7 - Unfamiliar Ceiling

“Rin, look!” Yumichi exclaimed. “Big sis is awake!”

“Ichika...” Rin was amazed. She slowly approached the girl who was just barely managing to keep her eyes open. She quickly checked the monitor attached to her and adjusted some of the medicine that was dripping into the many IV tubes attached to her body.

“Can you hear me properly?” Rin asked again, getting a little closer. She gently placed her hand on Ichika’s cheek. “Come on, talk to me.”

“Yeah...” Ichika whispered, moving her head just a little. Her beautiful emerald eyes were barely exposed, but even after a few seconds, they began tearing up. She looked at the ceiling and was slowly crying.

“Hey, hey, calm down, okay?” Rin said, leaning in a little closer and slowly caressing her head. “It’s okay.”

“They’re...gone...” she barely said those words. She closed her eyes again. As the last tears streamed down her head, she fell asleep once more.

“Big sis!” Yumichi instantly approached the bed. “Hey! Do something, she’s-”

“She’s asleep again.” Rin said. “Yumichi, everything is normal. It takes time to wake up from a sleep like this. This isn’t just a nap, it’s a healing process.”

“Will she be okay?” Yumichi asked.

“Yes, she will.” Rin replied. “She absolutely will.”

...

A few hours later, Ichika opened her eyes again. Rin stayed in the room this whole time, carefully observing every one of her vitals. She woke up more suddenly this time, even finding the strength in her to sit up a little.

“Hey, you don’t have to do that.” Rin said. “Lie back down.”

Ichika didn’t reply with anything.

“Big sis...”

“Hey, Yumichi...” She said, trying to smile for him. “You’ve been listening to Rin, right? Did you cause any trouble?”

“Big sis...” Yumichi said, approaching her and embracing her. Ichika couldn’t move her arms too much yet, she couldn’t embrace him back, even though she really, really wanted to. She closed her eyes and let the moment stop her from breaking down on the spot.

“I’m sorry for what happened, Ichika.” Rin said. “They...this is...just how wars are. People die.”

She didn’t reply.

“You almost died too, Ichika. The Heisei barely won that war.” Rin continued.

“Does it even matter?” Ichika asked. Her emerald eyes looked hollow and derealized.

“Ichika, I want you to know that none of this was your fault, okay?” Rin said. But before she continued her comforting speech, Ichika overtook the conversation.

Ichika continued ignoring Rin’s efforts to comfort her. It’s like nothing else existed other than herself.

“What about him?” Ichika said, turning her head a little and looking at Sakuto’s body. Unlike hers, which was in a mostly semi-awake semi-asleep state, Sakuto’s body was almost motionless. Half of it was covered by shadows which were acting on their own, and the other half with various tubes and bandages.

“He’ll be fine too.” Rin said. “It’ll take him a while to wake up, though. Physically, it’ll take a while but he’ll be okay. Mentally, though...”

She slowly tried standing up. Her body was covered by a white hospital gown, she had trouble standing properly. Rin was about to lash out and tell her to remain in her bed, but she didn’t. Ichika walked over and placed her palm on his shoulder.

“Sakuto...” she said, slowly caressing his battered body. “They’re gone. I don’t know what to do.”

She took a deep breath.

“We should talk about what to do, Sakuto.”

And suddenly, an unexpected event occurred.

“Or it won’t take him a while to wake up at all...” Rin said, rushing over to Sakuto’s bed. She quickly adjusted the monitor and the medicine, and in a few moments, Sakuto opened his eye just a little bit. He took a few deeper breaths, his head hurt like hell.

“Ichika...” he whispered through the splitting headache.

“What do you think?” Ichika asked, a tear streaming down her pale face. She brought her hand over Sakuto’s and held it. “Does it...even matter anymore?”

Sakuto moved his fingers a little bit, feeling Ichika’s hand. He shifted his gaze to Rin, who was conveying something over the radio. And he shifted it back to Ichika, looking into her eyes, sorrowfully mesmerized.

“I don’t know.” Sakuto said, his own expression not any better. “I...need to think.”

“Sakuto?” Rin asked, approaching him. She was a little intimidated to even talk to him. “How do you feel?”

“I feel like someone’s drilling into my brain...” Sakuto said, his speech quiet and very slow. “I need more painkillers...”

The door was sharply pushed forward. Mukawa and Haruki entered the room. Sakuto seemed neither surprised, nor disappointed to see him.

Stolen story; please report.

“So you’re finally awake.” Mukawa said, standing by his side. Haruki stood next to him.

Sakuto didn’t ask anything. His empty gaze was shifted towards the soulfuls, and they did feel a little alert because of it.

“If you’re surprised to see me, then trust me, you’ll be seeing me way more often soon.” Mukawa quickly replied, as if excited to talk to him. “What’s your condition?”

“You can’t tell?”

“Can you use your soul prowess?” Mukawa asked, interrupting Sakuto’s sarcastic response. “If we give you a little more time, can you fight?!”

“Do me a favor, and leave.” Sakuto said.

“I’m inclined to believe that it means he can’t use it at all.” Haruki said.

“Fuck...okay, that’s...probably temporary.” Mukawa said, starting to panic a little. “You’ll get over it in a night or two.” He turned to face Ichika. “Ichika Hanasaki, can you use your soul prowess?”

“No...”

“Okay, so, you two, you’ll take your sweet time and rest, okay?” Mukawa said. He looked at Sakuto again. “Especially you. Ya know, considering your combat record, you’d be just the guy we need to get the job done.”

