yogen | MISSION 2.C

( the way i was gunna make a whoops raincheck joke but we take the aratas seriously. )

...

( STOP KOMAEDA DIDN'T MEAN TO be the reason for him to fall over, but it's a quick reaction to using his good arm to instantly pull the other up so he doesn't remain in the snow. his heart races, concern visible on his face as he looks at the other, and it quickly disappears as he looks towards natsume —

for magic, it sure didn't last long, but he won't point fingers yet... because his only good ones are pressed against rokkun's arm to set him up right against his chest. )

...Help me get him up!

( HE DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE GONNA JUST SHOVE HIM OVER, KOMAEDA???? like the world's softest firecrackers his stars pop out of existence, and natsume's over in a moment to help him get the boy up, woof— )

SorRY. ( to helena, for making her save a baby from their dying brother. and by extension, also to komago and their brother for... everything, actually.

up and at 'em, boyo. ) You couldn't have held onto him for ten more seCONDS, Komaeda-san?

[ me all the time

They cling to Helena when she reaches for them, arms wrapped around her torso while they stare at their brother slumped against Komaeda. Covered in blood, deathly pale, not moving when Natsume sits him up, not breathing...

But Kogamo remains silent— because there are adults here and adults will fix everything, that's their job— and they stare, because a pot of water won't boil if you're watching, and by that same logic, their brother won't die so long as they're watching, he wouldn't do that to them. ]

Shut up.

( clipped, straight to the point, and delivered towards natsume like he's fed up. if komaeda had it his way, they wouldn't be in this position, and he wouldn't have rokkun's limp body against him, holding him like he won't let go — at this point, he doesn't want to. he doesn't want to do anything else if he's constantly the one making things go wrong. it's always like that, maybe he's feeling a little hopeless. )

Blame me after, but keep your exasperating comments to yourself.

( sorry for getting upset in front of a kid and the more proper adults, but the idiots are fighting!! komaeda's not like akira, he can't just fix where the gashes are, and he can't provide blood... so between both him and natsume, they'll bring him into the house to lay him down. it feels wrong to be useless, and all he has is his luck that does nothing but endanger other people — maybe if he hadn't even came along, perhaps if he... stayed behind, let the bear maul him. perhaps the other wouldn't be in this condition.

promises probably don't hold up in this world, when the other said he wouldn't die before him, because looking at him now... )

Kogamo-kun... what's your brother's name?

( even as he reaches for rokkun's hand, he's raising it to place over his heart to see if it's beating, if there's anything left. you think he'll wake up to the sound of his sibling's voice like in the movies? well... )

( his exasperating comments? natsume opens his mouth, thinks better of it, and snaps it shut again; they have more important things right now, and he can bitch at the other later. once he's helped komaeda lay the boy down he'll move away to give the cabin a quick look over to find if there's anything they can use to wipe the blood off of kogamo, like a kitchen towel or something. may as well keep his hands busy, since this whole thing's gone to hell in a handbasket.

he'll wet it first when he finds something because you won't let me think there isn't some kind of hand towel in this house ori what would they clean spills with and... he would give it to helena to use, but she's blind, so he'll kneel by the kid instead to wipe their face off. sorry, sorry. )

...It'll be oKAY, ( he says softly, even though it probably won't be, actually.

not immediately. "time heals all wounds" is a dirty lie, but it does make those painful memories a little more dull. comforting them seems like a better course of action than asking for someone's name, but komaeda has... his own issues, if he thinks it's important to get a name then so be it. )

[Hinata has been silent - at first it was shock from scaring Kogamo, then it was a spark of surprising anger from what Komaeda said. He doesn't yet have the knowledge of how many more days he'll spend angry; for now it's just a shock to feel like that towards Komaeda at all.

But seeing Natsume speak and move spurs him into action. Is it right, to lie to them like that? Won't that make the reality to come even crueler?

...But they're so small, so young. Can't even be five years old, he thinks. What good would the truth do them when they're still learning how to process that sort of thing?

