Aotsuki Eito | He/Him | March 16 | Pisces | Route ???+1 | Day 36 | CURRENT EVENT: None
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Hello everyone~! You can call me Eito-kun or Eito. Apologies if I come off as awkward to too strongly; I've not much experience in interacting with people. Looking forward to making new connections and working towards a hopeful future!
___
[PLEASE READ THE PINNED POST]
[Eito eyes the odd device now fixed next to the door in his room]
[Supposedly, it allows people from the TRC to communicate via hologram or send in gifts.]
["Improving morale" or so Sirei said.]
[It was certainly a change, compared to his original timeline.]
[It's a first for all of mine as well.]
Ah, hello, all you vile humans! My name is Aotsuki Eito, and this is my blog. Since I'm putting in the effort to get along with everyone this time, feel free to ask any questions you may have in your insignificant little minds!
(PLEASE READ THIS MOD POST BEFORE INTERACTING)
Hello, everyone! Welcome to my Eito Aotsuki RP/Possible Drabble/Ask Blog. Please read the following so you can understand both the blog's boundaries, as well as what exactly is going on with good old Eito here.
ABOUT THIS BLOG/BOUNDARIES:
Being an Eito blog, expect heavy spoilers for Route 0, 2nd Scenario and its branches, his overall character, and various other routes.
ABSOLUTELY NO SEXUALLY EXPLICIT RP WITHOUT TALKING TO ME ABOUT IT FIRST. It is not something I am generally comfortable with, and am probably only gonna do it with folks I already know. Mildly sexual situations are fine for the most part.
Because I have not completed every route and because I wanted to do something different, the Eito depicted here is NOT from any of the game's particular routes; rather, this Eito has become a time-looper after absorbing the cryptoglobin of the Takumi he knew in his timeline - specifically, a Takumi that had already been through many, MANY failed loops already. As for how this has affected Eito... You'll find out!
I'm not particular about ships, so feel free to pitch whatever you think will stick. Currently am shooting for DaruEiTaku because I am a poor, predictable rock.
NO ASKS REFERENCING CURRENT REAL-WORLD POLITICAL EVENTS. This is an ask/RP blog. Regardless of stance or conflict I'm going to delete them.
Because I'm fairly over the proverbial hill and DO occasionally write explicitly NSFW content, I do not want to RP with minors. Asks and maybe a 1 or 2 post back-and-forth is fine, but I ask that minors do not engage with any NSFW content on the blog.
SOME BLOG/CHARACTER HEADCANONS
For one, all of the *potential* ways a timeline could go =/= the amount of endings in the game. I feel like that goes without saying, but the whole basis of this concept relies on the idea that we only really see a small sampling of the way things could pan out at Last Defense Academy.
Eito is demisexual, and is transmasc.
His original Takumi is/was transmasc and bi.
He is/was in love with Takumi just as much as he hated them.
Takumi is still around in the form of the descriptive [Bracket Text]. Eito is unaware of this or the existence of [Bracket Text].
In addition to his cognitive disorder, Eito is also undiagnosed AuDHD and suffers hypertension, as well as a few other medical issues.
Eito likes animals, but is selective about potential pets. Mostly because many animals are messy and/or a time commitment to properly care for, and he is a busy fella currently.
With that out of the way, I'm looking forward to having fun with everyone!
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Eitoβ¦why are only you, Darumi, Kako, and Shouma going home and not everyone else?
[He sighs a bit at the Anon's interruption, having just returned to his room from his late-night excursion with Amemiya.]
[He'd just laid out his pajamas.]
I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt ans assume you are perhaps new here, as...
[He seems to stumble a bit on his thoughts, a bit confused.]
Wait... It hasn't been very long at all! I could have sworn I clarified things only a day or two ago...
[Ah, right. Yeah. It hasn't really been THAT long, canonically. But in terms of this actual blog? Yeah, it's been a hot minute.]
[Despite the random time discrepancy distress, he quickly recovers and rebounds back to the point he WAS making, before.]
Ah... well. Regardless of how long it's been, I do believe I already covered both the name of our little alliance as well as what drew the group together in the first place. So if what you're asking about is the name and why us four specifically, that should about cover it.
That said, we most certainly are not fighting just for ourselves. But from... Sumino-san's past experiences, as well as those of my Ugly Takumi and the other timeline's Takumi-kun...
[Well, I've officially been demoted to 'Sumino-san'. He is still well and truly pissed off at me.]
... It's best if the amount of people that know about the time travel situation remains as small as possible. Particularly those that have a hard time keeping their mouths shut during battle. So for the time being, we're keeping a lot of our cards close to our chest... Especially with how many... anomalies. Have already been occurring within this timeline.
At any rate, it's just the four of us responding here for the most part because... Well, this communication port IS connected to my room, after all! I'm... not exactly inviting everyone in here... Besides, plenty of the others in our timeline have means to communicate with them, as well!
But... Again. Rest assured. I - we are going to be doing everything we can, for everyone. We're all going to survive and escape this loop. There's going to be a good ending for us. There has to be. I'm sure of it.
[He's still taking the idea of trying to be better, and trying to fight for everyone else, seriously.]
hey so I kinda tattled on you and takumi getting down nasty-style to the other timelines. and a few of your other goings-on. y'all seem tight anyways so i figured it was fine
anyways fair's fair but its been really quiet over there lately for the most part (thought your blogs might all be dead) except uh some really weird new guy's going around causing problems. made it so kurara's breaking everything, and the other eito sees himself as a monster now. like. inverted you guys cognitive stuff.
since you two are friends now figured you might want to know
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 37 | 2AM]]
[Aotsuki and Amemiya are out in the woods, where they had fallen in the pitfall before.]
[They seem to be handling something wrapped in a blanket.]
[Nearby, there are a couple shovels and a few piles of dirt that they somehow DIDN'T notice when they fell in the pit before.]
[At the Anon's sudden appearance... and, uh, declaration. Aotsuki almost throws the bundle at Amemiya in his attempt to physically annihilate the Anon for what they just fessed up to doing.]
[It clanks around hollowly as it hits the ground and narrowly misses Amemiya's feet.]
GAH-! what-? What do you mean you "tattled"?! Does- does everyone know about my private life at this point?!- OW!
[Darumi kicks him sharply on the leg]
HEY! Eito! Maybe don't try to KILL ME with the... corpse...? remains...? THING. I DIDN'T SAY SHIT!
Ghhh... Apologies, Darumi. But... Rampant violations of my privacy aside, that sounds... Incredibly worrying. I do hope the other Eito is okay. I might have to send him a care package...
Thanks... for the warning, I suppose. We'll keep our guard up. Things getting any crazier around here is the last thing we need...
[Amemiya enthusiastically - and impressively - kicks the bundle square into the pit and loudly celebrates her victory, but is cut short by Eito retrieving the shovels and abruptly plopping one into her hands.]
[Notably... HIS are once again completely intact.]
[Amidst their chatter about lent books and games, the two begin filling the hole, burying away the mysterious bundle...]
Hi, mun Moka here. Sorry for kind of. Starting the Halloween stuff and going nowhere with it. I thought I was doing fine and then chronic illness flared up again.
Anyways, getting back in the groove, tackling items on my hitlist and will be moving forward with plot again, assuming I don't get K.O.'ed by multiple flareups in succession again...
A stranger amongst the party approaches the small group. Their appearance suggests they are human in shape, but where skin should be is pitch-black void that swallows light, its features and depth kept secret. A glittering masquerade mask catches the light instead, accompanied by a white cape and a top hat with a jaunty angle, all of which provide the necessary backdrop and focal points for interaction. They carry a large, cauldron-shaped bucket that continuously emits wispy smoke that obscures what lies within.
With sleight of hand, the stranger makes a show of producing a party popper from nothing. They activate it shortly after, releasing a flood of glossy purple, orange, black, and green confetti.
"Wowza, what a lucky bunch you are! I don't see all the colors together like that very often! Now then, Trick or Treat?"
It raises the cauldron bucket to the group and lightly shakes it; something rattles within as smoke continues to pour out.
[Eito jumps at the sudden popping noise, but of course smirks at the mention of his luck. Kako's eyes light up in delight at the surprise at the colorful party popper display, quietly tapping her fingers together, and Darumi lets out a loud whooping cheer. Shouma seems quietly pleased.]
[Full disclosure, we didn't hire this guy but we're pretty chuffed he's here.]
Eito: Of course, I'm always lucky~
Kako: Trick or treat... Hm... Well, based on past anons...
[She seems cautious, that tracks. Boooooo.]
Darumi: Trick! Trick! Hit me with your best trick, buster!!
Kako: Hmmmmm... Yeah, I want to see a trick!
Shouma: Not that my opinion means much... But I'd rather have a treat...!
Eito: Y-yes. I've seen what the anons can pull of firsthand. Assuming no humans have touched it, I'd vastly prefer a treat.
[Booooooo, lame. Can I godmod and veto this? I wanna see these kids get a trick.]
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[Even though it's five days late? Well, actually, I'm gonna shut up. That's my own fault...]
Eito: At least you're self-aware.
Darumi: OOOOOH! Big cake! Hell yeah anon, you win for Halloween treats!
Shouma: Aren't... Halloween treats supposed to be candy...? Oh, I'm not complaining! Not like I have any right to...
Eito: I mean... You aren't wrong, Shouma. But... Thank you and Happy Halloween, anon! We'll be sure to enjoy it and share with the others. Although... I may serve it myself, just so no one else's disgusting hands touch my portion.
Darumi: Gotta beat me to it first. I'll eat that thing myself, kyohohoho!
[A Hundred Line Halloween!] | ROUTE: NONE | DAY: SPOOKY]
[Hey! It's officially Halloween! Which means I'm going to claim it was my intention to kick off this blog's Halloween stuff now! Definitely haven't been sidetracked by life and executive dysfunction!]
Eito jumps a bit from where he was leaning against the wall, loitering with the rest of the Going-Home-Club until the Halloween party and the rest of the muses. muns, and anons got there.
"Wait, what happened to Sumino-san? Or... I guess the muns call him 'Oldkumi'?" Kako asked, a hint of concern evident, "Isn't he usually the one in the brackets? I thought he usually took care of exposition on this blog..."
Shouma sighed, fiddling with something on his costume, "He probably just didn't want to have to endure my putrid presence tonight. I mean, I get it. If I had any wants worth paying attention to, I wouldn't want to be around a slimy little-ACK!"
A hand wielding a spray-bottle had extended from a small opening in the front-facing zipper of a rather bulky costume, Darumi's muffled voice coming from inside, "No, BAD SHOUMA!! No party-pooping with the icky self-shitting-on!"
[Nah, nothing that deep, kiddos. It's Moka, the mun. I'm substituting for the old fart today, he ain't making it to the party. Had to take his kid to another, much more age-appropriate one.]
There were confused mumblings and mutterings all around. Mostly reactions of surprise and shock that somehow. the other Takumi had a kid that he was somehow taking to a Halloween party. And then, of course...
"Isn't it a bit... Redundant?" Eito deadpanned, seemingly glaring through the fourth wall to the clown on the other side of the keyboard, "For you to be saying that, I mean. You're the one writing all the dialogue, and the exposition, and directing much of the story of the blog routes from behind the scenes. Is it really necessary for you to be 'substituting' for him, when you're ultimately the one writing for him in the first place?"
[Hey man, don't think too hard about it. If we're going meta for this event I'm going full 2006, fanfiction dot net levels of cringe authors talking to the characters. Let's just get on with describing the costumes and setting things up, yeah?]
Eito sighed. His costume was a bit thrown-together, making use of a lot of what he already had or could make with the Gift-O-Matic after Kako pouted and insisted he wear a "proper" Halloween costume. As if his lovingly-detailed recreation of Ugly Takumi's face as a mask wasn't proper (nevermind the giant crack. Or that it was a little bent. He'd never made a mask before, alright?)! So instead, they'd scrounged the means to make him a "werewolf" for the night, or some approximation thereof. Fluffy, white-and-gray wolf ears were attached to a headband upon his head, a matching tail clipped to his pants. They'd added fluffy, furry cuffs to the sleeves and along the edges of the hood and hem of one of his spare coats, which had been left unzipped for the night (at Darumi's fervent behest and his embarrassment), showing off a couple of layered shirts deliberately torn in places to evoke the image of a fight... And of course, the white collar he still had locked on his neck, no thanks to Ugly Takumi. As his own touch, he did opt to add some fangs and some fake blood around his mouth.
If he was forced to look "cute", he'd at least have some element of viciousness. And you bet he still brought the mask with him.
Kako was perhaps the most visibly excited for the party, and dressed the part. Her costume - a picture-perfect, classically feminine take on the "Great Detective's" iconic look, complete with false pipe, had been lovingly prepared long before the festivities were going to occur. But of course, being Halloween, the ever-ambitious Kako had given it a distinct, horror-themed twist: she was not simply the Great Detective, but a zombie thereof, risen from the grave! Darumi had helped with the makeup, and had supposedly done quite the stellar job. The garrote wound on the neck looked especially impressive.
Which, speaking of... Darumi and Shouma is really where the "normal Halloween costume" thing fell a bit apart. And Eito would admit he was a tad salty about it.
Because even though they technically haven't canonically killed Sirei in the blog yet, it was maybe just a bit much for Darumi to be wearing that ridiculous and shoddy Sirei mascot costume. Looking at its stupid face was enough to make his blood boil, even if the zipper running down the front of its body and obvious patches emulating his annoyingly cheerful expression and weird... brain... hard drive thing stood as stark reminders that it was a costume and not, in fact, a human-sized version of that manipulative, annoying machine. Supposedly, Darumi was wearing something sexy under it. Not that he cared. (Really, he doesn't).
And Shouma... Well. No way around it. Shouma was a giant isopod. Why a giant isopod?
"Well, we're both bottom-feeders. But unlike me, they're way more ambitious in their will to survive as long as they have!"
[Yeah, that's about the kind of answer everyone should have expected.]
At any rate, the one posting the invitations failed to specify the time zone, leading to their early arrival. But, thankfully(?), it allowed them the opportunity to help set things up in a fun, Halloween-themed montage with the muns and some of the anons that were already here (how did Darumi and Shouma get the streamers up in those bulky costumes????) and bond as a team. Or something.
So for now, it was time to wait for the party to start. And enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts...
[[HALLOWEEN EVENT AND ASKS START!! The normal, canon asks and RPs will resume at its conclusion <3]]
This is a non-canon event, separate from any timeline or story events going on. It's just for fun! A really lighthearted event with no consequences!
What do we mean when we say "Cast and Crew party"?
We've used a theater metaphor here for meta stuff before. The idea that the muses/characters are "putting on a play" and that anons are an "audience" watching and interacting. This is kind of an extension of that.
For this event, most of what we've seen is a play where the muses are actors playing themselves. Now, we're seeing a behind the scenes event! See what everyone's "really" like when they're not "on stage"!
(If you don't get it, that's fine, its mostly just something silly for a few of us muns. We're happy if you just sit back and enjoy our shenanigans, and really happy if you send in questions!)
Who exactly is participating?
Any blog in the group that reblogs this post can be considered "participating" and will engage however they see fit. (If any blogs outside of the group wanna interact our muns tend to be pretty open to that, but I'd recommend sending a quick hello and stuff first!) Oh, and anons, especially our regular anons, are welcomed! Questions and the like always make things easier for us!
Is this just a normal halloween party? You're not planning anything?
@sdu-axe-queen Trying to sneak through the school while wearing a leap suit was difficult. Thankfully, she'd had plenty of practice. And while she'd been less rigid about her rule of wearing one while timeline hoping this loop, today she definitely needed it. If anybody in this timeline saw her....it would spell trouble.
She made it up to the roof and found Eito's door. She rang the doorbell and waited impatiently.
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | LATE EVENING | A SECOND DATE]]
Okay, alright. It was last minute, but things were going well.
His double had somehow gotten back to his timeline, and Kako had already made the move to meet with Sirei tonight. Darumi was keeping watch over Takumi, at least until it was time for them to make their move. Shouma was keeping watch by the Infirmary, and he himself had managed to send Nigou - gullible as he is - on a bit of a wild goose chase just outside the grounds. It was astonishing what you could convince him of, as long as you framed it as coming from Sirei.
And to boot, those embarrassing rabbit accessories had finally come off.
Ideally, he would have talked to Yugamu about removing the bomb in him. But unfortunately, time hadn't allowed that particular conversation. And for whatever reason, the guy had locked himself up in the Bio Lab. No huge loss - the way they were doing this, Sirei wouldn't even know WHO was striking him until it was too late; while setting off the bomb in time was entirely possible, and thoroughly unpleasant, there'd be no way he'd have time to remove their Revive-O-Matic data.
And with what he knew from Takumi-san, they'd be able to pull this off without damaging any critical memory or data. Which would be vital, in terms of rallying everyone in sparing this planet without airing out the time travel secret.
You're really doing this, then? Aren't you rushing things a bit?
"You know full well I can't abide that... thing, in the Infirmary," Eito replied aloud, a chill running down his spine just thinking about it, "And as such? I refuse to risk letting my Ugly Takumi fall victim to it."
'Your' Takumi, huh? You're both freaks, I swear. Well, whatever. It had to happen sooner or later, I guess. Just hope you know what you're doing.
He paced around as he went over things in his head one more time. Just a few more hours until the scheduled meeting. Any more prep to do...?
The doorbell rings. Who is it at this hour? Did Kako maybe succeed in getting ahold of Yugamu?
"Coming!" He chirps, in the bright and friendly manner most of the current SDU was familiar with.
He did not expect to see someone in a Leap Suit on the other side.
Hiruko pushed the white haired boy inside and locked the door behind them. She quickly removed her helmet to show her identity- and the reason she was hiding it. The cat ears the anon had struck her with had not disappeared yet. Unlike many of the rest of the victims, Hiruko's ears were not attached to a headband, but were seemingly a part of her body. The same was true about her tail, tucked uncomfortably into the back of the leap suit.
It would be best to ignore them, she decided. They couldn't last forever.
She took off the rest of the suit and crossed her arms. She could feel the ears twitch above her head and her tail swish back and forth. She had to fight not to blush.
"What's going on, Hiruko-san?" Eito asked urgently. If Hiruko was willing to hop timelines to speak with them while... well. Looking like that, surely it was of utmost importance.
There were still a few hours before his own plans would unfold. He could probably help her out.
There was an odd feeling in his mind...
"Takumi-san...?" He brought a hand to his head, a puzzled look on his face.
. . .
Was he... flustered?
"Huh," he brought his hand back down, shrugging with a bemused expression, "Well, it's certainly not what you came here for, Hiruko-san, but it appears you've left my annoying little headmate at a loss for words. Never thought I'd see the day. But, seriously. What can we help you with?"
Y- you can shut up. You have no right to judge me, here.
Her own embarrassment faded a bit as she imagined Takumi's face. She'd love to see it, but the fact he couldn't hide his feelings from being known to Eito was it's own kind of fun torture.
She found a seat on Eito's couch and made herself at home. She pulled the paper she'd been given by the Flower Child out of her pocket and placed it on the table in front of her. "I have two puzzles, one more concrete, one more abstract. As an Eito and Takumi, you are the perfect duo for the job. And frankly, you save me from having to talk to my Eito about it."
Eito snickered a little bit at the last comment, "Ah, yes. A picture of humility, that one. Certainly wouldn't let something like stern, unyielding Hiruko-san begging for his help get to his head, absolutely not."
The look on her face demanded he stop clowning around.
"But surely, that wouldn't be enough of a reason to risk jumping timelines, no? I assume the reason you're here is because you need some kind of specialized knowledge?" He sits down across from Hiruko on a soft cushion that he'd tucked under the coffee table.
Since welcoming the other three into his circle, and in general trying to do more for himself, his room had gotten filled with all sorts of new things that helped it look less like a room out of a hospital or institution, and more like an actual dorm someone lived in. Extra blankets and pillows in colors that reminded him of the nature he adored, the odd plush, plenty of potted plants, the terrarium for his snails and Jorm's enclosure, even evidence of attempts at new activities. It still smelled incredibly sterile, owing to Eito's aversion to strong smells, but overall, it was far more homey.
He was quite starting to like his room, actually.
Eito takes the note in hand and glances it over. He only had the vaguest idea as to what he might be looking at.
Ancient Futuran? But... it looks recently written...? Where in the world did this come from...?
"Well, Takumi-san seems to recognize this, and is utterly flabbergasted that you have such a thing," he says, "The script is ancient, but clearly, this was written very recently. Quite the mystery..."
"I presume this is the concrete puzzle, so. What's the abstract? Or is this a, 'solve one to get a clue for the other', situation?"
"I received this note from a Futuran child, along with some flowers. They've come by before, last time I warned them it may be dangerous and to stay away but they didn't listen. This time they gave me this note."
She shook her head. She worried for the child. There were too many dangers for their groups to be interacting. Her people could get spooked. The Futurans may punish them for speaking to the invaders. Sirei could find out. It was best for children to stay where it was safe and far away from the war.
She sighed, shifting her thoughts to his other question. "The abstract has to do with a friend of mine. An Anon. He challenged me to find his 'hidden motivation' for interacting with our timelines and...I keep turning it over in my mind but I'm coming up empty. He said it was 'the heart of a god' but I have no idea what that could mean."
"A... Futuran child with flowers?" He questioned, blinking a few times. His head felt... strange, "I... think I may have encountered them in my own timel...ine..."
Eito clutched his head. He felt... tired. Overwhelmingly so, it was if his thoughts were being dragged underwater.
This was wrong, he shouldn't be feeling like this.
Takumi...?
"Ah... Hiru...ko... saaan... someth... hel..."
No, no...! He had to fight this, he wouldn't keep being controlled...!
It was as if something was unplugged in his mind; his eyes and expression went blank, and he went totally limp where he sat.
A marionette, with strings severed.
One arm twitches, then another, as eyelids flutter and he straightens up, posture notably different, rolling his shoulder as he meets eyes with Hiruko with a smile.
"Hello again, Hiruko," Takumi says, slightly apologetic, "Sorry, you had to see that. But I'm not really in the mood to play 'telephone' here. Plus... looking into a few things I'd rather not he know about, yet."
He stands up from the table, and moves over to the bed, getting down on his hands and knees and reaching under it. He finds the panel hes looking for, shifting it out of the way and removing a notebook and a small, airtight container, taking both back over to the table and seating himself next to Hiruko on the couch.
Takumi opens up the container, revealing several incerdibly old-looking scrolls, and flips open the notebook, and begins examining the note Hiruko had brought. The notebook was filled with similar symbols, along with more recognizable ones - Futuran language, in different iterations, as well as charts with their own Kanji, katakana, and hiragana, and letters from other languages as well. Normally, this kind of work would make Takumi want to throw himself off of the roof of the Academy, but he'd built up quite a bit of patience over the years and besides. He had SEVERAL mysteries to unravel.
He takes Hiruko's note in hand, flipping through his notebook and comparing, "This one... shouldn't take too long, I think. I recognize quite a few words here, already. From what I can tell, it seems more like a personal message, or... trying to make contact, than anything."
"Whomever that child is though... I don't know if we need to worry about them being in danger," says Takumi, as he tears a blank page out of the book and begins transcribing what he can, "As Aotsuki was saying before I interrupted? That same child appeared in our timeline to give us flowers as well. Both of us."
He knew Hiruko would be smart enough to get the implication.
Hiruko was quick to figure out what was going on with Eito. Which was lucky because as unsettling as it was, once she figured out it was Takumi's doing, she relaxed.
"I was planning on getting his input too." She remarked, but it wasn't a strong objection. "He might have an interesting perspective if we listened to him."
She was grateful for another opportunity to talk to Takumi though. Maybe one day conversations like these would be easier. And maybe the things they'd be able to do and say would be freer.
But for now she focused on the task at hand. "An ancient child that knows the unknowable. How strange. Did you learn about anything like this when you were training with Dahl'xia?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'll let him back out. Especially for that riddle your Anon friend gave you," He replies, still largely focused on the task at hand. Agh, these two characters were always tricky. Was it 'fah' or 'vul'...?
The very cute distraction that was a cat-eared Hiruko watching him so intently didn't make the translating go any faster.
It was a shame Eito was busy tonight. He'd love to spend more time with Hiruko. In general, not just tonight. It was one of the biggest issues with his current living situation, as it were.
He paused a minute to think about her question, tapping his pen against the edge of his notebook. Takumi hums in consideration a moment, before standing and heading over to Eito's desk and retrieving a worn book from the drawer. It was considerably more recent than the scrolls he'd retrieved earlier, and looked to be some sort of religious or history book. He returned to the couch, and began flipping through the pages.
"Not specifically, and while Dahl'xia does love his history and is incredibly dedicated to his faith, the man's love really seems to be the stories that get passed around after the fact. Folk tales and legends, myths and stuff," he responds, slowing down once he'd reached a certain section, "But something that stuck out to me was the idea that as wild or embellished as a lot of those stories could be, there was usually some little grain of truth in them. That's part of why I don't completely count them out when looking for information."
It actually brought to mind something he heard from his very first Eito. It was a story about some massive statues that had been moved from one place to another a very long time ago on Earth, and the historians or whatever studying them had no idea how the ancient people managed it. Upon asking the native people, they were told a story about how the statues simply 'walked' there; and while that was what their legends stated, the truth wasn't that far off - they'd tied ropes to the heads of the statues, and using teams of people rocked them back and forth to effectively 'walk' them to their destination.
The answer was right in front of them, but the perspective was completely dismissed because of the source and how the information got passed down over the centuries.
Eventually, he stopped at what appeared to be a print of a painting in the book, and turned showed it to Hiruko, "Did the design of the mask look anything like this?"
The painting in the photo depicted a mature feminine figure, clothed in simple robes and holding a small handful of florals - blooddrops, arnica, yarrow, sage... and an unknown flower that seemed to radiate a silver glow. She was surrounded by what looked to be sick and wounded, a leper whose hand she held appeared to be healing from the touch alone. The scene had them set in some kind of shrine in deep forest.
The wooden mask concealing her face was identical to the one the child wore.
It was strange to see Takumi being so studious. She didn't hate it.
