"Now, please take a few steps forward. Don't rush, just go at your own pace."
OMORI did as the doctors asked, steadying himself with the handrail as he slowly walked forward.
When he finally got used to walking, he decided to let go of the rail and proceeded to walk on his own as normal.
"Remarkable…!" He could hear the doctors exclaiming in pleasant surprise as they took their notes.
MARI watched with a bit of concern as her little brother passed all the physical exams with surprisingly little difficulty.
"You'd think six years of muscle atrophy would take a toll on him…" The nurse next to her muttered in awe, "He's just powering on through without a sweat… It's like a miracle."
For some reason, this actually made MARI more nervous than impressed.
That couldn't possibly be natural...
"How does it feel if I do this?"
The doctor poked at his knee.
OMORI shook his head.
"Nothing? Really?"
"It's numb." OMORI replied simply.
"Hm… Yes, I suppose we should've expected that…" The doctor murmured to himself.
"Remember to make sure he isn't straining himself." The doctors warned her, "His entire body has apparently become numb to almost all physical stimuli."
MARI gulped nervously.
She was right to be worried after all…
"Without the ability to feel things physically, he might not be able to properly react to pain or know when he's overdoing something. Keep a close eye on him, remind him not to overexert his body, and let us know after a week if his body regains the ability to touch again."
"Apparently, he thought that only four years had passed since the accident happened to him." Another doctor looked through his notes, "He says that he remembers spending all this time locked up in his house."
MARI widened her eyes.
SUNNY was experiencing something like that during his coma?
"It's not strange for coma victims to live in a fabricated reality within their dreams. Certainly, it's not the most common occurrence, but he isn't the first." The doctor hummed, muttering in thought, "Still, he seemed evasive about something… I get the feeling that he's not showing us the full picture of what he's gone through…" Then with an embarrassed cough, he apologized, "Excuse my ramblings. I just wanted to let you know. If he experiences any problems with differentiating realities or becomes negatively affected by strange dreams, I can recommend you to a psychiatrist."
"Now, sadly we have no way of recovering your eye after the injury it sustained six years ago." A different doctor explained to them. "However, we can prescribe surgery to get a glass eye to replace your old one. You'll look just like you used to, before the accident."
MARI turned to look at SUNNY, seeing him looking disinterestedly at the ground.
Laying a hand over his arm and giving him an encouraging smile, MARI brought his attention back and asked, "What do you think, SUNNY? Do you want to get a glass eye?"
It won't give him his sight back in that one eye, which MARI will forever regret for the rest of her life… But at least the option to cover it up could be the first step to making things go back to normal.
Her brother sighed as he gave it some thought.
Glancing away, he said neutrally, "No. I'd rather have the eye patch…"
MARI's smile wilted, a bit shocked and disappointed. "W-Why don't you want the glass eye, SUNNY?"
"I think… It'll help remind me to stay in touch with reality." He replied vaguely, "A glass eye will just make me confused."
"Oh…" MARI blinked.
In… In that case, MARI will just have to accept that…
She would have preferred him taking the glass eye so that she could…
Well, if that's what SUNNY thinks will help, then that's what will help. That was more important here.
It took them hours before the both of them could finally check out of the hospital. It was already night by the time they were driving back.
MARI looked over her little brother with cautious optimism.
His right eye was covered with a large white eyepatch and was properly clothed with an outfit she went out to buy earlier while waiting for her brother to finish his examinations.
He was sitting in the passenger's seat, lost in his thoughts as he looked up at the stars.
MARI smiled a bit.
He was always the type to get lost in his own head. There were times when she would remember catching him off guard or dozing off while in the middle of the most menial tasks. She was glad to know that part of him hasn't changed.
The doctors recommended she follow a strict rehabilitation process at home for him. While it appeared that he may have seemingly recovered at a miraculous rate, she was advised to keep watch over him and make sure he undergoes the rehabilitation as smoothly as possible.
Small short exercises to regain muscle strength. Soft and easy to swallow diet with tons of protein and nutrients.
Plenty of… sleep.
Sigh…
First time waking up after six years, and one of the first things she has to make sure SUNNY gets enough of is more sleep. It was a bit ironic… and sad.
There was a paranoid part of her that was worried that today would be just a fluke. That once she lets him close his eyes to go to sleep, he'll go straight back into another coma again.
It was an irrational fear, she knew that. But still, the fear was there.
She'd rather have him stay awake so that she could spend as much time as possible with him while she had the chance.
