hairstroke | ic inbox ✧ recolle

[ He thanks her and she can't help but feel a warmth in her chest, strangely relieved that he said those words. Squeezing his hand with as much affection she can muster, she can't help the small smile that manages to settle on her lips. ]

...

[ This sure is embarrassing to say, but-- ]

Pinky promise, then?

[ At her suggestion, a soft smile curves on his lips as he extends his hand, holding out his pinky towards her.

He happily nods his head in agreement. When was the last time he did a pinky promise? He honestly couldn't even recall. Plus if he did, it was most likely when he was young and with either Xiaolang or his sisters. ]

It's a pinky promise. Together, we'll swear an oath with this.

[ And she takes her own pinky and interlocks it with her own and then says in Japanese, the usual yubikiri lines: ]

"Finger cut-off, ten thousand fist-punchings, whoever lies has to swallow thousand needles."

[ Yeah, for anybody who isn't familiar with those lines... it's kind of morbid. ]

[ Luckily for Leon, he's familiar with that saying so it doesn't catch him too off guard. But for anyone that didn't know, he could understand that it might scare people off.

He responds in Japanese, with a small smirk curving on his lips. ]

It's like we're forming our own blood oath in a way. Since it's you, I don't mind at all.

Ahaha... that's like saying you would die for me, Leon.

[ With the talk of blood oaths and things like that. ]

I don't intend on dying but if something happened to you, I would give my life to protect you.

[ This is totally not foreshadowing or anything like that. Nope. ]

You-

[ ... ] Alright. I'll trust you, then.

Good. I'm going to trust you as well.

[ Of course, there's still something lingering in his mind. He didn't want to bring it up, but they did promise to talk some more once he was done saying his piece.

So with that, he switches back to English. ]

You said you were going to continue after I was done. I've been wondering... what's the contradiction in the second memory?

[ He says that he's going to trust her and that causes something warm to settle in her chest. But when he switches to English, she immediately looks down at the floor beneath her feet. ]

So... I said that I killed someone in the first memory, right? But in the second memory, she was alive and I was the one who died. The second death though... it was a murder. I was shot.

Not to mention that my sis was alive and shot, too. Which is weird, because I remember killing sis myself, too.

[ At that, Leon widens his eyes in surprise. It was already strange to know that she died twice, but for everyone else that she mentioned that were alive? None of it made sense. This left him with so many questions and he couldn't even imagine how Mio herself must have felt. ]

That is really strange. I can't even think of a plausible explanation for those contradictions.

[ Mio's memories were already horrible but now they just got even more confusing. His heart ached for her. ]

I hate this so much for you, Mio. It's already awful to remember one death... but to remember dying again? [ He shakes his head, feeling so frustrated and useless because of this whole application. ] The only things that come to mind are alternate time lines or maybe one of those memories are a dream.

Yeah...

[ She knows that she's decisively hurting, but the fact that it's all confusing and strange makes it even worse. But she shakes her head at when he says that one of the memories being a dream. ]

Alternate timelines might be a possibility, but, neither of my deaths were a dream. I'm positive of it. The first one I remembered while I was awake, anyway. Since I was with Xiaolang and the others, and the fall we had on the ladder was what caused it, probably.

[ Since both of her deaths dealt with falling. She actually didn't mention the specifics before because she was a little concerned that Leon might blame himself for it in some ways. ]

The other death... I think it'd be pretty strange to remember the killer so distinctly. And I've never seen that woman's face before in any of my other memories, much less any of the memories I have as me.

[ At the mention of her falling, he instantly looks guilty. It instantly clicks with him as to why she fell in the first place. It's all his fault and he hates that he was the one to cause her pain. ]

I.... apologize for that, Mio. I'm sure you know but it's my fault since I got shoved by a water spirit.

[ God dammit. How could he be so careless like that? Fuck. It made him detest the water spirit even more. Still, it was his fault that he let his guard down and he should have known better than that. ]

When you say it like that, then it definitely can't be a dream. It's strange that you would remember your murderer's face so vividly. [ So it has to be real but he's so scared to actually say that out loud. ] That is strange, though. I would hate for her to pop up in your other memories but maybe she... will.

[ And here's what she expected. She can't help but wrap her arms around him tight in what seems to be a rather warm embrace, not wanting to let go. But more importantly, it's her way of reassuring him that it's fine. That even though she's not fine, he's not to blame. ]

I know. I remember. I heard that things also happened... when you guys were chasing after the traitor.

[ Because not only did she actually feel that too, she saw and heard some things as well. And they're not exactly the most fun of things that she felt, even though she's relieved that she was on stable ground that time. ]

Yeah. I knew her name, so... I think she might. It wasn't like, a random stranger shot me for no reason. But I don't know why she would kill me-- sis, and the others-- and possibly Satoshi-kun, too. [ Terrified, she hugs him even more tightly. ] Um, I didn't tell you this before actually, but, I wanted you to know something. You know how I said that I was 'Shion', right? I learned that... apparently, I wasn't born as Shion. I was born as Mion. Mion Sonozaki. But apparently one day I swapped with my sister and then on that day, everyone thought I was Shion.

