unpocoloco | Daybreak IC Inbox

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.

That's a little hard to believe.

[She could understand if there was a misunderstanding that soured things, but Hector is very likable. And it sounds like the two were very good friends once upon a time.]

But I'll be sure to say hello if we ever meet. I admire passionate people a lot!

[Her ice cream binging has slowed down to a more moderate speed, and since she's doing more listening than talking, she can still eat a lot before it melts.]

How did she take it?

[He lifts a brow and ruefully smirks a little Orihime's way. Hard to believe. He wants to ask how so, but he decides to let it go.

He seems much happier to hear she's looking forward to meeting Imelda.

That question though has him faltering.]

She... took it about as well as I kind of thought she would. Which is to say... bad. She took it very badly. Not selling me out to hunters bad but definitely a little traumatizing for her and also something she is a little angry about.

[He turns around a bucket which he believes says pralines and cream. This is the one he's going to die with, he decides. He takes one small scoop, pops it into his mouth, and waits for the thing to slowly melt down to something liquid. The spoon's handle hands out like a string of wheat an old rancher would have in a movie.]

But, the important thing is that she's taking precautions. She's not the type to careless so as long as she knows, she'll be alright, I'm sure.

Why is she angry?

[She regards him, baffled, while gripping the jar of maraschino cherries and grunting until the lid finally pops to let her unscrew it.]

Is she angry at you? It seems a little harsh...

[Orihime frowns as she scoops out a spoonful of cherries, busying herself with plucking off the stems one by one before dumping them onto a pillow of whipped cream.]

Did you kill yourself or something?

[He's back to slowly, very slowly, melting that ice cream upon his tongue. The taste is kind of nice. He forgot how sweet the caramel and cream could be after so long, and of course, the pralines are good too. Solid, so he has to chew those, but hopefully small enough not to be an issue later.

It's almost comical, the differences of him and his tiny careful spoonful as opposed to that absolute monster feast she's preparing for herself. He could laugh, even knowing they're both going to suffer for this later, if not for the questions she asks. He's thinking just how, exactly, to answer, when that last question rolls in and socks him in the gut, make him pull an inhale that takes that singular "safe" bite of ice cream and turns it to the cause of his second death.

He chokes and coughs and sputters. He tries to remind his brain that he doesn't technically have to breathe but his brain is taking no messages at this time. His hand braces on the table until, after a moment more, the coughing settles, replaced with soft wheezing. He drops the spoon down, letting it clatter next to the ice cream tubs.]

Okay. That's enough ice cream for me.

[He's just going to wait another five years to make that mistake again. Elbows set up upon that space, he puts his face into his hands.]

No... I definitely didn't kill myself. I got food poisoning. Something I ate made me really sick. It was probably some kind of fever or something. No accidents or... things like that, just some bad luck. Please don't laugh.

Edited 2019-02-18 10:30 (UTC)

No. I won't.

[If anything, she looks even more sympathetic, gently patting his bony back until he gets his choking under control. It's heartening to know that he wasn't fed up with life at the very least, and he sure acts like someone who'd be ready to fight for that life.]

I guess it's not the worst way to go. As long as the food tasted good at least, right?

[Maybe he was horribly allergic to one of the ingredients and didn't know about it. Or maybe it really was some horrible illness contracted from bad meat. It might even be mad cow disease, wasn't that supposed to be pretty bad? She'd better not make that joke anymore.]

Still...I'm sorry you died. It must have been really scary to discover something like that.

[He appreciates her understanding. Other friends were of coure less sensitive about his death. Which really never seemed fair. Who laughs at a dead guy? A lot of people apparently.

He accepts the pats to his back but winces a bit at her words.]

I don't really remember. I don't think it was that great. [Nothing horrible but nothing amazing. Certainly nothing worth dying over. Like the hotels, everything felt the same after a while. Homesickness got to him in a few ways.] I just remember a pain in my stomach. Then my head... then all of me. It was really bad actually, and yes, very scary. If you find you can choose how you die, I would recommend not choosing that, if possible.

[But that's a bit dark even for him.]

I thank you for your condolences all the same. [He says it in the way of a tired old joke. One he's told and has been told-- though lacking the little add on's like "and the drinks will be after the funeral". He lifts his head a little to smile at her.]

In any case, I came back. Ish. It's something. And I'm at peace with being dead like this for the most part.

Edited 2019-02-28 14:24 (UTC)

[She can at least smile at his morbid joke, even if she doesn't contribute any further quips. Death isn't really easy for her to laugh at when other people are concerned. Even for herself, she doesn't talk about it much beyond an acknowledgement that life is short and she means to live each day as fully as she can.]

It's not the worst! You still have a body at least, and you can interact with other people without special help.

[Orihime should probably be full now, but there she sits, still packing away the ice cream.]

Do you know how long it'll last? Until you've finished your business here and can let go?

[Because she definitely doesn't want him to go for good, but she at least understands that he'll probably need to someday.]

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unpocoloco - 2019-03-19 06:01 (UTC) - Expand