74 Chapter Eight: Stay Away

Running through the corridors of the hospital, Kanako searched for Haruna. Of course, a hospital being the size that one is, trying to find one individual without knowing where to look wasn't the best course of action. Because of this, it wasn't long before Kanako's name was called over the loud speakers. She had only made it as far as part-way through the first floor, so it didn't take her long to return to the lobby.

When she did, Kanako was met by both the doctor that had informed her that Haruna had gotten out of surgery, and Chitose, who looked ready to give her an earful. "What're ya thinkin', runnin' off in a place like this?" she lectured. "What if ya would've run into somebody? Or gotten hurt yourself?" "S-Sorry…" Kanako said, eyes downcast. "And while I hate to add on," the doctor said, "even if you had found your friend's room, I'm afraid you wouldn't have been allowed in. At the moment, only family members would be unless you had their consent." "Oh...r-right…" Kanako said, remembering what she had already been told earlier.

"Don't worry Kana-chan. Ya shouldn't hafta wait much longer," Chitose said. "Haru-chi's parents should be here any minute now." "I must say, it's nice to see a young lady such as yourself care so much about your friend," the doctor added with a smile. "Once the patient's parents arrive, I'll inform them of the situation, and I'm sure you'll be allowed to see your friend then." And with that, the doctor left the lobby.

As Chitose watched him go, she let out a little laugh. "I gotta say Kana-chan, I never pegged ya for the type to do somethin' so reckless." W-Well…" Kanako mumbled. In hindsight, she realized how ridiculous her actions had been. The building she was in was fairly sizable, and she knew the doctor had made a point too. Even if she had found Haruna's room, the best she would've gotten would've been to stare in through a window while Haruna remained asleep from the surgery. "But still…" she thought. "I just really want to see her…"

Although, while that desire burned strong, Kanako still felt pangs of guilt. Chiyo had done much to assuage the ones she had felt earlier about her feelings for Haruna, but completely be-ridding herself of them was a process that would take longer than a few minutes. Aside from that, there was also the guilt associated with the word "friend."

While she had listened to the doctor speak, she heard him using that word over and over again. Each time he had, Kanako had felt a prick at her heart. It was almost as if hearing the word "friend" caused her pain when it was used in relation to Haruna. It also made her wonder if that was how Haruna had felt when that was what Kanako had called her.

How many times had she told Haruna she wanted to be friends? To be like how they used to be? To be close and "good friends" again. How many times had Kanako said that to her, causing Haruna pain while she harbored feelings of love for her? "I'm terrible…" Kanako thought. "All this time, I've just kept wanting to be friends again and get closer like before… I'm sure Haruna hated it every time I said stuff like that…"

"What's the matter Kana-chan? You look a little sad," Chiyo asked. "Y'know, it's not healthy to ride the entire roller coaster of emotions like you've been doing in just a few hours." "Y-Yeah…" Kanako said. She wasn't really sure how to respond to that. Chiyo was probably right. Going from scared to happy to pained to happy to sad to guilty and so on probably wore on her heart. But when it came to Haruna, she just couldn't help it. For better or worse, Kanako's heart had decided on Haruna Endo, and with that decision came a flurry of strong emotions and feelings, stronger than anything Kanako had ever felt before. It felt as if everything in her was now linked to Haruna. "I guess this is just the kind of person I am," Kanako thought a with a little self-depreciating laugh. Diving head-first into love and wanting to give that person everything. Although admittedly, Kanako knew that while she had felt that way with Akio, her feelings in this regard for Haruna were even stronger still.

*****

With heavy eyelids, Haruna awoke to find herself somewhere she didn't know. "Where… am I?" she wondered. In a room with white walls and a floor and ceiling to match, Haruna was laying in a bed that was clearly not her own. Looking to her left, she saw an IV drip hooked into her arm. "Am I… in a hospital?" she thought. "Wait…" Suddenly remembering, Haruna lifted the sheets off her body. Just as she had guessed, her right leg had a cast on it from the foot up to halfway up her shin. "That's right… I broke my ankle."

At least, she had been pretty sure it was her ankle. Flying high into the air, Haruna had been doing her tricks without much regard for the ice. Before she had gone into the half-pipe, Izumi had warned her. She had said to be careful, but Haruna didn't listen. After watching Izumi do her run with no problems and then give such a warning, how could Haruna believe her? Instead, something about it sparked a fire in her. Perhaps it was competitive spirit. Or perhaps it was competitive stubbornness. Either way, Haruna had decided to attempt her run like it was no other day.

