Reunion
“You can’t put this off forever.”
The considerate voice that rang out in Yura’s head could only be seen as patronizing to the young girl. Yura knew Vetelle meant well, but she couldn’t help but feel some level of fear and reservation. Of course, she knew she could not put it off forever. But it hadn’t yet hit that point, had it? For as long as she had been gone, forever was still longer.
Yura shuffled her feet back and forth in the snow, pacing about as she stared at the building before her, doing everything she could to work up the courage to confront the ever looming shadow of her anxiety ridden return to Ishgard. How long had it been? Two, three years? Long enough for her to build fear in her mind and shame in her heart. She had been so selfish in her departure from home despite her well-meaning goals. She felt the confrontation of her past was enough to rival the weight of every danger she had confronted during her time away from home, and then some. But here she was, at the crux of her return. Here she was, prepared to face her fears, to stand and be judged by the one she had claimed to love so ardently yet abandoned so easily.
Shaking her reservations, Yura finally brought herself to move forward, shifting in the snow one last time as she made her way towards the door separating her from her judgement. With a sharp push she entered the room, ever ready to accept whatever lay beyond the barrier. Iemori had been sitting patiently before Yura entered, yet shot up suddenly at the sound of the open doors. From his alertness, it was obvious he had been waiting for something, anything, to walk through that door. Yura had come ready to accept the consequences of her actions, yet seeing the man before her, she froze. He had not changed much in the few years she had left, but there was something about him that felt so different. His eyes, once sharp and proud as her mind could recall, were clouded and sad. There was a sense of loss and disbelief in his expression as he looked towards the young girl before him, examining her over and over with a care showed to a well-worn page of a treasured story.
Despite her determination to confront and accept the mistakes of her past for what they were, seeing the remnants of it before her shook Yura to her core. She had been so ready to accept rejection, so prepared for whatever he had to tell her. With such assurance had she ever moved forward, despite the burdens in her heart as the warrior ever had. Yet here, in this moment, did her eyes ever shown like the lost child she was.
The pair stood in silence, staring carefully at one another, the clock seeming to slow as the moment froze itself in time. As the moments ticked on, Yura found herself fighting harder and harder to retain her composure, the reality of the situation finally setting in as the dragoon, nay, the child fought the need to turn tail and run like the coward she felt herself to be. Yet as soon as the moment had felt itself frozen did Iemori finally move, shattering time itself as he moved forward slowly, coming before Yura before he dropped to his knees. Carefully did he take the smaller Au Ra in his arms as he muttered weakly, “Yura… You’ve grown so. How much I have missed.”
A sting came to Yura’s eyes at his sudden movement, yet it felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders, even if only for a moment. She had come believing she could receive any judgement and press forward, but the relief of his acceptance filled her heart as it drove her to the realization she could not have lived with herself with any other reaction but acceptance. With what remained of her strength, Yura returned Iemori’s hold, wrapping her arms around him with what felt like intentions of never allowing herself to let him go. Meekly, she could only bring herself two shaky words, fighting back the tears of relief that flooded her eyes: “Hi dad.”