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A deafening silence.
That’s all there was inside of the abandoned train station, save for the subtle whistling of the trees and the occasional rumble of withered debris above.
Yuuki had gone on a supply run 20… No, 30 minutes ago. Saying that, ‘it would just be really quick,’ though the seamstress hadn’t returned since. Hinata knew she went out there to find something, anything, to treat her wound. Though, she can’t help but feel a bit of anxiety with her being away. Being alone in a situation like this was bound to get you killed, especially when you have a laceration on your thigh.
It was awfully quiet, so much so that it seemed too good to be true.
Something is going to happen. Any moment now.
Hinata attempted to push herself up, but winced at the stinging pain of the deep gash on her thigh. Yuuki had been generous enough to tear off part of her jacket and assemble a makeshift bandage to cover the wound and clean it with the remaining water they had. It wasn’t much, but that’s all the seamstress had to work with at the time.
She slumped back against the wall in defeat, instead working with what she could still do. Hinata slowly shifted her body aside, peeking her head out from behind a wall. She quickly scanned the lengthy, hallways that seemed to stretch on forever in the darkness.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she turned her head to face the station’s entrance. The woman was met a nice, moonlit glow on the tiled floor.
At last, nothing turned up unusual, and Hinata shuffled back to her original sitting position.
Was she just being paranoid?
Shaking her head, the woman reached out a trembling hand as far as she could towards a nearby box labeled, ‘COSTUMES FOR WONDASHO’. Her fingertips barely made contact with the object with a tentative touch, but it was just enough to grip onto it.
She the latched onto the cardboard and pulled it as close to herself as possible. Hinata let out a small, involuntarily sigh of relief. It was oddly grounding given the situation.
“Nice to know I have control over at least one thing…” Hinata mumbled to no one in particular. She pulled out a heavy, polyester jacket out of the cardboard. It was colored a desaturated, deep blue — almost identical to the ashy dark sky outside.
She traced a finger over the synthetic fabric, the other hand gripping the fronthalf. It felt cool beneath her fingertips. ‘This must be Yuuki’s.. She really is talented..’ Hinata thought.
She was amazing, that woman. To be equipped with that ability of patience and stillness to synthesize clothes with her own bare hands. She always admired that creativity about Yuuki, how passionate she was in her work. How amazing the end results were.
Yuuki had this certain particular charm about her creations, and Hinata was certain that this was made by her.
She felt a sense of fondness as she admired the seamstress’s work.
“…Hinata?” The sound of a familiar, warm voice was enough to snap her out of her thoughts.
“Yuuki..!” Suddenly, it felt like the air had become less tense. Hinata’s head snapped up almost immediately, laying her eyes on her face. Did she not hear Yuuki’s footsteps resounding as she descended down the train station’s stairs?
“You’re back..” Her shoulders relaxed, exhaling in relief. She gave a half-smile, her hands unclenching the fabric of the jacket.
She didn’t realize just how tightly she was holding onto it until now. Feeling a wave of self-consciousness suddenly wash over her, Hinata shakily placed the cloth back into the box.
“Hehe, I told you I’d just be really quick.” Yuuki held up a plastic shopping bag, filled with all sorts of materials. “I managed to find some bandages for your wound,” she allowed the bag to fall back to her side, “how are you holding up?”
“I’m fine, just glad to see you back.” Hinata said, more like herself this time. “I was starting to get worried about you.”
Yuuki opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She averted her gaze for a moment, before locking her eyes with Hinata’s once more. “Sorry, maybe I was gone for a little too long. If I ever have to go without you next time, try to be quicker next time. I promise.”
She leaned down, placing a hand on the other’s shoulder and giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
“…Thank you.” Hinata swallowed nervously, but there’s a hint of relief in her voice. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize for anything. I know we’re all on edge with everything going on. How could we not be?” Yuuki gave a sad smile. “I should treat your wound… I don’t want you to end up getting blood poisoning. Lay down, let me help you.”
Yuuki assisted the other onto the ground, placing the box in front of her and carefully lifting her legs above the heart level. With that, she kneeled down beside Hinata, setting down the plastic bag of materials next to her. Alongside that was a smaller bag with a green recycle symbol on it.
She carefully undid the bloodied fanbric with skilled fingers, though she felt Hinata tense up under her. She paused. “Feeling okay?”
“Yeah… just.. stings a little.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll try to be the most gentle I can be with you.” Yuuki grabbed the cloth and tossed it into the recycle bag. “You can hold onto me if it helps you feel more at ease.”
As Yuuki reached into the bigger bag for materials, she felt a slight squeeze on her shoulder, the grip of Hinata’s hand on her making her pause. Yuuki gave her a small smile, in an attempt to put her at ease. She took a plastic water bottle out of the bag.
Unscrewing the cap, she applied some drops and thoroughly rinsed the area a second time. At certain times, Yuuki could feel the other’s fingers digging into the fabric of her shoulders, and she’d have to coax Hinata into relaxing herself so she wouldn’t get herself hurt.
Finishing up with the cleaning and rinsing her hands, Yuuki heard a yawn from her as she lifted Hinata’s legs off the cardboard and back onto the sleeping bag. She tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you tired?”
“Sort of, it’s pretty late.”
“I’m just about wrapping up here, I’ll allow you to rest in a bit.”
Hinata gave a lazy nod, and Yuuki fumbled slightly as she attempted to unravel the bandage roll.
“Raise your hips up a little.” She reached an arm down, assisting to lift the other’s hips up from behind.
