He sat, staring blankly at his computer screen surrounded by complete darkness. The only sources of light were his monitor and the sliver shining through the ajar door. He was silent, completely still, barely a whisper of breath could be heard. Only the sound of the rain pattering on the window and the whirring of his computer made any semblance of human life evident in the cold, messy room.
His normally calm, aloof eyes stared unblinking at the dented surface of his desk with his pupils shrunk to the size of pin heads. The whites of his eyes were reddened and riddled with strained tendrils of blood vessels. He hadn't slept in four days, not since he'd read the letter. Its lettering and strongly worded was etched into his memory just as the dread had seemingly made permanent residence in his stomach.
He needed to return to Fuyuki. He needed to find his entrapped sister. He needed to kill his brother. The Uzumaki family home held too many dark and terrible secrets, too much dangerous arcane knowledge, and too many links to eldritch things beyond the control of any Magus, Devil, Angel or Dragon.
What struck him with horror the most was the information his eldest sister had given him about their brother's plans, the chaos he'd caused and the truly terrifying, inhumane things he'd done to the servants. She'd been around for a short time, and despite waiting patiently, she was determined to drag the youngest of the Uzumaki family back to Fuyuki and use him to crush their brother.
However, his brother was what frightened him. He'd known since childhood he possessed an uncanny appetite for cruelty, always experimenting, always torturing, always hungry for more. He'd bore witness to his brother's savagery and had been scarred ever since. The agonised faces of the discarded failures haunted him, their eyes and stifled, choking voices rang in his mind as they pleaded for death.
He was trembling now. The prospect of fighting that… monster in human skin terrified him more than anything else. Cold sweat and a burning itch rippled across his skin. Clammy palms and shaking fingers grasped at his greasy locks of golden hair. Cold tears of dread and despair rolled down his cheeks. His teeth were clenched to stifle any whimpers or cries, but his hitched breaths could not be stopped.
He was being watched. The door was ajar, and in a house of people who cared for him, it was impossible to consider none would watch him. A single blue eye peered through the opening in the door. Fear and worry for him was prevalent in the dark blue orb, but also longing. Longing to help, longing to comfort and caress. But he'd shut her out, as he'd done with all others. He'd closed down, not spoken, eaten, slept, nor left his room.
Ruto… The Valkyrie that he meant so much to thought sadly. Why are you shouldering this alone? She wondered. She noticed his trembling shoulders and his hitch of breath. He's terrified. Whatever news he got, it shook him to the core. she felt her own heart tug slightly at the degraded, broken state of him. He always appeared so strong and in control to her. Never fazed by the challenges before him. He was always calm, tactical, ruthless and always had time for jokes. But now, he'd been reduced to a trembling wreck.
Rossweisse wasn't the only one watching. Siris stood outside her door, leant against it with her arms crossed. She didn't dare look at him in his condition, it would only serve to upset her. Just hearing his whimpers and hitched breaths was tearing at her. She'd promised herself that in her honour, she'd destroy the source of his anguish. It was the least she could do to repay his kindness in taking her in and freeing her from Riser. That's what she thought anyway.
Whatever bastard did this... I'll have their head.
One week prior…
"That was his reasoning?" Rias asked incredulously as she struggled to contain her laughter.
"Yeah! Bastard thought I was gonna turn his sister into a toad or something. He seriously thought that. Not even joking." Ruto replied with a big grin on his face as he recounted the conversation he'd had with Ravel, Riser's younger sister. Ruto and Rias had a serious talk after he and Haru gate crashed the engagement party. They'd settled their differences after a lot of yelling and profanity, but friendship had been made.
"I did think it was rather curious why Riser didn't have her out there. I always thought he was kinda a siscon though." Siris said casually. This got another bout of laughter from the members of the ORC.
"Maybe. Wouldn't think it when his Queen has her tits hanging out all the time though. You'd think he'd be a little more distracted." Akeno said with a snicker.
"Of course not. Riser has seen plenty of tits in Riser's lifetime. Riser has a harem that includes Riser's sister, but Riser's not creepy at all, honest." Ruto mocked, imitating Riser's voice.
The laughter returned, and for once it seemed like a period of peace had graced the ORC. With everything that had happened, they deserved it. Ruto was content with the relaxed nature of the gathering of friends. It occurred to him that he'd only seen them gather for business or for serious issues. But seeing them gathered for the sake of being there made him quite happy. They'd grown on him. Of that he was certain.
