Sprace: Kazuki

[perfectpower]

Comments

[perfectpower]

You don't know? And yet you brought something all the way out here?

[It's a gentle chiding. He's trying to get Kazuki to open up, so he can help.]

Since we're already here, you might as well tell me what's on your mind.

[teenrebellion]

[ how frustrating it is to be scolded like a child. he's eighteen. he shouldn't be so skittish.

kazuki grits his teeth, and pulls on a mask that's definitely scene better days. some of the trim's been ripped away, the lace shredded in places and riddle with dark splotches. ]

I'm fine. Just came to check out the stupid market.

[perfectpower]

[ohhhh hmm. That looks damaged.]

's not a bad idea. Someone here might be able to repair that.

[teenrebellion]

[ my fucking TYPOS. ]

I'm not worried about repairing it. It's fine as it is. I'll just replace it if anything.

[perfectpower]

[Preserves your typos forever.]

Then why'd you bring it?

[teenrebellion]

Didn't read the dossier, did you? It's a rule for this whole night market thing. You're supposed to wear a mask.

[perfectpower]

[He absolutely did not read the dossier.]

...fuck.

[teenrebellion]

[ oof. well. ]

...You can probably get one near the entrance. They can't require masks if they're not going to give you a way to get one.

[ probably... kazuki's going to start heading for it, but - the void catches them first, encapsulating them both in a memory (19:00 - 23:36):

another month, another attack. classes are closed, students released to go home to safety, to their parents. but what good would that do? and why would you leave akito to head home on his own when he's already so on edge?

so you walk together. talk music, as you always do. let your feet take you where they will, no real destination in mind, only looking for whatever will get your minds off of the news looming over the city like a shroud. anything will do, and you're even having a good time, until...

"Ugh," you mutter with a flash of annoyance. "Why is she here?"

your older sister, ichika. akito is already exasperated - he knows that the two of you don't get along, and still he insists on going over to say hello without even giving you a chance to argue. she's just as surprised to see the two of you here, and you're irritated to hear her start nagging you without hesitation. it's late, she says, as if you care. there was another murder, she says, as if you were too blind or too stupid to pick that up when it's all over the news. you glare back at her.

"They closed school today because of the murder. There's nothing to do at home."

what does she expect you to do, stay cooped up all night? it won't do any good. but ichika insists on scolding you like a rebellious child, until akito finally interrupts. she's always been more inclined to listen to him, but never you.

"We're sorry, Ichika," he tells her with that apologetic little smile of his. it's sincere, of course; akito has always been the more patient one between the two of you, and maybe this time, he thinks that he bears some responsibility. "Kazuki was just worried about me."

you don't owe her an explanation. still, you find yourself muttering, "He's been feeling down lately, so I went to hang out with him. It sounds like... it's tough at home for him."

not that it's any of her business. and even then, even then, she insists that you should stay home, even if it's just the two of you at the apartment you and ichika share. you can't help but roll your eyes, temper flaring.

"Ugh, you're annoying. Who cares whether or not we're at home if we don't know when we could die?" you spit venomously. ichika looks like she's been slapped, and that only adds fuel to the fire. how can she call herself a cop and still be so clueless? "Is there any place that we'll be totally safe? Can you guarantee I won't be just killed at home? Even the people at school who act like they're excited about the murders when they happen are actually scared to death inside. ...They're all worried that they'll be next."

and you, of course, are no different. adonis has already proven they don't care who dies, that they'll target anyone, at any time, for any level of crime. you're not delusional enough to think yourself exempt, no matter how brave a face you put on for appearance's sake. so you continue speaking, hurling your words at ichika like rocks, like it's her fault for not understanding. but she never did try, did she? no one ever does.

"Adonis calls their murders righteous judgment, and says that only bad guys will be targeted, but that's not reassuring at all. There isn't anyone alive that hasn't committed some kind of wrongdoing."

neither you, nor ichika, nor akito are free of that. if adonis wants to judge you, any of you, you will die just as easily and miserably as the rest of their victims. you'll become just another number in the countdown, or another so-called "evildoer" or whatever those psychos will call you to justify their actions. it won't matter, in the end.

"Even if they've been trapped in this town, it doesn't mean that we're free from them... I can't stand being chained up any more. They said something's going down in January. When that hits, it'll be the end of Shinjuku. Everything here might all be gone someday. Just let me go enjoy the time I have left."

your sister stares at you in disbelief, until finally, she speaks, pleading with you. "Look... I'm not telling you to stay home... just be careful."

superficial concern. she's never cared before - why should she start now? you don't want to give ichika the satisfaction of feeling right, so instead of acknowledging her, you turn back to akito, noting the ashen pallor of his face with a wave of concern. you mutter an apology to him before leading him away, pointedly changing the conversation back to something more palatable as you turn away from the route home.

just one month until x-day. if you don't live to see what comes after, the least you can do is live as freely as possible until then.

as it fades, kazuki simply utters a curse under his breath. ]

[perfectpower]

[This sounds serious, with the mention of killings and X-day and 'righteous judgement', but Bradley can't help but notice the relationship between Kazuki and his sister. So he's a younger brother, huh...?]

