[It might be odd, to see Hikaru knelt in the graveyard, hands carefully placed against her knees in front of one of the stones. She doesn't speak. Her only movements come to reach out to one of those odd distortions, to touch it whenever they appear and hope that something was still left in the static she was witnessing. She doesn't know how many she's gone through, now.
Hikaru just watches, almost impassive. She doesn't move. Her hands don't even fist into her clothing on those normal beats of anguish, of guilt and anger and determination.
Her weapon sits at her side, untouched. But as the memory slides to a close, she does regard it briefly with a tilt of her head, a reaching out of her fingers to the hilt, before returning her hand to her lap.]
(It's odd to see anyone hanging around in a graveyard. Normally, he would be one to let others grieve or pay their respects in peace but he's been to this graveyard. There are no names here. These graves don't belong to anyone that arrived with them. And he knows Hikaru must know that too.
He approaches her, watching her pick and poke at the different bubbles appear and he's barely two steps in when she taps two quickly and sends him to another world--
Ah, is this how she felt when she was brought to that world? It all seems to magical-- so fantastic. To arrive to a castle of some sort on the back of a flying fish. To meet a smith that has created weapons of misfortune. A secret prince, a wise sage, a tragic princess, three gentle heroes... he understands what he's seeing, even if he doesn't know all of the characters.
This is Hikaru's world. Her other world. The one she was brought to to do heavy, impossible things. The world she would love and change.
He wonders if she remembers them.
She's forgotten so much.
All he can do is commit the sighs to his own memory and he sits down next to her, ruffling her hair as he settles down,)
A bunch of mine are like that, too. Maybe that's why the Realm is doing this. Like... it's having trouble storing our memories, or something.
...I don't know. [She brushes her bangs out of her face.] I feel like... maybe I should be more worried about it? Or maybe that would just be distracting.
...
Maybe I just need to eat something. That always makes me feel weird, when I'm hungry.
(There's a boy, probably younger than Hikaru lying down in a bed while medics gather around him frantically. They tear away at his robes, soaked with blood and begin to press towels against his chest, trying to stop the flow the a bleeding wound over his heart. On the floor next to them, a bloody arrow is picked up by one of the nurses who surveys the arrowhead and sets it down on a cloth for others to study.
"Get a healer! We don't know what the poison is!" One of the medics yells as they try to restrain the boy who keeps fighting back against their efforts. He tries to breathe but can't seem to catch a breath and even if he looks like he could scream or cry, he grits his teeth.
Not far behind, a beautiful woman with brilliant green eyes appears at the entrance of the room. "Your majesty!" Her ladies in waiting yell as she pushes her way through the guards who cry the same. "Please, you mustn't! The prince is—"
"Let me see him!" She yells, cutting a direct path towards the boy.
A large man covered in scars steps in front of her and tries to prevent her from getting closer. "Let the healers take care of him. You'll just get in the way—"
He never finishes his words because a fist hits him right in the jaw, "You were supposed to watch him!" The queen yells, throwing another punch and another. The guards try to grab her and she fights them off, refusing to let off of the scarred man who seems to barely be able to keep her at bay, "Who did this to him!?" She demands, looking around at some of the other men gathered in the room, cowering to the side, their attention split between the Queen's furious brawl and the boy fighting for his life in the same room.
Over the boy, a pair of healers tend to him, their healing staves glowing warmly as one purifies the poison and the other tries to slow the bleed.
One of the nurses beckons for the queen to come and the woman rushes to her son's side, brushing his hair with her fingers and demanding answers that no one can really answer.
"He'll recover," One medic promises, "The general brought him back in time."
"Why is he still hurting?"
"Magic can cure the poison and stop the bleeding. It can even close the wound… but it won't take away the pain."
The boy takes a full breath of air and grits his teeth as he tries to restrain himself. He turns his head to look up at his mother. Beyond her, he can see those men, the ones who had been there when it happened and he notices how disappointed some of them seem.
His mother touches his face, kisses his forehead, brushes back his hair and whispers, "Khalid, Khalid... My sweet Khalid..." )
The stubborness of it is familiar. But the fear, the pain, the intensity and the feeling that scatters through her as eyes fall on people outside... it's enough to stagger her for a moment as her hand reaches for his, fingers curling on reflex--
...
And then, only a moment later, she settles down, whatever horror on her lips pulled back down like a lid on a boiling pot, leaving only something questioning and slightly sad in her eyes.]
Nii-chan... who...
[Was... he a prince? Truly? That beautiful woman had said as much, had called him by a different name. But he'd said...
