[ The video opens to Mitama, though just like in her recent post, she's wearing her "Santa disguise". She's here on an important business, after all. ]
Ho, ho, ho! Thank you for joining our Secret Santa event~ It's time to find out what ─ or rather who ─ your assignment as Santa's Little Helper for this year is! Drumroll, please...
[ She makes a pause for a dramatic effect, her hand slipping into a Santa hat she's holding and pulling out a small piece of paper with a name on it. ]
It's none other than... Oh my. [ Her eyes widen in surprise for a brief moment, but she goes back to her usual spiel almost instantly. ] You're in luck! It's Mitama Yakumo, everyone's beloved Miss Coordinator herself! Don't worry, I'll make sure to pretend to be surprised~
Remember, you should present your assignee with a gift of your choice until December 25th! Good luck, and remember: your main task is to spread joy, happiness and the spirit of Christmas cheer!
[ Yukina's room has a small new addition to it the next time she arrives. There is a small box, wrapped in a bit of fabric in classic Japanese style - don't ask how the hell he made it happen, but he is a chronic window watcher, so who knows what he's been able to soak in during baby jail in human world - it isn't marked with her name, or with anything in particular really, other than the fact the blue fabric matches her well-loved yukata.
(He does pay attention when it matters to him.)
Anyway - inside there's a gift that makes it very blatantly obvious who this gift is from. There is a tear gem that is not Yukina's inside, on a metal chain to replace the cord that it had once rested on.
.. He's decided to pass along the small item gifted to him by Aldrip. After all, he doesn't need to have two tear gems on his neck. ]
[The moment that Yukina sees the tear gem, she had been waiting for this moment for who knows how long. Stimulation or not, she didn't care. Even if this wasn't real, it sure felt real right now. Looking at it, she could immediately tell whose it was. As she thought about it, she wondered if she should bring it up to him. This was the closest she was ever going to get him to admit he is her brother.
And yet, as happy as she was for him to show it to her, it still seemed like it wasn't enough. Taking in a deep breath in, she didn't want to upset him any further than what she was about to do. However, as Kurama and Scott have stated, she should think about her own happiness. She didn't want to admit it but they were right. She just wanted to be selfish for once. Especially now as he was willing to say something about it.
Taking a leap of faith, she took the tear gem before she went to look for her brother.]
[ Hiei.. is still unsure about how he feels about his hirui showing up. Mukuro has had it for so long that he doesn't like the implication of what it means that she no longer has it, does not want to think about the fact that he does not know how she would continue with the loss of that sense of calm she'd achieved with it. Despite what he'd thought prior to knowing who had been in possession of his hirui all this time.. Mukuro's having it turned out not to be so bad.
They'd both suffered as children in ways that they shouldn't have - if anyone deserved to keep it, it had been her.
The fire apparition is where he always is when he is not following Kurama or up to some kind of mischief - up in the tree in the center of their home. Yes, it's cowardly to leave that kind of gift and then attempt to 'disappear' but.. he was sort of hoping she'd just leave it be. A fool's errand, of course, but once Yukina comes to find him, he can't just leave her there.
So he drops down in front of her, looking... shy. ]
[It didn't take her long to find him. Was it simply because she was his sister and she knew him well? Perhaps but it didn't stop her from looking at him. She didn't say anything at first and allowed them the chance to let the silence to do the talking. However, after a moment or two, she wondered if she should say something. Looking down at the gem, she held onto it before giving a small sigh.
She didn't know how long he held onto both tear gems. How long did he have them and not say anything to her? It was such a difficult thing to think about.
Either way, she held out the gem before them. With a confident look, she didn't say anything. Instead, she wanted to hear what Hiei had to say to her first.]
[ he had honestly expected Yukina to lead in this. To say something, even if it was accusatory. Perhaps he is seeing too much of himself in her, but that’s beside the point.
However, the fire apparition knows what he would ask. Maybe it’s a case of twin connection but as soon as he’s presented with the evidence in her hand, Hiei sighs. ]
[After all, why would he have held onto it all this time and not tell her. Lowering her arm down, she looked at the gem once more before she spoke up.]