He had been missing from her life for so long… She just wants to reconnect with her little brother again.
Most importantly, she also wanted to ask him a few questions about… how he apparently was living in his coma dream.
When she heard that her SUNNY had been stuck in his own mind this entire time, she wondered how lonely he must have felt. The doctors never elaborated any more detail about the life in his dreams besides just being cooped up in his room for… four years?
Four years… The doctors did tell her that he initially thought he was only sixteen before being corrected.
She couldn't even imagine what sort of things SUNNY must have been through in his own head.
She hoped he didn't have too much of a bad time...
Hopefully, he'll open up to her later when they get home.
…
At a red stoplight, MARI slowed the car to a halt.
This could be a good opportunity for some small talk with her little brother.
"SUNNY… Um…" MARI cleared her throat awkwardly, before asking, "Are you doing okay? Do you have any problems readjusting to… the situation?"
SUNNY turned to look at her.
MARI could see in his one eye that he still seemed a bit shocked to see her. Almost as if he was expecting something else to appear whenever he looks at her.
Then that shock turned to sadness.
"I'm okay… No problems." He shook his head.
MARI frowned at the obvious lie.
What in the world did he go through…? What sort of things did he see in his coma to make that solemn expression every time he turns to look at her?
Reaching a hand out to his shoulder, MARI gave him a bright smile in the hopes to comfort him, "You don't have to hide anything from me, okay? I'm here to help with whatever you need. The only thing it'll cost is your love!"
Instead of comforting him like she was hoping for, SUNNY seemed to have gotten more depressed as she said that.
Should she not have said that?
MARI couldn't seem to figure out any reason why she shouldn't. It was always something she said in order to convince her little brother to open up more whenever he was feeling down or having problems. It was almost a habit at this point, despite the six years that have passed.
SUNNY took her hand and held it in between his own, looking down as if he was studying it carefully.
MARI smiled a bit, watching her little brother play with her hands. It was nice just to see him move and hold her like this. Actually, it was just pleasant in general to see him awake at all.
Playing with her fingers, he asked, "How... do my hands feel to you?"
Gripping onto his hand, she reassured him, "It's gotten warmer compared to earlier. It feels soft and smooth. Most importantly, it feels alive."
"Is that so…" SUNNY hummed, before lamenting, "I can't feel anything… I don't even know if I'm actually holding your hand or not…"
The doctors have told her that his body seemed incapable of being able to touch or feel things right now. They said that it was most likely because of the six years of muscle atrophy, possibly. It was an irregular situation for him, one that doctors were still trying to understand more.
"You just need time to heal. Your body will get its sense of touch back in just a few months while you recover." MARI reassured him, "Just remember to do light exercises every day, eat plenty of healthy soft food, and you should be able to get it to come back naturally."
"Hm." SUNNY nodded in acknowledgment but didn't seem to believe it.
MARI felt her heart pang whenever she looked at him in this state. It was like he was still having trouble coming to terms with reality.
She really hoped that she would be able to help him get used to it soon…
The light turned green, and MARI had to unfortunately pull her hand away so that she could grab the wheel and keep driving.
They were nearly home… Just a few more blocks to go…
"Home sweet home…" MARI cheered softly, flipping the lights on.
Turning to her little brother, she stepped aside and welcomed him in.
SUNNY seemed a bit hesitant at first, and she still hasn't figured out why. It was almost like he was nervous to be back at their house again.
Still, he entered after a while. His eye carefully glanced over every part of the house, almost in disbelief at what he was seeing.
Hopefully, MARI did a good job at keeping the whole place clean… In order to keep herself distracted, she usually spent her free time performing maintenance on the house. She would regularly clean and dust the whole place until she was satisfied, always making sure for the day SUNNY would one day wake up and return home to a nice clean house.
Now that the day had finally come, she was nervous at how he'd react.
He gave every wall in the room a discerning eye, one that made her wonder if she accidentally made something seem different since the last six years.
Eventually, his eyes settled on the family portrait in the room. Stepping over to it, he brought a hand up to feel the frame… Only to pull his hand back and look at it in disappointment.
Right, still numb… He probably forgot…
"I did my best to keep everything clean and spotless for you." MARI told him with a soft smile, "I didn't want to change a single thing until you came back home."
SUNNY turned to her again.
He still did that thing where his eyes would widen in shock, before turning sad.
It made her feel a bit guilty. Almost like it was her fault…
It was her fault, though…
"You… You weren't planning to move away?" SUNNY suddenly asked.
