A/N:

Oops, just realised that I somehow didn't post chapter 12 on this site! So that chapter is up now. It's titled 'Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst'

Brief reminder now that 11c is starting that, like it says in the tags, this is only canon up until 11x10 then it becomes wildly AU. That goes for the characterization and motivations of characters like Lance, Pamela and Sebastian as well. Even though I haven't posted all the chapters of this fic yet (because I have to do hundreds of proofreads and sorting scenes into order) I wrote the drafts for all of them back around 11x10 and I can't change anything. So this fic is more just my own version of season 11 and how I imagined things going. It was always my intention to have this entire fic posted before 11c aired so there wouldn't be that contradiction of canon while you're reading but my health made that impossible. Sorry :(

"You know, you look tired." Tomi leaned forward, examining her face. "When was the last time you had a day off? Have you in fact had a day off? You haven't, have you? What is it you're even doing? It's not as though we have a lot of criminal activity here."

That was up for debate.

"I don't just have experience as a defense attorney, Tomi. You know I started off in civil litigation."

The corner of his mouth curved. "Mm, until a certain someone came along and changed your focus. Don't tell me you've been doing paperwork all this time?"

She happened to like paperwork.

And the Commonwealth was certainly in dire need of some.

"There's a lot to be done."

"I find that hard to believe," he commented, approaching a record player sitting idly on the counter. "Sure you weren't just trying to avoid your ex?"

"Don't be ridiculous." If she wanted to avoid Magna, she had an entire town in which to do it. "There's actually a lot that needs doing."

And she wasn't exactly ungrateful for the distraction.

Tomi plucked up the dust cover, inspecting the vinyl beneath. "Yes, I'm sure crafting NDAs is very time-consuming."

Yumiko's mood soured. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"No. Someone has to give you a hard time about it."

"Well, luckily for you Magna's already volunteered." She was unable to keep the edge of bitterness out of her tone.

"Good. Then maybe you'll listen to one of us."

Or maybe you could listen to me.

Yumiko knew what she was doing. As Tomi had so kindly pointed out before, this was her world. And she knew how to navigate it better than her brother or Magna ever could. She could play the long game because she knew how to play the long game.

Both Tomi and Magna were far too impatient for that.

Mouth pursed, she watched as her brother finally placed the stylus down. An audible click sounded. "Ah."

Yumiko prayed he hadn't chosen a song that would worsen her migraine. It would be just her luck if he had something the likes of Rob Zombie on there.

'Looking counterclockwise

Knowing what could happen

Any moment maybe you

Maybe even you. . .'

Oh no. It was even worse.

'And I'd sell my soul for total control. . .'

Yumiko stared. "Seriously?"

Tomi squinted at the spinning record. "Forgot that was on there."

She crossed her arms. "Bullshit."

"Complete accident on my part. Pure happenstance, really."

"Do I look like I was born yesterday?"

"Well, you were born after me - and I'm as young as they come. A bonafide spring chicken."

God, he'd probably set the whole thing up ages ago, lying in wait for the opportune moment. Which apparently was tonight.

Of course, it was.

'Yeah I'd. . . sell. . . my. . . soul. . . for. . . total con. . .trol. . .'

He went to turn the volume up-

"Stop it." Yumiko reached for the tonearm and wrenched it up. The music ceased. "This song got old as a joke two decades ago."

He pouted. "But it's your theme song."

"The theme song to me stabbing you to death with a kitchen knife maybe."

"I think that's more your wife's thing."

Yumiko stiffened a moment, the details of Lawson's death flooding her brain.

The murder weapon of choice.

(clearly, her brother still wasn't completely sold on the innocent front. And she was running out of ways to convince him. Not to mention patience)

Tomi ignored her glare. "How's she settling in by the way? Magna."

Either he was playing ignorant, or he'd only come in at the tail end of their conversation in the kitchen. She hoped it was the latter.

Tomi reached for the tonearm again and she smacked his hand.

Grinning slightly, he let it rest. "Well?"

Yumiko looked down.

Despite his continued shenanigans, she couldn't find it within herself to be annoyed. Not really. His question had succeeded in zapping all irritation from her bones.

"Honestly, I'm not so sure she is." Yumiko picked at the bread in her hands, appetite dissipating. "Settling, that is. . . it's a big change."

Understatement of the century.

"And quite a difficult one I'm sure."

"You could say that." Yumiko sighed, giving up and allowing some of her frustration to bleed through. "I really thought she'd be offered a role in the military. She knows how to fight. Better than most people here. You'd think the Commonwealth would want to exploit that." She huffed. "I just don't understand it."