...Why are you telling me this now? What made you change your mind?
It... arrived here out of no where a little while ago. [ As if telling her that no, he has not had it the entire time in Aldrip, either. Despite how resistant he is to this even now, he does not want that to be mistaken as something he's just been hiding under his shirt this entire time or something. ]
... I haven't had it for so long I don't need it. And you won't take yours back.
[That wasn't the answer she wanted. However, she had a feeling he wouldn't outwardly say he is her brother. For whatever reason, she still didn't know.]
No, I won't. I said for you to keep it and I think you should keep this too.
[She said before pointing to the gem in her hand.]
I don’t need it. I haven’t had it since I was a child, anyway.
[ if she asked how long he likely wouldn’t be able to tell her - that time was a blur of anger and killing that he would not be eager to tell her about in any form. It didn’t matter now, either - it was well behind him and he at least knew where it had eventually ended up.
And.. well they are twins. Hiei tucks his hands in to his cape, withdrawing a way for her to give it back to him too easily. ]
I left it with Mukuro for that reason, so it’s better if you have mine in return.
[Why did he always make things so difficult? She knew this was his way of confirming that they were siblings and yet, it was all the more frustrating. Biting her bottom lip, Kurama's and Scott's words kept running through her mind.
Not now, she thought, there was something she had to confirm first.]
Why would I regret it? [ it seems obvious to him that this is a returned gesture and confirmation in one neat package, of course. If they had not been here in this place, and he had not received the necklace at all, he probably would never have brought it up.
Shigure is dead and yet that promise and his own previous misdeeds still hang over him like a guillotine. He thinks he deserves no less, of course, but that’s hardly the point at the moment.
If anyone should have this, it’s Yukina. Mukuro he had allowed as it brought her comfort, but if she will not take her own - ]
If anyone should rightfully have it, it should be yours.
[That's what Yukina usually did when she had hers. She would normally look at her tear gem as a reminder of her mother. Although it did also remind her of a life of what it could have been, it was the only thing she had left of her family.
Our mother. [ Hiei raises a brow for a moment, lost under the ward of the Jagan, before he turns his eyes elsewhere. He had decided long ago that it wasn’t worth it to waste more time thinking about the ice maidens, what they had done or hadn’t.
And yet …
If their mother had simply raised the courage to walk away as Yukina had, they wouldn’t be in this situation at all. Or at the very least, would not have started out so tragically.
The fire apparition pauses for a moment, rolling over his words before he seems to resolve to just say it. ]
There is nothing to remind myself of. She made her choice to stay, knowing what she knew of her people and what would happen.
[Was one of the reasons why she left and why she wanted her village gone. If they were so vile to her own mother and was willing to send Hiei off to die, they really didn't deserve to live. Still, his words hurt as she winced a bit.]
...a rather cruel thing to say.
[She knew nothing about their mother other than some vague comments about her. There probably shouldn't be any real attachment to her. That would be something he would say but she didn't want to accept it just yet.]
What is there to think of? [ That she had cried to try to save his life, yes, but hadn’t gotten up the guts to do it before any of them were in that situation in the first place? That her so-called best friend hadn’t been brave enough not throw him over the edge even though she had not wanted to?
Yes, it is a harsh view of the woman who brought him in to the world, but with all the suffering since he’d been banished the first time… he finds no reason to back away from it, either. ]
The truth is not always some pretty little package.
I haven’t had much time to think of things other than how to survive, since I was cast out. Until recently that always had to be the main priority.
[ Another not so pretty truth. Until Sensui had been defeated and he’d had some sense of stability between Mukuro and the rest of them, his focus had been simply surviving, with a side of making sure that Yukina was safe until they had recovered her and she had settled in the human world. ]
[She couldn't deny his answer. He had every right to be upset at the ice maidens for casting him out but she never thought he would think the same way about his mother. She didn't say anything as she didn't know what else to say. Looking at the ground, she gave a small nod or two.]
No, it's not. I just wanted to hear what you thought about her.
