breaks_destiny | 008th Shattering * Action/Audio (forward dated to Monday)

[He felt something was wrong the moment he woke up and Haruki was nowhere to be seen. The guy had a knack for waking up first and lately had kind of gotten the habit of chilling close to Keiichi until he woke up. It was reassuring, to wake up and always see the other around. It made him less scared of Hanyuu going back in a matter of days, because Haruki would still be there.

Haruki was permanent. Until Keiichi gets up and checks his room, only to find it eerily and familiarly empty.

He doesn't stop to wonder about if Shiki and Neku are still asleep or not, Keiichi ransacks the room completely, as if expecting everything to be hiding somewhere, for Haruki himself to be hiding. He finds some things but none of them bring up hope to him. A Malnosso report... Pictures of all the members of the brigade, some he knew, some he didn't and guesses were former members... And letters to Haruki's father... There is no way Haruki would left those behind if he had a said in the matter.

Still that didn't stop him from trying to find the guy somewhere at the village. A hopeless search that finds him running around, checking empty houses and apartments. It would be far easier if he could teleport around or something.

Eventually though he gives up and finally opens his journal. He pauses for a second and puts up a half-hearted filter, unable to come up with anything better right now.]

[Voice || Filtered from Winry || 30% Unhackable]

Those who knew him. Haruki Suzumiya has gone back home.

[His voice is serious and partially broken, but still firm.]

SOS Brigade, I know I'm not one to say this but I hope all of you attend to today's meeting at least. [At least. What is going to happen with the Brigade? Will Taichi go on with it or will it crumble without Haruki?

Really, how can a person with so much impact on this just go back home like that? Keiichi can't even try to think up of all the people that has been left behind right now. There's a special someone thought, to whom he has to talk in person.]

[Filtered to Winry || 30% Unhackable]

Winry, where are you? I need to talk with you.

[ooc: Question for Brigade members!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've got work today, actually. Is it really important?

[Forgive the boldness but he will be shooting a hand to grab hers firmly right after she says that. As if afraid that she will turn and leave without another word. Or vanish in thin air, though maybe then she wouldn't have to deal with this.]

It's very important. Really.

[How to start. What to say. How to say it.]

Winry, do you remember that crazy week some time ago in which everyone was different from what they are? Like, guys being girls, or having different nationality and such, and everyone believing it had always been that way.

Yes...?

You know, back then I turned into an old man... Well, not that old, twenty eight or something, I think. Basically, he had ran away from the village where I live, to avoid being forced to marry to a girl he didn't love that way. He eloped with the girl he did love and they changed their names, the way they were written at least, and his surname before they got married. Then they had a child but he supposedly was sent here and wasn't able to even name his son...

[A small pause.]

It's funny, he didn't really had thought of a name yet, such a fail he was. Having a son and not a name for him... Though after meeting Haruki here he decided to name him Haruki, it fitted after all, it would be a nice tribute and what not.

[Another pause. Well, he knows already that Haruki told her many things, he said so in the letters. And this is just stupid.]

It's really crazy, but Haruki once actually asked his father if he had ever been called Maebara.

[Can you make some sense in all this blabbering, Winry?]

[he looks at her upon receiving no comment from her... She doesn't get it, does she? Oh well, it was crazy anyway.]

How to say it... Back then the adult me kind of adopted Haruki as his son, okay?

Of course that me isn't the me now, but... It could have been. And as some sort of adoptive father I've kind of duties or something.

[He stops walking and turns to her to look at her in the eyes.]

...Y-you're not trying to give me 'the talk' as Haruki's adoptive father, are you?

[...]

If only it was that...

[It would be weird and he would prefer to not think about giving his children 'the talk', or their girl/boyfriends. But still, it would be better than what he has to say.]

But as Haruki's kind of adoptive father [Maybe his future father even but really that's crazy. This all is crazy but whatever.] I'm afraid I've to be the one to tell you... Winry...

Haruki has been sent back to his world.

[Keiichi can lie, like any other human being. But the face he's making, his own pain and sadness and devastation, rawly reflected there... That's not a face one can make when they lie.

Haruki had always been there. He basically seemed to belong to Luceti. He had so many people here, people he cared about despite what he may say. He had been the constant in Keiichi's life since he arrived, for good or bad. He had always been there somehow.

KEiichi had been able to count on him. And Haruki had made promises. He said so, he promised Hanyuu to take care of the Hinamizawa people. But now he was gone. No promises were broken thought, because right now, he didn't even remember Luceti, or any of them.

It almost made him wish that that crazy idea, that crazy suspicion that just couldn't be true... Would be true after all. As stupid as such a hope would be. But that's just him. Winry has nothing. Sorry girl, he can't say anything at the moment, just wait for you to see in his eyes that he's not lying or joking.]

[This is exactly what he feared the most. Tears. Long ago he promised himself to not make another girl cry, and no matter what happened in other worlds, in the one he remembers clearly, the one he has lived, he hadn't broke that promise. Of course, tears of joy don't count for that but... Those aren't that kind of tears.

He's yet not in his best shape but he doesn't let Winry run away. Not like that. She has people to take care of her, of course, but he will be damned if he allows her to just run away like that. So he'll try to catch up to her and do the only thing he can do, pull her into a comforting hug.

He has no words of comfort thought. This is the only thing he can do so far.]

Let go!

Let go, let go,

[He doesn't let go. He knows, he understands she probably needs time alone and then time with her friends. But he can't allow himself to let her go like that, so he endures her struggles. He still manages to try to caress her hair to calm her down a bit.]

I know you want to be alone... But I would never forgive myself if I let you go like this.

[He talks softly, unsure if she will hear him even, but at least trying. She has to calm down a bit, even if he knows she will still be sad and hurt and angry, but he doubts he will able to help her at that step. But really, let her run away from him wouldn't do any good. So he holds her a bit more.]

Stop it!

Why... why?

[Punches, even if they end getting weaker and are rather poorly aimed it's still not nice, but he kind of expect it and endures it. He keeps trying to calm her down even a little, even if he doesn't have the answers for her questions, they are in his mind too.]

He didn't want to leave. He was forced to.

[As little comfort as that may be it's how he understands things.]

No! No, he could have stayed! He had the power, if he wanted to-

He let himself go! He could have stayed!

008th Shattering * Action/Audio (forward dated to Monday)

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