| [Dec. 1st, 2010|12:32 am] |
That drew a sharp breath from Genma. He let it out in a slow sigh and flattened his palm against Raidou's chest. "It's not stupid, Rai. My mom's been gone since I was a chuunin, and I still wish she was here when things are bad. Or my big sister. When... when I first came to a little, after that first surgery — when you weren't there, and I thought—" Raidou already knew what Genma'd thought. "I was really sure I heard her..." He trailed off, not sure he really wanted to dive any further into that memory.
Raidou lifted his head slightly, like he wanted Genma to go on.
Genma took another deep breath. "Yeah, it's stupid, too. I thought I heard Yumi's ghost calling my name, but it was just the nurse, I think."
Raidou wiped his eyes again and sat up a little bit. Not letting go of Genma, not even really moving apart. Just more centered in the way he rested in Genma's hold. "You never told me about your sister," he said quietly. "What was she like?"
"Yumi was... Well, she was smart. Smarter than me," Genma answered. "She was really responsible, too, and kind of... I don't know. Straight-laced, I guess. She had to be though, because Haruko was just a kid when our mom died. And I was.... well I was a new chuunin, and running Eros missions already, and.... Yeah. Yumi had to do all the real work. It was a good thing she was already a medic. It meant she could stay in the village easily and take care of the
house and Haruko."
The house. Gone. Razed to the foundation in the Fox's fires. And Haruko with it, in her wheelchair. And Yumi dead on the field, where she'd been a front-line medic that horrific night. Genma took another breath, and clung a little tighter to Raidou.
"You'd have probably liked her, actually. Yumi, I mean. She was probably more your type than I am, really. Everyone always said I looked like her." |
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