When's Rossweisse gonna get here? Surely she'd be finished teaching by now. Ruto wondered as he gazed out of one of the many windows. Winter was setting in now. The temperature was dropping, as were the browning leaves off of the trees. Thankfully it wasn't raining, but the wind was rather intense.
The door opened and Rossweisse stepped in, still in her formal attire. It still impressed Ruto how she could pull off wearing a suit so well. It seemed to go well with her serious demeanour while teaching, as well as when she wasn't around Ruto. He had a habit of melting away the seriousness she displayed.
He smiled at her knowingly and she responded with a subtle nod, with a tiny smile of her own. They were still keeping their relationship hidden, though they knew they didn't need to. It was all in good fun as far as they were concerned. Each had their own reason for it, Ruto's being that he wanted to see the looks on their faces when they finally revealed it, while Rossweisse wanted to simply ease into the whole thing and keep it private. He was her first boyfriend ever after all, so she was still somewhat having to remind herself that it actually happened.
The reason for this current discretion however, was that they had a date planned. Ruto was following through on his promise and was taking Rossweisse out. He figured it was only proper that he did, otherwise there'd be problems. They'd been on a date beforehand, but that's a tale for another time.
"Hey Rossweisse! Done for the day?" Rias greeted her Rook. Rossweisse nodded and took a seat beside Ruto, who moved over a bit, sitting closer to Siris. Said Knight's composure crumbled a bit as a small twitch in her face belayed a smile, but she schooled her expression and quietly cleared her throat.
"Yes, but I'm telling you, some students just don't know when to quit. There's only so many times you can tell them before you have to..." she thought for a moment. "Properly manage their behaviour." she said with an eerie tone.
"Haru by any chance?" Ruto asked. Rossweisse chuckled.
"Who else? If that boy put as much passion into his studies as he did ogling myself and Asia, he'd be at the top of the class in no time." As she finished talking, they noticed Ruto nodding along while putting on a pair of black leather gloves. Beside him on the floor was a knife, a rug, some rope, bleach and a tub of caustic acid solution. Everything needed to dispose of a body after a...
"Okay, so here's my alibi—" Ruto began.
"Sit down Ruto. We all know he stares at anything even remotely female, so relax. Besides, why so touchy?" Akeno asked slyly.
... Shit… Ruto thought as everything he was planning on using was suddenly gone. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head innocently.
"Touchy? Me? No, not at all. What have I, of all people, got to be touchy about?" he chuckled nervously as Akeno got closer and closer with that ever-present smile on her face. Her movements were disarming but her smile was recognisable as "aroused-at-the-prospect-of-inflicting-pain". She was the best at getting information.
"He's just very conscious of our honour as women and is defending it." Rossweisse said, quickly winking to him. "Isn't that right?"
"U-uh, yeah. Sure, that. Women's honour means a great deal to me. You know, respect her honour before you jump on her, and all that." he said a little too quickly.
Rias raised an eyebrow at him as a smirk threatened to show. "Is there something we need to know, Ruto?" the crimson haired Devil asked all too sweetly.
There was suddenly a crash from outside of the old school building. It sounded like something had hit the ground pretty damn hard, and they all stood to go and investigate.
"Oh look, something's happening. Let's go check it out and we'll continue this conversation never." Ruto said as he was the first out, practically sprinting out of the building.
Several minutes before...
The rumbling of the motorcycle's engine ceased and the kickstand was put down as it was parked across the street from Kuoh Academy's entrance. A pair of heavy boots touched the ground as the bike's owner gazed at the school. Her hardened grey-blue eyes appraised it critically.
Huh, so this is where the brat goes. she thought as she sparked her lighter and ignited a cigarette. She inhaled the carcinogenic fumes as she walked through the entrance. She wore fully leather biking gear, sans a helmet. It hugged her form rather flatteringly, testified by the male and some female students who stopped to watch her appreciatively. She was quite tall, around 6'3 with short blonde hair with a single long, thin ponytail running down to the small of her back.
She moved with purpose, sure of herself in her goal but not quite her destination. She was looking for someone, however sensing energy was one of her specialities, so it shouldn't have been as it was.
He's making quite the effort to hide himself. I'm impressed, but I'm afraid your little game of hide and seek ends today. she thought as she picked up a stronger sense coming from around the back of the school.
