sweeping ashes;
blueforestfires:
It took Rin several long moments to reach the right conclusion. His first thought was that Mikoto meant she hadn’t changed her mind, which hurt… but also didn’t make much sense. The only other possible answer was that she’d never really meant the things she’d said to Father Fujimoto and Yukio in the first place.
He stared at Mikoto as if she’d just grown a second head. “Wh— Why would you say any of th-those things if you didn’t mean them?” She got into two arguments back to back for no reason! Rin had always thought enjoyment of unnecessary conflict was a trait only demons could possess, but apparently some humans felt the same… Rin resolved to just let Yukio believe she’d changed her mind, because he was worried the truth might make his brother pop a blood vessel.
Rin had already been able to piece together that Mikoto and Shirou didn’t have the best relationship, but the way she so casually referred to her brother as useless still surprised him a little. He wasn’t about to ask and ruin all of the goodwill he’d painstakingly built up with Mikoto, though. “I-I’m sorry, I can go get him,” he offered, standing up.
Mikoto blinked back at Rin, her own confusion just as evident as Rin’s was. Had he never said anything he didn’t mean? Had he never wanted to spite anyone? Just how naïve was this boy? “Hm,” she said in the end, a low huff that seemed to dismiss his question. “It’s complicated to explain.” More complicated than what she had the patience for, at any rate. Perhaps he ought to have asked Shirou.
And speaking of… as it turned out, there was no need for Rin to go fetch him. Right on cue, the priest was finally returning, bringing a few rolls of bandages as well as a bottle of water and a leaf of pills. His gaze went from Mikoto to Rin and then back to his sister as he walked up to her bed, piling everything onto the bedstand. “I’m glad to see leaving you two alone wasn’t a mistake,” he commented dryly.
Mikoto snorted. “Well, I guess nobody’s more broken than before.” She pulled her hand away from her side only reluctantly, as Shirou moved in to examine it.
“Could you leave us, Rin? Mikoto really needs to rest…” He shot her a glare. “If she’s done with being stubborn.”
Mikoto waited until Rin was closing the door behind himself before replying, her voice low – though she couldn’t be entirely sure that only her brother heard her. “I had to see him first. To make sure.” Of what, she didn’t say, on the off chance that her voice carried farther than she thought – and Shirou understood anyway.