Her tail flicked back and forth lazily as he worked. She...really would have preferred to come without it. She wondered how much longer she'd be stuck like this. Was fixing it another mission she was going to have to go on?
"I suppose stories do tend to have some truth to them; still, too often they seem to lead to chasing shadows and bad endings." Maybe it was a bitter take from her, especially since she seemed to be doing the same again. But it seemed every time they started digging into the local myths and legends, things always went wrong. Maybe it was safer if she was doing it on her own, but she really wanted to keep the team out of this.
She was dragged out of her sullen thoughts by the painting. The mask of course stood out, but she couldn't help but wonder more about their seemingly healing touch. It was possibly a metaphor, but more likely this figure was someone extremely powerful.
"Well, you've seen it. Yes, that's it." She sighed. "I doubt this is as simple as a child walking around with an ancient artifact. Do you think we're dealing with a ghost, a reincarnation, or a cult?"
Of course. Of course it was the same. It was all far too much for it all to be coincidence. Whether that boded well or ill...
"A cult would be unlikely, in this case," he says, taking the book back and glaring holes into a conspicuously open, empty spot behind the figure in the portrait, "For one, I don't think any cult worshipping a Paragon would recreate their masks for their own use. If there's one thing I've learned, its that they take that SUPER seriously. It's never the same design, and you'd better not recreate it for yourself.
"Second, a cult would be... really redundant here. Ama-Sephia is one of the most widely-revered historical Paragons. Supposedly, one of the very first to gain their power from their 'God'; the first 'Paragon of Nature', and often referred to as 'The First Healer' as well. You'd have a hard time finding a Futuran that DIDN'T venerate her, to some degree."
He trusted Hiruko enough to voice his concerns here. There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. No strokes of bad luck. It was all intentional, all designed. What once was one became two, became shattered, and must be one again. The cycle repeats, again and again, until made whole. The Blood that binds will ascend them all, no more pain, no more danger. It ends forever.
He refused to let that happen. That wasn't the protection, or the ending he'd wanted...!
Takumi remembered. All of it.
He swallowed thickly, becoming aware of the sweat on his brow as he steadied himself, suppressing the power that threatened to tear Eito's body to shreds.
She understood when Eito started to act strangely, but Takumi acting like this caught her more off guard. She moved in closer, almost wrapping her arms around him, but stopping at the last minute. Instead, she took his hands and held them.
She looked at him seriously, her eyes filled with worry.
"S-sorry, agh, just. Gimme a minute," Takumi said between breaths, squeezing her hands reassuringly, "I'm- I'm fine, now. Promise."
Fine as he could be, at any rate.
He could tell Hiruko some of it. At the very least, to ease her mind. She'd understand if he didn't want to get into all of it now, surely.
He removed Eito's glasses. It wasn't like they were the correct prescription; right now it was only contributing to the headache.
"I... when chasing that line of thought, I just... remembered something. A lot of things, actually. And... well. Put plainly, I've been suppressing my hemoanima by... Quite a lot. Eito's body can't quite handle it," it was the truth, or at least partially, "It was enough to shake me, and... I lost control, for a second. I don't want it to cause him more harm than it already has."
He pulled his hands away, shakily returning to the task at hand.
"Sorry. I'd rather focus on this, if at all possible. I need time to... think about what I remembered, before bringing it out to the open."
She frowned. She still didn't quite understand what was happening, but she understood enough that it was all the more important that they separate Takumi from Eito. Unfortunately all the options she could think of would leave him with at least some part of Eito's body, which was the real problem.
"Alright." She agreed to move on, but promised herself she'd think more on Takumi's situation later. "If the masks are as important as you say, I'm willing to rule out reincarnation as well. Unless everyone around here knows she's the reincarnation and has accepted that, they likely still wouldn't allow a duplicate mask, correct?
"Which leaves, unfortunately, a ghost. I'm...willing to say that she's a 'real ghost', whatever that means to us, because she has appeared to multiple of us. She can also interact with real objects. But if Ama-Sephia lived to adulthood, why is she a child?"
She pushed up her glasses. "Why bother contacting us at all? I imagine she lived and died a long time ago, if she was the 'first' paragon. The dead should stay dead."
"Not THE first, but certainly one of them. The honor of 'First' Paragon would go to the Paragon of Hope. Which... Weirdly enough? No one actually seems to know their name," he corrects, somewhat reveling in the rare opportunity of appearing learned... especially in front of Hiruko, "Just that they had some crazy-powerful hemoanima; it's why a lot of them refer to Shion - or... the baby in the Defense Room - as 'The Second Coming'. And... one of the many reasons the Futuran people are pretty split as far as opinions on V'ehxness goes. From what Dahl'xia said, and what I've heard from the people I've spoken to? It's one of the few titles NO ONE takes, and it's considered pretty heretical to do so."
Takumi realized he was getting slightly off-topic.
Reincarnation... He supposed such a thing wasn't impossible. But...
It was also fully possible that she never really 'died', not fully. And if that were the case...
"With hemoanima... I suppose anything is possible. But we probably won't know unless she contacts us again," he sighs, "Unfortunately... the note doesn't tell us much. Seems to be a personal message."
He hands the note and transcription back to Hiruko.
'I am sorry I seem odd. I mean no harm. You Star Children are all strange, but you want to help everyone, not just yourselves. I wanted to thank you. I am sorry I cannot speak the words to say this with heart.'
Takumi closes his notebook and leans back, crossing his legs, "At the very least? I'd wager if she went through the trouble, she'll probably show up again. And seeing as multiple people received flowers the first time? I wouldn't be surprised if others got notes, as well."
Hiruko was impressed by Takumi's knowledge. In all her loops, she'd never really gotten a chance to understand the Futurans or their culture like that. She supposed it made sense. With his charisma and people skills, of course he'd manage to be welcomed by the enemy, whereas she had a hard enough time getting her own team to trust her.
The note only served to remind her why people felt so cautious around her. The rest of her team had happily accepted the gifts the child had offered, but she turned them down. She could only see danger, for her team and for them. Even still, she couldn't quite think she was wrong. If she'd had more information maybe she could act differently, but a child coming up to her with flowers was suspicious. People use children for evil things. Children are vulnerable and impressionable, too easily lead astray.
She tried not to let her troubled thoughts show as she responded. "I'll expect Takumi at least got one. He ends up involved in everything. I can speak to him when I return."
A genuinely tired, drawn-out sigh escaped from his lips as he rubbed at his temple. It seemed impossible for ANY Sumino Takumi to catch a break, ever.
But then again, given what he knew... Well.
"I'd imagine you're right. Like I said, she approached myself and Aotsuki before, no reason to think she wouldn't again. Here, or in your timeline," he replies, noting how the very distracting cat tail and ears twitched slightly as she sat there. He was pretty sure that meant she was upset about something.
As much as he has... a bit of a thing for kemonomimi, he wasn't exactly the most skilled with animals or reading them.
"Sorry. Bit distracted. Ah, anyways," he shifted a bit, snapping back to reality and attempting to hide the slight flush to his face before continuing, "I imagine your Aotsuki might also be on that list, for that reason, as well. Though, from what I've heard, I can't imagine he'd treat her much better."
Takumi's embarrassment was usually very easy to catch, but reading it through Eito's body made it harder. Especially with that stupid jacket. She was pretty sure she noticed it though, and while she couldn't play off it as much as she'd like, she did carefully brush him with her tail. An accident, of course.
Flirting and picking on Takumi did make her feel better. Her with her mind back on the task at hand, she said. "So I need to check in with both Takumi and Eito of my timeline. Another team meeting."
Oh, Takumi certainly noticed the tail. He shifted a bit and attempted to hide his fluster, as well as the other... complicated feelings swirling around, in light of... the memories, that had come to him.
All of the joy and pride, relief, progress. Happiness. Having it all ripped out from under him and burned to ash, leaving only pure, unyielding fury and despair. Feelings that brought him to where and what he was now.
It hung bitter on his tongue. He should be enjoying Hiruko's teasing. But with remembrance came the guilt. She wasn't his Hiruko. That was someone... he couldn't go back to. Not with things the way they are now.
"Sounds like. Hopefully, they won't be stupid this time," he smirks a bit, attempting to be a little lighthearted. They were both in shitty, guilty situations, even if it was others that drove them into them, "Though... aside from Aotsuki's usual barking scaring her off, I can't think of too many ways they could possibly screw things up, here. So, at least you don't have that to worry about."
She nodded, not letting herself start to come up with problems they could have caused. Might as well let herself be surprised this time.
"So then, I imagine that's the extent of what we'll get on that subject for now, unless you have more to share? If not, would you be ready to help me solve Poe's riddle? Or...is there something you'd like to talk about first, before Aotsuki 'gets back' so to say?"
An opening for him to share whatever he was going through, whatever he remembered. Any amount he was comfortable with, he could unload onto her. She was here for him, she hoped he knew that. She hoped he would take the opportunity to bring her in.
Takumi didn't break eye contact with Hiruko. To others, he knows she seems cold, collected, immovable. But after all this time, all these years, he felt like he had a pretty good read on her. And even if he wasn't her Takumi, even if he was in Eito's body... she could probably read him just as easily. Soft eyes, the slightest lean in her posture. The smallest quirk in the lips that he could easily see as a gentle smile in his mind... on some early morning in a time now far away, him not quite wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of a shared bed and her - for once - deciding to return to bed with him, at least until their newest responsibility demanded their attention. It was their peace they fought for, they could enjoy it.
She wanted him to open up to her. He wasn't sure how much he could.
"Man," he sighs, resigned, "I don't get to keep much from you, do I? I mean, not like you're twisting my arm, but..."
Maybe... just a bit. If anyone could understand his... frustration, it'd be Hiruko. He didn't have to tell her everything. Just what was lost, before his story started again.
He exhales a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It'd been quite some time since he'd been this nervous.
"We had... talked before, about something... or somethings messing with us. Your ability to speak freely, and my memories," he starts, "And... Only just now, did I remember some... important ones. Very important.
"I think I got close before, back with Sumino-kun and Vee. Kind of like something was trying to wiggle its way into place, but I couldn't quite get it. But I had the thought of, 'wait, didn't I get out of the timeloop?' And it stuck with me."
Takumi waited a moment, hesitating. A heart clad in armor was difficult to lay bare. But he decided not to back down.
"It... Well. I was right. I did escape the loop. After... shit, decades, we all got out. Survived. Stayed on the planet, fought and eventually helped forge peace between the Futuran people down here and the humans up on the Satellite. V'ehxness was taken care of, and the humans heading the Exodus Project were on track to answer for their crimes. People from both sides were resettling and rebuilding a world we could all move forward on," he was only vaguely aware of the slight climb in his voice's volume, the slightest tremble as his anger and grief threatened to break loose, "Twenty years. It'd been twenty years since we got out of the Academy. Got out of that... stupid timeloop. We'd finally been able to... to stop fighting, at least like this. We - my Hiruko, and I - we'd... We were starting a family. We'd had a kid, and...just, fuck..."
He needed to compose himself, now. He couldn't start crying, not in Eito's body. And couldn't let himself lose control again. Unclench his fists, deep breaths.
"It'd been... five years since the peace treaty was signed. Folks were out celebrating, and some jackasses that weren't happy about that took advantage. Assassinations, mass attacks. That was all it took for all that hard work to start blowing up. Friends and family, so many of them dead. I... I lost it," he was keeping his tone measured, being careful with his choice of words, "Something... happened, with Bloodspace. That - thing - that was messing with my memories. And I ended up back at the Academy. Just before day 2. Starting over. Each loop after, ending the same as the last - failure. Because of that thing."
He left out the part where that was his fault, too. He didn't need anyone getting any ideas. Not when he'd seen the consequences firsthand.
He had to look away. It was hard to look at Hiruko, after dredging up those memories. He really wouldn't be able to stop himself from crying if he tread too far down that road.
She was quiet. It was a lot to process. She knew they were in different cycles, somehow. But the idea that he had already escaped, with a different version of her. Lived a life with that woman, had a child with her....had so much of the future she wanted for herself...and then lost it all...she wasn't even sure how she was supposed to feel.
Was she jealous of the version of herself who had escaped? Who had gotten to live twenty years outside of the time loop, more than she herself ever had? Who had gotten to grow and age in ways she was seemingly not allowed to?
Or should she grieve her? She was a mother, a leader in the fight for peace, clearly a valued partner. If it were not another version of Hiruko herself, she would say she seemed like an amazing woman. And she could see how much losing her- and their child- clearly broke Takumi. She grieved for him, if nothing else.
And she pushed away the gnawing, shameful voice that spoke in the back of her head that said when he looked at her, he was only seeing the woman he lost. And she could never be her. And she would never be good enough.
"Takumi..." She whispered, unsure what to say. "Thank you. For trusting me with that."
Takumi sighed, frustrated. Talking should have made him feel... Relieved, at least slightly. But he just felt ashamed. Pathetic.
"Sorry," he apologized, his gaze shifting downwards, "I... It's a lot to take in. I realize it's... probably awkward, and I probably shouldn't have unloaded on you. Even if we are a lot closer in... 'age', I guess, than the others, I shouldn't be dragging you down with my baggage. Your future probably won't be the same, so..."
Part of him honestly considered just flinging Eito back into the driver's seat to remove himself from the situation. But that wouldn't really solve anything, and would just create another weird situation for him to patch up.
A warning then.
"Best tip I can offer? When you guys get out of this?" He straightens up, and there's a coldness in his eyes and his voice that only scarcely reflected the grief and fury that ran like ice under his skin, "No matter how the dust settles? All of those researchers and scientists on the Satellite? The ones down here involved with creating V'ehxness's little 'Battle Pets'? If they refuse to come to heel? Try to flee trial or judgement? Don't waste time. Just put them down like the beasts they are. Hell, I'll give you a damn list. As long as they don't escape. Or at the very least, destroy anything they were already working on."
He knew it probably wouldn't be as simple as that. Hiruko, as hotblooded and impulsive as she could be, was usually smarter than him. Maybe she or her timeline's Eito would have better ideas. He seemed smart enough, assuming they can get him to pull his head out of his ass.
Another pressing silence, before he spoke up again.
"So, did you... have anything else you wanted to say? Or ask? Or did you want Aotsuki's help with that riddle?"
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@sdu-axe-queen Trying to sneak through the school while wearing a leap suit was difficult. Thankfully, she'd had plenty of practice. And while she'd been less rigid about her rule of wearing one while timeline hoping this loop, today she definitely needed it. If anybody in this timeline saw her....it would spell trouble.
She made it up to the roof and found Eito's door. She rang the doorbell and waited impatiently.
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | LATE EVENING | A SECOND DATE]]
Okay, alright. It was last minute, but things were going well.
His double had somehow gotten back to his timeline, and Kako had already made the move to meet with Sirei tonight. Darumi was keeping watch over Takumi, at least until it was time for them to make their move. Shouma was keeping watch by the Infirmary, and he himself had managed to send Nigou - gullible as he is - on a bit of a wild goose chase just outside the grounds. It was astonishing what you could convince him of, as long as you framed it as coming from Sirei.
And to boot, those embarrassing rabbit accessories had finally come off.
Ideally, he would have talked to Yugamu about removing the bomb in him. But unfortunately, time hadn't allowed that particular conversation. And for whatever reason, the guy had locked himself up in the Bio Lab. No huge loss - the way they were doing this, Sirei wouldn't even know WHO was striking him until it was too late; while setting off the bomb in time was entirely possible, and thoroughly unpleasant, there'd be no way he'd have time to remove their Revive-O-Matic data.
And with what he knew from Takumi-san, they'd be able to pull this off without damaging any critical memory or data. Which would be vital, in terms of rallying everyone in sparing this planet without airing out the time travel secret.
You're really doing this, then? Aren't you rushing things a bit?
"You know full well I can't abide that... thing, in the Infirmary," Eito replied aloud, a chill running down his spine just thinking about it, "And as such? I refuse to risk letting my Ugly Takumi fall victim to it."
'Your' Takumi, huh? You're both freaks, I swear. Well, whatever. It had to happen sooner or later, I guess. Just hope you know what you're doing.
He paced around as he went over things in his head one more time. Just a few more hours until the scheduled meeting. Any more prep to do...?
The doorbell rings. Who is it at this hour? Did Kako maybe succeed in getting ahold of Yugamu?
"Coming!" He chirps, in the bright and friendly manner most of the current SDU was familiar with.
He did not expect to see someone in a Leap Suit on the other side.
Hiruko pushed the white haired boy inside and locked the door behind them. She quickly removed her helmet to show her identity- and the reason she was hiding it. The cat ears the anon had struck her with had not disappeared yet. Unlike many of the rest of the victims, Hiruko's ears were not attached to a headband, but were seemingly a part of her body. The same was true about her tail, tucked uncomfortably into the back of the leap suit.
It would be best to ignore them, she decided. They couldn't last forever.
She took off the rest of the suit and crossed her arms. She could feel the ears twitch above her head and her tail swish back and forth. She had to fight not to blush.
"What's going on, Hiruko-san?" Eito asked urgently. If Hiruko was willing to hop timelines to speak with them while... well. Looking like that, surely it was of utmost importance.
There were still a few hours before his own plans would unfold. He could probably help her out.
There was an odd feeling in his mind...
"Takumi-san...?" He brought a hand to his head, a puzzled look on his face.
. . .
Was he... flustered?
"Huh," he brought his hand back down, shrugging with a bemused expression, "Well, it's certainly not what you came here for, Hiruko-san, but it appears you've left my annoying little headmate at a loss for words. Never thought I'd see the day. But, seriously. What can we help you with?"
Y- you can shut up. You have no right to judge me, here.
Her own embarrassment faded a bit as she imagined Takumi's face. She'd love to see it, but the fact he couldn't hide his feelings from being known to Eito was it's own kind of fun torture.
She found a seat on Eito's couch and made herself at home. She pulled the paper she'd been given by the Flower Child out of her pocket and placed it on the table in front of her. "I have two puzzles, one more concrete, one more abstract. As an Eito and Takumi, you are the perfect duo for the job. And frankly, you save me from having to talk to my Eito about it."
Eito snickered a little bit at the last comment, "Ah, yes. A picture of humility, that one. Certainly wouldn't let something like stern, unyielding Hiruko-san begging for his help get to his head, absolutely not."
The look on her face demanded he stop clowning around.
"But surely, that wouldn't be enough of a reason to risk jumping timelines, no? I assume the reason you're here is because you need some kind of specialized knowledge?" He sits down across from Hiruko on a soft cushion that he'd tucked under the coffee table.
Since welcoming the other three into his circle, and in general trying to do more for himself, his room had gotten filled with all sorts of new things that helped it look less like a room out of a hospital or institution, and more like an actual dorm someone lived in. Extra blankets and pillows in colors that reminded him of the nature he adored, the odd plush, plenty of potted plants, the terrarium for his snails and Jorm's enclosure, even evidence of attempts at new activities. It still smelled incredibly sterile, owing to Eito's aversion to strong smells, but overall, it was far more homey.
He was quite starting to like his room, actually.
Eito takes the note in hand and glances it over. He only had the vaguest idea as to what he might be looking at.
Ancient Futuran? But... it looks recently written...? Where in the world did this come from...?
"Well, Takumi-san seems to recognize this, and is utterly flabbergasted that you have such a thing," he says, "The script is ancient, but clearly, this was written very recently. Quite the mystery..."
"I presume this is the concrete puzzle, so. What's the abstract? Or is this a, 'solve one to get a clue for the other', situation?"
"I received this note from a Futuran child, along with some flowers. They've come by before, last time I warned them it may be dangerous and to stay away but they didn't listen. This time they gave me this note."
She shook her head. She worried for the child. There were too many dangers for their groups to be interacting. Her people could get spooked. The Futurans may punish them for speaking to the invaders. Sirei could find out. It was best for children to stay where it was safe and far away from the war.
She sighed, shifting her thoughts to his other question. "The abstract has to do with a friend of mine. An Anon. He challenged me to find his 'hidden motivation' for interacting with our timelines and...I keep turning it over in my mind but I'm coming up empty. He said it was 'the heart of a god' but I have no idea what that could mean."
"A... Futuran child with flowers?" He questioned, blinking a few times. His head felt... strange, "I... think I may have encountered them in my own timel...ine..."
Eito clutched his head. He felt... tired. Overwhelmingly so, it was if his thoughts were being dragged underwater.
This was wrong, he shouldn't be feeling like this.
Takumi...?
"Ah... Hiru...ko... saaan... someth... hel..."
No, no...! He had to fight this, he wouldn't keep being controlled...!
It was as if something was unplugged in his mind; his eyes and expression went blank, and he went totally limp where he sat.
A marionette, with strings severed.
One arm twitches, then another, as eyelids flutter and he straightens up, posture notably different, rolling his shoulder as he meets eyes with Hiruko with a smile.
"Hello again, Hiruko," Takumi says, slightly apologetic, "Sorry, you had to see that. But I'm not really in the mood to play 'telephone' here. Plus... looking into a few things I'd rather not he know about, yet."
He stands up from the table, and moves over to the bed, getting down on his hands and knees and reaching under it. He finds the panel hes looking for, shifting it out of the way and removing a notebook and a small, airtight container, taking both back over to the table and seating himself next to Hiruko on the couch.
Takumi opens up the container, revealing several incerdibly old-looking scrolls, and flips open the notebook, and begins examining the note Hiruko had brought. The notebook was filled with similar symbols, along with more recognizable ones - Futuran language, in different iterations, as well as charts with their own Kanji, katakana, and hiragana, and letters from other languages as well. Normally, this kind of work would make Takumi want to throw himself off of the roof of the Academy, but he'd built up quite a bit of patience over the years and besides. He had SEVERAL mysteries to unravel.
He takes Hiruko's note in hand, flipping through his notebook and comparing, "This one... shouldn't take too long, I think. I recognize quite a few words here, already. From what I can tell, it seems more like a personal message, or... trying to make contact, than anything."
"Whomever that child is though... I don't know if we need to worry about them being in danger," says Takumi, as he tears a blank page out of the book and begins transcribing what he can, "As Aotsuki was saying before I interrupted? That same child appeared in our timeline to give us flowers as well. Both of us."
He knew Hiruko would be smart enough to get the implication.
Hiruko was quick to figure out what was going on with Eito. Which was lucky because as unsettling as it was, once she figured out it was Takumi's doing, she relaxed.
"I was planning on getting his input too." She remarked, but it wasn't a strong objection. "He might have an interesting perspective if we listened to him."
She was grateful for another opportunity to talk to Takumi though. Maybe one day conversations like these would be easier. And maybe the things they'd be able to do and say would be freer.
But for now she focused on the task at hand. "An ancient child that knows the unknowable. How strange. Did you learn about anything like this when you were training with Dahl'xia?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'll let him back out. Especially for that riddle your Anon friend gave you," He replies, still largely focused on the task at hand. Agh, these two characters were always tricky. Was it 'fah' or 'vul'...?
The very cute distraction that was a cat-eared Hiruko watching him so intently didn't make the translating go any faster.
It was a shame Eito was busy tonight. He'd love to spend more time with Hiruko. In general, not just tonight. It was one of the biggest issues with his current living situation, as it were.
He paused a minute to think about her question, tapping his pen against the edge of his notebook. Takumi hums in consideration a moment, before standing and heading over to Eito's desk and retrieving a worn book from the drawer. It was considerably more recent than the scrolls he'd retrieved earlier, and looked to be some sort of religious or history book. He returned to the couch, and began flipping through the pages.
"Not specifically, and while Dahl'xia does love his history and is incredibly dedicated to his faith, the man's love really seems to be the stories that get passed around after the fact. Folk tales and legends, myths and stuff," he responds, slowing down once he'd reached a certain section, "But something that stuck out to me was the idea that as wild or embellished as a lot of those stories could be, there was usually some little grain of truth in them. That's part of why I don't completely count them out when looking for information."
It actually brought to mind something he heard from his very first Eito. It was a story about some massive statues that had been moved from one place to another a very long time ago on Earth, and the historians or whatever studying them had no idea how the ancient people managed it. Upon asking the native people, they were told a story about how the statues simply 'walked' there; and while that was what their legends stated, the truth wasn't that far off - they'd tied ropes to the heads of the statues, and using teams of people rocked them back and forth to effectively 'walk' them to their destination.
The answer was right in front of them, but the perspective was completely dismissed because of the source and how the information got passed down over the centuries.
Eventually, he stopped at what appeared to be a print of a painting in the book, and turned showed it to Hiruko, "Did the design of the mask look anything like this?"
The painting in the photo depicted a mature feminine figure, clothed in simple robes and holding a small handful of florals - blooddrops, arnica, yarrow, sage... and an unknown flower that seemed to radiate a silver glow. She was surrounded by what looked to be sick and wounded, a leper whose hand she held appeared to be healing from the touch alone. The scene had them set in some kind of shrine in deep forest.
The wooden mask concealing her face was identical to the one the child wore.
It was strange to see Takumi being so studious. She didn't hate it.
Her tail flicked back and forth lazily as he worked. She...really would have preferred to come without it. She wondered how much longer she'd be stuck like this. Was fixing it another mission she was going to have to go on?
"I suppose stories do tend to have some truth to them; still, too often they seem to lead to chasing shadows and bad endings." Maybe it was a bitter take from her, especially since she seemed to be doing the same again. But it seemed every time they started digging into the local myths and legends, things always went wrong. Maybe it was safer if she was doing it on her own, but she really wanted to keep the team out of this.
She was dragged out of her sullen thoughts by the painting. The mask of course stood out, but she couldn't help but wonder more about their seemingly healing touch. It was possibly a metaphor, but more likely this figure was someone extremely powerful.
"Well, you've seen it. Yes, that's it." She sighed. "I doubt this is as simple as a child walking around with an ancient artifact. Do you think we're dealing with a ghost, a reincarnation, or a cult?"
Of course. Of course it was the same. It was all far too much for it all to be coincidence. Whether that boded well or ill...
