Chapter 4

Time was going so slow, so slow in fact that it felt like the world just stopped. Powder hadn't left Vi's bedside since they'd gotten to safety, her eyes fixated on her sister's unconscious face, almost as if she was afraid that Vi would vanish if she looked away for even a second.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat across the room with Caitlyn, giving Powder some space, but they couldn't help exchanging glances, sensing the emotions swirling in the air.

Powder's heart was heavy with conflicting feelings. Seeing Vi again after all these years stirred up everything—joy, guilt, anger, and a deep sadness she had tried to bury. Part of her wanted to wake Vi up, to shout, cry, and demand why she left. But another part of her just wanted to hold onto her sister and never let go again. She hugged her knees to her chest, biting her lip as her emotions warred inside her. All she wanted was to break down and scream her lungs out, but despite that, her strong, flat, calm face mask didn't falter in the slightest. Besides, Donald did say "No Frowning, No Sad Face" when they first met. Not the best evidence to a 11 year old who just got punched in the face and abandoned, but it helped her control her emotions in a weird way.

Sora approached cautiously, sensing the turmoil in Powder. He knelt down beside her, his voice soft and understanding. "How are you holding up?"

Powder shrugged, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't know... It's just... I never thought I'd see her again. I dreamed about it, but now that she's here..."

"You don't know what to say?" Sora finished for her gently.

"Yeah," Powder admitted, a bit of a tremble in her voice. "I don't even know if I'm happy or mad or... or what. Hell, I don't even know if I SHOULD be happy or mad or..."

Sora gave her a small, supportive smile. "You don't have to know right now. But it's okay to feel all of it. Like, it had been 7 years since you last saw her, so I understand if you're happy to see her... I also understand why you would be mad as well..."

Powder lowered her head, her fingers lightly tracing the fabric of Vi's blanket. "I just... I thought she abandoned me. That she hated me because of what I did. I messed everything up... I thought I was a monster."

Sora placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're not a monster, P. You never were. And I don't think Vi hates you. I mean, she came back for you when we were in trouble back there, even after all this time."

Powder nodded but stayed quiet. She glanced back at Vi, her voice shaking as she whispered, "But what if it's too late? What if she's... different now?"

Sora squeezed her shoulder gently. "People change, sure... but that doesn't mean they stop caring about the ones they love. You two just need to talk. I think she's been carrying a lot of guilt too, just like you."

Powder's eyes glistened, but she nodded again, finding comfort in Sora's words. He always seemed to know how to make her feel a little better, even when everything felt like it was falling apart.

As if sensing the emotional weight, Goofy walked over, offering a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Powder. You got a good heart, and I reckon Vi does too. You'll figure things out."

Donald, who had been pacing nervously by the window, huffed but gave a reluctant nod. "Yeah, you've come this far. Don't let doubts stop you now."

Just as Donald finished speaking, Vi stirred again, letting out a soft groan. Powder immediately leaned forward, her breath catching in her throat. Slowly, Vi's eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first but gradually locking onto Powder's face.

"Pow-Pow...?" Vi's voice was hoarse, weak, but full of recognition.

Powder felt her heart squeeze painfully at the nickname. Her lips quivered, and she swallowed hard. "Yes Vi... it's me," she whispered, her voice barely audible, her emotions tightly bound.

Vi blinked slowly, her expression softening as she fully realised who was in front of her. "I... I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Powder nodded, biting her lip to hold back the surge of emotions. "Yeah, well... I didn't either."

There was a long silence between them, heavy with things unsaid. Vi's eyes filled with regret as she struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain in her side.

"Don't," Powder said quickly, gently pressing her sister back down. "You're still hurt."

Vi's eyes softened, but they were full of guilt. "Powder, I... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you behind. But I was... I was angry... and upset.... I just wanted to protect you-"

"Protect me...?" Powder hissed as she swallowed hard, her hands trembling with anger as she gripped the edge of the bed, her blank mask beginning to crumble. "Protect me!? Was THAT how you "protect"?! By punching me?! By calling me a jinx?! By LEAVING me to DIE alone in the lanes?! YOU DIDN'T PROTECT ME, VIOLET! You made me feel like... like I didn't matter anymore... like a.... a jinx...!"

Vi's face crumpled with regret. "I never wanted you to feel like that-"

"Well you did!" Powder snapped, her eyes blazing with anguish, "And I... I..." Powder trailed off, many different types of emotions, including anger and resentment clouding her mind and thoughts as her shaking hands clutches to fists.

"AND I HATE YOU FOR IT!" Powder roared as she grabbed Vi by the collar on her coat and swiftly raised her fist, ready to give her sister a taste of her own medicine. However, she stops herself mid-punch before she does so, her face softening in regret and horror. What was she doing? This isn't like her to do this.

