Enlighten me [ENG]

Enlighten me

For J-1178, the first day of the year would be like any other... if not worse.
A thought that was by no means isolated: the celebrations of the night that would mark the end of one year and the beginning of another had started to worry every cell of the body in which they lived. From the top of the head to the tips of the toes, the worry that they would all be plunged into the nightmare that each of them had experienced was common: a large amount of alcohol and food, especially food full of sugars, was expected to be consumed that night, and all this could cause the beginning of serious problems such as diabetes and, in the worst case, alcohol poisoning.
Worried about the possibility of the return of a scenario she would never want to relive, the young pink-haired warrior leaned her back against the wall of a narrow capillary and closed her eyes. A heavy sigh escaped from between her lips, while the hand gripping the hilt of her sword had begun to tremble. J-1178's nerves were on edge, her mind crowded with sad thoughts from a dark past that she wished she would erase.
One... two... three... four...
The warrior had begun counting every single second until the stroke of midnight. It wasn't long before the passage from one year to the next: with each ticking minute, her ears heard the sound of the red blood cells' quick footsteps as they busied themselves with deliveries and, in the distance, the sound of their comrades' sabers plunging into the fierce enemies' flesh.
Faced with that last detail, J-1178 began to sweat cold. From her walkie-talkie came a call to a sector not far from that place, but she ignored that order: suddenly those terrible memories of the past had come back to dominate her, alternating with the strong breathlessness of the red blood cells that kept delivering oxygen and taking carbon dioxide to be brought to the lungs for expulsion.
Her companions' continuous call from the walkie-talkie rumbled in her ears, despite still being on her belt. It was an urgent call, but actually far from the desperate cry she had heard in those days filled with darkness: rather, it was filled with lightness and cheerfulness.
«Where are you? We need you: there's a big show here!»
«Hey, you're missing all the fun!»
But those terrible memories had ended up covering that joyful call. J-1178 remembered when she was in the hospital, huddled in the corner of a room where doctors and nurses were running with stretchers of severely injured immunity cells: that scene was now distant in time, but in that moment it seemed so close, damn near a breath away from her.
Perhaps, even at the end of her life cycle, the warrior wouldn't have completely overcome those terrible moments of anguish.

Breathe... breathe... it's going to be okay... it's going to be okay...

J-1178 decided to follow that suggestion from the depths of her heart and took a deep breath, followed by another, and another. Still with her eyes closed, she let the hand that wasn't holding the sword's grip reach for the walkie-talkie; however, in trying to grasp it, it slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground, shutting down with the impact on the ground.
«D-Damn it!»
The warrior opened her eyes and bent down. When her hand reached for the walkie-talkie again, her fingers accidentally touched those of another person who was picking it up.
She looked up, and her eyes met the serene ones of a co-worker she knew very well.
«... 01-san?»