She'd found the source of the trail she had, and it was the old school building. Clever. Staying away from the main building while still in plain sight. Ever the little strategist.bShe knew her prey had to come out soon, but she was one for a flashy reveal, so she opted to wait for that time. She crossed her arms and waited just at the end of the steps leading to the door. After waiting around for around five minutes, she began to lose patience.
What the hell is taking so long? she thought irritably. She began pacing. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, until with a growl, she slammed the heel of her right boot against the ground. Safe to say that the ground exploded as if a landmine had been triggered as lightning arced off of her boot and burnt the ground.
Oops.
Mere moments passed and her target emerged, bounding out of the doorway as if free from imprisonment. He continued running, but their gazes crossed and his world went into slow motion. His jaw slowly dropped as he recognised the woman. Fear, primal and strong, propelled him even faster past her as he broke eye contact.
She grinned and surged after him, much faster than he could ever hope to have been, given the circumstances. She snatched him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back, his head slamming into her stomach. He lurched forward and grasped the back of his head.
"Ouch! For fuck sake, what's with your abs!? You got bricks in your jacket or something!?" Ruto yelled painfully.
"Such a potty mouth. I expected better from my favourite sibling, Ruto." the woman said coyly. Ruto's eyes widened at the sound of her voice. It was his big sister. Not only was she his big sister, but she was beyond strong. Hell, if he could, he'd make her fight everything for him, not only because it would be done with quickly, but because he knew she'd enjoy it.
Oh fuck... Big sister Mito. Hella' strong, hella' ripped, and hella' deadly.' he thought as a cold sweat broke out all over him.
She let him up, watching him quietly. She took in all of the changes he'd undergone physically, with his longish hair, which he still hadn't got cut, his height, and how he'd filled out.
"Well you've certainly changed little brother. Can't say I expected this." Mito said with a grin. She suddenly wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. She picked him up off the ground and swung him around as she practically bear-hugged him.
"You used to be so small and cute! I remember having to change you, bathe you and feed you when mom wasn't around, and you were so adorable!" she gushed as she kept squeezing the life out of her younger brother.
And still crazy obsessed with me. Fuck. His thoughts were becoming blurry and muffled, as he was fairly sure he could feel his soul leaving his body. Forcibly at that.
She suddenly stopped her enthused reminiscing as she felt the presence of the rest of the ORC. She turned to face them as they quickly went on the defensive. She eyed them calmly as she sized them up.
Hmm, very interesting. There's a lot of potential here. The redhead, the half-breed and the Valkyrie have a lot of potential. The one with that big sword isn't too bad either. Not bad at all. Mito thought.
Ruto immediately knew how this looked, and it wasn't good. He couldn't have the ORC fight his sister. They'd lose. Horribly. Even at full power he couldn't take Mito on. So there he was, being crushed in an overly loving and enthusiastic, spine-busting hug by some mystery woman who looked like she could bench press a moose. If Rossweisse's, Siris' and Akeno's faces looked like anything, it was women with an urge to kill.
"Who are you? And before you try anything, release Ruto at once." Rias demanded. Mito gave her another once-over and gave a small hum.
"And if I don't? If I was to keep squeezing the life out of your friend here? What would you do?" she challenged. With a smirk, she turned her head and gave her blue-faced younger brother a wink.
"Surely you wouldn't be so rash as to, say…" she turned to face them completely, exposing Ruto's full back to them. "... Attack him to get to me. Would you?"
That stopped them in their tracks. They didn't want to hurt Ruto. They knew he could take what they could dish out, but that wasn't the point. Rias relented, and gestured for the others to back down.
"Alright, so what do you want? Are you some enemy of Ruto's?" Rias asked, still very much on guard. Mito gave a mock look of thought.
"Hmmm. No, no I don't think I am." She then smiled and squeezed Ruto a bit more. He gave a pained groan as a little more of his soul trailed from his mouth. The fact that a cartoonish rendition of Ruto's soul was glowering at them seemed to go ignored. "I'm just a concerned older sister, separated from her adorable younger brother and reunited after so many long years!" she squealed excitedly as she began swinging him around again, keeping the pressure of her hug on.
Oh… Oh no… There's more of them… Rias thought. More Uzumakis. She could just about handle there being one Uzumaki, but another? And one of seemingly similar personality. She knew she'd end up with some sort of headache that day, but how she got it, she never would have expected.
"Older sister?" Rossweisse muttered. She faintly recalled the conversation she had with Ruto on the night they got together. With an internal squeal of joy, I might add. But anyways, as she thought on it, Ruto had mentioned two older sisters and an older brother. However, he'd given no names or details, only that they were quite divided.
