She always thought that it was her fate to be alone.
She always thought that there was no way for her to feel his existence physically anymore. After all, the dead can't return back to life, can they?
But when she heard that voice, and then saw that face…she wholeheartedly believed that it was her ani-ue, and Kami-sama must've heard her prayers and brought Yuuma back to her from the other side.
So she hugged him, never minding the sweat of her body from practice, or the stench of her bile, or the uncomfortable sensation of the wet training clothes against her skin. She clung to him and relished the thought that he was back. She cried her eyes out, and briefly let "Sei" surface…even just for a while.
The person froze, seemingly lost what to do, lost on how to handle this bawling young bushi that's gripping his clothes like he's afraid that he may disappear forever.
Her joyous moment was then ruined when Okita-sensei told her who she was hugging. At that moment, the bubbly feeling inside her disappeared almost simultaneously.
She looked up, and saw an impassive face. There were no soft eyes to greet her. No smiling face. This Saitou Hajime was in no way not her precious brother Yuuma, and his questioning gaze was like a painful reminder that her ani-ue had left her…and will never come back.
But still that voice, the similar facial features…and later, the knowledge that he was her ani-ue's best friend back in their dojo days…Sei can't help but consider this as Yuuma's way of telling her:
No matter where I am, I'll always be with you.