(There are some things in the memory that don't make sense to him. Where was it? He can guess it was some sort of infirmary or hospital. Some place with doctors and healers. He recognizes the woman as his mother and the scarred man as his teacher, the one who'd been overseeing his lessons that day. But who were all of those men in the room? All of those women behind his mother? Why were they so focused on him?
And... what had they been saying? There were moments... where the sound seemed to go out for him, a ringing filled his ears, blocking out what was being said in certain moments and... Hm, it doesn't take away from the memory. He can still recall the pain and the fear he'd felt while fighting for his life in that bed and he could still remember the ones who loved him. Those are the things that were most important.
But ugh, this isn't the type of memory he'd wanted to share with Hikaru at all. Couldn't he have shared something else? Most of his Fodlan memories were actually quite nice!)
... A memory.
(Of course. Of course it was a memory. He squeezes her hand, gently.)
You know who it was. (The boy in the bed, gasping for air, trying not to cry. The one with the bright green eyes filled with a desire to live defiantly. Hikaru is a bright girl. He doesn't have to spell it out for her,) You probably understand what you saw better than I do.
I know it's not okay. Nothing about it was okay. It made me scared for you, Nii-chan. Of what kind of things people were trying to do to you. And it makes me angry, that anyone would think it's okay to do that to anyone, let alone a kid, or a prince...
[And yet she is talking about it like they're disagreeing about whether it's partly sunny or partly cloudy outside. But her eyes stay focused on him, confused.]
I don't think there is a right thing to say in this situation but...
(It isn't until she mentions "prince" that he seems to flinch, like something flying at his face before he can really make out what it is. But that's not the part that gets him right now.
Something about this just feels wrong. He knows Hikaru. She's a much more reactive girl than this. But it's hard to argue when she's just so... calm and he holds his eyes on her for a moment longer...
And he frowns, pushing back her bangs and placing a hand on her forehead, as if maybe this could be explained away with something simple like a fever or injury,)
You know, you can talk to me if something is wrong.
This, at least, gets Hikaru to halt, to bring a hand to her neck against one of the many scars left behind. But a long breath leaves her, and she seems to be just shaking it off, taking his hand and leading him from the graveyard like nothing of importance just happened.
(Even after his most recent confession? Truly, she's too good for him and he smiles wryly at that.
Hand closing around hers and pulling her up... ah, he pulls with a little too much force thanks to the memories that hit him. And she barely seems to react to them at all? He gives her hand a squeeze, following her from the graveyard,)
Hikaru... (He's almost afraid to ask,) Did you see anything?
(That's why she isn't reacting, right? She lost those memories?)
[He says her name and she doesn't even react, like it's going in one ear and out the other. It's only when the rest of his question follows that she turns to look at him, unsurprised, only nodding.]
Mmhmm. I saw it. Some of it was a little fuzzy, but... I know that's where I was before I woke up here. I remember what was happening.
[Once again spoken as though nothing of consequence just happened. Her tone is serious enough that there's still something going on in that thick head of hers, but her grip doesn't tense, and her pace stays light.
This is probably getting very creepy. Good thing she can't tell!]
I told you about the Pillar, right? Do you still remember?
Got it. That's all that was, then. [No big deal!] That's the last thing I remember before I woke up here, and why I have all these weird scars everywhere.
[They're traipsing towards town right now. Her goal is the saloon, but her pace is still very casual.]
I don't know what's gonna happen when I go home... to me, or to Eagle. But I told you what I wanna see. That hasn't changed.
I wish I could remember all of it. But it's gonna have to be enough for right now.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
WEEK FOUR - TUESDAY
She doesn't know she has an audience, or perhaps she doesn't care. But two memories play in rapid succession (the final image for this one is displayed first please blame imgur), over the sight of an endless sea of blackened clouds and jagged, crumbling landscape, of lightning and rubble, and with a heart that ached all the while.
Hikaru just watches, almost impassive. She doesn't move. Her hands don't even fist into her clothing on those normal beats of anguish, of guilt and anger and determination.
Her weapon sits at her side, untouched. But as the memory slides to a close, she does regard it briefly with a tilt of her head, a reaching out of her fingers to the hilt, before returning her hand to her lap.]
no subject
He approaches her, watching her pick and poke at the different bubbles appear and he's barely two steps in when she taps two quickly and sends him to another world--
Ah, is this how she felt when she was brought to that world? It all seems to magical-- so fantastic. To arrive to a castle of some sort on the back of a flying fish. To meet a smith that has created weapons of misfortune. A secret prince, a wise sage, a tragic princess, three gentle heroes... he understands what he's seeing, even if he doesn't know all of the characters.