"Excuse me, but which sister are you?" Rossweisse asked. Mito's gaze moved to the Valkyrie, an interested and curious glint in her icy eyes. A sudden grin made its way onto her face.
"So little Ruru has talked about our family has he? Interesting." She adjusted her grip on Ruto as he twitched at the nickname he'd had since childhood. "He's never really been an open kind of kid. Even when I last saw him, he was secretive and cagey." She dramatically flicked her short hair.
"I am Uzumaki Mito. And you've met my little brother, Uzumaki Ruto." She bowed as much as she could as she still hadn't released her brother. "I am the eldest of the Uzumaki siblings, and by extension, the most powerful. So take that as a warning should you think to attack me. And don't think I don't sense your rising mana. I'm very good at sensing it." she said with a subtle but very frosted edge to her tone.
"So who are your other siblings?" Akeno inquired. The sudden hardening of Mito's aloof gaze warned them of a very touchy subject. Ruto snapped out of his oxygen-starved daze and cast his sister a look.
"Mito. You're crushing my ribs." he wheezed. "What did the others do?" his sister didn't answer as her jaw was clenched tightly, and her vice grip on him had yet to slack. She suddenly let him go, allowing him to hit the ground with a small thud and a groan. Her demeanour did a complete U-turn and she suddenly smiled brightly.
"I think we should all get properly introduced, but we should go inside. I wanna see where my little brother hangs out with his little friends." she said cheerily. Ruto was just about to get up when he was suddenly dragged along on the ground by his arm towards the ORC clubhouse.
A muffled cry of help was heard from the disgruntled younger Uzumaki, but none moved to help. The girls shared a look and followed, still wary of Mito. She was no doubt very powerful, and if Ruto was the youngest, there was no telling just how strong the eldest was. She carried herself with a certain ease. The kind that was fragile, a façade. Like a snake before it struck.
They were soon back inside the building, which was now occupied by Haru, Kiba and Koneko. They were waiting patiently for the others, having not known that they were outside at the back. Haru was feeling pretty good as of late, as he'd saved Rias, beaten Riser and everything was smooth sailing for now. Not only that, but he and Rias had gotten close. Really close. Pretty much a moment's lapse in self control away from a case of teenage pregnancy. Rias was too classy and disciplined for that anyway.
The door opened, but what greeted their view wasn't Rias, or anyone they knew or for that matter, but a tall, white haired woman dressed in tight black biker leathers. She was dragging a similarly blonde haired body behind her, but it was Haru who jumped up.
"Hey, what the hell happened to Ruto!?" Haru exclaimed in alarm. The White Emperor's bitter groan was his only reply. Mito marched in at a pace that was surely giving Ruto's face carpet burn, and sat down in the chair behind Rias' desk after lazily laying Ruto down on top of the desk. Rias, Akeno, Rossweisse and Siris quickly followed, seeing their friends with confused faces, Mito looking intently around the room, and Ruto still half dead with carpet burn quickly fading from his face.
"Fancy place. You guys have it to yourselves?" Mito suddenly adopted a wry grin. "Is this some kind of private pleasure palace you all share?"
While Kiba and Haru had the decency to blush, the girls were too irate to care. She was currently acting worse than Ruto did initially. And he was quite the handful. It was like she knew how strong she was, and was daring them to challenge her. But Rias was the King, and she would not take such blatant disrespect lightly. With Ruto it had been revealed to be mostly playful and harmless, and even when she didn't know, she didn't feel any legitimate malice from him.
But the feeling she got from Mito was one of a child poking a dog. It was obnoxious, brazen, and arrogant. Like she was superior in every way. Rias bristled at the thought. It was implausible. There was no way a human could be of such great strength and power that they disregarded the presence of Devils with such ease. Surely Ruto was the peak of what a human could naturally achieve. Unless it was true, that she outclassed the resident White Emperor.
That can't be it. Can it? she thought. Rias hid any kind of expression or emotion that might have crossed her face. She couldn't, no, wouldn't show weakness to the elder Uzumaki. We'll have to be very careful until Ruto can give us any details on his sister. She's a lot like him, so it stands to reason that she's just as unpredictable. she noted.
Rossweisse herself was not enjoying Mito's surprise visit. To her, the way she treated Ruto was appalling, even if it was in a sisterly-love kind of way. He looked about ready to give up, and she hadn't been here five minutes. Then again, they were siblings. There was no way Mito would intentionally hurt Ruto. Right? There was that, and the overly enthusiastic way she talked about her brother.
