so low that Miyabi wasn't sure he'd even spoken at all. When she gave him a quizzical look he spoke up, "I'm sorry... you got hurt because - "
"Stop," Miyabi commanded, leaving no room for argument in her tone. When Natsuo didn't respond she continued, "You have nothing to apologize for, so don't even think about it." He simply looked down at his lap and smiled sadly, obviously still wanting to apologize, but knowing better. The silence stretched for a moment before she stood and said, "I'm going to go get a new ice pack from the nurse's station," she paused when her stomach growled, "... And find something to eat. You call Rui-san and let her know how you're doing."
Natsuo watched silently as Miyabi made her way to the door before he nodded and replied simply, but heavily, "Thank you."
She turned to face him, giving her best attempt at a smile, but shook her head as she replied, "No need to thank me." She closed the door behind her as she left and leaned against it for a moment as she took a deep breath. After she'd composed herself, pushing down a sob she'd felt forming, she started the walk to the nurse's station down the hall. While walking she couldn't help but think about the hollow, far off look Natsuo had in his eyes, like even when he had been talking to her he was somewhere else entirely. She caught herself thinking, "I wish there was something... anything I could do to help," she shook her head at that, "No... I can't think like that. Like Mizusawa-san and Detective Dojima said: things would have been worse had I not gotten there when I did. I'll just keep doing what I can."
"Yes...? Is there something I can help with?" a voice snapped Miyabi out of her head.
"Huh..." Miyabi blinked as she realized she'd already arrived at the station and one of the nurses was looking at her with concern. "O-oh," she stammered, "Sorry about that. I was lost in thought there... could I get a new ice pack? I haven't iced this for a bit and I don't want it to get much worse if I can avoid it."
The nurse examined her eye for a moment before she replied as she fetched a new pack from a cold storage in the station, "Of course. You took a good hit, you're lucky that's the extent of it. You haven't been feeling light headed or anything have you?"
"No... well maybe a little. But I think that's mostly from being up all night and not having anything to eat," Miyabi confessed as she accepted the new ice pack, sighing at the relief it brought when applied to her eye.
The nurse shook her head slightly as she said, "Well we can't be having that. You go get yourself something to eat, we'll page you if anything comes up. Detective Dojima explained the situation, when you're ready to get some sleep come let us know, we have a nap room that the nurses use in between shifts if they aren't going home in between, you can use that."
Smiling a tired smile, Miyabi responded as cheerfully as she could manage, "Thank you so much! Natsuo-kun's family is on their way, so I'll likely be looking to get some rest once they get here."
"Good, you definitely need it. You look like you're about to drop," the nurse half joked in response.
"Then I look about as good as I feel!" Miyabi joked in return as she began walking away to where elevator was so she could go down to the cafeteria she'd seen earlier.
Midday...
Miyabi glanced over at Natsuo briefly before returning her attention to the TV mounted on the wall across from his bed. She was barely paying attention to the show that was on, and Natsuo had drifted off to sleep about an hour ago. After she'd returned from getting food she'd found he'd already finished his conversation with Rui and had turned it on to keep himself occupied. A nurse had come in to check on him, but other than that the rest of the morning had passed uneventfully.
Right before he had drifted off, Natsuo had dropped a bombshell on her that she never would have seen coming. She was still replaying the brief conversation in her head even an hour afterwards.
"Hey..." Natsuo chimed drowsily.
Turning to face him Miyabi asked, "Something wrong? Do you need more water?"
He shook his head before replying, "No but... I think I'm going to try and get some sleep before they get here. There's something you should know though."
"What is it?"
"Rui said she called her mother and she's on her way right?"
"That's what she told me she was going to do, she confirmed it with you when you spoke right?"
"Right... well I have a feeling this will come up. She and my father can get... emotional when tensions are high. So I wanted to give you a heads up about this just in case."
"Okay...? Is it something I should be worried about?"
"No nothing like that... but... Rui's mother is my stepmother."
Miyabi stared at him in confusion for a moment, thinking she must have misheard him. When he simply nodded at her she stammered, "S-she's y-your stepmother?! B-but that w-would mean..."
"Rui and I are step-siblings."
"Wha – I mean... how..." she floundered, completely at a loss for words.
"They got married during our second year of high school; never even told us they were seeing someone. And by some crazy coincidence Rui and I... had met briefly once before we found out we were going to be step-siblings or that our parents were involved with each other. It's a long... complicated story. I'll explain it more later, but for now I just wanted you to know that. They know about Rui and I, but very few people know about the situation. I trust you not to spread it around," he explained succinctly, not wanting to overload her any more than he already had.
