008th Shattering * Action/Audio (forward dated to Monday)

[breaks_destiny]

[He felt something was wrong the moment he woke up and Haruki was nowhere to be seen. The guy had a knack for waking up first and lately had kind of gotten the habit of chilling close to Keiichi until he woke up. It was reassuring, to wake up and always see the other around. It made him less scared of Hanyuu going back in a matter of days, because

Comments

[Voice | Filtered]

[crytearsofjoy]

[Winry had waited for Haruki. It was 'Winry Day' after all, and after that big mess of Halloween she was looking forward to spending time with him. But when tardiness turned into absence Winry became worried and opened her journal to contact the boy, but came across Keiichi's entry instead. What did he want?]

I'm by the fountain. What is it?

[Voice | Action]

[breaks_destiny]

[The fountain. Good, that's not too far.]

I'll see you there.

[That's all you get for now, Winry. But soon enough you'll see Keiichi approaching you at the fountain. Sorry girl, but he can't bring himself to try to keep a cool face, not that he's crying or anything but... Anyone with eyes can see that something is not right.]

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy]

[The blond frowns at her journal when she's cut off. Nothing else to do now but wait with her egg salad sandwich. Fortunately she finishes that off before he arrives. When Keiichi does, she looks at him with concern and confusion.]

Keiichi?

[Action]

[breaks_destiny]

[Keiichi just looks at her... And wishes he could vanish in thin air, or had taken Sokka's offer, or something. But he has to do this. He had to be the one to tell her, right?

But where to start from. How to say it. Straight forward or try to soften the blow? He looks around, in the letters it said that when he confessed he had found her at the lake and hadn't let her go back home, doing so upon returning to the town. Nothing more regarding where but the fountain feels too much of a generic place, too many people going and coming.]

Ne, Winry, come with me for a small walk, yes?

[Wherever they end in he hopes it won't casually be the place where Haruki confessed.]

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy]

[It's okay, Keiichi. By leaving the fountain they'll be leaving the place where Haruki confessed. Winry stands and walks up to Keiichi.]

I've got work today, actually. Is it really important?

[Action]

[breaks_destiny]

[Forgive the boldness but he will be shooting a hand to grab hers firmly right after she says that. As if afraid that she will turn and leave without another word. Or vanish in thin air, though maybe then she wouldn't have to deal with this.]

It's very important. Really.

[How to start. What to say. How to say it.]

Winry, do you remember that crazy week some time ago in which everyone was different from what they are? Like, guys being girls, or having different nationality and such, and everyone believing it had always been that way.

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy]

[She flinches at first, but then just stares as he begins to talk.]

Yes...?

[Action]

[breaks_destiny]

You know, back then I turned into an old man... Well, not that old, twenty eight or something, I think. Basically, he had ran away from the village where I live, to avoid being forced to marry to a girl he didn't love that way. He eloped with the girl he did love and they changed their names, the way they were written at least, and his surname before they got married. Then they had a child but he supposedly was sent here and wasn't able to even name his son...

[A small pause.]

It's funny, he didn't really had thought of a name yet, such a fail he was. Having a son and not a name for him... Though after meeting Haruki here he decided to name him Haruki, it fitted after all, it would be a nice tribute and what not.

[Another pause. Well, he knows already that Haruki told her many things, he said so in the letters. And this is just stupid.]

It's really crazy, but Haruki once actually asked his father if he had ever been called Maebara.

[Can you make some sense in all this blabbering, Winry?]

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy]

[SHE DOESN'T GET IT. Winry doesn't understand what this has to do with her. Maybe something with Haruki? Was there a problem? Maybe she could help, but so far she can't make a connection to that story.]

[Action]

[breaks_destiny]

[he looks at her upon receiving no comment from her... She doesn't get it, does she? Oh well, it was crazy anyway.]

How to say it... Back then the adult me kind of adopted Haruki as his son, okay?

Of course that me isn't the me now, but... It could have been. And as some sort of adoptive father I've kind of duties or something.

[He stops walking and turns to her to look at her in the eyes.]

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy]

...Y-you're not trying to give me 'the talk' as Haruki's adoptive father, are you?

[Because getting that sort of lecturing from a fellow teenager would be all to weird.]

[Action]

[breaks_destiny]

[...]

If only it was that...

[It would be weird and he would prefer to not think about giving his children 'the talk', or their girl/boyfriends. But still, it would be better than what he has to say.]

But as Haruki's kind of adoptive father [Maybe his future father even but really that's crazy. This all is crazy but whatever.] I'm afraid I've to be the one to tell you... Winry...

Haruki has been sent back to his world.

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy]

[Winry's first action is to take a startled step back, freeze up, and stare at Keiichi with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Winry's first thought is no. The boy before her had to be lying. It had to be some cruel joke. Haurki wouldn't leave. Haruki wouldn't have been sent home. After all this time... after being so sure of himself... it was like a promise. He wouldn't break a promise, right?]

[Action]

[breaks_destiny]

[Keiichi can lie, like any other human being. But the face he's making, his own pain and sadness and devastation, rawly reflected there... That's not a face one can make when they lie.

Haruki had always been there. He basically seemed to belong to Luceti. He had so many people here, people he cared about despite what he may say. He had been the constant in Keiichi's life since he arrived, for good or bad. He had always been there somehow.

KEiichi had been able to count on him. And Haruki had made promises. He said so, he promised Hanyuu to take care of the Hinamizawa people. But now he was gone. No promises were broken thought, because right now, he didn't even remember Luceti, or any of them.

It almost made him wish that that crazy idea, that crazy suspicion that just couldn't be true... Would be true after all. As stupid as such a hope would be. But that's just him. Winry has nothing. Sorry girl, he can't say anything at the moment, just wait for you to see in his eyes that he's not lying or joking.]

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy]

[Tears well up in Winry's eyes as she sees the truth in Keiichi's. But she won't accept it. She can't. Denial fills her, and all she can do is turn and attempt to run without saying anything.]

[Action]

[breaks_destiny]

[This is exactly what he feared the most. Tears. Long ago he promised himself to not make another girl cry, and no matter what happened in other worlds, in the one he remembers clearly, the one he has lived, he hadn't broke that promise. Of course, tears of joy don't count for that but... Those aren't that kind of tears.

He's yet not in his best shape but he doesn't let Winry run away. Not like that. She has people to take care of her, of course, but he will be damned if he allows her to just run away like that. So he'll try to catch up to her and do the only thing he can do, pull her into a comforting hug.

He has no words of comfort thought. This is the only thing he can do so far.]