It takes a few minutes before Aya shows up at his door, wanting to wait until the worst of the shock and horror had faded, though both are still clear upon her face when she cracks the door open and peeks inside. And mixed in with them, she's very worried.
She can't bring herself to speak just yet. She's just looking at him, half-hiding behind the door.
He senses that she's there and looks over at the door. Ran has managed to school his face so that it looks less fearful. But, he knows she saw. And he knows how pale his skin is right now. Far more than it usually is.
Pushing some of his hair back from his face, he looks away. "You can come in, Aya."
Aya slips inside without a word, slowly making her way to the bed and sitting down on the edge. She chews her lip with her gaze set on the floor while she tries to figure out what to say.
It only takes two seconds to realize there's nothing she can say yet. He's just as shaken as she is and it shows; the only thing she can do is lean over and hug him tightly.
Ran wraps his arms around her and just rests his head on her shoulder. That dream is possibly his biggest fear. He sees it all too often. It's why he keeps his weapons hidden from her at all times.
Closing his eyes, he notices that his hands are shaking. He quickly forces them to be still.
Aya still felt guilty for what she said, and covered her mouth with her hand.
"I'm sorry, it just..." Well, no point hiding it anymore. "Sometime... soon. We need to talk. I've been meaning to say it for a while now... I wanted to wait until after Christmas."
If there had been any doubt left in her mind that this would be a very serious, very heavy talk, Ran's answer just erased it. She almost wanted to hit him for it, but couldn't be angry with him for treating her like an adult.
"Let's not do it now though. We're both upset and... a little off-balance. We'll have it sometime in the next few days... when we're in a better state of mind for it. Ok?"
Ran nodded against her shoulder. That would be for the best. At least then he'd have time to figure out what he was going to tell her. Prepare himself for her reaction.
"Yes." He held her a little closer. Silently asking her to stay here a little longer.
Aya didn't need to be told it was a rare moment that it was her brother who so clearly needed her. It brought out a side of her that she rarely had the opportunity to display around him: the other end of the caretaking equation. Aya knew she would probably always be seen as little sister to him, but that didn't mean she wasn't also a young woman.
She smiled sadly, scooted in closer, and held him in silence.
Ran took his time in clearing his head. He was more used to dealing with this on his own. Alone. He knew that the other members of Weiss were aware of his nightmares. They each had their own. But they knew then not to come near him.
At that time, he would have bitten their heads off. He'd grown a lot since then. "I'm sorry you saw that..."
Aya shook her head. "It's ok. I'm a big girl now. I know I don't act like one around you very often... blame it on old habits dying hard. But I am. And no matter what this is... I love you. I'm always going to love you.
"And you'll always be the best brother in the world to me..."
She can't bring herself to speak just yet. She's just looking at him, half-hiding behind the door.
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Pushing some of his hair back from his face, he looks away. "You can come in, Aya."
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It only takes two seconds to realize there's nothing she can say yet. He's just as shaken as she is and it shows; the only thing she can do is lean over and hug him tightly.
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Closing his eyes, he notices that his hands are shaking. He quickly forces them to be still.
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"Oniichan..." She's afraid to ask what it means; Aya can't imagine that his dreams have always been so violent.
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If only he could actually believe that. After all, Ran knew that she still had no idea what he'd done.
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The words startled even her. It had come out completely automatically, before she even realized it was what she was thinking.
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Her possible questions.
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"I'm sorry, it just..." Well, no point hiding it anymore. "Sometime... soon. We need to talk. I've been meaning to say it for a while now... I wanted to wait until after Christmas."
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It had to happen sooner or later.
"I know."
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"Let's not do it now though. We're both upset and... a little off-balance. We'll have it sometime in the next few days... when we're in a better state of mind for it. Ok?"
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"Yes." He held her a little closer. Silently asking her to stay here a little longer.
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She smiled sadly, scooted in closer, and held him in silence.
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At that time, he would have bitten their heads off. He'd grown a lot since then. "I'm sorry you saw that..."
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"And you'll always be the best brother in the world to me..."
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"I am glad that you think so." He certainly didn't.
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