HIKAGE | 緋影 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
psychedelica) wrote2018-06-21 01:05 pm
psychedelica) wrote2018-06-21 01:05 pm
tuesday evening?! yeah
[ he said he'd get information about what happened out of her that night, and he meant it, dammit!! Hopefully, Stephanie managed to find someone to take care of her leg properly; otherwise, Hikage is actually willing to help her hobble back to their room when the time comes.
He wants to know about the attack, of course, but there's something else he wants to bring up, too. ]
Are you willing to talk yet?
[ also, he's not in the bed tonight (yet...?) Tragic. ]
He wants to know about the attack, of course, but there's something else he wants to bring up, too. ]
Are you willing to talk yet?
[ also, he's not in the bed tonight (yet...?) Tragic. ]
no subject
[ people underestimating stephanie: the story of her life.
but god. if she doesn't touch the subject now then she won't ever get to. ]
Hikage. I... think you have a sister.
no subject
that comment seems to catch him off guard, though; he doesn't seem to exactly understand what she means, and he just squints at her. ]
What are you talking about? [ is that the vibe he's giving off... Hikage assumed his vision of her memories was a result of his clairvoyance, not the manor doing something weird. ]
no subject
[ you know, since sometimes you have dreams that make no sense and you just shrug it off. ]
There was a little girl. She was dressed really well, and you were... telling her a story.
no subject
He's never remembered anything before, himself, but he knows what this pain means. A hand floats up to press to one of his temples. ]
What...?
[ was everyone seeing these memories? why did Steph get to see this, and not him? through the pain, he feels a sense of anger, too, that even this was stolen from him - but the desire to know more overcomes it, even if part of him is afraid to. ]
no subject
she figures that he would probably want to know more, but there... isn't really much more she can actually say. the girl looked young. she seemed happy to be with him, and he seemed happy to be with her. ]
I think she looked... seven? Eight? Blonde.
no subject
[ not true - for some reason, that's the first thought that comes to mind, but it is true. As she speaks, an image begins to form, floating up from wherever it had been locked away in a sunken chest in his mind. He remembers her; he can see her round face and her big amber eyes in his head, and he wonders with excruciating pain how he'd ever forgotten her.
His little sister. She was really important. He doesn't remember why, but he knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was more important than anything.
His whole face twists, and Hikage sort of... sinks to his knees, the ache in his head sharpening. For the first time, he's grateful Steph probably isn't going to be moving much - that will keep her from running over and trying to comfort him. ]
... That's right... How did I forget that? All this time, I've just been...
no subject
from where she sits, she just watches him, leaning over towards him as far as she can without actually getting out of the bed. ]
You didn't forget her on purpose.
[ she doesn't know why everyone in that manor forgot everything, but... she can tell he might be blaming himself for getting his sister. ]
no subject
And now he's remembering that he had other reasons to survive - reasons that were quite opposed to what he'd settled on in the afterlife. ]
... Ha ha... I'm an idiot. [ even if it wasn't on purpose, he's clearly blaming himself, anyway. ] ... She was my half-sister. She was... sick. When she was stuck in bed, I'd keep her company and read stories to her. I hated that house, but she made it bearable. Hah...
[ why he hated it is just out of reach, but he can remember now that her room was the only place he could feel comfortable. ]
I... loved her a lot. I wonder what her name was.
no subject
[ she doesn't know what condolences saying that would make. stephanie doubts she'd be able to make him not think it's his fault. they've been together for a few weeks now, but there's still a lot about each other that they don't understand. there's a lot about hikage himself that he doesn't understand. ]
We can try to see if we can get you to remember it. Her name.
no subject
[ the last part is dry and self-deprecating, and probably not something he should say out loud, but it slips out before he can stop himself. He gets to his feet, rubbing his forehead. ]
... What did you have in mind?
no subject
[ it's a long shot, but it's still better than what they had before. ]
no subject
How many Japanese girls' names do you know? From your point of view, it'd probably be an old-fashioned one, too.
[ the place she was in her dreams certainly looked different from the cities he knows... and it was also definitely not Japan, which obviously wasn't surprising, but. ]
no subject
[ she huffs. look... she realized after saying that that she may not actually be much help in the name department. but it's fine. she's committed. [
no subject
hikage... rubs his forehead one last time with an amused huff, then, somewhat hesitantly, wanders over to sit on the side of the bed again, although he's careful to give her a wide berth. She's injured pretty badly this time. ]
You won't be. [ a pause. his head still hurts, a little, and the fact that he's remembering things - well, he doesn't know what that means for his future. But right now, the memory feels warm. Like a piece of himself that he never realized he missed until now. ] ... Thanks.
no subject
[ she'll reach over and place a hand on his arm, because he is treating her like a plague victim apparently with this distance. ]
We're friends, after all.