* ʟᴜᴍɪɴᴀʀʏ!

@lumnessence​

Ah, his favorite astronaut! (The only one he knows. Whatever.) Considering their last meeting - both how it ended and how he got a little too real with Momota in trying to get him to play along - it’s with a bit of hesitance that he decides to say anything. However, simply speaking to him wouldn’t be much fun. And it seems he hasn’t noticed him yet…

Ouma moves to sneak up behind Momota. When he’s just close enough… he jumps on his back and screams.

“Boo!”

it doesn’t matter how many people are around ─ the moment someone latches onto his back and lets out that AWFUL scream accompanied with a childish ‘ boo ’, kaito himself is shrieking, swinging around wildly in an attempt to detach whoever’s clinging to his frame. recognition takes a few moments, his heart beating in his chest so frantically that he can hear the blood pumping in his ears. but his head clears just enough for him to identify the perpetrator soon enough . . .

he’s grateful her roommate is kind enough to allow him access to the apartment once maki’s left, giving him just enough time to decorate. it feels a bit weird being in her bedroom, but so long as he doesn’t open anything, it’s fine, right ?? various decorations are strung up ─ kaito had been saving some extra money to get them from the store : balloons, garland, all the typical birthday decorations for a party. set neatly on her dresser is a cookie cake, adorned with  “ happy birthday, harumaki! ”  on top in alternating red and purple letters. finally, at the end of her bed, a present wrapped with galaxy - themed gift wrap. the contents? nothing too extravagant !!

a sheet of star stickers, for one. he just thought they were neat, and surely she’d find a place for them! next . . . a star projection lamp. alright, admittedly, he went a bit heavy with the space theme. but maki’s hard to shop for! but she’s always seemed interested when he talks about the stars and it’s a way they’ll always be connected, even when not together, he hopes. but there’s one last thing: an empty photo album, aside from one picture to start things off: a cell - phone quality selfie of him and maki, taken early on in their time in the city. he hopes, since memories are so precious, maki can always hold them dear with this. 

he doesn’t wait long before he hears the familiar click of the front door. the astronaut practically bounces in place as he waits for maki to arrive. the moment the bedroom door creeks open, he’s bursting with energy.

“ happy birthday, harumaki ! ” he practically cheers, disregarding if the neighbors can hear them. he grabs the present and crosses the room, pulling her into a tight hug. he’s grinning widely as he does so. it’s one of the first times he’s initiated such contact, but it feels so natural and right that he doesn’t want to pull away. but he doesn’t linger, wanting her to see her gift just as quickly. “ here, here, open your gift! then we can eat lots of cake! hopefully you like cookies ‘nd ice cream. if not, i’ll take ya’ out and you can pick another one! or we can go get another one anyway, for your birthday! because it’s your special day, harumaki! ” is he going overboard? maybe. but he doesn’t think so. maki deserves all the attention and praise, and he’s so thrilled to be able to provide. 

besides ─ he’s happy for  any  opportunity to celebrate her. 

     It’s still so much to take in and deal with - the reality of where this city is: space - but it’s something she can deal with. Sure, there’s still a lot about this city that she doesn’t know (she still doesn’t know how much she can trust the people that run this place after all) but for now, she’ll listen to them. Because she doesn’t have a reason to really hate them, even if they haven’t told them everything. Perhaps it’s for their own safety or something, but for now, that’s not what she has to deal with.

     For now, her attention is turned to the festivities and the now starry sky, the false one that she had become used to now gone to reveal it to them all. Right now isn’t the time for her thoughts about the city and its inhabitants, for now she wants to enjoy herself and the festivities. Can’t she just have that be what she worries about for now? Having time to herself were she doesn’t have to worry about anything and be herself for once?

     It’s what she wants. For once Maki wants to be selfish and be more concerned about herself and not have these worries plague her thoughts. Let them flow away for now and let herself be lost in this starry sky, in these festivities and have something normal to do for once.

     She can’t help but smile at him as well, it’s been getting easier for her to do, a feeling of warmth passing through her. It still feels weird, that feeling, but she can’t deny that it’s comforting.

     “Well, it wouldn’t be you if you didn’t find yourself interested in this at all,” Her words are light, but almost playful and teasing at the astronaut. It feels weird to be saying this to him, but it’s Momota, isn’t it? It feels safe to be able to say that around him. “Even if it’s something you don’t know, it’s something you can learn about, you know. And if you do, then it just means you’re living up to your title after all.”

