Say Something (The Forest of Drizzling Rain Fanfic)

Say Something

She counted to three.

One...

Two...

Three.

Then all was back to the way it had been. The familiar light from her bedroom window leaking in and warming the sheets she laid beneath, the sound of Suga in the kitchen, burning the breakfast as usual. She rolled her head to his side where a little memo lay - the spot his head should have been.

'You had another night terror.

Headache medicine in your drawer.

Breakfast will be ready soon.'

She let out a heavy sigh as her head throbbed with the memories of medicine and pills. She scrubbed her palm over her face, then sat up, stared at the little drawer where those numbing pink pills were, then got up and went to him.

'I don't need them. There is nothing wrong with me.'

As expected, he was tinkering around in the kitchen, digging through cupboard after cupboard while the pancake in his skillet turned from a golden brown to an ashy black. It wouldn't be long before the entire kitchen was up in smoke. She debated whether or not she should help him, but ultimately sidled up beside him to take the skillet off the stove.

He let out a light grunt in surprise before absent-mindedly reaching for his pocket where his fingers grasped at a memo pad and pen that were no longer there. He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times before going back to the cupboards.

He was still not used to using his voice, and he probably never would be. It was one of those absolutes Shiori had to just accept, though some things were easier to accept than others. While his silence was understandable, the silence of the mansion was another monster all together. The museum was a lonely place. Shiori was lonely, too.

She stared at the burnt breakfast, no hungrier than she had been before, before slumping to her seat at the table.

Suga peered at her over his shoulder. Shiori pretended he wasn't or at least that she hadn't noticed, though she couldn't help curling into herself, hiding what she thought he might be able to see. His scrutinizing gaze pressed into her for...

One second...

Two seconds...

Three.

Then it stopped, and she was alone again.

Her body expanded back to normal size, her lungs deflated of her held breath, and sounds of Suga's searching returned. It was so hard to go back to being normal when things certainly weren't normal. She wasn't normal. Her mind went back to the pills resting in her drawer.

'I don't need them. There is nothing wrong with me.'

Her head pounded as her mind attempted to dredge up so many memories - so many painful memories - all at once. She had spent so long trying to remember. Now, she would kill to forget.

Suga stomped over to the table, balancing two plates of burnt cakes and a tub of syrup in each arm. His eyes were trained on her fully, even as he set the table up:

A plate on his side, a plate on her side, and syrup in the middle, leaving the seats on either side empty, just as they always had been - just as they always would be.

She pressed her face into her hands, tears leaking and making small pools between her fingers.

The mansion was lonely, and so was she.

This kind of thing isn't easy. It's not exactly common, but it's certainly not rare, either. I'll prescribe you something for the headaches, and maybe something to sleep if you find yourself unable to. You just have to remind yourself to breathe - count if you have to - and remember there is nothing wrong with you. There are other options. I'm sure you're not up to it right now, but... when you're ready. You and your husband can come back, and we'll refer you to a service that can help with these kinds of things.