Chapter 15 - Friend

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

Raiden heard the familiar chattering of more than one young girl laughing and giggling from the other side of the door. “Ashlee! It’s Raiden, I’ve come to visit.”

The white door opened as Raiden watched the doorknob twist. “Brother! Did you have a good week?” Ashlee looked at him innocently.

“Heya Ash, my week was alright,” Raiden looked behind his younger sister, “who’s your friend?” he tried, smiling to the best of his ability. Ashlee’s room was cleaner than before, ceiling lights illuminated the room and the single window let in light from outside. A few plates sat on the coffee table but aside from that, the room was neat.

“Oh? This is Natalie!” his younger sister replied, a curious head poking out behind her now.

A young lady stood up and walked over to the two Sullivans before introducing herself. “Hello! The name’s Natalie, I’m fourteen and a half, I like reading and my matter element is water!” a black-haired girl stoked behind Ashlee now, extending her hand to Raiden.

“Nice to meet you, my name’s Raiden, sixteen.” He replied, grasping her hand.

Raiden considered, before ultimately deciding. “Did you want to go for dinner? Won some money in a bet a few days ago and I’ve cash to burn…” He hadn’t actually won any bets, he truthfully just needed a reason to treat his sister to a meal. It seemed to work nonetheless because he found his sister to be interested. “Same place as last time?” Raiden asked.

Without hesitation, Ashlee took three steps out of the room while confirming. “Same place as last time!”

The white-haired boy looked back, piercing blue eyes gazing at him, “Oh! And Natalie can come too if she likes?”

The girl nodded.

Natalie followed behind Ash and her big brother, trotting along the sidewalk while shooting curious glances towards the latter. Ashlee had mentioned him once before, but she always strayed from talking about her family, a dreadful look on her face whenever it came up.

It was understandable, most new arrivals didn’t like talking about why they were there after all. Natalie had tried to understand why Raiden’s hair was a perfect white, not the sort you could attain with dye. It wasn’t long before she gave up, deciding she wasn’t all that interested after all.

Ashlee’s brother led them to a family diner, where the service was quick and the food was tasty. It had a decent atmosphere, clean and with a polished aesthetic. Bright plants lined the booths where they ate, and the staff was professional and kind.

Upon leaving the establishment, Raiden was quick to prompt his sister with more questions. It was clear he cared, but for whatever reason, he didn’t visit much. Or at least that was the one complaint Ashlee had mentioned. Natalie remarked that she didn’t seem to notice, or maybe Ashlee just didn’t want to, but Raiden was obviously pushing through a lot of stress. His shining green eyes were sullen by shadowy bags and his face wore a tired and voluntary smile.

“You want to head back now then?” Raiden implied, looking at his sister. It was about 7 PM, Raiden had arrived near 4 PM, meaning that three hours had already been spent dining and shopping with his sister.

Ashlee turned around to look at Raiden, Natalie still walking about happily behind them. "Sounds good to me! I'm getting tired anyway." She yawned, walking over to Natalie who was balancing on a raised piece of concrete lining the sidewalk.

He was happy to see Ashlee making friends, if not just one friend. While he was frequently accompanied by Kai and Alex, he wasn’t sure he was ready to involve himself in friendly relations, not when he found that they were even more likely to die than he was.

Raiden shuddered and cleared his mind of the vile imaginations he was having. He'd survive, he would provide for Ashlee, making sure she'd live comfortably, and he'd avenge his father. These were three promises he made himself, three promises he would never give up on.

Arriving at the housing Ashlee was staying at, Raiden introduced himself to the staff followed by the two girls. The woman instructed Natalie to follow her, and for his sister to head back to her room. Raiden, who was permitted to follow along, sat down beside the table.

His white hair just barely falling over the sides of his head, Raiden watched Ashlee sit on her pink bed. The two were alone now, and Raiden had the chance to discuss her week properly.

"Ash…" Raiden stared at her sorrowfully. "Dad, left some money for us, it's a lot, and I plan on using it for the both of us." He continued with a slight hesitation, "but I want your opinion as well, this is just as much your money as it is mine."

Without hesitation, Ashlee responded in kind. "Don't worry about it brother, I trust you. I know you'll spend it better than I would, but can you tell me what you're hiding? How come you only came to see me twice in the last two weeks? You rarely hide anything from me!" She pleaded, looking at him with desperate eyes, making it all the more difficult to do what Raiden was going to do.

"Please don't worry, I- I'll tell you when the time's right. Just know that right now, I'm working to get a job, and I'm going to school too, and I'm just really busy!" He lied, telling only half a truth.

She gazed at him with a disappointed sigh, before she responded in a grim voice, "I see, I don't know why you won't tell me anything. I know that you're probably just trying to do what you think is best for the both of us, but I just don't want you to lie to me."

...

"You can go now." She said, not bothering to look at him now.

Raiden tried to say something, to correct himself, to tell the whole truth, to tell her that he cared, or that he only wanted her to be happy; but nothing was voiced. He walked out that door defeated and depressed, knowing that the same thing would likely occur the next week. Slowly pulling the two siblings apart until nothing but a hollow husk of their former bond was left.

The one thing he dreaded most.