[With that, she gave a sigh. Closing her eyes, it seems she had to make her voice heard. Whatever may happen, she just had to say it. Like Kurama and Scott said, she had to worry about herself.]
...But has one of your main priorities making sure I was okay? To know...your sister was safe?
[ Ah... of course she has to ask him that particularly sticky question. It isn't that Hiei feels any shame in saying that yes, he had placed particular priority on that. That he had been there long before she even knew he was, in fact. Perhaps in any other situation it would seem weird to admit it but, really...
The hardest thing is the Jagan. Does he tell her in any sense of telling her that he had gotten it to, unsuccessfully, find his stone? Would that cause her too much distress to know what lengths he'd gone to, that he could have possibly died in the pursuit of it? ]
I was... in the trees, fairly often, when you would go out to spend time with the birds and animals. When we were much younger.
[ so close and yet so far. ]
But then I lost my stone, and underwent the surgery... and not long after I went to the island you disappeared.
[Then why didn't he say anything to her? By that point, she already knew about Hiei. Rui told her that she had a twin brother so there was nothing wrong by telling her. However, she gave a sigh.]
Is that what happened?
[There was the implication that she knew why he got the surgery but dared not to say it. She wasn't sure if it was also for her sake and to make sure she was safe. But based on her words, she was hesitate to speak it out loud. Looking down at her hands and then at the gem once more, she was playing into her crime.
Indeed, she did have a habit of pretending as though she didn't know anything when she did. Was it a good or a bad thing that this world was calling her out on it? For all she knew, she had to stop it.]
Yes. It was also… it made it easier to be able to check on you from further away.
[ he had goals, then. Things to do. Or so he thought. Restlessness was more like it, and it still creeps up on him from time to time when he least expects it.
Now, though… now he has less in the way of goals. Things he needs to do, power he needs to have. He rests in a position of power within demon world, under Mukuro, and has clawed his way back up to upper S-Class.
What more there was to pursue he isn’t sure. ]
Now is the same. I can be on border patrol and check in with any of you, if I feel the need.
[So, he did get it because of her. If she hadn't left the village, he wouldn't have ever gotten such a painful procedure. Biting her bottom lip, it hurt to know that he suffered for her sake.
It was funny, she left to find her brother when her brother already found her. Long before he got the Jagan eye too.]
...I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen to you.
[ Hiei… sighs. Of course she feels the need to apologize to him for a choice he alone had made.
Yukina, despite her naïveté (however played up it sometimes is), is still and will probably always be better than him. Though she has her moments, she is so good at the core of it all. And he is -
Him. A felon who finds killing easier than speaking most days. No matter how much he has changed with Kurama and Yusuke’s help, there is no changing the gap between them so far as he’s concerned. ]
I did it by my own choice. There’s nothing for you to apologize for.
[It was still frustrating that she was part of the reason why he got the Jagan. It made her wonder just how terrible it was. From what she could gather, it was one of the most painful surgeries in all of demon world. While it made him stronger in a way, it also made her wonder just how much he had to suffer.]
...I'm glad you made it through. And that I got to see you again.
[ Hiei isn't quite sure what to say to that. In a way, he wishes they hadn't met face to face like this - it was maybe better that she had no idea who he was, or what he'd become with time and suffering. Neither of them can change the circumstances that they were born in to, and he had done his best to make sure that her circumstances, though with a stumbling point or two, were better than his own.
It was worth it, every bit of suffering and struggle that he had gone through in the meantime.
Hiei won't speak to the fact that he doesn't find himself good enough for her praise, or any of this, simply contenting himself with: ]
If you can live peacefully in the human world.. it was worth it.
[From the first moment she met him, she had a feeling she knew who he was. There was a sense of familiarity that she couldn't place her finger on at that moment. It was only a matter of time before she knew who he was. Still, even when he was up in the tree and placing distance between them, she couldn't help but smile.
While he didn't say it out loud, at least he was willing to admit that they were siblings.]
....What about yourself? Do you find yourself happy in demon world?