Daryl and Rosita had been accepted, after all, and Magna was no less capable at fighting than them. She'd only been doing it all her life. So why hadn't she joined them? Why hadn't the Commonwealth taken advantage of the rare asset it had been presented with?

If her confusion over the matter was shared, it didn't show. "True. Fighters are highly valued here. How is she with authority?"

Well. . .

"Taking orders? Respecting the chain of command?"

Yumiko's expression must have said all because Tomi's mouth twitched and he ducked his head. "I'd say there's your reason. . . those interviews are very thorough. And they're screening for more than just skills and prior social status. Likely they picked up on the fact that Magna is. . . well, not the good little soldier they're looking for."

Probably. Her criminal history certainly wouldn't have helped matters. That history had gotten in Magna's way so often following her release but it had rarely been a problem after society's collapse. Only in communities like the Commonwealth and Alexandria had Magna once again been held in judgment for her past.

Yumiko's mouth thinned. "They want fighters, but only ones that they can control."

"Doesn't every authoritarian state?" Tomi smiled without humor. "And then there's Hornsby."

Her knuckles tightened around the loaf in her hand. "Hornsby?"

"This. . . arrangement you have with him. I'm not going to pretend to understand it or how it came about but. . . do you really think your relationship with Magna is a secret? Everyone who came here from your community was aware of it. They all went through the interviewing process. And even if they said nothing then. . . Hornsby has a way of finding things out."

Yumiko looked away.

He was right, of course.

It was another reason she'd avoided Magna this past month. Lance had already tried to exploit her connection to Tomi, she hadn't wanted to risk him doing the same with Magna. Especially since, unlike her brother, Magna didn't have any pre-Apocolypse skills that the Commonwealth would consider invaluable. Tomi's career protected him, whether he was grateful for that or not.

There was nothing to protect Magna.

Nothing but the fact that she was important to Yumiko. And whilst that might act as a shield in some instances, it could just as easily turn into a threat. At least when it came to the likes of Lance Hornsby.

Still, for all her efforts to distance herself from Magna, to keep the details of their relationship concealed, the truth had found its way back to Lance regardless. He'd casually slipped the matter into conversation several days ago: absently, offhandedly - but she'd known exactly what he was doing.

Making clear that he'd found yet another one of her vulnerabilities. A weak point to exploit.

And Yumiko hated him, just a little, for reducing the most beautiful relationship of her entire life to that.

Reducing Magna to that.

Nonetheless, his timing had been fortunate, at least.

Yumiko never would have accepted her offer of a dance if Lance had still been in the dark about them. A selfish part of her was grateful. That she no longer had to worry about hiding it. Hiding them. No longer had to put such effort into avoiding Magna.

Though, deep down, she knew it hadn't been just Lance keeping her away.

If it had been, she would have sought Magna out the moment he'd left her office.

But after months of not seeing each other, Yumiko hadn't known how to cross that newfound divide between them.

Still didn't.

In truth, she'd used Lance as an excuse. At least partially. A few conversations with Magna over the last month would hardly have been enough to arouse suspicion - not when she still took the time to see Connie and Kelly. But Yumiko hadn't been ready to confront her. See her again. Talk to her.

So she'd used the convenient threat that Lance provided for all it was worth. Stayed away.

She regretted that now.

('I kept waiting for you to come round but you didn't.')

"He does know about Magna," Yumiko murmured, studying the tiles beneath her feet.

Unlike the ones in her own apartment, they weren't crying out for a good clean. Likely, her brother had chosen to take advantage of the housekeeping services offered by the Commonwealth. Unlike herself.

Exhaling, she glanced back up.

Tomi nodded, not looking all that surprised by the admittance. "Then perhaps. . . he's one of the reasons she currently is where she is. From what I hear, the man collects favors. And if he's as interested in you as you say, then one day he might want one from you." He's already gotten one. And was squeezing it for all it was worth. "Magna's status would certainly come in handy as a bargaining chip. He has the power to change that status. Promote her to the military. All it would take is a simple request from you."

"You think he blocked her from becoming a soldier?"

"I don't know." He lifted a shoulder. "Do you?"

The idea held merit. More than Yumiko would like to confront.

Especially since she'd considered going to Lance and making that exact deal more times than she could count.

Still considered it even now.

It was Magna.

There was little in the world Yumiko wouldn't do to help her. Unfortunately, it seemed she wasn't alone in knowing that.

