(no subject)

[deadfreesia.livejournal.com]

Who: secret_sword, junebugfuji, and deadfreesia
Where: Route 29
When: Monday, April 11, late evening.
Summary: A long overdue sibling reunion
Rating: G, PG at most
Log:

It was only natural that after all of the fuss and springing to action, most of the bugs were calming down by the time they were close enough to Aya to help her.

It wasn't a wasted trip; Aya would still need items for her Pokémon and likely some First Aid of her own. It wasn't even something to complain about. The sooner they were rid of those bug attacks, the better. It was just ironic.

Ken's Rattata, Ratty, kept a few paces ahead of them to help clear the path for faster travel. They'd barely stopped for rest-- only long enough for the Pokémon, really-- so they should be very close by now. That was, of course, assuming that Aya was still making equal headway towards them.

Mamoru pushed that thought from his mind. They would meet her when they did. Until then, they would simply have to keep pressing forward.

As though purely to prove his pessimistic thought wrong, Ratty perked at that moment and made a dash ahead to a barely discernible figure in the distance-- one who happened to be in the company of a familiar Kirlia.

Comments

[junebugfuji.livejournal.com]

She shut her eyes too, she'd already been squinting them almost shut against the burning sensation of fresh tears but now she let herself relax, but then she noticed something a little bit wet against her hand. She opened her eyes and drew her hand around to look, then looked up at him with nothing but concern.

"Ran-niichan...? You're hurt?!"

Not that she was really one to talk, but she wasn't bleeding anywhere, after all. Her first concern was now Ran's well being, now that they had reached one another. And if Ran was hurt then Mamoru probably was too-- just that her thoughts were understandably on her kin just then.

[secret-sword.livejournal.com]

"I'm not hurt. We need to get you away from here though."

Somewhere safe where they could actually have time for a proper reunion. Looking her over, he frowned at the state she was in. However, he doubted she'd really be up for more walking. It didn't matter if they used a Pokemon or they walked, he was carrying her. She could barely stand.

"Do you want to get on my back?" He smiled a little. "I'll carry you."

[junebugfuji.livejournal.com]

For a moment she didn't look wholly convinced, but his smile, however small, managed to put her at ease again at least for the moment (That's not even going into how long she thought it must have been since she'd ridden on her brother's back.). She'd managed to completely forget about her exhaustion in the excitement of the moment, but his asking brought it all back rather fresh. She smiled softly back ("Sorry to trouble you," it said), a little bit flustered, but happy. "If I'm not too heavy."

She was glad that no one had come out worst for ware. She'd have felt pretty guilty if Ken's Pokemon had been hurt, or Mamoru, and especially Ran. The sooner Sneasel was healed the better, too. She'd fought so hard to try protecting her trainer, Aya was going to make it up to her ten fold, she didn't think she'd done enough to protect Sneasel in return.

[secret-sword.livejournal.com]

Ran gave her a look. "You've never been too heavy." Letting go over her, he turned around and got down on one knee so it would be easier for her to get up. As he did so, he looked over at Mamoru. Now was the point where he needed his help again. Honestly, he was grateful to have his former teammate there with him.

"Mamoru, you've been here longer. What's going to be the easiest way to get back?" Walking, running, Pokemon...he trusted him to come up with the best method. In the meantime, Cu jumped up on his shoulder to say hello to Aya while she was there. Probably to make her feel better too with a little trill and a nuzzle.

"Aya, that's Cu."

[deadfreesia.livejournal.com]

Mamoru understood the look. He nodded once and quietly rejoined Ran, this time With Sister. He greeted her with a small but warm smile and a nod as well.

"Nice to meet you officially, Aya-san. I'm sorry for the abrupt end to our conversation."

From there, Mamoru surveyed the area and considered their situation and resources. All three of them were exhausted. It was over a full day's worth of walking to cover in the return path. They could attempt to make it back without stopping, and Aya would be able to rest at least, but it didn't seem wise to strain themselves beyond capacity if it could be avoided.

