ITP: Chariots of Fire

[fracta_anima]

Who: Minami, Open
Where: Virgo Ward
Summary: Minami has come to Hinoto-Ri and meets people both old and new.
Warnings: Minami and friends making fools of themselves.


[So there's a young lady in the Virgo Ward who looks a bit lonely, a bit nervous, and obviously trying very hard to look brave. People who know Minako might notice this girl's striking resemblance to her. Though, if one looked closely enough, they might notice she still seems to have some baby fat on her, her face is a bit rounder, and her hair a different shade of red. She's also taken to wearing her hair pins to form XIII rather than XXII. If anyone asks she claims it's due to losing a couple hairpins and not bothering to buy more.

Being in this place is no sweat. She's been to new places practically all her life and Igor had told her she had a new Journey to partake in. Maybe this was it? The big journey she's supposed to partake in now that her brother had taken her place as the Seal? Maybe, just maybe, this is how she can pay him back?

....but did it really have to be by herself?

With that thought in mind, the girl turns a corner onto a street specializing in food vendors. Her stomach growls (loudly) and she tries not to look too embarrassed by it. That's right, she hasn't eaten for a few hours. Not since her brother had....

It's at this time a very familiar face near a fruit stand spots her. Conveniently at the same time the girl spots said face.]

Minami?!

Miki?!

[>Cue Music

The pair run at each other, both a pair of giggly high school girls incredibly happy to see each other in such a strange new place. Both even jump once they're close enough to reach other, intent on tackling each other in a bear hug.

Too bad they wind up headbutting with a loud "THUNK" and a pair of girly shrieks instead. Both wind up on the ground clutching their craniums.]

[OOC: So, yeah, both Miki and Minami will be replying to threads after making idiots out of themselves. Expect threadjacking and don't be afraid to threadjack yourselves!]

Comments

[fracta_anima]

I guess? Um.... What sort of outcomes are there, anyway? Other than, you know, Minato leading SEES instead of me in the field and Mitsuru-senpai overall.

[She wants to hear and yet she doesn't and even with the happy cheery smile on her face the awkwardness shows through. That awkwardness she constantly tries to hide when she's uncomfortable and is, frankly, awful at. They're just lucky she hasn't gone into chatterbox mode to compensate for that.]

[fools_journey]

[ He shakes his head, the smile fading. How to sum things up? How to...

Well. He'll do his best. Glancing sidelong at Miki, he takes a deep breath and explains. ]

I led SEES overall in my world, and I believe the outcome was... pretty similar to your own. Nyx came, and ... I sealed her.

And it's... the same in the third world, but in that one my twin sister Minako is the one who leads SEES there. She... [ he hesitates, swallowing. He's gotten used to the idea of the parallel worlds. Of his sister having done the same things he did. But it still saddens him to think about, and he doesn't really like talking about this or things like it. But he owes Minami a proper explanation, even if it's brief. ]

She forms the Seal in her own world.

[ And then the part he likes talking about least. ]

The main difference between her world in mine is that I'm dead in hers, and she's dead in mine...

[ That was a lot of information to thrust upon her, and it's not even all of it, but he thinks he'll leave it for Miki to explain about Akihiko and Shinjiro. And before he even began to speak, he could tell that she wasn't in the best of states. And he has undoubtedly just made it worse, thrusting all this information on her. But... better for her to know now, he thinks.

He takes a deep breath and looks up again, seeking Minami's eyes, whether or not she'll actually look at him. ]

I'm sorry. I'm not... who you want to see right now. And I'm sorry for the pain you've endured. But... I'm not sorry for the choice your brother made. ... I'm certain he has no regrets.

[fracta_anima]

I know. I.... it took me a while since.... I was supposed to be the Seal, but he.... he took my hand and said....

["What kind of brother would I be to you and to Ken if I didn't at least try to act like one?" It'd shocked her. They'd tried to get to know one another better despite the awkwardness. He'd said so many horrible things to her, things that would leave her barely able to keep the tears in and cut to her very core. This was before either of them knew the truth, before their two groups finally sat down to compare notes and realize just how far Ikutsuki's deception went.

She'd argued with him, yelled at him, and then.... accepted it. They were both stubborn as hell, and she finally told him she refused to let him face Nyx alone. So they faced her together, Minato slowly but surely taking the energy for the Seal from Minami, from the bonds she'd made throughout the year and the bonds he'd made with Strega throughout his life to form it. And then.... he did it.

This was part of taking responsibility for her actions, Igor had told her. This was part of forming bonds with people: they would be willing to make sacrifices for her sake, and she cannot let them go to waste. Which is why, even though it hurts, she is going to try to live her life. She has to, or else Minato would have taken her place for nothing. Minami shouldn't wallow or dwell on the fact her brother had died for her sake, but it still hurts, the pain still fresh in her heart as for her it happened just now.

And she watched it happen.]

....well, it's kind of personal what he said, but I don't regret it either. It wasn't like we didn't have time to get to know each other again, even if it was pretty brief. It's just.... [A deep breath, the false smile falling.] Even if I don't regret it, even after everything that's happened, it still hurts. And I'm going to deal with it, but I.... I just need some time. That's all. I'll be fine. Promise.

[fools_journey]

[ Minato nods once and is silent for a few seconds. That sort of loss never seems to stop hurting, in his experience. He just learns to deal with it one day at a time, and he very much hopes Minami really will be fine and be able to keep on going. But if she is anything like Minako or himself, he thinks... she almost certainly will be.

Of course, the Arisato definition of 'fine' might be a little bit skewed. ]

Take all the time you need.

And... if you need or want anything while you're here... let me know, and I'll do what I can.

[helenchanted]

[The mood certainly took a turn, but Miki understood, being quiet during most of their conversation.

...actually she might have inched a little away, thinking this was a talk between family and something she didn't particularly wanted to intrude on. when Minami was ready, she'd come back closer.]

[fracta_anima]

[And since she couldn't really deal with how serious the conversation was, she turned to Miki, the fake smile back on her face, but an earnestness to her tone that hopefully said she honestly was trying to move on.]

So, do you guys think you can show me where I can get a poster of Freddie Mercury? They don't have anything from Queen here at all! It's a travesty!

[fools_journey]

[ Abrupt shifts in conversation he can deal with, and so he shoves his hands into his pockets and shrugs. ]

Ah... there are a few music stores around. I don't know if they'd have posters, but you could look.

[ He's not big on decorating, so he hasn't really paid much attention to posters. ]

There's also an art district.