[Dawn and Dusk] Day 670: A Boring Summer Day With My Ex-Girlfriends

(You wouldn't believe it unless you saw for yourself. Isabella didn't need her wheelchair anymore. Slowly but surely, she was walking around the house by herself. Yoko was around to make sure she kept her balance, but she was able to manage on her own after that. With her legs back in action, Isabella was ready to officially begin her summer.)

Another bright and hot, summer day with almost no clouds in the sky. Osamu and Isabella were returning from the convenience store as the heat beat down upon them. Isabella was able to bring out the short shorts and tank top once more for the first time in a long time.

Osamu wore a dashiki shirt with his peace sign necklace and beaded bracelets. He held the bag from the store for Isabella as they returned to the empty and quiet neighborhood. Passing by the flooded streets, Isabella knelt down and decided to splash some of the water on her face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Osamu asked.

"What's it look like, big guy? I'm trying to keep cool." Isabella answered.

(It feels like the summer two years ago all over again...)

Osamu watched attentively as Isabella splashed the cool water on her face, every drop sparkling like diamonds in the sun. Of course, Izzy made a bit of a mess and got her white tank top wet in the process.

"Ah damn it. Hey, can you see my bra like this?"

"Yeah, a little bit. What's it matter, though? The neighborhood is empty, remember?"

"Oh, I guess you're right. Still, it just doesn't feel right." Isabella pouted.

"Let's take a little break at the bowling alley. Our ice cream is going to melt if we try to hurry home. It'll give you some time to dry off, too."

The bowling alley it was. They made their way there and took shelter from the heat under the cool light of the stained glass. The bowling balls all reflected the sun's glare, all scattered about the dilapidated and abandoned alley. Sea salt and caramel ice cream was the treat of the day.

"Are your legs still feeling okay?" Osamu asked.

Isabella nodded and smiled. "Yep! It's like my legs never lost feeling at all! Kinda weird how it just happened so suddenly, huh?"

Osamu leaned forward in his seat, releasing a heavy sigh. "No, it's actually not."

"What do you mean?" Isabella asked.

"I...Izzy..." Osamu began.

"You sound like you're about to say something really horrible, Osa. What is it?"

Osamu put his ice cream aside and clasped his hands. "I've known this for a little while now, but I wasn't sure how or when to talk to you about it. I held off, because I knew it would lead to discussions of a lot of painful memories for you."

"Osamu. What is it?"

"Izzy, think back to when you fought Gekko."

Isabella's gaze drifted towards the floor. Her mind projected the memories of her fight with Gekko onto the floor as if it were a movie screen.

"Now, think of when Gekko stabbed you." Osamu said. "And then...think of where she stabbed you."

"My left leg. I still have the scar." Isabella muttered.

Osamu nodded. "Right, your left leg. Not your waist. Not your spinal cord. At worst, her attack should've rendered you hemiplegic, but you ended up developing paraplegia. When did that start happening? When did you first notice you couldn't use either leg?"

Isabella dropped her ice cream on the ground. A slight tremor built up in her hands. She found it hard to swallow, and even more difficult to look Osamu in the eyes. Guilt ravaged Osamu's heart for saying what he already did, questioning if he should really continue.

"Izzy..."

"I stopped walking after my brother died. He died in October, but I didn't hear about it until late January. That was a few weeks after you died."

"Gekko was in a tight spot back then, but she never would've landed an attack with the intent of paralyzing you." Osamu said.

"So...what was all of that, then?" Isabella questioned. "I wasn't making up being paralyzed!"

"That's not what I'm saying, Izzy."

Isabella shot out of her seat, finally realizing what had actually caused her paralysis. Her eyes glistened like stained glass as tears began to roll down her cheeks. She covered her mouth in disbelief and shame, wondering why on earth it took her so long to realize what had happened.

"Don't tell me..." Isabella cried. "Everything...my paralysis..."

Osamu nodded. "Conversion disorder. From what you've said, it sounds like my death and your brother's death combined are what caused it. Speaking to Rei is what seems to have broken it."

"How long did you know? When did you figure it out?" Isabella asked.

"Rei helped me figure it out." Osamu said. "I told her about what happened to you while we were in Antarctica. She was the one that pointed out that your injury shouldn't have rendered you paraplegic. That's what got me thinking back to how everything went down with you and Gekko. Yoko mentioned you stopped walking around the time you heard about Hux's passing, and well...it didn't take too long to put the pieces together."

"Unbelievable. Did Rei have an idea of what was happening?" Isabella questioned.

"She must've. Rei's a lot more perceptive than she was when we were still in school. I think she knew there was something that caused the disorder, some sort of stressor. By inviting you to talk with her, you'd both be able to air your grievances. I think she was hoping you'd talk about whatever caused you to stop walking. Did you mention Huxley to her at all?"

"I...I did! I actually talked about him! It wasn't much, but I was able to talk about him and his death. I told her how I couldn't just sit at home when he was deployed. I wanted to leave and start fresh in a new country. That's why I came to Japan in the first place. My brother loved it here."

"She got you to confront your trauma and your anxiety. That's why you were able to stand up in this bowling alley, and that's why you've been able to walk since then." Osamu said. "Originally, Rei agreed to help us fix her mistake because she wanted to have sex with me. It was her way of getting back at you for dating me in high school. The whole time we were in Antarctica, it felt like she wasn't really taking the consequences of her actions all that seriously, but I learned that Rei keeps her true intentions to herself, unlike someone like Yoko."

"Seriously? Did you have sex with her?"

Osamu shook his head. "I was ready to, but she ended up wanting nothing more than a kiss. That's all she took from me. Maybe that was enough for her to let go of what happened. Maybe she realized all of that anger and obsession amounted to nothing, in the end. Whatever it was, she tried her hand at getting you to walk again. It worked. You were both able to confront what was eating at you."

Osamu stepped closer, placing his hands on Isabella's shoulders. "Don't be sad or ashamed of what happened to you. We can't fight the world all on our own. We all need someone to pull us out of our despair from time to time. We need a hand to reach out to, a shoulder to cry upon. You, Izzy, are blessed. You have friends who care for you. You had a brother who loved you more than anything in the world. Even Rei couldn't hate you forever. You don't have to face your troubles alone."

Isabella smiled as tears continued to stream down her eyes and drip from her chin. She placed her hands over her fluttering heart, thinking of everyone back at the house. She imagined herself walking through the door, the smell of Yoko's cooking hitting her nose. She imagined herself saying 'I'm home' and hearing the voices of Yoko, Izanami, Tsukiakari, and Osamu call back to her.

"I came here to start over." Isabella said. "As it turns out, I didn't need to start anything over, did I? I just needed to open my eyes and face my fears. I needed to accept what I lost. I still do, with Hux gone."

"And we'll help you do it, one good day at a time." Osamu said with a smile.

Isabella wiped her tears away on her wrist. "You know, you've really matured, Osa."

"So have you. Shall we go home?"

Isabella nodded. "Yeah, let's go home! I'm dying to see what Yoko and Izanami are cooking!"

(In the end, it was just another boring, summer day with my ex-girlfriends, a day where we did all the same things we would've on any other average day. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.)