Chapter 15: Omoide Ijou Honk Naritakute
UMI
The ceiling was high and white. Unfamiliar. Mechanic noises. Plastic in her arm. An IV. Umi had failed. Pain rose through her chest. It was a sharp pain; clutching her lungs and ribs with its white-hot bolts of sensation. Where were the fog of painkillers?
"Umi?"
A familiar voice. A bird's voice, a worn-out chirp that had seen too many early mornings and not enough shared sunsets from her sparse tree branch. Umi tried to raise her head. She failed. "…Kotori?" Whisps of tawny hair in the corner of her eye. A smell of earth.
"Yes, I'm here…. You've been out for hours," A choked quality in her voice, as if she were struggling not to cry. Words cracked with emotion. "I've been so worried, Umi…"
Kotori gripped her hand.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want for you to…"
"The doctors weren't sure you were going to make it and…"
"Is Miss Sonoda awake?" Clack. Clack. A wind, a tightening grip. An unfamiliar voice. American? A woman's voice.
"Kotori, who is… is that the doctor?"
"I'm sorry, Umi, but… I have to go now, Umi…"
"I… I love you…"
It felt like an eternity before she heard the words. Wavering tone again. Tears? Umi wanted to die. "I love you too… please be safe, okay?" Softer footsteps, a closed door. Umi closed her eyes. She was alone.
"You lost, didn't you, Miss Sonoda?"
A sputter, a weak laugh. "It was only a matter of time before you got involved." A pale face loomed over her. Red curls down the woman's shoulders. She looked grave.
"My superiors want to send you back to Japan, you know." Umi caught something thicker in her voice. Slower. Not the glib american accent that tumbled out so quickly.
"You haven't."
"You know more about it than anyone else. It would be a shame to waste all of that knowledge."
"Do you have a name?
"Mary Farrell."
"You don't look like a Mary."
"That's what they tell me."
"So, Mary, what did you have in mind?"
"I was wondering if you would be interested in an… arrangement?"
END OF INTERLUDE PART 1