This is Hikaru's world. Her other world. The one she was brought to to do heavy, impossible things. The world she would love and change.
He wonders if she remembers them.
She's forgotten so much.
All he can do is commit the sighs to his own memory and he sits down next to her, ruffling her hair as he settles down,)
What have you remembered?
no subject
Nii-chan...
[...]
Mm. Cefiro, mostly. It's... getting hard to tell, sometimes. Some of these are... they're something, but I don't understand them anymore.
[She doesn't sound all that disturbed? Still, she just lets out a slow sigh, her posture staying relaxed.]
I'm trying not to think about it too hard. I told myself I wouldn't. But it's hard.
no subject
(It's annoying! Even now, there are so many around them!!)
But I get what you mean. I've seen a few things... I don't really get them. I had one that I couldn't even hear. It was all static to me.
no subject
A bunch of mine are like that, too. Maybe that's why the Realm is doing this. Like... it's having trouble storing our memories, or something.
...I don't know. [She brushes her bangs out of her face.] I feel like... maybe I should be more worried about it? Or maybe that would just be distracting.
...
Maybe I just need to eat something. That always makes me feel weird, when I'm hungry.
1/2
(It makes sense when she puts it that way, though! Maybe he'll ask about it to someone later.)
Then let's get something to eat. I have some things I want to talk to you about and I think a table would be better than a graveyard.
(And he's getting up, holding out his hand to Hikaru to take and while his back is turned...
One of those bubbles just hits him in the head--)
no subject
"Get a healer! We don't know what the poison is!" One of the medics yells as they try to restrain the boy who keeps fighting back against their efforts. He tries to breathe but can't seem to catch a breath and even if he looks like he could scream or cry, he grits his teeth.
Not far behind, a beautiful woman with brilliant green eyes appears at the entrance of the room. "Your majesty!" Her ladies in waiting yell as she pushes her way through the guards who cry the same. "Please, you mustn't! The prince is—"
"Let me see him!" She yells, cutting a direct path towards the boy.
A large man covered in scars steps in front of her and tries to prevent her from getting closer. "Let the healers take care of him. You'll just get in the way—"
He never finishes his words because a fist hits him right in the jaw, "You were supposed to watch him!" The queen yells, throwing another punch and another. The guards try to grab her and she fights them off, refusing to let off of the scarred man who seems to barely be able to keep her at bay, "Who did this to him!?" She demands, looking around at some of the other men gathered in the room, cowering to the side, their attention split between the Queen's furious brawl and the boy fighting for his life in the same room.
Over the boy, a pair of healers tend to him, their healing staves glowing warmly as one purifies the poison and the other tries to slow the bleed.
One of the nurses beckons for the queen to come and the woman rushes to her son's side, brushing his hair with her fingers and demanding answers that no one can really answer.
"He'll recover," One medic promises, "The general brought him back in time."
"Why is he still hurting?"
"Magic can cure the poison and stop the bleeding. It can even close the wound… but it won't take away the pain."
The boy takes a full breath of air and grits his teeth as he tries to restrain himself. He turns his head to look up at his mother. Beyond her, he can see those men, the ones who had been there when it happened and he notices how disappointed some of them seem.
His mother touches his face, kisses his forehead, brushes back his hair and whispers, "Khalid, Khalid... My sweet Khalid..." )
no subject
[...
Oh.
The stubborness of it is familiar. But the fear, the pain, the intensity and the feeling that scatters through her as eyes fall on people outside... it's enough to stagger her for a moment as her hand reaches for his, fingers curling on reflex--
...
And then, only a moment later, she settles down, whatever horror on her lips pulled back down like a lid on a boiling pot, leaving only something questioning and slightly sad in her eyes.]
Nii-chan... who...
[Was... he a prince? Truly? That beautiful woman had said as much, had called him by a different name. But he'd said...
...
"Claude von Riegan doesn't exist."
...]
What... was that?
no subject
And... what had they been saying? There were moments... where the sound seemed to go out for him, a ringing filled his ears, blocking out what was being said in certain moments and... Hm, it doesn't take away from the memory. He can still recall the pain and the fear he'd felt while fighting for his life in that bed and he could still remember the ones who loved him. Those are the things that were most important.
But ugh, this isn't the type of memory he'd wanted to share with Hikaru at all. Couldn't he have shared something else? Most of his Fodlan memories were actually quite nice!)
... A memory.
(Of course. Of course it was a memory. He squeezes her hand, gently.)