She was silent for a moment as she processed what he'd said before she nodded and replied, "Understood. Your secret is safe with me."
Now an hour later, having replayed the conversation for the umpteenth time and thinking back on previous interactions she chuckled tiredly to herself and mumbled, "No wonder he was always vague about his and Rui-san's families..."
Just then the door to the room opened and two people quietly made their way in: a middle aged man and woman, both looking disheveled and frantic. Before Miyabi could say anything the man asked, "Serizawa-chan? We spoke on the phone, I'm Natsuo's father. Sorry it took longer to get here than I thought, we got stuck in some traffic leaving Tokyo. How is he?"
Getting to her feet to bow slightly, Miyabi replied, "He's doing alright Fuji-san. He's been asleep for the last hour."
The woman, who Miyabi assumed was Rui's mother, approached and bowed in gratitude as she spoke softly, "Thank you so much. For everything... when Rui explained what happened..." as she stood up she took full notice of Miyabi's injuries and gasped slightly before adding, "Oh look at you! Rui didn't mention you'd gotten hurt."
Waving her hands dismissively Miyabi responded, "You really don't need to thank me... and I didn't mention it to her, it wasn't important. Please don't worry, I've already been looked over and it's all cosmetic: nothing serious."
"Regardless, you have our sincere and deepest gratitude," Akihito added as he too bowed to Miyabi. As he stood up he said to Tsukiko, "We should do something to thank her when things settle down."
Tsukiko nodded as she replied, "You're right dear we should -" She froze mid sentence when she realized how she'd addressed her husband, who in turn looked concerned.
Miyabi smiled reassuringly and said, "It's okay. I don't know the full story or specifics but I know the basics of your... family situation."
Akihito and Tsukiko looked at each other before Akihito cautiously asked, "You do?"
"Yes," Miyabi answered, "Natsuo-kun had a feeling it would come up so he told me about it. I can't say it didn't shock me, but in hindsight it explains a few things." She then had to stifle a yawn as she wobbled slightly on her feet.
Tsukiko moved and caught her by the shoulders to keep her stable as she gasped, "You look exhausted, have you gotten any rest?"
"I got... maybe an hour of sleep this morning while the detective was talking to Natsuo-kun...?" Miyabi replied sheepishly, well aware she'd pushed herself more than she should've. She then added, "The nurses said I could use their nap room, but I wanted to wait until you two got here."
Smiling at Miyabi's clear and genuine concern, Tsukiko turned to Akihito and said, "I'll go with Serizawa-chan to make sure she gets some much needed rest. You stay with Natsuo."
Akihito simply nodded as he stepped aside to allow the women to leave the room, Tsukiko keeping a hand on Miyabi's shoulder just in case she wobbled again. He took a seat in the now vacant chair, and when he was sure they were out of earshot he turned to Natsuo with a smile and said, "She's a true friend... they're hard to come by, so don't do anything to lose that."
It was less than ten minutes that Tsukiko returned and sat in the chair adjacent to Akihito. After she was settled in he asked, "How is she?"
"Poor girl was out cold the second her head touched the pillow... Rui told me what she had done, how she got that monster off of Natsuo... For some reason I never thought she'd gotten hurt doing so," she answered with a small sigh.
"I don't think either of us did... like I said: we should do something for her as thanks when things settle down," he responded reassuringly.
Nodding and turning her attention back towards Natsuo she stated, "We definitely should. Maybe when Rui gets back... but that's still far off..."
They sat in silence, the constant background noise of a hospital and the TV the only sounds for a few minutes. Turning to face Tsukiko, Akihito asked, "Any word from Hina-chan?"
Checking her phone and scowling slightly she replied, "Nothing. Rui and I both sent her messages. She either has us blocked or muted... of all the times for her to - " she cut herself off before she got louder.
"I see..." he trailed off as he thought about the situation. After a moment he asked while motioning towards Natsuo, "Do you think her up and leaving again is about... well you know...?"
"I do," she stated with full confidence, "It's just like the last time she did this. Hopefully this time she'll be able to finally put a stop to it. She can't keep holding onto it, with how things are going it will only cause her... and them, pain if she can't let it go."
Letting out a sigh, Akihito said, "You're right. It was crazy enough the first time... But now, with Natsuo and Rui-chan... If she's not able to put what happened behind her and move forward then she's either going to end up hurting them, herself or everyone. I hope that wherever she is and whatever she's doing can finally put it to rest."
