Chapter Text
The clear blue sky was too dazzling when she reached the deck, and Umeko had to step back inside. It had been a year and a half since she’d last seen a sky that wasn’t clouded over with toxic fumes that tinted the light red. It had been a year and a half since she’d last seen the sun and breathed clean air. It had been half a year since the world collapsed. One of the personnel must’ve seen her falter and mistaken it as because of her injury, because he offered his arm and helped her onto the beach.
Waiting for her was a young woman with light brown hair and suntanned skin, her green eyes filled with tears. She had changed a bit, but there’s no way Umeko wouldn’t recognize the class rep from her time at Hope’s Peak. Waiting on the beach for her on the verge of crying was Maiko Hamasaki, The Ultimate Ballerina. The moment Umeko stepped off the boat Maiko closed the distance in two graceful steps and pulled Umeko into her arms.
“I thought you were dead.” She whispered. Although Maiko’s voice didn’t waver, Umeko could feel the tears dampen her shirt. Maiko squeezed tighter, before pulling back and looking her over. “I’m glad you’re not.” She said, and wiped her eyes.
“I missed you too.”
“It’s not just me though, some of the others are here too. We were planning to throw a party tonight if you feel up to it.” Maiko smiled, though whether it was a happy or sad smile was hard to tell. Perhaps a bit of both.
“That.. that sounds good. I want to see them.” She shifted her weight, her good leg was getting tired, but it was hard to put pressure on the bad one. “Who made it?”
Maiko’s smile dropped and she pressed her lips into a thin line. “Maybe.. Maybe you should see the doctor first, and then once you’re settled.. I’ll tell you.”
Umeko’s heart dropped and she felt a lump in her throat, but she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
The woman who sat at the reception desk of the hospital was nearing her fourties, had golden toned skin, and bleached blond hair that’s roots were beginning to show. Her mouth was set into a stubborn frown, and Umeko got the feeling that was her default expression. The woman looked up as they came through the door, and stood to greet them.
“Doctor Almas Fevre, you must be Ms. Fujiwara.” She said, and shook Umeko’s hand. “Sorry, but Future Foundation doesn’t have much in your file, so today’s check up will take a while.”
Behind Almas’ thick rimmed glasses, there were bruise colored bags under her eyes, and there was a listlessness that Umeko had seen surrounding her in the months of the Tragedy. But there was an intensity too, in the grey green eyes, with golden rays shooting out from the pupils.
“Uh.. Yeah, that’s me! Umeko Fujiwara. It’s nice to meet you.” Umeko gave her a smile before realizing that she was wearing a surgical mask, and the Doctor couldn’t see if she was smiling or not. Almas looked sharply at Maiko.
“ Combien lui as-tu dit?” She asked.
“Pas tant. Je voulais qu'elle s'installe d'abord.” Maiko responded.
“Ne lui cachez rien, elle doit le savoir avant ce soir.” Almas turned and went through the door out of the reception area. “Well, come on then, we don’t have all day.”
“Oh, right, okay!” Umeko limped after her. “Sorry!”
“This is your room!” Maiko said with a dramatic flourish of the hand she could only have gotten from Katsumi. “We did the best we could but we wanted to leave it mostly up to you.” Umeko didn’t even bother to look as she dropped her duffle bag and fell face first onto the bed.
“There’s an actual bed.” She said into the mattress.
“You’re kinda muffled, I can’t hear you.” Maiko laughed. Umeko continued to lie there, all the exhaustion seeping from her muscles and gluing her to the mattress. But it was only so long before she needed to breathe, and rolled over onto her back.
“You didn’t tell me,” She stared up at the ceiling. Someone had put glow in the dark stars up there. She’d need to arrange it into actual constellations later, but it was a nice thought. “Who made it?” The bed groaned and shifted as Maiko took a seat beside her.
“Well.. Katsumi is still alive. So is Madoka and Tsukiko.. But..” Maiko trailed off, her voice soft and Umeko got a sinking feeling again. “Suzume.. She.. before we were rescued. In one of the riots. I’m sorry, I know you were close.” Umeko sat straight up.
