Chapter Text
Ishikawa’s chin rested on his open palm as his sand-toned hues gazed out the window of Kyousuke’s room. The poet sat, cross-legged, on the checkered cushion before his friend’s desk – however, while his weary body remained in one spot, his mind drifted elsewhere.
It had been some time before he had last been able to go for a walk outside of the property. His health had been steadily declining, to the point where it was far easier for him to stay in Kyousuke’s first-floor room than attempt the now-arduous climb up to his own.
Of course, this binding confinement only made Ishikawa’s desire for a change of scenery grow.
Kyousuke was still at work. Kayo-chan was no longer at the boarding house to keep an eye on him either. What was really stopping him from doing so, other than a doctor’s word and his own will?
A glimmer of determination suddenly shone in Ishikawa’s usually dull hues as he gazed upon the azure sky outside. It was a beautiful day – not a cloud in sight. Fresh air would do him good. And so, the poet slowly eased himself up from the cushion. His frail body ached from the effort, and yet his mind pushed him forward.
One...two.
One...two.
Each step felt like a chore. By the time Ishikawa had made it to the entryway of the boarding house, his lungs were already burning from the effort. And yet, he pressed forward.
A faint breeze brushed his unkempt bangs aside, sending a chill throughout his body as he stepped outside of the boarding house. He brought his arms up around himself, his sandy hues shifting up towards the sky that beckoned him outside in the first place.
There really were no clouds in sight. And the color...it was a deep blue, almost purple. Something about the hue was comforting, beckoning Ishikawa closer like a shipmate to a siren.
One...two.
One...two.
He had only made it to the front gate when an agonizing cough shook his frame, the frail poet reaching a trembling hand out to support himself on the wooden fence as an unforgiving taste of copper filled his mouth.
‘A painful price to pay for some fresh air…,’ Ishikawa mused to himself as he lifted his head after taking a few moments to recover. But as his sandy hues found their way back up to the serene sky above, his harrowing burden of a body became slightly easier to bear.