MARI blinked in confusion.
Move away?
"Why would I move away?" MARI asked curiously, "There's no reason for me to do that. I had to stay here so that I could wait for you to wake up, remember?"
"Oh…" SUNNY mumbled, glancing away.
MARI still wasn't able to quite grasp what was going on in her little brother's mind right now. She didn't know what he experienced while in his coma, so she didn't know what to say.
If only she could get him to open up to her about it… It still seemed too early to delve deep into the topic, especially since she just finally got him to come back home.
…
SUNNY was back home.
That's right. The shock of it all almost managed to make her forget it, but her little brother was here with her now.
He was finally back home.
After six long years of waiting for him, making sure everything was the same as it was back then, she finally had him back again…
Looking at him, standing right in front of her, in the middle of the living room…
It only just now settled in her mind that she had her little brother back.
She never thought she'd ever see him again.
She couldn't help but bring herself closer so that she could hug him.
"MARI?" SUNNY seemed surprised but otherwise didn't react negatively.
MARI couldn't contain herself any longer, a bubbling excitement and pure elation rising within her. She had a smile so wide, she wouldn't have minded if her face got stuck like that.
"Sorry, I just…" MARI timidly apologized, "I'm just so happy right now… Everything happened so quickly today, I didn't get the chance to fully appreciate it until now."
God, she felt like she could cry again.
"You're back… You came back home to me…" MARI's voice cracked a bit as she tried to hold her composure, "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this day to come… I've wished and prayed every single minute of my life that you'd come back to me again... And… and now they all finally came true…" She sniffed, before breaking out into a small giggle, "You're back. You're back home. You're finally back home. I love you so much, SUNNY…! I don't ever want you to leave me again…!"
She could feel her little brother hesitantly raising his hands up before hugging her back too.
"I… I'm sorry…" SUNNY apologized again, his voice sounding so broken, "For everything…"
MARI pulled away and shook her head, smiling resolutely at him, "Don't apologize. There's nothing to be sorry about. If anything, this is the happiest day of my life!"
Despite everything though, SUNNY never returned a smile of his own. He only looked away with a guilty expression.
In fact, ever since he woke up, MARI never once saw SUNNY look happy. Not even for a single second…
She wished her SUNNY would smile more. MARI always liked his smile. It was usually so rare for him to give one.
That certainly won't do. Once they both have the energy and time, MARI will absolutely do her best to change that.
In fact, starting now should be a good opportunity.
"Here, how about this. Since we're home, let's eat some dinner before going to bed." MARI offered happily, "You haven't eaten anything except the weird goop they put in your feeding tube bag for the past six years. You must be starving to get actual solids in your stomach, right?"
SUNNY blinked a bit before looking down at his stomach. Rubbing his stomach curiously, he looked up with a half-hearted, "Uh… Maybe? I don't know."
"Well, why don't you go to the kitchen and start the stove for me. I'll be in the bathroom for a bit and come right back down to make us some fried tofu." MARI asked, before briefly pausing a bit. Would tofu be good for him in this situation? Maybe it would be best to ask to make sure. "Tofu's fine, right?"
"Uh… Sure." SUNNY nodded neutrally.
Phew, good.
"I'll be right back." MARI smiled sweetly before heading up to the bathroom to take care of business.
She couldn't wait to eat together at the dinner table with her little brother again!
OMORI watched her leave the living room by the door next to the fireplace.
Once he was by his lonesome, he gave another scan throughout the entire house.
Every single picture frame and furniture was exactly back where they originally were, never been boxed or taken down in order to prepare for the moving company to come collect.
Everything was back to how the house used to look.
It was… disorienting for OMORI, to say the least.
He wasn't really sure what to say or expect when MARI drove him back home.
Everything today had been… so confusing for him…
They all said that he had been in a coma for six years. On the day of the incident, instead of MARI, he was the one who suffered from the fall of the stairs. MARI had explained to him that he had wrapped her body around hers in order to save her life, which caused him to go into a coma in the first place.
It was also the reason he lost his eye, somehow. Presumably due to landing on the violin before MARI could.
…
It was too perfect.
Everything about this was all too perfect for him to accept.
There was no way this could all be real.
It was as if the universe took pity on him and decided to give him everything he asked for.
A perfect situation, where only he had suffered from the fall.
A perfect world, where MARI never died.
A perfect excuse… Where the last four years of his life were all just a coma-induced nightmare, and nothing bad ever actually happened.
As if it all just happened in his head…
…
No… This wasn't the afterlife at all.
