182 Chapter four, 2016, the long, long night: 10 (1/2)
The sound of Yukio's rhythmic snoring woke her for the second time in a single night. Kyoko's back ached from falling asleep lying on a row of chairs.
When she looked around she saw how Sato-sensei finally had fallen asleep as well. Kuri-chan stood reading posters on the bulletin board nailed to the wall closest to the nurse's office.
Five am. She had slept for less than half an hour.
'I'm sorry Kuri-chan. I left you alone.'
Feeling sorry wouldn't make Kuri-chan any less lonely, so Kyoko got up, straightened her clothes and walked over to her friend.
”Anything?”
Kuri-chan shook her head. ”Slept well?”
Kyoko grimaced and started stretching stiff limbs. ”Does it look that way?” she asked.
”No,” Kuri-chan admitted. ”Those chairs are just as bad as an airport.”
”Airport?”
”Uhum. I've had my fair share of sleeping like this during my travels.”
'She's remembering her previous life.' ”What was it like?”
Kuri-chan shifted uncomfortably. ”Lots of aching backs,” she said instead of answering the question Kyoko had really asked.
Kyoko let her fingers slide across the wall until they met the border of the bulletin board. ”Have you had anything to drink?” she asked when the silence grew oppressive.
”Lots,” Kuri-chan answered, ”but I could do with some hot coffee.”
Mentioning hot coffee made Kyoko realise how cold the waiting room was. She sauntered over to the vending machine and bought two cans.
While she listened to Kuri-chan opening her can Kyoko pulled Yukio's jacket tighter around him. Without even asking she added her friend's coat as extra cover. It would be morning soon anyway, and she harboured little hope that they'd be allowed to sleep like tramps in the waiting room when more visitors arrived.
An hour, at most, before they had to get any news on Urufu's condition, or else they were likely to be forced outside.
'How did we end up like this?' She still hadn't forgiven herself for switching her radio off when Urufu got hurt.
Maybe it was punishment. Girls her age should study rather than fool around with boys. One look at Kuri-chan made her resent that thought. Kuri-chan had never been jealous of her, had never wanted her to stay alone or thought that Yukio was bad for her. Those were the words of her parents, and even they had relented a little after Yukio came to her rescue that evening.
Kyoko glanced at Sato-sensei's sleeping form, and after some consideration she pulled the coat closer around the woman as well. She was still Urufu's guardian, no matter how much she had tried to hurt him and Kuri-chan.
”She loves him in her own way,” Kuri-chan suddenly said. ”Never believe anything else.”
”How can you be so kind to her after what she did?”
”Because I'm older than you are,” Kuri-chan said. ”Because I understand she was never vindictive.”
”What?”
”Kyoko, I'm rather certain she was forced to.” Kuri-chan smiled before she continued. ”I wasn't at the beginning. I'll admit that.”
”I don't understand,” Kyoko said.
”You do understand that there are people who are aware of us arrivals?”