"A cult would be unlikely, in this case," he says, taking the book back and glaring holes into a conspicuously open, empty spot behind the figure in the portrait, "For one, I don't think any cult worshipping a Paragon would recreate their masks for their own use. If there's one thing I've learned, its that they take that SUPER seriously. It's never the same design, and you'd better not recreate it for yourself.
"Second, a cult would be... really redundant here. Ama-Sephia is one of the most widely-revered historical Paragons. Supposedly, one of the very first to gain their power from their 'God'; the first 'Paragon of Nature', and often referred to as 'The First Healer' as well. You'd have a hard time finding a Futuran that DIDN'T venerate her, to some degree."
He trusted Hiruko enough to voice his concerns here. There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. No strokes of bad luck. It was all intentional, all designed. What once was one became two, became shattered, and must be one again. The cycle repeats, again and again, until made whole. The Blood that binds will ascend them all, no more pain, no more danger. It ends forever.
He refused to let that happen. That wasn't the protection, or the ending he'd wanted...!
Takumi remembered. All of it.
He swallowed thickly, becoming aware of the sweat on his brow as he steadied himself, suppressing the power that threatened to tear Eito's body to shreds.
She understood when Eito started to act strangely, but Takumi acting like this caught her more off guard. She moved in closer, almost wrapping her arms around him, but stopping at the last minute. Instead, she took his hands and held them.
She looked at him seriously, her eyes filled with worry.
"S-sorry, agh, just. Gimme a minute," Takumi said between breaths, squeezing her hands reassuringly, "I'm- I'm fine, now. Promise."
Fine as he could be, at any rate.
He could tell Hiruko some of it. At the very least, to ease her mind. She'd understand if he didn't want to get into all of it now, surely.
He removed Eito's glasses. It wasn't like they were the correct prescription; right now it was only contributing to the headache.
"I... when chasing that line of thought, I just... remembered something. A lot of things, actually. And... well. Put plainly, I've been suppressing my hemoanima by... Quite a lot. Eito's body can't quite handle it," it was the truth, or at least partially, "It was enough to shake me, and... I lost control, for a second. I don't want it to cause him more harm than it already has."
He pulled his hands away, shakily returning to the task at hand.
"Sorry. I'd rather focus on this, if at all possible. I need time to... think about what I remembered, before bringing it out to the open."
She frowned. She still didn't quite understand what was happening, but she understood enough that it was all the more important that they separate Takumi from Eito. Unfortunately all the options she could think of would leave him with at least some part of Eito's body, which was the real problem.
"Alright." She agreed to move on, but promised herself she'd think more on Takumi's situation later. "If the masks are as important as you say, I'm willing to rule out reincarnation as well. Unless everyone around here knows she's the reincarnation and has accepted that, they likely still wouldn't allow a duplicate mask, correct?
"Which leaves, unfortunately, a ghost. I'm...willing to say that she's a 'real ghost', whatever that means to us, because she has appeared to multiple of us. She can also interact with real objects. But if Ama-Sephia lived to adulthood, why is she a child?"
She pushed up her glasses. "Why bother contacting us at all? I imagine she lived and died a long time ago, if she was the 'first' paragon. The dead should stay dead."
"Not THE first, but certainly one of them. The honor of 'First' Paragon would go to the Paragon of Hope. Which... Weirdly enough? No one actually seems to know their name," he corrects, somewhat reveling in the rare opportunity of appearing learned... especially in front of Hiruko, "Just that they had some crazy-powerful hemoanima; it's why a lot of them refer to Shion - or... the baby in the Defense Room - as 'The Second Coming'. And... one of the many reasons the Futuran people are pretty split as far as opinions on V'ehxness goes. From what Dahl'xia said, and what I've heard from the people I've spoken to? It's one of the few titles NO ONE takes, and it's considered pretty heretical to do so."
Takumi realized he was getting slightly off-topic.
Reincarnation... He supposed such a thing wasn't impossible. But...
It was also fully possible that she never really 'died', not fully. And if that were the case...
"With hemoanima... I suppose anything is possible. But we probably won't know unless she contacts us again," he sighs, "Unfortunately... the note doesn't tell us much. Seems to be a personal message."
He hands the note and transcription back to Hiruko.
'I am sorry I seem odd. I mean no harm. You Star Children are all strange, but you want to help everyone, not just yourselves. I wanted to thank you. I am sorry I cannot speak the words to say this with heart.'
Takumi closes his notebook and leans back, crossing his legs, "At the very least? I'd wager if she went through the trouble, she'll probably show up again. And seeing as multiple people received flowers the first time? I wouldn't be surprised if others got notes, as well."
Hiruko was impressed by Takumi's knowledge. In all her loops, she'd never really gotten a chance to understand the Futurans or their culture like that. She supposed it made sense. With his charisma and people skills, of course he'd manage to be welcomed by the enemy, whereas she had a hard enough time getting her own team to trust her.
The note only served to remind her why people felt so cautious around her. The rest of her team had happily accepted the gifts the child had offered, but she turned them down. She could only see danger, for her team and for them. Even still, she couldn't quite think she was wrong. If she'd had more information maybe she could act differently, but a child coming up to her with flowers was suspicious. People use children for evil things. Children are vulnerable and impressionable, too easily lead astray.
She tried not to let her troubled thoughts show as she responded. "I'll expect Takumi at least got one. He ends up involved in everything. I can speak to him when I return."
A genuinely tired, drawn-out sigh escaped from his lips as he rubbed at his temple. It seemed impossible for ANY Sumino Takumi to catch a break, ever.
But then again, given what he knew... Well.
"I'd imagine you're right. Like I said, she approached myself and Aotsuki before, no reason to think she wouldn't again. Here, or in your timeline," he replies, noting how the very distracting cat tail and ears twitched slightly as she sat there. He was pretty sure that meant she was upset about something.
As much as he has... a bit of a thing for kemonomimi, he wasn't exactly the most skilled with animals or reading them.
"Sorry. Bit distracted. Ah, anyways," he shifted a bit, snapping back to reality and attempting to hide the slight flush to his face before continuing, "I imagine your Aotsuki might also be on that list, for that reason, as well. Though, from what I've heard, I can't imagine he'd treat her much better."
Takumi's embarrassment was usually very easy to catch, but reading it through Eito's body made it harder. Especially with that stupid jacket. She was pretty sure she noticed it though, and while she couldn't play off it as much as she'd like, she did carefully brush him with her tail. An accident, of course.
Flirting and picking on Takumi did make her feel better. Her with her mind back on the task at hand, she said. "So I need to check in with both Takumi and Eito of my timeline. Another team meeting."
Oh, Takumi certainly noticed the tail. He shifted a bit and attempted to hide his fluster, as well as the other... complicated feelings swirling around, in light of... the memories, that had come to him.
All of the joy and pride, relief, progress. Happiness. Having it all ripped out from under him and burned to ash, leaving only pure, unyielding fury and despair. Feelings that brought him to where and what he was now.
It hung bitter on his tongue. He should be enjoying Hiruko's teasing. But with remembrance came the guilt. She wasn't his Hiruko. That was someone... he couldn't go back to. Not with things the way they are now.
"Sounds like. Hopefully, they won't be stupid this time," he smirks a bit, attempting to be a little lighthearted. They were both in shitty, guilty situations, even if it was others that drove them into them, "Though... aside from Aotsuki's usual barking scaring her off, I can't think of too many ways they could possibly screw things up, here. So, at least you don't have that to worry about."
She nodded, not letting herself start to come up with problems they could have caused. Might as well let herself be surprised this time.
"So then, I imagine that's the extent of what we'll get on that subject for now, unless you have more to share? If not, would you be ready to help me solve Poe's riddle? Or...is there something you'd like to talk about first, before Aotsuki 'gets back' so to say?"
An opening for him to share whatever he was going through, whatever he remembered. Any amount he was comfortable with, he could unload onto her. She was here for him, she hoped he knew that. She hoped he would take the opportunity to bring her in.
Takumi didn't break eye contact with Hiruko. To others, he knows she seems cold, collected, immovable. But after all this time, all these years, he felt like he had a pretty good read on her. And even if he wasn't her Takumi, even if he was in Eito's body... she could probably read him just as easily. Soft eyes, the slightest lean in her posture. The smallest quirk in the lips that he could easily see as a gentle smile in his mind... on some early morning in a time now far away, him not quite wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of a shared bed and her - for once - deciding to return to bed with him, at least until their newest responsibility demanded their attention. It was their peace they fought for, they could enjoy it.
She wanted him to open up to her. He wasn't sure how much he could.
"Man," he sighs, resigned, "I don't get to keep much from you, do I? I mean, not like you're twisting my arm, but..."
Maybe... just a bit. If anyone could understand his... frustration, it'd be Hiruko. He didn't have to tell her everything. Just what was lost, before his story started again.
He exhales a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It'd been quite some time since he'd been this nervous.
"We had... talked before, about something... or somethings messing with us. Your ability to speak freely, and my memories," he starts, "And... Only just now, did I remember some... important ones. Very important.
"I think I got close before, back with Sumino-kun and Vee. Kind of like something was trying to wiggle its way into place, but I couldn't quite get it. But I had the thought of, 'wait, didn't I get out of the timeloop?' And it stuck with me."
Takumi waited a moment, hesitating. A heart clad in armor was difficult to lay bare. But he decided not to back down.
"It... Well. I was right. I did escape the loop. After... shit, decades, we all got out. Survived. Stayed on the planet, fought and eventually helped forge peace between the Futuran people down here and the humans up on the Satellite. V'ehxness was taken care of, and the humans heading the Exodus Project were on track to answer for their crimes. People from both sides were resettling and rebuilding a world we could all move forward on," he was only vaguely aware of the slight climb in his voice's volume, the slightest tremble as his anger and grief threatened to break loose, "Twenty years. It'd been twenty years since we got out of the Academy. Got out of that... stupid timeloop. We'd finally been able to... to stop fighting, at least like this. We - my Hiruko, and I - we'd... We were starting a family. We'd had a kid, and...just, fuck..."
He needed to compose himself, now. He couldn't start crying, not in Eito's body. And couldn't let himself lose control again. Unclench his fists, deep breaths.
"It'd been... five years since the peace treaty was signed. Folks were out celebrating, and some jackasses that weren't happy about that took advantage. Assassinations, mass attacks. That was all it took for all that hard work to start blowing up. Friends and family, so many of them dead. I... I lost it," he was keeping his tone measured, being careful with his choice of words, "Something... happened, with Bloodspace. That - thing - that was messing with my memories. And I ended up back at the Academy. Just before day 2. Starting over. Each loop after, ending the same as the last - failure. Because of that thing."
He left out the part where that was his fault, too. He didn't need anyone getting any ideas. Not when he'd seen the consequences firsthand.
He had to look away. It was hard to look at Hiruko, after dredging up those memories. He really wouldn't be able to stop himself from crying if he tread too far down that road.
Takumi walks up to Eito, holding a note in his hand.
"Hey, Eito... you're good with languages and stuff, right?" He asked shyly.
@teamleader-takumi
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | NIGHT | A SECOND NOTE]]
Eito had just seen the other timeline's Hiruko off, checking the time. Good, still had quite a bit of time. He was surprised the translation effort went as smoothly as it did, with having to relay information between the two...
Something in his mind nagged about that not quite being right-
He blinked... wait... what... wasn't right...?
He was interrupted by yet another inter-timeline visitor. With another note. What was going on over there? Would they be getting notes too?
"Mmmhm," he says, welcoming the other timeline's Takumi into his room and locking the door behind him, "Clearly, I'm on everyone's minds tonight. Any particular reason you and Hiruko-san chose to approach me separately on this matter?"
Takumi blinked at the other Eito in confusion. "Hiruko was here?" he asked, genuinely confused. He sat himself down on the chair he sat in last time he was in Eito's room. He had to admit, the room looked much nicer, actually lived in. A person's room was a reflection of their soul, he heard once, though he couldn't remember where. But, seeing Eito's room like this, more lively and bright and colorful, made Takumi's heart swell with joy.
"Wait, she also has a note?" he exclaimed in surprise, "So, that little flower girl appeared to Hiruko, too? I wonder if that means she gave notes to others, as well... It was strange, but I don't think she can talk, and is using these notes to communicate. I've never heard her speak, and she seemed very insistent on me reading this." He paused, then shrugged, "Or I could be completely wrong and these notes mean nothing. I don't know, I've never been the smart guy of our group."
"The same kid appeared in our timeline," Eito said, taking a seat at the foot of his bed, "No notes, but gave us flowers. Both me AND Takumi-san. Whomever they are, they aren't normal. Even if the note means nothing, or is casual in nature, I think we should keep an eye out if the kid shows up again."
He looked over the note Takumi was holding. It sure was the same kind of writing he didn't quite understand. But... Takumi-san did.
He huffed a little in frustration. At least this note was a LOT shorter.
"Well, unfortunately for me, I'm actually pretty useless when it comes to ancient Futuran," he shrugs, somewhat dramatically, "Alas, my only use here is going to be acting as a mouthpiece for horrible Takumi-san, since he's the one with the actual knowledge. Thankfully, this note is much shorter than Hiruko-san's so it shouldn't run into my later... engagement..."
He felt... dizzy. Didn't he feel this way earlier?
Eito's breath hitched, as he gripped his hair and shivered, before going limp, collapsing sideways onto the bed. His eyes were half-lidded and vacant, like his mind had been forcibly shut down.
A twitch, a few blinks, and he slowly raised himself off of the bed and wordlessly got down to the floor, fishing something out from a secret compartment hidden under the bed - some kind of airtight container, and a messily-annotated notebook.
His movements and posture made it clear it wasn't Eito.
"Sorry about that, Sumino-kun. He always fights it a bit, unless he's already unconscious or tired," says Takumi, detached from the situation, "But unfortunately, I do need my notes to translate, and I have some things in here I'd rather keep private. Even from Aotsuki."
Panic swelled inside Takumi as Eito swayed and collapsed. "Eito!!" He exclaimed in fear. He immediately reached out, ready to help with whatever just happened. But, then he started to move. Takumi froze in place as he watched the other Eito get up and move around like nothing happened.
It was his other self.
"...Why..." he whispered, his eyes filled with pain and terror. This pain he was feeling, it wasn't his. No, it wasn't his- it was Eito's. The feeling of being controlled, the one thing Eito feared most. It consumed him, his body shivering and shaking as he took a step back.
"Why did you do that...?" He asked, his eyes glancing back and forth between his other self and the bed, where Eito had collapsed, "You didn't have to... why...?"
Takumi sighed. He had a feeling this would upset the boy. That bleeding heart of his...
Well. No matter. He sits himself back down on the bed and begins working, tearing out a blank page from the book and writing on it as he flips between his book and the note.
"Like I said," he replies, flipping through the notebook, glancing between it and the note, "I'm not exactly fluent. I need my notes, and I have some things in my research I don't want Aotsuki knowing about."
Part of him wanted to say he didn't get it, but that was a lie. He knew his other self was concerned about Eito's agency, here. Truthfully, he didn't like it either. But it's not like he had much of a choice. Just an unfortunate reality of their situation.
"Thankfully, yours is MUCH shorter, and the information is still fresh in my mind. I shouldn't be long; I'll give control back to Aotsuki, and as far as he'll remember, we just communicated back and forth to get this done."
He didn't want to cause the child further distress.
"Don't you trust him?" he asked quietly, watching his other self from afar. He refused to move closer, and he couldn't will himself to move away. "Wouldn't it be better to work together with him? He's so smart... and he's trying so hard to help this time..."
His own words made him think of his Eito. Of the information Takumi himself hiding from him. But, despite how similar that was in principle, it was different. Takumi wasn't hiding it willingly. No, there were so many times where he nearly came out and blurted the whole truth to Eito. He wanted the other to know so bad, he wanted to show how much he was willing to help Eito heal and work together with him, but- but-
Something kept holding him back. Something foreign. Something outside his control.
He had been wondering this to himself for a while, never bringing it up to the others, never wanting to actively think about it. But, he had been wondering just... just how much of his actions were his own? There had been so many powerful beings controlling him, actively making themselves known to him, but what if there were beings that kept themselves hidden? A puppeteer with invisible strings wrapped around Takumi's whole body, forcing him to move in ways he didn't want to.
Maybe that's why he had been so complicit in everything up until now.
He couldn't find any other explanation, and that scared him.
Takumi sighed, rubbing his temple a bit. Surprisingly, he DID agree with his younger self a bit, at least on principle.
But...
"Trust... is an odd thing with Aotsuki," he replies, choosing his words carefully, "He can be fickle, and vindictive. And likes to take risks, with that luck of his. And while yes, he IS smart... Some of the things I'm looking into could... Distract him, or make him spiral back into old habits, for lack of a tactful way of saying it."
Basically, shit could make him go crazy again, or DO something exceptionally stupid or crazy. Like HE did, back then.
He should never have connected.
"And the fact that he's working so hard is part of it, too," he says, and means it, "I don't want him to lose sight of the changes he's achieved, and I don't want to add more to the already-huge workload he's dealing with. My problems can stay my problems, and I can do the legwork as far as finding a way to cure what's going on with his body. He can focus on helping this timeline's Sumino-san get through the 100 Days."
He knew he was being somewhat evasive. But the truths remembered would probably break the boy.
Slowly, Takumi managed to move himself back down to the chair he was sitting on earlier. He slumped into the seat with a defeated sigh.
"Then... can't you at least communicate with him what you're doing?" He then asked, "Maybe figure out a system so he doesn't have to worry about losing time. So you don't have to change his memories. It just- it just feels wrong."
All he could think of were the memories he experienced from his Eito. The pain and suffering. The empty nights alone and scared. Not knowing when the monsters were coming back or what they were planning next. That's why he was trying to hard to win over his Eito's trust. Why he was putting so much effort into caring for him. Because no one else ever did, and that-
Takumi sighed, "Believe it or not, it was one of the first things that came up in discussions, once he became aware of me being here," he replied, looking up from his notes at the younger Takumi.
If the younger Takumi were paying attention, he'd notice the older one inhabiting Eito's body seemed even more tired and worn than usual, his eyes reflecting age that went beyond what he may have claimed before.
"Of course, he shot me down on that. Told me he refused to give up any control of his body or senses, except for in extreme emergencies. For example, when I had to snap him out of Parmith's control, or Turamtammi's illusions. Basically, any time he's already lost control, for the sake of seizing it back," he says, making direct eye contact with the other, his tone and expression stern, "Believe me, if I could avoid this? I would. But unfortunately, even like this, I don't have the luxury of sitting idle. There's still things I need to do, and the less people get involved, the better."
Takumi opened his mouth to argue, or say more, but his other self's expression held no room for argument. So, Takumi slowly closed his mouth and lowered his gaze to the floor.
Why were humans so greedy? Why couldn't they leave well alone? Why did they have to escalate things? None of this was fair.
It wasn't fair.
He felt like he was being scolded by his father or a teacher, sitting in his little seat while his other self sifted through papers. Like he had done something wrong. Like he was a child.
Well, he was a child. 17 was still not legally an adult, which would mean he would be considered a minor. Though, law hardly mattered on a battlefield with magic blood powers.
He thought back to the little girl who handed him the flowers and the note that brought him here in the first place, something to distract him from all the negative thoughts swirling around in his head. Her mask... it looked familiar, like he had seen it before. But, it didn't match any of the commanders' masks. So then-
The statue.
It was the same mask as the statue they saw when his other self saved those Futuran kids. Eito also said the note was written in ancient Futuran. Could the girl be from the past?
Augh, he hoped it wasn't another god-esque being. That would be the last thing he needed.
"Well, this one wasn't too difficult," he says, closing his notebook as he removes the transcribed note, "Helps that Hiruko's was a little longer, there were some phrases shared, too."
He passes the note and translation back to the other Takumi.
'You are the leader of the Star Children? I sense great kindness. Why does the blood of Our Home flow through you? I wish to understand.'
"Between this and Hiruko's note, it seems like this entity is trying to gauge whether we're truly a threat or not, and figure out our connection to Futurum," he says, closing his notebook, "Which... I mean. You, me, and Hiruko know. But I'm sure it would seem strange for invaders from the sky to have the power of what's supposed to be this world's God."
"Especially since... more than likely, this child is connected to one of the first to receive that power. You noticed too, right?"
Takumi carefully took the note and translated note back into his hands. He read it over carefully.
"Yeah... her mask looked the exact same," he explained in hushed tones, "But she was too young..."
The image of the little girl appeared in his mind's eye, then the image of the statue. Same mask, but different ages. He wondered if she was possibly a ghost, but the items she handed him were very real and very tangible.
Takumi let out a small, grumpy noise. "This is... not something I can figure out. This is all more Hiruko and Eito's territory," he stated. Besides all of that, how exactly was he supposed to tell a little child the ethical violations of human experimentation and manipulation? It's... a lot for even adults to handle.
"Hmmm... maybe..." he muttered to himself a bit, tapping a finger on his book.
How much of his own theories could he reasonably share?
"Well, remember the story I brought up with those kids earlier? Could be... some kind of envoy? Though unless it were really possible for mortals to become gods, or something close to it, that'd be unlikely. Considering Ama-Sophia's been dead for... five, six thousand years? Give or take?" Takumi suggested, trying to sound incredulous. Truthfully, it wasn't impossible, but...
Did she still exist in that place? Or were there places outside of it where such things could exist?
He shifted gears, ready to put out another theory. He didn't want this Takumi to look too far into these things. Far too risky.
Shifting his position, slouching a bit and resting his chin on his hand, he continued languidly, "Though... not sure they'd wear the same mask. Unless, of course, she predates that rule. Another thought is she COULD be some sort of... hemoanima echo. Every living thing on this planet contains SOME measure of cryptoglobin, it's not completely out there to think she's something left of a really devoted follower, or maybe a younger echo of Ama-Sephia herself..."
Hopefully if he overcomplicated this, it'd dissuade him from looking into it. No matter what, he couldn't see the Heart.
The boy fidgetted in his chair, fiddling with his fingers and jacket. "Well, I wouldn't know about being a god," he said, "but she could be immortal? Found some way to gain immortality? I mean, it is possible, after all..."
After all, he himself was now considered "immortal" thanks to Vee.
Speaking of Vee, Takumi hadn't heard or seen the strange spirit in a while. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, and was trying to keep it to himself so no one worried, but lately, his neck was starting to itch again. A familiar itching, like how it felt when the wound first healed after Vee revived him. He didn't mention to anyone about the strange bouts of vertigo he was experiencing sometimes, or how he would get a tickle in his throat.
He couldn't worry everyone with it. They all had enough on their plates as it was, and he was supposed to be their leader. If their leader started to falter, everything would collapse.
"Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about Futuran history or customs," Takumi sighed, shrugging, "That seems much more up your alley than mine."
"Well, even that's limited. Only reason what I know has stuck is because that Dahl'xia is a hell of a storyteller," he shrugs, as he gets up from his seat on the bed and bends down to reach under it, returning his documents to wherever they were hidden, a barely-audible -click- sounding as they were secured away in their hiding spot.
"Gives me leads and references, something to talk about and build trust with the locals. Works out for Eito, too. He hasn't talked about it much, but he wants to try to get everyone to rally behind the people down here, instead of the satellite," Takumi smiles a bit, genuinely proud of how far his old friend and nemesis has come. He didn't even notice his slip-up, "And while he... well. He still hates humanity. But he seems to have come around to the idea that... maybe they can learn and aren't beyond hope."
He sits back down on the bed and smiles at his younger self. He knew how sad and disappointed he must be with him, the man he'd become. He had no idea how selfish and wretched he really was.
"It's why I want to help him, no matter what. Did you still want to talk to him?" Takumi asks, brushing a little hair behind his ears, "If so, I can give him back control, here. Though... Can I ask for a favor? It's in regards to Aotsuki and his... condition. A lead. And may be related to our little flower child here, assuming they have a connection to Ama-Sephia."
It was best to keep the fact that he was planning to allow his Eito to kill humanity once they made it past day 100 from his other self. He had a feeling that he would react similarly to Hiruko and get very angry with him, and that was not something Takumi wanted to deal with.
"Um, yes, I would like to talk to Eito still..." he replied, keeping his head low before slowly lifting it when he was asked about a favor. "Well... if I can help him, then I suppose?" he shrugged. He wasn't sure how he felt about taking favors from his other self, but he care more for the other Eito's well being than his weird feelings for his other self currently.
"Right, I'm not asking much. Just... for you and anyone else that may interact with her to keep an ear out, essentially," Takumi clarifies, not wanting to impose too much, "Mostly... I want you to keep your eyes and ears peeled for a specific name - 'Dammuz'."
He realized perhaps a brief explanation was in order.
"Ama-Sephia was one of the first of the Paragons, and pretty rightly one of the most revered. In addition to her attunement with nature and receiving the Divine Blood, she was said to be a miraculous healer," he starts, laying the groundwork, "But another part of her story is her older brother, Dammuz. But... that's where it gets strange. Because aside from a few key points? Almost no records of the guy remain. It seems to be some unspoken rule to not even depict him.
"But the few things we do know? Stick out. For one, we know that while he had SOME of the Divine Blood, he wasn't a Paragon. So, probably had fairly weak hemoanima. Second, supposedly, he committed some 'Great Sin'... Which... I assume is the reason there's so little on him... But the third story I've heard - and took a while to come across - is the one that got my attention, especially in combination with the others. Supposedly, as punishment for his 'Great Sin', he was struck with an illness, where his 'Blood began to devour his body'... Does this all sound familiar?"
It sounded exactly like what was happening to the other Eito.
"Okay, I can do that," he nodded. Here's to hoping that the flower girl could understand him, at least.
After a slight pause, he asked, "May I speak to Eito now? I wanted to hear his opinion on all of this."
Maybe he could figure out a way to subtly hint to Eito about what happened. Of course he knew there was no way he could come right out and say anything, his other self would just override those memories.
"Thank you, Sumino-kun," he replied, a bit of emphasis on the friendly address. Takumi'd caught the slight edge in the other's voice. His shift in approval over the course of their conversation hadn't exactly been subtle. Two could play at this game.
He smiled at the other, taking a minute to go over the conversation and events in his head; what parts Eito needed to remember, and what parts would be redacted, "And... of course. I'll see you later, Sumino-kun."
