fatealteration | (no subject)

(no subject)

"Hey, looks like there's a town up ahead."

Reigen obviously saw it --- he was the one driving, so he saw just about everything. But Max wasn't sure that the others in the back had. She looked over the shoulder of her seat as she said it, making sure that her voice wasn't drowned out by the sound of the 80s citypop CD they acquired at the last town they ran into.

Max turned back around and squinted her eyes, trying her best to filter out the rays of blinding light that seemed to reflect off of everything.

"I think it might be near a beach, too," she said. "That looks like a seagull, right?" Max pointed at the figure of a bird flying overhead.

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"How long?"

"About 5 months."

"I see." Lisa Lisa looked up at the sky as she pondered that. "It's no small feat you've all managed to make your way here from so far away. It's the kind of feat that demands a strong will but even stronger trust. That kind of trust is rare in a world that's become like this."

"It sounds a little like you might not have had an easy time."

“It makes one count their blessings all the more.” She left it at that. Soon, they had arrived back at the rectory. Father Serra had kept the lights on for her, just as he promised, even though she hadn’t asked. Still, it made Lisa Lisa smile. She opened the door for Hitomi to enter first and she followed in after, carefully peeling off her wide trailing scarf.

In the light of the house, Lisa Lisa saw it - a bruise forming on Hitomi’s wrist. It looked fresh. “That looks painful.”

"Oh." Hitomi lifted her wrist up to get a look at it herself. "I hadn't noticed until now, but it does." She had been so tense that only once she began to relax that she realized that her wrist was tender.

“May I see?” Lisa Lisa held out one upturned hand in offering.

"Sure."

Hitomi raised her arm so she could rest her wrist in Lisa Lisa's palm.

She gently ran her fingers over the fair skin of Hitomi’s wrist. It was clearly a bruise from being grabbed judging by the pattern. No wonder that young man was on the war path. Still, it wasn’t deep. It would heal in no time.

“Follow my breathing.”

An even thrum of energy flowed out from Lisa Lisa’s fingertips and to the cells of Hitomi’s blood vessels. Her skin warmed as they repaired themselves, the bruise fading in seconds.

"Wow." Hitomi's gaze snapped from her wrist up to Lisa Lisa. "So you're a healer."

“I wouldn’t say that.” Lisa Lisa released her hand. “Your body did the work. I simply helped it. Your breathing form is quite healthy. Fitting—you seem to be the athletic type.”

Not much time had passed after she said it than the door was opening again.

“Oh!” Doppio seemed surprised to see them both standing in the foyer. “Hitomi, you’re still up?”

"Yeah. I met Lisa Lisa earlier and we walked home together."

Doppio looked between them and Lisa Lisa could tell he accepted her explanation readily. A deep bond of trust indeed.

“Welcome home. Before you go to bed, let me see your nose.”

“Eh?” Doppio covered it in a sudden bout of self-consciousness. Was it that obvious? “I-It’s okay, it’s not broken.”

Regardless of his insisting, he was powerless before this tall, mysterious, utterly gorgeous woman. She motioned for him to lower his hand and he did so immediately. Then she was taking him by the chin to get a good look at him and he was sure he was two seconds away from combusting.

It wasn't like Doppio could help his response. And Lisa Lisa was just checking to make sure nothing was wrong.

So why was Hitomi feeling so irritated?

“It might be hard, but breathe through it.”

“‘M trying…”

“You’re going too fast. Just follow a natural rhythm.”

“Sorry…!”

That was not the conversation Reigen expected to hear in a priest’s house at midnight. He just wanted some more flatbread and cheese, but he couldn’t not get nosy. He peered around the corner, bread hanging from his mouth. He tentatively crunched down as he sidled up beside Hitomi to watch…whatever was happening between Doppio and this imposing woman.

Hitomi was caught off-guard by Reigen's quiet intrusion.

"R-Reigen-san!" she yelped out as quietly as she could manage.

“Evening, Hitomi-Chan.” Reigen’s voice was muffled from his snacking. When he glanced down at her face, his eyes lingered. He broke off a piece of flatbread and offered it. “You okay? Hangry or something?”

Hitomi waved a hand in front of her. "I'm just tired."

Doppio inhaled sharply as the final mend in his battered nose finally took.

“Wow!” He touched it, then touched it again. There wasn’t even a twinge of pain. He peered around Lisa Lisa to show Hitomi only to be met with Reigen there too. He was making a weirdly knowing expression that Doppio had no idea what to make of.

“Oh. Um. This is Signora Lisa Lisa. She just…helped me with something.” He gestured at Reigen. “This is Cap—Reigen.”

Reigen cleared his throat of bread crumbs and bowed cordially. “Nice to meet you.”

While he wasn’t flustered at the sight of this tall (taller than him!) beauty in quite the same way Doppio was, he couldn’t deny she had an overwhelming presence about her.

But more than any of that, he was intrigued at the unmistakable sense he just wandered into the middle of something. Suddenly he really wished Max was up so they could gab.

“Good to meet you as well. I apologize - if it’s alright with you I’d like to save more formal introductions until morning. I’m sure we’ve both had long days.”

“Not at all.” Reigen stepped smoothly to the side to allow her to pass. She regarded them all with a pleasant nod good night.

Soon enough it was just him and the two teenagers. He looked between them as he balanced some cheese on the last morsel of bread he had.

“…So. Should I be concerned?”

Hitomi blinked. "What do you mean?"