[she looks a little different than normal, since it's them and most people are in classes or wandering the woods. casual clothes, but no glasses, and a paleness she's unaware of. just the signs of a girl who's been doing her best to put her pieces back together, one by one, and has been taking time away to do so.]
Natsume...
[there's relief, a flash of happiness across her face before it fades.]
( it's probably about subaru, or pertaining to him. they were both there, and she stayed.
he takes her hand and rubs the back of it with his thumb, leading her in. )
Of COURSE. Sorry I don't have anything to offer YOU. It's a room full of BOYS, and none of them are that culTURED. ( not that natsume stays very often in the room anyway, when they're in. he comes around when they're out, and late at night to sleep, tucked away in more blankets than needed. ) Here—the BED.
( they can sit there, instead of the floor like he and komaeda had done. )
[she appreciates it, especially since she's come in without her cane. she trusts him that much, after all, and settles on the bed, but doesn't let go of his hand just yet.]
How have you been? It's strange to go a few days without talking to you now...I can't help but worry.
[Subaru's not the only one who feels an absence, after all.]
Though don't fret, I'm not here to beg for you to come back. It was what you needed, after all.
( he's been worse, maybe, but recent events compounding on each other one after the other have just brought that "worse" back to the surface, torn it open and rubbed salt into the wound as if to cleanse it of infection, then left alone instead of washing it out and sewing it back up nice and tidy.
natsume thinks about lying to her, but she would know. even if she didn't say anything, and just went along with what he said, she would know, and so he doesn't say anything for a moment.
he sighs instead, closing his eyes. not seeing anything, just like her. )
I've been manaGING. ( that's a good enough medium. managing. ) Nagito-kun let me have his BED, and the others in the room are nice eNOUGH. I've assured them I won't be staying that long anyWAY, but I...
( he pauses, thumb pausing, too. and while he starts up again, his rubbing does not. )
I don't know that I'll return to your room when I leave this ONE. My apoloGIES, Little Bat. Neither you nor Nanami-chan deserve to be in the crossFIRE.
Nanami left, so you don't have to be concerned about that.
[it had been all so sudden, she hadn't really processed it. lost in the blur of her grief.]
But I understand. I'll just have to come and visit your new room often, if that's your choice.
[a quiet acceptance. she won't move him into spaces he doesn't want to go into, force him to ways he doesn't want. which. that kind of ties to why she's here. yet there's no need to rush. it's calming to be in his presence, even if her own hurt is still raw - one thing clicked into place where it should go.]
( ...ah. of course he wouldn't have known, but it still stings not to. )
It'll be hard for you to REACH, so I'll just find you inSTEAD. Don't trouble yourself over ME.
( he may or may not be planning on living in the basement. the vents. at the edge of the forest, just outside of it, a grim reminder of what he's lost and what traumas he's faced.
(the scars from his tussle with the wolves itch. )
it's a work in progress. he has no idea where he'll stay, only he knows he doesn't want it to be with subaru. maybe that's still reactionary, but he's stubborn and petty. it'll do. )
...How have you BEEN?
( she stayed, after all.
she's kept staying, too. where he just abandoned subaru— even if he wanted to be friends again, could he face him without feeling guilty over that? and then, in turn, feeling sick with anger, because it isn't like subaru would remember why it's such a betrayal to be abandoned like that? )
[the deaths had shaken her. she had been the one to find them, cradled in each other's arms. all this pain, and for what? if they had waited one more day, if things had stalled...would any of it matter?]
I decided to not go back to classes for a little while.
[the straight A student, skipping, until it doesn't feel like so much of a production to get out of bed and do things like feed herself. it's the only way she doesn't explode at every small mishap that happens.]
Though...that's not why I'm here. I feel as though you deserve an explanation.
[if she can't be brave, she'll never say it. she'll back down, and he won't know. it'll hide back in that cracked open space in her body.]
( ...she doesn't have to explain herself. natsume was so hurt because he had that past with subaru; it wasn't her business to get in the middle of, friend or not. she didn't know him before that. she knew him from his time here. a change of memories for subaru in that case is almost nothing, then, for people unfamiliar with the life he had.
it feels cruel to think, and too cruel to say, so he bites his tongue like he's been doing for days in texts, in conversations, in thoughts and wonders when he'll start bleeding. )
About WHAT?
( he'll let her come out with it. he rubs the back of her hand again, and he'll let her come out with it. at her own pace. )
About why I didn't stop him, even though I wanted to.
[the touch is soothing, helps structure her thoughts. it will take time, there will be pauses in her words. pulling this out is like extracting a knife, cutting on both ends.]
I wanted to. Believe me, I did. I wanted to throw myself in the way and tell him no, you can't give up on your past like that, even for someone else. They might not even want this. But if I did that...Lord Jizo told me that his heart was truly set on it. So I would be thwarting his heart's honest wishes and making him follow my own. And to do that...