"I hope so too," was the only thing she said in response as she put her phone away and they returned to a comfortable silence.
Late that evening...
The atmosphere in the hospital room was different from how it had been earlier in the day, or at least that's how it had seemed to Miyabi when she'd returned from her rest. When she woke she'd found that she'd slept straight through the afternoon and into the evening, and while she had groaned at the idea of how she'd manage to get sleep the coming night, she was feeling much better, though still felt off. She had then gone to the cafeteria, in hopes they hadn't closed yet and had run into Tsukiko, who was getting food for both herself and Akihito.
"Please, you don't have to pay for my food too," Miyabi had pleaded, not wanting to impose.
Tsukiko shook her head before she responded, "Serizawa-chan it's literally the least I can do. It's no bother, I assure you."
Seeing how adamant the older woman was, Miyabi had relented. So it was that she now found herself back in Natsuo's hospital room along with his father and stepmother. As she ate her meal she quietly observed the family's interaction and couldn't help the feeling that she was intruding. The thought, "I'm not the one who should be here..." crossed her mind more than once but she pushed it away each time. Natsuo had been awake and conversing with his father when she and Tsukiko had returned, and while he'd looked relieved that she'd gotten some rest of her own, there was still that look in his eyes that told her his mind was still elsewhere for the most part.
"Are you okay Serizawa-chan?" Akihito asked with concern, snapping Miyabi out of her thoughts.
Realizing she must have been staring into space she nodded as she answered, "I'm okay, thank you. I'm still feeling a little groggy though, like I still haven't managed to fully wake up."
"Did you not sleep well?" Natsuo asked, sharing his father's concern.
"Oh I slept like a rock," Miyabi stated pointedly, "You know that feeling you get when you wake up from an unplanned nap? It's like that but worse. I was wondering how I'd manage to sleep tonight but now I don't think it'll be an issue."
Tsukiko turned to her and commented, "You were up for more than twenty four hours... so your body probably still needs more sleep and you only woke up because you were hungry." She paused for a moment before adding, "The staff informed us that only one person can stay here overnight with Natsuo, so when visiting hours end you should come with me. While you were asleep I booked a room at the local inn, Akihito can stay here."
Miyabi made to object, still not wanting to impose on the family, but Akihito cut her off, "Don't worry about it. Anyone not staying here needs a place to rest, we already have the room booked so there's no reason to make you fend for yourself."
Seeing that she was once again being left no room to argue, Miyabi sighed and replied, "You're right..."
The family was silent as they smiled at her acquiescence, but the silence was interrupted when Natsuo called out, "Detective Dojima?"
The rest of the room's occupants turned to the door to see the aforementioned man frozen, caught before he could knock on the open door. Letting out a chuckle he entered the room, closing the door behind him and spoke, "Sorry, I got to the door during that conversation and didn't want to interrupt," he paused as he looked over both Natsuo and Miyabi before adding, "You both look like you got some rest. Good."
"Are you the detective in charge of the case?" Tsukiko asked as she and Akihito stood to greet him.
Giving a curt nod Dojima replied, "That I am. I presume you're the parents?"
"I'm Natsuo's father, Fuji Akihito," Akihito introduced himself with a slight bow.
Tsukiko, also bowing, added, "And I'm Fuji Tsukiko, his stepmother."
Returning their bows Dojima said, "Dojima Ryotaro. Please forgive me if I overstep, but may I refer to all by your first names? With three Fujis it may get confusing."
"By all means, whatever makes your job easier," Akihito responded reassuringly, Natsuo and Tsukiko nodding in agreeance.
"Do you have any updates Detective?" Natsuo asked cautiously, knowing that the only reason Dojima would have come back was if there was some kind of development.
"I do," Dojima replied simply as he looked around the room. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity before he asked, "Are we one person short? Serizawa-san informed me that your girlfriend's mother may also be coming here since she's overseas."
"Damn it!" Miyabi thought in panic, seeing Tsukiko's eyes widen marginally at Dojima's words, "I completely forgot about that."
There was silence for only a brief moment before Tsukiko spoke quietly, "No... Can we ask for your discretion Detective?"
Dojima looked concerned for a moment at her phrasing and tone, but shook it off as he replied, "Of course." Tsukiko and Akihito then briefly explained the truth, to Natsuo's own embarrassment: Tsukiko was both Natsuo's stepmother and Rui's mother and how the situation came to be. They explained it in a similar way to how Natsuo had explained it to Miyabi: just the bare essentials needed to understand the situation.