This was just a joke. What did he do to deserve something like this?
After everything he's ever done… All the people he hurt… The people he burdened… The lives that were ruined… Why did the universe decide to grant him this second chance?
It didn't make any sense. Nothing made sense.
What the hell was the purpose of him being here?
Life was never this simple. Life doesn't just hand you whatever you wanted because you asked nicely. Things don't just work out perfectly like this…
If it did, MARI would have never died in the first place.
If it did, he wouldn't have to suffer those four years, trapped in his own head trying to forget what he had done.
If it did… then it would only happen in HEADSPACE.
He didn't deserve this…
It all had to be a dream… A dream he made up in order to live out the perfect fantasy for himself. Why else couldn't he touch or feel anything after waking up in this dream?
Why couldn't he feel MARI's hands or face whenever he touched her? At least in HEADSPACE, he could pretend to feel the grass on the playground or the warmth of MARI's hugs…
But this was just… nothing. At all.
…
What was the point of all this? To make up for all the suffering he had to go through over killing his sister? To make him happy?
Then why couldn't he feel at peace?
That was the whole point of jumping off the rooftop in the first place… So that he could end his suffering and free himself from the guilt that shackled him in the real world.
If anything, seeing all this just made him realize his guilt even more…
To see a world of what could have been, if things had played out differently.
To see a world where MARI still loved him and smiled at him… To see her alive…
It hurt… It hurt so badly inside.
The real question on his mind though… What exactly was he going to do about it?
If this was all just a dream, just like HEADSPACE, he could decide to just…
Go with it. Forget everything that ever happened. Pretend it was all a nightmare like everyone was trying to convince him.
Live out his imaginary life here with his sister who waited for so long for him to come back. Who suffered longer than he had when she had died.
Pretend that he was never a murderer.
Pretend that he never killed MARI.
Pretend that everything was going to be okay.
…
…
…
This was… everything he could have ever wanted. It was all he could have asked for.
It was what he was hoping would happen the moment he jumped off that roof.
An escape.
…
No.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this wasn't what he truly wanted at all…
Accepting this dream at face value and pretending that nothing bad ever happened, it would be no different than the four years he locked himself in his house and dreamt of HEADSPACE.
All he ever did was run away from the problem, pretend it didn't exist, try to forget about everything.
All that did was make things worse in the end.
He was tired of forgetting… He was tired of running away… He was so tired of pretending that everything was okay…
Everything was not okay.
He killed his sister.
He didn't deserve any happiness. He didn't deserve any perfect dream world. He didn't deserve to be forgiven…
He didn't deserve to exist.
A murderer like him doesn't deserve to live.
With these dark thoughts plaguing his mind, OMORI looked up to see… SOMETHING… staring down at him with its large judgemental eye.
He felt himself lock up in fear.
It's not in the mirror this time. It was right in front of him.
What did that mean?
Blinking at him, SOMETHING hovered away as it flew towards the kitchen. Almost as if it was leading him.
OMORI didn't know whether to follow it or not. For so long, he had been haunted by SOMETHING ever since the day MARI died. What was it trying to tell him?
In the end, he chose to follow it.
Making his way into the kitchen, he took a careful look around to see where it disappeared off to. He wondered to himself if he hadn't just hallucinated it after all?
But when he turned around, his eyes instantly honed in on the steak knife that was lying carelessly on the kitchen counter.
His favorite weapon. His most used tool.
His means of escape.
His means of punishment.
OMORI remembered all the countless times he used this steak knife to wake himself up from his dreams in WHITE SPACE.
Was this what SOMETHING was leading him towards?
SUNNY… I love you…
…
Perhaps this made sense. If this was all just a dream, then it would be appropriate for him to finally wake himself up and accept the reality of the situation.
He was never in any perfect world where his sister survived. She was still dead.
He had killed her, after all.
It was naive of him to even think otherwise.
Running away from the truth and pretending it all didn't happen wasn't going to be acceptable any longer. He had entertained himself in this fake delusional world for too long, longer than he deserved.
He already made up his mind.
He wasn't going to run from the consequences of his actions anymore.
MARI was waiting for him to avenge her.
A murderer like him doesn't deserve to live.
This was the only way for him to make up for everything he's done...
Then he'll finally be at peace...
MARI took a deep sigh of relief as she went to wash her hands.
She wondered what sort of questions she should ask him during dinner to get him to open up about what he's been through. Hopefully, it won't be too invasive to ask what he had done in his dreams.
