Arron and Trexx

Chapter 45

I wanted to use more Welsh here, but I don't want to confuse y'all too much. Just remember she's got that Welsh ACCENT YEET

Third person pov

Arron stared at Inoichi's warm smile for a full ten seconds before leaning forward and slamming the closet door shut. Inoichi jumped slightly, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. He heard shuffling inside the closet, and hushed whispers, and the door was yanked back open just as fast as it'd been closed. Shikamaru gave the Yamanaka an apologetic, awkward smile before retreating back to where he'd been sitting before. Arron didn't look pleased.

"Arron, is it alright if I ask you a few questions?" Inoichi asked. Arron stared at him. Inoichi always asked questions. It was one of his favorite things to do, Arron thought. At least when it came to her. He liked to repeat questions, as well, as though trying to see if her answers would change. But they never did. 

The girl nodded, and Inoichi carefully readied his clipboard and pen. Arron flinched at the click the writing instrument made, but otherwise kept her eyes trained on the wood flooring. Inoichi took note that she had yet to make eye contact, and this caused her to look up. He saw her eyes narrow at him, although it was only for a moment, and then her expression was subdued once more. Inoichi scribbled more down. She had a personality in there, he could see now. She was just exceptionally good at keeping it bottled up. Or rather, her fear was.

"How does your trauma make you feel, Arron?" Inoichi asked. Arron didn't move at first. Behind her, Shikamaru shifted, swatting Trexx when the creature tried to stuff a hanger into his dark face. He snorted in response to the Nara, grumpily putting the hanger back. Inoichi tried to ignore them, watching as Arron finally risked a glance up at him.

"Scared." She muttered.

"No, not like that." Inoichi shook his head. "I should have worded that differently. How do you feel about the fact that you have trauma, Arron?"

This made her tense. She shifted a little in her spot. She knew she didn't like having trauma. She hated what happened to her, as anyone else with a brain would. The fact that everything made her flinch, and that she found herself afraid of her own shadow... god, it was so repressing, but she couldn't stop it! She fought hard against everything her years and captivity had placed upon her, but the progress was slow.

"Ddig." Arron answered, her voice not quite a mutter, but not exactly loud either. She sounded bitter as she said it, and Inoichi noted how her brows furrowed and her teeth clenched. And how something sparked in her eyes. He didn't know what that word meant, but he knew it didn't mean scared, or even sad. 

"What does that mean?" Inoichi asked softly. Arron shifted again, glancing back at Shikamaru, who nodded encouragingly. Inoichi was startled when the dark haired girl turned back again, looking him right in the eyes with this sort of... fire gleaming in her dark irises. 

"Angry." She muttered out, and for a moment, she looked strong. But it was brief and fleeting, and soon she was gazing feebly at the floor once more. Inoichi had never felt more intrigued, his hand moving almost as fast as his mind was currently racing as he jotted down thought after thought, and observation after observation. Arron was in there, fighting to get out of the shell that had been placed around her. A shell that was beginning to crack.

"Why do you feel that way?" Inoichi tried, keeping his tone level. Arron still flinched a little, and it seemed she didn't know why she was angry. She looked confused for a moment. He watched as she seemed to think about it more and more before glancing up at him again. Shikamaru was also leaning forward more.

"Egwan." Arron searched for the word, her voice quiet. "Weak."

"You're weak?" Inoichi asked. Arron's head shot up, eyes blazing with what was undeniably anger. For a moment, Inoichi swore he saw shadows dancing around her.

"No." She hissed at him, and then she was staring at the floor again, shoulders tense.

"You feel weak." Inoichi quickly corrected himself, hand still moving at a rapid pace. Shikamaru, and even Trexx, were giving Arron their full attention now. Both males were completely silent as they watched Arron silently nod, staring down at her small, pale hands. She knew her clan had been a strong one. She knew this wasn't who she was. She could remember how long she'd held out. Even as a little girl, she'd held strong. At some point, years ago, her dam broke. All she'd been fighting against had washed over her in a chilling wave. She could still remember the exact moment.

"Arron, why are you afraid of me?" Inoichi asked, unable to help himself. Arron tensed. "You have to know, deep down, that I'm not going to take you. We aren't going to hurt you. We've done nothing but accommodate your every need. Shikaku and Yoshino have welcomed you into their home, and you still shy away from them. You still cry and break down from fear, even though they've all been trying their best." Inoichi said softly.

Arron remained quiet. Inoichi could see her fists clench though. He knew he was baiting her, and he knew it was wrong, but this was what she needed. "Maybe you should just try to open up a little. Maybe move out. Branch away from Shikamaru. You're using him as a support system, but you've had plenty of time to at least cope with-"

"You think I don't know?" Arron suddenly hissed, her gaze meeting Inoichi's, all traces of fear gone as she was overcome with anger. Shikamaru jumped slightly at her tone of voice. Inoichi tensed. This was what he'd been fishing for. "You think I don't realize how ddwl... how idiotic, it is?!" Her voice rose slightly. She looked almost hysterical, but she was not crying. Her fists clenched in her lap. "You don't know ov what you speak." She clenched her teeth. Shikamaru was sure that's the most he'd ever heard her speak at a time.

Inoichi dug deeper. "I'm a medical professional, Arron. I know what you're going through."

"Do you?" Arron's voice was suddenly level. All anger was gone from her tone, but it still raged in her eyes. Inoichi had gotten what he wanted. He'd gotten her fed up enough that she was now bursting at the seems. "Did you 'ave people earn your trust, and then break it? Were you kidnapped over and over again? Were you locked in a chest and shipped across the country on several occasions? Did you stare angau... death in the face, and do unspeakable things to try and avoid it?" Her tone was cold, and her accent as clear as ever. Shikamaru stared in absolute awe. Gone was the wall blocking all Arron was out, at least, for now. He knew she'd recede back behind the gates her trauma had put up, but she'd come out.

The things she mentioned sent a shiver down the Nara's spine, but Arron didn't show fear. Inoichi wrote rapidly as Arron stared at him with her steely gaze. "But your safe now." Inoichi looked up at her.

"Those things still happened, Mr. Yamanaka." She hissed, her tone quiet once more. She was simmering down. Retreating again. Her fear was threatening to bubble over, but she was fighting to contain it. "Rwy'n ceisio, so kindly... shut your damn mouth." She hissed, and then she leaned forward, looking Inoichi in the eyes one last time before she slammed the door shut.

Inoichi continued to write. He could hear Arron's sobs from here as she finally broke, the burst of courage she'd managed to wrangle up gone. Her shuddering breaths made him feel a little guilty, but for the first time, the real Arron had made an appearance. Albeit, the angry version of her, but it had been her nonetheless. Her with her fear under wraps rather than her personality.

"You did so good." Shikamaru whispered as Arron sobbed into his chest, her body wracked with tremor after tremor. The willpower she had to have had to say all that to Inoichi... anger was a powerful thing. "I'm so proud of you. You did so good." He soothed her, feeling like crying himself. He knew Inoichi had done that one purpose. He'd riled her up, and it had worked. She'd popped right out of hers hell for a moment there, and faced him head on without a trace of fear in her eyes.

"Egwan." She hissed, gripping her shirt as she tried, and failed, to fight her tears.

"No, Arron. You aren't weak." Shikamaru urged her to look at him. "You're the strongest person I know."