Work Text:
Kanade awoke from her shallow slumber, the light of a computer straining her eyes. "I must have fallen asleep while working again…" she thought. She was still sitting at her computer, her composing software still open and her head in her hands. She stood up and walked downstairs, planning on getting her morning instant noodles.
She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she was far too tired to put her finger on it, so she continued trudging through her morning routine as usual. It was only when she set eyes on her calendar that she realized why she felt awful.
June 21st
The anniversary of her mother's death was never a good day for her, she felt awful from the moment she woke up to the moment she fell asleep, if she did at all. Her mind would constantly be racing with thoughts and memories of her family when she was younger. When she was happy.
But, her father had always been there to help her through the day. They would go to her grave, put pretty white carnations on it and play the music box her mother had cherished so much, her father softly singing into her ear as he held her close, the tears threatening to fall from both of their eyes being ever present, but still held back as they sat there for however long they needed.
This was the second year of him not being there, and it wasn't any less painful then the first.
Sighing, she finished her morning ramen and started to get ready to go to the grave. She wanted to look presentable for her mom, so she put on a gray sweater and a blue, loose fitting vest on top of it, as well as a pleated skirt. She would much rather wear her normal sweatshirt and shorts, but this was too important for that. Moving quickly, she grabbed her backpack and threw on her shoes before starting out the door.
-
Honami knew today was gonna be rough for Kanade. She had told her about it a few weeks ago, staring up at her with glossy eyes. That was the day she had finally opened up to her. Told her everything. About her mom, what exactly happened to her dad, and her grief for both of them.
That was the day they stopped being "Mochizuki and Yoisaki" and started being "Honami and Kanade."
Kanade had told her where her mother's grave was, so she started heading over there. Her parents didn't question her too much, once she said she was heading over to Kanade's they didn't cast a second thought. Once she had their approval, she grabbed her bag and started walking over. Moving one leg after the other, focused purely on getting to Kanade as quickly as possible.
It was supposed to be a 15 minute walk. She got there in 10.
Speed walking through the graveyard, she frantically looked around, looking for that familiar head of pure white hair that she always put up into a pretty braid when she was around her house.
It only took her two minutes to find the other girl, slouched over a grave with her bag at her side and a music box in her hands, eyes pained and grief-ridden. She looked to the grave like she was in another world, and it pained Honami. It pained her to see the usually determined and quiet girl's walls shatter right in front of her.
"Kanade…?" Honami said slowly, not wanting to startle her. The girl looked up, confusion and sorrow filling her eyes. The look filled the other girl with sadness and compassion for her friend. She sat herself slightly behind Kanade and pulled her close to her. A silent gesture that said only one thing: I'm here. You're safe.
Kanade leaned into Honami's gentle hold, her walls breaking down the rest of the way as she broke down, quietly sobbing into the other girl's chest. Honami could only look down at her with a concerned frown and rub her back gently.
"Shhh… you don't have to hold back, it's just me here," she had meant that only to comfort her, but it was actually true. They were two of the only people in the cemetery, give or take a few other people mourning their loved ones.
She didn't know how long they had sat there. It could have been 10 minutes, could have been an hour. All she cared about was that Kanade wasn't handling this alone. Suddenly she remembered a song that Kanade had told her about, a song her father used to sing to her she believed? Remembering the melody, she began to slowly hum it quietly into the shorter girl's ear.
Once she had gone on for a few measures, she could physically feel Kanade relax in her arms. Her sobs went from shaky and loud (well, loud by Kanade standards, in reality they were quite quiet) to silent, with only shaking and raggedy breathing.
The girl eventually calmed down, nearly asleep in Honami's arms. "Do you wanna go home?" she whispered softly into the girl's ear. Kanade gave her a small nod and stood up on shaking legs, stuffing the music box she was cradling into her bag and picking it up. She had one last look at the grave before she followed Honami out of the cemetery.
She continued to hum the melody of that song the entire way back to Kanade's house, knowing that it made her feel more relaxed. The walk was shorter to Kanade's house then her own, they got there in about 5 minutes.
Honami watched as Kanade put her bag down and then collapsed onto her, who dragged her to the old, blue couch in the middle of her living room, sitting down and letting the girl lay on her. She fell asleep quickly, the events of the day so far crashing down onto her. She simply let her, running a hand through her silky white locks and letting the girl relax.
After an hour, she managed to wake up again, far more calm then before. They still stayed in the same position they were in before she awoke, both of them too comfortable to move.
“Hey Honami…” she said, voice still shaky and eyes still red and puffy from her breakdown.
“Yes, Kanade?” She asked, looking at the older girl sitting next to her with kind and gentle eyes.
“Do you think this will ever get better?”
She looked to the ground, her brain going through what Honami could only assume as a plethora of memories she couldn't even begin to understand. Still, she smiled as she answered her question.
“I know it does.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”