Chapter Text
"Let's go home, Ankh."
Home.
The word left a hollow, aching feeling in his chest. Cous Coussier, the physical residence they'd once occupied, was all but gone, its people the only remainder of what once stood of the restaurant. The Greeed- the closest thing Ankh had to a family- were sealed away once more leaving Ankh feeling alone and exposed to the world around him.
At the soft brush of Eiji's hand against his arm, Ankh snapped out of his thoughts, the weight in his chest receding for just a moment as his eyes turned to the skin that felt electrified with Eiji's touch.
Maybe not so alone .
He'd never be free of Eiji, always at his side. The fool that searched far and wide for ten straight years just for a chance to see him again. The weight replaced itself with a warmth, a feeling he couldn't quite describe, but made him feel somewhat relieved. Maybe it wasn't all bad that Eiji and himself would never part.
Ankh followed Eiji blindly, counting on his presence to keep them close. He was too caught in his own thoughts to notice where they were going, wasting those enhanced senses he'd yearned so long for. He felt a churning anger in his gut at the thought- guilt rolled into regret rolled into disgust.
Someone died for this.
Like the thought itself was enough to summon him there, Ankh jolted at the realisation of where Eiji had stopped them. The building was barely standing, brick walls collapsed in on themselves from the top down, creating the look of some sort of barrier. It seemed to work, as its inhabitants had mostly come out of the battle alive. The building itself was still unmistakable to Ankh, the form it once stood in seeming to flicker in his vision with the decaying monument that crumbled before him.
It was Shingo's apartment- Hina's apartment.
Hina hadn't been seen since the battle ended; everyone had given her space, with good reason. Ankh didn't want to be in the uncomfortable position of having to watch her hold back tears, so he'd maintained as much distance as possible. He would have preferred she'd been angry with him.
Ankh's dread turned to anger, and he shot a look at Eiji, who was purposefully ignoring his gaze as he led them to Hina's door. Halting before the door, Eiji did then turn his attention to Ankh, speaking softly.
"She invited us to dinner. Just.." Eiji paused, biting his tongue. He still wouldn't look at Ankh. "Be nice, she needs this."
His actions would depend on Hina's own, Ankh thought, but he didn't dare say it out loud. Eiji knocked then, his fist still in the air when the door opened. Ankh watched Eiji's face fall at the realisation Hina must have heard everything; he didn't dare check her face for confirmation.
Ankh avoided looking at her still when she embraced Eiji, blocked his senses of her sniffling. Didn't look until her arms were around him, then.
"It's good to see you, Ankh."
Ankh mumbled something, he wasn't sure what, as she let go, the sudden unexpected contact leaving him grasping for words. He was expecting her angry, wished she was. Like this, she seemed broken, her smile, when Ankh finally brought himself to look at her, was tired and forced.
Hina led them inside, making quiet small talk about the weather to fill the void of silence. Eiji reprocriated the talk, though Ankh paid no mind to it as he found a spot at the table to seat himself at.
The inside of the apartment was almost as war-torn as the outside. Furniture had been pushed to the side, the kitchen table stacked with boxes and first aid kits. Weapons were laid out on the floor in the living room, lined up and gathering dust from the days of having to count ones ammunition. Everything spoke to the living space being uninhabited; Ankh had to guess that Hina spent most of her time in her room these days.
"I was about to get started on dinner." Hina started, a hesitancy to her voice.
Eiji practically tripped over himself standing from the table. "Do you want help? It'd be like the old days!"
Eiji turned his attention to Ankh without even waiting for an answer, his eyes silently pleading for Ankh's cooperation. Hina was looking too then, eagerly awaiting a response. Ankh kicked his feet off the chair next to him and trudged to the kitchen, arms crossed. Hina smiled- more convincingly this time- and she instructed the two on what to grab.
Eiji and Hina got to talking about what they were making, Hina's face lighting up a bit once the subject turned to cooking. Ankh wondered idly if she'd retained her passion for her other passions as she had with cooking, but stayed out of the conversation, allowing the two to fill the silence on their own as he idly chopped at vegetables. A hand in his face snapped him out of his actions, hand gripping tightly to the knife as his vision focused on the object being held towards him.
A popsicle.
Hina smiled softly at his expression. "For helping. I didn't forget."
Ankh grabbed it from her hands, removing the plastic in a swift motion and moving back to his seat at the table. Eiji sighed at the action, muttering about some things never changing.
Ankh mused on how strange it was for Hina to be thanking him in a situation like this. He'd always found her strange, but her lack of anger was almost concerning- there was no telling what humans would do if they bottled those things up. The more uncomfortable he became with Hina's actions, the more at ease Eiji seemed; they never could agree.
"It's nice to have you guys over." Hina commented after some silence.
"Thanks for inviting us! It's good to see you, after.." Eiji paused, stopping himself before he could continue talking about the past. "I'm surprised Chiyoko hasn't come by."
"Oh, she has.." Hina trailed off for a moment, distractedly checking the stove. "She stopped coming. I'm sure she's got a lot going on, anyway."
