SOTF Archive/SOTF Classic

((Manuel Figueroa continued from all of our heroes fading))

Yuki hadn't been on the announcements. Thank God for small favors. It was raining and there was no shelter other than a jacket and a blanket. People were dropping like flies and he thought that the class would be better than this. Some had gone into killing for what may as well have been fun, and others ...

Well, there was one person that was, somewhat understandably, taking this very badly. This would have been even more understandable if Katrina had stabbed Yuko back while they were in Virginia or somewhere like that, where it would have been illegal as shit and it would have ended with several people tackling Katrina into the ground, but the problem was that here, Katrina's actions were encouraged. And someone was going to do something very similar to Yuka within the next week. It was just a matter of what Yuka was going to do about it. If what Sal had said about what happened lat night was true, then the end result was going to see Yuka join her sister sooner rather than later. Speaking of that ...

"Hey. We need to talk about ..." Manuel whispered as he jerked his head toward Yuka.

((Sal Bonaventura continued from now i can't stand to be alone))

Sal's head jerked up at the sound of Manuel's voice. His thoughts were so fixed on the events of the previous night that he hadn't even noticed that he was staring down at his feet. Pretty stupid of him, to be honest. If he kept that up, it wouldn't be long before Manuel noticed that something was up with him, and started asking questions that he wasn't nearly prepared to answer.

Speaking of questions, however... Sal glanced over towards Yuka before turning back to the guy next to him. She seemed to be out of earshot, but, lowering their voices wouldn't hurt either. It still wouldn't be a very good look to be whispering conspiratorially for very long, so they'd have to make this quick. Sal responded with a whisper of his own, his eyes fixed on the girl just ahead of him, watching for any sudden turns or stops.

"...What about her?"

"What about her?" Manuel looked at Yuka, then Sal before letting it spill.

"She's hurting, and she's trying to hold it in." For whatever reason. "She keeps this up for too long, she's going to break." It was likely too late to say that. Yuka was probably breaking right then and there. She hadn't said a word since the first announcement.

(Yuki Hayashibara, continued from Hayashibara Heartbreak)

Yuki’s journey had once again led her into the wilderness. The greenery was deceptively beautiful. So much so, it could mask any threats nearby. Yuki kept a watchful eye as she continued walking. Dead leaves and tall grass cracked and crunched with every step she took.

She hadn’t seen anyone since she’d separated from Arizona, Lizzie, and Saffron. She was becoming more and more paranoid, for if she were to meet another person, she wouldn’t be able to predict if they were a friend or a foe. If they were a foe, she would be at a major disadvantage, as she had tossed her “weapon” on the first day.

Her mind was focused on finding her sister Yuka. She was all Yuki had left. She wanted to see Yuka again, to talk to her again, to paint nails and style her hair. Yuki would much rather be at home reading a good book and writing a new story. Why did she and sisters agree to go on this trip? Why did Yuko have to die? It just wasn’t fair. If they had stayed home, they could have been able to pursue the careers they desired. But none of that mattered anymore. Not while they were here, wandering around until someone came to put them out of their misery.

Yuki’s body began to sway from side to side as she continued walking. She started to feel a bit lightheaded, so she stopped to squat and reach into her bag for some water. As she drank from the bottle, the cry of birds could be heard in the distance.

Sal paused for a moment, staring off into the distance for a second before snapping back to focus on Manuel. He was right, but... what could either of them do about it? A feeling of helplessness washed over him for what felt like the hundredth time as he gave one of the most lame, non-committal responses that could possibly be mustered.

"Yeah... I don't know if there's anything we can do to help, though."

That wasn't the response he wanted. Well, Sal knew something had to be done, but his statement, that he didn't know if anything could be done, was disconcerting, to say the least. But still, in spite of part of him agreeing with what Sal said, Manuel couldn't help but disagree.

"She has to let it out. Her sister just died, what, two days ago? It's going to come out one way or the other. It's just whether it's on her terms or if it happens at the worst possible time."

Okay...

The thing was, Manuel may have been right, in a technical sense. Bottling up your emotions is pretty much universally accepted to be the wrong way of handling your issues, but it isn't so easy to just 'let it out'. What did he even want her to do? Just start screaming or some shit? And where did the two of them fit in? Sal glanced to the side before back to Manuel, staring at him quizzically.

"Where are you going with this?"

Yuki took a few bites of her bread after realizing she hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning. As she chewed on the bland loaf, she could hear voices. Were these in her head? Was she starting to go insane?

That was when she noticed two boys in the distance. She quickly got to her feet and hid behind the tree nearest to her. She peeked out from hiding to examine the boys coming closer.

It didn’t seem as if they had a weapon on either of them. They could have tucked them into their bags. If that were the case, their weapons would likely have to be small in size. Maybe they had a handgun or a knife. Or they could have something relatively harmless, like a whoopie cushion. They might not be threatening in actuality. Whatever the case, Yuki remained cautious.

"Where are you going with this?"

Where was Manuel going with this? It should have been obvious, but it was coming from a stressed out high school student with little knowledge in the way of sociology, so rather than having some impassioned plea or concrete plan, all Manuel had was

"She needs to ... I don't know how to really put it. It's like she's bottling everything in and I don't like it. She's sad and angry that Yuko's dead. I don't see why she wants to pretend that she isn't. I mean, why wouldn't she be?"