My grandmother said this: "The one with the demon is Mion. The one without it is Shion." I yelled and cried, insisting to my family... to my grandmother, to my mother... that I was Mion. That maybe, my mom would be able to tell us apart. But it doesn't look like that was the case, in the end.

[ When he feels her arms wrapping around him for a warm embrace, his heart beat accelerated. Her warm touch gave him comfort, but as good as it was... he still felt bad about the whole ordeal. He knows that she's not fine and that's what hurts him. ]

... Yeah, we got caught up in traps.

[ Just from this hug, he could sense how terrified she was. He wraps his arms around her, returning the warm embrace. Likewise, he didn't want to let go and wanted to show her that he's here and he's not going to leave her side. ]

Honestly, I can't imagine what kind of reasoning a psycho like her would have. However, I hope it... becomes clear to you somehow. [ Although truth be told, if he was in her shoes he's not sure if he wants to know why he died. ] You were actually born as Mion but then the two of you got switched on accident? Why didn't your sister said anything if she was Shion?

[ He can't help but wonder about that. It wasn't fair for Shion to have her identity stolen away from her like that. There's a noticeable frown forming on his lips as he thinks about it. ]

Thank you for telling me, Mio. I can't imagine how confusing that must be for you. [ He pauses for a moment, his hand reaching over to stroke the top of her head. ] No matter who you are, Mio, Shion, or Mion... none of that matters to me. Because I love you and you alone and I want you to know that.

I see.

[ Somehow, Mio manages to keep her voice even, even if he's well aware that she isn't fine because of this whole ordeal. No matter how much she tries to pretend otherwise. Having him wrap his arms around her is a huge comfort that she couldn't ask any better from anyone else.

But she nods at both his statement, and the question that follows. ]

Yeah... We were children, back then. There was probably something that my sister got that made her 'the demon' -- somehow made her different from me. Probably something in terms of appearance, to differentiate us. I doubt that even if sis did say anything that our family would believe us. Because we swapped a lot back then. They probably would have seen it as some sort of silly prank.

[ It looks like things between the family weren't exactly he most fun of times, if she doesn't say so herself.

But when he strokes her head like that, she can't help but hum pleasantly, enjoying it all too much. ]

[ The more of this story he hears, the more frustrated he feels. With an arm still wrapped around her, his eyebrows furrow in irrtation as he lets those words sink in. Just what the hell kind of family did she have?

It's frustrating, not only for him but especially for Mio. She already had it rough with her violent memories and two deaths, but to make things even more confusing with her identity? There's no way she could be fine and he's fully aware of this. When can she finally be happy?

He would give up any future positive memories of his if it meant that Mio could finally be happy for once. ]

I'm sorry to say this, but it sounds like Shion's family wasn't the greatest. [ Yeah, he's just going to out right say it with zero filter. Sorry Sonozakis- actually no. He's not sorry in the slightest. ] It shouldn't matter who has a tattoo or whatever, you two both deserved to receive the same amount of love and care from your family.

No, I agree.

[ Her past family was pretty bad. She knew this already, but talking about it aloud like this makes it even more obvious and she absolutely hates it, without a doubt. She wants to be happy, but... she wonders if she's ever deserved that in the first place.

Maybe she should be glad that Leon can't hear those sneaky thoughts of hers for once. ]

But the same amount of love and care... I feel that if it wasn't me, it would have been sis that ended up on the short end of the stick. And to that, I can't help but be slightly grateful. As the older sister.

[ When she agrees, he does feel a sense of relief. Truthfully, he was worried he might have gone too far with that comment and possibly upset her with how blunt he was. Just from what he was told, he already didn't like her past family. Having a loving family is what shaped him into the person he is now and just the idea of Mio's family being like that both frustrated him and hurt his heart. ]

You might disagree with me but you're a good older sister, Mio. Even if you are related to someone, it takes a lot to say that and sacrifice your own happiness like that.

[ He does loosen his grip around her, but that's only so he could pull her into his body so he can place a soft kiss on top of her head. ]

I'm going to give you the love that you deserve. [ There's no hint of hesitation, no 'probably' or 'maybe'. The tone in his voice was full of conviction and absolute certainty. ] I'll love you so much that it will make up for Shion's family. Even if I tell you 'I love you' I mean it much more than those words. I promise to do everything in my power in order to make sure you are happy in this lifetime.

Huh?

[ She can't help but blush a little at that compliment, but what truly makes her face red is when he pulls her in close to do just that. It's warm. She can feel his warmth and it makes her extremely happy in ways that make her feel almost guilty. As if she personally feels like she doesn't deserve any of this in the slightest bit, even if he says otherwise.

