[FIN] Behind Glass Doors

[Tori Honoo]

The alert of the heart monitor chirped through the room, as she continued to stare. When Yuri rose from his chair, she looked to him almost in panic, speaking his name before she could stop herself.

Kazuki hesitated, his own chest painfully tight as he watched his sister's reaction, then looked to Yuri as tears welled in the girl's eyes. "Thanks."

As Yuri left, he would hear Dove's voice come as a whisper as she finally spoke to the last member of her family she could trust, broken and weak.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Yuri paused as Dove called to him, gave her a small smile then continued to go. He said nothing to Kazukis thanks, and merely stepped outside to let them talk.

Arms folded and leaning against a wall, he lingered just close enough to hear if he was needed but far enough not to hear the conversation.  

[Tori Honoo]

Kazuki took up Yuri's place as the swordsman left, his elbows propped on the bed next to his only sibling as he took her hand gently in his. The tears in her eyes overflowed, and after a few moments, a nurse was summoned to check on her, as the stress rates had cause some alarm.

The two would talk for a while, catching up on the most recent, but not the most intricate of her doings in Kodo, including the attack in Kanto and the mission previous to her hospital detainment. Eventually, though, the man stood, assured her he would be back to see her again the next day, if not that evening, and left with a short goodbye to the man in the hall and the doctors that had allowed him in, leaving the room open once more, should Yuri want to speak with her again.

The departure of her brother left her in silence, her face now not only pale, but tearstained and strained as well.


((Solo goes here))  

[BlackPidgeot]

As they spoke, Yuri just stood there, a vacant look on his face as he let his thoughts wander. Thoughts of the past couple weeks up to this point. A lot had happened in such a short time.

Once Kazuki emerged, Yuri lifted his eyes to watch him go, and nodded his head in acknowledgment. Then standing up straight, he walked back to Doves room to stand in the doorway.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, though not missing the tears.  

[Tori Honoo]

"I...."

Her eyes fell shut, her body trembling as she held back every ounce of bottled emotion she could. She loved her brother... She trusted him.

"I-I haven't seem him in so long...a-and I've hidden everything...." she cried weakly, in desperate need of something akin to a hug and in no condition to receive one.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Not really knowing what to say to that he stepped in and stood next to her bed.

"Hey, at least he was here. Seems like an okay, guy."

Though he did wonder why she felt the need to hide things from him.  

[Tori Honoo]

She nodded tiredly. "I told him...a lot..." she said, shaking her head just barely. "And he's going to take care of the bills for.. ...All of this... So our parents don't have to know..."  

[BlackPidgeot]

"A lot? Okay." Yuri said, wondering what that exactly meant but he didn't ask further.

"We'll that's pretty great of him."

Obviously she was not on the best of terms with her parents.

There was a pause and then Yuri decided to ask that burning question. "So... You're engaged, huh?"  

[Tori Honoo]

She nodded at the slight praise, too tired to respond to his first comment. It wasnt as if she would tell him anything too intimate. More, she had just filled him in on public events.

His question though made her mouth gape a little, and she looked away from him. After a long silence, she spoke, her voice tiny. "An engagement is a choice... Or should be. ...as far as I'm concerned, I threw that into the ocean with our crest..." she told him, obviously ashamed that she ever had been 'engaged', but resolved to fight it at almost any cost. "Th-that's why... That's the reason..." Her eyes closed tightly as a wave of pain clenched at her. Things were at their worst, and this topic made her chest ache.

When it subsided, she shook her head, her breath a little shallower. "The betrothal was why I came here. ...I don't want to go back."  

[BlackPidgeot]

Well okay, so now that it was clear, he felt much better about this situation.

"You don't have to explain. If you say it's off then that's good enough for me."

It was hard to believe she had been dating that jerk but to actually consider marrying him? At least she managed to realize these things before the knot had been tied.  

[Tori Honoo]

His dismissal was accepted, though the unexplainable, overwhelming need to explain herself still prevailed. He had accepted it... So why did she want to further assure him of its end so badly? What she did finally muster was a soft apology, simply, "Im sorry"

When he continued to stand, she looked up to him, finally, wondering if he would stay. She was drained and absolutely exhausted, but she feared that resting would have him disappear.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Yuri just smiled. She didn't need to apologize but he knew telling her that would be pointless. Watching her though he could tell she was exhausted.

"You should probably get some rest so I'll go ahead and get out if here."  

[Tori Honoo]

It was already a struggle to keep her eyes open, but when he announced his leave, she made a soft sound of disappointment. "But..."  

[BlackPidgeot]

"You can barely keep your eyes open and you need to hurry up and get well. Besides, I think your Pokemon would like to be fed."

Not to mention he didn't know how long the nurses would even let him stick around.  

[Tori Honoo]

His swift retort made her gaze fall. "Will you come back again...?" she asked quietly, her eyes falling shut already.

As if on cue, a nurse stepped into the room, watching with hawklike eyes, but saying nothing as the man already appeared to be giving his goodbye.