Swallowing the Sun

4th Sunrise

Swallowing the Sun

4th Sunrise: Two Peas in a Pod (Part III)

*-*-*-*-*

Dark, cold and utterly depressing.

Why does it have to come to this?

Ayana took deep breaths, trying not to let panic consume her. Close to her small body was Haruno, clutching her as closely as he can, sniffles coming from him but not a single tear in his eyes. Trying to show no weakness to her, that he's fine, that he's not distressed. That he was not afraid by the dirty, dark walls surrounding them and that the smell of piss, shit and blood was not bothering him.

But still, the way he was holding her was already a great tell, his clammy hands and his rapid heartbeat was a dead giveaway.

She hugs him back just as hard, fisting his clothes with her tiny hands and humming.

The wavering figure of Madonna appeared for just a second before dissipating with a dim glow, it was only brief, but Ayana saw the frown on the apparition's face. A wave of nausea came over her for attempting to summon Madonna again. Usually, she doesn't even need to will her to appear, seeing that the ghostly woman is very much sentient and her own being. But after her last stunt, it caused a backlash on Ayana that both of them didn't anticipate.

Why is it always the stepdads that always ruin my life?

"Don't worry Haru, we'll find a way to get out of here." Ayana whispered quietly to him, her wide turquoise eyes darting around the dreary room, making sure that no one had heard her. Her cheeks were flushed in an unhealthy way, her vision blurry and sometimes going double.

Haruno just clung to her even tighter, his cold nose burrowing to her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, their close proximity helping to ward off the cold that she feels.

"I promise."

*-*-*-*-*

They were three now.

Nothing much had changed except for that they can walk now and speak with only a light lisp. All things considered, Ayana is very proud of her brother's intelligence and capability to learn new things. For a pair of toddlers, they are quite advance, able to grasp complex concepts beyond children their years.

Ayana, because she is a cheater, a reincarnated soul. And for Haruno, because his environment forced him to adapt, the guidance and his admiration for his sister was only a plus.

(Ayana taught him how to count, speak different languages that only the three of them – Madonna counts because she's sentient enough to be counted as a different person – would understand, he has a great knack in Italian and English and he's on his way to being fluent. She taught him how to read with the few romance novels their mother has. Of course, she had checked if it was not on the risky side before giving it to him. Ayana is a responsible sister, thank you very much.)

(And if he were to ask on the following years why she have such knowledge when she was only a toddler, she would willingly answer truthfully. She's her other half, her family, who is she to deny a part of her when they've been together since conception.)

Since the both of them can make their way around the apartment, they don't need Madonna to carry them all the time, the only time that they need her was when they need something from high up or when they need someone to cook or put them in the ofuro (Japanese tub), otherwise they were both self-sufficient toddlers.