Though he didn't collapse this time, the expression on Eito's face went blank, eyes glazing over. Almost trancelike, as the events of the evening were molded and shaped in his mind, concealing his headmate's machinations and control.
He blinks a few times, and the spark of consciousness returns to his eyes.
"Ah, Takumi-kun. Sorry, I... I was thinking about some other plans this evening, and spaced out..." Eito apologizes, before crinkling his nose in disgust, "Astonishing, considering your stench. I must be getting used to it. You... were saying?"
Now that he was speaking to Eito, he didn't know what to do. Takumi sat there, completely unsure of what to do next. What if he said something wrong? What if his other self punished him? What if his other self punished Eito?? His heart thumped in his chest, the fear of what ifs swirling around in his mind until they threatened to break him.
"I-" his voice barely managed to squeak out. At first, he thought it was because of his anxiety, but, then he tried again.
"I-I think... I..."
He was losing his voice.
He needed to leave. Now.
Takumi quickly stood up out of his seat.
When he opened his eyes, he was lying prone on the carpet, unsure of what just happened. How did he end up on the floor? What was he doing, again? He slowly blinked his eyes, trying to clear away the strange fog that enveloped his head.
Takumi was... oddly on edge. Eito knew that he was the empathetic sort, but... He's known about his prognosis for a few days now, so surely that couldn't be what was distressing him? Especially when discussing a possible lead? And the note's contents were... Well, they were quite tame, just a question of the reason for their shared power.
His brow furrowed in concern as Takumi got to his feet, clearly in a hurry. Eito started to get up himself, "Takumi-kun? Are you al-"
But he didn't get to finish his question before gasping in shock as Takumi started to crumple to the floor. Eito lunged forward to catch him, gagging and reflexively covering his mouth as proximity intensified the smell of rotting flesh and overwhelming florals, phantom needles grazing against his cheek as the smaller boy's head lolled limply against his shoulder.
Carefully, Eito lowered him down to the ground, making sure his head didn't hit anything as he kneeled down, easing Takumi down on his side. He looked over the unconscious boy as best he could. What was happening?
He spotted a little redness - well, more redness than usual, given how he appeared to Eito - peeking out from under the choker the boy wore. Skin irritation?
Eito felt anxiety pool in his own stomach. Surely, surely it couldn't be...?
As he reached out to gently investigate, however, Takumi slowly blinked his eyes open, coming to from the syncope that had overtaken him.
"Ah, Takumi-kun," he gasped, retracting his hand and resting it on his knee, "Are... are you alright? You can hear and understand me, right? What's going on? Do... do you need anything?"
It was a lot in quick succession, but he was... worried. And not exactly used to taking care of others.
Slowly, Takumi tilted his head, the view of Eito hovering over top of him clear as day. He blinked at the sight, more confused than anything else. Why was he...?
Then everything came flooding back. The note, his other self, his throat-
Oh. He passed out. That's what happened.
Takumi opened his mouth, ready to explain that he was fine and just wasn't feeling great, but he couldn't get the words out. He physically couldn't speak the words he wanted to say. He tried a second time, but his throat only made a gross gargling noise. Takumi scrunched his nose in disgust.
'I am fine,' he signed. If this Eito was anything like his own, he would know sign language. How fortunate it was Takumi was learning it. 'Just... dealing with something I did not think would be a problem.'
Eito watched over the other boy carefully as he seemed to get his bearings, aiding him in gradually easing himself up from where he had lain on the floor. Takumi seemed confused, at first, but seemed to quickly retrace his steps as to how they got here.
That, at the very least, was a relief.
Relief, however, swiftly shifted into concern, his gaze sharpening onto Takumi's throat as what he assumed was an attempt to speak resulted only in a pained gurgle. The sound was even more revolting to his ears than if he had actually spoken.
Because he knew full well what had caused Takumi's voice to escape him. The only question was... why? Why was the wound reopening. Guilt began to eat away at the fringes of his heart. Of all the reckless, impulsive...!
His face contorted into a slightly pained expression as he brought a hand to his chest, reflexive, to suppress the disgust and nausea that was beginning to billow up in his throat. But not towards Takumi. Not this time.
The signing caught his attention; he had no idea this Takumi knew any sign language.
"The neck wound," he replied curtly, gaze darkening as a new wave of guilt hit him, "Why? Why would it be reopening after all this time? Have you tried any sort of conventional means of sealing it? Stitches? Surgery? . . . The Revive-O-Matic?"
Eito's thoughts were beginning to race. Surely, surely there was something they could do.
He hadn't realized how tightly his right hand was now gripping Takumi's jacket - enough to cause the growth to dig and pull at his unmarred flesh just a little too much. He winced, and loosened his grip slightly as he watched Takumi for answers. His own dilemma came secondary to the one that he caused.
Takumi would laugh if he had the ability to without sounding like a dying animal. 'I haven't even bothered asking Yugamu about it,' he replied, then quickly added before Eito could tell him off, 'We already tried the revive o matic. It didn't work. Pretty sure that Vee is dying and that's causing the magic that sealed the wound to reopen.'
His Eito was more than upset to learn about all this. This Eito looked just as upset, albeit for completely different reasons. Takumi almost forgot this Eito thought he was the one that gave him the nasty wound on his neck. He was so out of it by that point, that he didn't even think before signing, 'Stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do, it's driving me insane. Sick of watching you beat yourself up over killing me when you weren't even the one to do it in the first place.' Takumi then tossed his hands angrily into the air before letting them drop to his sides. He flopped back down onto his back, simply laying there as he stared at the ceiling. He's going to die soon, so why should he let all this anxiety about what this other self could and couldn't do?
His reprimand was cut short before he could voice it, his expression somewhere between a worried scowl at the unfolding situation and an indignant pout at being interrupted. The prognosis, as it was, felt like ice driving into his chest and seeping into his veins; he wanted to argue against the absurdity of it, but he knew full well that otherworldly entities holding lethal wounds together wasn't that much more absurd than the established reality they've apparently all been reliving for stars-know-how-long.
"Ha. Haha," the chuckle that escaped his lips as he knelt there was completely mirthless, "I suppose that just means I got to kill you yet again, hm? Ugly, stupid, putrid, vile, irredeemable... Takumi-kun..."
In the end, he was still a murderer. He just couldn't help himself, could he? Aotsuki Eito and Sumino Takumi would always find some way to destroy each other, as was their nature. It was only fitting, then, that he himself would be ravaged by the aberrant cryptoglobin in his system, if his reflection didn't find a way to storm across timelines again and kill him first.
He might just let him. Let himself be devoured and pass the burden of knowledge onto the other. Free him of one shackle and tether him to another.
Eito once again brought his gaze towards the exhausted boy, who was now wearing an almost... Angry expression? Yeah, makes sense he'd be angry, being held by his murderer. But then the signing started again. He barely had time to process the message before Takumi wriggled out of his grip and flopped back down onto the ground in a huff.
"What do you mean-" he started to argue, but he realized the implication almost immediately. Eyes widened in realization, rage flickering through them like lightning streaking across the sky. He lifted his hand to his mouth, and bit down hard upon the leather of his glove. Anything to stifle the words that wanted to spill forth in his fury.
He felt his joints crack under the the pressure of his teeth on his finger, the pain snapping him out of the rage-fueled trance he found himself in. He realized, too, how tightly he was digging his other fingers into the other Takumi's wrist.
Looking down for a moment, all he could see was the reflection of the tragic parasite he apparently had puppetting him regularly. Hatred, pure hatred. Part of him wanted to dig his fingers into that unsightly wound on his grotesque neck and rip it open himself. Find his own miserable, pathetic Takumi in his room and give him every scar and wound he's received tenfold and more and lick the tears from his rotting, horrible, sad, beautiful eyes; hell, devour him whole, blood body and soul! It wasn't like he hadn't already done it...! A crazed, mad grin contorted across his face; wide, wild, and malicious. Not unlike the very first Eito Takumi encountered, in the Defense Room in his first round of the final days.
The silence in his mind was deafening, but the presence was there. There was a good chance he wouldn't remember any of this. Not while his jailer remained vigilant.
Something snapped into place. He wasn't sure what. He just. Had to get through tonight. Be good. For now. They could talk. Maybe. This Takumi wasn't to blame. Neither was his. He was pretty sure he'd wanted to change. Were those his thoughts? His decision? Something to ponder.
For now, he released Takumi's wrist. He'd gripped so tight, it might bruise. His eyes remained wide, murderous rage bubbling just behind the surface, staring unblinking at the boy on the ground. His expression forced itself back into one of a neutral, pleasant one, his tone following suit. Practiced. False.
"Takumi-kun. I think. You should go now," Eito says, not changing his tone or position, holding the hand that had gripped the other in front of him as if it were some sort of weapon, "I can't stand looking at your disgusting, hideous visage or endure your vile, rancid stench any longer."
It was like he was reciting an old script. He didn't feel like he was there.
He hadn't even realized there was a grip on his wrist until it tightened. Takumi let out a wince, his arm immediately trying to tug away at whatever was harming him. When he finally looked up, he stopped. Stared.
Thst stare. That stare that haunted his dreams.
Before his mind could even process what was happening, Eito quickly released his wrist and told him to leave. But- but something in his tone, in his body posture, something was screaming at him that leaving the teen alone was a horrible idea. There was no way that Eito should be left alone... Of course, his first instinct was to argue, to remain here and stay by his side to help calm him down, but the realization hit him like a brick. Eito was warning him, telling him to run before he actually did harm Takumi. Which meant that it wouldn't be safe for "Takumi"...
Right, this Eito had friends. Actual friends. Friends who could actually help keep him level headed and figure out stuff together.
'Okay,' he signed slowly as he forced himself up off the floor. He kept Eito in his sight for as long as he could before he closed the door and sprinted to find someone, anyone nearby. He hoped and prayed that Eito wouldn't do anything rash.
It wasn't long before Takumi ran into someone else, skulking around the Academy at the late hour. On the first floor, Kako seemed to be coming in from the direction of the entrance hall. Likewise, his presence was quickly noted as well, though Kako seemed... surprised, by his presence.
"Wait- Sumino-sempai...? But..." she... was a bit bewildered. Last she knew before she came to check on the fire extinguishers, he'd been holed up with Darumi in his room...?
This wasn't good, he couldn't be on his own, not while Sirei-
And then she noticed the choker. The soft, yet panicked look in his eyes and face. Markedly different from their harried team leader.
"You're... the other timeline's Sumino-sempai? But why...?" she realized. But as far as she knew, Eito was his only point of contact here, and there were risks involved with acting in other timelines so openly.
So for him to so brazenly approach in this sort of state...
"Is it... something with Eito?" it had to be. Sirei hadn't gotten to him, had he? They were sure he'd probably go for their Takumi first...
Whatever it was... she had a very, very bad feeling. She wasted no time in following his lead.
Eito watched Takumi scramble out of his room, barely paying attention to the signed response.
No, he was more focused on the other Takumi. The one that had some things to answer for. He crawled his way to the nearby trashcan. Unfortunately, he wouldn't make it to the bathroom. He could already feel the saliva pooling in his mouth and the acid tickling the esophagus.
His throat and stomach tightened, emptying the contents of his stomach into the trash. Once. Twice. Thrice. Putrid bile, reminding him of the source of his fury in this moment. He dry-heaved a few more times, tears burning in his eyes as he brought a gloved hand to his bloody, puke-grazed lips.
Liar. Disgusting, vile, wretched. You've seen. You know.
I'm sorry, I really am. I tried setting something up with you, but you wouldn't budge.
I trusted you. After all of that mercy, so many timelines...
Aotsuki...
Eito's gaze shot upwards, to the hallucinatory figure standing over him. Though looking somehow a little older, and lacking the usual filter of his cognitive distortion, there was no mistaking those cold, cobalt and crimson eyes. The eyes of a soldier. The eyes of a monster. The eyes of a liar.
"And there. You. Are," Eito hisses through his fingers, slowly straightening from his hunched position like a cobra ready to spit, each word filled with his venom, "Not enough to puppet my body and rewrite my memories, is it. You're making me have to endure the illusion of your odious presence, now."
The illusory Takumi just sighed, arms crossed and shaking his head. He opened his mouth to speak -
"You're just going to do it again, aren't you, Takumi-san. Make this all another hole in my mind that I'll conveniently ignore."
Takumi seemed exasperated at this point. Good.
"I never wanted to," he says, and Eito can almost imagine the usual grating, scratching tone, even if it isn't what he... 'hears', "But there's some stuff I need to take care of. . . -"
'Need', present tense. So the answer is yes. The rest is irrelevant right now. Eito's stomach churns again, every muscle and fiber of his being screaming at him to rip tear rend destroy destroy destroy destroy destroy...
But there was nothing to destroy. Just the ghost of his stalwart rival and duplicitous ally standing before him. But he could be petty. He could be difficult. He could ruin his foul little game here. He bit the leather covering the tips of his left ring and middle finger, gently tugging the glove off of his hand and letting it drop to the floor with a soft thud, tracing the shape of his mouth with his now-bare fingers as he near-mindlessly stared off into oblivion.
The bite force of a human being is around one hundred twenty to one hundred sixty pounds per square inch. Taking into account muscle and skin, it takes about two hundred pounds of force to crush the bones in a human finger.
But, of course, the joints are another story.
Before he can back out and before Takumi can realize what he's doing, he bites down as hard as he could at the second knuckle of his left ring finger, channeling all the blinding rage he felt towards the specter in the recesses of his mind into his movements, pushing against sense and instinct amidst the background noise of his own pained growls and Takumi's confused and frantic protests. He felt resistance; as the phantom team leader knelt down and seemed to be attempting to free Eito's limb from his jaws, no doubt seizing control of the limb to do so. Attempting to seize control of his mind, as well, based on the gentle, warm tickling at the edge of his consciousness. But his indignation, his fury, his will, would prove stronger. As the rogue limb attempted to pull away, Eito used the sudden leverage to his advantage.
Savage tooth broke unblemished skin, joints separating with sickening cracks and pops. Rage, adrenaline, pain, all a fuzzy blur in in his mind as he let the severed digit fall with a gasp and a whimper from bloodied jaws; the tears in his eyes only just barely able to obscure the look of pure, abject horror and revulsion on Takumi's face.
"Ei- Aotsuki..." Takumi's eyes darted to the finger on the blood-spattered white floor, to the bleeding hand still clutching his pale jaw, to mad blue eyes not unlike those that had haunted his nightmares countless moons ago, "What- What the fuck....?! Why?! To yourse- why would you...?"
Choked tittering, cascading into mirthless giggles, crescendoing into wild, maniacal laughter at his victory over his beloved, beloathed rival. A snow-white hyena, his mad revelry only just barely stifled as he snapped his jaws shut in bloodied grin.
"You, Takumi," Eito hisses, tipping his head back with shuddered breaths, enraptured in hatred and affection, words spilling forth like a profane prayer, "You, you, you, you, you, youuuuu... Always you, Takumi. Heh. Let's see you try to cover this up, ha! Hmhheheheh... Hah... hah...!"
He leans forward, drawing in a sharp breath at the horror and realization on Takumi's face. Oh, yes. Yes. He would go this far and further, teach him to play with his mind. It hurt him to see him hurt himself. Hurt to know it was because of him. Hurt for hurt. He hurt him, he hurts himself, hurting him, for hurt he caused. . .! The cycle circles evermore, it was their fate. . . !
No, no. He'd said farewell to unfair fate. This was his new chapter, his atonement, his ballad. It wasn't Takumi's to write, no, yet he interfered anyways. As always. Eito wouldn't have it. No, no longer.
"What- what the hell is wrong with you?!" Takumi sounded genuinely shocked. Bewildered. Angry. Good. "Eito, this- this is crazy. Just... out of spite? You're doing this to yourself, out of spite for me?"
He shook his head, leaning forward and reaching toward the blood-stained young man watching, unblinking, through mutilated fingers digging crescents into the flesh of his cheeks.
Takumi's expression was hard to read. Something like... confusion? Sympathy? Regret? "Aotsuki. I never wanted to hurt you like this. I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I lied, alright? But-"
No buts. No excuses. Wrong words. Eito dove in for another bite, grasping his index finger in his mouth and squeezing, pulling, popping, feeling his joints scream in agony as they separated amidst his companion's shouted protests and further attempts to seize his mind and body. His body thrashed and seized, though whether it was from Takumi's attempts at stopping his self-inflicted onslaught or pure instinct trying to fight his will... he couldn't tell.
Just as in the haze of blood and adrenaline, he failed to notice the door opening behind him...
There was blood all over Eito's hands, his face, on the floor. The smell of iron and vomited saturated the air. He faintly heard Kako yelling, faintly felt per presence leave his side.
Takumi's throat tightened. His vision spun. Darkness started to eat away at him.
It wasn't until he reached the PLM did he realize where he was. He had never recollection of how he got there, or how long it took. Tears burned his eyes, his cheeks. His throat was only getting worse. In a blurry haze, he slipped the jump suit on and made his way back to his own timeline.
This was a mistake, he thought, every single thing he did was a mistake. His life was a mistake. His very being was a mistake.
He was wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong
If anyone noticed him, the way his breathing was wrong, the way he walked wrong, the look in his eyes were wrong wrong wrong- they didn't say anything. They just let him walk up to the roof and lock himself in his room.
Takumi walks up to Eito, holding a note in his hand.
"Hey, Eito... you're good with languages and stuff, right?" He asked shyly.
@teamleader-takumi
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | NIGHT | A SECOND NOTE]]
Eito had just seen the other timeline's Hiruko off, checking the time. Good, still had quite a bit of time. He was surprised the translation effort went as smoothly as it did, with having to relay information between the two...
Something in his mind nagged about that not quite being right-
He blinked... wait... what... wasn't right...?
He was interrupted by yet another inter-timeline visitor. With another note. What was going on over there? Would they be getting notes too?
"Mmmhm," he says, welcoming the other timeline's Takumi into his room and locking the door behind him, "Clearly, I'm on everyone's minds tonight. Any particular reason you and Hiruko-san chose to approach me separately on this matter?"
Takumi blinked at the other Eito in confusion. "Hiruko was here?" he asked, genuinely confused. He sat himself down on the chair he sat in last time he was in Eito's room. He had to admit, the room looked much nicer, actually lived in. A person's room was a reflection of their soul, he heard once, though he couldn't remember where. But, seeing Eito's room like this, more lively and bright and colorful, made Takumi's heart swell with joy.
"Wait, she also has a note?" he exclaimed in surprise, "So, that little flower girl appeared to Hiruko, too? I wonder if that means she gave notes to others, as well... It was strange, but I don't think she can talk, and is using these notes to communicate. I've never heard her speak, and she seemed very insistent on me reading this." He paused, then shrugged, "Or I could be completely wrong and these notes mean nothing. I don't know, I've never been the smart guy of our group."
"The same kid appeared in our timeline," Eito said, taking a seat at the foot of his bed, "No notes, but gave us flowers. Both me AND Takumi-san. Whomever they are, they aren't normal. Even if the note means nothing, or is casual in nature, I think we should keep an eye out if the kid shows up again."
He looked over the note Takumi was holding. It sure was the same kind of writing he didn't quite understand. But... Takumi-san did.
He huffed a little in frustration. At least this note was a LOT shorter.
"Well, unfortunately for me, I'm actually pretty useless when it comes to ancient Futuran," he shrugs, somewhat dramatically, "Alas, my only use here is going to be acting as a mouthpiece for horrible Takumi-san, since he's the one with the actual knowledge. Thankfully, this note is much shorter than Hiruko-san's so it shouldn't run into my later... engagement..."
He felt... dizzy. Didn't he feel this way earlier?
Eito's breath hitched, as he gripped his hair and shivered, before going limp, collapsing sideways onto the bed. His eyes were half-lidded and vacant, like his mind had been forcibly shut down.
A twitch, a few blinks, and he slowly raised himself off of the bed and wordlessly got down to the floor, fishing something out from a secret compartment hidden under the bed - some kind of airtight container, and a messily-annotated notebook.
His movements and posture made it clear it wasn't Eito.
"Sorry about that, Sumino-kun. He always fights it a bit, unless he's already unconscious or tired," says Takumi, detached from the situation, "But unfortunately, I do need my notes to translate, and I have some things in here I'd rather keep private. Even from Aotsuki."
Panic swelled inside Takumi as Eito swayed and collapsed. "Eito!!" He exclaimed in fear. He immediately reached out, ready to help with whatever just happened. But, then he started to move. Takumi froze in place as he watched the other Eito get up and move around like nothing happened.
It was his other self.
"...Why..." he whispered, his eyes filled with pain and terror. This pain he was feeling, it wasn't his. No, it wasn't his- it was Eito's. The feeling of being controlled, the one thing Eito feared most. It consumed him, his body shivering and shaking as he took a step back.
"Why did you do that...?" He asked, his eyes glancing back and forth between his other self and the bed, where Eito had collapsed, "You didn't have to... why...?"
Takumi sighed. He had a feeling this would upset the boy. That bleeding heart of his...
Well. No matter. He sits himself back down on the bed and begins working, tearing out a blank page from the book and writing on it as he flips between his book and the note.
"Like I said," he replies, flipping through the notebook, glancing between it and the note, "I'm not exactly fluent. I need my notes, and I have some things in my research I don't want Aotsuki knowing about."
Part of him wanted to say he didn't get it, but that was a lie. He knew his other self was concerned about Eito's agency, here. Truthfully, he didn't like it either. But it's not like he had much of a choice. Just an unfortunate reality of their situation.
"Thankfully, yours is MUCH shorter, and the information is still fresh in my mind. I shouldn't be long; I'll give control back to Aotsuki, and as far as he'll remember, we just communicated back and forth to get this done."
He didn't want to cause the child further distress.
"Don't you trust him?" he asked quietly, watching his other self from afar. He refused to move closer, and he couldn't will himself to move away. "Wouldn't it be better to work together with him? He's so smart... and he's trying so hard to help this time..."
His own words made him think of his Eito. Of the information Takumi himself hiding from him. But, despite how similar that was in principle, it was different. Takumi wasn't hiding it willingly. No, there were so many times where he nearly came out and blurted the whole truth to Eito. He wanted the other to know so bad, he wanted to show how much he was willing to help Eito heal and work together with him, but- but-
Something kept holding him back. Something foreign. Something outside his control.
He had been wondering this to himself for a while, never bringing it up to the others, never wanting to actively think about it. But, he had been wondering just... just how much of his actions were his own? There had been so many powerful beings controlling him, actively making themselves known to him, but what if there were beings that kept themselves hidden? A puppeteer with invisible strings wrapped around Takumi's whole body, forcing him to move in ways he didn't want to.
Maybe that's why he had been so complicit in everything up until now.
He couldn't find any other explanation, and that scared him.
Takumi sighed, rubbing his temple a bit. Surprisingly, he DID agree with his younger self a bit, at least on principle.
But...
"Trust... is an odd thing with Aotsuki," he replies, choosing his words carefully, "He can be fickle, and vindictive. And likes to take risks, with that luck of his. And while yes, he IS smart... Some of the things I'm looking into could... Distract him, or make him spiral back into old habits, for lack of a tactful way of saying it."
Basically, shit could make him go crazy again, or DO something exceptionally stupid or crazy. Like HE did, back then.
He should never have connected.
"And the fact that he's working so hard is part of it, too," he says, and means it, "I don't want him to lose sight of the changes he's achieved, and I don't want to add more to the already-huge workload he's dealing with. My problems can stay my problems, and I can do the legwork as far as finding a way to cure what's going on with his body. He can focus on helping this timeline's Sumino-san get through the 100 Days."
He knew he was being somewhat evasive. But the truths remembered would probably break the boy.
Slowly, Takumi managed to move himself back down to the chair he was sitting on earlier. He slumped into the seat with a defeated sigh.
"Then... can't you at least communicate with him what you're doing?" He then asked, "Maybe figure out a system so he doesn't have to worry about losing time. So you don't have to change his memories. It just- it just feels wrong."
All he could think of were the memories he experienced from his Eito. The pain and suffering. The empty nights alone and scared. Not knowing when the monsters were coming back or what they were planning next. That's why he was trying to hard to win over his Eito's trust. Why he was putting so much effort into caring for him. Because no one else ever did, and that-
Takumi sighed, "Believe it or not, it was one of the first things that came up in discussions, once he became aware of me being here," he replied, looking up from his notes at the younger Takumi.
If the younger Takumi were paying attention, he'd notice the older one inhabiting Eito's body seemed even more tired and worn than usual, his eyes reflecting age that went beyond what he may have claimed before.
"Of course, he shot me down on that. Told me he refused to give up any control of his body or senses, except for in extreme emergencies. For example, when I had to snap him out of Parmith's control, or Turamtammi's illusions. Basically, any time he's already lost control, for the sake of seizing it back," he says, making direct eye contact with the other, his tone and expression stern, "Believe me, if I could avoid this? I would. But unfortunately, even like this, I don't have the luxury of sitting idle. There's still things I need to do, and the less people get involved, the better."
Takumi opened his mouth to argue, or say more, but his other self's expression held no room for argument. So, Takumi slowly closed his mouth and lowered his gaze to the floor.
Why were humans so greedy? Why couldn't they leave well alone? Why did they have to escalate things? None of this was fair.
It wasn't fair.
He felt like he was being scolded by his father or a teacher, sitting in his little seat while his other self sifted through papers. Like he had done something wrong. Like he was a child.
Well, he was a child. 17 was still not legally an adult, which would mean he would be considered a minor. Though, law hardly mattered on a battlefield with magic blood powers.
He thought back to the little girl who handed him the flowers and the note that brought him here in the first place, something to distract him from all the negative thoughts swirling around in his head. Her mask... it looked familiar, like he had seen it before. But, it didn't match any of the commanders' masks. So then-
The statue.
It was the same mask as the statue they saw when his other self saved those Futuran kids. Eito also said the note was written in ancient Futuran. Could the girl be from the past?
Augh, he hoped it wasn't another god-esque being. That would be the last thing he needed.
"Well, this one wasn't too difficult," he says, closing his notebook as he removes the transcribed note, "Helps that Hiruko's was a little longer, there were some phrases shared, too."