«It's not like you to be so careless... however, it can happen when you're overthinking. Is something bothering you?»
The raven-haired red blood cell returned the walkie-talkie to her.
J-1178 looked into his eyes and an embarrassed smile appeared between her lips. «Forgive me... now I'm fine, thank you» she said after putting the walkie-talkie back on her belt.
«I can see that you're so fine, at the point that you forgot to turn that on again» DA4901 pointed out without batting an eyelid, indicating the object he had just given her. «But it doesn't bother me, on the contrary...»
«Gasp, you're right!»
The leucocyte jumped and was about to pick up the walkie-talkie again, but she stopped. With her thumb on the power button, she hesitantly said to her companion: «But... if I turn that on right now, there's no doubt that I'll receive a call... and I don't want that to happen right now...»
«Would you like to slack off today of all days?»
«Why do you ask? Aren't you doing the same thing?»
The red blood cell raised an eyebrow. «What do you mean?»
«You're talking to me when you should be focusing on deliveries...»
«My job is also to help those in need: that's why I'm here, the work can wait.»
«Not when you red blood cells are short-handed, 01-san.»
«That fades into the background if I can help you with your worries. Besides... I can say the same about you too: you white blood cells are short-handed too.»
J-1178 was silent for a few seconds, then murmured an «Actually you're right, I'd better go: this body needs my help too...»
The warrior was about to leave, but DA4901 stopped her. «Wait. You know you can tell me what happened, 78-san: I know you well, you can't give your best when something is bothering you...»
Silence, again. J-1178 couldn't say a word: her look was more and more full of sadness, and for this reason the red blood cell approached her and took her hand, to give her courage.
«Then I'll start by telling you what's on my mind» DA4901 said, shaking her hand. «I have something that's giving me a lot to think about... do you think that tonight something might happen and put everyone in danger? It's true that we're used to risking our lives by now... however, I don't want any more messes to arise, not for the time being. Or do you think I'm too worried?»
The girl parted her lips in surprise. Her companion had had the same concerns as her, and she was completely certain he wasn't lying to her when she felt his grip grow stronger. Although DA4901 was usually very good at hiding his emotions, from that contact J-1178 could sense fear and anguish, fear of reliving the nightmare of the past again, and fear of losing someone very dear to him, just as had happened before.
«You're... you're right to be worried, 01-san.» She looked him straight in the eye and took his other hand, squeezing it more tightly. «I... I was just thinking about that too... and on the one hand I hope I'm wrong, but on the other hand...»
«It's okay to be afraid of the future, 78-san.» DA4901 wrapped the warrior's hands in his own and brought them to her chest. «Thank you for letting me know I'm not the only one thinking something like that. That being said, it is true that there is a great traffic in the blood vessels tonight... however, so far it doesn't seem like anything that tragic yet: that's why I was thinking that I was exaggerating my fears. Maybe... maybe, after all, we can still trust this world... maybe we're wrong to have these apocalyptic thoughts...»
«Because we're still alive?»
The leucocyte's sudden question caused the red blood cell to slip a smile. «You said that still as if you expected to die at any moment.»
«It's the truth, 01-san. You don't know when we're going to die, so it's best to be prepared for the eventuality.»
«I'd rather not think about it, 78-san. The thought of death... I don't know, maybe it scares me. Anyway, it troubles me, that's all.»
That last sentence, said with a hint of bitterness, also saddened J-1178. She moved her hands, now intertwined, to his chest and pressed herself to DA4901. «You know I will die before you in the best case scenario» whispered the leucocyte, after giving a sigh. «You would live long enough to see other versions of me being born and growing up, and in the end dying: they'll still be me, but maybe I'll never remember you... and if you're scared of the thought of death, I'm scared of this thought because, if something like that were to happen, it would be worse than dying...»
The red blood cell left J-1178's hands and wrapped her in an embrace. That soft gesture gave her warmth and peace of mind, to the point that the weight of those last thoughts she had gradually became lighter.
«Let's not think about it, 78-san» DA4901 said with a gentle touch on her cheek. «I'm glad you're here... and I'm sure that as long as we're together, everything will be fine. Since your recovery, the situation has improved a lot and, with you at full strength, these blood vessels will always be protected. As for everything else... well, we'll take care of that when the time comes»
The warrior took his face in her hands and looked straight into his eyes again. Then, her gaze moved around, looking at every corner of that place they were in: an attitude that made the red blood cell suspicious.
«Is something wrong? Is there... is there an enemy around?» he asked her, afraid that something dangerous was approaching them.
And she, with a leap, placed a tender kiss on her partner's lips. «You're right, we don't have to think about it» she whispered to him, playing with the wisps of DA4901's hair that protruded from the black brim. «Would you like to meet at your apartment at midnight? I want to celebrate the beginning of the new year with you... only you.»
«I don't think so, you know very well that we have to work at that hour.» With a bit of embarrassment, the red blood cell looked away from her. «But... but if you want we can meet somewhere. I too would like to be by your side at that time...»
«Do you think this could be the perfect place for the two of us?» the leucocyte asked. «So tight and quiet... a perfect place to "run wild"...»
«This is actually scary for me» DA4901 replied with an amused smile. «You want us to start the year with a murder? I remind you that this is a great place for bacteria, too.»
J-1178 burst out laughing. «It wouldn't hurt to have a little snack in the meantime!»
With a quick gesture the warrior turned on the walkie-talkie. With her hands she encircled the nape of her companion's neck and their faces drew closer again. «Now I must go... thank you again for everything, 01-san. Without you I would never have regained hope in the future, really... and tonight, when sleep will numb the muscles of this body, the circulation will slow down and so we will have another chance to be alone again, I want that all the only memories I will have are the happy ones with you.»
This time it was DA4901 who gave her a kiss on the lips. «I promise you that it will be like that. After all, it's also because of you that I'm having trust to live in a better world. I'm sure that, together, we can overcome any struggle.»