Touya walked slowly down the stairs, his mind whirling, struggling to hold all the pieces together.
The surveillance cameras... He knew he'd learn things, but not like this. Not this way.
There were secrets... and there were Secrets.
Yukari would be in bad shape he knew - and who could blame her? But while the younger girl had the right questions... It appeared someone else had all the answers.
He stopped before Mitsuru's room and took a calming breath. He knew she was there... Knew she was shaken. A part of himself despised the fact he was taking advantage... But another part was just angry.
Mitsuru didn't want to answer the door. After the...confrontation with Takeba Yukari and the unpleasant direction it moved towards, all the way to its bitter end, she was afraid to learn of the aftermath. She didn't want to know what Takeba might have done in her fury, nor did she want to find out if Ephraim stook to his promise of silence.
However, she was supposed to be a positive model figure and breaking down was simply something she couldn't do...no matter what might lie for her beyond that door, she had to stay strong.
Fighting to keep that thought in her mind, she slowly moved to the door and was surprised to see who her visitor was.
Briefly, he considered confronting her with what he had seen, but seeing the look on Mitsuru's face... It was not an expression he'd ever seen on her before. Not calm, confident Mitsuru.
He changed tacks.
"I ah... I couldn't help noticing Yukari leaving earlier in... kind of a huff. Is there... anything amiss?"
She was surprised because he wasn't a person she'd expect at her doorstep, and the fact that he called her by her actual name, and not that usual nickname of his, confused her. At the mention of Yukari's name however, she unconsciously tightened the grip on her doorknob.
"No..." She tried to keep her voice steady, though her gaze was fixed on the floor "There's...nothing wrong."
Yes there is. Everything's wrong.
"Yamada...do you think I'm...an awful person?" She heard her voice ask, before she even realized she had spoken.
"..." Mitsuru was surprised. He was...making sense. This wasn't a Yamada Touya she was used to...
She considered this new information, and thought about that...event, before deciding to ask her next question;
"Could I make amends though? Hypothetically speaking...if I were to...know an important secret...one that has a direct affect on someone, yet chose not tell them out of a selfish feeling of personal guilt."
"Ah secrets... " Touya leaned against the door frame. "That's always the problem with secrets. Even if they aren't important in themselves, sometimes its the fact that you keep them secret that has the impact on people."
"But... If you ask me there are very few things that are unforgivable," Touya said. "And in this case coming clean, completely clean, no matter the hurt feelings, can be an important first step. But... hypothetically speaking... if that door is to open, it has to be opened completely. You can't half unlock a door after all... and you can't, hypothetically, make half-way ammends..."
"I don't think you have it in you to want to hurt anyone Mitsuru - certain incidents aside," he added half-jokingly, but smiling gently.
"But secrets can be hurtful when what is asked for is trust," Touya continued. "But hurts can be healed... and secrets, can be told... If you want to."
Mitsuru thought about his words; she didn't think that there'd be a time when she'd be listening to Touya's advice...let alone putting them to consideration.
"I never thought I'd say this out loud but...you're right." She agreed, although she was still hesitant to actually tell him about the event. She was already burned once by this so-called 'secret' today, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to go through it again.
"Yamada...if I were to tell you that secret, what would you do...hypothetically?" She asked in all seriousness.
"And then, I'd help you break it to everybody else... Since I'm assuming that this might be why, hypothetically, Yukari stormed out of here like that."
Touya stood up straight then, and looked her in the eye. "If you'll open that door - I'll watch your back."
Touya was surprisingly perceptive that she couldn't help but wonder if he'd actually heard the story from Takeba herself...still, what he said unsuspectingly caused an smile to appear on her face.
And so she told him the same story she had told Yukari and Ephraim earlier, as well as the confrontation with Yukari, although this time, after another moment of hesitation, she added something unexpected;
"What I didn't tell Takeba was that...her father was that head scientist." She added, surprised that she was telling him this when she didn't even confide this part of the story with Shinjirou or Akihiko. "I just wanted to protect her..."
She still thought that she was right...considering how much Takeba loved her father...
Touya carefully cleared his expression as he listened to Mitsuru, for the second time, bare the secret she had held so close to her chest. It didn't matter that he already knew from the cams just what she was saying... It was still the baring of a secret, and the building of trust - a catharsis for a strong young woman who was badly in need of it.
Besides... as Touya discovered - there was something new under the Sun.
"So that's why..." he whispered, more pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. Without really thinking about it, he brought his hands up to clutch her shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes.
"You're the complete opposite of an awful person Mitsuru... If anything, you care too much... Protect too much..." He smiled at her gently. "But sometimes, we need you to stand beside us, not before us. We're your friends Mitsuru. That weight... we'll bear it together."
