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━━━ ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ━━━
I wasn't sure why exactly I was crying.
Why I couldn't bring myself to run to her, to speak to her.
But the sobs built inside my throat after mere seconds of seeing her. She was alive. Safe.
"(Y/N)?"
Her voice was so gentle, so pure. It broke me from my frozen state as I ran to her, falling to my knees before her sickbed.
"I'm so sorry," I said, my voice breaking through my cries. My chest hurt. Everything hurt. But she was... she was...
I looked up at Kumiko to find a kind smile that met her eyes upon her face. She reached for me, taking my hands into her own.
She laughed. "It's been so long. I've missed you."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry." It was all I could think to say. The one bit of hope I could give myself—that she wouldn't hate me for all that I'd done.
I briefly heard my brother mumble something in the back—and the bedroom door closing afterwards. I wasn't sure whether Akaza had left with him or not, or if he had chosen to stay and keep watch. Either way, I couldn't bring myself to look away from my sister—to take her all in.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she said, though her own voice betrayed her emotions. Tears lined her eyes as she smiled once more. "Though I wish you would have sent word that you were coming home."
I huffed my own laugh, stifling my tears. I had to at least try to get myself together. "My bad."
And before she could respond, I was upon her—with as much care for her stability as possible. My arms wrapped around her delicate figure, my heart squeezing itself within my chest. Kumiko's hands found there way to me as well, bringing me closer as I sat upon the edge of the bed.
For a moment, it was just the two of us. Nothing else mattered.
That was, until she pulled away, her precious features donning an innocent smile. "Mother allowed you to come in?"
I sniffed, wiping at my face before meeting Kumiko's curious gaze. Shrugging, I spoke the truth. "Allowed is probably not the word she would use. It was more like—"
