Quietly, she sits down again, fingers entwining themselves.

They rarely talked about the fire. The experience had left her utterly shattered for a few months, and despite being able to move on for the sake of her brother...there were still nightmares from time to time. Sometimes it was the both of them dying. Sometimes Shinji tried to help and died too. Sometimes they all got out before both her brothers suddenly burst into flames and she couldn't do anything...

They'd become rarer with each passing year, but they'd sneak up on her, leaving Miki breathless and covered in sweat. She gives him a slow nod, looking down at her cup of tea instead of him.

"How could I ever forget?...That's when he..."

That's when Akihiko died.