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It happened a little too fast from Mari’s point of view. One moment while practicing for a softball game, Mari was running to the next base after her teammate hit the ball, but halfway through a sharp pain ran up her leg and made her trip. The game was abruptly stopped and Mari tried to stand back up, only to collapse back onto the ground after her leg flared up in pain after she stood on it. The coach called the ambulance and Mari was whisked away to the hospital. Apparently while she was running, her knee gave in and may require surgery.
Mari was understandably shaken up by the news, but kept her nervousness under wraps since her parents and Sunny were there visiting when they heard the news. When she was alone, Mari would start biting her lips and digging her nails into the hospital sheets, tears threatening to escape from her eyes. How could this happen? Mari was always told she was perfect, but the more she hears it, the less honest it sounds. A perfect person wouldn’t cut their finger while trying to cook and cry about it. A perfect person wouldn’t injure their knee. A perfect person wouldn’t need to write notes on every page of a music book and hastily set it aside while practicing piano.
Mari just couldn’t see herself as perfect anymore. But, everyone seems to think she is and Mari didn’t have the heart to correct them. Not her parents. Not Hero. Not Sunny. Mari sighed and wiped her eyes. She doesn’t have the heart to correct them, so she’ll keep trying to play pretend. For them.
That was a little over a few days ago. Mari was now sitting on the couch wearing a knee brace and reading a book, her crutches set aside next to the couch arm ready for use at any time. It was a little strange for Mari, being in a situation like this. But, as long as she doesn’t show just how much it’s actually bothering her, she’ll be fine. It is a little hard to do that however when her knee begins to randomly flare up in pain despite the fact that she’s not even doing anything to cause that. Mari hissed as her knee began to act up. The doctor did imply that her knee may not be able to recover fully, but she still had the right to be upset about it.
“Does it still hurt?” A quiet voice to Mari’s right spoke up. Mari jumped, which really didn’t help with the knee, and clutched her chest tightly as she panted for breath. She saw Sunny wince at the sight. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Mari held up a hand. “It’s fine.” She exhaled and lowered her hand. “You just came out of nowhere is all.” Mari then raised a brow. “Actually, how long have you been sitting there?”
Sunny tilted his head back and forth with a hum. “I think for about a few minutes or so. I thought you would have heard me get on the couch.” He lowered his head a bit. “Turns out I was wrong.”
Mari sighed. “Sorry. I guess I got sucked into my book.” She glanced at her knee brace. “I was hoping it would stop hurting. Yet it keeps flaring up, even when I’m lying flat on my bed, it acts up.”
Sunny’s face scrunched up like he tasted something sour. “That sounds awful.” Mari nodded in response and a beat of silence passed by. “I think I know what’ll help.” Mari looked over at Sunny like he grew a second head. “Back at school a kid skinned his knee and another kid helped make him feel better, so I was thinking that I could try their method to see if it helps.”
Mari hummed. “Okay...How did their method work?”
Sunny scooted closer to Mari and turned towards her knee. He rubbed his hands together as he took in a deep breath. In an instant he pushed his hands towards Mari’s knee, his palms hovering a few feet away as he shouted as loud as he could. “PAIN, PAIN, GO AWAY!” Mari stared at Sunny for a beat before a smile started to form on her face along with the soft sounds of muffled laughter briefly escaping her lips. Sunny felt his ears burn red with embarrassment. “Mari!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Mari said between her laughter. “It’s just, haha, that was just so cute~!”
Sunny pouted. “It wasn’t supposed to be cute! It was supposed to help your knee!”
Mari continued to laugh as she ruffled Sunny’s hair, earning a disapproving groan from the boy. Though, now that Sunny mentioned it, Mari realized that she actually forgot about her knee for the brief period of laughter, as well as the pain that came along with it. She smiled even more and pulled Sunny into a hug. “In that case, congratulations! It worked!”
Sunny blinked. “It did?”
Mari nodded with a hum. “I didn’t feel any pain afterwards!” She saw Sunny’s eyes light up to the point that she could probably point out individual constellations in them. Mari knew her little brother long enough to know that a sight like that meant that Sunny was happy. In this case however, Mari could tell that Sunny was more than happy. She could tell that Sunny was ecstatic.
Mari has been here so many times, everything has been burned into her brain. The blinding white lights, the smell of the cleaning chemicals that burn the nostrils, the soft expression of the raven haired boy in front of her, the light movement of the boy’s chest as he breathes and the haunting sight of the bandages wrapped around the boy’s right eye.
Mari took a seat beside Sunny and gently held onto one of his hands. “Hey, little brother. It’s me again. By myself.” Mari sighed. It had been two years since Sunny had ended up in a coma and nearly half a year since everyone had abandoned Sunny. Well, everyone who wasn’t named Mari or Basil. “I tried, you know. To keep Kel around, but…” Mari shook her head, tears slowly descending down her face. “I don’t get it. Why would everyone just…?” Mari's breath hitched and she began to lightly sob, holding tightly onto Sunny’s hand. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...You...You must be in so much pain and yet they…”
Mari paused and looked up at Sunny, who still hadn't budged, as a thought came to her. It was rather childish, but in the end, it did manage to make her feel better. The thought made her smile a bit, despite all the sadness from earlier. “Y’know, that day when you helped with my knee. It was the brightest I’ve ever seen your eyes shine.” She sniffled. “It was like I was looking into space…” Mari’s smile faltered. She lifted her hands up, still holding on tightly to Sunny’s, touching them to her forehead as her breath continuously hitched, tears flowing down her face in what seemed like an endless stream. Finally, Mari opened her mouth.
“Pain...
Pain…
… Go away…”