Hinata kneels down beside the pile of Helena and Natsume and child. He doesn't have any younger siblings, no real experience with children at all. But he has the memories of another life with the girl whose name he finally remembers, and perhaps that's something that he can draw from after all.

His hand stretches out - hesitates for just a moment like he might pull back. But then he finishes the movement, gently reaching out to lay a hand on their head. Slowly, carefully, he lets his fingers card through their hair. He doesn't know if unfamiliar touch would be bad for them, but he remembers how it made that precious person smile, and so Hinata will hope that it will at least not cause harm if nothing else.]

I'm sorry. I know it hurts right now. But we're here for you.

[It's the one truth that he can offer them, even if they won't be able to accept it right now.]

[they're so small, she thinks as she holds them back, as if her arms could shield them from whatever will be worse. as if she wasn't covered in a dying boy's blood, as if everything didn't hurt and in her mind she's praying that if somehow she could bear the pain for this little one, she would. it's not fair. it's not fair, and though Hinata's said what she wanted to say, she wonders if he'd still be alive if they hadn't gone down there at all. if they hadn't even come here.

she's so, so sorry, because no matter what's said, no matter the logic, something now will always feel like it's their fault. for now, she just tries to keep breathing, because if Helena opens her mouth, she's afraid she'll start crying - and this little soul needs tears, needs the air more than she does.

all they really are, in this situation, is angels of death come to ruin it all.]

[ When will Komaeda tell everybody that he knows who these people are actually and that they're fine, it all turned out okay. That the child grows up bright and cheerful, and the boy grows up ... anyways, he also grows up.

Here and now, though, they're all brought into the warmth of the cabin, a dying fire flickering in the hearth in the living room, papers and crayons messily spread out in front of it, nowhere to sit but there is a thick rug spread across the center that they can lay the boy down on. There is no heartbeat; his eyes are closed, and he looks peaceful.

On one side of the cabin are two bedrooms, one with a neatly made bed and empty desk, the other with a small cot with bunched up blankets and three pillows, coloring books and scattered marbles and an overturned bucket of Legos a tripping hazard across the floor, glow in the dark stars plasted on the ceiling, and a nightlight plugged into the wall. On the other side of the cabin is the bathroom where Natsume can find clean linens and a laundry hamper overflowing with clothes, and the tiny kitchen with four stools in a line beside the island counter in lieu of a dining table.

Kogamo remains latched onto Helena, more interested in holding onto someone than getting their face wiped clean, tears having stopped because they're distracted watching intently as Komaeda holds their brother's hand like he's going to do something about all of this, make it all better. ]

...Rokku... Rokuro...

[ offered as if the name held some sort of magic power and that's why Komaeda is asking, that hope being all they have to cling onto because they've never had so many people here for them. Even if they flinch when Hinata lays a hand on their head, eyes squeezing shut tight and bracing— but then the moment passes and they let go of Helena to reach for Hinata, both arms spread as if asking to be picked up. ]

[Hinata makes a noise of surprise - weren't they??? afraid of him before??? They were just afraid of him!!! How does he children. But even through his surprise, his hands don't stop the rhythmic movements - just slow a little bit.

He looks at Kogamo's face, and Hinata's heart aches. This, at least, he can do.

He's a little nervous; he's only really looked at other people pick up kids, never having done it himself. But he slowly wraps his arms around them; right under thei arms, then curls another under their legs when they're close to him. The movement is clumsy, like someone who's never picked up a child before, but he manages to hold in the right places still.]

Up you go. [It's a quiet murmur, spoken half-under his breath and barely audible.] You can stay here as long as you want, okay?