He noticed that Rin was looking at him as if there was something grim she was hiding from him.

“Haruki, go tell the others that the meeting is starting soon. Greet them there.” Mukawa said. “I’ll get there soon. Just gotta verify a few things.”

“Is that so?” Haruki asked, a little doubtful.

“It is.” Mukawa quickly replied. “Go, be useful.”

Haruki hesitantly left the room.

“So, what’s the news?” Mukawa asked.

“I might have a theory on what’s going on with them and why they can’t use their soul prowess.” Rin said. “In Ichika’s case, she’s beyond exhausted, both mentally and physically. I think it’ll take her a few days to recover, but if she wants to fight at her full power, it might take a week.”

“Right, a week would be pushing it...but not impossible.” Mukawa said.

“That is the best case scenario.” Rin said. “Realistically, it would take much more-”

“Tell me the main news.” Mukawa said, angered. “What’s up with Sakuto?”

“I believe that the reason he’s in this state isn’t that he was exhausted, it’s that he’s still being exhausted to this very moment.” Rin said.

“What? How does that even work?”

“Considering what kind of monster he was fighting, he used up all of his stamina and exhausted himself until there was nothing left. Once the battle concluded, his body started trying to save itself.” Rin said. “The only way it could do so was...”

He slightly lifted the hospital sheet, revealing Sakuto’s body which was covered in raging shadows.

“Shadow manipulation...?” Mukawa asked.

“Don’t ask me how he acquired this ability, but yes.” Rin said. “The shadows are acting as replacements for his damaged organs and missing body chunks, buying time for the soul regeneration to do its thing. But the issue is...maintaining it for so long while using regeneration at full throttle, especially after reaching critical exhaustion...”

“How the hell did his brain not explode yet?”

“Maybe it’s his soul determination that’s keeping him afloat.” Rin said. “Keeping the body running despite everything.”

“Soul determination?” Mukawa asked, doubting the theory a little. “The guy just went to hell and returned with two corpses, how does he-”

Rin looked at Ichika, who got back into her bed and fell asleep.

“Right.” Mukawa understood. “That’s what’s keeping him alive, huh?”

“Correct.”

“Then what’s the recovery looking like? I mean, come on, if we ask her to motivate him a little, it might even be faster than expected.” Mukawa suggested.

“In Sakuto’s case, the recovery might not take days, it might take weeks, or even months...”

“No, stop saying that.” Mukawa said. “I need you to think, and consider the best possible scenario for the both of them-”

“I don’t know!” Rin slowly started losing her temper. “This is the first time I’ve dealt with something like this. And it’s not just that, these two are two of the most nonstandard soulfuls out there, I...genuinely don’t know.”

“Then know.” Mukawa said. “Find a way. You’re...a damn scientist, right? You can find a way.”

“Mukawa, you’re desperate.” Rin said, slowly leaving the room. Haruki, who was eavesdropping on the conversation, quickly phased through the floor and escaped the building. “You’re basing an operation off of a miracle.”

“Us being here is a miracle too, and yet here we are!” Mukawa angrily said, watching her leave. He took a deep breath and looked at Sakuto again, who was barely awake.

“Are you still with me?” Mukawa asked. After not hearing a response, he sighed. “Good. You better get fast soon. A lot of people will die if you don’t.”

“You...”

Mukawa quickly turned around and approached Sakuto.

“What is it?” He asked. “You’d make me really happy if you told me you’ve somehow regained all of your strength, you know? Come on, say something like that, will ya?”

“Your ability...can you make lucid dreams?” Sakuto asked. He looked miserable and in pain. It made Mukawa feel bad for him, so he let go of the sarcastic act.

“Yes.”

“Then put me in a dream.” Sakuto almost commanded. “Like....a beach. Yeah, put me on a beach. That’s all I want.”

“I thought you’d...ask for something different.” Mukawa said.

“No, just...do that.” Sakuto said. “I need to think about things.”

“Alright. I’ll do it. This better mean you’ll be up and running faster.” Mukawa said. He slowly brought his hand to Sakuto’s forehead.

Suddenly, a sense of danger overtook Sakuto’s body, followed by an image flashing of a monster attempting to kill him off. The shadows that partially covered Sakuto’s slowly regenerating arm quickly formed a pair of sharp tentacles and struck Mukawa’s hand, cutting it open badly, almost ripping it off completely. Mukawa couldn’t react in time, but the pain made him pull his hand back.

“Hah...” Sakuto said. “Reflex...”

“God damn it, could have at least warned me...” Mukawa said, holding his own hand and trying to regenerate it. Quite a bit of blood dripped on the bedsheets. “If I try it again, will you cut my neck off?”

Sakuto didn’t say anything in response, but a bit of blood escaped his eye. Mukawa noticed it.

“The chemist’s theory about his constant state of exhaustion...”

“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s probably right.”

He brought his hand closer, this time, successfully making contact and putting Sakuto to sleep. The dream was exactly what Sakuto asked for - just him, alone, on a sandy beach, watching the sunset. Even though he had no idea why he wanted it so much, he just wanted to be in a place like that, something akin to an urge.

Mukawa slowly stepped away.

“A miracle, huh...?”

“Everything lining up so perfectly so far...has already been a miracle.”

“I’m sure that just one more such miracle can happen. Please...”

He left the room.

“Just one more.”