Chapter Text
??.??.??
Faint light. Warmth. Home.
A canary sings a cradle song
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child!
She was curled up by her mother, being lulled to sleep by her gentle voice.
Above the cradle, the loquat fruits sway
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child!
Their hearts painted a clear picture: one of hope, of family, of love.
A squirrel rocks the cradle by its rope
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child!
She always tried to stay awake until her mother had finished her song, but the young girl was exhausted and on the cusp of sleep.
Dreams in a cradle, with the yellow moon shining down
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child.....
A small, satisfied smile graced her lips as she finally drifted off to sleep.
03.06.10
Chidori had been in the hospital for nearly three months and was, to put it mildly, extremely stir crazy. She hadn’t had any visitors since January and the hospital staff had started treating her oddly, like they weren’t sure why she was there and, instead of trying to figure it out, just decided to ignore her, causing her to become painfully lonely. Even drawing didn’t provide her with as much joy as it once did.
However, the general lack of company and pervasive boredom she was faced with did give her a lot of motivation to experiment. Himari brought her some manga one day, and though Chidori initially found the plot and art style immature, soon became engrossed in the cheesy romances they allowed her to escape into. She started asking for new novels frequently and Himari and the other nurses brought them to her whenever they could.
Chidori also took advantage of the TV she had in her room, spending hours watching dramas and comedies alike. She even occasionally watched baseball, though it was bittersweet since it always made her think about him.
By far the biggest thing Chidori had experimented with was her hair. She removed her bonnet and ribbons within a few days of being in the hospital, but after several failed attempts to comb out all of the tangles in her long, unruly hair, she decided to take action. Aided by Mr. Nakamura, who was tasked with cutting patients’ hair quite often, she spent the better part of an afternoon in front of a mirror with a pair of scissors. The result was a short, choppy bob that was simultaneously hideously uneven and utterly perfect. It felt great, not only to get all of that weight of her shoulders (quite literally), but because it was a decision that was entirely her choice.
She had tried several times to get information from the hospital staff, specifically about the Strega Project, but it seemed like they knew less than she did, so she eventually gave up, spending all her time and energy trying to learn about the world around her. She desperately wanted to leave the hospital and the doctors had told her multiple times that she was healthy enough to be discharged. The only reason she hadn’t left yet was because she had nowhere to go, but Chidori knew that she would soon need to just take the leap, lest she go crazy waiting around in her hospital for someone who would probably never return.
Chidori had been planning on leaving the day before, but it was like all of the doctors who worked with her had suddenly had a change of heart and requested that she stay a few more days, so she agreed. She had just been laying in bed reading when she heard a knock on her door. Assuming it was just someone on staff, she yelled, “Come in!”
She heard the door open and close, but only looked up when she heard him whisper “Hi, Chidori.”
The book fell from her hands and, in an instant, she was out of bed wrapping him in a tight hug. He reciprocated the embrace and they stood there for a long while, too caught up in being reunited to do much more than just enjoy each other’s presence.