You know who it was. (The boy in the bed, gasping for air, trying not to cry. The one with the bright green eyes filled with a desire to live defiantly. Hikaru is a bright girl. He doesn't have to spell it out for her,) You probably understand what you saw better than I do.
no subject
[Spoken evenly. Huh...
Well, she seems to be taking this very well.]
...Was that your real name, that she said? The one you... weren't supposed to tell anyone?
[...
A beat, like she has to think about it, expression falling a little sheepish.]
Do... you remember that?
no subject
(It feels like he's already forgetting.
But really? This is the reaction he's getting? He looks Hikaru in the eye... and answers slowly,)
"Khalid" isn't really a popular name in Fodlan. "Claude" on the other hand is so popular, it's practically generic.
(So yeah, he remembers it.)
no subject
...It's okay. I, um... I can guess which parts you forgot. That just means that was your name from Almyra, right?
I won't tell. Promise.
no subject
Pinch her cheeks)
That's all? (Pinch, pinch,) I nearly die as a kid and it's all fine?
(Hikaru is a sensitive girl, someone who feels for others. He leans down to be the same height as her and watches her eyes very carefully,)
I'm not asking for your pity or anything like that. But I don't want you to keep or protect what you saw. There's nothing special about that memory.
no subject
...Did... I say something wrong?
I know it's not okay. Nothing about it was okay. It made me scared for you, Nii-chan. Of what kind of things people were trying to do to you. And it makes me angry, that anyone would think it's okay to do that to anyone, let alone a kid, or a prince...
[And yet she is talking about it like they're disagreeing about whether it's partly sunny or partly cloudy outside. But her eyes stay focused on him, confused.]
...Are you okay?
no subject
(It isn't until she mentions "prince" that he seems to flinch, like something flying at his face before he can really make out what it is. But that's not the part that gets him right now.
Something about this just feels wrong. He knows Hikaru. She's a much more reactive girl than this. But it's hard to argue when she's just so... calm and he holds his eyes on her for a moment longer...
And he frowns, pushing back her bangs and placing a hand on her forehead, as if maybe this could be explained away with something simple like a fever or injury,)
You know, you can talk to me if something is wrong.
(No matter what it is.)
no subject
She feels perfectly fine! Maybe a little toasty from sitting out in a graveyard in the middle of the desert, but nothing disgustingly hot.]
...Huh?
I know, Nii-chan. I'd tell you anything, if I could. I trust you.
no subject
But hmmm. He's just gonna stand back up on his feet and hold out his hands to her,)
I've told you to be careful with that.
(Trusting him. But there's no real bite to his words.)
Come on, let's get you out of this heat. As much as I enjoy the sun, too much is no good for the mind.
no subject
[She'll take his hand without hesitation, her free hand reaching for her sword --
--and something is shown mid motion.
...
This, at least, gets Hikaru to halt, to bring a hand to her neck against one of the many scars left behind. But a long breath leaves her, and she seems to be just shaking it off, taking his hand and leading him from the graveyard like nothing of importance just happened.
Her expression alone is what stays serious.]
no subject
Hand closing around hers and pulling her up... ah, he pulls with a little too much force thanks to the memories that hit him. And she barely seems to react to them at all? He gives her hand a squeeze, following her from the graveyard,)
Hikaru... (He's almost afraid to ask,) Did you see anything?
(That's why she isn't reacting, right? She lost those memories?)
no subject
Mmhmm. I saw it. Some of it was a little fuzzy, but... I know that's where I was before I woke up here. I remember what was happening.
[Once again spoken as though nothing of consequence just happened. Her tone is serious enough that there's still something going on in that thick head of hers, but her grip doesn't tense, and her pace stays light.
This is probably getting very creepy. Good thing she can't tell!]
I told you about the Pillar, right? Do you still remember?
no subject
Yeah, I remember. The princess and protecting the world... and you.
(Kind of a vague answer but considering how she is? And how much she seems to have forgotten, he's just trying to be gentle.)
no subject
[They're traipsing towards town right now. Her goal is the saloon, but her pace is still very casual.]
I don't know what's gonna happen when I go home... to me, or to Eagle. But I told you what I wanna see. That hasn't changed.
I wish I could remember all of it. But it's gonna have to be enough for right now.
no subject
Hey.
(He won't say "Hikaru" because he knows she's forgotten it. But he needs her to know he's talking directly to her right now.)
If something was bothering you, you'd tell me, right?
no subject
She stops when he does, looking back at him with a slight tilt of her head.]
Yeah, of course I would. I feel fine right now, though.
Why?