TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF BLOOD. PLEASE DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THIS SUBJECT.


"Oneechan?"

Kisa hated how her voice sounded. Small. Unsure. Scared. Well, who wouldn't be? With the way her much-loved Tohru-oneechan looked like now – it wasn't something she would wish anyone else who was faint of the heart to see.

She was still wearing her white blouse – well she guessed it was supposed to be white, she almost couldn't tell due to the mud caking it, along with the dried blood covering the lower half of her blouse, some of the mud – or was it blood? – still streaked across her cheek. The sickening combination of the colors were a testament to how many hours had passed since she had been found at the bottom of the cliff cradling an unconscious Momiji, helpless, unable to move for fear of injuring the blond even more, enduring the rain which fell in large drops all around them. She was lying on her side merely staring at her unconscious cousin, who looked far worse than Tohru did, tears streaking silently down her face.

Momiji's shirt had been removed, his upper torso bandaged, his left arm in a cast, bandages were wrapped around his head as well. Kisa reached out with a trembling hand and rubbed his shoulder which was not bandaged, hoping that even if unconscious, Momiji will feel her support.

Kisa had been told that it was Tohru's and Akito's screams for help that had alerted the others of what had happened, and it was Kyo and Yuki who had first found them while Shigure called Hatori for help.

It had been impossible prying her off of Momiji, Yuki told her. She was injured herself, her right arm bleeding from what appeared to be a knife wound but the doctors had a hard time treating her because she wouldn't let go of Momiji at first, before they gave in and allowed her to hold his hand which she still held in a death grip, even now. It seemed the worst had been over – a testament to how the doctors had allowed her to enter their bay before transferring them both to a room, but Momiji showed no signs of waking up soon. Kisa was afraid to hear the kinds of injuries her older blond cousin had sustained while protecting Tohru as they fell off the cliff.

It had been an accident, according to Akito. She had gone to Shigure's home to confront Tohru, admittedly, and their argument led them to the cliff. She had not pushed Tohru, but the ground, probably due to the rain, had been soft. It gave way, just as Momiji had arrived, and before Akito could do anything else he had jumped after Tohru.

"Oneechan." Kisa could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She could only imagine the pain Tohru was going through right now. The brunette could endure anything thrown to her, the former tiger knew. Anyone could strike her down and while not physically strong, Tohru had shown countless times, again and again, that she was far stronger mentally and emotionally than anyone and would just stand up again. It was a fact that everyone who knew her is well aware of.

But having to see a dear person to her hurt because of her? That was a different story altogether. Kisa understood the feeling, unfortunately. She had lost count of the times she had realized how Hiro had tried to protect her from Akito and ended up suffering because of it.

And that had been a strike to her chest.

Seeing someone dear to them broken can break the other person as well. Kisa wasn't sure how much Tohru can endure such kind of hurt. Everyone knew of the special connection she had with the blond that people from the outside sometimes cannot understand.

Kisa didn't want to lose her.

"Oneechan." She reached for her hand which the brunette had curled around Momiji's as she called her name for the third time. "You can let go of him, oneechan. Everything is going to be okay. Momiji-nii will get through this."

Tohru didn't give any sign she had heard her, still holding on to her cousin tightly.

She braced herself. Now was not the time to be weak. She refused to be that weak child who did nothing but run away. Back then, it was Tohru who held out a hand to her, reached out to her. She had been the one to coax her out of the wall she built around herself. Kisa couldn't allow herself to regress back to that scared, little girl.

Now she would be the one to hold out the hand the older girl needed and pull Tohru back to herself.

For her… and Momiji's sake.