…
"I'm home!" A familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I blinked twice as my brain took a second to process my surroundings. I had been lying on the sofa watching TV when I fell asleep. I felt my pajamas, slightly damp with sweat, clinging lightly to my body.
With my usual slowness, I lifted my body off the sofa to look at the door, where I was greeted by the sight of my brother taking off his shoes in the entrance.
"Hey Kari! Turns out the camp was canceled because of a sudden snowstorm. You should have seen it, it was crazy!" He greeted me with his usual cheerful smile as he approached to gently stroke my head. "In the end, the camp was canceled, so you didn't miss much."
My gaze drifted from my brother's face to the small pink ball resting in his arms.
I tilted my head to one side, wondering exactly how these two had reunited after so long.
He seemed to realize what I was thinking, as he quickly began to stammer while making up an excuse. "He, uhhh, is a stuffed animal—"
"Hello, Koromon." I cut my brother off as I gave the Digimon a kind, nostalgic smile. I knew it wasn't the same one, but the nostalgia was still there.
The house seemed to fall silent for a long second.
"Uhh..." A bewildered sound came out of Koromon's wide mouth; he looked up at my brother, asking him what to do now that his cover had been blown.
A faint, amused smile formed on my face.
"You... know him?" My brother's bewildered words reached my ears; I didn't need to look up to know what kind of face he was making.
"Sure." I nodded as I took Koromon in my skinny arms and gently stroked his head, causing the Digimon to make a strange purring sound.
My brother stood there, looking at me with that look of wanting answers, but not wanting to force them out of me.
I felt my stomach churn.
I felt selfish.
"Are you hungry?" I asked Koromon, ignoring my inner guilt.
"Yes!" exclaimed the pink ball, wiggling its ears from side to side.
I nodded slightly, feeling my heart pound too hard for a few moments. It was painful.
Not wanting to worry my brother any more than necessary, I simply ignored the pumping sensation running through my body as I gave him a knowing look. "Can you cook?"
"Who do you think you're talking to?" My brother smiled with false arrogance as he walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and began to take out several eggs and a bag of rice.
Looks like he's making omelets.
For some reason, I'm not surprised.
"By the way, Noah sends his regards," he commented distractedly as he turned on the stove.
"Mr. Sleepyhead," I corrected in my mind, thinking of the tall, dark-haired man's usual blank but highly observant gaze.
I carefully placed Koromon on the countertop as I sat down next to him, feeling my arms tremble slightly from the effort. I let my little legs dangle from the seat, feeling gravity try and fail to pull them back down to the floor.
Time seemed to pass in a blur as I watched my brother move back and forth across the kitchen. Soon the smell of food began to fill the room.
It wasn't long before several plates of food flooded the countertop. A slightly ridiculous amount of food for two people and a Digimon.
Or at least that's what I thought before I saw my brother and Koromon eat plate after plate with inhuman speed. I absentmindedly thought that I should eat at least a little, but I had no appetite for it; I was a bit picky about food.
I hummed to myself as I watched them both eat, ignoring how the heat in my head seemed to weigh on me more and more.
I couldn't remember what time I had to take my fever pill; I wasn't very good at keeping track of time.
"I'm full..." My brother's voice snapped me out of my reverie. I saw him stretch his arms up before letting out a snort as he patted his stomach. He got up from his chair and started walking toward our room. "I think I'll go get some sleep. Let me know when Mom gets home."
The door to our room closed with a small slam that made my ears ring.
"You should go to sleep too, Koromon," I whispered softly, not because I didn't want to talk, but because I felt the strength leaving my voice.
The little one looked at me doubtfully. "Uhh... are you feeling okay?"
I smiled softly as I stroked his little head again. "Yes, but I think you should sleep. You're exhausted."
Koromon hummed thoughtfully before shrugging, which was strange since he didn't have shoulders, and smiling broadly. "Okay!"
Without further ado, the little one took a big leap toward the door before opening it with his large ears. The little one dismissed me by waving one of his ears as if it were a hand.
The door to our bedroom closed with a click.
I let the silence of the house linger for a moment before letting out an exhausted sigh, feeling as if the strength in my legs had left me for a moment, almost causing me to collapse to my knees. My vision became blurry for a moment, and I felt as if my mind was drifting away before returning with a jolt.
I breathed deeply and repeatedly, without feeling the air actually entering my body. The heat became increasingly oppressive, causing me to sweat profusely, yet my body felt only a penetrating cold clinging to my bones.
My vision began to clear after a few minutes of continuous breathing. I should probably take the pill now.
I got up from the chair with considerable effort, almost falling to the floor when I took a wrong step, only to raise my arms to the sides to desperately regain my balance.
A drop of sweat fell from my forehead onto the floor.
I stared at the sweat stain for a moment, feeling the need to wipe it up so Mom wouldn't worry about doing it. But if my fever got worse again, it would only worry her even more.
I didn't want that.
I didn't want to worry anyone.
I hesitated for a moment before deciding to lie down on the sofa.
I walked slowly and carefully, as if I were walking down a hallway full of Legos. I reached the sofa... and walked past it, stopping right in front of the slightly open door leading to the balcony. I stood there breathing weakly for a moment, before finding the strength in my voice to speak.
"You can come in if you want," I whispered with a gentle smile pulling at my lips.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, suddenly, a shadow, too quick to make out its shape, moved across the balcony, disappearing shortly after and knocking over the clothes hanging there.
The silence lingered again, then I turned around with a trembling step as the heat seemed to melt my flesh and the cold freeze my blood. After taking another breath and with some effort, I managed to lie down on the sofa with my eyes on the TV screen.
There, the static moved strangely, and although incomplete, I could see the enormous trunk of a tree rising above the clouds with small floating islands around it.
I hummed my mother's lullaby distractedly as I forced myself to close my eyes and let my consciousness slowly fade away. The warmth of my body gradually became more distant and my thoughts, on the contrary, became clearer, more vivid.
"I feel bad for not telling him about Koromon..." It was my last thought as I felt the familiar sensation of weightlessness spread throughout my body.
And finally...
...
..
.
Light.
...
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