unpocoloco | Daybreak IC Inbox

[She's happy. Excited. Offering to learn to fly a plane and take him there. Dios, he's almost selfish enough to take it, but he can't take the twisting illness in his guts, the guilt curling up in his rib cage. He can't take her offering him anything good when...

His eyes squeeze shut and his head bows. Had he any flesh over his knuckles right now, they would've gone pale.]

Orihime.

[It's a plea. A small one for her to stop and wait a second. She's distracted him enough. If he lets this go on he's going to lose nerve he's not even sure he has as is.]

We need to talk about your brother.

Onii-chan?

[She blinks, but...looking at his face, and the obvious discomfort he's in, and the grim tone of his voice...there's a sudden pit of absolute dread in her stomach.]

What...what about him...?

[She's still smiling, but it's a hollow smile ~~IRONY~~ that doesn't match the fear in her eyes.]

He's not laying low, Orihime. He, uh... I was out the other day. And I heard him, so I went, and--

[Try as he might, he can't keep his voice steady. He can't even keep his hand steady, trembling as it is with the memory.]

That monster has... a lot more working for it. I didn't get there in time. I couldn't do anything. They got him and... I thought they'd killed him. But when I looked, he'd changed. They did something to him to break him and he changed.

I don't think he's okay, Orihime.

...you...you saw it...?

[Her voice is barely a squeak above a whisper. Sora is...but they...there was no time, they didn't even get to prepare! And they were supposed to meet, they were going to...!]

[A shaking hand covers her mouth as a choked sound mewls in her throat. Her body is rigid.]

Ah...awuh...!

[Her tears are hot, burning her eyes as she slowly stands, then turns away, her shoulders hunched. There are two quick wheezing breaths before she swallows a sound of grief and goes quiet.]

[A million emotions race through her head. Sorrow. Fear. Regret. Anger. Behind all of it, it's the anger that burns most, and it's getting stronger. She can fix this, she knows what her powers can do. But knowing that monster did this to him...! And it hurt Peter. It destroyed Hector's arm. It turned Tokidoki's beloved sister against him.]

...I...I can't forgive that thing..I'll never forgive it!!!

[He doesn't answer when she asks if he saw it. The press of his mouth, the difficulty in looking at her, it's all telling enough. He can still see it vividly. Even as a skeleton he can feel it churn his absent insides.

Her tears starts and his own eyes close, wishing so bad to undo this moment and every bit that led up to it. He lets her turn away. It's the least he can do, to let her have that moment.]

I'm sorry, Orihime. I'm so sorry.

[It's when she goes quiet that his attention goes back to her. He doesn't know what she means, that she'll never forgive it. He's not sure how she thought she was going to in the first place.

But after that shout, it's a long moment before he tries to speak again. He wants to offer comfort, but he doesn't know if she can get it from him. Not when he's the one to break this news. He can't just go without saying this though.]

Orihime... I don't want you and Peter to go after this thing. I don't want to see it hurt you two any more than it has.

Nnnngh...!

[Her head shakes a little as her shoulders hunch in anger and grief. She hears what he's saying. And she agrees with half of it -- Peter is in no condition to fight beside her right now. She places her palms against the door, then leans her head forward with a light bump.]

I have to... I have to...

[She murmurs, shutting her eyes tightly.]

It's the only way to save him. My powers can reverse it, so I can't just wait for it to go after me.

[Her tears dribble from her jaw. Orihime isn't a pretty crier; her eyes swell up and her nose runs.]

A-and if I can't stop it, it'll keep doing this...over and over...it'll eat him. Eat you. And me, too.

[It's too risky. Far, far too risky and he's shaking his head before she's even gotten half way.]

No, no... there's got to be a better way.

[Even if their fears are the same.]

There's teachers here, powerful people, they know what they're doing. We should get one of them.

[Which he hasn't because... because he's trying to keep these dead families from being obliterated even as he knows and says it aloud that they might have no choice.]

Your brother wouldn't want you risking yourself.

[He slips down off the table and leaves his cane to it for a moment. His hand reaches out to touch her shoulder, to turn her gently around.]

My brother wants to eat me...

[But there's no resistance when he turns Orihime around. Her arms fall limp to her sides, her head and shoulders wilted.]

And I can't trust the teachers. They might kill him. I saw... One of them took a bite of one of them after I managed to trap it. B-besides...he watched over me for all these years, and worked so hard to support me on his own. I have to save him. You'd do the same if it was you.

[Her head lifts a little, but she can't meet his eyes.]

But I'm not going to ask Peter to come until he's fully recovered. I know he'll want to, but until he's better...I don't think I could forgive myself if I forced him into a battle he's not ready to fight, and he got hurt because of it.

[He winces when she says that, the truth of it settling cold within him. What she goes on to say is no better.

By the end his eyes are squeezed shut, fear and grief and guilt all too much. He takes a minute.]