It's fine. [ Hiei doesn't entertain things like happy if only because he isn't really sure he's ever felt it, and beyond that... if he doesn't entertain it, it also can't go away.
For a demon that is usually waiting for the other shoe to drop when he finds some semblance of contentment, happiness was a step too far for now. ]
Mukuro entertains herself by training against me and I don't find myself idle for too long.
[That wasn't quite the answer she wanted. Although, she wondered if she should settle for that. People have been telling her to be more selfish and say what she wanted to. However, there was also that risk of Hiei distancing himself once more should she be too forward.
With a sigh, she shook her head. She'll have to take that risk.]
[ What a terrible question. Hiei knows that there is literally nothing about what he can say about happiness, his own happiness, that Yukina will like. His happiness has never been his priority, when it came down to it. He preferred to prioritize Yukina, Mukuro... literally anyone other than himself, when it came down to it.
The pause before he even tries to answer is no doubt telling, red eyes darting around them to land on literally anything other than Yukina. ]
That isn't really important. I am alive, and well, which is more than enough.
[Was this really the most he could say? She supposed so, he was always someone who tried to avoid the subject whenever possible. This was as good as it gets. It was already a miracle he admitted to him being her brother without saying anything.
Taking a sigh and relaxing her shoulders, she just had to admit his answer.]
And that you can come to the human world should you ever want to visit us.
[ In his own way, Hiei wishes that she wouldn’t be so intent on this. On learning who he was and making sure that he was around enough in equal measure. He is all too aware of how quickly he can be here and gone in the demon world, particularly in the circles he’s involved in now.
Demons were not delicate in anything, particularly against those they considered rivals.
Politically or otherwise.
He bites down on something more dower that lingers n his mind, before simply nodding. No need to have Yukina worrying about the fact he can possibly die day in and day out. ]
[ wolfwood's used to making tough choices. what mouths get fed, when to be honest and when to lie, who lives and who dies. so he doesn't think that the hardest decision he's had to face since coming to aldrip will be... picking out a secret santa present.
it's fucking miserable. he hopes whoever thought this up has a bounty on their head. vash, in some misguided attempt to get wolfwood to be more social, has added his name to the secret santa pool. and he's not gonna stiff somebody their present-- but he's also pretty sure that getting a name picked from a hat and having to find a present they actually want is some new form of torture.
vash promised him it's easy! don't worry, and after that, wolfwood can't manage to swallow his pride and ask him for help. he doesn't know yukina much, has barely put a face to the name. so the logical answer is obviously... to follow her around and do recon. she's probably seen him a few times by now, but it's not until christmas day that wolfwood actually approaches her. ]
Hey. Uh...
[ the poorly-wrapped box in his jacket pocket suddenly feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. ]
[Christmas was still a strange concept. For all her time living with humans, it was still an abstract thing. The idea of a person delivering presents to children in a single night seemed so odd and yet, it still provided something hopeful to everyone. It was something she loved despite not understanding it. Not only that, but it was also about spending time with those you loved as you gave people presents. That she understands as she also wants to spread joy to those whom she cared about.
So, when she sees a certain person following her? She had to wonder it if was something related to the holiday. After all, the only one who would be doing this is her brother. However, she wasn't going to think about it for long. Not when he approached her with a present that made him nervous.]
Is everything okay...?
[As thankful as she was for the present, it was more important to see if he was fine.]
[ in all fairness, wolfwood isn't very familiar with christmas, either. not for lack of the practice of it-- where he's originally from, there's a little too much bible-thumping-- but there wasn't exactly extra to go around in the orphanage he grew up in. he doesn't think it would have felt the same, even if they did have the means to celebrate. aldrip has been coated in snow for the better part of the month, and the whole 'red suit and cap' deal makes a lot more sense here than in the deserts of no man's land. ]
Hah? Uh-- yeah.
[ yukina sets him off-kilter. well-- not her as much as the type of person she is. honest. good-intentioned? nice. wolfwood's the sort that rubs people the wrong way, mostly by design, but he feels kinda slimy picking a fight with yukina. like some playground bully. ]
'S just uh-- [ he offers up the wrapped box, ] that chick's Secret Santa. Don't go expectin' much.
