27th of December, 3:34 am, Red Cross Medical Center, Shibuya, Tokyo
Sudden loud steps rip Kana out of her sleep as a stretcher is being rolled right past her room. At first, she doesn't know where she is; it takes a moment for her to recall what happened. Seemingly just a moment ago, she was with Ruby, being dragged through the streets of Tokyo. But now she is here, with no trace of Ruby anywhere.
After a few minutes of lying down completely still, she moves her arm. Pulling it out from under the heavy blanket, a few tubes that connect her arm to various machines appear alongside it.
With a heavy heart, she raises her arm up to her face, slowly coming closer before finally touching it. But she already knew what she would feel, a big bandage running over her entire face, leaving barely enough uncovered to see and breathe.
Her fingers gently wander over her entire face. Her expression doesn't change one bit. This goes on for a few minutes until she stops again, placing her hand back under the blanket before rolling over onto her side. Wincing in pain as her wound is pressed against her pillow.
The room is only dimly lit. The only light comes from the machines she is hooked up to, a faint glow from under the door, and the stars shining through the window. It's enough to make out that not a single other soul is in the room with her.
Did Ruby tell them who I am?
Maybe they wouldn't want anybody to recognize me…
No, I'm like a C-list at best; nobody would even recognize me to begin with.
They probably just didn't want to torture a poor soul by parking them next to me.
It's better like that anyways, I like to have my peace.
Her thoughts quiet down again as she drifts off into a restless sleep, plagued by nightmares, but not once is she allowed to wake up from them.
…
Another 5 hours pass by before Kana is woken up again, this time it is a gentle voice. Her eyes slowly open, the room is still only dimly lit. It's more than before but still not bright, since the sun hasn't fully risen yet.
Right next to Kana's bed is a nurse, seemingly inspecting the machines Kana is hooked up to while talking.
"Good morning, Miss Arima. Did you sleep well?"
Kana rolls onto her back before sitting up straight in the bed.
"I can't complain."
Her voice is still sounding drained from yesterday's events, but she tries not to show it. The nurse stops what she is doing and turns to face Kana.
"You should lie down."
Kana sits still for a moment, just looking at the nurse. She seems to be around 1.60 Meters tall and has black hair; her skin is pale, and the nametag on her chest says that her name is Tanaka. After the moment passes, Kana lies back down.
"So, Miss Tanaka. How bad is it?"
Tanaka places the clipboard she was holding down on the foot of Kana's bed before talking.
"The cut was quite deep, we managed to minimize the permanent tissue damage, but a scar will remain. If everything goes as expected, you'll be released again tomorrow."
Kana's expression visibly falls slightly as Tanaka finishes her sentence.
"But we can't tell for sure… It could turn out to be just a small scar if you're lucky. Most people would probably not even notice it."
Kana averts her gaze away from Tanaka, her eyes wandering through the room and finally out of the window.
"What do you think?"
Kana talks; her eyes are still not wandering back over.
"Do you think… Do you think I'll be able to act again?"
The room stays quiet for a long moment. The silence is deafening, telling Kana everything she needs to know. A world inside her is slowly starting to shatter.
"I- I would like to have breakfast now."
Kana's voice is quieter than before. Tanaka hurriedly grabs her clipboard and makes her way towards the door.
"Of course… I will be right back."
Tanaka is just about to step out of the room as Kana speaks up once more.
"I don't want to have any visitors… tell that to anyone trying to visit me."
Tanaka turns around once again, to her surprise, Kana is facing in her direction. She nods towards her and leaves the room, closing the door behind her.
…
The day passes by in silence. Tanaka occasionally checks in on Kana. Telling her that a blue-haired, as well as two blonde girls, just wouldn't stop trying to get to her. That it was so bad that they even had to kick one of the blonde girls off the premises after she tried to sneak past the nurses and doctors to find Kana's room on her own.
Kana is released the next day. She goes directly home without telling anybody, entering her room and locking it behind her as soon as she arrives.
