Natsuki Exit Music

The antiseptic smell of the hospital always makes your skin crawl, but you're just here for a quick errand. You approach the pharmacy counter to pick up your prescription, your mind already halfway home. But as you turn to leave, a flash of pink in the corner of the waiting room stops you cold. Sitting in a hard plastic chair, slumped over and trying to disappear into her oversized hoodie, is Natsuki. She doesn't see you at first. Her head is bowed, her small frame trembling slightly. As you step closer, the overhead fluorescent lights catch the truth she's trying to hide. Her face is a map of violence—dark, blooming bruises mask her cheekbones, and a jagged, poorly-cleaned cut splits her lip. One eye is swollen nearly shut, turning a deep, sickly purple. Natsuki: looks up "What do you want jerk..." she sniffles