| [Feb. 22nd, 2012|05:09 am] |
Beni snarled and pushed himself up on one hand, but Ryouma’s killing intent spiked again and he collapsed back down to his knees. Katsuko licked her lips and tried to think, tried to remember all the questions left unanswered in favor of petty arguments and grudges.
In the end, it all boiled down to one very simple sentence. She looked down at them and said, quietly, “Was I not good enough?”
Ryouma’s killing intent wavered for a brief moment, enough time for both Nori and Beni to lift their heads and stare her, shocked. Then it strengthened again, redoubled in fury, and Beni dropped his eyes back down to the ground. Nori went white around the lips but held her gaze, something new in his expression.
“I shut you out, after the labs,” Katsuko said. It was easier to admit that now, here, with them held in place by Ryouma’s killing intent and unable to retaliate. “I said things. We all said things. But you stayed with me in the hospital even when I tried to drive you away, you told my mother to piss off and helped me move into my apartment when she kicked me out-- when did that change? Was it too much? Did you just get tired of it?”
“You idiot,” Beni grated, still glaring down at the ground. “You’re our teammate, even when you’re acting stupid and throwing yourself at death face-first--”
“Don’t you get it?” Nori said, voice ragged. “You didn’t want anything to do with us. Disappearing for weeks, taking high-casualty missions, not talking for days-- you’d already checked out, your body just hadn’t gotten the memo yet.”
“You kept on pushing,” Katsuko snapped. “Pushing and prodding, not letting me rest--”
“We thought you were dead for six months,” Nori said. “Beni kept on seeing you on street corners and in shadows. We’d both hear you scream in the middle of the night and nobody would be there. Excuse us for trying to make sure you were real--”
“You froze up,” Katsuko snarled. “You both stood there and watched while they dragged me away.”
"Cowards," Ryouma said, softly.
Beni made a small, stifled sound, and Nori put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Katsuko, his gaze steady. “We all know what we did,” he said, quietly. “And we’ll carry that with us for as long as we live. Let us go, Katsu.”
Katsuko took a deep breath and stepped back, shaken. “One last thing,” she said.
“What do you want?” Beni said. “We’ve already told you everything--”
“I know you guys still check up on my little brother,” Katsuko said. “And my mother. Are they... are they doing alright?”
This, out of everything, was what pushed Beni over the edge. He leapt at her; Nori tackled him, and both of them went crashing back down to the ground again.
“You idiot,” Beni roared at her, over Nori’s shoulder. “After everything that woman-- she has your picture up on the shrine for the dead. She’s not worth--”
Katsuko closed her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, breathing fast. “Ryouma, just-- just let them go.”
After a very long moment, Ryouma’s killing intent eased. Beni and Nori were silent, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at them again. A large, calloused hand wrapped around her wrist, and she jumped and turned around to see Ryouma, jaw tense with restrained anger.
"Come on," he said, and pulled her away, towards the back door of Wakahisa’s restaurant. Katsuko followed him, numbly, not fighting the hold on her wrist.
“Katsuko,” Nori called, as Ryouma swung the door open.
She glanced over her shoulder. Nori had gotten to his feet. He met her eyes, expression unreadable. “Makoto’s doing fine,” he said. “He hasn’t gotten sick in a while, and he’s still painting. He misses his sister.”
Katsuko nodded, wetting her lips. “Thanks,” she said, and turned away. |
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