The memories leading up to Naomi's death flashed in Sora's mind as she sat by a bus stop to hide from the rain that had begun to fall as she was on her way home after the swimming competition that had just lost. 

The memories replayed in her head like an old film, grainy and familiar, yet unbearable to watch again and Sora found herself wondering why that happened.

Maybe it was because they didn't win the contest or because she didn't get the scholarship she wanted or because Chloe had just told her the truth to her face, a truth that her mother had told her before but she had ignored...

"Your actions… your attitude… they affect everyone around you. Whether you realize it or not, this is what happens. Naomi’s gone, and now this house feels like a coffin because of you!!!"

All of the events of today had forced her to remember how her younger sister had died as she sat down there at the bus stop, the rain fell heavy around her. 

And then one question came to her mind as those memories came to one stand point: 

Sora: Was it really my fault...? 

*********

Meanwhile, Mr & Mrs Fujimoto sat in a coffee shop, both of them sitting across from each other and with a hot cup of coffee in front of them. They had both taken the seat closest to the glass window outside and they both sat in silence as they watched the rain fall heavily outside, which prevented the rest of the people in the coffee shop with them from leaving. 

For a long moment, neither speaks. Mrs. Fujimoto stares out at the rain, her reflection faint in the glass. Finally, she broke the silence.

Mrs. Fujimoto: You look skinny... Haven't you been eating well since I left? 

Mr Fujimoto: No. Not really. Things haven't been the same since you left the house.

Mrs Fujimoto: Oh... Is that so? Is that why you called me here? To tell me to come home? 

Mr Fujimoto: Yeah... Please dear... We need you back home. It's not the same without you. 

Mrs Fujimoto chuckled a bit before she responded.

Mrs Fujimoto: You know you don't have to speak for Sora right? She probably hates me after what I said and did to her before I left. 

Mr Fujimoto: Well, I wouldn't know since she's very hard to read at times. But I wouldn't be surprised if she did hate you considering that you blamed her for Naomi's death. 

Mrs Fujimoto glanced briefly at her husband and recalled that fateful day when she left the house.

Mrs Fujimoto: I told her the truth. I told her her actions affect people… and they did. Naomi followed her because she wanted to be like her. If only she had just offered to teach Naomi... Then... My baby girl would still be alive. 

Her voice cracked, but she pressed her lips together, trying to hold her composure.

Mr Fujimoto: She was my daughter too... And it seems like you're making up an excuse to justify what you said to her, Mayumi.

Mrs Fujimoto: I'm not making an excuse, I'm just saying it how it actually is... It's her fault and she should accept it.

Mr Fujimoto: But don't you realize how wrong it is to blame her for everything that happened.

Mrs Fujimoto: But she IS the reason why everything happened. Naomi’s blood is on her hands, Rei. I can’t pretend otherwise. 

There was a bit of silence & Mr Fujimoto spoke again after taking in everything she had just said. 

Mr Fujimoto: No... It's our fault.

This of course did not please Mrs Fujimoto in the slightest.

Mrs Fujimoto: Huh?! What are you saying, Rei?! 

Mr Fujimoto: It's our jobs as parents to ensure that our kids stay on the right path and yet despite everything we did, Sora ended up the she did and Naomi's dead. It just means that we're not doing enough as parents and if we keep things the way they are then it'll only get worse.

Mrs Fujimoto sat and thought about everything her husband had just said and then the memories of both Sora and Naomi flashed in her mind and then a single tear fell down her cheeks. 

Mr. Fujimoto: We lost Naomi that night. But if we keep don't do something… we’ll lose Sora too.

*****

Monday morning came and everything seemed to have gone back to normal. The chatter of students fills the classroom, desks shuffled, notebooks were flipped, and the teacher wrote on the board. 

Everything is ordinary.

Everything except for Sora.

She sat stiffly at her desk, her pencil hovering above her notebook, but her mind is elsewhere, trapped in the endless loop of Naomi’s voice, Chloe’s words and that of her mother’s. 

Sora: (to herself) Was it really me? Did I push Naomi too far?

Her chest tightened as a wave of guilt that she couldn't shake off overcame her. Next to her, Chloe scribbles notes, her eyes fixed firmly on the board. Not once does she glance Sora’s way, nor did she even give the smallest acknowledgment of her presence. 

From the front row, David shifts in his seat. For a moment, his eyes meet Sora’s and for a split second her heart leaped into her throat. But then, he immediately looked away and continues copying the lesson as if she isn’t there.