“Nn.. Hurts..”
“I’m almost done here, don’t worry.”
With her free hand, Yuuki pulled from the roll, with utmost cautiousness as she wrapped the bandage around the wound. She slowly removed her hand from beneath her, placing the blanket back on top of her, making Hinata sigh in relief.
“I believe we should just seek refuge here for the time being, at least until your wound heals up.” Yuuki explained as she placed the materials back into the plastic shopping bag. “I can go on supply runs, but it’s risky to leave you alone.”
Stretching her arms up, she settled in the gray sleeping bag besides the other’s. Hinata turned her body slighty to face the seamstress with a wince.
“Careful… Your wound is still healing.” Yuuki giggled, clasping a hand over the other’s. Her smile was gentle, so genuine, that for a brief moment Hinata forgets the dire situation they’re in.
“I know, I just didn’t want my back turned towards you. I feel safer when I actually see you.” Hinata gave a small squeeze on Yuuki’s hand as she leaned closer. She could breathe in the subtle scent of leather from her jacket.
“Hinata…” Yuuki leaned closer as well. “I have a question.”
She held her her gaze, giving a small nod, queuing Yuuki to go on. She swallowed, taking a deeep breath in.
“…What do you miss the most, before all of this went down?” Yuuki asked, finally.
Hinata paused, her eyes flickering down to where Yuuki and her own’s hands joined for a moment.
“I miss holding and being held by someone.” She murmured under her breath, just barely enough for Yuuki to pick up on it.
“When I was trying to help people evacuate from Phoenix Wonderland, I got hurt and couldn’t save my little sister. I’m sure you know her, you were issued to make clothes for her upcoming performance.”
Yuuki pressed a finger to her chin. “Oh. Emu Otori, was it?”
“Yes… I just, wished I was able to protect Emu. I’m supposed to be there for her.. as her older sister.” Hinata’s words began to break up, her voice catching in her throat. “She was so excited for it too.. I remember just a few days ago, I watched their rehearsal. I didn’t know that I’d lose her so quickly—“
Yuuki placed her free hand on her cheek, rubbing her thumb against the soft skin. The sudden kind gesture made Hinata pause momentarily, but it made her relax. “It’s not your fault, Hinata. I know it may feel like all the responsibility lands on your shoulders right now, but you tried your best to evacuate everyone safely. You tried, and that’s what matters most.”
Yuuki noticed as she broke eye contact, but that didn’t stop her from getting her words across. “You’re a very caring person, you put yourself in danger to save lives. You didn’t have to save anyone, but you did. And you got yourself hurt.” She brought her hand up, wiping the stray tears off from around her eyes before allowing it to slide back to her cheek. “You deserve more credit than you allow yourself to have.”
“…Thank you. I’m sorry you had to see me like this.” She whispered, bringing her watery eyes back up to meet Yuuki’s own.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that question. I don’t think it was fair to you.”
“It’s fine, really. In a way, it’s good for me. I didn’t allow myself anytime to process the emotions yet. I was too stunned to comprehend it earlier. It all happned too quickly.
Yuuki gave a silent nod, allowing herself to relax her head on the sleeping bag’s cushion. Despite that, she still held onto her cheek.
“What about you, Yuuki?” Hinata suddenly said, as if not wanting to drop the conversation here. “What is something you miss before… everything?”
“I’m just like you, I miss my little sister. Dearly.” Yuuki admitted, her shoulders drooping momentarily. “She was the cutest person in the world. So sweet… I don’t know anything about Mizuki’s whereabouts, but I’m hoping that she’s safe somewhere.”
She gave a half-smile. “I guess in a way I can’t talk. I’d definitely feel like a failure of an older sister if I found out that she got infected.”
“That’s one thing that makes us similar.” Hinata giggled, and eventually Yuuki did too. It was odd, laughing in a dire situation like this. But oddly enough, they found solace in their similar predicaments.
“I really do hope we find your sister. Even if I lost mine to the horde, I’d be happy that you end up reuniting with yours.”
“I hope so too. I really don’t know if I could bare the pain of losing her. All I can do is wish that she’s with someone else, watching after her. I’d be in debt to that person for the rest of my life.”
“If things end up taking a wrong turn, I’ll be there for you just as you are for me. We’ll be here for each other.”
“That means a lot. More than you could ever know.” Yuuki’s hand dropped from Hinata’s face, instead wrapping her arm around her torso. Hinata looked at her with widened eyes, a gush of blood rushing up to her cheeks as her mind suddenly registered the intimacy of their position.
But Yuuki remained relatively composed. “I have a feeling temperatures are gonna drop throughout the night. We might as well huddle up for warmth, if you’re okay with that.”
“Y…Yeah.” She mumbled slowly, bringing herself as close to Yuuki as she could, even trying to obscure her face. “Yeah, I’m okay with that. Goodnight, Yuuki.” She said more confidently.
“Goodnight, Hinata. I’ll check up on your wound again in the morning.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a small yawn, eliciting a small laugh from Yuuki. “It’s okay, you don’t have to reply. It’s been a long day. You deserve to rest.”
The last thing Hinata saw before a deep black clouded her vision was the sight of Yuuki, with a gentle gaze, wrapping a finger around one of her stray strands of pink hair. Something had definitely shifted between them today.
Together, the two of them would find ways to survive in the harsh, unforgiving conditions of the world. It was a matter of life or death.
But for now, all they wanted was to snuggle close. To forget about everything — their past, their future — and focus on the warmth of their shared moment.