Looking back, Haruna realized how stupid that was. Because she had ignored Izumi, she had tried a trick that shouldn't have been done in icy conditions. It had caused her to slide up the wall too fast and send her momentum too far out. When Haruna had realized her mistake, it was too late. All she could do was plummet to the ground. Bracing for the impact, Haruna had tried to land flat, thinking that if she could get far enough back to the wall, she could land on a small slope and reduce the impact.

However, it's not usually an option to just move yourself in mid-air, and Haruna was no exception. It was possible for her to land on her side, but with how hard the bottom part of the pipe probably was, Haruna thought it would hurt worse if she did that. So, she took her chances with landing feet first. As soon as she made contact with the surface, Haruna was sure she had felt something inside her crack. Immense pain had rocketed from the broken spot, which was what had led to Haruna falling over and grabbing her ankle. She had always thought her pain tolerance was on the higher end, but to anyone watching her reaction, they would've never believed that.

"Man, that's so lame…" Haruna thought to herself. "I cried like a little kid. And Kanako saw it too…" As she remembered the details of a moment only several hours ago, Haruna also thought she remembered hearing Kanako scream her name. "No… there's no way Kanako would do something like that."

A part of her wished she was wrong. If Kanako had screamed her name, maybe it would mean that she actually felt the same way as Haruna did about her, if only slightly. "Although, if it takes me breaking a bone to get her to do that, I'd rather find another way…"

As Haruna mused over the potential ways to gain Kanako's affection, the doctor came in. He was the same one who had spoken to Kanako, Chiyo and Chitose in the lobby. "Glad to see you're awake," he said with a soft smile. "Yeah…" Haruna said back, her voice hoarse. "I've been told that your parents will be here shortly, so if you don't mind, I'd like to wait for them to arrive before going over your injuries," the doctor explained. "Sure…" Haruna said. "Are you in any pain?" the doctor asked. "No, I don't think so. Everything just feels kinda numb," Haruna said. "I see. That's good. That means the painkillers are working," the doctor said.

Not long after the doctor arrived, Haruna's parents came rushing in. "Haruna!" her mother exclaimed. "Sorry we couldn't get here faster," her father said. "It's fine," Haruna said. "Does it hurt?" her mom asked. "Not right now, but as soon as the painkillers wear off it probably will," Haruna answered. Turning to the doctor, Haruna's dad asked to know what her condition was.

"Well, based on what I was told, your daughter landed pretty hard falling from the air. Considering that impact, it made sense for there to be damage, but I hadn't expected anything serious like what I saw. When I took a look at the x-rays though, I understood. Your daughter Haruna suffered a displaced ankle fracture. The severity mostly comes from sustaining previous stress fractures, most likely also from snowboarding. Repeatedly landing like that, combined with the fall she had, resulted in an ankle injury that needed surgery. To tell the truth, the surgery didn't go as smoothly as we hoped, but we think she'll be fine with proper care and rehabilitation."

"Didn't go smoothly? What does that mean?" Haruna's father asked, concerned. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. It's nothing life-threatening or anything like that. The difficulties we had came from a couple of the previous stress fractures not healing well. It could affect how Haruna is able to use her ankle in the future, but at the moment I don't see any problems," the doctor explained. Both Endo parents let out a breath of relief.

"Now, while I certainly wish to respect moments like these between parent and child, I do feel inclined to inform you that there are two girls out there who very much want to see Haruna as well," the doctor said. "Would that be alright?" Thinking for a moment, both parents nodded. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. We saw Kana-chan in the lobby with Chiyo, and she looked pretty worried," Haruna's mother said. "Then I'll let them know," the doctor said, taking his leave.

In the meantime, Haruna's parents spoke with her. "I knew you joining something like the snowboarding club would be dangerous," her mother said. "Now, now, this isn't really the time for lectures," her father chided. "Honestly, I'm more surprised to hear that you had previous stress fractures Haruna. Have you been in pain this whole time?" "No, not really. I mean, I guess my ankle would kinda hurt now and then, but I just thought it was growing pains or something," Haruna said. "Did it hurt a lot when you fell?" her father asked. Haruna remembered her reaction, causing her to feel embarrassed. It wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. After all, anyone would scream and cry if they broke a bone like she did. But, that did little to change Haruna's mind that she had acted like a child. So, averting her eyes, she just answered with a little, "Y-Yeah…"

A few minutes later, two girls came bursting into the room. "Haru-chi!" Chiyo cried, dashing over to her best friend's bedside. "Are you okay?! No, obviously you're totes not! Um, uh, do you need anything? Water? Tea?! Applesauce?! Wait, you aren't on the verge of death are you?!" "C-Chiyo, calm down!" Haruna yelled, surprised by her friend's sudden torrent of panic. Standing behind her, Kanako felt much the same. Chiyo had been pretty composed in the lobby, but it was clear from this display that she had been pretty worried too.