( the way ori said cut the bullshit... he'll tell them when he feels like it!! this is emotional manipulation!

his thoughts are fleeting, the corner of his lips raising into a smile at this really being him — the same one-track minded idiot that focuses on one thing (selectively), and makes it work out in his favor. in death, there's something comforting about having someone there for you, or to hear them in your final moments. while komaeda can't think like that for himself, or ever had that relief, but he wonders if the way rokkun appears means that he's satisfied, that he feels loved. in turn, it's better than what npc-kun had told komaeda before, living in a unknown world, unsure of what happened to their brother. at least here, there's this sort of second chance to give them something they didn't have before.

hope.

the lack of heartbeat tells him something, and yet, he looks over to both hinata and helena with how kogamo begs to be picked up. it's not a bad sight, but he wonders if he should excuse himself because of how he'll ruin the mood, especially with the attention given between everyone. his concern drifts from one side for various reasons, split between the people and kogamo themselves, and then his eyes quickly look towards natsume. he doesn't know what to say, so he feels a little off. he's not heartless, easing himself into the situation with a familiar smile, soft, and warm, but who knows if that's because of the death, or to see the scene before him.

while those two seem busy with the child, komaeda has to deal with how aware natsume is, but he doesn't care much if he gets caught. his other arm is out of order, so the one that he does have manage to slip out from rokkun's cold fingers, and he slowly begins to remove his jacket (please hinata, for the love of god don't let kogamo look this way). that's only a coverup for how he's trying to check the deceased for anything specific, it he carried something important on his body. looting is wrong... but a dead body is a dead body no matter how komaeda looks at it, detrimental to investigations, so he has to check is anything stands out.

notes? valuables? )

[ Kogamo wraps their arms over Hinata's shoulders and presses themselves against him as much as they can and buries their face against the crook of his neck with zero intention of letting go, as comfortable being held as how uncomfortable they were seeing somebody reach to pat their head.

In the meanwhile, Komaeda desecrates a dead body. There's nothing in either pants pocket, but inside the left jacket pocket Komaeda will find a rock, grey with a strip of white running all the way around it.

A wishing stone. ]

( with his working hand, he's brushing his thumb across the surface of it — following the white stripe, and while he understands the lore behind it, he doesn't think of a wish. his mind remains blank as he looks at the body. if he hasn't, he must have not wished on it yet, since he still has it. )

...

( he looks up towards kogamo, seeing as they're fond of hinata, he know he can't exchange looks with the brunette saying he'll be back, or do the same with helena. instead, he whispers his request to natsume about how they should move the body outside, they'll give him a proper burial because a three year old can't do anything about this. hinata and helena has baby rights, so they're going to keep up the good work! )

[ The moment Komaeda, Natsume, and the body step out the door, they disappear completely. Stay tuned. ]

[with Kogamo yielded to Hinata, Helena can finally get back off the ground, pushing herself up with her cane and taking stock of everything around them. warmer doesn't mean that all their problems are solved, as much as she wishes she could take a hot bath and sleep. that Komaeda, Natsume, and the body are leaving...well, whatever.]

What can I do to help?

[her voice is soft, since why distress the little one further. that, and she's tired -

wait. something's too silent.]

I wish I knew. [Hinata's tone is equally soft but miserable as he answers Helena. He feels so lost right now.] Letting things stay like this isn't good, but...

[What else can they do? They can't stay here forever, but Hinata doesn't want to leave this child alone after he just said they would be there for them.

Hinata is very distracted by the bundle that has wrapped themselves around him even further, so he isn't aware of what's happened out of his range of attention - he's acknowledged that there's been some movement and that's about the extent of it. He'd never think that Komaeda and Natsume would bring the body outside unless someone told him or he'd witnessed it himself.

But... what to do, what to do. There has to be something, even if there movements are limited... If he's gentle about it, maybe it won't hurt anything to ask something?]

...Hey, Kogamo? [He pats their back as he says their name, voice still low.] Do you think you can tell me where your dad is?

[ What can they do to help? Raise the dead, maybe, or turn back time or any number of impossible things they could ask for. Instead, they whine a little, pressing their face against Hinata's shoulder like they understand crying's not going to solve anything but they can't help it. They miss their brother, and now they also miss their dad, when Hinata brings him up. ]

Daddy's working. It's just me and aniki right now.

[ Or, more accurately, just them. ]

[God damn it, Hinata bites down on his lip, hard, to keep from saying it out loud. Of course he is, why are adults never helpful in his life.

But he reaches to pat their head once more as he makes what he hopes passes for a soothing noise. The rhythmic motions of before seemed to help, so he's internally crossing his fingers that it might make them feel better again.

