[Rei's voice takes on an edge, the first time she's really given a whole lot of emphasis on anything since this started.]
Lies of omission are lies when they hurt someone. They hurt Ami, who I hold near as dear to my heart as Minako and Usagi. She is my sister, and what he did...not being truthful...that's shameful. By omitting that, it makes it seem like he was ashamed, that Ami is something to be hidden away. That's the problem, as I see it. But that isn't something you did. That's on your brother, and that's not something you can apologize for.
[She huffs, looking down at her hands, intently studying the table.]
Hiro. You didn't mean for this to happen, did you? And you don't bear Ami any ill will, I assume?
[…Tadashi you idiot. He'd only told Hiro that he called it off, not what was said. Now he knows why. He straightens up a little when her voice takes on that edge but he's not afraid.]
He was never ashamed of her. I can tell you that much. [A pause.] He felt like he wasn't good enough for her and he probably feels like that now, too. She made him happy but he's…doing what he knows best. [Accepting things. Sacrificing his happiness. And re-assessing.] But I know him. It's going to take a long…long time to fix things. If they're fixed at all.
[And the implication is that he'll be there to help him.] There are things I have to do to help him, too. But I'm not ready. [He looks back at his lap instead.] I didn't mean for this to happen. And I didn't want him to hurt her. But I don't know if I'm ready to talk to her either. That's okay, isn't it?
But you realize, Hiro, what it looks like to someone else. That's not okay. You understand that, don't you?
[The harshness drops from her tone as she regards the boy. She closes her eyes, honestly thinking, accessing things. This was a gigantic mess. But that's a satisfactory answer, at least. She knows his heart well enough by now to know he means that, that he didn't want to hurt her. That's just the side effect of romance.]
I do...sometime...want you to apologize to her for indirectly causing her pain. But not now. I know it's hard, believe me I do. When you're ready, you can. I won't push.
[She rubs at her temple, eyes creaking open.]
The heart of the matter is that Tadashi did something to hurt my sister in arms. Not you. You were a factor, but you're not at fault. He could have approached this a dozen other ways, but he blundered. That happens, I don't think...that he's a bad person either. But he's not welcome in our home any longer. And I think that it's best if he and I don't have much further contact until something changes.
[Shifting, her gaze snaps back to him.]
That doesn't extend to you, though. I don't think you've done anything wrong intentionally, and the true wrongdoing in my eyes here you had no hand in. I'm hardly about to cut ties with you...if you can accept that Tadashi and I won't be speaking until he manages to find a way to set things right.
Yeah. [It's a simple word, but it has enough gravity behind it for her to be assured he truly does understand what it looks like and how bad it is. He frowns heavily, thinking on the idea of apologizing even though he knows he should.] I know...I need to. That was my fault and it's not really Ami's fault that she happened to be caught in the crossfire or whatever. I'll fix it and apologize to her after some time apart. I can't right now. It'd seem fake.
[For him to say it when he doesn't quite mean it yet, and for him to do so so soon after they'd ended things.]
Tadashi tries but even he can't please everyone. ["Especially himself, apparently." But he nods.] I understand that. I wouldn't expect anything else. But...I think that's completely fair. I think he'd feel the same.
[And finally he shakes his head to tilt the hood back just a bit to see her better.] I really am sorry about all of this.
You need to give her space, yes. She's angry enough without seeing you right now. A sad truth, but she'll calm down. She always does.
[Rei sucks in another breath and nods slowly, finally taking a sip of her coffee.]
It's his fault, not yours. You really haven't done anything really bad, it just seems like it right now. Lying was his choice, and it was a stupid one.
Can't imagine why. [It's a bitter little quip. He knows. She has every right to be angry, but on the other hand he's a little sore about the whole subject, too. Everybody just needs time to cool off. It'll be fine, he thinks.
Probably.]
...maybe it'll be okay someday, but that doesn't change that there's a lot deeper stuff going on here, too. We're not getting that much closer to figuring out what's coming for us. We should be sticking together, not coming apart. Even if we have to kind of avoid certain things, I want to make sure the four of you are okay.