As she stood near the door, Haruna looked her way. "Kanako…" she breathed. "H-Hey, Haruna…" Kanako said shyly. "I… didn't expect you guys to be here," Haruna said, directed more at Kanako than Chiyo. "Of course we're here! You got injured Haru-chi! We weren't just gonna leave ya all alone!" Chiyo cried. Haruna couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks Chiyo." Next to her, Haruna heard her mother say quietly, "I knew there was a reason I liked that girl," smiling as well.

Meanwhile, Kanako continued to stand in place, remaining awkwardly by the door. "Ah," Haruna's father suddenly let out. "Seriously, at a time like this…" "What is it dear?" her mother asked. "The office just texted me saying they need me back. You should check your phone too." Doing as she was instructed, Haruna's mom took out her phone and looked at the screen. "Didn't we tell them we were going to the hospital?" she said with a sigh. "Apparently it's an emergency…" her dad said, sighing as well. Looking at both of them, Haruna spoke. "It's okay," she said. "I understand if you have to leave."

In reality, she didn't want that at all. With both of her parents being office workers, their jobs often required them to work long hours and travel around. It wasn't so bad to the point of causing overwork or leaving Haruna with no parents, but it wasn't uncommon for them to have to miss out on the things their daughter did. From cultural festivals to snowboarding competitions, Haruna's parents usually had work. Although, while she wished they were present more, Haruna was always able to take some solace in the fact that she knew Chiyo would cheer loud enough for two people at any event Haruna was in.

"Well, if you're sure…" Haruna's father said. "I really hate to leave…" her mother said sadly. "It's not like I'm dying or something. Besides, if it's an emergency, you should probably be there," Haruna said. Not able to refute their daughter's logic, the two gave her heartfelt goodbyes before leaving. Once they left the room, Haruna let out a long sigh. "There they go…" she said. "Oh Haru-chi…" Chiyo said. "If you want 'em to stay, ya should've said so." "It's fine. They probably wouldn't have stayed long anyways," Haruna said.

Then, Haruna turned her attention to Kanako. "Are you just going to keep standing over there?" she asked. "O-Oh, um…" Kanako said. Chiyo looked too. "Hmm. Ya know what? I'm thirsty! How about I get us some drinks?" she announced, then walked out the door. "She didn't even ask what we wanted," Haruna noticed, but she understood what Chiyo was doing. She was giving her a chance to be alone with Kanako. "Although, I don't know how much flirting I can do in a hospital bed…" she thought.

Staring at Kanako, Haruna sighed. "Would you get over here already? You're driving me crazy just standing by the door." "Oh, s-sorry," Kanako said, finally moving closer. "Do you not like when people do that?" "It's more like I don't like it when you do it…" Haruna mumbled, but Kanako didn't pick it up. To Haruna, seeing Kanako stand so close to an exit made it feel like she'd leave at any moment. While she had gotten used to her parents not being around all that much, Kanako suddenly leaving would've been much more painful.

Of course, there was a reason Kanako had been keeping her distance. Primarily, she felt guilty. Her feelings were practically oozing out of her, and she was sure if she got too close, she'd just end up spilling them all out onto Haruna. That wouldn't be fair considering the circumstances. And, despite Chiyo's efforts, Kanako still couldn't help feeling a little guilty that it had taken Haruna getting injured for her to completely realize her own feelings.

Regardless, Kanako did as she was told, coming closer to Haruna until she arrived at her bedside. Pulling up the chair Haruna's mother had been using, Kanako took a seat. "...S-So…" she said after an awkward moment of silence. "How do you feel?" "Groggy," Haruna answered plainly. "Whatever they use to knock people out for surgeries sure makes your head feel all funny." "Oh, really?" Kanako asked, having never experienced it herself before. "Yeah. I feel like I can't really quite focus, but it's not like I'm actually tired either. It's weird," Haruna explained. Kanako couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

They fell silent again, but it was more comfortable than earlier. Finally, Kanako spoke again. "D-Do you know how long it'll take for you to recover?" "No idea. I forgot to ask the doctor, but I'm sure it won't be quick," Haruna said. "I see," Kanako said.