He passes the note and translation back to the other Takumi.
'You are the leader of the Star Children? I sense great kindness. Why does the blood of Our Home flow through you? I wish to understand.'
"Between this and Hiruko's note, it seems like this entity is trying to gauge whether we're truly a threat or not, and figure out our connection to Futurum," he says, closing his notebook, "Which... I mean. You, me, and Hiruko know. But I'm sure it would seem strange for invaders from the sky to have the power of what's supposed to be this world's God."
"Especially since... more than likely, this child is connected to one of the first to receive that power. You noticed too, right?"
Takumi carefully took the note and translated note back into his hands. He read it over carefully.
"Yeah... her mask looked the exact same," he explained in hushed tones, "But she was too young..."
The image of the little girl appeared in his mind's eye, then the image of the statue. Same mask, but different ages. He wondered if she was possibly a ghost, but the items she handed him were very real and very tangible.
Takumi let out a small, grumpy noise. "This is... not something I can figure out. This is all more Hiruko and Eito's territory," he stated. Besides all of that, how exactly was he supposed to tell a little child the ethical violations of human experimentation and manipulation? It's... a lot for even adults to handle.
"Hmmm... maybe..." he muttered to himself a bit, tapping a finger on his book.
How much of his own theories could he reasonably share?
"Well, remember the story I brought up with those kids earlier? Could be... some kind of envoy? Though unless it were really possible for mortals to become gods, or something close to it, that'd be unlikely. Considering Ama-Sophia's been dead for... five, six thousand years? Give or take?" Takumi suggested, trying to sound incredulous. Truthfully, it wasn't impossible, but...
Did she still exist in that place? Or were there places outside of it where such things could exist?
He shifted gears, ready to put out another theory. He didn't want this Takumi to look too far into these things. Far too risky.
Shifting his position, slouching a bit and resting his chin on his hand, he continued languidly, "Though... not sure they'd wear the same mask. Unless, of course, she predates that rule. Another thought is she COULD be some sort of... hemoanima echo. Every living thing on this planet contains SOME measure of cryptoglobin, it's not completely out there to think she's something left of a really devoted follower, or maybe a younger echo of Ama-Sephia herself..."
Hopefully if he overcomplicated this, it'd dissuade him from looking into it. No matter what, he couldn't see the Heart.
The boy fidgetted in his chair, fiddling with his fingers and jacket. "Well, I wouldn't know about being a god," he said, "but she could be immortal? Found some way to gain immortality? I mean, it is possible, after all..."
After all, he himself was now considered "immortal" thanks to Vee.
Speaking of Vee, Takumi hadn't heard or seen the strange spirit in a while. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, and was trying to keep it to himself so no one worried, but lately, his neck was starting to itch again. A familiar itching, like how it felt when the wound first healed after Vee revived him. He didn't mention to anyone about the strange bouts of vertigo he was experiencing sometimes, or how he would get a tickle in his throat.
He couldn't worry everyone with it. They all had enough on their plates as it was, and he was supposed to be their leader. If their leader started to falter, everything would collapse.
"Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about Futuran history or customs," Takumi sighed, shrugging, "That seems much more up your alley than mine."
"Well, even that's limited. Only reason what I know has stuck is because that Dahl'xia is a hell of a storyteller," he shrugs, as he gets up from his seat on the bed and bends down to reach under it, returning his documents to wherever they were hidden, a barely-audible -click- sounding as they were secured away in their hiding spot.
"Gives me leads and references, something to talk about and build trust with the locals. Works out for Eito, too. He hasn't talked about it much, but he wants to try to get everyone to rally behind the people down here, instead of the satellite," Takumi smiles a bit, genuinely proud of how far his old friend and nemesis has come. He didn't even notice his slip-up, "And while he... well. He still hates humanity. But he seems to have come around to the idea that... maybe they can learn and aren't beyond hope."
He sits back down on the bed and smiles at his younger self. He knew how sad and disappointed he must be with him, the man he'd become. He had no idea how selfish and wretched he really was.
"It's why I want to help him, no matter what. Did you still want to talk to him?" Takumi asks, brushing a little hair behind his ears, "If so, I can give him back control, here. Though... Can I ask for a favor? It's in regards to Aotsuki and his... condition. A lead. And may be related to our little flower child here, assuming they have a connection to Ama-Sephia."
It was best to keep the fact that he was planning to allow his Eito to kill humanity once they made it past day 100 from his other self. He had a feeling that he would react similarly to Hiruko and get very angry with him, and that was not something Takumi wanted to deal with.
"Um, yes, I would like to talk to Eito still..." he replied, keeping his head low before slowly lifting it when he was asked about a favor. "Well... if I can help him, then I suppose?" he shrugged. He wasn't sure how he felt about taking favors from his other self, but he care more for the other Eito's well being than his weird feelings for his other self currently.
"Right, I'm not asking much. Just... for you and anyone else that may interact with her to keep an ear out, essentially," Takumi clarifies, not wanting to impose too much, "Mostly... I want you to keep your eyes and ears peeled for a specific name - 'Dammuz'."
He realized perhaps a brief explanation was in order.
"Ama-Sephia was one of the first of the Paragons, and pretty rightly one of the most revered. In addition to her attunement with nature and receiving the Divine Blood, she was said to be a miraculous healer," he starts, laying the groundwork, "But another part of her story is her older brother, Dammuz. But... that's where it gets strange. Because aside from a few key points? Almost no records of the guy remain. It seems to be some unspoken rule to not even depict him.
"But the few things we do know? Stick out. For one, we know that while he had SOME of the Divine Blood, he wasn't a Paragon. So, probably had fairly weak hemoanima. Second, supposedly, he committed some 'Great Sin'... Which... I assume is the reason there's so little on him... But the third story I've heard - and took a while to come across - is the one that got my attention, especially in combination with the others. Supposedly, as punishment for his 'Great Sin', he was struck with an illness, where his 'Blood began to devour his body'... Does this all sound familiar?"
It sounded exactly like what was happening to the other Eito.
"Okay, I can do that," he nodded. Here's to hoping that the flower girl could understand him, at least.
After a slight pause, he asked, "May I speak to Eito now? I wanted to hear his opinion on all of this."
Maybe he could figure out a way to subtly hint to Eito about what happened. Of course he knew there was no way he could come right out and say anything, his other self would just override those memories.
"Thank you, Sumino-kun," he replied, a bit of emphasis on the friendly address. Takumi'd caught the slight edge in the other's voice. His shift in approval over the course of their conversation hadn't exactly been subtle. Two could play at this game.
He smiled at the other, taking a minute to go over the conversation and events in his head; what parts Eito needed to remember, and what parts would be redacted, "And... of course. I'll see you later, Sumino-kun."
Though he didn't collapse this time, the expression on Eito's face went blank, eyes glazing over. Almost trancelike, as the events of the evening were molded and shaped in his mind, concealing his headmate's machinations and control.
He blinks a few times, and the spark of consciousness returns to his eyes.
"Ah, Takumi-kun. Sorry, I... I was thinking about some other plans this evening, and spaced out..." Eito apologizes, before crinkling his nose in disgust, "Astonishing, considering your stench. I must be getting used to it. You... were saying?"
Now that he was speaking to Eito, he didn't know what to do. Takumi sat there, completely unsure of what to do next. What if he said something wrong? What if his other self punished him? What if his other self punished Eito?? His heart thumped in his chest, the fear of what ifs swirling around in his mind until they threatened to break him.
"I-" his voice barely managed to squeak out. At first, he thought it was because of his anxiety, but, then he tried again.
"I-I think... I..."
He was losing his voice.
He needed to leave. Now.
Takumi quickly stood up out of his seat.
When he opened his eyes, he was lying prone on the carpet, unsure of what just happened. How did he end up on the floor? What was he doing, again? He slowly blinked his eyes, trying to clear away the strange fog that enveloped his head.
Takumi was... oddly on edge. Eito knew that he was the empathetic sort, but... He's known about his prognosis for a few days now, so surely that couldn't be what was distressing him? Especially when discussing a possible lead? And the note's contents were... Well, they were quite tame, just a question of the reason for their shared power.
His brow furrowed in concern as Takumi got to his feet, clearly in a hurry. Eito started to get up himself, "Takumi-kun? Are you al-"
But he didn't get to finish his question before gasping in shock as Takumi started to crumple to the floor. Eito lunged forward to catch him, gagging and reflexively covering his mouth as proximity intensified the smell of rotting flesh and overwhelming florals, phantom needles grazing against his cheek as the smaller boy's head lolled limply against his shoulder.
Carefully, Eito lowered him down to the ground, making sure his head didn't hit anything as he kneeled down, easing Takumi down on his side. He looked over the unconscious boy as best he could. What was happening?
He spotted a little redness - well, more redness than usual, given how he appeared to Eito - peeking out from under the choker the boy wore. Skin irritation?
Eito felt anxiety pool in his own stomach. Surely, surely it couldn't be...?
As he reached out to gently investigate, however, Takumi slowly blinked his eyes open, coming to from the syncope that had overtaken him.
"Ah, Takumi-kun," he gasped, retracting his hand and resting it on his knee, "Are... are you alright? You can hear and understand me, right? What's going on? Do... do you need anything?"
It was a lot in quick succession, but he was... worried. And not exactly used to taking care of others.
Slowly, Takumi tilted his head, the view of Eito hovering over top of him clear as day. He blinked at the sight, more confused than anything else. Why was he...?
Then everything came flooding back. The note, his other self, his throat-
Oh. He passed out. That's what happened.
Takumi opened his mouth, ready to explain that he was fine and just wasn't feeling great, but he couldn't get the words out. He physically couldn't speak the words he wanted to say. He tried a second time, but his throat only made a gross gargling noise. Takumi scrunched his nose in disgust.
'I am fine,' he signed. If this Eito was anything like his own, he would know sign language. How fortunate it was Takumi was learning it. 'Just... dealing with something I did not think would be a problem.'
Eito watched over the other boy carefully as he seemed to get his bearings, aiding him in gradually easing himself up from where he had lain on the floor. Takumi seemed confused, at first, but seemed to quickly retrace his steps as to how they got here.
That, at the very least, was a relief.
Relief, however, swiftly shifted into concern, his gaze sharpening onto Takumi's throat as what he assumed was an attempt to speak resulted only in a pained gurgle. The sound was even more revolting to his ears than if he had actually spoken.
Because he knew full well what had caused Takumi's voice to escape him. The only question was... why? Why was the wound reopening. Guilt began to eat away at the fringes of his heart. Of all the reckless, impulsive...!
His face contorted into a slightly pained expression as he brought a hand to his chest, reflexive, to suppress the disgust and nausea that was beginning to billow up in his throat. But not towards Takumi. Not this time.
The signing caught his attention; he had no idea this Takumi knew any sign language.
"The neck wound," he replied curtly, gaze darkening as a new wave of guilt hit him, "Why? Why would it be reopening after all this time? Have you tried any sort of conventional means of sealing it? Stitches? Surgery? . . . The Revive-O-Matic?"
Eito's thoughts were beginning to race. Surely, surely there was something they could do.
He hadn't realized how tightly his right hand was now gripping Takumi's jacket - enough to cause the growth to dig and pull at his unmarred flesh just a little too much. He winced, and loosened his grip slightly as he watched Takumi for answers. His own dilemma came secondary to the one that he caused.
Takumi would laugh if he had the ability to without sounding like a dying animal. 'I haven't even bothered asking Yugamu about it,' he replied, then quickly added before Eito could tell him off, 'We already tried the revive o matic. It didn't work. Pretty sure that Vee is dying and that's causing the magic that sealed the wound to reopen.'
His Eito was more than upset to learn about all this. This Eito looked just as upset, albeit for completely different reasons. Takumi almost forgot this Eito thought he was the one that gave him the nasty wound on his neck. He was so out of it by that point, that he didn't even think before signing, 'Stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do, it's driving me insane. Sick of watching you beat yourself up over killing me when you weren't even the one to do it in the first place.' Takumi then tossed his hands angrily into the air before letting them drop to his sides. He flopped back down onto his back, simply laying there as he stared at the ceiling. He's going to die soon, so why should he let all this anxiety about what this other self could and couldn't do?
His reprimand was cut short before he could voice it, his expression somewhere between a worried scowl at the unfolding situation and an indignant pout at being interrupted. The prognosis, as it was, felt like ice driving into his chest and seeping into his veins; he wanted to argue against the absurdity of it, but he knew full well that otherworldly entities holding lethal wounds together wasn't that much more absurd than the established reality they've apparently all been reliving for stars-know-how-long.
"Ha. Haha," the chuckle that escaped his lips as he knelt there was completely mirthless, "I suppose that just means I got to kill you yet again, hm? Ugly, stupid, putrid, vile, irredeemable... Takumi-kun..."
In the end, he was still a murderer. He just couldn't help himself, could he? Aotsuki Eito and Sumino Takumi would always find some way to destroy each other, as was their nature. It was only fitting, then, that he himself would be ravaged by the aberrant cryptoglobin in his system, if his reflection didn't find a way to storm across timelines again and kill him first.
He might just let him. Let himself be devoured and pass the burden of knowledge onto the other. Free him of one shackle and tether him to another.
Eito once again brought his gaze towards the exhausted boy, who was now wearing an almost... Angry expression? Yeah, makes sense he'd be angry, being held by his murderer. But then the signing started again. He barely had time to process the message before Takumi wriggled out of his grip and flopped back down onto the ground in a huff.
"What do you mean-" he started to argue, but he realized the implication almost immediately. Eyes widened in realization, rage flickering through them like lightning streaking across the sky. He lifted his hand to his mouth, and bit down hard upon the leather of his glove. Anything to stifle the words that wanted to spill forth in his fury.
He felt his joints crack under the the pressure of his teeth on his finger, the pain snapping him out of the rage-fueled trance he found himself in. He realized, too, how tightly he was digging his other fingers into the other Takumi's wrist.
Looking down for a moment, all he could see was the reflection of the tragic parasite he apparently had puppetting him regularly. Hatred, pure hatred. Part of him wanted to dig his fingers into that unsightly wound on his grotesque neck and rip it open himself. Find his own miserable, pathetic Takumi in his room and give him every scar and wound he's received tenfold and more and lick the tears from his rotting, horrible, sad, beautiful eyes; hell, devour him whole, blood body and soul! It wasn't like he hadn't already done it...! A crazed, mad grin contorted across his face; wide, wild, and malicious. Not unlike the very first Eito Takumi encountered, in the Defense Room in his first round of the final days.
The silence in his mind was deafening, but the presence was there. There was a good chance he wouldn't remember any of this. Not while his jailer remained vigilant.
Something snapped into place. He wasn't sure what. He just. Had to get through tonight. Be good. For now. They could talk. Maybe. This Takumi wasn't to blame. Neither was his. He was pretty sure he'd wanted to change. Were those his thoughts? His decision? Something to ponder.
For now, he released Takumi's wrist. He'd gripped so tight, it might bruise. His eyes remained wide, murderous rage bubbling just behind the surface, staring unblinking at the boy on the ground. His expression forced itself back into one of a neutral, pleasant one, his tone following suit. Practiced. False.
"Takumi-kun. I think. You should go now," Eito says, not changing his tone or position, holding the hand that had gripped the other in front of him as if it were some sort of weapon, "I can't stand looking at your disgusting, hideous visage or endure your vile, rancid stench any longer."
It was like he was reciting an old script. He didn't feel like he was there.
He hadn't even realized there was a grip on his wrist until it tightened. Takumi let out a wince, his arm immediately trying to tug away at whatever was harming him. When he finally looked up, he stopped. Stared.
Thst stare. That stare that haunted his dreams.
Before his mind could even process what was happening, Eito quickly released his wrist and told him to leave. But- but something in his tone, in his body posture, something was screaming at him that leaving the teen alone was a horrible idea. There was no way that Eito should be left alone... Of course, his first instinct was to argue, to remain here and stay by his side to help calm him down, but the realization hit him like a brick. Eito was warning him, telling him to run before he actually did harm Takumi. Which meant that it wouldn't be safe for "Takumi"...
Right, this Eito had friends. Actual friends. Friends who could actually help keep him level headed and figure out stuff together.
'Okay,' he signed slowly as he forced himself up off the floor. He kept Eito in his sight for as long as he could before he closed the door and sprinted to find someone, anyone nearby. He hoped and prayed that Eito wouldn't do anything rash.
It wasn't long before Takumi ran into someone else, skulking around the Academy at the late hour. On the first floor, Kako seemed to be coming in from the direction of the entrance hall. Likewise, his presence was quickly noted as well, though Kako seemed... surprised, by his presence.
"Wait- Sumino-sempai...? But..." she... was a bit bewildered. Last she knew before she came to check on the fire extinguishers, he'd been holed up with Darumi in his room...?
This wasn't good, he couldn't be on his own, not while Sirei-
And then she noticed the choker. The soft, yet panicked look in his eyes and face. Markedly different from their harried team leader.
"You're... the other timeline's Sumino-sempai? But why...?" she realized. But as far as she knew, Eito was his only point of contact here, and there were risks involved with acting in other timelines so openly.
So for him to so brazenly approach in this sort of state...
"Is it... something with Eito?" it had to be. Sirei hadn't gotten to him, had he? They were sure he'd probably go for their Takumi first...
Whatever it was... she had a very, very bad feeling. She wasted no time in following his lead.
Eito watched Takumi scramble out of his room, barely paying attention to the signed response.
No, he was more focused on the other Takumi. The one that had some things to answer for. He crawled his way to the nearby trashcan. Unfortunately, he wouldn't make it to the bathroom. He could already feel the saliva pooling in his mouth and the acid tickling the esophagus.
His throat and stomach tightened, emptying the contents of his stomach into the trash. Once. Twice. Thrice. Putrid bile, reminding him of the source of his fury in this moment. He dry-heaved a few more times, tears burning in his eyes as he brought a gloved hand to his bloody, puke-grazed lips.
Liar. Disgusting, vile, wretched. You've seen. You know.
I'm sorry, I really am. I tried setting something up with you, but you wouldn't budge.
I trusted you. After all of that mercy, so many timelines...
Aotsuki...
Eito's gaze shot upwards, to the hallucinatory figure standing over him. Though looking somehow a little older, and lacking the usual filter of his cognitive distortion, there was no mistaking those cold, cobalt and crimson eyes. The eyes of a soldier. The eyes of a monster. The eyes of a liar.
"And there. You. Are," Eito hisses through his fingers, slowly straightening from his hunched position like a cobra ready to spit, each word filled with his venom, "Not enough to puppet my body and rewrite my memories, is it. You're making me have to endure the illusion of your odious presence, now."
The illusory Takumi just sighed, arms crossed and shaking his head. He opened his mouth to speak -
"You're just going to do it again, aren't you, Takumi-san. Make this all another hole in my mind that I'll conveniently ignore."
Takumi seemed exasperated at this point. Good.
"I never wanted to," he says, and Eito can almost imagine the usual grating, scratching tone, even if it isn't what he... 'hears', "But there's some stuff I need to take care of. . . -"
'Need', present tense. So the answer is yes. The rest is irrelevant right now. Eito's stomach churns again, every muscle and fiber of his being screaming at him to rip tear rend destroy destroy destroy destroy destroy...
But there was nothing to destroy. Just the ghost of his stalwart rival and duplicitous ally standing before him. But he could be petty. He could be difficult. He could ruin his foul little game here. He bit the leather covering the tips of his left ring and middle finger, gently tugging the glove off of his hand and letting it drop to the floor with a soft thud, tracing the shape of his mouth with his now-bare fingers as he near-mindlessly stared off into oblivion.
The bite force of a human being is around one hundred twenty to one hundred sixty pounds per square inch. Taking into account muscle and skin, it takes about two hundred pounds of force to crush the bones in a human finger.
But, of course, the joints are another story.
Before he can back out and before Takumi can realize what he's doing, he bites down as hard as he could at the second knuckle of his left ring finger, channeling all the blinding rage he felt towards the specter in the recesses of his mind into his movements, pushing against sense and instinct amidst the background noise of his own pained growls and Takumi's confused and frantic protests. He felt resistance; as the phantom team leader knelt down and seemed to be attempting to free Eito's limb from his jaws, no doubt seizing control of the limb to do so. Attempting to seize control of his mind, as well, based on the gentle, warm tickling at the edge of his consciousness. But his indignation, his fury, his will, would prove stronger. As the rogue limb attempted to pull away, Eito used the sudden leverage to his advantage.
Savage tooth broke unblemished skin, joints separating with sickening cracks and pops. Rage, adrenaline, pain, all a fuzzy blur in in his mind as he let the severed digit fall with a gasp and a whimper from bloodied jaws; the tears in his eyes only just barely able to obscure the look of pure, abject horror and revulsion on Takumi's face.
"Ei- Aotsuki..." Takumi's eyes darted to the finger on the blood-spattered white floor, to the bleeding hand still clutching his pale jaw, to mad blue eyes not unlike those that had haunted his nightmares countless moons ago, "What- What the fuck....?! Why?! To yourse- why would you...?"
Choked tittering, cascading into mirthless giggles, crescendoing into wild, maniacal laughter at his victory over his beloved, beloathed rival. A snow-white hyena, his mad revelry only just barely stifled as he snapped his jaws shut in bloodied grin.
"You, Takumi," Eito hisses, tipping his head back with shuddered breaths, enraptured in hatred and affection, words spilling forth like a profane prayer, "You, you, you, you, you, youuuuu... Always you, Takumi. Heh. Let's see you try to cover this up, ha! Hmhheheheh... Hah... hah...!"
He leans forward, drawing in a sharp breath at the horror and realization on Takumi's face. Oh, yes. Yes. He would go this far and further, teach him to play with his mind. It hurt him to see him hurt himself. Hurt to know it was because of him. Hurt for hurt. He hurt him, he hurts himself, hurting him, for hurt he caused. . .! The cycle circles evermore, it was their fate. . . !
No, no. He'd said farewell to unfair fate. This was his new chapter, his atonement, his ballad. It wasn't Takumi's to write, no, yet he interfered anyways. As always. Eito wouldn't have it. No, no longer.
"What- what the hell is wrong with you?!" Takumi sounded genuinely shocked. Bewildered. Angry. Good. "Eito, this- this is crazy. Just... out of spite? You're doing this to yourself, out of spite for me?"
He shook his head, leaning forward and reaching toward the blood-stained young man watching, unblinking, through mutilated fingers digging crescents into the flesh of his cheeks.
Takumi's expression was hard to read. Something like... confusion? Sympathy? Regret? "Aotsuki. I never wanted to hurt you like this. I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I lied, alright? But-"
No buts. No excuses. Wrong words. Eito dove in for another bite, grasping his index finger in his mouth and squeezing, pulling, popping, feeling his joints scream in agony as they separated amidst his companion's shouted protests and further attempts to seize his mind and body. His body thrashed and seized, though whether it was from Takumi's attempts at stopping his self-inflicted onslaught or pure instinct trying to fight his will... he couldn't tell.
In the haze of blood and adrenaline, he failed to notice the door opening behind him...
Takumi walks up to Eito, holding a note in his hand.
"Hey, Eito... you're good with languages and stuff, right?" He asked shyly.
@teamleader-takumi
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | NIGHT | A SECOND NOTE]]
Eito had just seen the other timeline's Hiruko off, checking the time. Good, still had quite a bit of time. He was surprised the translation effort went as smoothly as it did, with having to relay information between the two...
Something in his mind nagged about that not quite being right-
He blinked... wait... what... wasn't right...?
He was interrupted by yet another inter-timeline visitor. With another note. What was going on over there? Would they be getting notes too?
"Mmmhm," he says, welcoming the other timeline's Takumi into his room and locking the door behind him, "Clearly, I'm on everyone's minds tonight. Any particular reason you and Hiruko-san chose to approach me separately on this matter?"
Takumi blinked at the other Eito in confusion. "Hiruko was here?" he asked, genuinely confused. He sat himself down on the chair he sat in last time he was in Eito's room. He had to admit, the room looked much nicer, actually lived in. A person's room was a reflection of their soul, he heard once, though he couldn't remember where. But, seeing Eito's room like this, more lively and bright and colorful, made Takumi's heart swell with joy.
"Wait, she also has a note?" he exclaimed in surprise, "So, that little flower girl appeared to Hiruko, too? I wonder if that means she gave notes to others, as well... It was strange, but I don't think she can talk, and is using these notes to communicate. I've never heard her speak, and she seemed very insistent on me reading this." He paused, then shrugged, "Or I could be completely wrong and these notes mean nothing. I don't know, I've never been the smart guy of our group."
"The same kid appeared in our timeline," Eito said, taking a seat at the foot of his bed, "No notes, but gave us flowers. Both me AND Takumi-san. Whomever they are, they aren't normal. Even if the note means nothing, or is casual in nature, I think we should keep an eye out if the kid shows up again."
He looked over the note Takumi was holding. It sure was the same kind of writing he didn't quite understand. But... Takumi-san did.
He huffed a little in frustration. At least this note was a LOT shorter.
"Well, unfortunately for me, I'm actually pretty useless when it comes to ancient Futuran," he shrugs, somewhat dramatically, "Alas, my only use here is going to be acting as a mouthpiece for horrible Takumi-san, since he's the one with the actual knowledge. Thankfully, this note is much shorter than Hiruko-san's so it shouldn't run into my later... engagement..."
He felt... dizzy. Didn't he feel this way earlier?
Eito's breath hitched, as he gripped his hair and shivered, before going limp, collapsing sideways onto the bed. His eyes were half-lidded and vacant, like his mind had been forcibly shut down.
A twitch, a few blinks, and he slowly raised himself off of the bed and wordlessly got down to the floor, fishing something out from a secret compartment hidden under the bed - some kind of airtight container, and a messily-annotated notebook.
His movements and posture made it clear it wasn't Eito.
"Sorry about that, Sumino-kun. He always fights it a bit, unless he's already unconscious or tired," says Takumi, detached from the situation, "But unfortunately, I do need my notes to translate, and I have some things in here I'd rather keep private. Even from Aotsuki."
