37TH ♫ | so i'll say “hello” again, “hello – just who have i become?”

[mytarget]

YUURI WAKSA CMO POST

BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE NICE TO YUURI EVEN WHEN CANON ISN'T!!!

you all know who rii-san is by now anyway this is just a fresh and spicy update to her usual CMO so i can throw it at people to make her play them with me. Like my usual CMOs, I'm totally happy to roll with assumed CR, AUs, setting transplants, BASICALLY ANYTHING YA LITTLE HEART MAY DESIRE, I'M HERE TO GET ON WITH IT

PROMPTS:

Random Scenario Meme Prompts
Jamjar CR Meme Prompts
Murdergame Meme Prompts

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[serrata]

[ ... Oh goodness. Just what has Yuuri done to survive being surrounded by cinnamon rolls like this. ]

You could've grabbed a snack as well, you know. Or did you get something to eat before you came here?

[ She'll just be taking her cup and having a sip as Mai settles herself back down. ]

[serrata]

[ This time Yuuri can't quite hide her dismay – it shows in the pinch of her lips and the way her brows furrow. All at once she's scolding herself for not being able to keep calm and she knows that any show of distress could be taken as distaste or even outright rejection. Which, of course, couldn't be further from the truth – Yuuri can think of nothing that would make her reject Ruu even or maybe even especially now.

But the idea that Ruu would worry about being useful, that she'd want to go out to hunt and kill just to prove that she could do it makes Yuuri's heart ache. And if that wasn't bad enough, the sound of her sister's voice, still so soft from disuse, makes it feel like it might be about to break outright.

There was still good in this world. Yuki had taught them all that and Yuuri fought every day to carry on believing it. But a world that had done this to her little sister – it can't really have been that good, can it?

She squeezes Ruu's hands gently. ]

It's not about being useful, Ruu-chan. You shouldn't have to worry about that, especially now you're not in that school anymore. If you're feeling restless then we can come up with something together to help you work through it, but...

[ Letting go of one of Ruu's hands, Yuuri reaches up to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind Ruu's ear. It would've been an effortless, thoughtless gesture before everything had fallen part but even this, now, feels like something precious that Yuuri should treasure. ]

I don't want you to just survive. I want you to live. Do you understand what I mean?

[nojohnyouare]

I didn't think of that.

[She pauses and looks at her own cup.]

Have you been well. How was school.

[serrata]

Oh, it's been wonderful.

[ Yuuri beams – her tone is effusive enough as it is, but there's something warm and unguarded about her smile that really speaks to the depths of her feelings. ]

You know, I was actually really nervous about going back– well, I suppose it's not really back, seeing as how I never made it to university in the first place... but it'd been so long since I'd been in a proper classroom, I was sure I was going to flounder and have an awful time of it. But really... it's been better than I could've hoped. I've been learning all sorts of new things and– well. It's just been wonderful being able to go at all.

[ Her smile turns a little bashful, like she's embarrassed to have gushed so bluntly but... well, Mai asked. She wouldn't have if she didn't want to know. ]

I'll be finishing sometime in the spring though. Can you believe it? It feels like hardly any time's gone by at all and here I am graduating from college.

[nojohnyouare]

...Good. You deserve something that makes you happy. To do what you want. Even if it feels strange to have any options.

[littlestsurvivor]

[Ruu is so confused.]

[Survive? Live? Weren't those the same things? What was the difference again? How warped Ruu's sense of being had become. She looked up at her sister, and Yuuri could clearly see the confusion in her face. But before she could protest, just that act of tenderly reaching for her hair seemed to calm her. She nuzzled into Yuuri's hand, eyes tearing up. How long had it been since she felt that... safe? For the past 9 months, whenever a hand had been on Ruu, it was in a fight. This was... it was clear Yuuri's simple gesture was having an impact, and seemed to destroy her resistance in that instant.]

[For a second, it was like she was a normal child again.]

[A second, anyways. Ruu bit on her lip, writing again a moment later.]

It's not me you have to worry about. I can survive on my own. It's all of you that I'm worried about.

[For a split second, it was like the world stopped.]

Don't you remember that Yui lady?

"You and Takeya are clocking out." [Yui's voice echoed in their heads.]

She was soft. A lot of people would have just shot that girl. We got lucky. We need to be strong to survive. How can we live if we're not surviving? That's why I want to do this! So we can all survive and be happy again one day! I just want to help.

["One day." What Yuuri was trying to say, to live instead of just survive, she didn't understand it fully. Maybe she couldn't, anymore. But... at the least, one thing was clear now; Ruu had not fully given up on the idea of being happy again.]

[serrata]

Isn't it just? It's strange to think just how long we were just sitting around and waiting, not really able to do much of anything. Now we can do anything we like.

How about you, Mai-chan? How have things been going?

[serrata]

[ Yuuri shakes her head. Though it's a bit of a strain, she manages to give Ruu her best attempt at a smile. ]

Sorry. That's easier said than done. I'm your big sister, aren't I? It's my job to worry about you.

[ When it came to Ruu, worry was her constant companion. It always had been, even back when things were normal. But that was nothing compared to the all-consuming dread that sat in her stomach day-to-day. Having Ruu with her was a blessing she wouldn't give up for anything, but she wished with all her heart that the situation was different. ]

That's why I want to be the one who has to worry about being strong for you. I don't want that to be something that has to sit on your shoulders anymore. You've spent so long all by yourself having to be strong and I...