In that moment, as Kanako looked at Haruna sitting in a hospital bed, cast on her right leg, she made a decision. The love she felt for Haruna was strong. There was so much passion in it, so much of her feelings packed inside that Kanako could hardly contain herself. She wanted to just confess right at that moment and tell Haruna everything she now understood about herself. However, she refrained. "Right now," she thought. "Haruna needs to heal." She was afraid that if she confessed, it might put unnecessary stress onto her. Kanako knew it was possible it might have the opposite effect. Maybe she'd confess and it would help Haruna, motivate her even. But to Kanako, that felt more like something she'd see in a movie rather than in reality.

So she held herself back. She held back her feelings, her emotions, her overflowing love for the girl next to her, and instead resolved to do one thing. "I'll help her as much as I can, for as long as it takes," Kanako thought. Part of that was simply because she wanted to help. Another was so she could be closer to Haruna. And, maybe one more part was to make up for her own guilty feelings.

With her mind made up, the two of them talked for a bit longer until Chiyo returned. She did come back with drinks in hand, although her choices weren't the most appetizing. "This is why you ask before you buy…" Haruna groaned. "Try it! Maybe you'll like it," Chiyo said, a little miffed at her generosity being criticized. Cracking open the lid, Haruna took a drink of the green liquid inside. As she had expected, it tasted awful.

*****

Over the course of the next two days, Haruna spent most of her time sitting in bed. Occasionally, a nurse would come by to check on her and the medical stuff in the room, but other than that, she was alone. She wasn't allowed to use her phone, and it wasn't like she could go anywhere either. So, sitting by herself, Haruna found the one thing she kept doing was staring at the clock on the wall,

The night of Haruna's admission, Kanako had promised that for every day Haruna was in the hospital, she'd come visit and stay for as long as possible. Hearing Kanako say that did make Haruna happy, but she couldn't help but be a little sad too. "She's probably just doing it to be a good friend," she thought glumly.

It was a reminder of that vague distance Haruna felt between them. To her, it seemed like no matter what happened, it remained. Even if she was holding Kanako's hand, it felt like she was further away than before. Was it because Haruna thought Kanako getting her heart broken by Akio meant she wouldn't fall in love again anytime soon? Was it because she thought Kanako actually found her confession off-putting and just didn't say it? Or, was it because she still hadn't gotten an answer yet?

It had been nearly two weeks since Haruna had confessed her love to Kanako. Really, she knew that wasn't much time. But, it also felt like it was more than enough. If you had feelings for someone, wouldn't you just say yes? And if you didn't, wouldn't you just turn them down? Even if you landed somewhere in the middle, Haruna didn't think it should take that much time to come up with an answer.

Part of her wanted to get mad about it, but she knew that was unreasonable. "I confessed to Kanako, who's a girl same as me. Of course she'd need plenty of time to process that," Haruna thought. However, feelings of love did tend to bring up other feelings as well, which meant that despite her reasoning, Haruna still felt a little irked. "I mean, it's not like it's that hard."

Admittedly, Haruna wasn't quite sure what she'd do if Kanako turned her down. If she said yes, then they'd date and that would be that. But, if Kanako rejected her, what would it mean for their relationship? It was hard to imagine going back to being just friends again. Honestly, considering how their relationship had developed, Haruna wasn't even sure if they had been just friends to begin with.

First, they had been childhood friends. Then they had been enemies. Next was fake lovers, followed by truly rekindling their friendship. It was already a bit of an odd progression, but it felt like they had also skipped a step. The fake lovers bit had been weird, but because of it, Haruna and Kanako had gotten even closer to each other than they had been before. Once they had made up from their years-long feud, they called each other friend again. But, if an outsider had looked at their relationship, they would've had a hard time believing that these two girls were really "just friends."

Looking back on it, Haruna wondered if they had ever really become friends again or not. They had certainly gotten onto similar terms with each other, but it also felt like they had surpassed the rank of friend too. What she was supposed to call that, Haruna had no clue, but the more she thought about it, the more she was sure that they had indeed skipped a step.