"Staying on the path is fastest for us. However, I think it might be best to look for a good place to camp for the night. We'll be more efficient traveling tomorrow after some rest, and the bugs seem to be calming. If it's only a lull, we'll want to take advantage of it, so that we'll have the energy to fight them later.

"You and I can take turns keeping watch in case there's another attack. In the meantime, I have some First Aid supplies in my bag. You're welcome to use them for yours and your sister's injuries. If there's an emergency, I have a Skarmony from Youji-kun. He can fly Aya-san back in the event of a bad situation."

[junebugfuji.livejournal.com]

Aya kept the smile, then moved to get onto Ran's back as he stooped down and turned to offer it to her. Slender arms came to wrap around his neck over his shoulders carefully. She couldn't help giggling a little at his Pokemon's greeting, freeing a hand long enough to pet it like she would a kitten. Cu.

"Hello, Cu-chan." It was just too cute, the attached honorific came all on it's own. "Nice to meet you too. You've been taking good care of my brother, haven't you? Thank you."

More of a statement than a question, really. It was very cute, and she recognized it as an Eevee.

She looked to Mamoru at his introduction and offered a smile and a nod back. His apology made it hard to hold onto her annoyance about being hung up on, so she let it go with that.

"Nice to meet you officially too, Takatori-san."

She quieted down so that they could sort a plan then, unable to help herself when she finally began to lean against Ran a little more heavily. She really was tired. Just stay awake for a while longer, sounded like they'd be bunking down for the night soon. She could wait till then to sleep.

[secret-sword.livejournal.com]

"Let's find a place to set up camp then. We all need the rest." And by 'we' he meant that Aya needed the rest. They were trained for things like this, even trained for going without sleep. His sister wasn't.

"I'll take first watch when we get there."

He couldn't have slept even if he wanted to. There was too much on his mind now. Aya, whom he had to protect. But what would she think of him when she found out that he was a murderer? Someone who had killed for money? Had killed using her name? So many had died by his hands. They haunted him to this very day.

What if she hated him for all of this? Never wanted to see him again? That would be her right really. He couldn't blame her.

And yet, keeping her close was the best way to protect her in this strange world.

Of course, he voiced none of this as he rose up to his feet, Cu staying with Aya by balancing on his shoulder.

[deadfreesia.livejournal.com]

And making it difficult for her to stay upset at him was exactly the point. That would make for better relations and an easier time all around. Although ultimately a move of practicality, it also wasn't unwarranted. Mamoru may not have been able to help the necessity of ending the call between the topic turning to one best kept between the siblings and the genuine need for her to save her breath for running, but that didn't excuse his rudeness. Intention and necessity didn't matter in a slight.

He led them a short ways back towards Cherrygrove in search of a practical campsite: ample shelter from view but away from tall grass where so many wild Pokémon liked to roam. He pointed to a cluster of trees and bushes.

"There's a clearing of ground behind the shrubbery. We can make camp there. Can you wait here for a minute?"

Mamoru set Togepi down and checked the area over just to be sure there weren't any of the attacking bug Pokémon hiding in the foliage. Once satisfied it was clear, he smiled and nodded to Ran. It was safe to bring Aya over.

He set his backpack down and unloaded his tent, setting it aside to put up in a few moments. He took out a First Aid kit for Ran and some Pokémon food for their little defenders.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone," he said as Ratty, Ran and his Togepi gathered around. He looked over to Cu and smiled. "There's some for you, too."

Finally, he opened one of the outside pouches and pulled a Revive from it. He offered it to Aya.

"Here: this will make your Pokémon better."

[junebugfuji.livejournal.com]

She already had a good idea that whatever he was doing was dangerous enough to warrant his desire to keep his distance from her, for her safety's sake. Even being told that was all she could be told, one's imagination tended to start mulling over the various possibilities from there. It was only impossible for her to draw any definite conclusions, but from that information she had decided to trust her brother and hope she'd get to see him again soon. It didn't matter what he'd done, he was still her brother, they were still family, she still cared about him, loved him, and wanted him to be safe and happy.

