𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙚 | 𝘢𝘬𝘪 𝘩. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

029. | ᴇᴍᴘᴛʏ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇꜱ

The next few weeks passed by in a blur of doctors' visits, physical therapy sessions, and tedious rounds of medication. Touko spent most of her time in her hospital bed, her body slowly but surely regaining its lost strength and agility.

Her days were filled with the sounds of machines beeping, the scent of antiseptic in the air, and the sight of the same white walls every time she opened her eyes. It was a monotonous routine, but one that was necessary for her recovery.

As Touko's body slowly regained its strength, the gash in her stomach was healing at a remarkable rate. The doctors had done a great job of treating the injury, and her body was responding well to their care.

She could feel the pain in her stomach gradually fading, replaced by a dull ache as the muscles and tissue slowly stitched themselves together. With every passing day, she was able to move around a little more, her body regaining its former agility and vigor.

Yet despite the progress she was making, Touko still felt the weight of her injury on her psyche. It had been a close call, one that had shaken her to her core and made her question her own mortality.

But she pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on her recovery. She was determined to get back out into the field as soon as possible, to prove to herself (and to everyone else) that she was still a capable Hunter.

Despite her lingering pain and weariness, Touko found a small measure of comfort in the visits from Denji and Power. They came to see her regularly, often telling her stories from their recent missions and how things were going back at the apartment.

She found herself looking forward to their visits, their energetic presence a welcome distraction from the sterile environment of the hospital. They would talk and joke with her, their chaotic energy lifting her spirits and helping her to forget (at least for a moment) the reason she was there in the first place.

Their conversations were rarely focused on the mission that had landed her in the hospital, and Touko was grateful for that. She didn't want to dwell on her failure or the pain of her injury. Instead, she appreciated the lightheartedness of their banter and the way they made her laugh, even when she was feeling at her lowest.

Despite the frequent visits from Denji and Power, one person was conspicuously absent from Touko's list of hospital visitors: Aki.

Touko couldn't help but notice the absence of his tall, stoic figure. His absence stung more than she cared to admit, and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was more than upset with her due to her previous move.

As the days went by and Aki still didn't visit her, Touko's concern and frustration only grew. She felt a mixture of understanding and hurt at his avoidance.

She tried to brush it off, telling herself that it wasn't worth dwelling on. But the truth was, the fact that he was avoiding her was eating away at her, making her even more on edge than usual.

It didn't help that Denji and Power often brought up Aki in their conversations, casually mentioning his name or their latest adventures together. Touko tried to hide her discomfort, not wanting to let on just how much his absence bothered her.

Touko's mind kept replaying the events of the mission over and over again, each time ending in the same way: her sacrificing herself to save Aki.

As Touko lay in her hospital bed, thinking about Aki's absence, she knew deep down that her sacrifice had done more than just strained their relationship. She had seen the look of terror and helplessness in his eyes as she stepped in front of him, sacrificing herself to protect him.

She knew that his avoidance was a direct result of her actions. He didn't want to see her get hurt or die in front of him, and he was probably struggling with his own emotions about the whole ordeal.