“Suzu..? She..?” Umeko couldn’t continue, she was cut off by her own wail. Suzume, Tsukiko, and Umeko had always been together, all throughout high school. They’d been inseparable. Suzume tall, with her pale blonde hair and cutsey ghost hair clip that’s she’d bought just to annoy Tsukiko. “She’s gone?”
“Yeah.. she is.” Maiko put a hand on Umeko’s shoulder and guided her into a hug. “I’m so sorry.. I know you were close.” For a moment, Umeko let herself soak in her grief and the warmth of her friend, but she pulled away. “Tsuki, how’s she taking it?”
“Well..” Maiko kept a comforting hand insistently on Umeko’s shoulder. “As good as someone in her position can take it, I mean.. It’s hard.” She let out a rough sigh. “Death means something different for her, and they were so happy together. It’s hard.” Umeko shook the hand off her shoulder. “Do you want some time alone?”
She nodded.
“Okay..” Maiko gave her a weak smile. “The party’s around seven if you feel up to it.” She hesitated another moment before walking to the door. “Bye then.”
As soon as Maiko left, Umeko began searching the room. It was a pretty typical resort cottage, with a lovely curtained bed and a few houseplants. Very open with lots of windows, and no dark corners. An investigation of the closet and drawers revealed there to be several clothes picked out for her. All summery and light, and stuff she would like to wear. Almost exactly what she would have picked out for herself two years ago. She picked a lavender sundress out of the closet, and pulled off her mask.
She fell back onto the bed, letting the salty ocean air fill her lungs. It came back out in violent coughs that rasped painfully against her throat. She fought for deep gasping breaths through the coughing, and despite the pain, it felt nice. She could finally breathe. And Umeko smiled.
She couldn’t stay here forever though. She needed to get up, and do something. She couldn’t just do nothing. So, she got ready. She jumped off the bed, grabbing the lavender sundress and walking towards the bathroom. She stopped herself, this was her room, but it still felt like a stranger’s house. She changed and spun around a few times, admiring how a skirt felt and moved after so long. It wasn’t practical in the slightest and she loved it. She’d missed it so much. She spent fifteen minutes on her hair before she was satisfied, and stepped outside.
It was sunny, blindingly sunny, and at mid afternoon the heat hung in the air like a weight. But, the breeze off the ocean was cool and the smell combined with the chlorine from the pool brought back memories.
‘Come to think of it, our school trip was to a resort just like this one.’ The thought made her laugh a bit to herself. Umeko wandered until she found her way to the beach. When she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend she was still a student, back on their class trip that year. Tsukiko refusing to leave the shade from the umbrella, while Suzume tried to surf and drag Tsukiko out, both of which were unsuccessful. Tsubasa pouting because they burned easily, and then getting heatstroke for the rest of the trip, and Katsumi being chased around by Maiko to make him put sunscreen on. Not to mention the incident with Sumire’s swimsuit. Umeko laughed, smiling despite her heart clenching at the thought of her friends. She stayed there, lost in thought until the sun had started to set.
“Ume…” A small hand and light voice snapped her out of her reminiscing. She looked up. Black eyes met silvery blue.
“Tsuki.” She bolted up, ignoring the jolt of pain that went through her leg, and pulled her friend into a hug. Tsukiko hugged back.
She was always a tiny girl, petite build with black hair and eyes, and ghostly pale skin. But she had changed too. Her long hair had been cut short, and her priestess garb had been replaced by a pale yellow sundress and matching bow.
“You don’t look like the girl from the ring anymore.” Umeko said. “Just a haunted doll instead.” Tsukiko looked at her blankly, but there was a spark of joy in her eyes.
“I missed you Ume.”
“I heard about Suzume.. How are you taking it?”
Tsukiko fiddled with her earring, a long dangly silver one with a pentagram and green gem that was probably glass. Umeko recognized it instantly, Suzume had worn the pair every day after all. “As well as I can be. It helps that you’re here now. It’s just.. I can’t even talk to her.”
“I can’t imagine how hard that must be.” It was the truth too. To the Ultimate Medium, death meant something different than it did to Umeko. So to lose a loved one and not be able to contact their spirit, she couldn’t imagine what Tsukiko must be going through.
“It doesn’t matter, you’re late.” Tsukiko pulled away. “Come on, everyone misses you.”