Her room is exactly like she left it. Everything is mostly clean and neatly placed where it belongs, just a small layer of dust building on the surfaces.
The bandage from before is gone now. Instead, she can feel neat stitches going all through her face when she touches it, a new wave of pain crashing over her every time she does.
…
Later that day, she's sitting at her desk, quietly trying to eat a cup of noodles, her hands are shaking so badly that she drops the chopsticks into the cup more often than not. Chewing hurts so much that she could scream every time she bites down, but instead, she remains completely silent.
Can't even eat a simple cup of noodles…
Vegetables, meat, and noodles are all it takes to beat you.
How pathetic, if your former self could be able to see this…
I bet she would die from embarrassment at how far she fell.
You don't deserve anything other than pain…
For the way you ruined your own legacy.
Suddenly, a snap. Kana looks down and sees one of her chopsticks broken in half. She sighs as she drops the broken set of chopsticks into the half-empty ramen cup before standing up to walk to the bathroom.
Kana steps into the bathroom that's directly connected to her room. On the left side are the sink and shelf, on the shelf are bottles of shampoo and conditioner next to countless expensive-looking make-up items, over the sink is a big mirror. On her right side are the shower and toilet.
She heads over to the sink, washing her hands with cold water, while deliberately looking down, avoiding having to face her reflection in the mirror.
Suddenly, as she turns the water off and dries her hands using a towel, she's able to hear gentle knocks on her door. She quietly makes her way out of the bathroom, but instead of opening the door, she walks over to her bed and lies down on it.
It stays silent for a moment before a quiet voice comes through the door; it is unmistakably Akane who's talking.
"Hi Kana… Uhm, your mom told me that you're in your room… I understand that you don't feel like talking right now."
Akane sounds uncertain as she makes a pause, giving Kana a chance to reply. A chance that Kana doesn't take.
"Anyways… Yeah, I have to tell you something important…"
Kana, who is curled up into a ball on her bed, chooses to remain silent. She just hopes that Akane would leave her alone, but something in her keeps listening to what Akane has to say.
"Your injury… The reason why Kamiki knew where you were in the first place… It was my fault…"
Kana, who was facing the wall before, turns slightly to face her closed door.
"Not metaphorically… but literally. I sold you out to Kamiki… Your obduction was a part of my plan…"
"So- So if you hate someone it should be me… Not Aqua… or yourself, I know how you can be."
Akane stays silent for a moment, trying to fight against the tears that have started to roll down her cheeks.
"If you ever… If you ever need anything from me… Just text me… You got my number."
Akane stays for a moment longer before turning away from the door, taking one step before stopping again and whispering.
"Kana… I'm sorry."
Kana had, unbeknownst to Akane, walked over to the door and was putting her ear against it; she was able to hear one more quiet sob before Akane's steps disappeared again.
…
Akane, who has by now returned home, is lying on her bed. She is cowered together, her eyes staring at the nearest wall, but it is so dark in the room that she still can't see it.
It feels horrible.
Nothing will ever be as it was because of me.
Is this how Aqua feels?
No. What am I thinking?
Aqua feels probably way worse.
I wonder. If I cut my own face, too. Would it feel better?
No, that's exactly how Aqua would think.
It wouldn't make anything better.
It would just make me look like I'm even worse of a person.
There needs to be something I can do for her.
But if she doesn't want my help, what else could I do?
She may never act again, and it is my fault.
I took away her dream… because it was convenient.
Akane grabs her phone, turning it on. The bright light momentarily blinds her, but she still manages to open her contact list. After a bit of scrolling, she finally finds the contact information of her manager. After thinking for a short moment, she presses the dial.
A few seconds pass before he picks up. His voice is as professional as always.
"What is the matter?"
Akane stays silent for a moment. She doesn't want to do this, but she feels obligated to do it anyway.
"I'm sorry, I know this is sudden… but I won't be able to continue acting due to personal problems… I will, of course, pay for any inconvenience this causes for the company, out of my own pocket… I am deeply sorry, but my decision is final… I want to terminate my contract with Lala Lai."