No, no, no. Rossweisse, you're being possessive and paranoid. They're siblings, and haven't seen each other in what must have been a very long time. Yes, that's it.She's missed him. Just… missed him. Rossweisse tried to reason things out in her head. If for nothing else it was to keep a lid on her thoughts. Still, the way the elder Ruto acted was odd to say the least.
Siris however, was not so nice in her thoughts. She wanted nothing more than to get Ruto away from Mito. She rubbed her the wrong way, and frankly she put the Knight on edge. Something was odd about her, the air around her seemed wrong. Something wasn't quite right. It was like this woman gave off a constant aura of danger. She was no doubt human, but that didn't mean she wasn't a danger to the ORC. That's what was so surprising about humans. Seen as weak by all races, but just one could be enough to upset the entire balance of power.
I don't care if she's Ruto's sister. She's a danger to us all. Siris thought critically. She fought the urge to reach for her sword. Mito's mere presence stirred a long buried primal fear in Siris, one she was sure the others felt. She couldn't read her or understand her. Thus, she feared her. She knew it was a strange and somewhat silly fear on a fundamental level. But she still couldn't shake it off.
Akeno set about making tea, as it was customary and gave her time to think. She knew a dangerous person when she saw one, and Mito ticked all of the boxes of her mental list of signs:
Strong magical aura? Check. Relaxed but battle-ready state? Check. Ruthless yet sunny disposition? Check. Weird obsession or other miscellaneous red flags? Check. Unpredictable and possibly crazy? Double check.
I'm sure Ruto can keep her under control while she's here. But I can't help but feel she's brought trouble with her. Akeno thought suspiciously. She still busied herself with her task, but did so ponderously. Like the others, she was troubled by this.
"So, uh… who are you exactly?" Haru asked as he'd finished filing away Mito's leather-clad behind securely in his memory. Mito stopped looking around and fixed her eyes on Haru, a small smile coming to her face.
"I'm Mito. I'm Ruto's older sister. Who might you be?" she asked, subtle intrigue in her voice. Haru gulped. Her voice was like a cold, gentle wind to his ears. It was smooth, with an enigmatic undertone to it. It sent a tingle up his spine, the kind you get when you hear a rattle snake.
"I'm Namikaze Haru. I'm a friend of Ruto's." Haru replied. Mito nodded thoughtfully.
"And tell me Haru. Do you perhaps know my brother very well?" she inquired with a slight tilt of her head.
Haru hesitated. How much could he tell? He didn't know if she was anything like Ruto, or if she knew about magic. Hell, he didn't even know she existed until a moment ago.
"Uh, well, I guess you could say we're friends. More like rivals though. Different sports teams and all that." Haru lied, hoping he could slip it past her. But seeing as she was his sister, Haru had a feeling she also had a keen intellect and sharp wit.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now Haru, lying to someone you've just met is going to leave a bad impression." Her fix on him became sharp. "Now tell me the truth Haru."
Haru gulped again. The air around him suddenly felt heavier and oppressive. It was like just having her eyes on him placed heavy weights on him and withered him away at the same time. It was a familiar feeling.
Ruto's made me feel this before as well. When we were fighting before the Rating Game. It occurred to him that he'd used whatever this was against Mira during the Rating Game too.
"She knows about magic and all that other shit Haru. You can tell her if you want." Ruto suddenly piped up, sliding onto his feet from the desk while rubbing his face.
A cup of tea was then placed down in front of Mito, which she accepted gratefully. She made to sip it just as Haru began speaking.
"Well, I'm a Devil. Reincarnated by Rias." he gestured to his King who stood sternly eyeing Mito. "But I'm also the holder of Boosted Gear." He summoned the gauntlet on his right hand and turned his hand in a displaying manner. Mito's eyes scanned over every detail of the Sacred Gear, keenly taking in everything about it.
"You're the Red Dragon Emperor then. Very interesting…" she trailed off. "And you and my brother are really friends?" Haru nodded.
"We've been friends for a while. He's helped me get a lot stronger, and helped all of us out a lot. It's just his methods that suck." he confessed. Mito chuckled. Her brother, even back in Fuyuki, was a very isolated and lonely individual. Their parents saw him as a student of the arcane and as someone too valuable to be dabbling in outside influences. However, the cost of this was Ruto's often callous and abrasive disposition. He was rarely charitable, kind or remotely talkative. But what he did possess was a burning curiosity and unstoppable drive to attain power. While such things were elementary for Magus' children, he exceeded all others of his time.
