Warning: implications of suicide
The snow covered branches of evergreen trees swayed slowly in the blowing breeze as glassy eyes stared up at them blankly. Those eyes had been watching the branches sway for probably a few hours, now, noting the moments when they swayed away for a few seconds, letting the light of the warm sun wash over her face, before they went back to shading her, letting her shiver again.
She had been laying there for a long time. She estimated maybe three hours or so, just laying there in the snow. She was laying on her back in the peaceful, secluded area on the top of the mountain. Occasionally, her mind would remind her how she got there, but mostly, she blankly stared up at the swaying branches, thinking only about the cold shade and warm sunlight.
Suddenly, there was the snap of a tree branch on the ground, which was followed by quick noises of fleet. An animal of some sorts, no doubt.
Out of pure instinct to the noises, she tried to move her arms and legs a bit, but she quickly regretted the decision as she bit her lip, cursing under her breath. She nearly forgot about the fact that her right leg and arm were both twisted into unnatural shapes. Moving even just a little bit sent almost excruciating pain to her, which reminded her quickly of her predicament. Thankfully, she was a bit numbed from the cold, making the pain a bit less than it was a few hours ago.
Only a few feet from where she was laying, there was a small cliff. It was only about two or three metres high, but when she had tumbled down the side of the mountain, it was enough to break many of her bones. Her right leg and arm were mangled, her left foot was probably fractured, a few of her ribs were most likely broken, and her head had hit a rock on the way down, cracking her skull a bit. Adding to all that, her body was littered with open wounds, the white snow tainted red in a few spots near her body, and she wasn't wearing anything warm.
She had given up any hopes of being found a while ago. No one had noticed her leave the lodge, they were all too busy with other things. But, she didn't have much hope to begin with, anyway.
President Fukuzawa had sent the Agency on a three day ski trip, a much needed vacation, especially after everything that had happened with a certain Russian, who would most certainly be trouble again in the near future. It was supposed to be a fun, relaxing trip, as well as a bonding experience. But she wasn't having fun, she didn't feel happy like all the others seemed to be. Something felt off to her. After everyone returned to the lodge for lunch, she decided she needed to just take some time to herself in the crisp, winter air, so she slipped out of the lodge seemingly unnoticed. She hadn't planned on staying out too long, so she didn't wear a warm coat, just a simple jacket.
The young detective ended up straying pretty far from the lodge at the top of the mountain, finding herself standing near a steep cliff. She remembered staring down the edge of it, her thoughts mostly static. But there was a split second where she nearly dared to jump. Her heart had raced as she stepped closer to the edge, darker thoughts starting to overrun her brain. She hadn't been 'happy' for a long time, even before all the troubles with the Guild and what not. She hadn't even been sad, per day. Mostly just... empty.
But before she could make a permanent decision, the sounds of animals making noise in the trees snapped her from her thoughts, and she quickly walked away from the edge of the cliff. She had kept on walking, deciding not to go back to the lodge just yet. Before she knew it, though, her foot caught on a branch, causing her to trip and fall. Since the hill was rather steep, just started tumbling down the side of it until she landed where she was now, just near that small little drop.
The sun was setting now. Her ability couldn't help her at all in this situation, and she didn't think her coworkers/friends were looking for her. She saw three scenarios in her head;
She would either die of blood loss, hypothermia, or the wild animals.
Though, she had come to terms with it. She didn't jump off that cliff earlier, so maybe this was the universe's way of saying that she should've.
Her glassy eyes continued to stare up at those swaying branches as the sun set. She would no longer feel that warmth from the sun on her face ever few seconds. As the light from the sun became dimmer and dimmer, she closed her eyes and exhaled.
She kept them closed for a while, that is, until she heard something that caught her interest. When she opened them again, the sun light was gone from sky, taking all its warmth with it, and she felt cold momentarily. But when she heard another noise, a warm sensation quickly bloomed in her chest, and her glassy eyes started to show sign of life.
"[name]-san?!" A familiar voice called out. It seemed to be coming from the other side of the line of trees that she was laying near. "[name]-san! Are you out here?!" The voice called again as a stream of white light shined around, probably that of a torch.
She opened her mouth quickly, wanting to call out as a smidgen of hope returned to her, but after hours of laying here, not speaking, bleeding out, and freezing, her voice came out as low and hoarse cracks. "A-Atsushi...!" She tried her best to grab the young detective's attention. It was painful to speak, but she tried again. "...At..Atsushi!" She called, her voice quite a bit louder this time.
"[name]-san!" Atsushi said with a gasp. "Where are you? I've been looking for hours!"
"The trees... I am behind the trees... to your right..!" She called out through the pain, and she hoped that she wouldn't have to keep speaking, at least not so loudly.
The distinct sound of someone hurrying through snow covered forest could be heard almost immediately. Branches were snapped, snow was crunched under boots and pushed off of branches that were suddenly moved. In these past few hours, it was the first time [name] was relieved to hear those sounds.
"Oh my gosh, [name]-san!" Atsushi rushed to her side quickly upon seeing her state, kneeling next to her. "I'll call Yosano-sensei right away." He said, urgently pulling out his phone to contact the Agency's doctor.
"Th-Thank you, Atsushi..." [name] muttered quietly. She hadn't noticed before, but as warm liquid started to stream down her frozen cheeks, she realised that tears had pooled in her eyes.
"Don't worry, [name]-san. We'll get you help, you'll be just fine." Atsushi said as he waited for Yosano to pick up. You gave a small nod, instantly regretting it as pain shot through your neck and head.
You gently ebbed your left hand, which was unhurt, towards Atsushi's hand, and he placed it in yours once he noticed, giving a gentle squeeze of reassurance just as Yosano picked up and he quickly explained the situation. His hand was warm.
"Thank you, Atsushi..."
Atsushi represents hope, the cold winter setting represents depression and emptiness.
Sorry that I haven't been updating :( I had school as my excuse, but now that it's summer, I've been feeling really depressed and lonely. This story is a vent, honestly ~_~ but it's better than nothing, yeah? I hope that it's not too bad. I hope to start updating more soon, but honestly, I can't guarantee anything.
Until next time, I guess <3
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Snippets of Time // Bungou Stray Dogs x Reader One-Shots
FanficI don't write very much anymore but on occasion I may still try to write here or there.