Mitsuru was surprised when clutched her shoulders, fortunately for Touya, she was too tired to make a fuss about him touching her person as she usually would, and though she would never admit it out loud, she actually found it to be comforting.
"Thank you...Touya. Your words really mean a lot to me." She thanked him for his soothing words, using his given name without realizing so. Despite the fact that the smile she gave him still looked weary, she was genuinely grateful.
(ooc: S-link reversed back and up from 1 to 2, Y/N? :D )
"And yours mean a lot to all of us," he replied. "I'm not sure you realize just how most of us look up to you... but we do. I know it's not something you looked for... But honestly? I can think of no better person."
Touya turned to go, but stopped to look at her over his shoulder. "When you're ready to tell the others... Let me know alright? For now though... get some rest."
The surveillance cameras... He knew he'd learn things, but not like this. Not this way.
There were secrets... and there were Secrets.
Yukari would be in bad shape he knew - and who could blame her? But while the younger girl had the right questions... It appeared someone else had all the answers.
He stopped before Mitsuru's room and took a calming breath. He knew she was there... Knew she was shaken. A part of himself despised the fact he was taking advantage... But another part was just angry.
He raised his fist and knocked.
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However, she was supposed to be a positive model figure and breaking down was simply something she couldn't do...no matter what might lie for her beyond that door, she had to stay strong.
Fighting to keep that thought in her mind, she slowly moved to the door and was surprised to see who her visitor was.
"...Yamada?"
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Briefly, he considered confronting her with what he had seen, but seeing the look on Mitsuru's face... It was not an expression he'd ever seen on her before. Not calm, confident Mitsuru.
He changed tacks.
"I ah... I couldn't help noticing Yukari leaving earlier in... kind of a huff. Is there... anything amiss?"
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"No..." She tried to keep her voice steady, though her gaze was fixed on the floor "There's...nothing wrong."
Yes there is. Everything's wrong.
"Yamada...do you think I'm...an awful person?" She heard her voice ask, before she even realized she had spoken.
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"No I don't," he said. " Becasue an awful person wouldn't ask me if she was an awful person Mitsuru..."
"But that doesn't mean you're not capable of awful things... We all are," he paused then. "But that's just human nature... And so is making amends."
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She considered this new information, and thought about that...event, before deciding to ask her next question;
"Could I make amends though? Hypothetically speaking...if I were to...know an important secret...one that has a direct affect on someone, yet chose not tell them out of a selfish feeling of personal guilt."
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"Ah secrets... " Touya leaned against the door frame. "That's always the problem with secrets. Even if they aren't important in themselves, sometimes its the fact that you keep them secret that has the impact on people."
"But... If you ask me there are very few things that are unforgivable," Touya said. "And in this case coming clean, completely clean, no matter the hurt feelings, can be an important first step. But... hypothetically speaking... if that door is to open, it has to be opened completely. You can't half unlock a door after all... and you can't, hypothetically, make half-way ammends..."
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"But secrets can be hurtful when what is asked for is trust," Touya continued. "But hurts can be healed... and secrets, can be told... If you want to."
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"I never thought I'd say this out loud but...you're right." She agreed, although she was still hesitant to actually tell him about the event. She was already burned once by this so-called 'secret' today, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to go through it again.
"Yamada...if I were to tell you that secret, what would you do...hypothetically?" She asked in all seriousness.
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"And then, I'd help you break it to everybody else... Since I'm assuming that this might be why, hypothetically, Yukari stormed out of here like that."
Touya stood up straight then, and looked her in the eye. "If you'll open that door - I'll watch your back."
Reply
And so she told him the same story she had told Yukari and Ephraim earlier, as well as the confrontation with Yukari, although this time, after another moment of hesitation, she added something unexpected;
"What I didn't tell Takeba was that...her father was that head scientist." She added, surprised that she was telling him this when she didn't even confide this part of the story with Shinjirou or Akihiko. "I just wanted to protect her..."
She still thought that she was right...considering how much Takeba loved her father...
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Besides... as Touya discovered - there was something new under the Sun.
"So that's why..." he whispered, more pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. Without really thinking about it, he brought his hands up to clutch her shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes.
"You're the complete opposite of an awful person Mitsuru... If anything, you care too much... Protect too much..." He smiled at her gently. "But sometimes, we need you to stand beside us, not before us. We're your friends Mitsuru. That weight... we'll bear it together."
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"Thank you...Touya. Your words really mean a lot to me." She thanked him for his soothing words, using his given name without realizing so. Despite the fact that the smile she gave him still looked weary, she was genuinely grateful.
(ooc: S-link reversed back and up from 1 to 2, Y/N? :D )
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Touya turned to go, but stopped to look at her over his shoulder. "When you're ready to tell the others... Let me know alright? For now though... get some rest."
He paused.
"I'll go find Yukari."
[OOC: Yes! SLink + 7! at 2 please ^^]
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