[another deep breath.]
I...know exactly what it feels like. To be...following someone else's will.
[she's got more to say, it's obvious, but she needs a moment to arrange her words.]
( to be someone's puppet. even if it isn't exactly the same... natsume knows it doesn't have to be exactly the same: trauma echoes, and situations similar enough. )
If it's any consolaTION, ( he says softly, ) he said I was the only person who could change his MIND, and obviously that was a LIE, because I didN'T. You wouldn't have been able to eiTHER.
( is that comforting? ...he touches her shoulder to let her know his hand is on its way up, and then he pets the top of her head. )
But this isn't about Baru-kun. Take your TIME, Little Bat. I won't allow anyone to interrupt YOU.
[even though she's older, she likes the gesture from him - it feels reassuring, not dismissive. like she's safe here, even though she's never put the words down in front of someone before. even if Subaru said that, did he truly mean it? if she had cried, begged, debased herself - would he have wavered at all?
maybe not. Natsume always knew him better than she did. probably not, he'd have stayed the course. but she would have tried.]
When I was growing up...there was someone I trusted well. My teacher. I thought she would help me with my dreams, that we'd be happy, that I'd go on to be able to write my own words. I loved her, I wanted to be her friend always. But...
[how to say it without shame? it's impossible.]
She...encouraged me to write what she suggested. Works of fiction about...my life. Because people would praise it. Her for being so kind, so patient. Me for overcoming trials. It would make people happy, to read that. It would make her proud of me, if I did.
So I did. Even if it wasn't my story, it had my name on it. It was her wish to receive that praise...and I kept helping her get it. Even though people believed lies about me. I did what she wanted me to. I said what she wanted me to. I pretended the way she wanted me to.
[she's gone so, so still. the words are shaking slightly. it feels like her hands dragged over barbed wire. her throat wrapped in it. still, she presses on.]
And it made me so...so unhappy. So I can't tell someone that if they really want something, they can't have it. They can't do it. Because then I'm no better than someone who'd get famous lying about the girl in her care. I'm just controlling them to my wishes. And I can't...I can't do that to someone. Even if I love them the way I love Subaru, how I love you. I can't trap you like that.
[he can probably feel that she's shaking.]
...God, I sound like an ungrateful monster, saying that...
( ...she wouldn't have been the same at all. he understands why she would be afraid of it, why she tells it the way she does, why she didn't step forward and throw daggers at subaru the way he did. he can see, but it isn't the same, to him.
he caresses her hair mutely, slowly opening his eyes. she's shaking; he knew that, felt it, but it feels more solid when he sees it in the blurriness of his left eye. he turns his face a little to see her better, the paleness of her face and the pain instilled there. )
You aren't a monster THOUGH, nor are you ungrateFUL. You're simply recognizing that you were WRONGED. But what could you have DONE...? For childREN, those we call "parents" or "guardians" are akin to "god" to US.
( it's something similar he told subaru, once, three years ago. the reminder is acrid on his tongue, but he continues on, leaning his head on hers. )
The older you GET, the more power you HAVE. If someone told you what to do NOW, would you listen to THEM? You know you can say no—you know you have other paths you can folLOW. It isn't so clear for KIDS, who have to rely on those who take care of them—who must know better than them because they're oldER.
( ...his point in this...
he sighs softly, hand dropping to her shoulder so he can pull her closer. a hug. )
Little Bat, you were never at risk of controlling anyONE, nor can you ever be controlled that way aGAIN. She abused your reliance and trust in her; she took advantage of the fact she was older and that you viewed her as someone who did know what was best for YOU. ( ... ) I'm sorry you had to go through something like that; I'm happy you're here with me despite THAT, and that you've grown into a lovely young woMAN. Please never be afraid to speak your mind with me or anyone else; speaking your opinion is not the same as forcing someone to do someTHING.
( he doesn't know the right words to say—there are a lot of words, a lot of feelings, he'd let to express, but most of all, he wants her to smile again. )
And... thank you for staying with him, TOO. I'm not angry at you for doing SO, nor for the reasons why you DID. ( ... ) I'm sure he was relieved that he had at least one true friend by his side when he made his CHOICE. I can't be that person for HIM.
( in truth
he never could.
he hadn't exactly abandoned him in first year either, but he certainly found other people he felt matched him more, felt understood him more, were willing to spoil him and praise him and were older and cooler and much more wonderful... reachable and still yet out of reach, compared to subaru— and they didn't spend time together as much, but subaru had started to grow, at least. he'd started making friends with their classmates, and natsume hadn't been needed anymore.
... )
Thank you for trusting ME.