[ and then wolfwood stands there awkwardly, waiting for yukina to unwrap her present-- an inro with a long braided cord. ]
[As she did so, she couldn't help but stare as that was something she hadn't seen in a while. People in her village would occasionally go out with extra bags should they want to carry something. However, it was considered an unusual sight as there was no need for such things. To see an inro in front of her made her raise an eyebrow or two. She would see it from time to time in Japan but it wasn't common either.
Which was why she couldn't help but smile bright at him.]
This is perfect! I love it, thank you so much Mr...?
[She said before tilting her head to the side. She could have sworn she had seen him from somewhere but she couldn't put her finger on it.]
[ Kuwabara's probably taken too long to fulfill this, the idea being implanted over a month ago, but he'll blame the recent chaos. That's legit, right? Anyway, it had taken him a little while to find the exact, perfect thing!
Left somewhere obvious, the kitchen table, before he wanders off to check out farm-related things is a small, spiral-bound notebook. The cover is snowflake-themed, blue and white, and labeled via marker and his best penmanship: "Yukina's Aspirations".
He's included a three-pack of plain, ballpoint pens. Blue ink, though, so... That's cute, right?
Inside, he's already listed what he remembers from their conversation: Human anatomy course, bungee jump, amusement park, baseball, cherry blossom viewing...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thenicerone) wrote2024-07-01 11:39 am
video; un: misscoordinator
Ho, ho, ho! Thank you for joining our Secret Santa event~ It's time to find out what ─ or rather who ─ your assignment as Santa's Little Helper for this year is! Drumroll, please...
[ She makes a pause for a dramatic effect, her hand slipping into a Santa hat she's holding and pulling out a small piece of paper with a name on it. ]
It's none other than... Oh my. [ Her eyes widen in surprise for a brief moment, but she goes back to her usual spiel almost instantly. ] You're in luck! It's Mitama Yakumo, everyone's beloved Miss Coordinator herself! Don't worry, I'll make sure to pretend to be surprised~
Remember, you should present your assignee with a gift of your choice until December 25th! Good luck, and remember: your main task is to spread joy, happiness and the spirit of Christmas cheer!
Miss Santa Coordinator, out!
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[ Yukina's room has a small new addition to it the next time she arrives. There is a small box, wrapped in a bit of fabric in classic Japanese style - don't ask how the hell he made it happen, but he is a chronic window watcher, so who knows what he's been able to soak in during baby jail in human world - it isn't marked with her name, or with anything in particular really, other than the fact the blue fabric matches her well-loved yukata.
(He does pay attention when it matters to him.)
Anyway - inside there's a gift that makes it very blatantly obvious who this gift is from. There is a tear gem that is not Yukina's inside, on a metal chain to replace the cord that it had once rested on.
.. He's decided to pass along the small item gifted to him by Aldrip. After all, he doesn't need to have two tear gems on his neck. ]
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And yet, as happy as she was for him to show it to her, it still seemed like it wasn't enough. Taking in a deep breath in, she didn't want to upset him any further than what she was about to do. However, as Kurama and Scott have stated, she should think about her own happiness. She didn't want to admit it but they were right. She just wanted to be selfish for once. Especially now as he was willing to say something about it.
Taking a leap of faith, she took the tear gem before she went to look for her brother.]
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[ Hiei.. is still unsure about how he feels about his hirui showing up. Mukuro has had it for so long that he doesn't like the implication of what it means that she no longer has it, does not want to think about the fact that he does not know how she would continue with the loss of that sense of calm she'd achieved with it. Despite what he'd thought prior to knowing who had been in possession of his hirui all this time.. Mukuro's having it turned out not to be so bad.
They'd both suffered as children in ways that they shouldn't have - if anyone deserved to keep it, it had been her.
