genessia | 011 | my star has left me (to take the bitter pill)

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Current Location: Shinjiro and Akihiko's apartment

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011 | my star has left me (to take the bitter pill)

[ AUDIO ] | [ Backdated to Monday afternoon ]

Uh, there -

[ There's some shuffling sound, like he's setting the phone up somewhere, still. ]

Right. So.

... I ain't good at this, either the talkin or the - well.

But just writin it seemed ... not enough, and. All of you are probably sick of seein my face, so.

[ There's a brief pause, before he goes on. He sounds very, very tired, but his voice is nonetheless serious, and firm. ]

I frightened the hell outta a lot of you.

I said a lot of stuff, some of it to some people I don't even know.

And, it's complicated, but I can say that - while it wasn't all me, it was a part of me. So, yeah, I ain't gonna pretend it isn't my fault.

I'm sorry.

[ He swallows. ]

I am sorry.

I'm not gonna. Just sit around feelin guilty, though. Not -

[ Coughs. ]

- Yeah. So.

Up to you if you take this seriously.

But let me know if I can make it up to you.

[ And then the audio is turned off. ]

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Yeah.

[ There's a pause, as he sorts through what he can remember of their - well, her and his Shadow's - conversation. Sighs, again. ]

You're a good friend, Inoue.

[ Coughs. Really, the coughing was improving since he had to taper off ihs pills - yeah, laugh it up, Akihiko, "I told you sos" were never really nice - but he was just so tired, it was hard to hold it back. ]

I got knocked 'round a bit. Pretty tame. Got worse just walkin through Iowatodai at night, really.

[ Haha just joking, honest. ]

Really, I'm just tired. Nothin about a week of napping won't fix.

[ It's kind of weird, knowing he'll actually recover from his ill health, this time. Nice, yes, but he wasn't sure he was used to the idea. ]

[There's a moment of silence, and since it's audio, he doesn't see the surprise on her face. Did he say that because it came from the heart, or because he knows that other part of himself managed to get to her? But slowly, little by little, that surprise melts to warmth, and she holds her legs tighter to her chest as she smiles.]

You're a good friend too, Shinjiro-san.

[And he just made her day. She furrows her brow at the sound of his wet cough. That's not usually something that comes along with weariness! Maybe he did get hurt, or bruised...getting stabbed and bleeding all over isn't the only way a person can get injured!]

Anou...I can't remember if I told you or not, but I'm pretty good at healing people. If you have any lingering afflictions, I could erase them for you.

[Because she's already really worried about his employment status. She'd called in for him to let them know about his condition, even offered to take his place since that kind of job didn't seem like it needed a lot of training. But no dice. She tried, Shinjiro. T_T]

Do you have roommates that can bring you food?

[ He just thought he'd shown, both through his own actions and what his Shadow had done, that he really wasn't that good a friend. But he didn't have the energy to argue. Besides, with a personality like hers, she'd only insist on it more stubbornly.

Shakes his head, unseen, but says; ] 'M fine. Well. Gonna be fine, now.

[ It was just going to take some time.

Her question, though, sparks a genuine laugh. ]

Yeah, if I wanted nothin but protein shakes and instant noodles, sure. A cook, Aki really ain't.

[Hearing him laugh eases some of the awkwardness, and she finds herself smiling more widely. She's always wanted to hear him laugh, and it's a crying shame she can't see his face! She'll just have to imagine it, then.]

I'd offer to cook for you, but my friends think my tastes are weird. You might prefer the instant noodles!

[And he didn't seem to think much of sugar, which isn't that great for a person who's sick and recovering anyway, so she doesn't offer baked goods. Then again...]

...Do you like bread?

What d'you mean, 'weird'?

[ It's not that he didn't like sugar - he just didn't think having a ton of it was really very good for you. And he'd stand by that statement. Her not-an-offer sparked his curiosity, despite his better judgement. ]

Sure.

... You offerin to bake?

[ Well, her shopping made some amount more sense, now. ]

Oh, well...I just like trying different flavor and texture combinations. My best friend said it was definitely weird, so her mom would send me dinner sometimes. It was fun, eating together!

[Tatsuki's mom was a great cook. She's emboldened by his answer. Most people like bread, she shouldn't be all that surprised.]

I'll drop some off with your roommates to bring to you, then. What's your favorite kind of juice?

[ He recalled the shopping from just a few days ago. It was pretty memorable, considering that she made faces with them. ] Like radishes and cheese?

[ And the question surprises him. He's beginning to feel a bit embarrassed by all of this helping. But he figures he owes her, and some people - he thinks of a couple in particular - seemed to need to aggressively caretake to show their concern. Besides, he really didn't want any more cheap, salty noodles. (There were tastier things which also saved money, Aki! ) ]

Uh. I dunno.

Orange?

Hee...!

[Like radishes and cheese. They don't cost much, the flavor combination is one she's never had before, and it's an experience to help her live her life to the fullest. She's got a lot of reasons why she chooses to cook the way she does, but it's tough to explain to someone else.]

Good choice! The vitamin C will give you lots of pep so you can recover your energy even faster!

[She nods sagely to herself.]

Where are you staying? I'll come by after I finish my errands.

[ Her enthusiasm makes him smile, just a little, and entirely unseen by her. Then, he yawns. That was probably picked up by the microphone.

He gives the address aloud, and then: ] ... Thanks.

Any time. I'm happy to help.

[Really, really happy.]

[And at some point later in the evening, probably discovered when one of Shinjiro's roommates either leaves or returns, there's a bag of bread hanging from the doorknob. The loaf of wheat bread was baked by Orihime, and so were the white rolls. They're normal. The rest of it she got from the bakery.]

[It's a LOT of bread.]

[There are also some cans of orange juice, and two cans of lychee juice there too just in case he wanted something different. Taped to the bag of bread is a note: 'Get well soon!' with her name signed in small, neat letters in the bottom corner.]

[ .... Now he has to figure out what to do with all of this bread.

... Bread pudding?

... French toast?

... Soup bowls? He didn't think any of the rolls were really big enough, though.

... Bruchetta?

... Strata? He thought he remembered an interesting recipe on this cooking show but ...

Eventually, Akihiko was going to ask why he was glaring at the bread like it had punched him, or something. ]

[ENJOY YOUR FRIENDSHIP BREAD, SUCKER!]

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011 | my star has left me (to take the bitter pill)

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