vatheon | (no subject)

Who: Rin and Izumo
When: April 23rd
Where: The Island
Status: Closed.

[Izumo had just spoken to the station master, and was quite frankly, terrified as a result of it. Asking her to the meeting was one thing, but specifically asking her not to bring her SFC was what drove it over the line.

It wasn't just paranoia. That was what she told herself. Being pulled to this place against her will had been bad enough. Narrowly avoiding drowning, being told her health relied on some strange alien coral, and now being asked to attend a gathering without any means of calling for help if something bad happened?

She wasn't just paranoid, right? These strange circumstances weren't just making her frantic, were they? She needed to talk to someone, and not over the network.

They could be listening.

And it needed to be someone who felt safe. Someone who had never manipulated her before. Someone who was always honest, even when she had been antagonistic. Someone who, quite ironically, represented the one source of stability for her in this strange awful place.

She needed Rin Okumura. And she was rushing about the island, desperately trying to find him.]

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[Izumo sat there listening, and by the time he was done speaking, she was wearing an expression that was somewhere between a frown and a grin]

... You say it like that, and... I feel like I almost have to go...

[... but all the same...]

... Thank you. Rin.

[He expected something like that. It's not every day you can get an Okumura to admit they're actually afraid of something.]

Hey, what're friends for?

... Heh... friends...

[she's looking down at the ground now, appearing somewhat said again. She's thinking about home again, and in particular... someone who isn't here.

But even at a time like this, she's not open enough to simply say it out loud.]

... did... did I say somethin' wrong?

... No, it's just...

[she takes a deep breath]

... You know that saying, "you never really appreciate something until it's gone?" Or someone?

I feel like life wants to keep making me learn that lesson.

Oh...

[Rin's own gaze looks away. He's taken it for granted, too. He has so many friends, so many people he cares for and loves that he forgets they're not... whole.]

We're... still missin' some of our weird little family, aren't we... ?

It's my fault, really. I always push people away. Even the ones that have been by my side this whole time...

... Rin?

[He was about to argue, because really there had been a time in his life when he had been just as bad, if not worse about pushing people away. But she stopped when she spoke his name.]

... yeah?

...

What do you think of me? Like... completely honestly.

[the fact that she asked him this surprised even herself]

... think of you? ... well you're my friend. Duh.

[Rin.

Point.]

...

I mean, what kind of person do you think I am?

[she had to fight the urge to tack "idiot" on to the end of that sentence]

[He wouldn't even have batted an eye if she did.]

Oh. That.

Uhmwell... I think you're a lot nicer than you let on. But you're kinda like me in that! I mean I'unno anything about what your life was like before cram school but you kinda strike me as the kinda person that had trouble with people like I did growin' up, so you keep yourself distant since it's just easier that way.

[He waved a hand a little here.]

But like me you do want friends you just have a hard time findin' the ones you can trust and who trust you back.

[And then he finally stops, and looks at her.]

... that... what you were lookin' for?

...

[forgive her, Rin, she's just going to be stunned for a moment]

I...

....

I... I was just wondering if you actually saw me as a friend or not...

... Izumo, why in the hell would you ever think that I didn't consider you a friend?

... Because I drive everyone away. I'm rude. I'm abrasive. I act high and mighty all the time. I can't... I can't be honest and so much as thank someone who helped me out a great deal...

... at one point I almost drove away the one person who stood by me since we were kids....

Yeah but that's you. You're you and if you suddenly started actin' like... not you I'd be really worried.

C'mon, you think my life was all sunshine and fuckin' roses growin' up? Izumo, you guys were the first friends I ever had. Ever. And I almost lost you guys by not bein' honest. I didn't want to lie but I was still hidin' who I really was.

But you guys forgave me... before that I never even had a chance for anyone to forgive me, let alone be my friend long enough to even make a mistake like that.

[Rin trailed off at that, blue eyes shifting to the bedroll he had been sleeping on. His fingers picked at some of the fuzz on it, and his voice became softer.]

I hated it. Bein' that alone. When I met you guys I didn't know what the fuck I was doin', but I knew I didn't want to drive you away like I'd done to everyone else...

...

[at this point, Izumo had no choice but to admit something. And it made her feel kind of sick to do so, all the same]

... you and I are a lot alike, aren't we Rin?

... yeah.

[It made him sad to realize that. Not because he didn't want to be like her at all, but because he hated that anyone else could have had a childhood like his.]

...

.... I'm thankful I... have someone who understands. Even if that means we both had to experience terrible things...

Well... it doesn't have to be all terrible, now that we've got friends. We gotta make new memories now.