Donald was about to tell Powder off about her choice of words and her attempt of violence against her sister, but Sora placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, silently telling him to not interfere and let Powder get her anger and resentment out of her chest.

Powder just closes her eyes and sighs shakingly before releasing Vi's jacket and steps back from her, "Sorry." She uttered softly, feeling guilty for her near action of hypocrisy.  But she didn't feel sorry for what she said. She was spitting out facts like hard balls of saliva.

Vi's eyes weren't scared or even angry, they were filled with only sorrow and regret. Her eyes softened even more as tears welled in her eyes. She didn't blame Powder for yelling at her... or almost feeding her with her fist... she had every right to hate her.

"I... I don't blame you, P..." she croaked, "What I did was unforgivable... and I should've never left you the way I did... but I..." she painfully sat herself up a bit before continuing, "I tried going back for you..."

Powder blinked in surprise, "What?"

"I tried going back for you... I really did! But I got knocked out by an enforcer and thrown into Stillwater Prison. But once I got out, I started looking for you and I never stopped, not even once. Even if there were no leads, I never gave up looking. And I would keep looking until I found you alive.... or dead..."

Tears welled in Powder's eyes, but she blinked them back, her voice small. "You... we're looking for me...? This whole time..?"

Vi reached out, her hand trembling as she gently touched Powder's arm. "Yes Pow-Pow... I did. I know it'll never undo what happened when we were kids, but I am... so sorry, Powder... I'm so sorry for what I did and said. You don't have to forgive me, but at least just-"

But before she could finish, Powder flung herself onto Vi, embracing her into a tight and tearful hug. All of her emotions were coming out in large bursts of sobbing as if she was that scared little kid once again.

"I missed you, Vi. I missed you so much!" That was all she could say at the moment as large emotional tears ran down her cheeks, tears that she has been holding back since she first saw her in 7 years.

After recovering from the shock from the sudden hug, Vi returns the hug to her little sister, her hands and body trembling as tears of her own face. "I missed you too, every single day."

It was unknown how long they embraced, but they do know that, after 7 damn years, they're together again and they won't be letting go of each other anytime soon.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched quietly, giving the sisters their space. After a few moments, It didn't take long for Vi to notice the three boys.

"Say... who are these three lovely cunts?" Vi asked, shocking Powder with her new and surprisingly accurate aussie accent.

'Was that... a Bluey accent?' Powder thought, her mouth a gape, 'When the hell did she get a fucking Bluey accent?!'

Sora jolted in a startle before she stood up, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, right! I guess we haven't really introduced ourselves properly."

Before Donald could stop him, Sora gestured to himself, Donald, and Goofy. "I'm Sora, and this is Donald and Goofy. We've been by your sister's side ever since."

Vi eyes widened in shock from what Sora said, "You... you took her in?"

Sora nodded, "Yep! She was alone, so we took her in."

"Yeah! And she's a better aspect to the team than Sora ever was!" Donald joked crudely, causing both Sora and Powder to flinch in shock.

"Donald!" Powder scolded as Sora rolled his eyes in offence.

"Well that's rich coming from someone who didn't even want her to join in the first place." He countered keenly, leaving the duck speechless as he tried to prairie back that comment, but was left with nothing.

Vi only chuckled before she looked at the boys though her eyes were looking directly at Sora, her eyes gleaming with warmth and relief, a big contrast to the sheer cold and pained look she gave them after defeating those enforcers.

"Thank you..." she said softly, "for lookin' out for her... if you guys never met, only god knows what would happen to her..." Sora only returned a warm smile back as he nodded in a "no problem" kind of way.

"Anyhow..." Vi continued, shifting her body up to lean on the old bed frame as she denies Powder's attempt to adjust the pillow to make her comfortable, "but the looks of your colourful as fuck clothing, you guys ain't not from here. So don't worry if I ask, where are you guys from?"

Donald's feathers fluffed as he tried to come up with a lie in order to keep his precious order, "Well-"

"THAT is a long story..." Powder interjects before the duck could say anything. Donald tries to protest, but nothing comes out, only a grumpy grumbling and quacking comes out of his unfiltered beak. The other just laughed, finding the duck's grumpy nature very endearing. Powder leans softly against Vi as she laughs, only to receive a weak yet strong arm around her shoulders as Vi embraces her once more, remembering to be soft and not too firm. It has been a hot minute since P felt her sister's soothing touch. Sure, it was heavier and stronger than what she remembered, but it was Vi's tough, and like it always has been, it was the best.

And sweet mother of the arcane, she missed it so much.