Bloody Lance Hornsby.

Yumiko's lips thinned as she realized what else this meant. Magna's position might very well be her fault.

Which meant her current unhappiness was too.

"It could be a blessing, you know?"

Yumiko glanced up. "A blessing?"

"The reason those in the military are afforded certain privileges is because most of them don't make it very long. It's a risky job to have. Low survival rate If you're going to die in this place. . . chances are it's doing that. Being a waiter may have its disadvantages, but at least it won't get her killed."

She clenched her jaw.

He had a point. Yumiko hated to admit it but he did. And wasn't that why she wanted them all to stay here? So that they could be safe? So that Magna could be safe?

So she wouldn't have to spend each day on tenterhooks worrying if the last time she saw her would be the last time?

It was what Yumiko wanted.

What she'd wanted for years.

But she couldn't find it within herself to see it as a blessing. Not when the cost was Magna's happiness.

That wasn't a cost that would ever be acceptable. Not to her.

"She hates it here."

Tomi hummed. "Can't imagine why."

Yumiko sighed, massaging her forehead. "I don't know what to do. How to fix this."

"You know. . . some things you can't fix."

She smiled weakly. "Magna said much the same thing."

Tomi examined her closely a moment, before releasing a sigh. "Give it time. She's only been here a month. And she was out there for a decade. I imagine that takes some adjustment."

You have no idea.

"It does. But we both know this is more than just a matter of adjusting."

"Do you think she'll leave?"

Yumiko ran a finger over the rim of her glass, remembering another kitchen, another conversation. "Maybe. . . I know she wants to. She says that she won't but. . . I know she wants to."

And it would be selfish of Yumiko to expect her to stay.

To want her to.

But she did want her to.

She wanted Magna and she wanted this place. Only it was becoming increasingly clear just how impossible that was. She wanted too much. Had asked for too much. She could have Magna or she could have this place.

But she couldn't have both.

Tomi's mouth thinned. "If she leaves, will you go with her?"

It wasn't a question that Yumiko was ready to consider the answer to. "I don't know."

A part of her almost asked whether he'd prefer it if she did. Prefer it if their lives became separate once more. If that would be easier.

Better.

Another question she didn't want to know the answer to.

"I don't think it's something I'll have to decide in the near future, though," she added, shaking off those thoughts. "And, who knows? Maybe things in the Commonwealth will improve enough that this will all be a moot point."

Maybe one day Magna would want to stay.

Tomi looked less than confident of this but was kind enough not to ruin the dream. "Maybe."

Yumiko glanced away. "And honestly. . . even if I did decide to go with her, I'm not so sure she'd want me to."

Their argument in the kitchen certainly hadn't left much in the way of encouragement.

Tomi scoffed. "Of course she would."

His tone suggested that it was ludicrous to consider anything else.

"I don't know. Things are. . . complicated right now." And confusing. "I don't know where I stand with her." When they'd been dancing, she'd felt confident of the fact that they were still friends at least. Would always be friends. But then the kitchen. . . there was a barrier between them now that hadn't existed before, not since the first few years of their acquaintance. And Yumiko wasn't sure she had the energy to tear that barrier down again. She was so bloody tired. "We've had issues in the past. But nothing like this."

She could see the curiosity in his eyes, the desire to ask just what exactly 'this' was. But shockingly he managed to restrain himself.

"Personally, I think you're catastrophizing again. What happened to imagining the best case scenario when it comes to all things Magna?"

"Well, I never said all things." A smile teased at her lips, though she barely felt it. "If you hadn't noticed, she's a little bit hotheaded. With a love for sharp objects. And that can be. . . problematic."

Also the cause of almost every gray hair she'd ever had.

"I can imagine." He smiled his own brief smile. "Still, speaking as an outside observer. . . things hardly appear like they're over between you two. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Oh, really?"

He shrugged. "She wants you to keep her, remember?"

Yumiko's mouth turned down. So his eavesdropping had picked up on that much at least.

"That's not the sort of thing you say when things are over. Finished. It's the thing you say when you don't want them to be."

Maybe.

"Honestly, I don't think Magna knows what she wants."

Again, nothing new.

But it did make moving forward harder.

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Know what you want."

Yumiko paused, taken aback by the question. Though more so by the realization that she didn't have a ready answer for it. "Yes." She chewed the inside of her cheek, deliberating. "And no."

"Ah. Very straightforward."

