— It's over…
I… I'm really nothing to him anymore, Nari sobbed.
Aera rocked her like a child.
— You are not nothing.
You are not nothing, do you hear me? she repeated softly, over and over.
Ryo arrived with the hot chocolate, his eyes red.
He set the cup on the table without daring to speak.
The living room was filled with Nari's sobs.
And with the terrible feeling…
that a heart had truly just been broken in two.
Aera took Nari in her arms as one carries something sacred.
She guided her to the bed, gently, as if the slightest movement could fracture her even more.
Nari no longer spoke.
She barely breathed.
Each breath seemed to cost her a battle.
Aera sat on the edge of the mattress and rocked her slowly, stroking her hair damp with tears.
— Shh… I'm here, my beautiful…
Her voice trembled, despite all her efforts to stay strong.
Her fingers slid along Nari's temple, tracing invisible lines to soothe the chaos.
Nari parted her lips, the air still burning from sobs.
Aera whispered soft words to her, sentences that didn't necessarily make sense but carried the warmth of a refuge.
And then…
Aera's tears fell despite herself.
First one.
Then two.
Then a silent flow she tried to hide by burying her face in Nari's hair.
— You don't deserve this… You don't deserve any of this…, she breathed in a trembling whisper.
Nari, exhausted, eventually fell asleep in her arms, like a child emptied of emotion.
Her breathing became regular, almost fragile.
Aera stayed still for a long moment, still holding her, until she was sure she was deeply asleep.
Only then did she stand up.
In the living room
Ryo was sitting on the couch, his gaze lost in the void, his hands clasped between his knees.
He hadn't left.
He was waiting.
In silence.
When Aera arrived, her red, swollen eyes were enough to tell the whole story.
She sat down next to him…
and she broke.
Not by screaming.
Not by writhing.
By letting heavy, warm tears fall, too long held back.
Ryo didn't hesitate for a second.
He pulled her against him, held her, placed his large hand behind her head to keep her from collapsing completely.
Aera grabbed his t-shirt, as if she were trying to cling to something that wouldn't run away.
— I… I'm completely powerless, Ryo…, she said in a broken voice.
— Hey… no. Stop. You're helping her more than you think.
She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
— It breaks my heart… to see her like that. Nari deserves so much better… so much better.
She's a strong woman, you see? A woman who… who gives everything… and look what she gets in return…
Her voice broke.
Ryo tightened his embrace, sliding his hand into Aera's short hair to calm her.
— I know, Aera… I know…, he murmured.
His voice was deep, low, almost tender.
— But she has you. And she has us. And believe me, that… that's worth more than you think.
Aera nodded weakly.
— I don't want to cry in front of her… I have to be strong for her… I have to hold on…
— You have the right to be human too, Ryo replied, stroking the top of her head.
— And you're not alone, ok?
She lifted her eyes to him.
Their faces were only a few centimeters apart.
They could feel their breaths mingling.
Ryo looked at her lips.
Very briefly.
But enough for her heart to miss a beat.
Aera swallowed nervously.
Then…
Then she pushed him away with a sharp gesture, red as a tomato.
— Whoa whoa whoa, easy! We drank way too much tonight! And with everything that happened, our brains are mush! No way you're doing your charm routine on me right now!
Ryo raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk on his face:
— Oh? And why are you "charmed," then…?
He leaned slightly forward, like a cat stalking its prey.
Aera turned scarlet.
— Get out of my place, you pretentious earthworm!!
Ugly!!
Not funny!!
NOT interested!!
Go on, OUT!! Before I strangle you with your unbuttoned shirt!!!
— Huh?!? Me?? An earthworm???
He burst out laughing.
— You insult me but you're all red, little witch.
— WITCH?!
She threw a cushion at his face.
— Get out before I send your soul to hell!!
— Alright alright, I'm going!
He grabbed his coat, laughing.
— Good night, Miss Storm.
— OUT!!
But as he went through the door, he added softly — without her seeing him:
— Good night, Aera…
And don't worry… I won't let you go.
The door closed.
Aera exhaled for a long moment, alone in the silence of the living room.
Then she went back to the bedroom, where Nari was sleeping.
— I'll protect you for as long as it takes…, she murmured.
And for the first time in weeks…
She felt ready to fight for two.
The next day
Everything was silent.
Too silent.
Aera was still asleep, curled up against Nari like a little sister who wanted to protect her even in her dreams.
Her brown hair scattered across the pillow, her weak arms resting on the sheet, as if the night had drained all her strength.
Nari opened her eyes first.
The sky behind the curtains was still dark.
The cold dawn air slipped softly through the windows, like a breath reminding her that life went on… even when you didn't want it to.
Her heart made a strange sound in her chest:
a fragile, painful beat, as if something there had permanently cracked.
She got up without a sound.
Her legs trembled a little, but she didn't want to wake anyone.
Not Aera.
Not that soft light that had watched over her the night before.
She grabbed a pack of cigarettes.
Then she stepped out onto the balcony.
The air bit into her bare skin.
Her oversized t-shirt slipped off her shoulder, her bare legs shivered, but she didn't move.
She sat on the ground, her back against the cold railing.
She lit a cigarette.
The first drag burned her throat.
The second suffocated her heart.
The third… numbed her a little.
But the pain stayed.
Lurking there, under her ribs.
She lifted her eyes to the still-night sky, where a few dying stars were slowly fading away.
A whisper crossed her mind:
"Every time I start to rise a little… something drags me back down even lower…"
A tear fell, silently.
She wiped it away with the tip of her finger, almost irritated to still be capable of crying.
Sion.
That name echoed in her skull like a wound that refused to heal.
Any hope of seeing him again…
of finding him better…
of maybe one day being reborn together…
Had died last night.
Died in a way even nightmares could never have imagined.
She took another drag.
The smoke dissolved into the icy air —
exactly like what remained of her hope.
She stayed there a long time.
A very long time.
One cigarette.
Then another.
Then another.
Time no longer moved.
The cold didn't either.
She did.
She was breaking a little more with every second.
When the sun finally began to blue the sky, she stood up with difficulty.
Her muscles were heavy, her heart even heavier.
She went back into the bedroom.
Aera was still asleep, her mouth slightly open, clutching her pillow like a child.
Nari approached.
She gently slipped a hand into her hair, a fragile gesture, a silent gesture of gratitude.
— Thank you, Aera… she murmured.
Then, exhausted, she lay back down beside her
and fell asleep almost instantly, her forehead against Aera's warm shoulder.