"Okay, then don't pick up your phone, fine by me, Akane," Ruby said while stuffing her phone back into the woolly pocket of her jacket. "Think Ruby," she whispered as she squatted down, leaning against the wall behind her. "What would Aqua do?"
11th of January, 2:30 am, Streets of Tokyo
"What would Aqua do when I went missing…" Ruby had wandered off quite far. The streets were alive, well, at least not as dead as they were in Ruby's neighbourhood. A few people passed by now and then, most of them were either drunk or appeared to be tired enough to look drunk. "Damn, this is hard," Ruby sighed as she placed her elbows on her thighs to hold her head up with her hands.
"Sleep… That's definitely not what he'd do, but it's what I'll have to do. My brain is a big pile of mushy mush… I couldn't even think that he might be with Akane. In my current state, I might as well not find the way back home." Ruby pushed herself up again. Her legs, which had been long adapted to the stiff position, ached as her muscles and tendons relaxed.
…
Despite the doubt she had in her ability to find her way home, she actually managed it quite well, only taking a wrong turn every now and then. The lights that would be visible from the outside were still deliberately turned off, even in the deepest part of the night. She hadn't decided if the two officers stationed at her house worried or eased her more as she turned the key in the lock, trying to stay as silent as possible.
"Aqua…" Ruby groaned as she snuggled into his bed. Sadly, he wasn't really there with her; the only thing of his that remained were his few belongings. Much to Ruby's discomfort, Aqua only had a single blanket and pillow. She had always preferred having many pillows, blankets, and plushies around her; they brought her comfort. But something changed. No matter how hard she had tried, it just didn't work anymore. She was unable to sleep in her own bed.
Aqua's bed was warm; on the other hand, it gave her a strange sense of comfort, which felt just right in the moment, like invisible forces or the thick blanket itself protecting her. "I will continue my search tomorrow…" Ruby nodded into the pillow with a muffled voice.
"Why am I doing this? I thought I hated him… This is also far more than what I'd do for a rando," Ruby groaned as she lifted her head off the pillow to look out of Aqua's window. It was a sad sight, all she could see were the twigs of a tree being lit by a flickering streetlamp; just bright enough to eliminate any chance for her to get a sight of the beautiful night sky in all its vibrant colors that might've been hidden right behind all the pollution.
He did all these horrible things.
He lied to me, drugged me, got Kana hurt, and manipulated everyone…
I should hate him. So why don't I?
It is my responsibility as a friend…
No… as a human, to not enable him to continue to hurt others I care about on my behalf.
The old frame creaked beneath Ruby as she turned again, lying down flat on her back as she pressed her face into the blanket, "Why do I still care?"
11th of January, 11:00 am, Aqua's room
Ruby yawned as she stretched her arms towards the ceiling. The night of sleep, which was now nothing more than a faint memory, was actually really refreshing; she had expected to see more nightmares. She shoved the warm and fluffy blanket to the side and hopped out of bed. Aqua's oversized hoodie she had been wearing all day and night, fell around her slender frame, covering everything down to her thighs.
After finishing her usual bathroom routine, she headed back to Aqua's room. "Okay, let's see what I can wear…" she said as she stepped over to his closet. Her demeanor fell slightly as she opened it. "Oh yeah… How did I forget…" She was just about to close it again when something caught her attention. A white envelope was lying in the back end corner of the closet, only really visible from a certain angle.
She quickly bowed down and snatched it off the floor, tearing it open with ease. "Come to momma?" she whispered under her breath, this time more hesitant than the last time, as she hastily tore it open and unfolded the piece of paper inside it.
Her eyes widened until they physically couldn't expand any further as she began to read out, her voice quiet.
"Hello Ruby,
If you are reading this, then I am most likely gone. But you must not be sad about it. A lot of things happened in the past few days, and if I were to try and explain them, I would probably need more than a single piece of paper. You just have to know that I found a way to bring Mom back.
I hoped that what happened on December 26th would finally bring me peace. But I've realized that I don't deserve peace, nor do I deserve this second chance in life. I would much rather for Ai to have it.
Everything I did only caused more trouble for everybody around me. I always justified this by saying it is for the greater good, but now that there is no greater good left, I finally see that you have been right all along.
I am like a parasite that leeches the happiness out of others. No, a black hole that swallows all happiness around itself would be more fitting for me. A parasite needs its host to survive; it would die without the host. The black hole, on the other hand, only consumes for the sake of consuming.
Even I know that this will probably hurt you, even when you hate me. But this pain will eventually go away again. If I were to stay around, I would do things that cause problems for everyone else for the rest of your lives. Please don't cry because of this.
Also, please don't come looking for me. Instead, if I can be selfish one last time, I would want you to look after Akane. She won't take it very well, so please try to watch out that she doesn't do anything to herself because of me.
Lastly, I would like to apologize to you. I know I have done many bad things in the past. The worst aspect, though, is that I always said that I have done them for you, for Kana, for Akane. When in reality, I was doing them for me alone, trying to feel better about what I could not protect 15 years ago.
I am also sorry for what happened to Kana. I know, I am apologizing to the wrong person right now, but I just cannot find the guts to talk to her right now. I am also sorry for drugging you. It was a desperate attempt to keep at least a bit of control over the situation, over my life, over yours. Disgusting of me, I know.
If everything goes according to plan, Ai's soul will inhabit my body soon. Think of it in a similar way as Tsukuyomi, that witch, placed our souls in our new bodies. I hope you two can have a lot of fun together.
Anyway, Ai is coming back. Isn't that amazing?
Aqua."
The walls of the bathroom, which lay two doors down from Aqua's room, were still fogged up from Ruby's shower. Two wet towels lay curled up in the corner of the room, while another one was in the laundry box; half of it still hanging out of it onto the floor.
The downstairs area was filled with the strong aroma of coffee. The two officers, who were meant to watch out for Aqua came back, sat at the dinner table, reading the newspaper without a single care in the world, like this was just another cold morning for them.
Ruby only entered her room once to grab a few clothes ever since that incident took place. Apart from that, it remained completely untouched, exactly like she had left it. There were a lot of posters and photos on her walls. Some are of Ai, some of anime and manga she liked, while others showed her alongside her loved ones.
"That is everything but amazing," Ruby whispered as she fought back her tears, threatening to start flowing down her cheeks. "Please stop, Aqua, I don't want momma back," Ruby said as her hands tightened around the thin piece of paper, "I want you."