Aya held on as everything shifted and Ran stood up. Her backpack was on her back securely still since she'd tired of carrying it as a weapon after a while. Sleep just sounded so good right then that she had to fight not to give into it already. She almost didn't want to sleep, she just wanted to stay up and enjoy the fact that Ran was there. Maybe she was a little bit afraid of waking up to find out it had just been a dream, too, it certainly seemed crazy enough to be one.

When Mamoru offered her the revive she took it with a quiet thanks, ready to find Sneasel's Pokeball the second the chance presented itself once she was set down. There were also the potions and antidotes from Ken that his "Ran" brought with him.

[secret-sword.livejournal.com]

Setting Aya down, Ran went to take the offered First Aid kit so he could tend to his sister. Sitting down in front of her, he reached up to push some of the hair from her face with a gentle little smile.

"Are your hurt anywhere? I can take care of things now."

Any excuse to really make sure she was alright.

[deadfreesia.livejournal.com]

With Ran tending to Aya and the Pokémon eating, Mamoru spent the next few minutes setting up his tent. It would offer Aya a little more shelter during their rest.

[junebugfuji.livejournal.com]

Aya settled down in front of Ran. She smiled back at Ran's touch and his words, happy beyond words for the reunion, then reached up to touch the outside of her shoulder where her shirt was a bit torn from the close encounter heard on the gear earlier.

"Not badly, at least I don't think so. It just looks worse than it is. I'm only a little scuffed."

Just to be sure, though (because she knew adrenaline could make one forget discomfort) she checked herself over with a look, her shoulder last. She pulled her shirt down from it just enough to reveal a few scratch marks. They were fortunately very shallow.

[secret-sword.livejournal.com]

"I'll take care of it," he said softly, eyes showing the concern he felt even if the wound was small. Opening the kit, he pulled out some disinfectant and got a cotton ball damp with it.

"This will sting," he warned as he lightly pressed it to the small wound. They were shallow, yes. But he refused to let them go unattended to.

And all the while he could only think of the following: If only he'd run faster. He should have gotten there sooner. If he'd been there sooner she wouldn't have gotten hurt. Because in his mind, in the end, this was somehow his fault.

[deadfreesia.livejournal.com]

When the tent was ready, Mamoru stood and moved to the edge of the small clearing.

"I'll be back shortly."

This was a good time to check in with Nagi, who'd trailed along off the trail. The siblings deserved some some time to themselves.

(IdidnotforgetthatIdon'tgetnotificationsforMamorureplies. *SOB*)

[junebugfuji.livejournal.com]

Aya gave Ran the most reassuring smile she could, holding still as he got to work. Her eyes flinched just the slightest bit at the stinging, but working with flowers like she had been for six months she'd started getting used to being pricked by thorns and the like, and that really wasn't quite so bad. She felt guilty for making him worry, and one look at him told her he was probably beating himself up about it.

That was just Ran, always looking out for her.

She looked back over towards Mamoru, reminding him to be careful as he went. Maybe the bugs were still rampaging for all they knew. She turned her gaze back to Ran, clearly not wholly convinced of his answer from earlier.

"Onii-chan, you're really not hurt anywhere?"

lol we still love you

[secret-sword.livejournal.com]

"I'm not hurt, Aya," he promised. Mostly because he couldn't let her have a look. True, he wasn't actually injured that he was aware of but to let her see the multitude of scars that he had on his body?

He couldn't let that happen. She would be horrified. Already he was dreading the talk they more than likely needed to have. The reason why he hadn't come to her when she'd woken up.

...She'd hate him for it.

<3 (Got your Plurk, Pichi. Noted~)

[junebugfuji.livejournal.com]

She regarded him and gave a nod at that, not for the first time feeling exhaustion trying to creep up on her, but she stubbornly continued pushing it back because part of her was a bit terrified to wake up and find this had all been just a dream. It was hard enough the first time accepting that she wouldn't see him again, so now that she had the chance she intended to make the most of it, but first...

She reached up with one hand to clasp lightly over his wrist, and as if some test had just been passed she seemed to relax a little. He was warm, and it felt much too real to be a dream, all of it.

"Have you been well, Onii-chan?"

There was not an ounce of judgment in her voice or the gesture, though she didn't know the details. Sakura had really only told her what she could get away with without going into detail already.