The fire apparition is where he always is when he is not following Kurama or up to some kind of mischief - up in the tree in the center of their home. Yes, it's cowardly to leave that kind of gift and then attempt to 'disappear' but.. he was sort of hoping she'd just leave it be. A fool's errand, of course, but once Yukina comes to find him, he can't just leave her there.
So he drops down in front of her, looking... shy. ]
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She didn't know how long he held onto both tear gems. How long did he have them and not say anything to her? It was such a difficult thing to think about.
Either way, she held out the gem before them. With a confident look, she didn't say anything. Instead, she wanted to hear what Hiei had to say to her first.]
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[ he had honestly expected Yukina to lead in this. To say something, even if it was accusatory. Perhaps he is seeing too much of himself in her, but that’s beside the point.
However, the fire apparition knows what he would ask. Maybe it’s a case of twin connection but as soon as he’s presented with the evidence in her hand, Hiei sighs. ]
Mukuro had it. It was lost before that.
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[After all, why would he have held onto it all this time and not tell her. Lowering her arm down, she looked at the gem once more before she spoke up.]
...Why are you telling me this now? What made you change your mind?
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It... arrived here out of no where a little while ago. [ As if telling her that no, he has not had it the entire time in Aldrip, either. Despite how resistant he is to this even now, he does not want that to be mistaken as something he's just been hiding under his shirt this entire time or something. ]
... I haven't had it for so long I don't need it. And you won't take yours back.
[ Sure Hiei. Sure that's the entire reason why. ]
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No, I won't. I said for you to keep it and I think you should keep this too.
[She said before pointing to the gem in her hand.]
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I don’t need it. I haven’t had it since I was a child, anyway.
[ if she asked how long he likely wouldn’t be able to tell her - that time was a blur of anger and killing that he would not be eager to tell her about in any form. It didn’t matter now, either - it was well behind him and he at least knew where it had eventually ended up.
And.. well they are twins. Hiei tucks his hands in to his cape, withdrawing a way for her to give it back to him too easily. ]
I left it with Mukuro for that reason, so it’s better if you have mine in return.
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[Why did he always make things so difficult? She knew this was his way of confirming that they were siblings and yet, it was all the more frustrating. Biting her bottom lip, Kurama's and Scott's words kept running through her mind.
Not now, she thought, there was something she had to confirm first.]
Are you sure you won't regret it?
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Why would I regret it? [ it seems obvious to him that this is a returned gesture and confirmation in one neat package, of course. If they had not been here in this place, and he had not received the necklace at all, he probably would never have brought it up.
Shigure is dead and yet that promise and his own previous misdeeds still hang over him like a guillotine. He thinks he deserves no less, of course, but that’s hardly the point at the moment.
If anyone should have this, it’s Yukina. Mukuro he had allowed as it brought her comfort, but if she will not take her own - ]
If anyone should rightfully have it, it should be yours.
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[That's what Yukina usually did when she had hers. She would normally look at her tear gem as a reminder of her mother. Although it did also remind her of a life of what it could have been, it was the only thing she had left of her family.
With a sigh, she held the jewel tightly.]
....At least of our mother?
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Our mother. [ Hiei raises a brow for a moment, lost under the ward of the Jagan, before he turns his eyes elsewhere. He had decided long ago that it wasn’t worth it to waste more time thinking about the ice maidens, what they had done or hadn’t.
And yet …
If their mother had simply raised the courage to walk away as Yukina had, they wouldn’t be in this situation at all. Or at the very least, would not have started out so tragically.
The fire apparition pauses for a moment, rolling over his words before he seems to resolve to just say it. ]
There is nothing to remind myself of. She made her choice to stay, knowing what she knew of her people and what would happen.
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[Was one of the reasons why she left and why she wanted her village gone. If they were so vile to her own mother and was willing to send Hiei off to die, they really didn't deserve to live. Still, his words hurt as she winced a bit.]
...a rather cruel thing to say.
[She knew nothing about their mother other than some vague comments about her. There probably shouldn't be any real attachment to her. That would be something he would say but she didn't want to accept it just yet.]
You really don't think about her?