"I want her. That's never changed." Not once in thirteen years, not once had it changed. She hadn't always wanted Magna romantically. Sexually. Even platonically. But she'd always wanted her. Wanted her in her life. Still did. "But. . . there's a lot to work through."

"Too much?"

Yumiko took a breath. Released it. "I don't know."

Was there too much?

Too much for thirteen years of history - of love - to stand up against?

But then that very history was one of the problems.

Thirteen years.

She wondered, sometimes, if Magna had lied to her about Lawson - and for so long - what else she might have lied about.

If there even was anything else.

It was disconcerting to realize that she didn't know. Couldn't be certain.

Couldn't be certain that this wasn't the only betrayal.

That there wasn't something else - perhaps many somethings - that she remained in the dark about. Blind to.

She'd been so blind.

(again)

"Why do you think she's guilty?" Yumiko murmured. "Magna."

Tomi shifted, looking taken aback by the question - then thoughtful. "Does it matter when she's not?"

"No. But I'm still curious." She was careful to keep her expression neutral, her voice even. Indifferent. "Is it just the articles or. . ."

"Well, the articles were certainly very convincing, but mostly I can see why she'd have done it. Why anyone would. And sometimes the right answer is the simplest one."

"Meaning?"

"Her being guilty makes the most sense. So why look for answers elsewhere?"

"Because sometimes the things that make the most sense are nothing more than a convenient fantasy. A lie."

Bitterness curled in her gut.

Magna had been guilty.

And Anthony Anderson had been innocent.

Or at least, of this particular crime anyway. He'd still had a long list of offenses to his name. Murder. Drug distribution. Sexual exploitation of children. Sexual assault. Sex trafficking. The fact that Lawson had owed him money and Magna had confirmed that the two were at odds in the lead-up to his death seemed like more than convincing enough evidence of his involvement, let alone that there'd been proof of his presence at the crime scene on the day Lawson was murdered. It had certainly been enough to convince her.

But she'd been wrong.

And Yumiko wondered if she hadn't let her bias get in the way. She'd struggled to picture a seventeen-year-old girl being capable of such a vicious crime. Such violent murder.

Because she hadn't been capable of it.

She'd thought of herself at seventeen and. . .

The possibility had seemed unfathomable.

But her life had been very different from Magna's at that age. She'd never been exposed to physical or sexual violence. And she'd never lost someone in the way Magna had lost Maisie. Never faced the injustices of the justice system. Never felt that level of betrayal or anger.

Rage.

They'd lived in entirely different worlds.

But still. . .

Sixteen times.

He'd been stabbed sixteen times. Many of the blows occurring even after his heart had ceased to beat.

Yumiko couldn't imagine the kind of rage that would take. Wasn't sure she'd ever be able to.

(she'd been seventeen)

And Yumiko knew that it had impacted Magna, whether that was something she'd ever admit to or not. Knew because of the nightmares Magna had endured after stabbing that very first sicko; the near two hours she'd spent in the shower, scrubbing and scrubbing, deaf to all Yumiko's worried knocks. She'd come out flushed a painful shade of pink, knuckles cracked and bleeding. Had flinched the moment Yumiko had stepped towards her. Reached for her.

It was another reason Yumiko wished she'd known the truth. At least then she might have been able to support her better, be there. At least then, Magna might have felt comfortable confiding in her during those moments - and any moments that came after.

One day, Yumiko wanted to talk about the night Lawson was murdered. Really talk. She didn't know if she was ready to hear everything that might be said but she did know that Magna needed to say it. More than that, she needed someone to listen. To finally hear her.

And Yumiko wanted to know.

She wanted to know this part of the woman she'd loved for so much of her life. Because it was a part of her. No matter how fiercely Magna had hidden it.

(or how much Yumiko had struggled to come to terms with it in the aftermath of finding out)

She was torn from her thoughts when Tomi reached out, swiping the loaf from her hands. "I suppose it's easier to stomach as well, isn't it? The thought that she was locked up justly rather than unjustly." Eyes on the bread, he worked on tearing what was left of it to pieces. "We believe the things we want to believe. What brings us the most comfort."

Yumiko shook her head softly. "Even if Magna had been guilty, that wouldn't have made what happened to her just."

Anything that had happened to her.

Yumiko knew far too much about her time in prison to find any comfort in her guilt.

"I suppose not. Still easier to stomach, though, isn't it?"

Not for her.

There was no version of Magna being locked away that was easy to stomach. That she could bear a little more than another.

And maybe that was why she'd believed so strongly in her innocence. Because she'd needed the justification of the law to cement her efforts to get her out.