Sounds like you're not on good terms with her.

[teenrebellion]

That was weeks ago. We're fine now.

[perfectpower]

[He chuckles. So quick to get over his anger!]

That's good. Siblings shouldn't be mad at each other for too long. I'd get mad at my big brothers and sisters too, but we always made up in the end.

[teenrebellion]

[ somehow he didn't expect to be lectured about sibling relationships. ]

...It was like that for years. It only changed in the past month, before we woke up on the ship.

[perfectpower]

[Unfortunately Bradley loves his brothers and sisters and thus thinks highly of sibling relationships.]

What changed it?

[teenrebellion]

[ he hesitates, because he is well aware of how childish the answer sounds when he says it out loud. ]

...She finally started listening to me.

[perfectpower]

[Nothing childish about that.]

Good. It's hard to form strong bonds if you don't listen. Glad she came around on that.

[teenrebellion]

...I am, too. But it won't matter that much if we don't get home.

[perfectpower]

Yeah, we gotta get you home first.

[He goes to pat Kazuki on the shoulder, but then a memshare!]

---

You're running as fast as your two legs can carry you, dodging around the thorny vines that have taken over most of the castle. Every so often you feel a twitch in your nose, and you have to plug it with your free hand and force the sneeze down. You can't afford to teleport away now, people are counting on you.

"Mitile! Mitile, run away......!"

"I can’t leave you behind, Riquet! ....I-it’s here......"

You grit your teeth as you vault over a low wall. The voices of Mitile and Riquet are echoing through the labyrinth of walls and thorns, distant but clear enough to point you in the right direction.

Your sleeve catches on a thorn, cutting your arm, you barely slow down from the pain.

You hear the roar of the fearsome minotaur, followed by the screams of the two boys. You're getting closer. "Just hold on a little longer," you say, even though you know they can't hear you.

Up over one tall wall, and down you drop into an open courtyard. On the far side, you can see that the minotaur has cornered the two boys, who are hugging each other and crying out in terror.

"No..."

"Mother, please save us!"

But the one who answers Mitile’s cry for help is not his caring mother in heaven. It’s you, the Northern wizard Bradley.

You flick your rifle up, pointing it directly at the minotaur's head. And then you shoot.

"<< Adnopotensum >>!"

Shot through the head, the Minotaur collapses to the ground with a deafening crash.

The two terrified boys look up to you.

"Mister Bradley!"

"Bradley!"

You grin at the relief and joy lighting up their faces.

"Sorry, my bad! That took me some time! I got blasted away by a sneeze, see. So I kept sneezing my way back. Stroke of luck landed me here in time......"

You casually chat away, but then you take notice of the boys’ wet eyes, their swollen ankles, their elbows scraped red. They fought really hard, didn't they. They're still kids, barely 15, and they managed to stare down a minotaur until you could come to their rescue.

You narrows your eyes kindly and pat them both on their shoulders. "Hey, you look like real men right now. You worked hard."

At your praise, Riquet and Mitile’s faces crumple up tearfully. "......W-we did!!"

[teenrebellion]

[ ...it's easy enough to see what he's doing. talking and talking to distract those kids, keep their heads up, keep them looking forward. it's not a bad thing to do - not really, but there's something in it that makes kazuki a little uncomfortable, so he chooses to focus on something else. ]

"Sneezing your way back?"

[ the fuck does that mean. ]

[perfectpower]

Ah, yeah, that's my curse. Whenever I sneeze, I teleport somewhere. It can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

[teenrebellion]

You have a curse?

[perfectpower]

Yeah.

Basically, everyone who survived the previous calamity- the one before Nero joined the Sage's wizards- got cursed by the calamity. We have no idea how to get rid of our curses either, beyond "defeat the calamity for good".

Honestly, sneeze-teleporting isn't as bad as some of the others. I'll take it over never being able to sleep again.

[teenrebellion]

Calamity...? What calamity?

...That... Yeah. That sounds miserable.

[ what the fuck ]

[perfectpower]

That's what the Sage's wizards fight: the Great Calamity.

[What the fuck indeed.]

[teenrebellion]

Which is...?

[perfectpower]

The moon is cursed and, once a year, it tries to kill everyone.