Of course. [He looks up at her, turning to also get to his feet.] To all of that, I guess. We'll just have to push this stuff aside for right now and really focus. [And a tentative smile follows.] I'm not so worried about that now. Thanks, Rei.
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[Rei's voice takes on an edge, the first time she's really given a whole lot of emphasis on anything since this started.]
Lies of omission are lies when they hurt someone. They hurt Ami, who I hold near as dear to my heart as Minako and Usagi. She is my sister, and what he did...not being truthful...that's shameful. By omitting that, it makes it seem like he was ashamed, that Ami is something to be hidden away. That's the problem, as I see it. But that isn't something you did. That's on your brother, and that's not something you can apologize for.
[She huffs, looking down at her hands, intently studying the table.]
Hiro. You didn't mean for this to happen, did you? And you don't bear Ami any ill will, I assume?
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He was never ashamed of her. I can tell you that much. [A pause.] He felt like he wasn't good enough for her and he probably feels like that now, too. She made him happy but he's…doing what he knows best. [Accepting things. Sacrificing his happiness. And re-assessing.] But I know him. It's going to take a long…long time to fix things. If they're fixed at all.
[And the implication is that he'll be there to help him.] There are things I have to do to help him, too. But I'm not ready. [He looks back at his lap instead.] I didn't mean for this to happen. And I didn't want him to hurt her. But I don't know if I'm ready to talk to her either. That's okay, isn't it?
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[The harshness drops from her tone as she regards the boy. She closes her eyes, honestly thinking, accessing things. This was a gigantic mess. But that's a satisfactory answer, at least. She knows his heart well enough by now to know he means that, that he didn't want to hurt her. That's just the side effect of romance.]
I do...sometime...want you to apologize to her for indirectly causing her pain. But not now. I know it's hard, believe me I do. When you're ready, you can. I won't push.
[She rubs at her temple, eyes creaking open.]
The heart of the matter is that Tadashi did something to hurt my sister in arms. Not you. You were a factor, but you're not at fault. He could have approached this a dozen other ways, but he blundered. That happens, I don't think...that he's a bad person either. But he's not welcome in our home any longer. And I think that it's best if he and I don't have much further contact until something changes.
[Shifting, her gaze snaps back to him.]
That doesn't extend to you, though. I don't think you've done anything wrong intentionally, and the true wrongdoing in my eyes here you had no hand in. I'm hardly about to cut ties with you...if you can accept that Tadashi and I won't be speaking until he manages to find a way to set things right.
Is that alright?
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[For him to say it when he doesn't quite mean it yet, and for him to do so so soon after they'd ended things.]
Tadashi tries but even he can't please everyone. ["Especially himself, apparently." But he nods.] I understand that. I wouldn't expect anything else. But...I think that's completely fair. I think he'd feel the same.
[And finally he shakes his head to tilt the hood back just a bit to see her better.] I really am sorry about all of this.
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[Rei sucks in another breath and nods slowly, finally taking a sip of her coffee.]
It's his fault, not yours. You really haven't done anything really bad, it just seems like it right now. Lying was his choice, and it was a stupid one.
[But she won't sit here and badmouth him.]
It'll be okay, Hiro. Really.
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Probably.]
...maybe it'll be okay someday, but that doesn't change that there's a lot deeper stuff going on here, too. We're not getting that much closer to figuring out what's coming for us. We should be sticking together, not coming apart. Even if we have to kind of avoid certain things, I want to make sure the four of you are okay.
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[Quietly, she sets down her cup and rises, walking around the table to stand beside him.]
Your efforts are appreciated. Really. And don't worry. We'll be just fine. All of us. You included.
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[It has to.]
Thank you, too. For coming to me and owning up.
[She stoops and pulls him into a little hug, arms wrapping around.]
I'm glad at least you and I can see sense.
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Somehow we usually do. [Just a matter of fact.] Are you ready to head back?
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Yeah. I'll see you soon, Hiro. Take care.