Maybe.

It was hard to know now.

All Yumiko did know what that she'd believed in her.

(still did)

She reached for her abandoned glass, needing something to do with her hands now that her brother had stolen her pathetic excuse for a snack.

"Look, if you say she didn't do it then I'll take your word for it. I mean after all these years together you'd know, wouldn't you?"

One would think.

Raising her chin, Yumiko met his gaze. "I would."

She didn't break from Tomi's stare, didn't waver. But she felt the glass press into her fingertips, painfully hard. Inhaled, loosening her grip.

This wasn't the first time she'd had the rug completely pulled out from under her by someone she was in a relationship with. Someone she trusted. Wasn't the first time her world had been tipped off its axis, her memories tainted, overturned. The ugly truth forced into the light.

It wasn't the same.

Yumiko knew it wasn't the same.

But it still made her feel like an idiot.

A fool.

(it still hurt)

And it still made her question. . . everything.

"Why do you care what I believe, anyway?" Tomi asked. "It has no bearing on anything. And whether I think she did it or not, my opinion of her is unchanged." He placed his own glass down on the table. "She clearly loves you. And that's all I care about. All I'll ever care about. She could be a serial killer and you'd still have my approval."

Yumiko's mouth ticked up. "I doubt that."

He grinned. "No, really. Your happiness is that important to me."

"Mm."

Right.

She allowed her lips to edge into a smile though, just for a moment, before placing her glass down on the bench, considering her next words. "I care about what you believe because this place would care. If you were ever to share those beliefs with them."

"Ah." He toyed with the loaf a moment. "Well, that's not something you have any need to worry about. I have no intention of talking about Magna's history with anyone."

"Not sober, anyway."

Tomi narrowed his eyes. "As much as it pains me to admit this, Yumiko, I don't exactly have a large circle of friends. The ones I did have didn't take so well to me lying to them for the past ten years - or choosing not to take advantage of certain privileges that they would give anything to access themselves. And I don't mesh well with the upper class. Never have. So at the moment my social life is mostly restricted to, well, you. So I don't think you need to worry about me spilling information to anyone when I've over imbibed. I drink alone."

Which only gave her something else to worry about.

"That's not healthy."

"Remind me who the doctor in this family is?"

Yumiko pursed her lips. "I'm worried about you."

"And I'm worried about you. Isn't it wonderful that we get to worry together as a family?"

Frustrated, she looked away. Reached for her glass again. "You won't say anything?"

"I won't say anything." He then made a face, struggling to chew through his next chunk of bread. "My God, this is made of steel." He shook himself before continuing, "Why the concern, anyway? She was exonerated. That's all the Commonwealth will care about."

Maybe.

Yumiko wished she could share in his confidence.

"Magna didn't tell them that she was in prison."

"You mean during the interview process?"

More like interrogation.

She nodded.

It was something Yumiko had fully intended to keep under wraps, and something Magna had tried to. But a secret like that was hard to keep hidden in the Commonwealth. Her brother had been lucky. Until Yumiko's arrival, there was no-one here who'd known who he truly was, what he'd been.

The same couldn't be said for Magna. Everyone she'd arrived with had at least some awareness of her past, Michonne had made that unavoidable. She was also probably one of the few people here who'd ever made the news. It was unlikely that such news had been seen by the majority of inhabitants inside the Commonwealth, but equally unlikely that no-one had seen it.

Either someone had talked or they'd seen her tattoo and - like Michonne - recognized the significance of it. In the end, the result had been the same.

"But they found out anyway. Somehow. So they questioned her again. Got the full story." Well, the official version anyway. "And then they came to me to verify it."

Because they hadn't believed her.

But Yumiko. . .

Yumiko could be believed.

She'd exposed her own brother, after all. She could be trusted to tell the truth. No matter what her connection was to the person in question.

Still, it could have been disastrous. The Commonwealth wasn't fond of fresh starts or second chances. Magna's criminal history would have branded her - could possibly have eliminated her chances of being accepted into the community altogether - if Yumiko hadn't been able to corroborate her story.

It wasn't the first time she'd lied for Magna when it came to this.

But it was the first time that she'd done so knowingly.

And she'd keep doing so. Over and over again. Forever, if that was what it took to keep her safe. Yumiko hated lies. But she would never hesitate to lie for Magna.

Whether she asked it of her or not.

"So you verified it. It's over with. Done. Any hot water she was in she's well and truly out of."