So, that begged the question: if Kanako rejected her, would they be friends still? It was hard to picture. Having skipped that step and gaining a much more intimate relationship with Kanako, Haruna didn't really like the idea of walking to school together without holding hands. It seemed wrong that she wouldn't be able to go out with Kanako to places, just the two of them and feel like it was a date. The visuals Haruna tried to imagine just didn't sit well with her. "I… would probably hate being just her friend again…" she concluded.

As she mulled all of this over, the main root of her wonderings appeared. "I-I'm here," Kanako said, peeking in while Haruna was staring at the wall, lost in thought. "H-Haruna?" she said, getting closer. "Gah!" the girl suddenly yelped. "Kya!" Kanako let out, surprised by the reaction she had gotten. "Oh, sorry Kanako. I didn't know you were here," Haruna said. "Geez!" Kanako pouted. "I know I'm quiet, but is it really that easy to ignore me?" "I wasn't ignoring you. I was just thinking about some stuff," Haruna said. "You were? What about?" Kanako asked. "About-" Haruna was about to answer when she realized who she was talking to. "I-It was nothing. Doesn't matter," she said, quickly trying to cover for herself. "I-If you say so," Kanako said, inclined to believe her. "Oh, by the way, I got you something."

Pulling an item out of the bag she was holding, Kanako presented it to Haruna. "...Cards?" she said, confused. "Mhm. I thought you could play with them since they won't let you use your phone," Kanako said, apparently pleased with this idea. "Kanako…" Haruna said. "Yes?" Kanako responded. "I've barely played any card games in my life. What makes you think I'd know how to play any solo ones? What, do you think I'm secretly some sort of solitaire fanatic or something?"

"Oh…" Kanako let out, disappointed. "W-Well, when you put it like that, then I guess this was a bad choice. I'll just take it back and-" "No!" Haruna shouted, cutting Kanako off and stopping her mid-reach for the deck. "...I-I mean… I'll keep them. You went through the trouble of getting them for me so… yeah…" Haruna said, her face exuding a little shade of red. "O-Oh, okay," Kanako said, pulling her hand back. Haruna was thankful she bought that. It was true that Haruna figured she should probably be grateful, but the real main reason was because this deck of cards was something Kanako was giving her. So, therefore, by association, it was special and worth keeping. "Maybe I'll learn a few games or something…" Haruna thought passingly.

It was moments like these that filled Haruna's afternoons in the hospital. For as long as she could, Kanako would stay until her mom called, telling her it was time to come home. On the third night of Haruna's stay, that call came once more. "Sorry… Looks like I need to go," Kanako said sadly. She apologized every time, which made Haruna a little happy. Seeing her look so regretful surely meant she didn't want to go. "It's fine. At least you don't have to do this anymore," Haruna said. "Huh? What do you mean?" Kanako asked. "I'm being discharged tomorrow afternoon. It's just a broken ankle after all, so it's not like they need to keep me here forever," Haruna explained. The news made Kanako's face light up. "That's great!" she said happily. "Hearing you're getting released will give me something to look forward to tomorrow." "You're going to look forward to it?" Haruna said with the raise of an eyebrow. "Of course. I love… s-spending time with you," Kanako said. Haruna noticed the hesitation she had spoken with. "Why did she hesitate?" she wondered. Kanako's comment only served to further stoke Haruna's belief in the distance that had formed between them.

However, to Kanako, her hesitance had come from having to stop and think. She had nearly simply said, "I love you," before catching herself. "But, saying that I like spending time with her is close to the same thing too," she thought. So with one girl feeling uneasy and the other blushing slightly, they parted ways, and the next day, Haruna was able to go home.

*****

"Ahh… it's so nice to be home," Haruna said as she sat down on the couch. "It's good to have you back," her mother said. "Although, I am a little worried about your safety." "Yeah…" Haruna said. She knew what her mother meant. Leaning up against the couch in the spot next to her was a set of crutches. Trying to get up and down the stairs was going to be a repeating challenge for Haruna. She hadn't tried it yet, but she knew that she'd have to eventually. "What a pain…" she thought.

As the day passed, Haruna spent most of it in one spot. She was still getting used to the crutches, so using them repeatedly tired her out quickly, not to mention they made the spots under her arms hurt. For dinner, her mom let her stay on the couch as opposed to usually making her eat at the table. "Remember, this is just because you're injured," she said. "Yeah, yeah," Haruna said, not wanting a lecture while she ate.