Panic swelled inside Takumi as Eito swayed and collapsed. "Eito!!" He exclaimed in fear. He immediately reached out, ready to help with whatever just happened. But, then he started to move. Takumi froze in place as he watched the other Eito get up and move around like nothing happened.
It was his other self.
"...Why..." he whispered, his eyes filled with pain and terror. This pain he was feeling, it wasn't his. No, it wasn't his- it was Eito's. The feeling of being controlled, the one thing Eito feared most. It consumed him, his body shivering and shaking as he took a step back.
"Why did you do that...?" He asked, his eyes glancing back and forth between his other self and the bed, where Eito had collapsed, "You didn't have to... why...?"
Takumi sighed. He had a feeling this would upset the boy. That bleeding heart of his...
Well. No matter. He sits himself back down on the bed and begins working, tearing out a blank page from the book and writing on it as he flips between his book and the note.
"Like I said," he replies, flipping through the notebook, glancing between it and the note, "I'm not exactly fluent. I need my notes, and I have some things in my research I don't want Aotsuki knowing about."
Part of him wanted to say he didn't get it, but that was a lie. He knew his other self was concerned about Eito's agency, here. Truthfully, he didn't like it either. But it's not like he had much of a choice. Just an unfortunate reality of their situation.
"Thankfully, yours is MUCH shorter, and the information is still fresh in my mind. I shouldn't be long; I'll give control back to Aotsuki, and as far as he'll remember, we just communicated back and forth to get this done."
He didn't want to cause the child further distress.
"Don't you trust him?" he asked quietly, watching his other self from afar. He refused to move closer, and he couldn't will himself to move away. "Wouldn't it be better to work together with him? He's so smart... and he's trying so hard to help this time..."
His own words made him think of his Eito. Of the information Takumi himself hiding from him. But, despite how similar that was in principle, it was different. Takumi wasn't hiding it willingly. No, there were so many times where he nearly came out and blurted the whole truth to Eito. He wanted the other to know so bad, he wanted to show how much he was willing to help Eito heal and work together with him, but- but-
Something kept holding him back. Something foreign. Something outside his control.
He had been wondering this to himself for a while, never bringing it up to the others, never wanting to actively think about it. But, he had been wondering just... just how much of his actions were his own? There had been so many powerful beings controlling him, actively making themselves known to him, but what if there were beings that kept themselves hidden? A puppeteer with invisible strings wrapped around Takumi's whole body, forcing him to move in ways he didn't want to.
Maybe that's why he had been so complicit in everything up until now.
He couldn't find any other explanation, and that scared him.
Takumi sighed, rubbing his temple a bit. Surprisingly, he DID agree with his younger self a bit, at least on principle.
But...
"Trust... is an odd thing with Aotsuki," he replies, choosing his words carefully, "He can be fickle, and vindictive. And likes to take risks, with that luck of his. And while yes, he IS smart... Some of the things I'm looking into could... Distract him, or make him spiral back into old habits, for lack of a tactful way of saying it."
Basically, shit could make him go crazy again, or DO something exceptionally stupid or crazy. Like HE did, back then.
He should never have connected.
"And the fact that he's working so hard is part of it, too," he says, and means it, "I don't want him to lose sight of the changes he's achieved, and I don't want to add more to the already-huge workload he's dealing with. My problems can stay my problems, and I can do the legwork as far as finding a way to cure what's going on with his body. He can focus on helping this timeline's Sumino-san get through the 100 Days."
He knew he was being somewhat evasive. But the truths remembered would probably break the boy.
Slowly, Takumi managed to move himself back down to the chair he was sitting on earlier. He slumped into the seat with a defeated sigh.
"Then... can't you at least communicate with him what you're doing?" He then asked, "Maybe figure out a system so he doesn't have to worry about losing time. So you don't have to change his memories. It just- it just feels wrong."
All he could think of were the memories he experienced from his Eito. The pain and suffering. The empty nights alone and scared. Not knowing when the monsters were coming back or what they were planning next. That's why he was trying to hard to win over his Eito's trust. Why he was putting so much effort into caring for him. Because no one else ever did, and that-
Takumi sighed, "Believe it or not, it was one of the first things that came up in discussions, once he became aware of me being here," he replied, looking up from his notes at the younger Takumi.
If the younger Takumi were paying attention, he'd notice the older one inhabiting Eito's body seemed even more tired and worn than usual, his eyes reflecting age that went beyond what he may have claimed before.
"Of course, he shot me down on that. Told me he refused to give up any control of his body or senses, except for in extreme emergencies. For example, when I had to snap him out of Parmith's control, or Turamtammi's illusions. Basically, any time he's already lost control, for the sake of seizing it back," he says, making direct eye contact with the other, his tone and expression stern, "Believe me, if I could avoid this? I would. But unfortunately, even like this, I don't have the luxury of sitting idle. There's still things I need to do, and the less people get involved, the better."
Takumi opened his mouth to argue, or say more, but his other self's expression held no room for argument. So, Takumi slowly closed his mouth and lowered his gaze to the floor.
Why were humans so greedy? Why couldn't they leave well alone? Why did they have to escalate things? None of this was fair.
It wasn't fair.
He felt like he was being scolded by his father or a teacher, sitting in his little seat while his other self sifted through papers. Like he had done something wrong. Like he was a child.
Well, he was a child. 17 was still not legally an adult, which would mean he would be considered a minor. Though, law hardly mattered on a battlefield with magic blood powers.
He thought back to the little girl who handed him the flowers and the note that brought him here in the first place, something to distract him from all the negative thoughts swirling around in his head. Her mask... it looked familiar, like he had seen it before. But, it didn't match any of the commanders' masks. So then-
The statue.
It was the same mask as the statue they saw when his other self saved those Futuran kids. Eito also said the note was written in ancient Futuran. Could the girl be from the past?
Augh, he hoped it wasn't another god-esque being. That would be the last thing he needed.
"Well, this one wasn't too difficult," he says, closing his notebook as he removes the transcribed note, "Helps that Hiruko's was a little longer, there were some phrases shared, too."
He passes the note and translation back to the other Takumi.
'You are the leader of the Star Children? I sense great kindness. Why does the blood of Our Home flow through you? I wish to understand.'
"Between this and Hiruko's note, it seems like this entity is trying to gauge whether we're truly a threat or not, and figure out our connection to Futurum," he says, closing his notebook, "Which... I mean. You, me, and Hiruko know. But I'm sure it would seem strange for invaders from the sky to have the power of what's supposed to be this world's God."
"Especially since... more than likely, this child is connected to one of the first to receive that power. You noticed too, right?"
Takumi carefully took the note and translated note back into his hands. He read it over carefully.
"Yeah... her mask looked the exact same," he explained in hushed tones, "But she was too young..."
The image of the little girl appeared in his mind's eye, then the image of the statue. Same mask, but different ages. He wondered if she was possibly a ghost, but the items she handed him were very real and very tangible.
Takumi let out a small, grumpy noise. "This is... not something I can figure out. This is all more Hiruko and Eito's territory," he stated. Besides all of that, how exactly was he supposed to tell a little child the ethical violations of human experimentation and manipulation? It's... a lot for even adults to handle.
"Hmmm... maybe..." he muttered to himself a bit, tapping a finger on his book.
How much of his own theories could he reasonably share?
"Well, remember the story I brought up with those kids earlier? Could be... some kind of envoy? Though unless it were really possible for mortals to become gods, or something close to it, that'd be unlikely. Considering Ama-Sophia's been dead for... five, six thousand years? Give or take?" Takumi suggested, trying to sound incredulous. Truthfully, it wasn't impossible, but...
Did she still exist in that place? Or were there places outside of it where such things could exist?
He shifted gears, ready to put out another theory. He didn't want this Takumi to look too far into these things. Far too risky.
Shifting his position, slouching a bit and resting his chin on his hand, he continued languidly, "Though... not sure they'd wear the same mask. Unless, of course, she predates that rule. Another thought is she COULD be some sort of... hemoanima echo. Every living thing on this planet contains SOME measure of cryptoglobin, it's not completely out there to think she's something left of a really devoted follower, or maybe a younger echo of Ama-Sephia herself..."
Hopefully if he overcomplicated this, it'd dissuade him from looking into it. No matter what, he couldn't see the Heart.
The boy fidgetted in his chair, fiddling with his fingers and jacket. "Well, I wouldn't know about being a god," he said, "but she could be immortal? Found some way to gain immortality? I mean, it is possible, after all..."
After all, he himself was now considered "immortal" thanks to Vee.
Speaking of Vee, Takumi hadn't heard or seen the strange spirit in a while. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, and was trying to keep it to himself so no one worried, but lately, his neck was starting to itch again. A familiar itching, like how it felt when the wound first healed after Vee revived him. He didn't mention to anyone about the strange bouts of vertigo he was experiencing sometimes, or how he would get a tickle in his throat.
He couldn't worry everyone with it. They all had enough on their plates as it was, and he was supposed to be their leader. If their leader started to falter, everything would collapse.
"Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about Futuran history or customs," Takumi sighed, shrugging, "That seems much more up your alley than mine."
"Well, even that's limited. Only reason what I know has stuck is because that Dahl'xia is a hell of a storyteller," he shrugs, as he gets up from his seat on the bed and bends down to reach under it, returning his documents to wherever they were hidden, a barely-audible -click- sounding as they were secured away in their hiding spot.
"Gives me leads and references, something to talk about and build trust with the locals. Works out for Eito, too. He hasn't talked about it much, but he wants to try to get everyone to rally behind the people down here, instead of the satellite," Takumi smiles a bit, genuinely proud of how far his old friend and nemesis has come. He didn't even notice his slip-up, "And while he... well. He still hates humanity. But he seems to have come around to the idea that... maybe they can learn and aren't beyond hope."
He sits back down on the bed and smiles at his younger self. He knew how sad and disappointed he must be with him, the man he'd become. He had no idea how selfish and wretched he really was.
"It's why I want to help him, no matter what. Did you still want to talk to him?" Takumi asks, brushing a little hair behind his ears, "If so, I can give him back control, here. Though... Can I ask for a favor? It's in regards to Aotsuki and his... condition. A lead. And may be related to our little flower child here, assuming they have a connection to Ama-Sephia."
It was best to keep the fact that he was planning to allow his Eito to kill humanity once they made it past day 100 from his other self. He had a feeling that he would react similarly to Hiruko and get very angry with him, and that was not something Takumi wanted to deal with.
"Um, yes, I would like to talk to Eito still..." he replied, keeping his head low before slowly lifting it when he was asked about a favor. "Well... if I can help him, then I suppose?" he shrugged. He wasn't sure how he felt about taking favors from his other self, but he care more for the other Eito's well being than his weird feelings for his other self currently.
"Right, I'm not asking much. Just... for you and anyone else that may interact with her to keep an ear out, essentially," Takumi clarifies, not wanting to impose too much, "Mostly... I want you to keep your eyes and ears peeled for a specific name - 'Dammuz'."
He realized perhaps a brief explanation was in order.
"Ama-Sephia was one of the first of the Paragons, and pretty rightly one of the most revered. In addition to her attunement with nature and receiving the Divine Blood, she was said to be a miraculous healer," he starts, laying the groundwork, "But another part of her story is her older brother, Dammuz. But... that's where it gets strange. Because aside from a few key points? Almost no records of the guy remain. It seems to be some unspoken rule to not even depict him.
"But the few things we do know? Stick out. For one, we know that while he had SOME of the Divine Blood, he wasn't a Paragon. So, probably had fairly weak hemoanima. Second, supposedly, he committed some 'Great Sin'... Which... I assume is the reason there's so little on him... But the third story I've heard - and took a while to come across - is the one that got my attention, especially in combination with the others. Supposedly, as punishment for his 'Great Sin', he was struck with an illness, where his 'Blood began to devour his body'... Does this all sound familiar?"
It sounded exactly like what was happening to the other Eito.
"Okay, I can do that," he nodded. Here's to hoping that the flower girl could understand him, at least.
After a slight pause, he asked, "May I speak to Eito now? I wanted to hear his opinion on all of this."
Maybe he could figure out a way to subtly hint to Eito about what happened. Of course he knew there was no way he could come right out and say anything, his other self would just override those memories.
"Thank you, Sumino-kun," he replied, a bit of emphasis on the friendly address. Takumi'd caught the slight edge in the other's voice. His shift in approval over the course of their conversation hadn't exactly been subtle. Two could play at this game.
He smiled at the other, taking a minute to go over the conversation and events in his head; what parts Eito needed to remember, and what parts would be redacted, "And... of course. I'll see you later, Sumino-kun."
Though he didn't collapse this time, the expression on Eito's face went blank, eyes glazing over. Almost trancelike, as the events of the evening were molded and shaped in his mind, concealing his headmate's machinations and control.
He blinks a few times, and the spark of consciousness returns to his eyes.
"Ah, Takumi-kun. Sorry, I... I was thinking about some other plans this evening, and spaced out..." Eito apologizes, before crinkling his nose in disgust, "Astonishing, considering your stench. I must be getting used to it. You... were saying?"
Now that he was speaking to Eito, he didn't know what to do. Takumi sat there, completely unsure of what to do next. What if he said something wrong? What if his other self punished him? What if his other self punished Eito?? His heart thumped in his chest, the fear of what ifs swirling around in his mind until they threatened to break him.
"I-" his voice barely managed to squeak out. At first, he thought it was because of his anxiety, but, then he tried again.
"I-I think... I..."
He was losing his voice.
He needed to leave. Now.
Takumi quickly stood up out of his seat.
When he opened his eyes, he was lying prone on the carpet, unsure of what just happened. How did he end up on the floor? What was he doing, again? He slowly blinked his eyes, trying to clear away the strange fog that enveloped his head.
Takumi was... oddly on edge. Eito knew that he was the empathetic sort, but... He's known about his prognosis for a few days now, so surely that couldn't be what was distressing him? Especially when discussing a possible lead? And the note's contents were... Well, they were quite tame, just a question of the reason for their shared power.
His brow furrowed in concern as Takumi got to his feet, clearly in a hurry. Eito started to get up himself, "Takumi-kun? Are you al-"
But he didn't get to finish his question before gasping in shock as Takumi started to crumple to the floor. Eito lunged forward to catch him, gagging and reflexively covering his mouth as proximity intensified the smell of rotting flesh and overwhelming florals, phantom needles grazing against his cheek as the smaller boy's head lolled limply against his shoulder.
Carefully, Eito lowered him down to the ground, making sure his head didn't hit anything as he kneeled down, easing Takumi down on his side. He looked over the unconscious boy as best he could. What was happening?
He spotted a little redness - well, more redness than usual, given how he appeared to Eito - peeking out from under the choker the boy wore. Skin irritation?
Eito felt anxiety pool in his own stomach. Surely, surely it couldn't be...?
As he reached out to gently investigate, however, Takumi slowly blinked his eyes open, coming to from the syncope that had overtaken him.
"Ah, Takumi-kun," he gasped, retracting his hand and resting it on his knee, "Are... are you alright? You can hear and understand me, right? What's going on? Do... do you need anything?"
It was a lot in quick succession, but he was... worried. And not exactly used to taking care of others.
Slowly, Takumi tilted his head, the view of Eito hovering over top of him clear as day. He blinked at the sight, more confused than anything else. Why was he...?
Then everything came flooding back. The note, his other self, his throat-
Oh. He passed out. That's what happened.
Takumi opened his mouth, ready to explain that he was fine and just wasn't feeling great, but he couldn't get the words out. He physically couldn't speak the words he wanted to say. He tried a second time, but his throat only made a gross gargling noise. Takumi scrunched his nose in disgust.
'I am fine,' he signed. If this Eito was anything like his own, he would know sign language. How fortunate it was Takumi was learning it. 'Just... dealing with something I did not think would be a problem.'
Eito watched over the other boy carefully as he seemed to get his bearings, aiding him in gradually easing himself up from where he had lain on the floor. Takumi seemed confused, at first, but seemed to quickly retrace his steps as to how they got here.
That, at the very least, was a relief.
Relief, however, swiftly shifted into concern, his gaze sharpening onto Takumi's throat as what he assumed was an attempt to speak resulted only in a pained gurgle. The sound was even more revolting to his ears than if he had actually spoken.
Because he knew full well what had caused Takumi's voice to escape him. The only question was... why? Why was the wound reopening. Guilt began to eat away at the fringes of his heart. Of all the reckless, impulsive...!
His face contorted into a slightly pained expression as he brought a hand to his chest, reflexive, to suppress the disgust and nausea that was beginning to billow up in his throat. But not towards Takumi. Not this time.
The signing caught his attention; he had no idea this Takumi knew any sign language.
"The neck wound," he replied curtly, gaze darkening as a new wave of guilt hit him, "Why? Why would it be reopening after all this time? Have you tried any sort of conventional means of sealing it? Stitches? Surgery? . . . The Revive-O-Matic?"
Eito's thoughts were beginning to race. Surely, surely there was something they could do.
He hadn't realized how tightly his right hand was now gripping Takumi's jacket - enough to cause the growth to dig and pull at his unmarred flesh just a little too much. He winced, and loosened his grip slightly as he watched Takumi for answers. His own dilemma came secondary to the one that he caused.
Takumi would laugh if he had the ability to without sounding like a dying animal. 'I haven't even bothered asking Yugamu about it,' he replied, then quickly added before Eito could tell him off, 'We already tried the revive o matic. It didn't work. Pretty sure that Vee is dying and that's causing the magic that sealed the wound to reopen.'
His Eito was more than upset to learn about all this. This Eito looked just as upset, albeit for completely different reasons. Takumi almost forgot this Eito thought he was the one that gave him the nasty wound on his neck. He was so out of it by that point, that he didn't even think before signing, 'Stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do, it's driving me insane. Sick of watching you beat yourself up over killing me when you weren't even the one to do it in the first place.' Takumi then tossed his hands angrily into the air before letting them drop to his sides. He flopped back down onto his back, simply laying there as he stared at the ceiling. He's going to die soon, so why should he let all this anxiety about what this other self could and couldn't do?
His reprimand was cut short before he could voice it, his expression somewhere between a worried scowl at the unfolding situation and an indignant pout at being interrupted. The prognosis, as it was, felt like ice driving into his chest and seeping into his veins; he wanted to argue against the absurdity of it, but he knew full well that otherworldly entities holding lethal wounds together wasn't that much more absurd than the established reality they've apparently all been reliving for stars-know-how-long.
"Ha. Haha," the chuckle that escaped his lips as he knelt there was completely mirthless, "I suppose that just means I got to kill you yet again, hm? Ugly, stupid, putrid, vile, irredeemable... Takumi-kun..."
In the end, he was still a murderer. He just couldn't help himself, could he? Aotsuki Eito and Sumino Takumi would always find some way to destroy each other, as was their nature. It was only fitting, then, that he himself would be ravaged by the aberrant cryptoglobin in his system, if his reflection didn't find a way to storm across timelines again and kill him first.
He might just let him. Let himself be devoured and pass the burden of knowledge onto the other. Free him of one shackle and tether him to another.
Eito once again brought his gaze towards the exhausted boy, who was now wearing an almost... Angry expression? Yeah, makes sense he'd be angry, being held by his murderer. But then the signing started again. He barely had time to process the message before Takumi wriggled out of his grip and flopped back down onto the ground in a huff.
"What do you mean-" he started to argue, but he realized the implication almost immediately. Eyes widened in realization, rage flickering through them like lightning streaking across the sky. He lifted his hand to his mouth, and bit down hard upon the leather of his glove. Anything to stifle the words that wanted to spill forth in his fury.
He felt his joints crack under the the pressure of his teeth on his finger, the pain snapping him out of the rage-fueled trance he found himself in. He realized, too, how tightly he was digging his other fingers into the other Takumi's wrist.
Looking down for a moment, all he could see was the reflection of the tragic parasite he apparently had puppetting him regularly. Hatred, pure hatred. Part of him wanted to dig his fingers into that unsightly wound on his grotesque neck and rip it open himself. Find his own miserable, pathetic Takumi in his room and give him every scar and wound he's received tenfold and more and lick the tears from his rotting, horrible, sad, beautiful eyes; hell, devour him whole, blood body and soul! It wasn't like he hadn't already done it...! A crazed, mad grin contorted across his face; wide, wild, and malicious. Not unlike the very first Eito Takumi encountered, in the Defense Room in his first round of the final days.
The silence in his mind was deafening, but the presence was there. There was a good chance he wouldn't remember any of this. Not while his jailer remained vigilant.
Something snapped into place. He wasn't sure what. He just. Had to get through tonight. Be good. For now. They could talk. Maybe. This Takumi wasn't to blame. Neither was his. He was pretty sure he'd wanted to change. Were those his thoughts? His decision? Something to ponder.
For now, he released Takumi's wrist. He'd gripped so tight, it might bruise. His eyes remained wide, murderous rage bubbling just behind the surface, staring unblinking at the boy on the ground. His expression forced itself back into one of a neutral, pleasant one, his tone following suit. Practiced. False.
"Takumi-kun. I think. You should go now," Eito says, not changing his tone or position, holding the hand that had gripped the other in front of him as if it were some sort of weapon, "I can't stand looking at your disgusting, hideous visage or endure your vile, rancid stench any longer."
It was like he was reciting an old script. He didn't feel like he was there.
@sdu-axe-queen Trying to sneak through the school while wearing a leap suit was difficult. Thankfully, she'd had plenty of practice. And while she'd been less rigid about her rule of wearing one while timeline hoping this loop, today she definitely needed it. If anybody in this timeline saw her....it would spell trouble.
She made it up to the roof and found Eito's door. She rang the doorbell and waited impatiently.
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | LATE EVENING | A SECOND DATE]]
Okay, alright. It was last minute, but things were going well.
His double had somehow gotten back to his timeline, and Kako had already made the move to meet with Sirei tonight. Darumi was keeping watch over Takumi, at least until it was time for them to make their move. Shouma was keeping watch by the Infirmary, and he himself had managed to send Nigou - gullible as he is - on a bit of a wild goose chase just outside the grounds. It was astonishing what you could convince him of, as long as you framed it as coming from Sirei.
And to boot, those embarrassing rabbit accessories had finally come off.
Ideally, he would have talked to Yugamu about removing the bomb in him. But unfortunately, time hadn't allowed that particular conversation. And for whatever reason, the guy had locked himself up in the Bio Lab. No huge loss - the way they were doing this, Sirei wouldn't even know WHO was striking him until it was too late; while setting off the bomb in time was entirely possible, and thoroughly unpleasant, there'd be no way he'd have time to remove their Revive-O-Matic data.
And with what he knew from Takumi-san, they'd be able to pull this off without damaging any critical memory or data. Which would be vital, in terms of rallying everyone in sparing this planet without airing out the time travel secret.
You're really doing this, then? Aren't you rushing things a bit?
"You know full well I can't abide that... thing, in the Infirmary," Eito replied aloud, a chill running down his spine just thinking about it, "And as such? I refuse to risk letting my Ugly Takumi fall victim to it."
'Your' Takumi, huh? You're both freaks, I swear. Well, whatever. It had to happen sooner or later, I guess. Just hope you know what you're doing.
He paced around as he went over things in his head one more time. Just a few more hours until the scheduled meeting. Any more prep to do...?
The doorbell rings. Who is it at this hour? Did Kako maybe succeed in getting ahold of Yugamu?
"Coming!" He chirps, in the bright and friendly manner most of the current SDU was familiar with.
He did not expect to see someone in a Leap Suit on the other side.
Hiruko pushed the white haired boy inside and locked the door behind them. She quickly removed her helmet to show her identity- and the reason she was hiding it. The cat ears the anon had struck her with had not disappeared yet. Unlike many of the rest of the victims, Hiruko's ears were not attached to a headband, but were seemingly a part of her body. The same was true about her tail, tucked uncomfortably into the back of the leap suit.
It would be best to ignore them, she decided. They couldn't last forever.
She took off the rest of the suit and crossed her arms. She could feel the ears twitch above her head and her tail swish back and forth. She had to fight not to blush.
"What's going on, Hiruko-san?" Eito asked urgently. If Hiruko was willing to hop timelines to speak with them while... well. Looking like that, surely it was of utmost importance.
There were still a few hours before his own plans would unfold. He could probably help her out.
There was an odd feeling in his mind...
"Takumi-san...?" He brought a hand to his head, a puzzled look on his face.
. . .
Was he... flustered?
"Huh," he brought his hand back down, shrugging with a bemused expression, "Well, it's certainly not what you came here for, Hiruko-san, but it appears you've left my annoying little headmate at a loss for words. Never thought I'd see the day. But, seriously. What can we help you with?"
Y- you can shut up. You have no right to judge me, here.
Her own embarrassment faded a bit as she imagined Takumi's face. She'd love to see it, but the fact he couldn't hide his feelings from being known to Eito was it's own kind of fun torture.
She found a seat on Eito's couch and made herself at home. She pulled the paper she'd been given by the Flower Child out of her pocket and placed it on the table in front of her. "I have two puzzles, one more concrete, one more abstract. As an Eito and Takumi, you are the perfect duo for the job. And frankly, you save me from having to talk to my Eito about it."
Eito snickered a little bit at the last comment, "Ah, yes. A picture of humility, that one. Certainly wouldn't let something like stern, unyielding Hiruko-san begging for his help get to his head, absolutely not."
The look on her face demanded he stop clowning around.
"But surely, that wouldn't be enough of a reason to risk jumping timelines, no? I assume the reason you're here is because you need some kind of specialized knowledge?" He sits down across from Hiruko on a soft cushion that he'd tucked under the coffee table.
Since welcoming the other three into his circle, and in general trying to do more for himself, his room had gotten filled with all sorts of new things that helped it look less like a room out of a hospital or institution, and more like an actual dorm someone lived in. Extra blankets and pillows in colors that reminded him of the nature he adored, the odd plush, plenty of potted plants, the terrarium for his snails and Jorm's enclosure, even evidence of attempts at new activities. It still smelled incredibly sterile, owing to Eito's aversion to strong smells, but overall, it was far more homey.
He was quite starting to like his room, actually.
Eito takes the note in hand and glances it over. He only had the vaguest idea as to what he might be looking at.
