The Liar and The Patient

The Liar

Takagi hung the phone up. She took a deep breath and released a big sigh. She looked out the window. Gray clouds had covered the city sky, with the street view looking almost shrouded in mist. Even though her room was at a rather tall point of the building, it still wasn't enough to see the mountain ranges in the distance.

"Is that really okay?" Her mother was sitting at the sofa next to her, asking with a slight frown and crossed arms.

"This will do for now." Takagi turned to her as she allowed herself a smile. "I can't say too much since Natsu was there."

"They will have to know at some point." Her mom continued in a monotone.

"I know." Takagi's smile grew sour. "I'll tell them eventually."

"Just take it slow. I'll go buy dinner now." Her mom got up and patted her on the head before leaving the room.

Takagi stared blankly at the dark phone screen. The dark rings around her eyes were obvious even in the black reflection, and those weren't a result of her illness. Instead, they were caused by some sleepless nights, haunted by her own worries. Those same worries were ready to torment her once more as she was left alone with her thoughts. Suddenly, the screen lit up with a ping, showing a notification for a message while casting away the bitterness. She clicked on it with her bandaged hand, revealing a picture at the bottom of the chat log with the text 'Welcome back', sent by her dearest Nishikata. The photo was one of an angel ladder above a distant mountain range. The light peeking out from the clouds was as if telling her to be positive.

"Oh Nishikata, don't make it harder than it already is." Her lips curved upward genuinely, triggered by a warmth in her heart.

-----

The day of her return came by rather fast. Takagi was leaning against the fence of the boat, looking out to the vast water. The sunlight reflected onto the surface of the ocean, as the blinding shimmers moved up and down with the wave. Trailing the glitter to the direction the boat was moving in, Shodo Island could be vividly seen bathing under the golden ray. Takagi's gaze landed on Tonosho port, which she was no stranger to seeing. She could almost see the route she always walked to get to school, the abandoned lot where many contests were held, the barebone yet comfy snack shop, and of course, the old shrine, all of which she missed so much.

Somehow, tears began to gather up at her eye sockets, fogging up her vision. She wiped them off, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She imagined her beloved Nishikata waiting for her at the dock in an attempt to calm herself down. After all, she didn't want to welcome him in tears. However, when she imagined his cheery face, tears escaped from the corner of her closed eye. She tried shutting them tighter, but all that did was squeeze out more.

"Takagi-chan, is everything alright?"

A warm hand wiped off the tears on her cheeks. Takagi opened her eyes and turned around. Her mother was gently stroking her hair with a concerned frown.

"I'm just... struggling on how I'm going to tell him." Takagi confessed with a forced chuckle.

"You will find a way." Her mom replied with a smile. "Nishikata won't be mad at you. You know that better than anyone."

"That's not what I'm worrying about." Takagi sniffed and raised her head up. A gust of ocean wind dried off the rest of her tears, causing her to pull her wavering scarf closer to her face. With this fierce gale, heavy clouds would surely catch up to this clear sky, shrouding the land in gray soon.

The ferry soon docked in. As she got off the deck, the first thing she saw was, of course, her dear boyfriend, Nishikata. He was standing right at the entrance, looking around in a stiff manner almost like a robot, panning around for his designated target. As their eyes met, she could clearly see red taking over his cheeks as his body jolted to being even stiffer than it was. She ran up and stopped in front of him with a bright grin.