To the Day I Lived

A single tear slid down Sachi's cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open.

It took her a moment to focus, to realize where she was. The smell of antiseptic. The chill of the air conditioner. The soft rustles of wires as she moved her hand.

A hospital.

Sachi stirred beneath the sterile weight of the hospital sheets, the soft beeping of a heart monitor steady and distant. Her chest rose and fell with the hum of the oxygen machine, each breath slow, mechanical, too real.

The world was quiet.

Moonlight poured into the room through the window beside her bed. The room was dim, lit only by the soft moon and faint glow of the machines keeping her tethered to this world.

She blinked slowly, her body heavy and unfamiliar, as though she'd returned from somewhere far away. Somewhere impossible.

Then it came back to her. Not all at once, but gently, like petals drifting down into her memory.

Himari's bright smile and hopeful presence that warmed her soul.

Nobu's fierce eyes that held a hidden softness.

Soma's quiet determination to better himself.

Itsuki's calm strength that she could rely on.

Isamu's courage that broke free.

Kasumi's innocent dream that finally came true.

Yasu's desires that could finally begin.

The wind. The earth.

The sky islands. The surface.

The falling. The fight. 

The love.

Her throat tightened.

The memories weren't blurred or broken. They were clear, vivid, real. As real as the pulse in her fingertips. As real as the tear now slipping into her hair.

She wasn't dead like she had thought. She was alive and back in her world. 

But that other world had everything. Everything she wanted.

Her friends. Her home. Her reason.

And now... It was all gone...

A soft sound escaped her lips - not a sob, but something close to it. A quiet, fragile exhale full of both grief and gratitude. 

Sachi slowly turned her head toward the window. The moon hung low in the sky, calm and eternal, watching over her as if it knew what Sachi had been through.

She didn't understand why she had returned. She would've given anything to stay in that world. To stay with the people she loved. To stay in the place that gave her meaning. Her heart ached with the weight of the goodbyes and the grief of never seeing the future for that world and the people in it. 

She never thought she would return to this world. She thought she had left it all behind. 

She thought back to her time with Himari and Itsuki. How strong they made her feel. How they supported and believed in her. How they cared for her.

She didn't know what she was going to do. But she knew one thing for sure. She was going to carry the other world and the people of it inside of her forever. Not just as a memory - but as her truth.

She had fought there.

She had loved there.

She had lived there.

And now... She was going to try to do it in her own world too.

If she couldn't live in the world that gave her purpose, then she would use that world as her purpose.

I'll find the courage and strength to try...

-

Weeks after Sachi awoke from her coma, she was finally released from the hospital and was allowed to go back home.

Her mother picked her up from the hospital. Not a word was spoken on the drive home. Since she woke up, neither of her parents had said anything to her, but she also didn't feel the need to say anything to them either.

When she arrived home, she was again met with silence. 

She quietly made her way to her room to find it untouched from how she left it. The bed unmade. Desk empty. Shelves bare.

It was as if nothing had happened. 

But something had changed. 

Sachi had changed. Although small and not drastic, it was enough for her to keep going.

-

The following day, Sachi threw on her school uniform and headed for school.

Anxiety grasped her heart as whispered floated around her arrival. But she didn't let their words consume her. 

She walked straight to the teacher's office.

She stood in front of her homeroom teacher Mr. Tanaka. 

Mr. Tanaka looked up from his desk. "Can I help you?"

Sachi took a deep breath. "I want to report bullying and request a school transfer."

Sachi was ready to be yelled at or dismissed, but she had to at least try. Even if it amounted to nothing, she wanted to at least say she tried to do it.

Mr. Tanaka pulled out a chair for Sachi and gestured for her to sit. "I'm aware there has been a bullying problem at this school and I'm sorry that we the teachers turned a blind eye to it that you felt the need to take matters into your own hands like that..." He handed Sachi two papers. "If you want the bullies to be reprimanded then we will need a testimony from you. You can either write it on the first paper or talk to me about it, whichever you find more comfortable. The second paper is a list of the high schools closest to your neighborhood. The top two I would recommend most. I know they're further away from your house, but they have tutoring and counseling services that we don't have here."

Sachi stared at the papers in her hand and then back at her teacher. She wasn't expecting this reaction. She thought he would not believe her or take her seriously.

Mr. Tanaka continued. "If you do decide to transfer then don't worry about your grades and what you missed while you were absent. I'll find some way to compensate for it."

"Thank you..." Sachi whispered.

-

The night was quiet.

Sachi sat beside her window, looking up at the moon - not just as part of the sky, but as a bridge to something far beyond it.

"Hey..." Her voice was barely a whisper. 

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the night wind pour through her window to rustle her hair - a wind that once she fell through, flew in, and wielded.

When she opened her eyes, her gaze was steady. Sachi spoke into the night sky, as if the moon would deliver the message. "I was finally able to say some of the things that were on my mind..."

She took a deep breath. "My bullies weren't punished for what they did to me. They come from rich families, so their parents bribed people... But I know I did the right thing in the end. Even though it didn't work out in my favor... I'm glad I had the courage to try at least..."

Sachi looked back into her room for a moment before looking back to the moon. "I'll be starting a new school tomorrow. It's a little far away, but I hope it's at least a little better... I also sent my last letter to my sister wishing her well. I've finally accepted that I don't need to hear from her. She's moved on with her life, so I will too..."

Sachi took another deep breath. "I still haven't been able to speak to my parents. That's a little harder to do right now, but I'll get there one day..."

Sachi sighed. "I wonder how things are going over in your world. I hope you're all well..."

She looked down at her hands. "I'm trying my best to find the courage and strength to try every day... Trying to stand up for myself. To live for something. To be someone I'm proud of..."

A long pause. "It's not easy..." Sachi smiled bittersweetly as her voice softened. "But I guess neither was being a part of that prophecy and saving the world..."

Her voice cracked just slightly. "I still have a long way to go... But I'm not as scared anymore."

The moonlight and night wind wrapped around her like a gentle embrace, and for a moment - just one heartbeat, she thought she felt a presence beside her.

No words. No magic.

Just a feeling. Like someone was listening.

She blinked, letting a tear fall down her cheek. Not in pain, but gratitude. "Thank you for saving me..."

Sachi continued to sit there for a while longer, letting herself remember. Letting herself feel.

-

End.