The rejection burned sharper than any insult and it was the exact same indifference Sora has given to everyone else for years.

Sora: (to herself) So this is what it feels like…

Her classmates laugh, whispered and traded notes but to her, the room feels hollow, a vacuum pressing in on all sides and the day continued to feel that way until she went to the gym pool after school.

When Sora arrives at the school’s swimming gym, it was empty and the soft hum of the fluorescent lights echoing off the tiles seemed to remind her of how lonely she was feeling. 

Instead of changing to her swim suit like she normally would, she sat down at the edge of the pool and put her legs into the pool. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly above, casting pale ripples across the surface of the pool. Sora’s reflection wavered in the water, her eyes hollow, her face tense, like a stranger staring back at her.

The silence pressed heavy and all she could hear was Naomi’s laugh echoing in her mind, Chloe’s words like knives, David’s indifference, and her mother’s voice.

"Your actions… your attitude… they affect everyone around you."

Sora clenched her fists, the weight in her chest pulling her down more than gravity ever could. She finally stood, her legs trembling slightly.

Sora: (to herself) I… I can’t stay here.

Sora rose unsteadily, the fluorescent lights humming above her like distant insects. Her legs trembled as though even her body wanted her to stay seated.

She turned, her wet feet sliding across the slick tile.

Her heel struck a thin sheen of water, and in that instant the world tilted.

Her ankle twisted with a sickening crack.

Sora: Aghhh!!

The pain shot white-hot up her leg. She reached out wildly, fingers clawing for the railing, but it slipped past her grasp. Her body lurched sideways.

Then the water swallowed her whole.

The shock of the cold ripped the breath from her lungs. Her scream cut short, bubbling into silence. She thrashed, but the searing pain in her right ankle made her kicks jagged, useless.

Her chest tightened. The shimmering surface above seemed impossibly far. Every stroke was a failure, every gasp for air stolen by the heavy press of water.

Panic burned through her veins.

Sora: I can’t… I can’t reach…

For the first time in her life, Sora Fujimoto, the prodigy, the strong one, the swimmer everyone admired was drowning.

And this time, there was no one there to save her

But then...

A sudden splash was heard from above and in less than two seconds later, strong hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her upward. The light of the ceiling returned as she was dragged back to the surface.

She gasped violently when her head broke the water, coughing, choking, as David’s voice cut through her panic:

David: Sora! Hold on to me!

He pulled her to the edge and lifted her half onto the tiles, water dripping off both of them. His chest heaved, his own shirt clinging to his skin, while Sora lay there, trembling, her ankle throbbing, water streaming down her face. 

David: Oh man that was close! It's a good thing I thought to find you here!! What the hell happened…?

However David couldn't finish his sentence because the moment he looked at Sora, he saw a very intense look of fear in her eyes and so many things began to flash in her mind at that moment. 

All the memories of the night Naomi died came crashing back, sharper and heavier than ever. The fear that had gripped Sora beneath the water mirrored the terror Naomi must have felt in her final moments, the helpless thrashing, the desperate need for air, the realization that no one was coming.

And in that instant, Sora understood.

Naomi had felt the same despair. The same hopelessness. Only this time, unlike her, no one had reached into the darkness to pull Naomi out.

Her chest convulsed, her mind tracing every cruel thread back to the truth she had tried so hard to bury: if only she had agreed to teach Naomi… if only she hadn’t brushed her aside… her sister might still be alive.

The weight of it shattered her.

A strangled cry tore from her throat, breaking into sobs that shook her entire body. Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed into herself, her voice raw, almost childlike.

Sora: Naomi… I’m sorry…! I’m so, so sorry!!

Her voice cracked, shattering in the empty gym. She pressed her face into her hands.

Sora: I should’ve been there… I should’ve taught you… You wouldn’t have… you wouldn’t have—!

Her sobs drowned her words, raw and guttural, as if the grief had been clawing its way out of her for years and finally escaped.

David froze, stunned by the sudden storm of emotion. He didn’t fully understand the meaning of her words, but he could feel the grief bleeding out of her like a wound that had never healed.

Without a word, he moved closer. Slowly, carefully, he wrapped his arms around her trembling frame. Her body sank against his, her cries muffled into his soaked shirt as she clung to him with the desperation of someone drowning all over again.

David held her tighter, saying nothing as he realized that what Sora needed wasn’t answers, it was someone who wouldn’t let go.