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The ceiling of Sekai was quite dull. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t a ceiling at all, but an expansive sort of abyss. Many of the tall structures stretched into the abyss, high enough that they disappeared into what could be assumed to be clouds but might just as well be fog or some other substance.
Luka would know. She’d spent the last two hours at least staring at it.
“If you’re bored, you can leave,” she said to the empty expanse. “I am perfectly capable of being bored on my own.”
The empty expanse sighed at her. A second later, Meiko shifted into her view without her even needing to move her head. “If you were only bored, you would be looking for me or someone else to bother anyway.”
Ah, well, Meiko had her there. Luka’s hands rested on her stomach, gripping each other tight enough that she was sure her knuckles were white. She didn’t bother to raise her head or hands to look.
She could hear Rin and Len and Miku a ways away, playing cat’s cradle together. One of the kids—she couldn’t remember who, but suspected Mizuki—showed them how to make it a multiplayer game. When they weren’t filling the coloring books Ena had brought over for them with the crayons Kanade donated, that was what they spent most of their time doing. And sometimes Luka would join them, sitting with them and showing them the more complicated structures she knew. She would like to, then, to stave off her boredom.
But then, she knew why they were staying away. They could tell, she knew they could. And so they were leaving her alone.
Luka cleared her throat, trying for her usual joking tone. “Well, then I suppose I’m lucky to have some company. Misery loves it, as the saying goes.”
It fell flat.
Meiko moved out of her line of sight again. Luka didn’t have it in herself to turn her head looking for her. Meiko’s silence was a normal thing. Really, Luka should’ve been used to it. Somehow, it unnerved her.
“The sky’s nice in here,” she tried instead. If Meiko wouldn’t fill the void of silence, she would. “Deep. There could be anything up there. It could go on forever.”
That didn’t prompt Meiko into conversation. That was fine enough. She knew Meiko was still there, even if Luka couldn’t see her. Despite wanting to remain in an observing role, Meiko was as reliable as any of them. Absolutely more reliable than Luka herself was.
She sucked in a breath as her back cramped again. She couldn’t do anything about it, not anything she hadn’t already done. It made the pain in her hip worse. Her grip tightened more until it relaxed, one of her hands being taken in Meiko’s. She still held on tight, doing her best to breathe through the pain of it until finally the cramp eased. It wasn’t her first of the day, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be her last, either. She was just glad that she wasn’t standing when they’d started; it always felt worse when she had to be guided to sit or lay down when she couldn’t manage on her own.
Still Meiko said nothing, and Luka almost preferred that.
She swallowed, her chest heaving a bit. “Can you—is there—”
Something cool brushed against her fingers. The ice pack she was asking for. Kanade had searched Sekai until she found a suitable place for the mini fridge that housed ice packs for the both of them; for an empty land, there were several outlets. It made sense, as Mafuyu often came with her computer or phone and would need somewhere to plug them in. And Kanade, it turned out, was not a stranger to back pains, either.
“It was hidden behind all of your ridiculous iced teas,” Meiko said. Luka thought she could detect some humor in her voice, or at the very least some affection. Luka had gone through lengths to convince Mizuki to bring her those iced teas, after the first time they shared some with her. “I’m going to help you up now.”
Luka steeled herself for the contact, helping how she could as Meiko slipped an arm behind her shoulders, gently helping her sit up for only a second or two. The ice pack was less an ice pack and more of an iced blanket of sorts. Meiko helped her lay back down again once she slipped it under her, settled from her shoulders to her hips. The cold almost shocked her system, but filled her with more relief than anything else. That, at least, was a good sign.
It still didn’t help her boredom.
“Do you know any stories?”
“...Do I know any stories?” Meiko repeated, her voice still level. Luka wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a question if she didn’t already know Meiko. “No. I don’t.”
“Sure you do.” Luka smiled faintly. “You’re the observer here, surely you’ve seen things I haven’t. That counts for something.”
Again Meiko sighed. Luka noticed that Meiko still hadn’t let go of her hand. “Maybe I could think of something. If you really want me to.”
Luka closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to ignore the pain in favor of Meiko’s voice. She was sure it would work. It always worked before, when her back cramped in the middle of walking and Meiko had to help her somewhere to sit down, or if she was having a bad day but absolutely had to go somewhere. Meiko always talked to her then. Her voice could be harsh sometimes, especially when the two of them were bickering. But at those times, it was soft.
“I saw Mafuyu and Kanade here the other day,” she started. Luka opened her eyes again, staring into the almost hypnotic mass that was the sky. It helped her relax more. “They were here for… I think Kanade called it a change of scenery. To help Mafuyu with her lyrics.”
“A change in scenery? Funny, given how little there is here.” Again, she tried to force a laugh into her voice. Again, she fell short.
“It must have worked. They spent about two hours here before leaving. Mafuyu wrote almost the whole time. And Kanade…” Meiko trailed off for a moment as though reconsidering her words. “Kanade watched her that entire time.”
Ah, young love. At least, Luka could assume that was what it was. How could she not, when the affection in Kanade’s eyes was so clear that Luka could see it through Kanade’s computer screen? She knew that if she brought it up, Meiko would argue with her, tell her to let it go and let them figure everything out for themselves, a very Meiko answer. If Luka had been there watching them instead, perhaps she would’ve goaded them into talking about romance a little, despite how little experience they likely had with it. It would’ve made for an entertaining conversation at the very least.
With there now being an equal number of young adults and teenagers permanently inhabiting Sekai, not counting Kanade and the others, it sometimes became a bit dull in conversation. Miku, Len, and Rin were the quiet type unless riled up. Kaito often wouldn’t respond to her clear attempts at getting a rise out of him. Meiko often ignored her, despite staying close to her at all times. Luka didn’t know if Meiko knew she noticed.
Luka could be a bit of an observer herself.
“Did they at least make progress on their song, then?” she asked, breathing through increasing numbness in her hip. Even if she wanted to get up and walk around at that point, she knew she wouldn’t be able to. Not for a while longer.
“You know them.” The hard workers that they were, Luka had no doubt in her mind. She knew that even before Meiko answered. In the back of her mind, she registered Meiko running her thumb gently across Luka’s knuckles. It distracted her just enough.
The sense of time flowing in Sekai always felt strange. Luka didn’t know how long she was laying there for until her back stopped throbbing, until she could kind of feel her hip without too much pain. Meiko held her hand that entire time. “As much as I love staring at the ceiling…” She trailed off, knowing Meiko would get the message from that alone. And as she thought, Meiko again helped her into a seated position. Luka could get up from there, using the cane that was perfectly decorated for her by the kids. Meiko’s hand remained on Luka’s arm regardless. Luka smiled a bit more genuinely than she had earlier. The residual twinge in her back and hip didn’t bother her so much.
“I might join the others in their game,” she said, nodding in the direction she assumed Miku, Rin, and Len were. “It could become a five-player game should you wish to join us.”
Meiko remained tight-lipped as the two of them took their first few steps in that direction. Luka knew that was response enough from her. She’d remain nearby, close enough that she could come if anything went wrong. But she wouldn’t join.
A handful of steps, and Meiko disappeared. She was lithe like that, seeming to melt into the shadows. Luka smiled softly at the ground in front of her, then raised her head again.
No matter where she was in Sekai, Meiko would always be there when Luka needed her.