"I hope so." Though Lance had yet to entirely let it go. Yumiko was getting sick of fielding his not-so-subtle remarks about Magna's past. "But not if you make them question certain elements of her story."

"A story which is completely true."

"Completely."

"Mm." He narrowed his eyes a moment. "Well, I understand your concern. But you needn't have it. I won't make them question a thing."

She nodded, feeling some of the evening's weight leave her shoulders at last. "Okay. . . thankyou."

He reached for his glass. "Of course, you could always marry her and do away with the risk altogether. I'd doubt they'd touch her then."

"Tomi."

"Just being practical." He took a languid sip.

Yumiko rolled her eyes. "Well, I think I can more than manage without your kind of practicality."

"The eviscerated status of your relationship says otherwise."

She glared.

"Really, I'm just trying to help. And you can't say that you don't need it."

"I think I can," she muttered.

So far all that 'help' had done was give her a migraine.

Though his smile remained in place, some of the humor faded. "Why haven't you told her anything? Really," he asked softly. And for once it wasn't an accusation, but a genuine question. It was becoming clear, though, that he believed this to be the primary cause of their breakup. And she couldn't convince him otherwise without betraying Magna's trust. "Mum I understand. Her mother hen nature was unparalleled. I even understand why you might keep things from me. But Magna?"

Yumiko wet her lips, considering whether this was something she really wanted to answer - or if she even knew how to. In truth, there were lots of reasons. Too many to get into right now. Too many that she didn't want to get into. But she knew which of the lot had the greatest potential of getting through to her brother. "You liked the last ten years here, right? Working as a baker. Away from everything. Living as someone else. Without your past holding you back. I'm sure people even treated you differently than you were used to. It's freeing, right? Better?"

Surprise flickered across Tomi's face and she knew this was far from the response he'd been expecting. After a moment he cleared his throat. "I suppose it is."

"Then you have your answer."

(or part of it anyway)

The comparison hadn't been one that she'd realized until tonight. She'd been too focused on his career before then, too focused to recognize that his decision extended far beyond that. But she could remember what it had been like to travel to far off countries, where no-one knew her story; that first year of law school, where most of the pages were blank, waiting for Yumiko to fill them with whatever she saw fit. Whatever she wanted. Or, as the case had been, to keep them blank.

She no longer wondered why Tomi had chosen to become a baker. And she could only hope that he might be able to come to share that same understanding in regards to her.

Magna would understand. If she was ever to tell her. She'd understand this need Yumiko had, why she kept so much hidden. Secret. After all, she'd wanted a fresh start too. A means to divorce herself from the past.

Something the Apocalypse had granted in abundance.

Yumiko supposed that was another reason she hated the Commonwealth. It's near fanatic obsession with the past. The before times. For Yumiko, that obsession was a boon. A comfort even.

For Magna, it was nothing short of torture.

(one Yumiko had dragged her into)

"You were happy," she continued. "This is how I let myself be happy."

And it had worked.

For years it had worked.

She wasn't going to let him - or anyone else - judge her for that. Judge her for the happiness, the peace of mind, that she'd fought so hard to gain, to hold onto. For refusing to risk its destruction.

Tomi tilted his head, eyeing her thoughtfully. . . "Are you?"

"What?"

"Happy?"

Yumiko's mouth thinned.

She had been.

"It's a hard world to be happy in."

Though she knew it wasn't the world that was the problem. Not really.

Tomi's mouth thinned. "I suppose it is. Though, you'd know far more about it than me. I can't say I envy the past ten years you've spent living out there."

"You shouldn't."

Though she decided not to tell him that some of the best moments of her life had been birthed during those years. In amongst the horror and the chaos.

Because every one of those years had been spent with Magna.

Their first time holding hands. . .

Their first hug. . .

Their first time sharing a bed. . .

Their first kiss. . .

Their first time making love. . .

All of it had happened in the middle of hell.

And Yumiko wouldn't trade those moments for the world. For any world - not even a better one than this.

Shaking her head, she pushed off the counter. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mum."

Nonetheless, she heard the sound of footsteps as he followed after her.

"If I was anything like Mum I'd send you to brush your teeth and scrub your face. Be thankful this is all you're getting."

Mostly she just wanted to make sure that he made it to the bed without tripping and splitting his head open on the bedpost. Once she was confident that his drunken arse was safe, she wouldn't be able to get out of here quick enough.

Yumiko loved her brother.

But only in small doses.

A/N: Next chapter: Magna and Yumiko reunite. FINALLY.

Song mentioned in this chapter:

Total Control by the Motels