[ Her voice catches and she makes herself stop and take a breath. Even the thought of what she's about to suggest feels somehow distasteful, but it's better than trying to fight Ruu at every step. More importantly, maybe this will be the thing she needs. If Ruu wants to help, then Yuuri can at least give her an opportunity to do that. ]

I want to try and find a place for you where you don't have to be. Even if I have to make it myself. So... will you think about teaching neechan how to be strong like you are? So I can do it for you.

[nojohnyouare]

...

[Mai thinks about it a moment, staring at her tea.]

All right. Still studying. Sometimes things change, but being alive... I think it's good.

[serrata]

We definitely get more done than the alternative.

[ Black humor! It's how we cope. ]

Have you been settling in well enough? I bet it's funny adjusting to being back in your own time after how far ahead we were.

[nojohnyouare]

Sometimes. More pagers. And dial-up. But some places have high-speed now. What about you.

[littlestsurvivor]

[Ruu was determined to stand her ground. She didn't just want to be the baby everyone had to look after; she was a survivor, just like everyone else. The idea of just... being a defenseless child again was insulting to her.]

[But she smiled at what Yuuri said, wanting to reassure her a bit. At the least, Ruu seemed... satisfied by this explanation.]

I'll teach you how to hunt. You and everyone else but you first! Even if you don't want me fighting dead guys though, I want to still be able to hunt or something else OK? I know you're worried about me neechan, but please please please understand I'm a big girl now OK? If you don't let me do hard work too then that means I'm not doing my fair share. I don't want to do that.

[But she smiled. She could tell that Yuuri was distressed, and she felt bad. She was dumping a lot on Yuuri at once she knew... even though she was upset that it sounded like none of the School Living Club hunted for food and that she'd be eating canned stuff for a while longer, she didn't want to be selfish. She didn't want to distress Yuuri more and more... so she smiled, hoping Yuuri would be a little happier. And she gave her a hug, before lying her head on her lap, looking up and smiling.]

Y... yo... you... u-used... br... braid... m-my ha... my hai... my hair... reme... remember...?

[Her voice was still so weak and delicate, but so innocent too. And her eyes were content... even excited.]

[serrata]

It's not been... too bad. I'm only a few years ahead of my own time, so I had a bit of a head start on getting used to things. So I've been settling in with that – it's just names and places I get mixed up on sometimes, out of habit. But no one's teased me for it too</i? badly.

[nojohnyouare]

Differences between worlds. It makes sense. ...I wonder. How many small ones we haven't noticed.

[serrata]

It really does make you wonder, doesn't it? It's a bit harder for me to tell since – well, it's not like I can go back to mine and check. But I bet we'll start noticing more and more things as you start catching up with our time.

[serrata]

[ Though she doesn't quite trust her voice to hold steady, Yuuri's smile stays fixed neatly in place – she's had a lot of practice keeping it that way and it's only when Ruu is in her arms and the girl has no way of seeing her face does she let it falter for just a moment.

Though she can show Ruu a strong face, on the inside, the very idea of having to hunt for food makes something in her stomach curdle like old milk. She's naive and foolish and she knows she can't afford to let this disgust dictate her actions – because... what excuse does she have, really? While she was sealed away safe and sound inside Megurigaoka, Ruu had done it.

Yuuri had always said she would do anything for Ruu. She can't let that stop her.

Once she feels Ruu pulling away, she hastens to fix a smile back onto her face – one that softens and becomes gentler, more genuine when she realizes what the girl is asking. ]

Of course I do. Your hair's grown out even longer now... just imagine how long your braids would be.

[nojohnyouare]

Maybe. Most people from my world would say it was ordinary. So... Difficult.

[serrata]

Most places are ordinary until something out of the ordinary happens.

[ Not that Yuuri Wakasa, survivor of a zombie apocalypse, would know anything about that, of course. ]

I guess it's just a matter of hanging on and seeing what that something ends up being.

[nojohnyouare]

Some things even I don't know about. Time travel. And other worlds. Even for me, those are just rumours at home. So you're right.

[serrata]

You know, we're lucky we've been able to keep such a tight lid on it, aren't we? Being a celebrity in one universe is more than enough for me, I think. The last thing we need is a whole bunch of other ones heralding us for teaching them the secrets of time travel or whatever else we might've ended up letting slip.

[nojohnyouare]

Or saying we made it up. Also likely.

[littlestsurvivor]

[Ruu felt content; something she hadn't felt in... how long has it been, now? For the first time in a long while, being like this...

... She almost felt like a real kid again. And she took to writing.]

I bet it'll look really pretty!

[The things little kids should be concerned about. Not hunting, fighting zombies, or anything like that.]

Just for right now, I wanna be a normal kid again, OK?

[There was something heartbreaking about how Ruu had to write it... but at least just for right now, this moment, everything was fine. Everything would be OK.]

[serrata]

[ She huffs out a little laugh into her mug as she takes a sip of tea. ]

Oh, you're probably right there. Though I suppose if we really got it into our heads to prove it, we'd probably find some reckless way or another.

[nojohnyouare]

...Don't end up on the news.

[Is she trying to make light of what happened? Is she serious? It's honestly hard to tell with this one.]

[serrata]

[ That gets another laugh out of her. ]

Oh, don't you worry. I'm quite happy just being a normal everyday college student, thank you very much. I'll leave popping up on intergalactic TV to Dad and all the others.