justonetruth | (no subject)

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[If you're of a mind to be around a particular area - about where a certain deceased detective was a while ago, in fact - you might just notice a white-clad thief leaning against a wall]

[It's not a casual slump, nor an elegant one - it's the slump of the exhausted, and he certainly looks it - his hat pulled down low, some papers held in one hand, and his eyes half-lidded, seeing nothing in particular]

[a little while after this] [all Shinichi be warned] [in fact, -everyone- be warned]

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[he's looking around, checking, holding Aoko's hand in his own as he twists to see over his shoulder]

Still here...

[touches the side of his forehead]

I... still remember. [looks frightened for a brief flash - memory is -not- something he wants]

...I know. It will probably always be there. Aoko's Kaito still has nightmares, too.

[she gives his hand another squeeze, but this time it's tighter and more of a clutch to keep her balance. She's swaying, slightly, sweat rising on her skin as the pain and emotional drain catch up to her]

But if you keep trying, it won't happen so often. [tries for another smile] And you have happy memories too, right? Somewhere inside you.

[He doesn't know how to answer that. What is happy? How do you define it? Can it be touched, tasted, seen?]

[Sometimes he thinks he could be happy, so he nods, brushing his spare hand along her cheek gently]

Don't faint. I won't catch you.

I know. Won't.

[it's a stubborn mumble, belied by the way her grip only tightens. Her wrist hurts so much]

Promised not to leave.

[though she's going to have to eventually -- when she goes home again, if her own Kaito shows up (and she has no clue whether she should hope for that or not) -- and she's afraid of what will happen to him when she does]

Edited 2010-01-13 08:04 (UTC)

Silly chit.

Silly girl.

[though his words are insulting, it's almost fond the way he says them. And for once, he isn't calculating angles and percentages in the back of his head for the kill]

Everyone leaves. But you can stay for a little while.

[she's used to that curious mix of insult and endearment and hardly takes notice, focusing on staying upright. She needs an arm brace. Or painkillers. Or sleep; sleep would be wonderful right now. But she's not going anywhere until she's sure he's okay with it]

That's just more reason to stick together when we can. If we have to leave.

[if she stays kneeling any longer, however, she's going to tip over, and she makes an effort to gather herself and get to her feet. The first attempt fails]

Bet your Aoko didn't want you to leave either.

[the talking is almost a monologue now, a soliloquy. A way to keep herself awake and going. Still, that doesn't make it any less true. Aoko was never an adroit liar even at the best of times; right now, her half-consciousness is only loosening her tongue]

Edited 2010-01-13 10:05 (UTC)

[1412 leans forwards, slipping his arms around her waist and standing, nto so much helping her up as dragging her with him. He can justify himself if he acts like this, not have to listen to the howling that says he's betraying his teacher.]

[He's murmuring as he does so, half-answering her questions]

Aoko didn't know... a girl, maybe, young and I think she was given a rose.

Not long, then there was...

[he falls silent, flames threatening the corners of his mind]

[so his Aoko never got the chance to know him? Aoko clings to him, gaining her feet and swaying once more, but standing, still conscious. She's having difficulty putting his words together, making them make sense, but she does gain the idea that in his world she'd never been there for him, never got the chance]

...I'm sorry.

[he tangles his hand absently in her hair - soft, same colour as - fingers finding skin below and making nonsense patterns on the back of her neck]

Sorry is a word.

[so don't say it, it's not important]

Here now.

[he's almost childish, so unsure what to say when he's holding himself away from violent impulses that normally are exulted in]

[his touch is so much like her own Kaito's that she shivers and nearly leans against him before she can remind herself that he's not. There are differences here that she needs to remain aware of, wary of]

What are you going to do now...?

[what is she going to do now? She needs to see her own Kaito, needs to talk to him]

...Have a contract.

[That's right. He made one with the ghostie, didn't he? A contract for all those names... Nasty little do-gooders. But they're not here yet]

I'm going to wait.

[until he goes back. Or until they come here]

A contract...?

[a contract for what?]

[...An assassin. He said he's an assassin.]

But you--

[he can't. He can't, Kaito doesn't kill people except this one does and she has to stop him --

-- no, he said he'd wait. He isn't going to do anything right now.

She has to calm down. She still has time.]

[She hopes.]

I--

[Saying something as mundane as "okay" or "all right" isn't possible right now. Not when they're talking about people's lives. But she doesn't want to do anything to tear down what progress they've managed to make, and all she manages is an awkward subject change]

Can I go bandage my wrist?

Edited 2010-01-14 03:16 (UTC)

Hm~?

[he looks at her, curious, then remembers, chirping his next words with a pleased smile]

Broke your wrist~

...1412 doesn't carry bandages. Will the miss-- Aoko faint if she leaves?

[he sounds entirely too gleeful, and she frowns]

I won't faint.

[she might, really, but she's not the type to easily admit to such a thing even when she isn't accompanying homicidal assassins. As if to prove her point, she lets go of him, tries to push away -- though not too hard, since she's already tottering.

She just has to make it to... wherever this place keeps its bandages. That's all.

Which would be easier if she knew where that was]

[1412 doesn't know either - his need for bandages has been few and far between, and the locaiton of infirmaries and hospitals are only useful if his contract is there.

The thought that he could come with her doesn't occur to him, either. Or rather, he won't let it occur to himself. Because that would be helping.

And he never helps someone except downstairs with a push.]

[he traces her cheek as she pushes away, hand slipping out of her hair easily]

Confident, Aoko.

I won't!

[she steadies herself with her uninjured hand on the hallway wall, and starts making her way towards the lobby. Hopefully she can orient herself from there, or find someone who knows where a first aid room is.

She isn't sure whether she expects him to follow or not, much less whether she wants him to -- though she's leaning towards yes, if only so she can keep an eye on him, especially with that 'contract' he mentioned he has. And she doesn't know if the 'fire' he sees will go away so easily next time, either.]

[he doesn't follow]

[he doesn't want her to leave, but she said she wouldn't]

[so she'll come back]

[and all he has to do is stop himself from thinking that this might be a form of trust]

[he isn't following]

[she hesitates, stops, turns to him]

...Do you want Aoko's room number?

[now it's her turn to trust. It would be all to easy for him to take advantage of something so simple... but at the same time, this way, if he needs her, he'll be able to find her]

1412 will find you.

[his tone is quiet, oddly placid.]

[no, he doesn't want her room number. he can't put anything in words, but it has to do with trust, pride, and too much of the both]

[a brief ghost of a smile flickers across his face]

Too trusting, Aoko.

[well that wasn't too creepy]

I've done okay that way so far.

[she's already had her trust broken once, and broken badly. But she recovered from it, and it's made her stronger]

Be careful.

[Of yourself and others.]

[and she turns back to find the lobby. She really needs those painkillers now]

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