The Day of Thunder

She simply nodded her head… not wanting to poke into it anymore than she had to.

If her friend was messed up… she’d want someone to tell her. But maybe that was just her…

“You should try and turn in early tonight…” She said in a gentle tone.

“Want to walk back with me?”

"Let's go, yeah", he struggled up to a proper staggering stance and stretched a little. The yawn was powerful and he chuckled a bit at it afterward. "You know, I've stayed up all night a lot, I mean many, many times, I have never been this tired in all my life."

She nodded and came up alongside him, “Probably cuz’ no one was trying to fuck with your mind like whatever is doing that here.”

She put a hand on his shoulder and patted him affirmatively, “It’s taking a lot out of a bunch of people…”

"Yeah, I ran into old man Sora earlier, he seemed too tired to be a complete ass", he started walking. "Shame, thought we'd get into it the first time we met. Us boys from the Hikaru tribe are famous for that."

“He’s turning into a big softie now.” She said with a smile.

“Acts all gruff and tough still… But my dad’s influence has made him a perfectly functioning human.”

"I wonder what that's like", he yawned again. "Fuck..."

“You stick around long enough and maybe you’ll see.” She said with a chuckle.

"Given a choice...", he shrugged as they walked through the forest. "Sure. Assuming I'm not catching up on sleep when the time comes."

“Would you like a bedtime story? Some warm water?” She asked with a smirk.

“Or if Hikaru parenting is more familiar… I could go get a club or something. Whack you on the head.”

Norikage didn't say anything, he just kept walking.

Always so hard to read…

She kept a soft smile of support on her lips as she walked along the path with him…

"He used his hands", he said after a long while. "When I couldn't stand anymore he switched to his feet."

“I didn’t mean to…”

She slowed in her steps and came to a stop with him near the edge of the woods.

She realized it wasn’t about what she had said…

She turned to face him and put her hand around the back of his, clasping gently.

“He shouldn’t have…” She said with a gentle but firm voice.

"Yeah", he answered, voice a but too low and raw. He kept walking for a few seconds in silence. "Also shouldn't have taken whatever he wanted whenever he wanted." A shrug. "Then I wouldn't have been born, but I guess that's not my fault either. I'm just trying to smile while eating a shit stuffed onigiri."

He put his mask back on, hating being worn out enough to talk about this sort of thing.

“Met a farmer once who said… ‘Good plants come from foul-smelling shit’.”

She matched his pace as he started up again.

“Nobody controls how they come into the world…” She looked down at the ground for a moment, watching her feet.

“But for what it is worth… We’re not the shit we sprung from.”

"Maybe, maybe not", he shrugged. "I appreciate the words either way."

He let out a breath. "We should pick up the pace, I can't wait to pass out."

She nodded, “Alright.”

She walked beside him the rest of the way… offering whatever silent support that could be felt through the mists that filled the air between them.