Your brother would not want this. I'll say it again like I said to Peter about his Tío. This is not your brother right now. He might be in there but this is not him. Not his wants, not his true feelings, not who he is. Please remember that.

[No matter what happens.

Meanwhile, though he might be the dead guy in this equation, she makes a good point.]

But you're right about two things. I would do whatever I could for my family. And Peter definitely shouldn't be part of this.

... Which is why I'm coming with you. I'm of no use but I can't let you do this alone.

[Orihime lifts her head to look at him at last. His skeletal face is blurry through her tears, but she can still see how sad he looks. Why...?]

I won't be alone. I wouldn't do something that stupid. I promise.

[Gently she lays her hands over his, her fingers trembling.]

Tatsumaki-chan will be with me. She's incredibly strong, with lots of experience. She can use telekinesis for a lot of things, so pinning down a ghost while I restore it won't be that hard at all.

So please stay. Watch over Peter until he's recovered, he still might be the main target in the end.

[Her hands on his... He can feel them shake upon his bones. She's trying to be brave. She's trying so hard and she doesn't see that only makes him more afraid.

His head shakes, protesting.]

You're so young, niña. So, so young. Nearly the same age as my daughter is now.

[A daughter who grew up without him.]

I'm glad you have Tatsumaki but, dios, you're all kids. You don't understand how important you are, what you're risking. I can't live with myself if something happens to you, Orihime. Any of you. I can't...

[His head keeps shaking.]

I can't make myself turn a blind eye to this. What happens if things don't go to plan?

[She smiles a little. If he can't live with himself, then it's a good thing he's dead? She can't make herself say it, mostly because it's NOT a good thing. And she's not sure she can find it in her heart to laugh right now.]

[Orihime cups his skull in her hands.]

I know. Nothing is certain. But I can't afford to think like that right now.

[She closes her eyes and rests her forehead against his.]

If I can't even save my own brother...I have no right to go to this school.

[Orihime withdraws, her hand fumbling behind her for the doorknob.]

So please have faith in me. I'll be okay. As long as Tatsumaki-chan is there, I'll be okay.

[Maybe another time, over something else, that could be something he finds amusing. Not now. Not with this.

Getting back to earth, it was supposed to be different from the outlands. It was supposed to be safe. Not attack after attack like this, not facing children facing death.

She touches the bare bone of his skull, pulling him down so their foreheads touch. His eyes close, her gentle touch all too painful, the weight of old losses, his familia, stirring as though to prepare and make room for hers.

His own hand goes up, shaking, to touch her face. But just like that she's moving away and his bare-bone fingers instead catch just the few strand of long auburn hair as she turns away.]

Orihime...

[It's one last plea, spoken soft. But he knows she won't listen. He hasn't got anything more to reason with. He can't even go after her. To even walk out that door after her, he'll have to shift back and she'll be gone. Like so many others, he won't see her again.

But, in his mind, he's already planning. He can't stop her. But she can't stop him either. He made a promise already to her brother. Whatever happens, he's got to do what's best for her.

His head bows. There is no promise he could ask that won't taste like the ash of his own broken ones. There is no promise he can give to stay away. He can't say goodbye. So he tries something small in a cracking voice even smaller.]

Bring a jacket, niña. It's still cold out.

[Orihime pauses in the doorway at the sound of her name. She's reluctant to turn around -- it's so hard to keep refusing what he's asking of her. But at the same time, she really can't refuse to hear him out. So her head turns a little...]

[...and he tells her to bring a jacket.]

[Her laugh is a shivery little bleat, torn between warmth and sorrow, and she scrubs her sleeve across her eyes. As much as she just wants to go to her room right now and bury her face into her pillow to cry out all of her frustration, she just doesn't have the heart to leave him looking so lost and forlorn. It's not a good way to end a conversation, especially if he's right, and she does fail to save her brother.]

Ne...can you eat...?

[She smiles back over her shoulder, her face still an utter mess.]

[The question surprises him into lifting his head, blinking at her in wide-eyed confusion with a face only barely shy of being as much a mess as hers. It takes more than a few seconds for his brain to catch up.]

Uh... no? I mean, yes, I can, but it tends to be sort of unpleasant and it rots in me and- and I get sick so I don't. Except for really, really small things, or- or drinks... or...

[Something he wants bad enough to knowingly regret and hate himself later whilst he's praying to the porcelain god as they say.

He grimaces.]

I see...that's too bad...

[Her shoulders rise and fall with a dramatic sigh.]

I was going to ask if you wanted to eat a bunch of ice cream with me. We could get one of every flavor and shovel it in until we get ice cream headaches.

[What are these life goals?]

Sorry about that. I hope I wasn't rubbing it in.

Oh... That's so sweet...!

[He makes a breathy sound, so close to a laugh.]

Well I... maybe can't do that but... I could try small bites? Or I could just sit with you, if you don't mind that... It's not rubbing it in, I really don't mind anymore, but if that's too awkward, I understand.

