Wednesday1.13 - Never Stopped to Dream

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran closed the door to Aya's room with a soft click.

Outside, he closed his eyes, replaying the conversation he'd had with his sister.

"...Like I'm actually talking to the Ran I know..." Aya's words.

He'd felt like Ran, in that moment. It wasn't as if he'd ever stopped being who he was, there were still those who had known him as Ran...but...never in this place. Never in the Koneko.

He was being foolish. There was no difference. He was who he was, Aya or Ran. It didn't matter what he was called.

But that wasn't what his sister had meant.

It had been nice, to sit with her like that, to talk and tease like they'd used to. It felt like he truly had his sister back, in a way he'd only caught moments of since she'd woken.

But he'd thought it had been for her protection. Ran opened his eyes and started down the hall. A part of him still wished he could sacrifice that moment, if only to give her back her ignorance.

The hallway was empty when he made it to his room. He pushed open his door and grabbed the bloody mission gear from where he'd folded it across the back of a chair. The muddy afternoon sunlight caught the stains on the fabric, casting the black with a red sheen. He trailed a finger over the fabric.

Yohji's blood. Ran frowned, a strange twist in his gut at the thought. It had been close. And it had been one of their own. His fingers clenched, bunching the material into his fist.

He willed himself not to think about Yohji dying, or about anything else related to Yohji, for that matter. He would allow himself that much of a reprieve, at least.

He took his soiled gear and made his way down the hall to the bathroom, to wash it out in the tub.