[ There's the barest amount of thought left, dedicated entirely to the somewhat amusing thought: Kidou probably thinks she's insane right now. Anyone would.

She needs-- She needs to get herself together. Needs to be quiet in case they're tracked down. In case her mother tracks them down.

And that brings a fresh round of sobbing.

It was bad enough in the alley, with her memories playing out in front of her. But this...this is different. This is her mother in the flesh, not a conjured apparition that fades away all too quickly. It hurts so, so, so much more, in a way it hadn't since she'd heard the weapon come down on her mother's head, smelt the blood mixing in the rain. ]

She's-- She's my mother. But s-she can't be because--

[ She's crying so hard she has to stop and cough, desperate gulps of air in between. She sounds like she might start hyperventilating. Somehow, she manages to drag herself back up a little, leaning on her hands again. ]

She's gone, so it can't be her, it can't. [ The words are coming out too quick now, and she can't seem to stop them. It's up in the air whether she's trying to convince Kidou or herself. ] I know she is because I was there. When the Investigator killed her. And then after they-- I held her arm when I found-- T-they cut her up and put her in a bag, and I just wanted to hold her hand one more time and she can't be here!

[ But what if it is? What if it is her mother and she's running away again, leaving her behind again? ]

I tried to find someone, I tried! I brought Onii-chan but we couldn't... I wasn't strong enough to help and now she's back because she hates me--

[ Live her mother had said. And Hinami tried, tried to continue living for her. But what if--

The what-if's are the worst. ]