It's not. I'd like that.

[She smiles, the expression weak but nonetheless genuine and warm. This feels a lot better than turning her back on him and leaving him with the fear that they won't see each other again. If things do go badly, then their last memory should be a happy one.]

Maybe you could tell me what it's like to be a walking skeleton, too? I'm really curious.

[To be honest, while he's still bent on keeping this from being the end of Orihime's life, he could very much get behind a sentiment like that. If he could part on a good note wherever he went, wouldn't that be something?

His own smiles mirrors hers, just as weak but just as genuine. This has all been difficult. It would be nice, for once, to go through this with someone else instead of alone. And if it helps her too, then all the better.]

Okay. Lets do that. And I can tell you all about being a dead guy. Just one second...

[He goes back for his cane, tugging it off the table. And then his eyes close and he takes a breath. Just the same way his markings and bones lit before, they do so again, but this time all the dissolved dust comes back in reverse, reforming him, making him human again. Almost. He stops it before it can entirely complete and do something really gruesome to his shattered arm. It leaves him in a half form, ribs and joints hidden only by clothing and his face sunken in that corpse-like matter, but she didn't comment before so he doesn't worry now.

He looks apologetic and explains.]

I still have to keep low out there.

It's okay. You don't look scary to me at all.

[She's always been pretty quick to adapt, no matter the situation or experience. Sometimes too quick. But at least Hector needn't worry about her staring or treating him any differently.]

I just need to get my wallet and wash my face. I'll meet you by the front doors?

You're a rare kind, Orihime.

[Not just for the lack of fear, but for the kindness too.

He nods his head.]

I'll be there. You go do what you need to, however much time you need.

[And as she goes he'll be making his way along, cane tapping.]

[As promised, Orihime meets him. The roots of her hair are a little damp, and her eyes are still on the red side, but she seems to have otherwise regained her composure. A quick trip to the student market is all she needs to fill up her bags with one of every flavor of ice cream pint that they've got in stock, and she makes sure to get whipped cream, fudge, nuts, and cherries too. Any topping they have, it's added. It's definitely a splurge purchase, but she has the money for it since she doesn't have to pay for her meals on campus like she did when living on her own.]

[She sets everything up on the counter, uncapping every single pint, and handing Hector a spoon, before she starts shoveling ice cream with a sort of crazed desperation.]

[Sometimes she has to stop and pinch the bridge of her nose as the cold sends a sharp pang from the roof of her mouth up into her skull, but once she recovers, she just goes right back at it. There's no more mention of Sora or the ghost that attacked him.]

So who else knows about your condition?

[She glances at him as she digs out a spoonful of strawberry waffle cone and sprays it with whipped cream.]

The Seers?

[He's glad there's the student market. He doesn't much want to stray too far from the school with everything that's going on. A splurge indeed, his brow is lifting at her even before they get back. And that's about when things get crazy.

She hands him a spoon but he doesn't dig in, his amused expression slowly shifting to one of awe and a bit of alarm. It's like watching a trainwreck unfold, his eyes glued to the unfolding carnage. He only barely registers her question and still a good minute after she's spoken it.

He shakes himself.]

Oh! Uh. I don't think the seers know. I mean, they might, but I kinda hope I'm just not important enough to really be on their radar. [He's no specially powered superhero after all.] Some of the faculty know though. They're the reason I'm here, really. They made a deal with me to get me out of a tight spot.

Obviously any of my primos in the outlands who remember me would know. A... a lot of hunters know and they usually give me problems for it. One other person who knew me from then. And Peter... and you now... and... Imelda. I told Imelda.

[Orihime nods as she listens, her mouth puckering a little from the sharp contrast of eating lemon sorbet after a spoonful of butter brickle. It occurs her that maybe it would be okay to tell him about her powers, but as it's not really a necessity, it's probably okay to keep that secret a little while longer. Still, if it comes up, she's pretty sure he wouldn't treat her any differently or report her to the school administration.]

Oh...she's one of the teacher assistants in the other dorm, isn't she? I haven't really met her yet.

[It must be someone really important to Hector if he'd tell her something like this.]

Did you mean to, or did it just accidentally come up?

[He smiles a little tightly, then turns his attention to inspecting the flavors, trying to find the one he's going to pick that will be worth any possible suffering. And it lets him look away for a moment.]

An RA too, si. It... I meant to tell her. I wanted her to be aware of what's going on. We're originally from the same hometown, you see. We haven't talked in years but we used to know each other pretty well.

[The look in his eyes is enough to say there might be more to this story, but it's not one he's going into now.]

You really should meet her. She's a lovely person. She seems rather severe at first, but she's not cold. She's really kind and she's got this hidden playful streak. Very passionate. Just make sure you don't mention me if you talk to her, she doesn't actually like me much, for good reason.

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