( enough to talk about this, enough to let him hear, enough to be alone with him and hold his hand and stay away when he needs space. she's a light in the dark, a guiding beacon. how funny, for two blind bats. )
[there's a lot she wants to say, to argue on. that perhaps she was at fault, that he doesn't have to apologize for it. that woman is two whole worlds away, and she still hasn't sorted out how she feels. but Natsume is here, and she returns the hug, taking a deep breath before her emotions run away with her.
you are his true friend, she wants to say. a true friend would have protested even if they worried on the inside. all she'd done was stay quiet. but his words are sincerely meant, so she won't undercut them with this protest. it can stay in, a pool of guilt that she thinks about every time her hand brushes over the bottle in her room with a potion that could bring him back, maybe. but that would be cheating his will. cheating Jizo's work.]
Always. Thank you for not turning me away.
[today, or any day. for saying yes when she had been reaching out for someone she could trust to sleep next to. for being there through much - things great and small. she's glad, so glad to have met him here - truly, the greatest magic he's pulled off is just remaining by her side.]
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Natsume...
[there's relief, a flash of happiness across her face before it fades.]
I want to talk. Can we?
[can she come in, and sit by his side again?]
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he takes her hand and rubs the back of it with his thumb, leading her in. )
Of COURSE. Sorry I don't have anything to offer YOU. It's a room full of BOYS, and none of them are that culTURED. ( not that natsume stays very often in the room anyway, when they're in. he comes around when they're out, and late at night to sleep, tucked away in more blankets than needed. ) Here—the BED.
( they can sit there, instead of the floor like he and komaeda had done. )
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How have you been? It's strange to go a few days without talking to you now...I can't help but worry.
[Subaru's not the only one who feels an absence, after all.]
Though don't fret, I'm not here to beg for you to come back. It was what you needed, after all.
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natsume thinks about lying to her, but she would know. even if she didn't say anything, and just went along with what he said, she would know, and so he doesn't say anything for a moment.
he sighs instead, closing his eyes. not seeing anything, just like her. )
I've been manaGING. ( that's a good enough medium. managing. ) Nagito-kun let me have his BED, and the others in the room are nice eNOUGH. I've assured them I won't be staying that long anyWAY, but I...
( he pauses, thumb pausing, too. and while he starts up again, his rubbing does not. )
I don't know that I'll return to your room when I leave this ONE. My apoloGIES, Little Bat. Neither you nor Nanami-chan deserve to be in the crossFIRE.
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[it had been all so sudden, she hadn't really processed it. lost in the blur of her grief.]
But I understand. I'll just have to come and visit your new room often, if that's your choice.
[a quiet acceptance. she won't move him into spaces he doesn't want to go into, force him to ways he doesn't want. which. that kind of ties to why she's here. yet there's no need to rush. it's calming to be in his presence, even if her own hurt is still raw - one thing clicked into place where it should go.]
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It'll be hard for you to REACH, so I'll just find you inSTEAD. Don't trouble yourself over ME.
( he may or may not be planning on living in the basement. the vents. at the edge of the forest, just outside of it, a grim reminder of what he's lost and what traumas he's faced.
(the scars from his tussle with the wolves itch. )
it's a work in progress. he has no idea where he'll stay, only he knows he doesn't want it to be with subaru. maybe that's still reactionary, but he's stubborn and petty. it'll do. )
...How have you BEEN?
( she stayed, after all.
she's kept staying, too. where he just abandoned subaru— even if he wanted to be friends again, could he face him without feeling guilty over that? and then, in turn, feeling sick with anger, because it isn't like subaru would remember why it's such a betrayal to be abandoned like that? )
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[the deaths had shaken her. she had been the one to find them, cradled in each other's arms. all this pain, and for what? if they had waited one more day, if things had stalled...would any of it matter?]
I decided to not go back to classes for a little while.
[the straight A student, skipping, until it doesn't feel like so much of a production to get out of bed and do things like feed herself. it's the only way she doesn't explode at every small mishap that happens.]
Though...that's not why I'm here. I feel as though you deserve an explanation.
[if she can't be brave, she'll never say it. she'll back down, and he won't know. it'll hide back in that cracked open space in her body.]
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it feels cruel to think, and too cruel to say, so he bites his tongue like he's been doing for days in texts, in conversations, in thoughts and wonders when he'll start bleeding. )
About WHAT?
( he'll let her come out with it. he rubs the back of her hand again, and he'll let her come out with it. at her own pace. )
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[the touch is soothing, helps structure her thoughts. it will take time, there will be pauses in her words. pulling this out is like extracting a knife, cutting on both ends.]
I wanted to. Believe me, I did. I wanted to throw myself in the way and tell him no, you can't give up on your past like that, even for someone else. They might not even want this. But if I did that...Lord Jizo told me that his heart was truly set on it. So I would be thwarting his heart's honest wishes and making him follow my own. And to do that...
[another deep breath.]
I...know exactly what it feels like. To be...following someone else's will.