Ancient Futuran? But... it looks recently written...? Where in the world did this come from...?
"Well, Takumi-san seems to recognize this, and is utterly flabbergasted that you have such a thing," he says, "The script is ancient, but clearly, this was written very recently. Quite the mystery..."
"I presume this is the concrete puzzle, so. What's the abstract? Or is this a, 'solve one to get a clue for the other', situation?"
"I received this note from a Futuran child, along with some flowers. They've come by before, last time I warned them it may be dangerous and to stay away but they didn't listen. This time they gave me this note."
She shook her head. She worried for the child. There were too many dangers for their groups to be interacting. Her people could get spooked. The Futurans may punish them for speaking to the invaders. Sirei could find out. It was best for children to stay where it was safe and far away from the war.
She sighed, shifting her thoughts to his other question. "The abstract has to do with a friend of mine. An Anon. He challenged me to find his 'hidden motivation' for interacting with our timelines and...I keep turning it over in my mind but I'm coming up empty. He said it was 'the heart of a god' but I have no idea what that could mean."
"A... Futuran child with flowers?" He questioned, blinking a few times. His head felt... strange, "I... think I may have encountered them in my own timel...ine..."
Eito clutched his head. He felt... tired. Overwhelmingly so, it was if his thoughts were being dragged underwater.
This was wrong, he shouldn't be feeling like this.
Takumi...?
"Ah... Hiru...ko... saaan... someth... hel..."
No, no...! He had to fight this, he wouldn't keep being controlled...!
It was as if something was unplugged in his mind; his eyes and expression went blank, and he went totally limp where he sat.
A marionette, with strings severed.
One arm twitches, then another, as eyelids flutter and he straightens up, posture notably different, rolling his shoulder as he meets eyes with Hiruko with a smile.
"Hello again, Hiruko," Takumi says, slightly apologetic, "Sorry, you had to see that. But I'm not really in the mood to play 'telephone' here. Plus... looking into a few things I'd rather not he know about, yet."
He stands up from the table, and moves over to the bed, getting down on his hands and knees and reaching under it. He finds the panel hes looking for, shifting it out of the way and removing a notebook and a small, airtight container, taking both back over to the table and seating himself next to Hiruko on the couch.
Takumi opens up the container, revealing several incerdibly old-looking scrolls, and flips open the notebook, and begins examining the note Hiruko had brought. The notebook was filled with similar symbols, along with more recognizable ones - Futuran language, in different iterations, as well as charts with their own Kanji, katakana, and hiragana, and letters from other languages as well. Normally, this kind of work would make Takumi want to throw himself off of the roof of the Academy, but he'd built up quite a bit of patience over the years and besides. He had SEVERAL mysteries to unravel.
He takes Hiruko's note in hand, flipping through his notebook and comparing, "This one... shouldn't take too long, I think. I recognize quite a few words here, already. From what I can tell, it seems more like a personal message, or... trying to make contact, than anything."
"Whomever that child is though... I don't know if we need to worry about them being in danger," says Takumi, as he tears a blank page out of the book and begins transcribing what he can, "As Aotsuki was saying before I interrupted? That same child appeared in our timeline to give us flowers as well. Both of us."
He knew Hiruko would be smart enough to get the implication.
Hiruko was quick to figure out what was going on with Eito. Which was lucky because as unsettling as it was, once she figured out it was Takumi's doing, she relaxed.
"I was planning on getting his input too." She remarked, but it wasn't a strong objection. "He might have an interesting perspective if we listened to him."
She was grateful for another opportunity to talk to Takumi though. Maybe one day conversations like these would be easier. And maybe the things they'd be able to do and say would be freer.
But for now she focused on the task at hand. "An ancient child that knows the unknowable. How strange. Did you learn about anything like this when you were training with Dahl'xia?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'll let him back out. Especially for that riddle your Anon friend gave you," He replies, still largely focused on the task at hand. Agh, these two characters were always tricky. Was it 'fah' or 'vul'...?
The very cute distraction that was a cat-eared Hiruko watching him so intently didn't make the translating go any faster.
It was a shame Eito was busy tonight. He'd love to spend more time with Hiruko. In general, not just tonight. It was one of the biggest issues with his current living situation, as it were.
He paused a minute to think about her question, tapping his pen against the edge of his notebook. Takumi hums in consideration a moment, before standing and heading over to Eito's desk and retrieving a worn book from the drawer. It was considerably more recent than the scrolls he'd retrieved earlier, and looked to be some sort of religious or history book. He returned to the couch, and began flipping through the pages.
"Not specifically, and while Dahl'xia does love his history and is incredibly dedicated to his faith, the man's love really seems to be the stories that get passed around after the fact. Folk tales and legends, myths and stuff," he responds, slowing down once he'd reached a certain section, "But something that stuck out to me was the idea that as wild or embellished as a lot of those stories could be, there was usually some little grain of truth in them. That's part of why I don't completely count them out when looking for information."
It actually brought to mind something he heard from his very first Eito. It was a story about some massive statues that had been moved from one place to another a very long time ago on Earth, and the historians or whatever studying them had no idea how the ancient people managed it. Upon asking the native people, they were told a story about how the statues simply 'walked' there; and while that was what their legends stated, the truth wasn't that far off - they'd tied ropes to the heads of the statues, and using teams of people rocked them back and forth to effectively 'walk' them to their destination.
The answer was right in front of them, but the perspective was completely dismissed because of the source and how the information got passed down over the centuries.
Eventually, he stopped at what appeared to be a print of a painting in the book, and turned showed it to Hiruko, "Did the design of the mask look anything like this?"
The painting in the photo depicted a mature feminine figure, clothed in simple robes and holding a small handful of florals - blooddrops, arnica, yarrow, sage... and an unknown flower that seemed to radiate a silver glow. She was surrounded by what looked to be sick and wounded, a leper whose hand she held appeared to be healing from the touch alone. The scene had them set in some kind of shrine in deep forest.
The wooden mask concealing her face was identical to the one the child wore.
It was strange to see Takumi being so studious. She didn't hate it.
Her tail flicked back and forth lazily as he worked. She...really would have preferred to come without it. She wondered how much longer she'd be stuck like this. Was fixing it another mission she was going to have to go on?
"I suppose stories do tend to have some truth to them; still, too often they seem to lead to chasing shadows and bad endings." Maybe it was a bitter take from her, especially since she seemed to be doing the same again. But it seemed every time they started digging into the local myths and legends, things always went wrong. Maybe it was safer if she was doing it on her own, but she really wanted to keep the team out of this.
She was dragged out of her sullen thoughts by the painting. The mask of course stood out, but she couldn't help but wonder more about their seemingly healing touch. It was possibly a metaphor, but more likely this figure was someone extremely powerful.
"Well, you've seen it. Yes, that's it." She sighed. "I doubt this is as simple as a child walking around with an ancient artifact. Do you think we're dealing with a ghost, a reincarnation, or a cult?"
Of course. Of course it was the same. It was all far too much for it all to be coincidence. Whether that boded well or ill...
"A cult would be unlikely, in this case," he says, taking the book back and glaring holes into a conspicuously open, empty spot behind the figure in the portrait, "For one, I don't think any cult worshipping a Paragon would recreate their masks for their own use. If there's one thing I've learned, its that they take that SUPER seriously. It's never the same design, and you'd better not recreate it for yourself.
"Second, a cult would be... really redundant here. Ama-Sephia is one of the most widely-revered historical Paragons. Supposedly, one of the very first to gain their power from their 'God'; the first 'Paragon of Nature', and often referred to as 'The First Healer' as well. You'd have a hard time finding a Futuran that DIDN'T venerate her, to some degree."
He trusted Hiruko enough to voice his concerns here. There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. No strokes of bad luck. It was all intentional, all designed. What once was one became two, became shattered, and must be one again. The cycle repeats, again and again, until made whole. The Blood that binds will ascend them all, no more pain, no more danger. It ends forever.
He refused to let that happen. That wasn't the protection, or the ending he'd wanted...!
Takumi remembered. All of it.
He swallowed thickly, becoming aware of the sweat on his brow as he steadied himself, suppressing the power that threatened to tear Eito's body to shreds.
She understood when Eito started to act strangely, but Takumi acting like this caught her more off guard. She moved in closer, almost wrapping her arms around him, but stopping at the last minute. Instead, she took his hands and held them.
She looked at him seriously, her eyes filled with worry.
"S-sorry, agh, just. Gimme a minute," Takumi said between breaths, squeezing her hands reassuringly, "I'm- I'm fine, now. Promise."
Fine as he could be, at any rate.
He could tell Hiruko some of it. At the very least, to ease her mind. She'd understand if he didn't want to get into all of it now, surely.
He removed Eito's glasses. It wasn't like they were the correct prescription; right now it was only contributing to the headache.
"I... when chasing that line of thought, I just... remembered something. A lot of things, actually. And... well. Put plainly, I've been suppressing my hemoanima by... Quite a lot. Eito's body can't quite handle it," it was the truth, or at least partially, "It was enough to shake me, and... I lost control, for a second. I don't want it to cause him more harm than it already has."
He pulled his hands away, shakily returning to the task at hand.
"Sorry. I'd rather focus on this, if at all possible. I need time to... think about what I remembered, before bringing it out to the open."
She frowned. She still didn't quite understand what was happening, but she understood enough that it was all the more important that they separate Takumi from Eito. Unfortunately all the options she could think of would leave him with at least some part of Eito's body, which was the real problem.
"Alright." She agreed to move on, but promised herself she'd think more on Takumi's situation later. "If the masks are as important as you say, I'm willing to rule out reincarnation as well. Unless everyone around here knows she's the reincarnation and has accepted that, they likely still wouldn't allow a duplicate mask, correct?
"Which leaves, unfortunately, a ghost. I'm...willing to say that she's a 'real ghost', whatever that means to us, because she has appeared to multiple of us. She can also interact with real objects. But if Ama-Sephia lived to adulthood, why is she a child?"
She pushed up her glasses. "Why bother contacting us at all? I imagine she lived and died a long time ago, if she was the 'first' paragon. The dead should stay dead."
"Not THE first, but certainly one of them. The honor of 'First' Paragon would go to the Paragon of Hope. Which... Weirdly enough? No one actually seems to know their name," he corrects, somewhat reveling in the rare opportunity of appearing learned... especially in front of Hiruko, "Just that they had some crazy-powerful hemoanima; it's why a lot of them refer to Shion - or... the baby in the Defense Room - as 'The Second Coming'. And... one of the many reasons the Futuran people are pretty split as far as opinions on V'ehxness goes. From what Dahl'xia said, and what I've heard from the people I've spoken to? It's one of the few titles NO ONE takes, and it's considered pretty heretical to do so."
Takumi realized he was getting slightly off-topic.
Reincarnation... He supposed such a thing wasn't impossible. But...
It was also fully possible that she never really 'died', not fully. And if that were the case...
"With hemoanima... I suppose anything is possible. But we probably won't know unless she contacts us again," he sighs, "Unfortunately... the note doesn't tell us much. Seems to be a personal message."
He hands the note and transcription back to Hiruko.
'I am sorry I seem odd. I mean no harm. You Star Children are all strange, but you want to help everyone, not just yourselves. I wanted to thank you. I am sorry I cannot speak the words to say this with heart.'
Takumi closes his notebook and leans back, crossing his legs, "At the very least? I'd wager if she went through the trouble, she'll probably show up again. And seeing as multiple people received flowers the first time? I wouldn't be surprised if others got notes, as well."
Hiruko was impressed by Takumi's knowledge. In all her loops, she'd never really gotten a chance to understand the Futurans or their culture like that. She supposed it made sense. With his charisma and people skills, of course he'd manage to be welcomed by the enemy, whereas she had a hard enough time getting her own team to trust her.
The note only served to remind her why people felt so cautious around her. The rest of her team had happily accepted the gifts the child had offered, but she turned them down. She could only see danger, for her team and for them. Even still, she couldn't quite think she was wrong. If she'd had more information maybe she could act differently, but a child coming up to her with flowers was suspicious. People use children for evil things. Children are vulnerable and impressionable, too easily lead astray.
She tried not to let her troubled thoughts show as she responded. "I'll expect Takumi at least got one. He ends up involved in everything. I can speak to him when I return."
A genuinely tired, drawn-out sigh escaped from his lips as he rubbed at his temple. It seemed impossible for ANY Sumino Takumi to catch a break, ever.
But then again, given what he knew... Well.
"I'd imagine you're right. Like I said, she approached myself and Aotsuki before, no reason to think she wouldn't again. Here, or in your timeline," he replies, noting how the very distracting cat tail and ears twitched slightly as she sat there. He was pretty sure that meant she was upset about something.
As much as he has... a bit of a thing for kemonomimi, he wasn't exactly the most skilled with animals or reading them.
"Sorry. Bit distracted. Ah, anyways," he shifted a bit, snapping back to reality and attempting to hide the slight flush to his face before continuing, "I imagine your Aotsuki might also be on that list, for that reason, as well. Though, from what I've heard, I can't imagine he'd treat her much better."
Takumi's embarrassment was usually very easy to catch, but reading it through Eito's body made it harder. Especially with that stupid jacket. She was pretty sure she noticed it though, and while she couldn't play off it as much as she'd like, she did carefully brush him with her tail. An accident, of course.
Flirting and picking on Takumi did make her feel better. Her with her mind back on the task at hand, she said. "So I need to check in with both Takumi and Eito of my timeline. Another team meeting."
Oh, Takumi certainly noticed the tail. He shifted a bit and attempted to hide his fluster, as well as the other... complicated feelings swirling around, in light of... the memories, that had come to him.
All of the joy and pride, relief, progress. Happiness. Having it all ripped out from under him and burned to ash, leaving only pure, unyielding fury and despair. Feelings that brought him to where and what he was now.
It hung bitter on his tongue. He should be enjoying Hiruko's teasing. But with remembrance came the guilt. She wasn't his Hiruko. That was someone... he couldn't go back to. Not with things the way they are now.
"Sounds like. Hopefully, they won't be stupid this time," he smirks a bit, attempting to be a little lighthearted. They were both in shitty, guilty situations, even if it was others that drove them into them, "Though... aside from Aotsuki's usual barking scaring her off, I can't think of too many ways they could possibly screw things up, here. So, at least you don't have that to worry about."
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Takumi walks up to Eito, holding a note in his hand.
"Hey, Eito... you're good with languages and stuff, right?" He asked shyly.
@teamleader-takumi
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | NIGHT | A SECOND NOTE]]
Eito had just seen the other timeline's Hiruko off, checking the time. Good, still had quite a bit of time. He was surprised the translation effort went as smoothly as it did, with having to relay information between the two...
Something in his mind nagged about that not quite being right-
He blinked... wait... what... wasn't right...?
He was interrupted by yet another inter-timeline visitor. With another note. What was going on over there? Would they be getting notes too?
"Mmmhm," he says, welcoming the other timeline's Takumi into his room and locking the door behind him, "Clearly, I'm on everyone's minds tonight. Any particular reason you and Hiruko-san chose to approach me separately on this matter?"
Takumi blinked at the other Eito in confusion. "Hiruko was here?" he asked, genuinely confused. He sat himself down on the chair he sat in last time he was in Eito's room. He had to admit, the room looked much nicer, actually lived in. A person's room was a reflection of their soul, he heard once, though he couldn't remember where. But, seeing Eito's room like this, more lively and bright and colorful, made Takumi's heart swell with joy.
"Wait, she also has a note?" he exclaimed in surprise, "So, that little flower girl appeared to Hiruko, too? I wonder if that means she gave notes to others, as well... It was strange, but I don't think she can talk, and is using these notes to communicate. I've never heard her speak, and she seemed very insistent on me reading this." He paused, then shrugged, "Or I could be completely wrong and these notes mean nothing. I don't know, I've never been the smart guy of our group."
"The same kid appeared in our timeline," Eito said, taking a seat at the foot of his bed, "No notes, but gave us flowers. Both me AND Takumi-san. Whomever they are, they aren't normal. Even if the note means nothing, or is casual in nature, I think we should keep an eye out if the kid shows up again."
He looked over the note Takumi was holding. It sure was the same kind of writing he didn't quite understand. But... Takumi-san did.
He huffed a little in frustration. At least this note was a LOT shorter.
"Well, unfortunately for me, I'm actually pretty useless when it comes to ancient Futuran," he shrugs, somewhat dramatically, "Alas, my only use here is going to be acting as a mouthpiece for horrible Takumi-san, since he's the one with the actual knowledge. Thankfully, this note is much shorter than Hiruko-san's so it shouldn't run into my later... engagement..."
He felt... dizzy. Didn't he feel this way earlier?
Eito's breath hitched, as he gripped his hair and shivered, before going limp, collapsing sideways onto the bed. His eyes were half-lidded and vacant, like his mind had been forcibly shut down.
A twitch, a few blinks, and he slowly raised himself off of the bed and wordlessly got down to the floor, fishing something out from a secret compartment hidden under the bed - some kind of airtight container, and a messily-annotated notebook.
His movements and posture made it clear it wasn't Eito.
"Sorry about that, Sumino-kun. He always fights it a bit, unless he's already unconscious or tired," says Takumi, detached from the situation, "But unfortunately, I do need my notes to translate, and I have some things in here I'd rather keep private. Even from Aotsuki."
Panic swelled inside Takumi as Eito swayed and collapsed. "Eito!!" He exclaimed in fear. He immediately reached out, ready to help with whatever just happened. But, then he started to move. Takumi froze in place as he watched the other Eito get up and move around like nothing happened.
It was his other self.
"...Why..." he whispered, his eyes filled with pain and terror. This pain he was feeling, it wasn't his. No, it wasn't his- it was Eito's. The feeling of being controlled, the one thing Eito feared most. It consumed him, his body shivering and shaking as he took a step back.
"Why did you do that...?" He asked, his eyes glancing back and forth between his other self and the bed, where Eito had collapsed, "You didn't have to... why...?"
Takumi sighed. He had a feeling this would upset the boy. That bleeding heart of his...
Well. No matter. He sits himself back down on the bed and begins working, tearing out a blank page from the book and writing on it as he flips between his book and the note.
"Like I said," he replies, flipping through the notebook, glancing between it and the note, "I'm not exactly fluent. I need my notes, and I have some things in my research I don't want Aotsuki knowing about."
Part of him wanted to say he didn't get it, but that was a lie. He knew his other self was concerned about Eito's agency, here. Truthfully, he didn't like it either. But it's not like he had much of a choice. Just an unfortunate reality of their situation.
"Thankfully, yours is MUCH shorter, and the information is still fresh in my mind. I shouldn't be long; I'll give control back to Aotsuki, and as far as he'll remember, we just communicated back and forth to get this done."
He didn't want to cause the child further distress.
"Don't you trust him?" he asked quietly, watching his other self from afar. He refused to move closer, and he couldn't will himself to move away. "Wouldn't it be better to work together with him? He's so smart... and he's trying so hard to help this time..."
His own words made him think of his Eito. Of the information Takumi himself hiding from him. But, despite how similar that was in principle, it was different. Takumi wasn't hiding it willingly. No, there were so many times where he nearly came out and blurted the whole truth to Eito. He wanted the other to know so bad, he wanted to show how much he was willing to help Eito heal and work together with him, but- but-
Something kept holding him back. Something foreign. Something outside his control.
He had been wondering this to himself for a while, never bringing it up to the others, never wanting to actively think about it. But, he had been wondering just... just how much of his actions were his own? There had been so many powerful beings controlling him, actively making themselves known to him, but what if there were beings that kept themselves hidden? A puppeteer with invisible strings wrapped around Takumi's whole body, forcing him to move in ways he didn't want to.
Maybe that's why he had been so complicit in everything up until now.
He couldn't find any other explanation, and that scared him.
Takumi sighed, rubbing his temple a bit. Surprisingly, he DID agree with his younger self a bit, at least on principle.
But...
"Trust... is an odd thing with Aotsuki," he replies, choosing his words carefully, "He can be fickle, and vindictive. And likes to take risks, with that luck of his. And while yes, he IS smart... Some of the things I'm looking into could... Distract him, or make him spiral back into old habits, for lack of a tactful way of saying it."
Basically, shit could make him go crazy again, or DO something exceptionally stupid or crazy. Like HE did, back then.
He should never have connected.
"And the fact that he's working so hard is part of it, too," he says, and means it, "I don't want him to lose sight of the changes he's achieved, and I don't want to add more to the already-huge workload he's dealing with. My problems can stay my problems, and I can do the legwork as far as finding a way to cure what's going on with his body. He can focus on helping this timeline's Sumino-san get through the 100 Days."
He knew he was being somewhat evasive. But the truths remembered would probably break the boy.
Slowly, Takumi managed to move himself back down to the chair he was sitting on earlier. He slumped into the seat with a defeated sigh.
"Then... can't you at least communicate with him what you're doing?" He then asked, "Maybe figure out a system so he doesn't have to worry about losing time. So you don't have to change his memories. It just- it just feels wrong."
All he could think of were the memories he experienced from his Eito. The pain and suffering. The empty nights alone and scared. Not knowing when the monsters were coming back or what they were planning next. That's why he was trying to hard to win over his Eito's trust. Why he was putting so much effort into caring for him. Because no one else ever did, and that-
Takumi sighed, "Believe it or not, it was one of the first things that came up in discussions, once he became aware of me being here," he replied, looking up from his notes at the younger Takumi.
If the younger Takumi were paying attention, he'd notice the older one inhabiting Eito's body seemed even more tired and worn than usual, his eyes reflecting age that went beyond what he may have claimed before.
"Of course, he shot me down on that. Told me he refused to give up any control of his body or senses, except for in extreme emergencies. For example, when I had to snap him out of Parmith's control, or Turamtammi's illusions. Basically, any time he's already lost control, for the sake of seizing it back," he says, making direct eye contact with the other, his tone and expression stern, "Believe me, if I could avoid this? I would. But unfortunately, even like this, I don't have the luxury of sitting idle. There's still things I need to do, and the less people get involved, the better."
Takumi opened his mouth to argue, or say more, but his other self's expression held no room for argument. So, Takumi slowly closed his mouth and lowered his gaze to the floor.
Why were humans so greedy? Why couldn't they leave well alone? Why did they have to escalate things? None of this was fair.
It wasn't fair.
He felt like he was being scolded by his father or a teacher, sitting in his little seat while his other self sifted through papers. Like he had done something wrong. Like he was a child.
Well, he was a child. 17 was still not legally an adult, which would mean he would be considered a minor. Though, law hardly mattered on a battlefield with magic blood powers.
He thought back to the little girl who handed him the flowers and the note that brought him here in the first place, something to distract him from all the negative thoughts swirling around in his head. Her mask... it looked familiar, like he had seen it before. But, it didn't match any of the commanders' masks. So then-
The statue.
It was the same mask as the statue they saw when his other self saved those Futuran kids. Eito also said the note was written in ancient Futuran. Could the girl be from the past?
Augh, he hoped it wasn't another god-esque being. That would be the last thing he needed.
"Well, this one wasn't too difficult," he says, closing his notebook as he removes the transcribed note, "Helps that Hiruko's was a little longer, there were some phrases shared, too."
He passes the note and translation back to the other Takumi.
'You are the leader of the Star Children? I sense great kindness. Why does the blood of Our Home flow through you? I wish to understand.'
"Between this and Hiruko's note, it seems like this entity is trying to gauge whether we're truly a threat or not, and figure out our connection to Futurum," he says, closing his notebook, "Which... I mean. You, me, and Hiruko know. But I'm sure it would seem strange for invaders from the sky to have the power of what's supposed to be this world's God."
"Especially since... more than likely, this child is connected to one of the first to receive that power. You noticed too, right?"
Takumi carefully took the note and translated note back into his hands. He read it over carefully.
"Yeah... her mask looked the exact same," he explained in hushed tones, "But she was too young..."
The image of the little girl appeared in his mind's eye, then the image of the statue. Same mask, but different ages. He wondered if she was possibly a ghost, but the items she handed him were very real and very tangible.
Takumi let out a small, grumpy noise. "This is... not something I can figure out. This is all more Hiruko and Eito's territory," he stated. Besides all of that, how exactly was he supposed to tell a little child the ethical violations of human experimentation and manipulation? It's... a lot for even adults to handle.
"Hmmm... maybe..." he muttered to himself a bit, tapping a finger on his book.
How much of his own theories could he reasonably share?
"Well, remember the story I brought up with those kids earlier? Could be... some kind of envoy? Though unless it were really possible for mortals to become gods, or something close to it, that'd be unlikely. Considering Ama-Sophia's been dead for... five, six thousand years? Give or take?" Takumi suggested, trying to sound incredulous. Truthfully, it wasn't impossible, but...
Did she still exist in that place? Or were there places outside of it where such things could exist?
He shifted gears, ready to put out another theory. He didn't want this Takumi to look too far into these things. Far too risky.
Shifting his position, slouching a bit and resting his chin on his hand, he continued languidly, "Though... not sure they'd wear the same mask. Unless, of course, she predates that rule. Another thought is she COULD be some sort of... hemoanima echo. Every living thing on this planet contains SOME measure of cryptoglobin, it's not completely out there to think she's something left of a really devoted follower, or maybe a younger echo of Ama-Sephia herself..."
Hopefully if he overcomplicated this, it'd dissuade him from looking into it. No matter what, he couldn't see the Heart.
The boy fidgetted in his chair, fiddling with his fingers and jacket. "Well, I wouldn't know about being a god," he said, "but she could be immortal? Found some way to gain immortality? I mean, it is possible, after all..."
After all, he himself was now considered "immortal" thanks to Vee.
Speaking of Vee, Takumi hadn't heard or seen the strange spirit in a while. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, and was trying to keep it to himself so no one worried, but lately, his neck was starting to itch again. A familiar itching, like how it felt when the wound first healed after Vee revived him. He didn't mention to anyone about the strange bouts of vertigo he was experiencing sometimes, or how he would get a tickle in his throat.
He couldn't worry everyone with it. They all had enough on their plates as it was, and he was supposed to be their leader. If their leader started to falter, everything would collapse.
"Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about Futuran history or customs," Takumi sighed, shrugging, "That seems much more up your alley than mine."
