The door slides open, and there the girl stands, looking just as confused by her presence as anyone else in the room. She blinks at the yakuza; folds her hands atop her stomach demurely, nervously. Although Jin prides himself on his composure, on his ability to expect and prepare mentally for any possible situation, he finds himself asking:
"What are you doing here?"
They shove her forward before she can answer, and she drops to her knees before the dice with wide eyes. A long moment passes as she stares at them all, at the fortune-teller opposite her, who smiles ever so slightly, and at the dice cup before her. Suddenly, she swallows; swings her knee up to expose her smooth, pale child's legs; throws off her sleeve and flings the dice like she was born for that one moment. He reduces his shock to a single, uncharacteristic blink.
Somehow, she always manages to take him by surprise.
The players call. The girlish voice bursts like cannon fire as she grabs the cup.
Everyone inhales jointly, staring. Jin's eyes close, his hand drifting to his katana, ready for the order that he knows will come-
And they pop open as the yakuza stands and guts himself like a man of bushido and principle and other general idiocy. He watches as the criminal collapses in a pool of his own blood, and as the boy screams for his father the usual revulsion does not force the bile to his throat.
"You fool," the thug scoffs. "You've died for nothing."
Some chord is struck within him, and he reaches for his blade only to find that he too can do nothing, not with that boy on the verge of death, so terrified, so determined, so young-
The door crashes open, and there the vagrant stands, looking far less confused by the girl's presence than he has any right to be. He assesses the yakuza, sword resting on his shoulder. Although Jin prides himself on his composure, on his ability to expect and prepare mentally for any possible situation, he finds himself saying:
"You're back."
And he realizes that of all that has happened in the past five minutes, this is the least unexpected development.
Like Realization, this was written for "Reflections." It's the first time I've ever written from Jin's perspective, and I thought it ought to make it up here if only for that.
Tell me what you think, and as always, thanks for reading.