Their mother had given him what had been denied to Mito, and that was her Chronomancy, as well as various other physics and reality bending magics. It made her proud he could learn them, jealous of his achievement, but also concerned at what was being done to him. Ruto's childhood had been sacrificed for the endgame of the Uzumaki Household. An endgame their monster of a brother had been advancing since their parents disappeared.
She smiled very slightly, glad that Ruto had the chance to at least have some scrap of a childhood left, and years of his own that he could spend with friends. Friends were fleeting for Magi, and given his life back in Fuyuki, were a fleeting thing.
She looked at her brother and raised an eyebrow. "And what of you?" Ruto gave a curt grunt and deployed Divine Dividing. The large, metal, dragon-like wings splayed out and cast a faint blue glow over the room. Mito bolted up out of her seat and stared wide-eyed at Ruto.
"Where…" she said faintly. She steeled her features. "You followed them again, didn't you?" she asked fiercely. A nervous sweat broke out on the White Emperor. She always evoked the most fear from him. Big sister knows best, big sister's word is law. That very sentiment had been burned into his memory since childhood. Besides his mother, Mito had been the only kind of mother figure to him. Their mother was a cold and stern woman. Within her was a heart of iron and a will of steel.
But while Mito was very much just an older, female version of the current him, she'd always taken care of him. She'd come back from a mission or a class with a scowl that could kill. But as soon as she laid eyes on her younger brother, it was as if all anger and stress melted away. That wasn't to say his other sister was negligent or dismissive of him. It was simply that she was always busy with her own life and advancement. Their brother was another story entirely.
Mito, since Ruto was three years old, had practically taken over from the Uzumaki Matriarch. It had once been described to him that his mother "Was not the warmest or kindest, but she was certainly the wisest." He still had no idea what that implied.
Ruto looked away and towards his friends. Their faces were ones of confusion and suspicion. He met his sister's gaze and sighed. "Yeah I followed them. They left, took most of the senior Magi with them and some Scribes. I wanted to see what it was that got their attention, and so I trailed them for around three days. They'd used transport circles to cross into Denmark and found Fafnir's old lair. Tiamat had moved in." recounted grimly.
"I'd watched Scribes burn to ashes. Seen other Magi crushed underfoot, torn by talons. Father used the Juggernaut Drive as a last resort. I was hidden behind some huge limestone pillar when it happened and even that barely kept me from getting incinerated in that cave." Ruto sighed again.
"When it all died down I went to where all the fighting was and found what was left of Divine Dividing. It was one of the gems in the wings. I grabbed it and was found by Sirzechs Lucifer and Ajuka Beelzebub not too long afterwards." Ruto finished.
"So not only did you follow them on a campaign only fit for the most powerful Magi across all worlds, but survived, took Father's Sacred Gear, and then I can only assume you spent a great deal of time in the Underworld." Her voice was flat, devoid of any emotion. Suddenly, explosive rage overcame her and she seized Ruto by his throat and held him several inches above the ground with one hand.
The others sprung into action, rushing to defend Ruto, but he made a universal gesture of "Stay where you are." to them. Reluctantly they relented but still primed and ready to strike when needed.
"You're lucky you're my brother, Ruto. And you're very lucky I love you as much as I do, otherwise I'd snap your neck like a twig and be done with it." she said in a near malevolent hiss. She loosened her grip on him and dropped him, only to embrace him as he fell. With tears in her eyes she gave him a warm smile.
"You had me distraught for years you little idiot. I lead countless searches across the world. Killed so many for information." she cried a little more with each sentence. "But it doesn't matter now. I've finally found you again. My precious little brother." She held him tightly, simply and genuinely happy to have found him.
Torrents of guilt caused his normally hard heart to waver. It hadn't occurred to him that after so many years, there'd still be someone back home who cared for him. It was a fact that was lost among the other things in his life. He was at a loss for words. What could he say to her? An apology wouldn't be enough.
"Listen, Mito. I've got a few hours until I have to go out somewhere. So why don't you come home with me and we can catch up?" he offered tentatively. Mito sniffed and nodded with a pleasant smile.
"I would like that. It's been so long since we've spent any time together. I only remember you as a child, so you'll have to fill me in on your new interests." she chuckled. "I have to get to know you all over again."