After the explanation had finished they all waited for Dojima's response, which he was quick to give, "I can see it's a very complicated situation, and can see why you'd want to keep quiet about it. And while it may be generally frowned upon, it's not illegal. With that being said it's also none of my business and not relevant to the case, so you can rest assured that I'll keep it off the record."
The wave of relief that washed over the family was palpable. It was Natsuo that spoke first, "Thank you Detective."
"No thanks necessary Natsuo-san," Dojima replied simply. He took a breath before continuing, "Now as for the reason I'm here: the prosecutor's office has already reached a decision and will be charging Kuzuoka Nene with possession of illegal drugs, sexual assault and attempted rape."
Akihito blinked in shock as he asked, "Already? Don't things like this normally take more time?"
"Under normal circumstances... yes. The tests on Natsuo-san found that it was Rohypnol that he was drugged with, the bag found at the scene of assault contained that drug and the only prints on it were Kuzuoka's. The statements given by Mizusawa-san, Serizawa-san and Natsuo-san all corroborate each other... and Kuzuoka's own statements, while not concrete enough to be labeled as a confession, certainly hint at her intent. All of this led to the prosecutor's office reaching their decision," Dojima explained.
"What do we need to do?" Tsukiko asked, having entered full business mode.
"As of right now: nothing. Tomorrow after he's discharged Natsuo-san should come by the station so we can ask a few follow up questions and go over what we're going to do," Dojima paused to turn and address Natsuo directly, "You may have to come back to town for the trial itself to supply testimony to the court, but other than that you should be okay to head back to Tokyo tomorrow. I'll keep in touch to let know what's going on."
Natsuo sighed before replying, "That's good to hear... I was kind of dreading having to stay around here for an extended period."
"I completely understand. If you want my personal opinion this seems like an open and shut case, so it should be over with quickly," Dojima said with a small grin. He then addressed the room, "Well then, I'll take my leave. You folks get some rest tonight and I'll see you tomorrow."
A chorus of "thank you" from the Fujis and Miyabi followed Dojima out of the room and closed the door behind him. As he made his way down the hall he thought to himself, "I'm not used to cases going this smoothly... the way that Kuzuoka girl spoke... I don't like it."
As he arrived at the elevator he had to dodge to side as when the door opened a young woman burst out, nearly bowling him over, followed by a middle aged man. Though he was caught off guard he caught snippets of what they had said, "I think the room is this way!" from the woman and "Slow down, I'm getting too old to rush like this!" from the man. He grumbled to himself slightly about people not looking where they were going and running in a hospital as he entered the elevator and the doors slid shut.
A few minutes earlier...
"This is the place, I hope he's doing alright. Mom and Fuji-san should definitely be here already," Hina said more to herself than her companion as the car parked.
Kobayashi cut the engine as Hina jumped out of the car, and he followed her quickly as he asked, "Did you respond to your mother or Rui-Rui?"
"No... Not yet. I didn't want to say anything over text or the phone after not seeing those messages for hours," Hina answered, pausing to read a sign directing them to the visitor entrance, "I'll explain to mom when we get in there... and I'll call Rui to apologize and to let her know how Natsuo is doing."
"Hina-chan..." he said with small sigh, "You really should keep a better eye on messages from them. And to not respond when you did finally see it..."
"I know... I know Mari-san. I'll have to apologize for disappearing too," she replied with a somber tone.
As they made their way Kobayashi asked, "About that, I know we just talked the other day about this but... I hope you're rushing here for the right reasons Hina-chan." She didn't respond immediately, so all he could do was follow her and repeat his hope in his mind that she hadn't rushed here to try and put herself into the role of Natsuo's main support.
After a moment she broke the silence, "I know what you're thinking Mari-san. I'm trying not to think of my feelings right now... I'll admit its difficult... but -" she stopped mid-sentence as she also stopped in place, seeming shocked by something.
Having almost walked into her from the sudden stop, Kobayashi spun to the side and asked, "What? What is it?" When she didn't respond he followed her gaze and had to do a double take: ahead of them, and at an angle where they couldn't see them were Rui and Jou rushing to the visitor's entrance. Rui looked like she was running purely on caffeine and stress, while Jou was struggling to keep up with her.
After her sister and father had entered the building, Hina abruptly turned away and started walking back towards the car, only saying a curt, "Let's go."
Kobayashi had a feeling he knew what was going through her head, but he asked, "Are you sure? We came all this way."
"I'm sure. I'm not the one who should be here right now... I'm sorry for having you drive me out here," she answered, not looking back.