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What is there to think of? [ That she had cried to try to save his life, yes, but hadn’t gotten up the guts to do it before any of them were in that situation in the first place? That her so-called best friend hadn’t been brave enough not throw him over the edge even though she had not wanted to?
Yes, it is a harsh view of the woman who brought him in to the world, but with all the suffering since he’d been banished the first time… he finds no reason to back away from it, either. ]
The truth is not always some pretty little package.
I haven’t had much time to think of things other than how to survive, since I was cast out. Until recently that always had to be the main priority.
[ Another not so pretty truth. Until Sensui had been defeated and he’d had some sense of stability between Mukuro and the rest of them, his focus had been simply surviving, with a side of making sure that Yukina was safe until they had recovered her and she had settled in the human world. ]
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No, it's not. I just wanted to hear what you thought about her.
[With that, she gave a sigh. Closing her eyes, it seems she had to make her voice heard. Whatever may happen, she just had to say it. Like Kurama and Scott said, she had to worry about herself.]
...But has one of your main priorities making sure I was okay? To know...your sister was safe?
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[ Ah... of course she has to ask him that particularly sticky question. It isn't that Hiei feels any shame in saying that yes, he had placed particular priority on that. That he had been there long before she even knew he was, in fact. Perhaps in any other situation it would seem weird to admit it but, really...
The hardest thing is the Jagan. Does he tell her in any sense of telling her that he had gotten it to, unsuccessfully, find his stone? Would that cause her too much distress to know what lengths he'd gone to, that he could have possibly died in the pursuit of it? ]
I was... in the trees, fairly often, when you would go out to spend time with the birds and animals. When we were much younger.
[ so close and yet so far. ]
But then I lost my stone, and underwent the surgery... and not long after I went to the island you disappeared.
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Is that what happened?
[There was the implication that she knew why he got the surgery but dared not to say it. She wasn't sure if it was also for her sake and to make sure she was safe. But based on her words, she was hesitate to speak it out loud. Looking down at her hands and then at the gem once more, she was playing into her crime.
Indeed, she did have a habit of pretending as though she didn't know anything when she did. Was it a good or a bad thing that this world was calling her out on it? For all she knew, she had to stop it.]
You went and the Jagan to look for your stone?
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Yes. It was also… it made it easier to be able to check on you from further away.
[ he had goals, then. Things to do. Or so he thought. Restlessness was more like it, and it still creeps up on him from time to time when he least expects it.
Now, though… now he has less in the way of goals. Things he needs to do, power he needs to have. He rests in a position of power within demon world, under Mukuro, and has clawed his way back up to upper S-Class.
What more there was to pursue he isn’t sure. ]
Now is the same. I can be on border patrol and check in with any of you, if I feel the need.
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It was funny, she left to find her brother when her brother already found her. Long before he got the Jagan eye too.]
...I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen to you.
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[ Hiei… sighs. Of course she feels the need to apologize to him for a choice he alone had made.
Yukina, despite her naïveté (however played up it sometimes is), is still and will probably always be better than him. Though she has her moments, she is so good at the core of it all. And he is -
Him. A felon who finds killing easier than speaking most days. No matter how much he has changed with Kurama and Yusuke’s help, there is no changing the gap between them so far as he’s concerned. ]
I did it by my own choice. There’s nothing for you to apologize for.
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[It was still frustrating that she was part of the reason why he got the Jagan. It made her wonder just how terrible it was. From what she could gather, it was one of the most painful surgeries in all of demon world. While it made him stronger in a way, it also made her wonder just how much he had to suffer.]
...I'm glad you made it through. And that I got to see you again.
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[ Hiei isn't quite sure what to say to that. In a way, he wishes they hadn't met face to face like this - it was maybe better that she had no idea who he was, or what he'd become with time and suffering. Neither of them can change the circumstances that they were born in to, and he had done his best to make sure that her circumstances, though with a stumbling point or two, were better than his own.
It was worth it, every bit of suffering and struggle that he had gone through in the meantime.
Hiei won't speak to the fact that he doesn't find himself good enough for her praise, or any of this, simply contenting himself with: ]
If you can live peacefully in the human world.. it was worth it.