And it's because of that she finds herself laughing -- not in a 'this is funny' way, but rather, in the way where every single sound she makes feels like poison falling from her lips. Like there's something wrong. And she buries her face into his chest so he doesn't see her expression. ]

Mm... you're right, I don't agree with you. I've kind of drifted apart from my sister for so long because I'm always busy with school work, with preparing to become a 'proper heir' to the Sonozaki family. I never had time to spend with Kotone at all.

And as Shion... I definitely wasn't a good older sister at all. [ He'll be able to tell with how close she is to her, but her hands are trembling. She's absolutely terrified and it shows when her grip tightens. Almost enough for it to be painful. ] She pleaded to me, told me that she did nothing wrong, that she wasn't my enemy with tears in her eyes, and I still killed her in spite of that. I didn't feel a single flicker of remorse or pity for her. I just simply felt nothing.

But... if you still think I deserve those feelings of yours, then I'll happily accept them. Leon.

Edited (wow. i'm good at this.) 2018-03-10 20:00 (UTC)

You being busy over school work isn't exactly your fault. Your parents expect a lot out of you so it's only natural you wouldn't have time for anything else. Besides, if you ever find the time, you can always make it up and spend time with her?

[ He would know, since he's the heir of his family's company. As nice as it was to have bragging rights about his future, there was no freedom at all. It feels like you are chained down to this position and it absolutely sucks. ]

I don't have any arguments on that. Killing someone is wrong... and I would know because I did it my past life as well. However, if the alternate time lines theory ends up being true... then surely there was a time where Shion was a good sister.

[ Since they are so close, he could feel her hands trembling. He could tell that she was frightened. Why wouldn't she be? Everything that's happened to her has been nothing but scary. One hand begins to thread through her hair as he buries his face into her neck, wanting her to feel his warmth even more. ]

Don't be ridiculous, Mio. I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. You are more than deserving of my love and I swear to you, I'll do everything in my power to make you happy.

I know.

[ She doesn't look up at him for a good while, if only because she's trying to actually think. Mio just keeps herself close to him, as comfort. Being tied down like this... it's absolute torture.

And because it's torture to her, she knows that she doesn't want to ride on the coattails of her family's success. No, she wants to find success on her own merit. Not because she's a Sonozaki. ]

But, mm... maybe. I remember seeing sis get shot and I was upset about that, too. But even if she was, that still doesn't change the past me. That's why I want to become better--

[ If she can become 'better', then these problems would simply go away, right? She can defeat the demon that is her past self.

And she isn't alone.

She trusts that Leon won't abandon her. That things will work out. She wants to believe that. The fingers that run through her green locks of hair is a gesture that asserts that truth. ]

"Everything in my power", huh... [ Her voice is a little sad as she finally lifts her head to look directly into his eyes. There's something about the way she looks up at him that seems like she's going to cry, even though there's no tears in her eyes. ] Just don't sacrifice yourself for my happiness. You can promise me that, right?

If that's the case, then you were a good sister in that time line. [ At her resolve, he manages to crack a smile small. ] I believe in you, Mio. I know that you can become a better person.

[ It's a step in the right direction. If she can defeat the demon of her past, then maybe she can finally seek the happiness she deserves and begin to feel proud of herself.

This is also a reminder for Leon. The thoughts of the past had plagued him but he was determined to prove himself to be a better man in this life than the man in the past. ]

Just remember that you aren't alone. I'll be here to support you and give you a shoulder to lean on.

[ Because no one should walk this path alone. If there's something, anything he can do to help her out then he was going to rush to her aid and give her any comfort she desired. ]

I promise. [ She wasn't crying, but it still didn't stop him from cupping her cheek just in case tears started to pour down. ] If I sacrifice myself, then I won't be able to be there for you, so I won't go that far. However, your happiness is still going to be my priority and I want to ensure that your life here will be the happiest you've ever been.

Mm. . .

[ She doesn't entirely believe it, but if he does? She'll accept his reply as her very own. Both that she was a good sister, and that she can become a better person. ]

Thank you, Leon.

[ Those words mean more to her than she can ever express in words, and it shows as she smiles at him. ]

And alright. But... I want you to be happy too, you know. I don't think I can be happy if you aren't.

You're welcome Mio. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

[ He tries not to show it, but hearing those words touched his heart. Though it's probably obvious judging from the soft expression in his eyes. ]

So long as I have you around, I'll be happy.

[ And he truly means it. She's the person that makes him the happiest in the whole wide world. ]

Even if you say too much information over the network.

[ HE'S ONTO YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT THEIR BEDROOM LIFE TO A STRANGER!! ]

Oh, I didn't know you were peeking into my other conversations, Leon. Did you get jealous? ☆

[ She's smiling brightly in a way that seems almost dangerous. ]

Edited 2018-03-14 01:12 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

also yeah i'm gonna warn for late higurashi spoilers here

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

also cw sororicide mentions....also i just realized i typed in 2/2 instead of 3/2 in my top level.

WOW I never even realized it until you pointed it out... T-TEAMWORK???

we tried our best, and that's what matters

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject