5th

[thirdeyeclosed]

[Action; 1248 Williams Road]

[Koishi is just returning from the Post Office, where she finally regained her basic danmaku! She's humming happily as she makes two pink and blue orbs zoom around in the air, but her attention is turned away from them when she notices the weird tree is back up. And there are presents under it

Comments

[wondering_eye]

[Satori hears her sister yelling - so, of course, she shows up to see what all the fuss is about.

And when she sees Koishi's Third Eye open, a look of concern and, strangely, relief crosses her face as she slowly approaches her sister.]

Koishi...? Koishi, please calm down. It's going to be okay...

[thirdeyeclosed]

[Koishi is currently tugging on the vein attached to her head. It's stuck on good, but she was able to get rid of it once before...]

No it's not! My eye's not supposed to be open!

[Even her mind is in turmoil over all this. Endless repetitions of "I don't like this" and "I don't want this" are probably the only things Satori can pick up on right now.]

[wondering_eye]

Stop that.

[Satori reaches for the tugging hand; she's let Koishi hurt herself once, and she doesn't intend on letting it happen a second time.]

...You might not want it open, but...you have a second chance now! You can...try living with it again.

[thirdeyeclosed]

But I don't want to! I liked it better when it was closed!

[wondering_eye]

Koishi, don't be so...

[...Selfish. Don't keep hurting me like this...is what she wants to say. But instead, she continues:]

...Don't be so scared. I'll help you through it this time; I-I won't...I'll make sure nobody hurts you this time. Alright? Koishi, do you understand? This doesn't have to be...as painful as you let it.

[thirdeyeclosed]

[A pause. Koishi hasn't had to deal with blocking out people's thoughts in what seemed like forever, so she's hearing everything loud and clear. She's not sure what's being spoken and what are just thoughts.]

I... I'm hurting you?

[wondering_eye]

What? No -

[But then she pauses, too. There's no use lying to someone who can read minds, right? It was her own fault for forgetting - it's been so long since Koishi could see what she was thinking.]

...Yes. It...when you hurt yourself like that...it hurt me, too. And after that, when your eye was closed...you wouldn't come home for weeks at a time, and I missed you. I worried about you.

[thirdeyeclosed]

It didn't really hurt that much... [Well, Koishi can't really say that. Physically, yeah, it hurt a bit... but by that point her emotions were mostly locked away, so it didn't hurt mentally at all.]

... I'm sorry.

[wondering_eye]

You say it didn't, and maybe it didn't feel like it hurt, but - couldn't you tell? You were...you were different after you closed your eye. I mean, you were always cheerful, but...

...You were empty.

[thirdeyeclosed]

Hm... [Koishi pauses to think. Sure, it was weird getting used to all those bad emotions again, but nothing seemed off...] I didn't feel any different.

[wondering_eye]

[A sigh.]

...If you say so.

At any rate, please try again with your Third Eye. Just...try. That's all I'm asking.

[thirdeyeclosed]

... Okay, I'll try. [If it'll make Satori happy...]

[wondering_eye]

Thank you.

...I promise I won't let it become like last time. I'll protect you if - it should come to that.

[After all, that's what big sisters should do, isn't it?]