ran had seen izana like this once, years ago. sixteen and betrayed, then sixteen and mourning; there had been no time to separate one from the other, and none of ran’s calls or kakucho’s efforts had pulled him out of the slow grave he’d been digging himself into. it had pissed ran off to no end that the next time they saw each other, izana had gone back to a semblance of his old self, but only by allowing himself to be strung along by kisaki’s strings. a proud king reduced to a disposable pawn, but ran had shut his mouth and complied, if only because there was a light back in izana’s eyes.
the izana before him has none of that spark left, and ran feels no loyalty for empty husks.
‘ you look pathetic. ’ there’s no need to mince words where there’s no hierarchies between them, like they were little kids again fighting over which one of them gets to sit on the throne to reign tokyo. ran speaks calmly, steady it is the simple truth, after all, but there’s no hiding the disgust that follows, not when it curls his lip and narrows his gaze. ‘ was tetta kisaki all you needed? now that he’s not around, you don’t know where else to go? ’
his next words are half a sigh, and he idly twirls the ends of his braid around his finger. it would do no one good to get agitated, and he will not let kisaki have the last laugh over him, even in death.
‘ mocchi, rindou and i, we used to be just fine before you, and we will continue to be fine without you. mucho found a place in toman while you weren’t looking, and shion… well, they do say cockroaches are hard to kill. we don’t need you, and you are no use to us in this state and still, i am here, aren’t i? so is rindou. so is mocchi. so is shion. we’ve never left your side. we would’ve stayed behind with you if you had died, and we want to stay with you while you live. we’ve even prepared a place to hide you from the cops until all of this blows over… but we can’t make you stay. ’
ran offers his hand for izana to take or push away.
‘ as long as you don’t hurt kakucho again, you will always have me as your ally. so what will it be? will you come with us, or let yourself rot in your own misery here? is this the end of you, izana kurokawa? ’
“ I never needed Kisaki. Kisaki needed me. ” but that even sounds weak to Izana’s ears. He knowns that were he to refuse his place in the grand scheme, another cog would have replaced him eventually. That bastard of course , was using him , but that was exactly why it was such an easy arrangement. I use you , you use me — it was a tale as old as time.
Looking pathetic isn’t the end , he feels pathetic too.
Izana suspects Ran would lie for fun to get a final laugh in before the sun sets for the day. He lies for other reasons too , like how Rindou still thinks he’s good at hide and seek , but sans Rindou , Izana knows the elder Haitani does not lie to spare someone’s feelings. Izana is useless and he is unneeded.
— and yet , here they still are. He’d be more comfortable if they stayed with the classic tale of using one another. So he starts with the one thing he is certain of , “ I won’t hurt Kakucho. ” He stares at nothing , and thinks of everything. “ I would have died for him without a complaint. ” Izana finds he does not care if anyone believes those words.
At long last he looks at Ran’s out stretched hand. What it means has been clearly laid out, but to him it is first and foremost , a lifeline. He’s not ready to roll over and die. Izana grips that hand with a strength he forgot he had. Palm to palm , and he laughs soundlessly at the thought of Romeo and Juliet — For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
Ran’s worlds are dulcet and sweet like the desserts he loves. If it’s true , Izana will give him and the rest a chance to prove it. He was already a dead man , and if they decide to drive a knife in his back it will only be a continuation of what was already decided. The world’s most famous love story ( albeit foolish in his eyes ) lasted no more than a week , and still found itself eternal.