[she's got more to say, it's obvious, but she needs a moment to arrange her words.]
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( to be someone's puppet. even if it isn't exactly the same... natsume knows it doesn't have to be exactly the same: trauma echoes, and situations similar enough. )
If it's any consolaTION, ( he says softly, ) he said I was the only person who could change his MIND, and obviously that was a LIE, because I didN'T. You wouldn't have been able to eiTHER.
( is that comforting? ...he touches her shoulder to let her know his hand is on its way up, and then he pets the top of her head. )
But this isn't about Baru-kun. Take your TIME, Little Bat. I won't allow anyone to interrupt YOU.
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maybe not. Natsume always knew him better than she did. probably not, he'd have stayed the course. but she would have tried.]
When I was growing up...there was someone I trusted well. My teacher. I thought she would help me with my dreams, that we'd be happy, that I'd go on to be able to write my own words. I loved her, I wanted to be her friend always. But...
[how to say it without shame? it's impossible.]
She...encouraged me to write what she suggested. Works of fiction about...my life. Because people would praise it. Her for being so kind, so patient. Me for overcoming trials. It would make people happy, to read that. It would make her proud of me, if I did.
So I did. Even if it wasn't my story, it had my name on it. It was her wish to receive that praise...and I kept helping her get it. Even though people believed lies about me. I did what she wanted me to. I said what she wanted me to. I pretended the way she wanted me to.
[she's gone so, so still. the words are shaking slightly. it feels like her hands dragged over barbed wire. her throat wrapped in it. still, she presses on.]
And it made me so...so unhappy. So I can't tell someone that if they really want something, they can't have it. They can't do it. Because then I'm no better than someone who'd get famous lying about the girl in her care. I'm just controlling them to my wishes. And I can't...I can't do that to someone. Even if I love them the way I love Subaru, how I love you. I can't trap you like that.
[he can probably feel that she's shaking.]
...God, I sound like an ungrateful monster, saying that...
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he caresses her hair mutely, slowly opening his eyes. she's shaking; he knew that, felt it, but it feels more solid when he sees it in the blurriness of his left eye. he turns his face a little to see her better, the paleness of her face and the pain instilled there. )
You aren't a monster THOUGH, nor are you ungrateFUL. You're simply recognizing that you were WRONGED. But what could you have DONE...? For childREN, those we call "parents" or "guardians" are akin to "god" to US.
( it's something similar he told subaru, once, three years ago. the reminder is acrid on his tongue, but he continues on, leaning his head on hers. )
The older you GET, the more power you HAVE. If someone told you what to do NOW, would you listen to THEM? You know you can say no—you know you have other paths you can folLOW. It isn't so clear for KIDS, who have to rely on those who take care of them—who must know better than them because they're oldER.
( ...his point in this...
he sighs softly, hand dropping to her shoulder so he can pull her closer. a hug. )
Little Bat, you were never at risk of controlling anyONE, nor can you ever be controlled that way aGAIN. She abused your reliance and trust in her; she took advantage of the fact she was older and that you viewed her as someone who did know what was best for YOU. ( ... ) I'm sorry you had to go through something like that; I'm happy you're here with me despite THAT, and that you've grown into a lovely young woMAN. Please never be afraid to speak your mind with me or anyone else; speaking your opinion is not the same as forcing someone to do someTHING.
( he doesn't know the right words to say—there are a lot of words, a lot of feelings, he'd let to express, but most of all, he wants her to smile again. )
And... thank you for staying with him, TOO. I'm not angry at you for doing SO, nor for the reasons why you DID. ( ... ) I'm sure he was relieved that he had at least one true friend by his side when he made his CHOICE. I can't be that person for HIM.
( in truth
he never could.
he hadn't exactly abandoned him in first year either, but he certainly found other people he felt matched him more, felt understood him more, were willing to spoil him and praise him and were older and cooler and much more wonderful... reachable and still yet out of reach, compared to subaru— and they didn't spend time together as much, but subaru had started to grow, at least. he'd started making friends with their classmates, and natsume hadn't been needed anymore.
... )
Thank you for trusting ME.
( enough to talk about this, enough to let him hear, enough to be alone with him and hold his hand and stay away when he needs space. she's a light in the dark, a guiding beacon. how funny, for two blind bats. )
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you are his true friend, she wants to say. a true friend would have protested even if they worried on the inside. all she'd done was stay quiet. but his words are sincerely meant, so she won't undercut them with this protest. it can stay in, a pool of guilt that she thinks about every time her hand brushes over the bottle in her room with a potion that could bring him back, maybe. but that would be cheating his will. cheating Jizo's work.]
Always. Thank you for not turning me away.
[today, or any day. for saying yes when she had been reaching out for someone she could trust to sleep next to. for being there through much - things great and small. she's glad, so glad to have met him here - truly, the greatest magic he's pulled off is just remaining by her side.]