case file : nephew : yusuke : inaried :
he couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye , his stance shifting somewhat as he turned his body completely away from the other . just so he could feel at ease with himself : if he could have avoided this situation all together , he wouldn’t complain . his voice caused him to wince , disliking the tone throughout it all . part of him wished madarame had just confessed to all his sins on television ; but that would make yusuke an open book , something he’d rather stay closed . even for his newly founded blood - relatives . he wasn’t sure if he was ready for them to know the horrors he’s experienced under the care of that man , but dojima could probably get the jist of it after tonight .
‘ — yeah , more or less …. even then : that painting was tainted . he painted over … the child within , claiming it was to make it more mysterious … i have the original . ‘ he admitted , his chest raising as he drew in another deep breath . ‘ i brought it with me ….. i know she would rather you have it than me . ‘ it was upstairs in the spare bedroom , but he felt as if it would be rude to leave to grab it now . ‘ i didn’t know her at all : madarame spoke scarcely of her , i never even knew where she was buried up until a few months ago …. i feel foreign in this family , though it’s no ones fault but that disgusting excuse of a man . ‘
it wasn’t his time to speak of his insecurities , but — if he was honest , that’s what plagued his heart . he always dreamed of being within a strong supportive household , but now that he felt as if he had it : it felt too good to be true .
once again, the horrible sinking feeling returned to the hierophant’s stomach, causing his mouth to twist into a grimace. suddenly, madarame’s insistence that yusuke not attend michiko’s funeral, or all the times the old man had come up with an excuse so neither he or fuyuko could visit him left a sour taste in his mouth, even if he couldn’t quite put his finger on the exact feeling.
“ i’m sorry, yusuke-kun. ” the hierophant meant it, putting his head back into his hands. ( it was the only thing he felt he could say. ) “ i understand where you’re coming from; and you’re right, it’s not anyone else’s fault but his. ” the hierophant’s evens out, tone becoming matter-of-fact and looking up from hands. “ and, as much as i want to, i can’t make up for lost time. there’s no amount of wanting or wishing that can change that. but here’s the thing: i do want you here. i want you to be part of this family, and even if i have no place to ask this of you: i’d like a little time to try to get to know you. after all, we are practically strangers. ”
