#xanda

Katashi’s legs ached but he didn’t dare move. The nineteen-year-old sat against the far side of the tent, eyes trained on Xanda, hardly daring to blink, lest the unconscious woman disappear in the half-a-second it would take to do so.

He didn’t even look away when Kenko entered the tent. 

“I brought her some water and some berries,” said the eight-year-old. “I hope it’s enough.”

Katashi finally looked down, smiling at the large bowl of berries in the boy’s hands, even more impressed by the fact that there were no stains on Kenko’s face. “Yeah, Ko, that’s perfect. Well done!”

His brother proudly smiled before sitting next to him. “Is she gonna be okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” Katashi said. “Especially once she eats that.”

“Good!” Kenko hesitated before asking, “Um, who is she?”

Katashi stared at him. He knew that Kenko had never been to the [women’s shelter]. Of course he hadn’t. Still, it was weird to think that his own brother hadn’t meant the woman who had been a crucial part of Katashi’s life for the past two years. Even if Xanda herself didn’t realize it. Or perhaps she did.

“This is Xanda,” Katashi gently said. 

Kenko squinted. “She has a [Finch] necklace.”

“Yeah, I made it myself.”

“Wow,.” Kenko stared at her for a moment before saying, “She’s really old.”

Katashi snorted before nudging him. “Well, you’re really young.”

“Hey!” His brother shoved him before asking, “So is she a Finch?”

“An honorary one, yeah.”

“Oh, so she’s not disabled?”

“Nope, just old,” Katashi said. “Though believe me, that doesn’t stop her.” He hesitated before saying, “Xanda’s kind of like me. She helps people. Only instead of helping kids with disabilities, she helps women---”

“Women with disabilities?”

“Not necessarily,” he said. “Um, there are people out there who get married---”

“Like you and Niko will one day?”

“Uh-huh,” he said, not missing a beat. “Only unlike Niko, these husbands don’t really like the people they marry. Some women end up getting hurt because of that. Xanda here makes sure that those women are okay.”

“Whoa,” Kenko whispered, looking at the woman with the same amount of respect that his brother always did.

“Whoa, indeed,” Katashi said.

They sat side-by-side for awhile until Kenko asked, “Why is she bald? Did her husband take her hair?”

“Wha---? No,” Katashi said. “She shaves her head. They all do. It keeps people from pulling their hair when they’re in a battle.”

“Oh, like this?” Kenko grabbed Katashi’s shoulder-length hair and tugged.

“Ah!” Katashi shouted before saying, “No, like this!”

He tugged Kenko’s hair and received a second tug in return. The two began to wrestle, aiming for each other’s hair, only stopping when Xanda stirred.

“Oh, shh, shh, she’s waking up, shh,” Katashi hissed.

“You ‘shh’,” Kenko retorted.

“You ‘shh’.”

“You---”

“Ssssshhh!”

“Shut---”

“Ah, stop poking me---”

“I’ve gotta be a good leader here---”

“What are you talking about?” Kenko cried. “You’re a great leader!”

“Not as good as her.”

The eight-year-old paused before whispering, ‘Wow, she’s that good?”

“Yes,” Katashi said with a smile. “Yes, she is.”

---

We don’t get enough Katashi-Kenko moments.

Final portrait! I'M FREE~

Focus was on hair, so I drew Xanda because she has too much stupid, pretty hair.