What was more important now was that she helped him get used to being awake in the real world again. If he was still confused or had questions about what happened while he was gone in the last six years, she should be able to answer everything without any problems.
Or maybe… The problem she'd have the most trouble trying to tell him would be what happened to his friends…
She couldn't decide whether or not to tell him what their friends did in the past six years… how almost all of them had given up on him so that they could go about their own lives.
How would he react to that? Knowing that KEL, AUBREY, and… HERO… had all left him by himself to rot all alone… That she and BASIL were the only ones to have taken the time to actually keep him company.
She didn't want to do anything to break his heart… MARI knew how much SUNNY cared for his friends.
Even if KEL and AUBREY decided to show up to his eighteenth birthday, it still didn't excuse the fact that they abandoned him for four entire years.
…
MARI covered her eyes as she gave a frustrated groan…
Now that SUNNY was back… how were they all going to react? How was SUNNY going to react to them?
It made her anxious, thinking about it…
A part of her hoped SUNNY would realize what horrible friends he had this whole time and leave them just like they left him.
A part of her wished everyone could come back together to a happy reunion where everyone could be happy again and go back to the ways things used to be…
She didn't understand why she felt so conflicted. All she knew was that she loved everyone and hated all of them for what they did.
…
Another sigh.
Maybe… if it comes up, she'll just tell him the truth. That AUBREY, KEL, and HERO all chose to leave him to go live their own lives without him. Only her and BASIL bothered to visit anymore.
How he chooses to react to that will be of his own accord. Whatever he ends up choosing, MARI will have to accept it and support him no matter what.
If he forgives them, then he forgives them. Simple as that.
If he doesn't… If he ends up being hurt instead…
…
She'll be there for him, no matter what.
After drying herself off with a towel, she looked over to her handbag to pull out the gifts that everyone left for him.
She'll definitely need to tell him eventually… But… maybe not now… Maybe after she gets SUNNY situated first.
It wouldn't be good for her to overwhelm him with everything all at once.
Shaking her head clear, she put the gifts away back in her purse before taking a look at herself in the mirror.
She still looked horrible. It's a wonder how SUNNY even managed to recognize her while she looked like this.
The fact that her face didn't scare him back into another coma was a miracle. Heheh…
She should start cleaning herself up and take better care of herself, maybe. It's been far too long since she stopped.
I have to tell you something…
MARI froze up as she felt her ears ringing.
Looking in the mirror, she saw SUNNY appear out of nowhere in the doorway.
That wasn't what freaked her out.
What was really freaking her out was that this SUNNY looked twelve years old again, exactly how he looked her dreams. Furthermore, his right eye was completely bleeding.
I have to tell you something…
He pointed at something behind him, before nodding his head to follow.
MARI immediately turned around, only to find that he disappeared.
…
Another hallucination again?
What was going on with her these days? Was she actually seriously losing it? Why… Why was she seeing something so morbid all of a sudden?
I have to tell you something…
She…
She suddenly had a very bad feeling…
…
"SUNNY." MARI widened her eyes in alarm.
She needed to go see him.
RIGHT NOW.
With a quick step, she exited the bathroom and found herself on the top of the stairs.
She hesitated a bit, her phobia manifesting again at the worst possible time. Her vision started blurring the longer she continued to stare, finding the stairs to suddenly stretch themselves to an impossible length.
If she falls, she's going to die.
But at the bottom, she could see him.
A young SUNNY with a bloody eye, pointing towards the kitchen.
Somewhere far away…
If she doesn't get to him in time, he's going to die.
...
Slapping herself in the face, her senses came back to her again before she powered through her phobia. Taking a deep breath, she focused and looked at the stairs again.
It was back to its normal length again.
It's never as scary as you think. She had to remember that for herself.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed tightly onto the railing and speed-walked down the stairs, forcing her legs not to tremble by focusing all of her thoughts on her little brother.
Focus…
Focus…
Focus…!
She made it to the bottom of the stairs. No worse for wear.
Shaking her nerves off, she quickly sprinted her way into the kitchen.
"SUNNY?" She called out.
There he was, next to the kitchen counter.
Hands holding onto a steak knife, gripping it tightly while the tip of the blade was pointed towards himself.
A single dark miserable eye looking down at his hands, as if he had already made up his mind.
SOMETHING behind his shoulder.
One eye.
MARI trembled as her eyes widened.
"SUNNY…" MARI called out gently, taking slow steps towards him.
Her little brother didn't acknowledge her.
