First Transmutation

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

[As the small boy wakes up, dressed in his green jumper and hat, he shivers slightly and notices all the snow around. Standing up, he tugs on one of his ear flaps and slowly looks around the island. Clearly, he was lost. Was he alone?]

How did I get here? Or rather, where is here...?

[He'll be walking around with no real destination in mind.]

Comments

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

[He nods and takes her hand, making sure to keep in step with her.]

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

[For the first time, things feel relatively normal. Ganju's still about his age. Maybe a little older. (Though Fletcher is far more mature than Ganju.) And acting something like a big sister seems to have gotten her out of worrying about how long she'll be alive for the time being.

She leads him back to one of the guest houses and takes him inside.]

You hungry or anything?

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

[He's breathing on his hands to warm them up and stops to nod to her question before going back to it. He was extremely grateful for her kindness to a stranger like him. Once he'd gotten used to things a little more, he would have to give her a gift to show his gratitude.]

Yes. Anything is fine. Its much warmer in here than outside.

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

Yeah. It's really strange. Up until a few days ago it was like summer, and then suddenly the whole island is covered in snow. Glad we moved in here before it got cold. Ru and her zanpakuto might be able to handle the cold but I'm not a big fan of it myself.

[She heads to the kitchen and digs through the cabinets. She ends up settling on soup, given the cold weather. She's surprisingly competent in the kitchen for having to do everything with just one arm.]

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

[Seeing her go to work in the kitchen, he rushes to assist her. Though it seems she has no trouble in what she was doing.]

Please, let me help. Don't do it all by yourself.

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

[She seems legitimately surprised by this, actually stopping in the somewhat awkward process of cutting up a carrot.]

...If you want to?

It's no problem though. You don't need to worry.

[She grins and shrugs her empty shoulder.]

Kaien and Ganju are totally hopeless, so I've had to cook for them pretty much my whole life until Miyako joined the family.

And I do a lot of work in the kitchen int he 13th since Kotetsu and Kotsubaki are idiots and will burn the damn place down if I leave them to it alone.

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

You've always had to be the one to do this? You shouldn't work so hard, it will be good for you to take a rest now and then while you're here! [He doesn't shout, but rather says it with genuine concern in his voice.]

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

I'm just used to having to look after people. I've never really thought of it as work... It's just taking care of my family, be it my brothers or the 13th.

If I'm not willing to look after family, then what good am I?

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

I'm sorry...

Its true that looking out for your family is important...because if you don't look out for them and keep them on the right path...no one can. [he's pretty much taking in her words and spacing out in deep thought about them, though he may be a little off about what she meant.]

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

[Oh no he's on the exact same page as her. All she and her brothers have ever had was each other to rely on and they've taken that very seriously.]

But you've also got to let them make their own mistakes.

Advice and guidance are one thing, but... It's hard to explain, but you get it right? If they don't make mistakes, they'll never learn.

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

[He nods.] Oh, yes I understand.

I'm just afraid that if the mistake is too great, it won't be able to be fixed. But, if you've been able to do that for your brothers despite how they are, [he didn't want to call them anything bad] then maybe I can do that too.

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

Yeah, I know what you mean. But if you're thee to back him up, no matter how badly he fucks it up, it'll be okay. As long as you're both alive, it'll be okay.

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

Mmh, I will.

[chuckles a bit] Oh, I guess that means we both have siblings to deal with when we finally find them.

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

Heh... Yeah.

[She laughs nervously and gets back to working on the soup that she'd forgotten about for a few minutes there.]

I am gonna have a hell of a lot of explaining to do when Kaien finally catches up to me.

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

[He carefully prepares a place for her to sit once she's all done.]

[Looking up from what he's doing] Yeah but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you again.

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

Heh... Yeah. And who knows... If this place was able ta catch me even though I kicked it... maybe Miya-nee will show up some time too.

[She sets a bowl of soup and some bread in front of him before going back to get some for herself.]

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

Would you introduce me to miss Miyako if she comes here?

[It was amazing that she had been able to still have the ability to cook so well with the lack of an arm.] This looks good, thank you!

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

Of course!! Hell, I'd introduce you to the whole damn family if I could!

You'd like Miyako... She was a sweetheart. Real real great girl. Tough as nails when she had to be though. Got me through some real rough stuff, that girl.

[She sits down, briefly slipping back into remembering how badly she'd messed up until he brought up the food. She looks up again and smiled.]

No problem, kid. Eat up.

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

[And picking up his spoon, he does just that.]

Mm, thank you for the soup. It was delicious! [he patted the spot of his green jumper where his stomach was.]

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

No problem. A little food's the least I could do after all the rambling you've let me do. I really hadn't planned on dumping that all on you. I'm real sorry about that...

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

Oh no, its okay. Please, it wasn't rambling, I liked hearing about you and your family.

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

Well the apology was more for the.. uhm... parts about me kickin' it. But I'm glad ya at least enjoyed hearing about my brothers and Miyako.

So what about you and this brother of yours? I still don't know much about you.

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

Oh that...[He pauses before going on]...but as long as you're here now, that's what matters. Maybe when you return home things will be different.

[That makes him immediately lower his head.] Um, brother and I...we...we had to grow up on our own after our mom got sick and...dad left home. We had to look out for each other, like you and your brothers. We always wanted to follow in our dad's footsteps...but we went about it the wrong way...

[upsideyourhead.insanejournal.com]

Maybe... I hope.

[She listens quietly, taking a bite of her bread. Then she grins a bit.]

Heh... Ya ain't so different from us at all... You're a hell of a strong kid, you know that?

[watersprout.insanejournal.com]

I am? But...I was always too scared to stand up to my brother on my own. If I had done it sooner...maybe no one would have gotten hurt. [Did that make him a coward?]