A Change in Life

Ice-cream

I stared at Takagane as he wordlessly pulled away from me, paid for our necklaces, and left the store. His ears, I noticed with a smile, were a deep shade of red, like a tomato, and they looked like they were glowing.  Laughing to myself I ran after him to where he was standing with Jizuo and Kitsu.

"What'd you two do in'er anyways? Taka's red as my grandma's strawberries." Jizuo grinned at the two of us, but there was something in his tone that sounded kind of off. I brushed it off as Takagane jabbed him in the ribs.

"I checked the time of the hospital hours, so let's go before it closes." Kitsu patted Jizuo's back in a comforting way.

Seemingly in our own minds, we walked the last few blocks in silence. Once we were cleared to go inside the hospital by security, we piled into the elevator. 

"So, just me, or this hospital kinda big for bein in this place?" Jizuo asked, looking at all of us. 

I let out a 'psh'. "I looked this place up before movin' and t'said that you guys had a bamboo forest. Fancy stuff" 

Takagane looked at the elevator numbers and commented, "We got a monkey park too." 

The elevator was silent for a few seconds before we all started laughing. 

"I was startin' to think we were all gunna be gloomy when we saw Mizu. Good job Taka." Kitsu chuckled. 

Takagane nodded with his own smile and the doors opened to let us out. 

The four of us moved towards the end of the hallway where Mizu's room was. The sound of the bags of gifts we (Kitsu and Jizuo) had bought echoing the crinkles as our footsteps spoke up like ambiance for our voices. 

The boys looked at me once we made it to the door, all white, with just a name tag slid into the name slot next to it. 

I took a deep breath, and opened the door. 

What we saw, was not exactly what we were expecting to see. 

The wall next to the hospital bed was all glass, the ceiling was decorated in all kinds of glow in the dark stickers and lights, and the machines were silent. The lights of the room were off, but the window gave the room a golden glow, that to which Mizu was sitting in the middle of. Mizu was watching us, the side of her lips turned just a bit upwards in a smile. 

"You're livin' it up in'ere ain't ya?" Jizuo awed at the disco ball lamp next to Mizu as the rest of us settled in. I got into bed with Mizu, of course. She cuddled into me and laughed in response to Jizuo's question. 

"Got it all fixed up 'fore you came." Mizu giggled. 

I watched as the guys and her went into conversation about random things, with my occasional humming to let them know I was paying attention. It hurt me that I knew she wasn't in top shape, but with how she was it seemed like such a stretch to say that she was dying. I winced internally at the word, 'dying', it just wasn't something I wanted to even acknowledge. 

Mizu turned to me and poked my cheek. 

"Do you want some ice cream?" 

I opened my mouth to answer, but Takagane beat me to it. 

"She probably does, I saw her lookin at some vendors on the way here." 

"You guys go get it then!" Mizu called out, theatrically pointing with her hands and arms to the door.

Kitsu rolled his eyes, Jizuo shouted a 'yes'm!' and Takagane shot me a wink before leaving.

As soon as the door closed, Mizu turned to face me, our hands linked together.