27th of December, 3:34 am, Red Cross Medical Center, Shibuya, Tokyo
Sudden loud steps ripped Kana out of her sleep as a stretcher was being rolled right past her room. The memories of what happened came back in pieces as she looked around the room; each movement felt like something tugged at her face. Seemingly just a moment ago, she was with Ruby, being dragged through the streets of Tokyo. But now she was here, with no trace of Ruby anywhere. After a few minutes of lying down completely still, she moved her arm. She pulled it out from under the heavy blanket, and a few tubes that connect her arm to various machines appeared alongside it. Her heart felt heavy, beating against her ribcage as her hand came closer to her face. 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 expression remained unchanged as her fingers felt across her face. This went on for a few minutes until she stopped again and tucked her hand back under the blanket before rolling over onto her side. A small wince echoed through the dark room as she did; the only light came from the machines she was hooked up to, a faint glow from under the door, and the stars shining through the window. It was not enough for much, but it was enough to see that not a single other soul shared 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 quieted down again as she drifted off into a restless sleep, plagued by nightmares, but not once was she allowed to wake up from them.
...
Another 5 hours passed by before Kana woke up again, this time by a gentle voice instead of distant, cold sounds. Her eyes slowly opened to a still, only dimly lit room. It was more than before but still not bright, since the sun hadn't fully risen yet. Right next to Kana's bed was a nurse, seemingly inspecting the machines Kana was hooked up to while talking. "Good morning, Miss Arima. Did you sleep well?" she said in this typical voice every nurse had when they hadn't worked in the field for too long, yet. Kana sat up in bed. "I ca-" Kana paused. The way her mouth felt when she spoke was unexpected, to say the least; it felt like someone actively tried to keep it shut, while someone else tried to open it. "I can't complain," she finished.
Her voice still sounded drained from yesterday's events, but she tried not to show it. The nurse stopped what she was doing and turned to face Kana. "You should lie down," she said. She hasn't said much, but her overly sugary voice rubbed Kana the wrong way; it sounded so artificial. Kana sat still for a moment, just looking at the nurse. She seemed to be around 1.60 Meters tall and had black hair; her skin was pale, and the nametag on her chest said that she was named Tanaka.
"So, Miss Tanaka. How bad is it?" Kana asked as she let herself slump down onto the bed.
Tanaka placed the clipboard she was holding down on the foot of Kana's bed before she spoke. "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 fell.
"But we can't tell for sure…" Tanaka quickly added, "It could turn out to be just a small scar if you're lucky. Most people would probably not even notice it."
Kana's eyes began to wander as she looked away from Tanaka; eventually, they found their way out of the window. "What do you think?" Kana sounded quite timid all of a sudden. "Do you think... Do you think I'll be able to act again?"
The silence was deafening to Kana.
Each second that ticked by, without either of them speaking, made the world within her crack more.
"I- I would like to have breakfast now," Kana said, unwilling to endure even another second of this.
Tanaka loved this opportunity; Kana had barely finished her sentence when she had already picked her clipboard back up and was halfway across the room. "Of course... I will be right back."
Tanaka was just about to leave the room as Kana spoke up once more. "I don't want to have any visitors... Tell that to anyone trying to visit me."
Tanaka turned around once again, to her surprise, Kana was facing in her direction. She nodded towards her and left the room for good, the door falling closed behind her.
...
The day passed by in silence. Tanaka occasionally checked 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 was released the next day. She went directly home without telling anybody, entering her bedroom and locking it behind her as soon as she arrived.
The room was exactly like she had left it. Everything was mostly clean and neatly placed where it belonged; just a small layer of dust had built up on the surfaces. The bandage from before was gone by now; instead, she could feel neat stitches going all through her face in its place. A new wave of pain crashed over her every time she touched it.
...
Later that day, she sat at her desk, quietly trying to eat a cup of noodles, her hands shook so badly that she dropped the chopsticks into the cup more often than not. Every time she bit down, she felt like screaming; it hurt so much, but she remained completely quiet.
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 looked down and saw one of her chopsticks broken in half. She sighed as she dropped the broken set of chopsticks into the half-empty ramen cup before she stood up to walk to the bathroom. Kana stepped into the bathroom that's directly connected to her room. On the left side were the sink and shelf, on the shelf were bottles of shampoo and conditioner next to countless expensive-looking make-up items, and over the sink was a big mirror. On her right side were the shower and toilet. Cold water rushed over her hands, while she deliberately looked down to avoid having to face her reflection in the mirror.
Suddenly, as she turned the water off and dried her hands using a towel, she was able to hear gentle knocks on wood. She quietly made her way out of the bathroom, but instead of opening the door, she walked over to her bed and lay down on it. It stayed silent for a moment before a quiet voice came through the door; it was unmistakably Akane who was the one disturbing her peace. "Hi Kana... Uhm, your mom told me that you're in your room... I understand that you don't feel like talking right now."
Why did that old hag even come back here? It's not like I need her, Kana thought at the mention of her mother.
Akane sounded uncertain as she took a pause, giving Kana a chance to reply. A chance that Kana didn't take. "Anyways... Yeah, I have to tell you something important..."
Kana, who was curled up into a ball on her bed, chose to remain silent. She just hoped that Akane would leave her alone, but something inside her kept listening to what Akane had to say.
"Your injury... The reason why Kamiki knew where you were in the first place... It was my fault..."
Kana, who faced the wall before, turned slightly to face her closed door.
"Not metaphorically... but literally. I sold you out to Kamiki... Your abduction 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 fell quiet as she fought against the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "If you ever... If you ever need anything from me... Just text me... You got my number;" she said before she took a step away from the door.
"Kana... I'm sorry," she whispered to herself before he turned and walked down the hallway.
Kana had, unbeknownst to Akane, walked over to the door and put her ear against it; she was able to hear one more quiet sob before Akane's steps disappeared again.
...
Akane, who had by now returned home, was lying on her bed. She was cowering together, her eyes pointed at the nearest wall, yet it was so dark in the room that even then she couldn'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 grabbed her phone and turned it on. The bright light blinded her momentarily, but she still managed to open her contact list. After a bit of scrolling, she finally found the contact information she was looking for. She fought with herself, pondering as her finger hovered over the call button; then she pressed it. A few seconds passed before someone picked up. "What is the matter?" the voice said in a deep and professional tone.
Akane stayed silent for a moment. "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."