They know so little, and their only source of clues is someone that should never be pressed for answers in the first place. Hinata feels terrible, because he knows it must be making them feel worse, but he doesn't know what else to do.]

Do you know when he'll be home? Or if it's close enough for us to go there and get him?

[If he has to he'll stay back, or maybe Helena can since she's such a calming presence. It's not Hinata's family, not his business about whether or not this tiny child is at home by themselves, but there is absolutely no way he is leaving them in good conscience. Especially not after all of this.

~~also Mira is coming in for a layup Ori she's on her way to be our star~~]

Or we can call him, if you have a phone.

[she's not going through the door, but she makes her way over to the front wall, leaning against it for a second. no distant sound of bickering - the snow either muffles it, or the worst has come. one of the two. she still expects something to burst through the door, destroy this tense moment - but she's not leaving unless she's forced. ~~sorry Ori.~~]

At a time like this, I'm sure he'd lay his work aside and rush home.

[ can't kill my npcs if the thread never ends, I see

Kogamo either nuzzles Hinata's shoulder or shakes their head, but both to the same effect. ]

He works at school. I don't know the number there...

[ There's... a house phone! But no cell phones in this household. ]

He comes home Sundays.

[~~me looking both ways before vanishing into the ether anyway~~

Hinata doesn't stop patting Kogamo's head as he carefully stands up with them. No adverse effects thus far, no reason to cease.]

It's okay, that's already a huge help. I'll see if the number is written down somewhere.

[But when he finally lifts his head - he'll see that it's just him and Helena in the room with Kogamo, and shock colors his face. Was he really that distracted?

...Where is the older brother?]

Helena? [He's really putting that locked skill of staying calm to use today, because Hinata's voice is steady as he starts looking around the house for the phone.] Do you know where Komaeda and Sakasaki went?

[God, what day is it even, how long has it been since they ended up here. What Hinata doesn't know is that, given how old these two children are, there's a good chance the four of them are not running on their own time anymore.

That doesn't matter in any case, though, because it is clearly not Sunday and that is all that matters to Hinata right now. Hopefully when he finds that house phone there will be papers or a phone book nearby, that's the logical conclusion, right. Hopefully this man has a modicum of logic even if he's fine with leaving his two children, one very young, alone in the middle of the woods. Hinata can't stand him already.]

[ ? The responsible older brother is here to housesit and make sure everything is okay, it's fine.

Kogamo grizzles a little, as if in response to the tension that fills the air once more, but doesn't outright cry, instead looking to Helena for the answer to this question they're not really following, recognizing names but not able to connect who is who.

The house phone is on a little table. There are eight voicemails that, if they care to play them, are of a woman's voice leaving short messages wishing they're all doing well, saying that she misses them, and that she loves them. But no phone book, no papers with any sort of telephone number on them. ]

They...I think they took something important outside.

[she frowns, but subtly indicates with her cane where the body was to explain the "something important". they had taken it somewhere, but them not coming back was getting concerning. even the woman's sweet voicemails don't solve the knot of unease in her - they had come in this place together, after all.]

Let me see if I can't hear where they are.

[and opening the door for all three of them, her hand hasn't even left the doorknob as she turns her head to listen, and try to find those two.]

[ The door swings open, bringing the chill in and Kogamo hugs Hinata even tighter, trying to tuck their bare feet somewhere warmer.

Helena can hear the wind blowing outside, a bit stronger than a gentle breeze, but no crunching of ice underfoot, no squabbling from the two who had left them that she might expect.

Hinata can see white: the snow's picked up, already filling in their footprints, covering the trail of blood, erasing any evidence anybody had ever been here. White covers the trees, the river, the rocks. It makes up the sky and the ground and everything around them, as if the entire world outside the cabin has faded away. ]

[ crying, Natsume is way too happy lugging away a dead body ]

MISSION 2.C

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today i learned Roku is how you'd say "rock" and i frowned so deep

ORI PLEASE IM SOBBINF

kinda crying how perfect his name is we perceived the future

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our memes are making me insane

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