But, just as Haruna finished and was going to go take a bath, there was a knock at the door. "Who could that be?" she wondered. It was already past 8, and with it being a weekday, it was unusual for someone to be coming by so late. Getting herself turned around, Haruna slowly made her way over to the door and worked around her crutches to open it. When she did, her jaw nearly dropped.

"Miyashita-kun…?" she uttered. There before her was Akio, standing there with a gentle smile on his face. If Haruna hadn't been so shocked, she would've noticed that it was probably the first real smile she had gotten from him in a while. "Hey Haruna-chan," he said. "I heard about what happened. I would've come to see you in the hospital, but I was afraid of you maybe causing a scene, so I decided to wait until you got home. I'm glad to see you're up on your feet though, in a way."

With each word that the boy spoke, Haruna shook the shock off, eventually coming to a resting scowl when he finished speaking. "Why are you here Miyashita-kun?" she asked sharply. "Huh? I'm here because I'm worried about you. Isn't that normal for friends?" he said, truly baffled. Akio knew that Haruna was probably considering everything he had said and done recently, assuming that Kanako had told her about his most-recent actions. But, he also believed that if one of them was injured, it was fine to put all of that aside. "A person's health should be more important than conflicts," he had thought.

But, as he stood in front of Haruna, he could tell that he was the only one of the two that believed that. "Friends huh?" she said. "A real friend wouldn't have pulled the crap you have." Just before Akio could respond, Haruna's mother came to see who was at the door. "Oh Akio-kun! This is a surprise." "Sorry to drop by unannounced. I came to see Haruna-chan," Akio said. "I see. Well Haruna, don't just leave him to stand out there in the cold," her mom said. Rolling her eyes, Haruna moved off to the side, allowing Akio inside.

Closing the door behind him, the group made their way back into the living room while Akio and Haruna's mother made small talk before she veered off to the kitchen to make tea. "Seriously, why the hell is he here?" Haruna wondered. Considering his behavior in the last several months, Haruna couldn't help but be suspicious of him. Seeing her giving him a look that conveyed as much, Akio showed visible discomfort. "W-What?" "Oh nothing. Just waiting to see what scheme you have next is all," Haruna said. "Look, I'm not here for anything like that. I'm actually concerned. Haruna-chan, you broke a bone. Do you really think I'm so callous to the point of taking advantage of an injured woman?" Akio said. Haruna stared at him for a moment. "...Come on, you shouldn't have to think about it that long…" Akio said, disappointment in his voice.

Haruna was almost inclined to hear him out. They did grow up together, and Haruna still had a hard time believing that the boy she once knew was really a manipulative jerk underneath all along. But just as she was thinking that, she heard the doorbell ring. "Oh, I'll get that. You stay here and keep Akio-kun company," Haruna's mom said as she got up. For a moment, the only sound was footsteps on the floor, then it was followed by "Another surprise. Come in dear."

Haruna's mother stayed behind to close the door while the new guest made their way into the living room. "H-Haruna! I came to see how you're doing and I brought… some… food for… you…" Kanako's voice trailed off as she enter the scene, seeing Haruna and Akio together. "Akio...kun?" Kanako squeaked out. "Hey Kana-chan," he said breezily, as if nothing had changed between them. This was actually the first time either of them had spoken to each other since Akio had called his "confession" a joke.

"What… are you doing here?" Kanako asked. Listening, Haruna could hear anger in her tone. "That makes sense. Why wouldn't she get angry when seeing Miyashita-kun?" Haruna thought. "I'm just here to see Haruna-chan, same as you. We're all childhood friends here aren't we?" Akio explained.

"...Get out…"

"...What?" Akio said. Kanako was glaring at him. "Get out of here Akio-kun," she practically demanded. "Kana-chan, that's not a very nice thing to say," Haruna's mother said, coming back into the room. "...Fine. Then come with me Akio-kun. We'll talk outside," Kanako said, her voice stern. It was clear to those who had experienced it that Kanako's serious mode had turned on. "W-Well, I'm actually talking to Haruna-chan right now so-" Akio replied nervously, but Kanako shot him a look so fierce he nearly wilted in his spot. "Akio-kun. Come. With. Me. Now." Unable to withstand the heat from her gaze, Akio meekly rose from his seat and followed Kanako outside, leaving behind a very confused mother.

Once the door shut behind them, Kanako bared her full force at Akio. "What are you doing here Akio-kun?" she asked. "I told you, I'm here to check up on-" "Don't give me that," Kanako spat. "Why are you really here? Is it to make a fool out of Haruna like you did me?" "No, I-" "Then again," Kanako continued, not allowing Akio to get a word in. "I guess you already have, haven't you?" Akio fell silent.

