It's 'Goodbye' in English [Nagisa Shiota/OC] -- DISCONTINUED.

The Hollow Shell

“That’s not funny,” he said silently but with a small thoughtful smile on his face. In the battlefield, food was like a blessing. Like a small pool of water in the middle of the Sahara desert, which seemed too real to be true.

But here in a place where you can’t even tell time and they’re barely getting enough oxygen, there’s no way they can even score a meal. It’s either they dig for bugs or rats or even start chewing out their boots. None of the choices are acceptable. And that was too much even though they are usually trained to survive on meager supplies as much as possible.

The battlefield, after all, would never wait at anything to explode and along its lines the supplies dwindle.

She laughed lightly. “But… you see… I’m kind off hungry.” Pulling out a pin from her hair, she started drawing lines on the ground making small scratching noises.

“It would take long to spark a fire using rocks, you know?” he said, looking at her silent activity as if it’s something that sparks actual interest.

“How about gunpowder?”

“No twigs either.”

“How about I eat you?”

“That’s impossible,” he sat back and settled his hands on his stomach. “You see, you won’t survive since I’m so skinny.”

She blinked at him once, twice, then grinned before giving him a playful punch in the shoulder which actually hurt. He flinched lightly and rubbed the part she punched.

“…Heh… you’re really cute~” she exclaimed, trying to reach him since he backed away completely at the sudden statement. He cowered in the corner, looking at her suspiciously.

“S-Stop it…” he awkwardly lowered his head, as if covering his face in shame like a young boy forced to admit that he ate all the chocolates kept in the freezer.

She laughed lightly. “Hey, it’s alright, I’m just teasing you… ahahaha… more like an experiment?” she settled back, clutching herself and silently patted the space next to her again.

He gazed back at her for a few seconds then away again, rubbing his palm on the back of his head. “…Not today.”

“…”

Silence then a half-hearted smile. “Alright.”

She pulled her legs to her chest and groaned lightly. He peeked from his elbow, ready to offer assistance when needed but she didn’t ask him, instead she buried her head in her knees and went silent.

The only thing he heard from her was her soft and methodical breathing.

He breathed out a soft sigh, whether it’s out of relief or safety that she’s asleep he never knew since he too after a few minutes confided in sleep. After all, with them away from the war and basic necessities of survival sleep always made it look like they don’t have to worry about anything.

Sleep, like an inviting stairs to freedom, led them away from thinking of how long before the air in their lungs finally gave in. He had the same dreams of birds fluttering in the sky freely without having to bring ruin upon anyone’s life, a pure and empty delusion.

And a spell broke as he heard the tap of water as it lightly sailed on top of his head. It immediately stirred him to life. Brushing it and moving aside immediately, he looked up at the debris where the water’s coming down.

“…Hmmnnn… Nagisa?”

He glanced back at her and motioned the water drops. She looked up at the debris and softly smiled. “Rainwater?”