Chapter Text
She was walking down the sidewalk, her pink hair blowing away from her tear-stained face. Her cheeks were tinged pink from the cold autumn air, and her fists were clenched tight, leaving fingernail-shaped marks she would find later.
‘How could he do this to me?’ Natsuki thought. ‘It’s not like I asked to be lesbian!’ Her father had beaten the shit out of her, just minutes before. Her arms stung from where he had hit her, the marks already forming bruises. She had no idea why she cared so much. This was nearly routine by now. For almost two decades, her father had been destroying her body and mind, until she couldn’t take it. She was 11 years old when she tried to do what she had longed to do forever, to forever stop the pain.It didn’t work. Now, she was 17, and had lived with regrets ever since. But she wouldn’t anymore.
She knew what she had to do. A nearby bridge was only a 15 minute walk from where she was. She looked at the sky. She could tell that it would get dark in just a matter of minutes and so she pulled out a small flashlight, illuminating her path. She started the grueling walk to the bridge.
As she marched along, her thoughts consumed her mind, swirling around and around, almost taunting her until another wave of tears found themselves seeping from her eyes. She thought about her dad, of course, but besides that, she also thought of her dear friends. Sure, they weren’t always kind or fun, but they had never left her.
Suddenly, she felt her foot fall onto concrete, a sharp contrast from the dirt path through the woods she had been taking.A moment of surprise was formed, but then she realized where she was. She was at the bridge. She sighed, and then walked over to the far side of the bridge, and ducked under the rail. She sat down on the edge, feeling the cool concrete on the pads of her fingers as she swung her feet over the edge. For several minutes, she just stared down at the ground below her. There was no water, only an empty road. There was no one around. There never was. This road was nearly abandoned, with graffiti and litter scattered around. Was this really going to be the last thing she ever saw? No one would find her for days if she really went through with this. She pictured someone finding her bloody remains and briefly felt sick, but she pushed that feeling away. Just as Natsuki had predicted, it was dark now, the kind where she could still partially see, but nothing could give her away until morning, unless she screamed.
Accepting what she was about to do, she stood up and braced to jump, noticing her hands shaking. A moment’s hesitation surprised even her. This was all she had wanted for a very long time, so why was she hesitating?
Suddenly, she heard slow footsteps. ‘There shouldn’t be anyone around’, she thought. She swiftly turned her head to where she had thought she heard the noise, fear clouding her thought. If there really was someone there, what if it was her dad?
“Hello? Is anyone there?” She called out. Silence. Natsuki rolled her eyes. Probably just an animal. She peeled her gaze away from the place where the found came from and focused again on the ground below the bridge. She took a long, shaky breath, feeling the cold air fill her lungs and again braced herself to jump, when she heard more footsteps, closer this time.
“Natsuki? What are you doing?” Asked a sudden, shy voice. Natsuki sighed, knowing she had been caught, and that her chance to go through with this was over. The voice stepped into the light and Natsuki’s expression melted into annoyance. It was Yuri, the tall girl in her literature club. Natsuki was never really friends with her, but knew her quite well. After all, she was in a club with only four members.
“How is that any of your business?” She asked, her voice laced with annoyance. She had been interrupted in a very personal act.
“I-I was just taking a walk around, and then I saw you. What are you doing by the edge of a bridge?” Asked Yuri, a hint of urgency on her words, as if she knew what was happening.
“N-nothing. I was just…looking at the view” answered Natsuki. Yuri stared down at the “view”, the unsightly graffiti and dead trees. Natsuki knew she wasn’t being convincing, but Yuri had no proof that she was lying.
“Well, I think you should go home” insisted Yuri, fearing for the girls life.
“I can’t “ Natsuki’s dad had made it clear she was not welcome back.
“Why not?”
“I just can’t, now leave it alone”
“Then why don’t you come home with me? It’s far too late and dark to be outside, especially alone” replied Yuri.
“I-I…fine” said the shorter of the two, knowing the other wouldn’t give it up.
After several minutes of walking in awkward silence, Yuri finally said, “We’re here”, and opened the door. It was a fine house, certainly larger and nicer than Natsuki’s. She marveled at the big staircase and smooth floors.
There was a long moment of silence where each girl wanted to say something, but neither knew exactly what to say.
‘We should really sleep’, thought Yuri. It was already late, and tiredness tugged at both of the girls minds.
“Let’s sleep in my room” said Yuri, fearful of what could happen if Natsuki was alone. She decided to sleep on the floor, letting Natsuki sleep on her bed. She was grateful that she had made her bed that day.
As she started to set blankets on her floor, Yuri heard a shy, embarrassed voice. “Can you…can you sleep on the bed with me?” Natsuki asked, already embarrassed by the question. She was humiliated by the fact that she couldn’t even handle alone for one night. Over the years, she had just gotten used to sleeping next to her siblings.
“Of-of course. Sorry,” Yuri said, not really knowing what she was apologizing for.
She climbed up onto the bed, laying as far away from the other girl as the small bed allowed, not wanting to come on to strong to her. As she did, something in her chest pulled towards Natsuki, but she pushed the thought away. For just a moment, Yuri stared into her eyes, and felt something she really couldn’t name. She looked into her eyes and saw the deep sadness in them, something she had never thought to find. She then noticed that Natsuki’s cheeks had nearly turned into the color of her hair! Yuri didn’t know why this happened, but she quickly turned over and put the light out without saying a word.
Although it took a while, Yuri eventually felt the smaller girl drift off to sleep. She sighed lightly, and finally let herself follow Natsuki into sleep.