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[ou] urotsuki

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[ Haruna doesn't really trust her voice at the moment, she was just too shocked to find the Tower the way it is. Returning to her destroyed "home" was bad enough, but that crushing sensation of looking up the tower and finding the ruins made her stomach churn. She felt sick, but she needed to know happened. And make sure her brother and her friends are ok. ]

Something seriously bad happened while I was gone, didn't it? I never thought I would see the Tower like this ... So horrible ...

Onii-chan! If you're reading this, could you give me a reply? I just want to make sure you're okay - Genda-san and Sakuma-san and Aprodi-san too!

Um. I really would like to say more, but my thoughts are all jumbled up. (´；ω；`) How long was I away, I wonder ...?

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Haruna... where are you right now? [It's taking everything to not just run around until he finds her...]

Onii-chan. I'm glad you're okay! I'm at the cafeteria if you're nearby ...

[ she needed to get something to drink ... ]

I'll be right there. [And as soon as that message is sent, he is booking it to the cafeteria. It feels like it's been forever since he's seen his little sister... and from what he can tell, something bad happened while she was gone.

As soon as he enters the room, he spots her and jogs over, slowing down to a walk when he's close enough and stopping just a few feet away.]

Where have you been...? [She'll notice a few things about her nii-chan; his hair is longer, he's covered in scratches and bruises, and the right lens of his goggles is cracked. Though above everything, he looks absolutely worried.]

[ Haruna, on the other hand, looks paler and thinner in her track suit than her usual self. But she immediately stands up from her seat when she sees what kind of condition her brother is in. ]

That's what I want to ask you onii-chan! You're a mess ...

[ She touches one of the scratches on his face delicately. Her expression looks quite similar to their late mother's. ]

Things have been kind of crazy lately... [Seeing Haruna with that kind of expression on her face makes Kidou's chest ache a bit, so he looks away.]

The tower was attacked by some kind of whale... and the top floors had collapsed...

I'm alright though, don't worry about me.

A whale in this kind of place? Weird.

[ That's an understatement of the century, but Haruna digress. She notices that his hair is much longer now. In fact, as long as it was back home. ]

I'll patch you up later, but for now ... um. [ She looks hesitant. Actually a little scared. ] How long - how long was I away onii-chan?

[He crosses his arms and thinks. The last time he saw Haruna was... around the puzzle event at the end of last month..]

It's the 20th of August now, and I haven't seen you since the last event... so I would say about a month.

A month? [ Shocked, she looks down. ] It didn't feel that it was that long.

[ pause. ]

I'm sorry for disappearing like that ...

I-I, um. [ It's very usual for a bright girl like Haruna to be so hesitant. ]

I went back home ...

Edited 2012-08-21 01:40 (UTC)

... what? [Suddenly, he sets his hands on her shoulders and looks her in the eyes behind his goggles, an extremely concerned expression on his face.]

What happened? Is everyone okay?

Edited (shh onii-chan is awesome) 2012-08-21 01:52 (UTC)

[ She doesn't meet his gaze. Maybe avoiding eye contact when they're troubled is a family trait. ]

... I didn't see anyone. The buildings, our school, my home - they all collapsed and - and - ... nothing was there!

[ She closes her eyes. The memory is too overwhelming. She wants to forget if she could. ]

[That gets him to drop his arms and stare at her with wide eyes, almost like a scared child]

...what the administrators said was.. true? [He always had his doubts about the worlds being in ruins but... Hearing what she said confirmed it to him. It couldn't have been a dream or anything... she was physically gone. She was speaking the truth...]

[Slowly, his gaze drops to the ground. Endou... Endou was dead... along with everyone else...

Everything starts to sink in and his body starts to tremble the more he thinks about it. It also seemed as though he forgot Haruna was there because he lets out a little "uuu" sound as a few tears escape down his cheeks.]

... I'm sorry, onii-chan.

[ As if her brother's tears are contagious, she too starts crying. For once, she's the one who pulls him close and into her arms. She pats his back, even if her hand is trembling.

It's frightening. It's terrifying. To remember that place.

But she doesn't want to see onii-chan cry like this. ]

[He shakes his head and wraps his arms around her.] No, I'm sorry. [He's feeling embarrassed for crying in front of her but... it's so hard. Being able to keep a level head after all that's happened...]

I'm sorry you had to see that... and I'm sorry for not being able to be there for you.

Honestly, it was really scary. [ Her voice shakes as she chokes back a sob. ] But - but I'm glad you weren't there. I wish you never have to see it. Ever.

[ But then she suddenly steps withdraws from the hug. ]

And what do you mean 'I'm sorry you had to see that!?' I'm don't like it when you cry, yeah. But it's not that I hate your tears ... I just hate whatever made you cry onii-chan. [ Because, because he's only human too. And that's why she's here to support him. ]

[He stares at his sister for a moment, and a small smile makes its way onto his face.] It's still embarrassing... I'm supposed to be comforting you.

[He slips his goggles around his neck and wipes at his eyes.]

[ She laughs slightly - it's feeble. ] I need to do my job as your little sister once in a while.

[ Haruna squeezes Kidou's shoulders. ]

It's okay.

There's been so much going on lately, and learning that Endou and the rest are most likely dead... [Ah, no, thinking about it doesn't really make anything better so maybe he'll switch the topic.]

... I'm glad you weren't around during the collapse, though. I would hate it if you had gotten caught in the mix of all that.

[ Haruna flinches when Kidou mentions the word dead but shakes it off. ]

B-but let's not give up! If we're alive, there is a good chance that the others might be alive too. [ a pause. ]

Although ... I have to ask. What happened exactly ...? I heard something about a whale but that's about it.

Edited (icon ... orz) 2012-08-29 01:14 (UTC)

Well the whale had broken through a barrier outside of the Tower, and rammed into the side of it. The Tower was shaking and the walls and floors were breaking; We were all evacuated to the bottom floors. I don't know what happened after that, because I wasn't... around. All I know is that a few days later, the whale was gone but there were tons of monsters that filled the floors.

That's really horrible ... [ she can't really say anything to sugar-coat that. ]

But what do you mean you weren't "around" ...? You weren't caught up in all that were you? [ He didn't look like he was injured ... Sure his goggles were cracked but they could be from anything, really. ]

[Instead of replying, he simply looks off to the side guiltily.]

... You did.

[ Haruna stares at her brother for a long while, her expression slowly turning into a sad frown. She felt ... somewhat betrayed. It wasn't his fault, she knew this. But he is her one and only brother. She wishes he wouldn't so reckless with his life. ]

[Seeing that sad frown only makes him feel guiltier, and his own frown turns a bit sadder.]

... I was taking Urotsuki downstairs and the ceiling above us collapsed. I was able to get her safely to the stairs but I couldn't make it in time.

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