Eiji was quieter when he spoke next. "Has anyone come by since?"
Hina shook her head, staring down at the counter.
Eiji huffed. "Well- we'll come by again. Or.. we'll try- we don't have a place to stay.. again.." he chuckled uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck.
Hina glanced down the hallway, her eyes fixated on the door to Shingo's room, left untouched ever since. She diverted her attention, but the action didn't go unnoticed.
Quickly, Eiji, changed the subject, returning conversation back to their meal as they prepared to serve it.
"I hope you didn't ruin your appetite." Eiji said when he returned to the table, nudging Ankh's legs off his seat.
" You're going to ruin my appetite if you don't stop coddling me." Ankh snapped, yanking a pair of chopsticks from Eiji's hand.
Hina got quieter the farther they got into dinner, eventually packing the dishes up into the sink in silence. Eiji assured her not to worry about them, yanking Ankh to the sink to help him as Hina excused herself.
"She doesn't want us here any longer." Ankh remarked when her door closed, absentmindedly drying a dish Eiji had put in his hands.
Eiji shook his head. "Hina needs us, Ankh. No one's come to see her, she doesn't want to be alone at a time like this."
Ankh turned to face him. "You think this is better? Bringing me here was like shoving a coffin in her face, what help is that?"
Eiji stopped what he was doing, his hands motionless in the dishwater. Yanking them out suddenly, he grabbed a towel, moving past Ankh and the kitchen island. "I'm going to check on her."
There was silence as he tapped at the door, though Hina eventually let him in, closing the door behind him. Ankh placed the dish to the side, staring intently at the door as though he'd be able to hear better.
"I thought I could do this." Hina was pacing, wiping tears from her eyes.
Eiji put a hand on her shoulder, attempting to stop her physically from spiraling. "If it's too soon.."
Hina nodded, crossing her arms tightly against her chest. "I miss him so much, Eiji."
She started sobbing then, Eiji reacting quickly to wrap her in an embrace. He let Hina cry against his shoulder until she was tired, pulling away to wipe her hands across her face.
"It's good to see Ankh again, but.." Hina trailed off.
Eiji nodded. "It feels like you had to trade?"
Hina held her arms close to her chest once again, looking to the ground.
"If we're causing problems, we can leave-"
"No-" Hina spoke suddenly. "No, I can go back out just.. give me a minute?"
Eiji agreed, and left her room, shutting the door behind him. Ankh was still at the kitchen, trying to appear inconspicuous. Eiji rolled up his sleeves, preparing to take another go at the dishes, only to find them already dried and stacked on the counter. He glanced over to Ankh, smiling as he saw him absentmindedly chewing on another popsicle stick.
Hina emerged from her room then, eyes still puffy and red from crying, but her face washed of the tear tracks and smudged makeup. Eiji filled a kettle and placed it on the stove, motioning that Hina could sit down. He nudged Ankh, shoving two mugs at him. Reluctantly, he obliged, sliding one to Hina as they sat in silence.
By the time the tea was cold, Hina was still only half-finished, fingers wrapped around the mug. Eiji made quick work of washing the other dishes he'd created before returning to the table, standing at Ankh's side.
"It's getting late, we should probably get going."
Ankh nodded, moving to stand. Hina looked up from the table then, gripping tighter to her mug. "Did you say you didn't have a place to stay?"
"We can find somewhere, don't worry about us." Eiji smiled. "We're resourceful!"
"Please." Was all Hina said.
Eiji looked at Ankh then, neither of them comfortable with the situation, or willing to turn her down. Eiji nodded then, and Hina relaxed, closing her eyes.
"I can't go in there.. but I'll get you some blankets. There's room for you both."
She jumped to her feet before they could stop her, rummaging through a closet for clean linens. Ankh nudged Eiji while her back was turned, gesturing unhappily when he got his attention. Eiji held a finger to his lips, gesturing to Hina. She turned back with an armful of things, passing clean pillows, blankets, and towels to Eiji.
She put on another forced smile before telling them the shower and the kitchen were theirs to use, as long as they were quiet. Eiji passed the pile to Ankh when Hina said she'd be going to bed then, pulling her into his arms for another brief hug. Ankh suddenly felt grateful for the stack of things shoved at him when Hina looked to him briefly as Eiji pulled away, and she nodded, turning without a word.
"Wait."
Ankh was as surprised as the other two that he'd spoken, but with their eyes on him, he had to say something.
"Thanks. For the popsicles."
Hina smiled, a real one this time as tears formed again in her eyes. "You're welcome."
She excused herself again then, retiring to her room for the night and leaving the two in the quiet apartment. The reaction left Ankh even more confused about human emotion; he expected a lecture from Eiji whenever he'd made her cry before, but this time she smiled , and Eiji had seemed impressed.
"Well, you're trying." Was all Eiji had to say on the topic, though he'd been smiling when he said it. He moved to Ankh's side, helping him move their things to Shingo's room.