"Well, even that's limited. Only reason what I know has stuck is because that Dahl'xia is a hell of a storyteller," he shrugs, as he gets up from his seat on the bed and bends down to reach under it, returning his documents to wherever they were hidden, a barely-audible -click- sounding as they were secured away in their hiding spot.
"Gives me leads and references, something to talk about and build trust with the locals. Works out for Eito, too. He hasn't talked about it much, but he wants to try to get everyone to rally behind the people down here, instead of the satellite," Takumi smiles a bit, genuinely proud of how far his old friend and nemesis has come. He didn't even notice his slip-up, "And while he... well. He still hates humanity. But he seems to have come around to the idea that... maybe they can learn and aren't beyond hope."
He sits back down on the bed and smiles at his younger self. He knew how sad and disappointed he must be with him, the man he'd become. He had no idea how selfish and wretched he really was.
"It's why I want to help him, no matter what. Did you still want to talk to him?" Takumi asks, brushing a little hair behind his ears, "If so, I can give him back control, here. Though... Can I ask for a favor? It's in regards to Aotsuki and his... condition. A lead. And may be related to our little flower child here, assuming they have a connection to Ama-Sephia."
It was best to keep the fact that he was planning to allow his Eito to kill humanity once they made it past day 100 from his other self. He had a feeling that he would react similarly to Hiruko and get very angry with him, and that was not something Takumi wanted to deal with.
"Um, yes, I would like to talk to Eito still..." he replied, keeping his head low before slowly lifting it when he was asked about a favor. "Well... if I can help him, then I suppose?" he shrugged. He wasn't sure how he felt about taking favors from his other self, but he care more for the other Eito's well being than his weird feelings for his other self currently.
"Right, I'm not asking much. Just... for you and anyone else that may interact with her to keep an ear out, essentially," Takumi clarifies, not wanting to impose too much, "Mostly... I want you to keep your eyes and ears peeled for a specific name - 'Dammuz'."
He realized perhaps a brief explanation was in order.
"Ama-Sephia was one of the first of the Paragons, and pretty rightly one of the most revered. In addition to her attunement with nature and receiving the Divine Blood, she was said to be a miraculous healer," he starts, laying the groundwork, "But another part of her story is her older brother, Dammuz. But... that's where it gets strange. Because aside from a few key points? Almost no records of the guy remain. It seems to be some unspoken rule to not even depict him.
"But the few things we do know? Stick out. For one, we know that while he had SOME of the Divine Blood, he wasn't a Paragon. So, probably had fairly weak hemoanima. Second, supposedly, he committed some 'Great Sin'... Which... I assume is the reason there's so little on him... But the third story I've heard - and took a while to come across - is the one that got my attention, especially in combination with the others. Supposedly, as punishment for his 'Great Sin', he was struck with an illness, where his 'Blood began to devour his body'... Does this all sound familiar?"
It sounded exactly like what was happening to the other Eito.
"Okay, I can do that," he nodded. Here's to hoping that the flower girl could understand him, at least.
After a slight pause, he asked, "May I speak to Eito now? I wanted to hear his opinion on all of this."
Maybe he could figure out a way to subtly hint to Eito about what happened. Of course he knew there was no way he could come right out and say anything, his other self would just override those memories.
"Thank you, Sumino-kun," he replied, a bit of emphasis on the friendly address. Takumi'd caught the slight edge in the other's voice. His shift in approval over the course of their conversation hadn't exactly been subtle. Two could play at this game.
He smiled at the other, taking a minute to go over the conversation and events in his head; what parts Eito needed to remember, and what parts would be redacted, "And... of course. I'll see you later, Sumino-kun."
Though he didn't collapse this time, the expression on Eito's face went blank, eyes glazing over. Almost trancelike, as the events of the evening were molded and shaped in his mind, concealing his headmate's machinations and control.
He blinks a few times, and the spark of consciousness returns to his eyes.
"Ah, Takumi-kun. Sorry, I... I was thinking about some other plans this evening, and spaced out..." Eito apologizes, before crinkling his nose in disgust, "Astonishing, considering your stench. I must be getting used to it. You... were saying?"
Now that he was speaking to Eito, he didn't know what to do. Takumi sat there, completely unsure of what to do next. What if he said something wrong? What if his other self punished him? What if his other self punished Eito?? His heart thumped in his chest, the fear of what ifs swirling around in his mind until they threatened to break him.
"I-" his voice barely managed to squeak out. At first, he thought it was because of his anxiety, but, then he tried again.
"I-I think... I..."
He was losing his voice.
He needed to leave. Now.
Takumi quickly stood up out of his seat.
When he opened his eyes, he was lying prone on the carpet, unsure of what just happened. How did he end up on the floor? What was he doing, again? He slowly blinked his eyes, trying to clear away the strange fog that enveloped his head.
Takumi was... oddly on edge. Eito knew that he was the empathetic sort, but... He's known about his prognosis for a few days now, so surely that couldn't be what was distressing him? Especially when discussing a possible lead? And the note's contents were... Well, they were quite tame, just a question of the reason for their shared power.
His brow furrowed in concern as Takumi got to his feet, clearly in a hurry. Eito started to get up himself, "Takumi-kun? Are you al-"
But he didn't get to finish his question before gasping in shock as Takumi started to crumple to the floor. Eito lunged forward to catch him, gagging and reflexively covering his mouth as proximity intensified the smell of rotting flesh and overwhelming florals, phantom needles grazing against his cheek as the smaller boy's head lolled limply against his shoulder.
Carefully, Eito lowered him down to the ground, making sure his head didn't hit anything as he kneeled down, easing Takumi down on his side. He looked over the unconscious boy as best he could. What was happening?
He spotted a little redness - well, more redness than usual, given how he appeared to Eito - peeking out from under the choker the boy wore. Skin irritation?
Eito felt anxiety pool in his own stomach. Surely, surely it couldn't be...?
As he reached out to gently investigate, however, Takumi slowly blinked his eyes open, coming to from the syncope that had overtaken him.
"Ah, Takumi-kun," he gasped, retracting his hand and resting it on his knee, "Are... are you alright? You can hear and understand me, right? What's going on? Do... do you need anything?"
It was a lot in quick succession, but he was... worried. And not exactly used to taking care of others.
Slowly, Takumi tilted his head, the view of Eito hovering over top of him clear as day. He blinked at the sight, more confused than anything else. Why was he...?
Then everything came flooding back. The note, his other self, his throat-
Oh. He passed out. That's what happened.
Takumi opened his mouth, ready to explain that he was fine and just wasn't feeling great, but he couldn't get the words out. He physically couldn't speak the words he wanted to say. He tried a second time, but his throat only made a gross gargling noise. Takumi scrunched his nose in disgust.
'I am fine,' he signed. If this Eito was anything like his own, he would know sign language. How fortunate it was Takumi was learning it. 'Just... dealing with something I did not think would be a problem.'
Eito watched over the other boy carefully as he seemed to get his bearings, aiding him in gradually easing himself up from where he had lain on the floor. Takumi seemed confused, at first, but seemed to quickly retrace his steps as to how they got here.
That, at the very least, was a relief.
Relief, however, swiftly shifted into concern, his gaze sharpening onto Takumi's throat as what he assumed was an attempt to speak resulted only in a pained gurgle. The sound was even more revolting to his ears than if he had actually spoken.
Because he knew full well what had caused Takumi's voice to escape him. The only question was... why? Why was the wound reopening. Guilt began to eat away at the fringes of his heart. Of all the reckless, impulsive...!
His face contorted into a slightly pained expression as he brought a hand to his chest, reflexive, to suppress the disgust and nausea that was beginning to billow up in his throat. But not towards Takumi. Not this time.
The signing caught his attention; he had no idea this Takumi knew any sign language.
"The neck wound," he replied curtly, gaze darkening as a new wave of guilt hit him, "Why? Why would it be reopening after all this time? Have you tried any sort of conventional means of sealing it? Stitches? Surgery? . . . The Revive-O-Matic?"
Eito's thoughts were beginning to race. Surely, surely there was something they could do.
He hadn't realized how tightly his right hand was now gripping Takumi's jacket - enough to cause the growth to dig and pull at his unmarred flesh just a little too much. He winced, and loosened his grip slightly as he watched Takumi for answers. His own dilemma came secondary to the one that he caused.
@sdu-axe-queen Trying to sneak through the school while wearing a leap suit was difficult. Thankfully, she'd had plenty of practice. And while she'd been less rigid about her rule of wearing one while timeline hoping this loop, today she definitely needed it. If anybody in this timeline saw her....it would spell trouble.
She made it up to the roof and found Eito's door. She rang the doorbell and waited impatiently.
[[ROUTE ???+1 | DAY 36 | LATE EVENING | A SECOND DATE]]
Okay, alright. It was last minute, but things were going well.
His double had somehow gotten back to his timeline, and Kako had already made the move to meet with Sirei tonight. Darumi was keeping watch over Takumi, at least until it was time for them to make their move. Shouma was keeping watch by the Infirmary, and he himself had managed to send Nigou - gullible as he is - on a bit of a wild goose chase just outside the grounds. It was astonishing what you could convince him of, as long as you framed it as coming from Sirei.
And to boot, those embarrassing rabbit accessories had finally come off.
Ideally, he would have talked to Yugamu about removing the bomb in him. But unfortunately, time hadn't allowed that particular conversation. And for whatever reason, the guy had locked himself up in the Bio Lab. No huge loss - the way they were doing this, Sirei wouldn't even know WHO was striking him until it was too late; while setting off the bomb in time was entirely possible, and thoroughly unpleasant, there'd be no way he'd have time to remove their Revive-O-Matic data.
And with what he knew from Takumi-san, they'd be able to pull this off without damaging any critical memory or data. Which would be vital, in terms of rallying everyone in sparing this planet without airing out the time travel secret.
You're really doing this, then? Aren't you rushing things a bit?
"You know full well I can't abide that... thing, in the Infirmary," Eito replied aloud, a chill running down his spine just thinking about it, "And as such? I refuse to risk letting my Ugly Takumi fall victim to it."
'Your' Takumi, huh? You're both freaks, I swear. Well, whatever. It had to happen sooner or later, I guess. Just hope you know what you're doing.
He paced around as he went over things in his head one more time. Just a few more hours until the scheduled meeting. Any more prep to do...?
The doorbell rings. Who is it at this hour? Did Kako maybe succeed in getting ahold of Yugamu?
"Coming!" He chirps, in the bright and friendly manner most of the current SDU was familiar with.
He did not expect to see someone in a Leap Suit on the other side.
Hiruko pushed the white haired boy inside and locked the door behind them. She quickly removed her helmet to show her identity- and the reason she was hiding it. The cat ears the anon had struck her with had not disappeared yet. Unlike many of the rest of the victims, Hiruko's ears were not attached to a headband, but were seemingly a part of her body. The same was true about her tail, tucked uncomfortably into the back of the leap suit.
It would be best to ignore them, she decided. They couldn't last forever.
She took off the rest of the suit and crossed her arms. She could feel the ears twitch above her head and her tail swish back and forth. She had to fight not to blush.
"What's going on, Hiruko-san?" Eito asked urgently. If Hiruko was willing to hop timelines to speak with them while... well. Looking like that, surely it was of utmost importance.
There were still a few hours before his own plans would unfold. He could probably help her out.
There was an odd feeling in his mind...
"Takumi-san...?" He brought a hand to his head, a puzzled look on his face.
. . .
Was he... flustered?
"Huh," he brought his hand back down, shrugging with a bemused expression, "Well, it's certainly not what you came here for, Hiruko-san, but it appears you've left my annoying little headmate at a loss for words. Never thought I'd see the day. But, seriously. What can we help you with?"
Y- you can shut up. You have no right to judge me, here.
Her own embarrassment faded a bit as she imagined Takumi's face. She'd love to see it, but the fact he couldn't hide his feelings from being known to Eito was it's own kind of fun torture.
She found a seat on Eito's couch and made herself at home. She pulled the paper she'd been given by the Flower Child out of her pocket and placed it on the table in front of her. "I have two puzzles, one more concrete, one more abstract. As an Eito and Takumi, you are the perfect duo for the job. And frankly, you save me from having to talk to my Eito about it."
Eito snickered a little bit at the last comment, "Ah, yes. A picture of humility, that one. Certainly wouldn't let something like stern, unyielding Hiruko-san begging for his help get to his head, absolutely not."
The look on her face demanded he stop clowning around.
"But surely, that wouldn't be enough of a reason to risk jumping timelines, no? I assume the reason you're here is because you need some kind of specialized knowledge?" He sits down across from Hiruko on a soft cushion that he'd tucked under the coffee table.
Since welcoming the other three into his circle, and in general trying to do more for himself, his room had gotten filled with all sorts of new things that helped it look less like a room out of a hospital or institution, and more like an actual dorm someone lived in. Extra blankets and pillows in colors that reminded him of the nature he adored, the odd plush, plenty of potted plants, the terrarium for his snails and Jorm's enclosure, even evidence of attempts at new activities. It still smelled incredibly sterile, owing to Eito's aversion to strong smells, but overall, it was far more homey.
He was quite starting to like his room, actually.
Eito takes the note in hand and glances it over. He only had the vaguest idea as to what he might be looking at.
Ancient Futuran? But... it looks recently written...? Where in the world did this come from...?
"Well, Takumi-san seems to recognize this, and is utterly flabbergasted that you have such a thing," he says, "The script is ancient, but clearly, this was written very recently. Quite the mystery..."
"I presume this is the concrete puzzle, so. What's the abstract? Or is this a, 'solve one to get a clue for the other', situation?"
"I received this note from a Futuran child, along with some flowers. They've come by before, last time I warned them it may be dangerous and to stay away but they didn't listen. This time they gave me this note."
She shook her head. She worried for the child. There were too many dangers for their groups to be interacting. Her people could get spooked. The Futurans may punish them for speaking to the invaders. Sirei could find out. It was best for children to stay where it was safe and far away from the war.
She sighed, shifting her thoughts to his other question. "The abstract has to do with a friend of mine. An Anon. He challenged me to find his 'hidden motivation' for interacting with our timelines and...I keep turning it over in my mind but I'm coming up empty. He said it was 'the heart of a god' but I have no idea what that could mean."
"A... Futuran child with flowers?" He questioned, blinking a few times. His head felt... strange, "I... think I may have encountered them in my own timel...ine..."
Eito clutched his head. He felt... tired. Overwhelmingly so, it was if his thoughts were being dragged underwater.
This was wrong, he shouldn't be feeling like this.
Takumi...?
"Ah... Hiru...ko... saaan... someth... hel..."
No, no...! He had to fight this, he wouldn't keep being controlled...!
It was as if something was unplugged in his mind; his eyes and expression went blank, and he went totally limp where he sat.
A marionette, with strings severed.
One arm twitches, then another, as eyelids flutter and he straightens up, posture notably different, rolling his shoulder as he meets eyes with Hiruko with a smile.
"Hello again, Hiruko," Takumi says, slightly apologetic, "Sorry, you had to see that. But I'm not really in the mood to play 'telephone' here. Plus... looking into a few things I'd rather not he know about, yet."
He stands up from the table, and moves over to the bed, getting down on his hands and knees and reaching under it. He finds the panel hes looking for, shifting it out of the way and removing a notebook and a small, airtight container, taking both back over to the table and seating himself next to Hiruko on the couch.
Takumi opens up the container, revealing several incerdibly old-looking scrolls, and flips open the notebook, and begins examining the note Hiruko had brought. The notebook was filled with similar symbols, along with more recognizable ones - Futuran language, in different iterations, as well as charts with their own Kanji, katakana, and hiragana, and letters from other languages as well. Normally, this kind of work would make Takumi want to throw himself off of the roof of the Academy, but he'd built up quite a bit of patience over the years and besides. He had SEVERAL mysteries to unravel.
He takes Hiruko's note in hand, flipping through his notebook and comparing, "This one... shouldn't take too long, I think. I recognize quite a few words here, already. From what I can tell, it seems more like a personal message, or... trying to make contact, than anything."
"Whomever that child is though... I don't know if we need to worry about them being in danger," says Takumi, as he tears a blank page out of the book and begins transcribing what he can, "As Aotsuki was saying before I interrupted? That same child appeared in our timeline to give us flowers as well. Both of us."
He knew Hiruko would be smart enough to get the implication.
Hiruko was quick to figure out what was going on with Eito. Which was lucky because as unsettling as it was, once she figured out it was Takumi's doing, she relaxed.
"I was planning on getting his input too." She remarked, but it wasn't a strong objection. "He might have an interesting perspective if we listened to him."
She was grateful for another opportunity to talk to Takumi though. Maybe one day conversations like these would be easier. And maybe the things they'd be able to do and say would be freer.
But for now she focused on the task at hand. "An ancient child that knows the unknowable. How strange. Did you learn about anything like this when you were training with Dahl'xia?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'll let him back out. Especially for that riddle your Anon friend gave you," He replies, still largely focused on the task at hand. Agh, these two characters were always tricky. Was it 'fah' or 'vul'...?
The very cute distraction that was a cat-eared Hiruko watching him so intently didn't make the translating go any faster.
It was a shame Eito was busy tonight. He'd love to spend more time with Hiruko. In general, not just tonight. It was one of the biggest issues with his current living situation, as it were.
He paused a minute to think about her question, tapping his pen against the edge of his notebook. Takumi hums in consideration a moment, before standing and heading over to Eito's desk and retrieving a worn book from the drawer. It was considerably more recent than the scrolls he'd retrieved earlier, and looked to be some sort of religious or history book. He returned to the couch, and began flipping through the pages.
"Not specifically, and while Dahl'xia does love his history and is incredibly dedicated to his faith, the man's love really seems to be the stories that get passed around after the fact. Folk tales and legends, myths and stuff," he responds, slowing down once he'd reached a certain section, "But something that stuck out to me was the idea that as wild or embellished as a lot of those stories could be, there was usually some little grain of truth in them. That's part of why I don't completely count them out when looking for information."
It actually brought to mind something he heard from his very first Eito. It was a story about some massive statues that had been moved from one place to another a very long time ago on Earth, and the historians or whatever studying them had no idea how the ancient people managed it. Upon asking the native people, they were told a story about how the statues simply 'walked' there; and while that was what their legends stated, the truth wasn't that far off - they'd tied ropes to the heads of the statues, and using teams of people rocked them back and forth to effectively 'walk' them to their destination.
The answer was right in front of them, but the perspective was completely dismissed because of the source and how the information got passed down over the centuries.
Eventually, he stopped at what appeared to be a print of a painting in the book, and turned showed it to Hiruko, "Did the design of the mask look anything like this?"
The painting in the photo depicted a mature feminine figure, clothed in simple robes and holding a small handful of florals - blooddrops, arnica, yarrow, sage... and an unknown flower that seemed to radiate a silver glow. She was surrounded by what looked to be sick and wounded, a leper whose hand she held appeared to be healing from the touch alone. The scene had them set in some kind of shrine in deep forest.
The wooden mask concealing her face was identical to the one the child wore.
It was strange to see Takumi being so studious. She didn't hate it.
Her tail flicked back and forth lazily as he worked. She...really would have preferred to come without it. She wondered how much longer she'd be stuck like this. Was fixing it another mission she was going to have to go on?
"I suppose stories do tend to have some truth to them; still, too often they seem to lead to chasing shadows and bad endings." Maybe it was a bitter take from her, especially since she seemed to be doing the same again. But it seemed every time they started digging into the local myths and legends, things always went wrong. Maybe it was safer if she was doing it on her own, but she really wanted to keep the team out of this.
She was dragged out of her sullen thoughts by the painting. The mask of course stood out, but she couldn't help but wonder more about their seemingly healing touch. It was possibly a metaphor, but more likely this figure was someone extremely powerful.
"Well, you've seen it. Yes, that's it." She sighed. "I doubt this is as simple as a child walking around with an ancient artifact. Do you think we're dealing with a ghost, a reincarnation, or a cult?"
Of course. Of course it was the same. It was all far too much for it all to be coincidence. Whether that boded well or ill...
"A cult would be unlikely, in this case," he says, taking the book back and glaring holes into a conspicuously open, empty spot behind the figure in the portrait, "For one, I don't think any cult worshipping a Paragon would recreate their masks for their own use. If there's one thing I've learned, its that they take that SUPER seriously. It's never the same design, and you'd better not recreate it for yourself.
"Second, a cult would be... really redundant here. Ama-Sephia is one of the most widely-revered historical Paragons. Supposedly, one of the very first to gain their power from their 'God'; the first 'Paragon of Nature', and often referred to as 'The First Healer' as well. You'd have a hard time finding a Futuran that DIDN'T venerate her, to some degree."
He trusted Hiruko enough to voice his concerns here. There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. Not where gods were concerned.
There were no coincidences. No strokes of bad luck. It was all intentional, all designed. What once was one became two, became shattered, and must be one again. The cycle repeats, again and again, until made whole. The Blood that binds will ascend them all, no more pain, no more danger. It ends forever.
He refused to let that happen. That wasn't the protection, or the ending he'd wanted...!
Takumi remembered. All of it.
He swallowed thickly, becoming aware of the sweat on his brow as he steadied himself, suppressing the power that threatened to tear Eito's body to shreds.
She understood when Eito started to act strangely, but Takumi acting like this caught her more off guard. She moved in closer, almost wrapping her arms around him, but stopping at the last minute. Instead, she took his hands and held them.
She looked at him seriously, her eyes filled with worry.
"S-sorry, agh, just. Gimme a minute," Takumi said between breaths, squeezing her hands reassuringly, "I'm- I'm fine, now. Promise."
Fine as he could be, at any rate.
He could tell Hiruko some of it. At the very least, to ease her mind. She'd understand if he didn't want to get into all of it now, surely.
He removed Eito's glasses. It wasn't like they were the correct prescription; right now it was only contributing to the headache.
"I... when chasing that line of thought, I just... remembered something. A lot of things, actually. And... well. Put plainly, I've been suppressing my hemoanima by... Quite a lot. Eito's body can't quite handle it," it was the truth, or at least partially, "It was enough to shake me, and... I lost control, for a second. I don't want it to cause him more harm than it already has."
He pulled his hands away, shakily returning to the task at hand.
"Sorry. I'd rather focus on this, if at all possible. I need time to... think about what I remembered, before bringing it out to the open."
She frowned. She still didn't quite understand what was happening, but she understood enough that it was all the more important that they separate Takumi from Eito. Unfortunately all the options she could think of would leave him with at least some part of Eito's body, which was the real problem.
"Alright." She agreed to move on, but promised herself she'd think more on Takumi's situation later. "If the masks are as important as you say, I'm willing to rule out reincarnation as well. Unless everyone around here knows she's the reincarnation and has accepted that, they likely still wouldn't allow a duplicate mask, correct?
"Which leaves, unfortunately, a ghost. I'm...willing to say that she's a 'real ghost', whatever that means to us, because she has appeared to multiple of us. She can also interact with real objects. But if Ama-Sephia lived to adulthood, why is she a child?"
She pushed up her glasses. "Why bother contacting us at all? I imagine she lived and died a long time ago, if she was the 'first' paragon. The dead should stay dead."
"Not THE first, but certainly one of them. The honor of 'First' Paragon would go to the Paragon of Hope. Which... Weirdly enough? No one actually seems to know their name," he corrects, somewhat reveling in the rare opportunity of appearing learned... especially in front of Hiruko, "Just that they had some crazy-powerful hemoanima; it's why a lot of them refer to Shion - or... the baby in the Defense Room - as 'The Second Coming'. And... one of the many reasons the Futuran people are pretty split as far as opinions on V'ehxness goes. From what Dahl'xia said, and what I've heard from the people I've spoken to? It's one of the few titles NO ONE takes, and it's considered pretty heretical to do so."
Takumi realized he was getting slightly off-topic.
Reincarnation... He supposed such a thing wasn't impossible. But...
It was also fully possible that she never really 'died', not fully. And if that were the case...
"With hemoanima... I suppose anything is possible. But we probably won't know unless she contacts us again," he sighs, "Unfortunately... the note doesn't tell us much. Seems to be a personal message."
He hands the note and transcription back to Hiruko.
'I am sorry I seem odd. I mean no harm. You Star Children are all strange, but you want to help everyone, not just yourselves. I wanted to thank you. I am sorry I cannot speak the words to say this with heart.'
Takumi closes his notebook and leans back, crossing his legs, "At the very least? I'd wager if she went through the trouble, she'll probably show up again. And seeing as multiple people received flowers the first time? I wouldn't be surprised if others got notes, as well."
Hiruko was impressed by Takumi's knowledge. In all her loops, she'd never really gotten a chance to understand the Futurans or their culture like that. She supposed it made sense. With his charisma and people skills, of course he'd manage to be welcomed by the enemy, whereas she had a hard enough time getting her own team to trust her.
The note only served to remind her why people felt so cautious around her. The rest of her team had happily accepted the gifts the child had offered, but she turned them down. She could only see danger, for her team and for them. Even still, she couldn't quite think she was wrong. If she'd had more information maybe she could act differently, but a child coming up to her with flowers was suspicious. People use children for evil things. Children are vulnerable and impressionable, too easily lead astray.
She tried not to let her troubled thoughts show as she responded. "I'll expect Takumi at least got one. He ends up involved in everything. I can speak to him when I return."
A genuinely tired, drawn-out sigh escaped from his lips as he rubbed at his temple. It seemed impossible for ANY Sumino Takumi to catch a break, ever.
But then again, given what he knew... Well.
"I'd imagine you're right. Like I said, she approached myself and Aotsuki before, no reason to think she wouldn't again. Here, or in your timeline," he replies, noting how the very distracting cat tail and ears twitched slightly as she sat there. He was pretty sure that meant she was upset about something.
As much as he has... a bit of a thing for kemonomimi, he wasn't exactly the most skilled with animals or reading them.
"Sorry. Bit distracted. Ah, anyways," he shifted a bit, snapping back to reality and attempting to hide the slight flush to his face before continuing, "I imagine your Aotsuki might also be on that list, for that reason, as well. Though, from what I've heard, I can't imagine he'd treat her much better."