It was becoming apparent that Manuel had no idea what he was talking about. What did he think he was, some kind of psychiatrist? Did he honestly not comprehend why someone would not make an obvious show of their grief, or was he just playing dumb for some reason?

However, as much as he wanted to chew the guy out for that, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to make a scene about it. As things stood, the best that he could put forward was a sort of mild frustration, hoping to put an end to this conversation as soon as possible.

"She's always been like this, though. She's, like, the strong, silent type, you know? I, well, I feel just as bad for her as you do, but if she doesn't want to let everything out, I don't think there's any way that we can force her."

Manuel shrugged. He knew that and it was comforting to know that Sal at least wanted to help just as much. It just felt so shitty that he couldn't do anything about it.

"I just thought we should do something."

Sal just gave a shrug. It was all he could do at this point, really. If Manuel didn't get the hint by now, he really didn't know what he'd do. Yuka was probably getting far ahead anyway, if they didn't catch up soon, they might lose her.

"Well, if you get any good ideas, let me know. I'm all ears."

And with that, he began walking away, towards his other traveling companion.

((Yuka Hayashibara continues from now i can't stand to be alone))

Yuka stumbled onwards, alone, midway through this eternal trek across the island, this never-ending search for Yuki. The boys hung meters, miles, oceans behind her, together. They were probably talking about what happened last night. The aftermath of it felt permanent, irreversible in several ways.

The mix of rain and sweat and tears and snot settled on her face, her skin, left this chill, this film that hugged her and wrapped her and masked her, but the mask was not one she was used to wearing. It felt unlike her, unlike the happiness and care-free attitude she was supposed to be, and yet it stuck to her skin and was becoming her. It replaced the makeup that had long, long been washed off by the rain and tears, leaving a bare face that only her family used to see. And yet, despite the film, she still felt exposed, naked, after what Sal had seen.

They walked together and continued searching because it was what they had been doing. She went along with them, stayed with them, didn't drift off from them, not because she had any fondness for them, or any desire to stay with them. She went along with them because she had not planned for what would happen post-exposure, so the same old plans were as good as any.

Sal and Manuel hung together, behind her. And she didn't look at them the entire way. They didn't trust her, she realized. Sal feared her. She didn't hear any whispers, any hints of sounds from them, but they were probably talking about how unhinged she was, how she was just a second from snapping. And they weren't even wrong. They feared her, and they were right, but it didn't sink into her like last time. Even the dread of that realization felt hollow.

Yuka stumbled on, alone, Sal and Manuel hanging together like shadows, ghosts, reminding her of her mistakes. She had considered slipping away from them, during the second announcements. She forced herself to listen, despite every muscle in her body screaming not to, if only to confirm that she still had a reason to live. Yuki's name did not come up, and that brought a second of relief, and then it didn't, because she still wasn't with her. After the speakers quieted down, she considered leaving them, but realized that she had been leading the way anyways, for some reason. She would be as directionless alone as they had been this entire time. There was no point to staying, but there was no point to leaving. So they continued on.

She stumbled on, mindless. Numbness was easy. Yuko hurt. The thought of wanting to see Yuki, but not having her, it hurt. So, it was best to think of nothing. She stumbled on, and would've done so for minutes and hours and days had a thumping sound not caught her attention.

She heard footsteps getting closer, whether it was Sal or Manuel, she couldn't tell. She turned to check, if only to confirm that they were still following her.

Sal outpaced Manuel, an expression on his face indicating he had something to say. Maybe they would finally leave her. Maybe she would finally be alone. It had been inevitable, since last night. And then, she saw a glimpse of something behind a tree. The black hem of a skirt.

One that she had picked out.

Her eyes lit up for the first time in days. Ignoring the two, she broke into a sprint, and ran for that tree, tears in the corners of her eyes, grin almost splitting her face, arms wide open.

"SISTER!"

The sound of a familiar voice broke Yuki’s concentration from the two boys. A wave of surprise, joy, and relief swept over her as she turned her attention to the source of the voice. A girl with light green hair and a suspender skirt was rushing toward her, arms open. Yuki, with tears in her eyes, opened her arms in tandem.

“YUKA!”

Her voice cracked a bit as she embraced her sister. All the loneliness Yuki endured during the past day and a half felt like it had melted away, like an ice cube in a hot bowl. It was as if the universe had taken pity on this lost girl and threw her a bone. She was so happy, she had almost forgotten about the two boys she spotted, until she caught a glimpse of them standing at a near distance from them.

“Oh! Yuka,” Yuki whispered, trying to remain calm, still embraced in her sister’s hug, “those boys!”

"Well, if you get any good ideas, let me know. I'm all ears."

Maybe it was the best they would get for now. Manuel just shook is head as Sal's pace quickened.

"SISTER!"

Huh? Manuel looked up Yuka, approaching someone in the distance.

“YUKA!” Another voice, one that sounded just like Yuka, which could only mean one person ...

“Oh! Yuka, those boys!” As Manuel approached, he kept his hands up above his head, empty. Hopefully something good would come out of this.