Rearranging Fate | Tokyo Revengers x OC

127 • The Final Declaration

Despite the ache in her bones and the weight of her eyes, Reina just couldn't fall asleep. She would close her eyes, drift off, then wake up gasping and in a fit of cold sweat a few minutes later, unable to remember what it was that had woken her up so violently. After the fourth time, she lurched forward and retched.

Heaving out nothing but spit and stomach acid, Reina felt tears prickling her eyes. She wiped her spit-filled hands on her shirt. Her damp hair clung to her clammy face. Her heart felt as if it would burst out of her ribs at any second. Curling into herself, she hugged her twisting stomach, feeling sick all over again.

Three knocks on her door and it was swung open without her verbal permission. Lifting her head from where it was buried in the blankets, Reina narrowed her eyes at the visitor.

"It's medicine personally brought by your doctor," Sanzu explained upon noticing the distrustful glare sent his way. "This can be taken on an empty stomach, so you don't have to eat anything."

Placing the tray of medicine and water on her nightstand, Sanzu placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a squeeze that seemed more like a threat than a gesture of comfort. "The sooner you drink it, the less painful it'll be."

Keeping her hand clasped over her mouth, Reina took a deep breath and straightened her back. Clenching her eyes shut when she couldn't take the spinning room, Reina leaned back until her head touched the headboard, swallowing the rising bile in her throat before opening her eyes.

"The doctor said three spoons are fine if you're really in pain." Uncapping the medicine, Sanzu poured the thick liquid onto a tablespoon. Akise had lectured everyone for an entire hour about the medicine and medical procedures before leaving for Osaka. "He said this is a new medicine for you, so he hopes it's effective, especially the sleeping drug in it."

Not wanting to throw up again, Reina let Sanzu spoon-feed her the medicine. Leaning back against the headboard, she glared at him, wondering how the fuck he managed to appear at the right time. It wasn't like she was making any loud sound. Both the walls and the door should be thick enough to drown her gasps, at the very least.

"I couldn't sleep the first few days too, Reina," he said as if it explained why he just knew when to appear. "I knew this would happen, so I waited outside."

Good gracious, this fucking bastard. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Reina took a deep breath and exhaled. Going forth, situations like these were bound to happen often, so she might as well be used to having at least Sanzu, Izana, or Inui waiting outside her bedroom. Knowing Izana and Inui, they might even demand to sleep in the same room with her.

Pressing her temples together, Reina pushed herself off the bed. Sanzu remained standing beside the bed, not sparing her a glance as she walked past him. She also ignored him in favor of making her way towards the window. Taking a seat in the window nook, Reina opened the window, breathing in the night air.

"How long have you known?"

"Your appearance is easy to recognize." Sanzu didn't need to ask what Reina was talking about as it was already quite obvious. "You can cut your hair short and bind your chest." She could drink poison to change her skin tone or get plastic surgery for all he cared because it wouldn't have mattered. "But there's no way I wouldn't recognize the girl who tried to befriend Mikey...and the girl who threw herself off a bridge for Shin-nii."

She supposed she should be grateful Sanzu wasn't a snitch. Then again, nobody would've believed him if he had outed her back then, and she knew she would've killed him two years ago even at the slightest accusation of him being a stray cogwheel.

"For the longest time, my world was just a rural village viewed from the attic window." Pulling her knees to her chest, Reina stared at the empty sky. Sanzu should've known about this because he was a stray cogwheel who knew what had happened to Harui and Mirai. "And yet, I fought tooth and nail to live through it, and I find myself here, wondering why I tried so hard."