"SUNNY… What are you holding that knife for?" MARI asked slowly, steadily, calmly as possible.
Don't scare him. Don't give him a reason to be scared.
This time, SUNNY looked up at her. The expression on his face was absolutely soul-crushing.
"SUNNY… Can you put the knife back down?" MARI smiled gently, slowly trudging her feet forward step by step.
SUNNY looked back down again, staring contemplatively at the knife in his hands.
SOMETHING wrapped an encouraging hairy tendril on his shoulder.
MARI was starting to panic.
"Please put the knife down, SUNNY. You're scaring me." MARI started pleading.
SUNNY turned back to her again, his eye completely glazed over as if under a spell.
"Please… Please put the knife down. Please." MARI continued, "I'm begging you."
By now, SUNNY had a pained expression as he continued looking back and forth between her and the steak knife in his hand. He didn't know what to do.
"Don't do this… Please." MARI desperately pleaded, "Listen to your big sister. Listen to my voice. I don't want you to go."
SUNNY's hands began trembling as he gripped the knife tighter in his fingers.
"Won't you please stay? Stay with me? Stay with your big sister?" MARI kept begging, her feet beginning to weigh even heavier the closer she moved towards him, "Don't break your sister's heart and leave so soon. Not after I just got you back."
SUNNY looked up to her again, tears streaming down his eye. He was in complete agony over deciding what to do.
"Please stay. Just a little longer." MARI smiled desperately, "Won't you do that for me?"
…
SUNNY clenched his eye shut and took a deep breath.
MARI felt a chill down her spine as she prepared for what came next.
…
…
…
Somehow, for some reason, whatever being out there watching them was on her side.
SUNNY pointed the steak knife away from his body and shakingly placed it back on the counter before stepping away.
SOMETHING was already long gone.
…
Seeing her chance, MARI was already quick on her feet to grab the steak knife away from him and put it back in the knife holder.
Just to be extra safe, she grabbed the entire thing and placed it inside the top shelf cabinets before slamming the cabinet door shut.
Breathing heavily in relief now that the threat was gone, she took a moment to gather her composure.
MARI turned to SUNNY to see him staring down at his feet with a remorseful expression.
"SUNNY…" MARI breathed out with a shaky voice, running up to him and wrapping her arms around him.
Feeling him trembling against her, she took several deep breaths to try to calm down.
For some reason, the air in her lungs just won't keep still. She didn't know what to do.
"SUNNY…" MARI started off steadily, "You were just… You were just confused, right? You were trying to hold the knife, but you just forgot how to hold it properly. That's why it was pointing at you, right?."
"...right…" SUNNY nodded hesitantly.
It was a lie. It was the most obvious lie in history. There had never been a more obvious lie told in her entire life.
She chose to believe it.
"Hahahah…" MARI laughed, hugging him even tighter, "You silly boy… If you needed help, you should have just asked me. I was only just a few seconds away, you wouldn't have bothered me."
Of course. That was all. It was just her overreacting.
He wasn't going to use the knife to stab himself. He wasn't going to kill himself.
Why would he want to kill himself? He'd never do that to his big sister. Not after waiting several years for him to come back.
SUNNY would never do that to her. He loves her too much. He knows how much she loves him too.
"Next time, please ask me for help before doing anything. You're still weak and fragile." She admonished him lightly, rubbing her hands over his head to feel the hair in her fingers, "You'll promise to do that, won't you? Pretty please?"
"...okay…" She felt him nod.
"Good… Good…" She breathed a sigh of relief.
She won't ask why he was holding the knife in the first place. She won't ask why he even needed the knife.
She won't ask what SOMETHING was doing behind his shoulder. She was just hallucinating after all.
SUNNY was fine. He was alive. He was going to stay with her.
MARI managed to get to him before it was too late.
She held onto her little brother tightly, feeling his heart beating against her body like a two-ton truck.
It was the only thing that was helping her calm down right now.
She won't let go until she calms down.
She won't let go until SUNNY calms down.
She won't let go until everything calms down.
…
She can't calm down.
AN: Ugh, this was my least favorite chapter to write. Mostly because I wanted to get them back home as soon as possible but didn't know how to circumvent the whole "realistic coma recovery process" procedure since I don't know how coma victims are usually treated. Medical professional, I am not.
Also, I suck at attempted suicide/angst scenes. I just want them both to be happy, but I NEED to make them suffer first before I can get to that part. Forgive me for cringe writing this chapter, I know it's not as good compared to the other ones.