the strongest survivor's guilt

[frogsicles]

[Cirno picks up the phone, intending to say something. She makes a few false starts, then sets it down on the table.]

...shoulda been there. It's not fair, I shoulda been there to help! I can't even keep one tiny promise!

[There's a loud bang, as though she's knocked the phone onto the floor.]

People got hurt. My friends got hurt! I wanna go

Comments

[nekomikoreimu]

... I know how you feel... but you can't cry about it. It's my fault Wiggle died...

[frogsicles]

[Grabbing the phone from the floor.]

But I shoulda been there! Even if you did screw up, I shoulda been there to protect her, and everyone else! That's what the strongest does, they protect the people who need them! And I couldn't even do something like that!

[nekomikoreimu]

*Reimu is about to say that even if she was there, should wouldn't have been able to do anything, but she stops herself.*

... You couldn't get there because I let you out of my sight, letting you leave Westport before it locked up. You are not to blame at all.

*Why is she being so nice? Perhaps it's because she is blaming herself for why Cirno and everyone else from Gensokyo is here in the first place.*

[frogsicles]

I shoulda never left. I shoulda stayed in Westport until Wriggle left, but I didn't, and then she got hurt...

[lasersallover]

What are you talking about?

[frogsicles]

I broke my promise! I'm s'posed to be there to protect my friends, b-but I couldn't do anything and...and...!

[lasersallover]

It's not like they died forever or anything.

[frogsicles]

So what?! They still got hurt!

[funkinmylab]

[sounding worn out]

Ugh... Hey Strongest, drill a hole into those ears of yours and listen up.

[frogsicles]

I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I shoulda protected you, too. I'm s-sorry...

[funkinmylab]

... And you thought I would be angry at you?

[frogsicles]

I...I dunno. Maybe. I'm angry at me.

Are you angry at me?

[steel_massifail]

...Cirno?

[[TOUGH LOVE TIEM]]

Stop it. You did everything you could. Everyone did everything they could. You're one of the strongest people I know, but regardless of anything we did, nothing worked. We couldn't do anything.

But the point is? We tried. We tried, knowing full well we might not be able to do anything.

And our friends are back. They're all back, they're all alive, and they're happy to see us. They're happy that we tried.

[frogsicles]

...Wriggle wasn't happy. She was scared and sad and it was like she didn't even know I was there! And it's my fault, because I coulda protected her, I...

[steel_massifail]

Of course Wriggle wasn't happy. She had just died, Cirno. Would you have been happy if you had just died, even if your friends came to try to comfort you?

I wouldn't have. I'd still be distraught. The problem with this kind of situation is that it's not something that's easy to fix. It's not a tiny papercut that you can just put a band-aid on, it's like trying to solve a 500-piece puzzle.

It's difficult, and it'll take some time to put back together, but... when you're done? You've got something beautiful to look at.

Wriggle is that 500-piece puzzle, Cirno. You've got to help pick up her pieces, no matter how long it takes.

[frogsicles]

[A long silence. Then, in a voice filled with despair:]

But I'm no good at puzzles! I dunno what I'm supposed to do!

[hourai_branch]

Hey, don't be like that.

You're the strongest.

[frogsicles]

The strongest is supposed to protect the people they care about.

[hourai_branch]

She also doesn't give up.