Since the day that Akio had made his "confession" to Kanako, the girl had been thinking a lot about that day. She understood how Akio had pulled off his plan, and she finally knew why he had suddenly been so much more open with her about a potential relationship. It had all been for that day. But, when Haruna confessed too, it had made Kanako wonder. Akio's actions appeared to have pushed Haruna into doing that, and when Kanako considered her own experience, she found that there was only one conclusion to draw. Akio had not only played with Kanako's feelings, he had also continuously poked at Haruna's, eventually driving her into a desperate confession.

If someone asked Kanako if she wished it had never happened, she probably would say no. She was happy to know how Haruna felt, especially now that she knew how she felt about Haruna. But, knowing that her confession had come about because of such underhanded tactics did make Kanako feel a little bitter. Not at Haruna of course, but at the boy in front of her who had caused all this pain in the first place.

"...So you figured it out, huh?" Akio said softly, almost sounding regretful. "Yes. Honestly, I can't believe you did something like this," Kanako said. "It worked though, didn't it?" Akio said, a tinge of smug pride in his voice. Kanako's facial expression told him everything he needed to know. "It doesn't matter that it worked," she eventually said. "It was wrong." "Yeah," Akio said, not even trying to dispute that. "Hey, Akio-kun," Kanako said after a moment of silence. "Yeah?"

"Stay away from Haruna."

The words she said were spoken with so much sharpness and bite that Akio could practically feel them stabbing into his chest. "Stay away from her? It's not like you can actually do much about that," Akio said, trying to stand his ground. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep you away from her. I won't let you hurt her anymore. She's had enough. We both have. So just stay away from us."

Akio could see the determination in Kanako's eyes. It was clear she had made up her mind. "So I guess Kana-chan knows how she feels too," Akio thought. It was the only way to explain her behavior. "Wow Kana-chan, I never knew you could look so scary," Akio said, half-joking, half-serious. "And I never knew you could be so cruel," Kanako said, a trace of pain in her voice. Akio said nothing back, but his eyes seemed to convey the words, "Fair enough." With nothing more to say, the boy turned around and walked away.

Turning back herself, Kanako went back inside. "Huh? Where's Akio-kun?" Haruna's mother asked. "He left, Kanako said shortly. "Did you make him? That's not a good thing to do. Maybe you should go talk to him-" Suddenly, Kanako shot her a glare. "O-Or maybe not," Haruna's mom said. Not even she could resist the strength of Kanako's anger.

Concluding that conversation, Kanako went over to Haruna and sat down next to her with a "hmph!" "...um, is everything alright?" Haruna asked tentatively. Kanako looked at her, and it was as if all of her anger dissipated upon setting her eyes on Haruna. "Yeah. Everything's fine," she said with a smile. "A-Anyways, how are you doing? Are the crutches hard to use?" "I guess I'm fine," Haruna said, getting the feeling she wouldn't be getting any answers about what happened between Kanako and Akio. She was happy that Kanako had gotten so bothered at the sight of Akio, but Haruna also wondered about what they had talked about outside. While Haruna was mostly certain that it had just been a stern talking-to, a small part of her felt that distance yet again. "Am I just being childish because I wasn't a part of their conversation?" Haruna thought. "Or were they talking about something I couldn't hear?"

Haruna did her best to put it out of her mind. Right now, Kanako was next to her, and that was all she wanted to think about. "The crutches are a little difficult. I've almost fallen over a couple of times," she said. "Oh. I guess you'll just have to practice," Kanako said. "Yeah. I just wish it didn't hurt so much. My armpits feel sore and my hands are tired from gripping those handles so tightly," Haruna said.

Suddenly, Haruna felt her right hand get enveloped in Kanako's left. "Kanako?" Haruna said. "I-If you're tired… then let me help you rest," she said quietly. "I'll hold your hands for you when they feel weak. And I'll support you as much as I can while you recover." Staring directly into her eyes, Kanako trained all her attention on Haruna. "So please, Haruna. Let me stay by your side."

More than anything, confusion was the first thing that struck Haruna. She swore there was this distance between them, but then moments like this would happen. "What is it… that Kanako wants?" she wondered. While she wished she knew the answer, all she found herself saying in response was, "Okay."

