Potential Promise - Manjiro Sano x Reader

Chapter 16

Warning: none         Word Count: 3167

I tossed and turned in my sleep, unable to get comfortable. I was worried all night and even had a nightmare where my brother was beaten senseless in a fight and I wasn't able to help. Safe to say I hadn't slept well, and I couldn't make myself fall asleep. I glanced outside and saw the sky slowly getting brighter and I looked at my clock. It's earlier than usual... but I can't go back to sleep and even if I could, I'd probably oversleep and be late...I sighed as I rolled out of bed, my ankle was throbbing. I looked down and saw the dark bruise begin to appear. At least it's healing... I thought, hopping on one foot to the bathroom to use the bathroom and do my skin care routine. After finishing my routine, I brushed my teeth and got ready for school, shuffling into my clothes and filling my bag with my notes I had taken out last night.

I made my way to the kitchen and made myself some cereal, not feeling like cooking due to how tired I was. I felt my ankle pulsing and decided to rewrap it before I made my way to school. today feels so weird... I can't place it. Maybe I need a change in routine... yeah. I'll take another route to school today. That'll fix the weird vibe! I thought to myself as I finished my cereal, rinsing my utensils and placing the dishwasher. There were finally enough dishes to wash, and I started the dishwasher, planning on taking them out when I got home later on.

I found the first aid kit and sat on the couch as I rewrapped my ankle up with bandages and gauze. It hurt a bit less and I tucked the kit back where I got it before picking up my bag and heading out, locking the door behind me.

I walked out of the building, noticing that the sun hadn't even reached the horizon yet and I sighed. It was eerily quiet outside as I walked down the empty streets of my neighborhood. The nightlife was diminished and nothing but small birds chirping, and a gentle fog were present. I heard a cat screech in panic from an alley and watched an empty can rolled out towards my feet. I swallowed and kept walking, quickening my pace.

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I made my way to school by taking the route I had used a few times last semester. This route was more scenic than my usual route since it winded up a hill and there was a park at the top. When the sun rose, you could watch it shine through the tree leaves and glisten over the river below. I thought it was one of the prettiest spots in town, and I liked it even more since there were hardly any visitors because it wasn't accessible to vehicles. I was out of breath slightly when I got to the top of the stairs that led to the park, stopping to catch my breath as I leaned against a tree. I looked around and It was the same as I remembered it. 

The old swing set was slightly rusted and worn, the trees had started to grow back their leaves from winter, small flowers preparing to bloom, the small jungle gym and monkey bars looked chipped and empty. I felt oddly comforted by the calmness and sat down on one of the swings. The sound of the swing creaking filled the air and I set my bag down next to me, looking out at the horizon as it slowly got brighter. I looked over at the trees that were surrounding the park, a small caving engraved in the old worn bark of one. I smiled softly at it, remembering how it got there.

------ FLASHBACK ------

"Jeez, you're so slow! hurry up already! We're gonna miss it!" my brother called, his annoyance at my pace clearly showing. "I'm coming, it's just so far...!" I whined, my feet dragging as I struggled to walk up the seemingly endless staircase in my yukata.

Today was the new year's festival that I had convinced my brother to go to with me. We usually stayed inside and watched the festivities from home so that we didn't end up in the hectic night life crowd. I was so happy when he agreed to go out for this festival that I even got us festival attire. I mistakenly let him choose the place we'd watch the fireworks from in the midst of all the excitement and I was now convinced he chose this spot out of spite.