Work Text:
Although Sara was sleeping in an actual bed with a blanket for the first time since she arrived here with Joe she never felt more cold. The feeling of a pillow underneath her neck felt foreign. The blanket that she wrapped around her was doing nothing to comfort her.
Because Joe was gone.
She still felt the ache in her fingers that she used to click the button to try and save him. But she couldn't.
Sue Miley told her that she only made it worse. All Sara did was make Joe suffer longer. And she would never be able to forget it.
Why did Joe have to be the one to find the sacrifice card. Why did it have to be him?
It should have been her. Sara deserved it after what she couldn't do for him.
Joe was so kind. He had his whole life ahead of him.
And Joe would never see another birthday again. He would never get to blow out another candle again.
He would stay 17 forever.
Sara could still remember his 17th birthday. Thinking about it, it really wasn't that long ago.
Sara bought him his favorite strawberry cake from the convenience store and a dog plush to match his key-chain.
Joe was so excited about her gifts that he almost dropped the bags they came in because his hands were shaking so much.
She missed the smile he gave her.
She remembered how he dropped half the cake on the floor because he insisted that he eat it while swinging.
He cried afterwards since Ryoko was meant to be given the other half, it was endearing in a way.
It felt so real. The warmth of the day felt so real that Sara nearly forgot it was just a memory.
That Joe wouldn't get to swing again, or eat strawberry cake again, or even see Ryoko.
He was dead after all.
Sara wondered how Ryoko and his family would feel about his death. Would they cry for him? Would they hate Sara once they found out she kept him suffering with a click of a button?
Did they remember him? Were they looking for him now?
Sara felt cold tears begin to stream down her face.
He really was gone. No matter how hard his family might have been searching, they'll never find him again.
There was no point to his death. They would never find closure just as she wouldn't, assuming she survived the rest of this without him.
Joe was really gone. He would never walk on Earth for the rest of time.
Sara would walk alone forever.
The thought didn't comfort her as she fell asleep.
She half-wished she didn't wake up.