*****

The next morning, Haruna was set to return to school. She had missed a couple of days and definitely wasn't looking forward to answering people's questions about what happened to her, but it was unavoidable. Luckily, at least putting on her uniform was easy, as sliding a skirt up over a cast was much easier than pants. The rest of the morning went by without much challenge either, aside from Haruna almost tripping on the second-to-last step on the staircase.

As she was finishing getting ready, the doorbell rang once more, and when she answered the door, Haruna was surprised to see Kanako waiting for her. "Isn't this backwards?" Haruna commented. Kanako laughed. "Y-Yeah, I guess so. Usually you're the one waiting for me." After that exchange, Haruna finished eating her breakfast before leaving with Kanako to go to school.

As they walked, Haruna knew they were going pretty slow. "Sorry about this. I wish I could move a little faster, but…" Haruna said, feeling bad. "It's fine," Kanako said, then more quietly added, "That just means we have more time together." "What was that?" Haruna asked. "N-Nothing," Kanako said, then she noticed Haruna shifting awkwardly. "Are you uncomfortable?" she asked. "Kinda. My bag is causing one side to feel heavier than the other," Haruna said. "I can carry it," Kanako offered. "Are you sure?" Haruna asked. Kanako nodded. "Alright," she said, handing the bag off.

When Kanako put it on, she let out a small noise. "Are you really sure it's fine?" Haruna asked, worried about it being too much weight. "I-It's fine! I can do it!" Kanako said with vigor, though she still appeared to be straining a bit. It was then that the third member of their usual group arrived.

"Haru-chiiiii!" Chiyo called as she ran up to them. "Don't you dare jump on me!" Haruna yelled back. "Hey, I'm not gonna do that! What kind of person do you think I am?" Chiyo asked, a little miffed. "Sorry, but you totally looked like you were going to," Haruna said. Chiyo laughed. "Do you want me to?" "Of course not!" Haruna shouted. "Get ready. Here I come!" Chiyo said, getting into a position to launch. "C-Chiyo! Don't! We'll both fall!" Haruna yelled. "Three… two… one!" Chiyo exclaimed. "Chiyoooo!!!"

"Pfft! Ahahaha!" Chiyo let out a loud burst of laughter, clutching her stomach as she did. "Haru-chi, did you really think I would jump on you!" "Hnngh…" Haruna groaned. Then she whacked Chiyo in the shin with one of her crutches. "Ow!" she yelped. "That's payback," Haruna muttered. "Okay, okay," Chiyo said with a small smile. "Oh, Kana-chan, you want me to carry one of those?" she asked, seeing Kana-chan with two bags. "N-No, I got it," she said. "Really? Your little shoulders look like they're trembling a bit though," Chiyo said. "Ugh…" Kanako let out, unable to deny it. "T-Then this one, please…" she said, reluctantly handing Haruna's bag over to her. "Sure thing!" Chiyo replied back enthusiastically. The rest of the walk continued like normal, albeit a little slower than usual.

By the time they got to school, it was five minutes past the bell. As Haruna had expected, she had to answer a lot of questions. People she had hardly spoken to came up to her to ask her what had happened. Apparently, it had gotten around the school pretty fast that she had gotten injured at a meet, so a lot of people wanted to hear the details straight from her. Not being much of a social person, Haruna didn't particularly enjoy this, but luckily Chiyo was around to do some deflecting for her.

When the school day ended, Haruna was exhausted. Part of it was physical thanks to going from room to room and having to climb stairs a couple of times, but she was more mentally tired than anything. "So many people…" she said in a low tone. "Yeah, they sure flocked to ya huh?" Chiyo said. "Hopefully I don't have to do that again tomorrow," Haruna said.

*****

Over the course of the next two weeks, Haruna learned how to navigate the perils of walking with crutches, along with building up her stamina for it. She wasn't going to have to use them for long, but it had still been necessary to adjust to them so she could live her life as normal as possible. Stairs still gave her problems now and then, but for the most part, Haruna was back to how she used to be aside from one broken ankle.

During that time, Kanako did plenty to help her out. She carried her bag (even though it was hard on her too), and she got Haruna food from the cafeteria. For the most part, Haruna could operate like normal, but Kanako insisted on doing all she could for her. "I really appreciate it, but you really don't have to," Haruna had said, but Kanako insisted nonetheless. "I'm doing this because I want to," she'd answer defiantly, and that was that.

It made Haruna feel a little bad for taking so much of Kanako's time, but… she also felt extremely happy to have Kanako by her side and doting on her.

End of Chapter Eight.