With a frown, he started to follow her while he thought, "I was right then... she wanted to step in as Natsuo-chan's pillar, even if she couldn't admit it. The fact that Rui-Rui, who was all the way in New York City managed to get here before her made her realize that and shatter it all at once."
As they got back in the car and pulled out onto the road she spoke quietly, "I'll pay you back for the gas Mari-san... and treat you to dinner."
"That's all well and good Hina-chan, but you better come up with something to tell your family and call them to check on Natsuo-chan," he responded with an almost scolding tone.
"Yeah... you're right..." she whispered as her gaze fell on the scenery out the window passing by.
Back in the hospital room...
Back in Natsuo's hospital room, the conversation had continued after Dojima left, with Miyabi being the first to speak, "That's all such a relief... I'm glad things seem to be going smoothly."
"Same here, I thought for sure I was going to be stuck in town while they waited for approval from the prosecutor," Natsuo agreed, then added, "I can't thank you enough Miyabi, you and Ibuki-san both. I'm lucky you two noticed something was wrong."
"I know we've already thanked you as well, but I agree with Natsuo. We can't thank you enough, so please, once things calm down allow us to do something special for you and Mizusawa-san," Tsukiko added, noting that Miyabi was again looking uncomfortable with being thanked.
She brought her hands up defensively as she said, "That's really not necessary, I -"
She was cut off as the door to the room flew open again, accompanied by a female voice half sobbing, "Natsuo!"
The occupants of the room stared at the new arrivals, seeming to not comprehend how the woman in front of them was there. She ran across the room and grabbed Natsuo in a tight hug, crying into his chest as she did, the man that had accompanied her entering the room and closing the door behind him before making his way over to the others. After a moment of only the muffled sobs being heard Natsuo stammered, "R-Rui?! How?"
Rui tilted her head to look up at his face as she responded, "I was going crazy thinking about everything. After I talked to Miyabi and mom, Daniella convinced me I should come home. I called dad and he managed to book me a last minute flight to get here today."
At the mention of his contribution Jou raised his hand in a tired wave to Natsuo and he said, "She scared the hell out of me, calling at the crack of dawn saying it was an emergency. When she told me what happened any thought of her staying over there vanished. I'm glad to see you're okay."
Natsuo looked back down at Rui and fully took in her appearance: she looked just as exhausted as Miyabi had earlier in the day, maybe even more so, and more disheveled than he'd ever seen her. He returned her hug, holding her tightly as he mumbled into her hair, "Yeah, I'm okay... I love you Rui."
"I'm just glad to see you're okay, I love you too," Rui said into his chest as she tightened her hug even more. The two remained in their embrace for a moment as the others watched on with smiles on their faces, but parted soon, not wanting to make anyone feel awkward. It was then that Rui looked across the room and saw Miyabi properly, gasping at her very pronounced black eye and bandaged hand, "Miyabi! I thought you said you gave her a black eye!?"
Miyabi laughed sheepishly and brought her hand up to her face as she replied, "I may have left out the part where she headbutted me... but don't worry -" she was cut off as Rui rushed across the room and embraced her just as tightly as she'd done with Natsuo, fresh sobs starting. She was so stunned that she didn't know what to do, she never expected a hug from Rui of all people.
Rui was mumbling into Miyabi's shoulder almost incoherently, but after a moment the words could be made out, but just barely, "Thank you... Thank you... Thank you... Thank you..."
Standing there, frozen in shock from the suddenness of the embrace, Miyabi felt herself slipping off of the ledge she hadn't known she'd been balancing on. She hesitantly closed her arms around Rui and hugged her in return, to which Rui tightened her hold on Miyabi. This small action pushed her over the edge and she felt like she was in freefall - the other occupants of the room melting away as tears formed in her eyes, and she fought back a sob that threatened to wrench itself free... though why she was fighting it she couldn't say.
Quietly but clearly, Rui choked out another, "Thank you."
Miyabi felt the last of her resistance crumble away, then felt the tears run down her face freely as a gut wrenching sob was finally let loose, her throat and chest protesting at the strain it caused. As the others watched in silence, forgotten by the two women for the moment, Miyabi tightened her embrace as her body quaked from her finally letting her pent up emotions wash over her, free of restraint. Before she lost herself entirely she managed to gasp out between sobs, "You're welcome."
AN: I had originally intended for this chapter to go a bit further, but after I wrote this last part it felt like the proper place to end it, so there will be one more chapter to wrap up this "arc". I hope you all had a great New Year's and your January has gone well. Things are still busy so I'm not sure if I'll get two chapters out in February or just one, but I will try for two.