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While he didn't say it out loud, at least he was willing to admit that they were siblings.]
....What about yourself? Do you find yourself happy in demon world?
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It's fine. [ Hiei doesn't entertain things like happy if only because he isn't really sure he's ever felt it, and beyond that... if he doesn't entertain it, it also can't go away.
For a demon that is usually waiting for the other shoe to drop when he finds some semblance of contentment, happiness was a step too far for now. ]
Mukuro entertains herself by training against me and I don't find myself idle for too long.
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With a sigh, she shook her head. She'll have to take that risk.]
...Even so, are you still happy?
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[ What a terrible question. Hiei knows that there is literally nothing about what he can say about happiness, his own happiness, that Yukina will like. His happiness has never been his priority, when it came down to it. He preferred to prioritize Yukina, Mukuro... literally anyone other than himself, when it came down to it.
The pause before he even tries to answer is no doubt telling, red eyes darting around them to land on literally anything other than Yukina. ]
That isn't really important. I am alive, and well, which is more than enough.
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Taking a sigh and relaxing her shoulders, she just had to admit his answer.]
And that you can come to the human world should you ever want to visit us.
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[ In his own way, Hiei wishes that she wouldn’t be so intent on this. On learning who he was and making sure that he was around enough in equal measure. He is all too aware of how quickly he can be here and gone in the demon world, particularly in the circles he’s involved in now.
Demons were not delicate in anything, particularly against those they considered rivals.
Politically or otherwise.
He bites down on something more dower that lingers n his mind, before simply nodding. No need to have Yukina worrying about the fact he can possibly die day in and day out. ]
If that is what you want.
ACTION; dated December 25th
it's fucking miserable. he hopes whoever thought this up has a bounty on their head. vash, in some misguided attempt to get wolfwood to be more social, has added his name to the secret santa pool. and he's not gonna stiff somebody their present-- but he's also pretty sure that getting a name picked from a hat and having to find a present they actually want is some new form of torture.
vash promised him it's easy! don't worry, and after that, wolfwood can't manage to swallow his pride and ask him for help. he doesn't know yukina much, has barely put a face to the name. so the logical answer is obviously... to follow her around and do recon. she's probably seen him a few times by now, but it's not until christmas day that wolfwood actually approaches her. ]
Hey. Uh...
[ the poorly-wrapped box in his jacket pocket suddenly feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. ]
Hi, I am late with starbucks
So, when she sees a certain person following her? She had to wonder it if was something related to the holiday. After all, the only one who would be doing this is her brother. However, she wasn't going to think about it for long. Not when he approached her with a present that made him nervous.]
Is everything okay...?
[As thankful as she was for the present, it was more important to see if he was fine.]
💜💜💜☕️
Hah? Uh-- yeah.
[ yukina sets him off-kilter. well-- not her as much as the type of person she is. honest. good-intentioned? nice. wolfwood's the sort that rubs people the wrong way, mostly by design, but he feels kinda slimy picking a fight with yukina. like some playground bully. ]
'S just uh-- [ he offers up the wrapped box, ] that chick's Secret Santa. Don't go expectin' much.
[ and then wolfwood stands there awkwardly, waiting for yukina to unwrap her present-- an inro with a long braided cord. ]
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Which was why she couldn't help but smile bright at him.]
This is perfect! I love it, thank you so much Mr...?
[She said before tilting her head to the side. She could have sworn she had seen him from somewhere but she couldn't put her finger on it.]
Small Gift Delivery!
Left somewhere obvious, the kitchen table, before he wanders off to check out farm-related things is a small, spiral-bound notebook. The cover is snowflake-themed, blue and white, and labeled via marker and his best penmanship: "Yukina's Aspirations".
He's included a three-pack of plain, ballpoint pens. Blue ink, though, so... That's cute, right?
Inside, he's already listed what he remembers from their conversation: Human anatomy course, bungee jump, amusement park, baseball, cherry blossom viewing...
And the list is hers to continue. ]