snowburned | //83

[Kiba remained silent, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. Even if he'd had any way to calm Toushi down, he didn't really want to--it was fucked up, and anybody with a goddamn soul should be mad about it. His face was stony at the thought.

But then she said his name--Kiba heard it just fine, and frowned over Kazahana's head at their friend.]

Nobody's laughing, man. What are you talking about?

[Kazahana just stared at Toushi. There was some background noise, but elsewhere in the store; nothing loud or close.]

I said it's Ichigo. I-chi-go.

The laughing! Someone's freaking laughing!

[Kazahana spoke again and the laughter came back again, just as loudly and obnoxiously as before.]

There it is again! Are you telling me you can't hear it?

[He looked from Kiba to Kazahana, hoping one of them had heard it this time.]

...I just hear you.

[He looked over at Kazahana, his face clearly showing his confusion as he scratched the back of his neck.]

You don't hear it either, right?

[Kazahana met his eyes, her worry showing in her own. She wasn't certain what hearing laughter instead of her words meant, but it didn't sound like a good thing.]

I don't hear anything.

[He's probably just not meant to hear it yet. Right? She hopes that's all it is.]

In some of the memories I've recovered, I haven't been able to hear names. They were sort of...blotted out. Maybe this is another version of that.

You mean it's in my head?

[That wasn't what he wanted to hear. Not by a long shot. He wasn't going to tell them that it wasn't the first time he'd heard it either. The last thing he wanted was for them to think he was nuts.]

Huh.

[He paused, as something occurred to him]

There's some words Bastet can't read, and she can't hear 'em when somebody says 'em. [He reached around Kazahana's back, giving Toushi a companionable punch on the shoulder, meant to reassure him.] Sounds like it might be the same thing.

That must be it.

[Did Kiba remember Ouyo? Had he been around for any of the...incidents? She stroked KC as she tried to recall, but the timeline had blurred as the months went by. She could ask him later, but that might make Ouyo real, not a phantom memory from the past who she could hope never stirred again.]

I'm sorry you can't hear it, Toushi. You have a right to know your own name. Between this and getting kicked out of our own homes, this isn't the best day, is it?

Yeah, but laughing?

[He shot Kiba a look of thanks for the punch, but the frown on his face remained in place.]

Try again, or write it or something, I can't just not be able to know it.

[This couldn't be it; he couldn't be getting this taken from him too, not when it was so close.]

[Kiba frowned as well, then shrugged, digging around in his bag for a pen and a scrap of regular paper.]

It's Ichigo.

[He scribbled it quickly, before holding the note paper out to Toushi. Maybe it would work when he did it.]

Better?

Sometimes it just happens. If you can't hear it now, that doesn't mean you won't hear it later.

[But she held her breath as Kiba passed the slip of paper over, hoping against hope that he could at least read his own name.]

[Kiba spoke and the laughter came back again, and Toushi couldn't help but snarl under his breath.]

Shut up, damnit.

[He stared at Kiba's pen as he stared writing, and felt his hope plummet as the ink appeared to be absorbed into the paper before his eyes.]

It's there to you guys, isn't it?

What, you can't see it? Weird.

[Kiba shrugged with an air of apology.]

Guess it's just too early for you. We don't have our names yet, either.

[It didn't bother him much--he figured he'd feel like the same person no matter what people called him. Of course, he'd take the chance if he came across it.]

That's right. In a way, you're a step ahead of both of us.

[She sighed. It was still rather deflating. A name was a major thing, and it was right here in front of Toushi, but still just as far out of reach as it always had been.

Maybe it would've been better if she had never mentioned it—even if she knew she'd never actually hold something like that back.]

I'm sorry you had to come all the way down here for not very much. Even if it is warmer than the tree, now that we're locked out.

[He sighed heavily]

Tch, forget it. It just wasn't meant to be. I'll get it back some other way.

[Even though it was the last thing he felt like doing, he cracked an attempt at a grin.]

Can you guys at least tell me if it's a good name or not? I don't wanna get stuck with something lame. Like... I dunno... Banquo or somethin'.

[He was disappointed that it had all been for nothing, but his name wasn't what was important here.]

So I guess we're staying here then.

//83

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