↕ — a memory that may or may not have happened
Hushed whispers, quiet footsteps. They weren’t supposed to be up here. This was a secret place, though surely the other girls knew about it – but only Emi and Haru came here anymore.
Emi went first through the gap in the boarded-up window, hoisting herself up onto the roof, then turned and reached down to help Haru up. The sun was setting, and though the surrounding trees were too tall for them to watch the sun disappear, they could watch the red tint of the sky fade to black, and the stars twinkle to life.
“お疲れ,” the older girl whispered, tugging the younger close and planting a kiss on her blood-caked forehead. Haru giggled and repeated the phrase back, holding Emi in a tight embrace. They stayed that way for a few seconds, holding each other in silence, until Emi pulled away, grabbing hold of Haru’s hand once more to lead her to the edge of the roof. Here, they sat, legs dangling off of the side. The height used to scare them, but many nights sitting there and many falls had numbed them to the fear.
"頭、大丈夫?“ Sitting down, Emi rubbed some of the dried blood on the younger girl’s forehead. “うん,” was the simple reply, as she huddled close as she could to Emi, “でも、それより…” she trailed off, looking towards the dark bruises covering Emi’s legs, which seemed to spread to her entire body.
It was a common occurrence by now. The doctors would take Haru away and Emi would try to stop them. She never could. And each time, they would tell her that it would be easier if she didn’t resist, but…
“大丈夫だよ。はるちゃんがいるから,” she said with a smile. It wasn’t entirely a lie – Emi didn’t care what happened to her as long as Haru was okay – but she couldn’t deny the pain. Haru didn’t reply, instead just looking up to the sky, and Emi followed her gaze to watch the light slowly fade.
There was nothing more for them to say, and so they sat in silence, with only the noises of the forest to disturb them. At some point, Emi realized that Haru had fallen asleep on her shoulder, and her own exhaustion soon took over.
And so the two slept in peace, even as they slipped and fell, even as their bodies splat against the ground.