     For a brief moment, surprise crosses her face, before it fades away to something more…open? Relaxed? He’s so excitable, she notes, and she can’t help but be as well. It’s infectious and she’s not about to complain. “How could I say no to you? Besides, that’s what I was doing to begin with.” She walks away from where she stands, turning to him, still smiling. “Lead the way, luminary of the stars.”

he’s not quite sure what kind of response he was going to get from maki ─ while he’s sure he’s getting better at gauging what kind of response she’ll have, he’s nowhere near an expert and she’s still  full  of surprises. and for that, kaito is  grateful  for. eyes flood with excitement, sparkling much like the stars above their heads, at her response ─ and it’s not just because she’s agreed to go look at the stars. he won’t lie that her agreement is a large part of his elation, of course he’s thrilled that she’ll go with him !! but moreover, she’s looking so much more relaxed. she’s opening up and even joking around in her own, subtle way. she’s expressing the finer details she notices in someone, too.

maki’s becoming increasingly more comfortable with people, and that means more to kaito than anything else ever would ─ even surpassing the brilliant sky overhead. 

“ really, harumaki ?? really and truly ? ” he practically bounces with excitement, “ ‘course, i knew you were gonna say yes. no one’s gonna pass up this opportunity! ” he gestures to, well, pretty much the entirety of the sky, “ it’s always good to learn more! plus, if we’re gonna be  stuck  here, we might as well learn all we can, yeah? ” it makes sense to him ─ perhaps he should be more hung up about the whole ‘ being trapped ’ thing but in comparison to where they were before . . . he doesn’t worry nearly as much. besides, he’s got his friends here with him and they seem to be in good spirits, too. so things aren’t all bad. 

“ alright, then, let’s go ! ” it only takes a few big steps to fall into step next to maki. he grins widely, leaning forward a bit. his chest flutters and warms hearing the self - appointment nickname from her. it feels . . . different. good. it makes his heart feel a way he’s not really sure he’s ever felt before. if his grin could possibly widen, it would. he’s quiet, only for a brief moment, considering where to go.

“ well, usually, if you’re lookin’ to see the stars, you need to get as far away from city lights as you can. but looks like that won’t be a problem! ” he beckons to the darkened city lights, chuckling a bit, “ but the higher up we can get, the better the view’ll be. oh, and then the buildings won’t block our view so we can see all around! ” he exclaims,unable to harbor his excitement. plus, telling maki about all of this makes it even better. he considers the best place to be, firstly thinking maybe a hill in the park, but . . .

@lumnessence​

     Waking up to darkness had been…interesting to say the least. After all, it’s not every day that this happens. Maki should be used to how things happen here on the islands, but it’s still a surprise. Until the new year came the island was going to be like this, at least according to the mayor’s announcement. There was also some festivities happening in the city as well, as if it was very much like a winter wonderland now.

     That was all well and good now (the fact that most of the island was covered in darkness was a bit worrying but she could deal with it) but Maki couldn’t help but keep staring up at the sky every now and then, the sight was something she couldn’t put into words. She’d never really cared that much about the stars and all that but now…

     Now she can’t help but be enchanted by it. Sure, she might owe it to a certain astronaut that she care about it now, but she doesn’t mind. She really doesn’t mind anything when it comes to him now that she thinks about it.

     Hearing footsteps behind her, Maki turns around only to be greeted with the sight of someone she knows oh so well. “Momota,” she greets, her expression softening ever so slightly. “Did you come to stargaze as well?”

          the sudden darkness that had engulfed the town with little warning was startling at first. the very knowledge that the city is actually in space was ─ still is, admittedly ─ hard to take in. but he’s had no choice but to accept it as fact, given there’s no other explanation for the city’s, and his own, existence. but it had also been something easy to overlook in favor of focusing his attention on what matters most : his friends. he’ll save the existential crisis for private.

but it’s become impossible to ignore now that the false sky has been lifted, destroying the normal facade and revealing the brilliant night sky. it’s such a surreal feeling ─ space has always been his ultimate goal, but he never imagined it’d be like this. it’s unnerving. he should feel elated but he feels more confused than anything else. he nearly forgets about the festivities until he wanders outside his apartment, lured out by the brilliant sky.

oh, it is quite stunning, isn’t it? maybe he is silly for feeling conflicted. attention almost totally redirects to the sky and starts above him. he feels his earlier worries ebb away as he tries to find familiar constellations . . . with no luck.

a familiar voice draws his attention. immediately, he feels a burst of warmth radiate his chest. a grin tugs at the edges of his lips as his hands rest on his hips. 

❝ harumaki! ❞ he exclaims, eyes sparkling, ❝ of course i am! i was a bit weirded out at first. like, i don’t know any of these, y’kno? ❞ it feels equally as weird to admit it, but it’s safe to say to maki of all people! ❝ but it’s just more for me to learn! i can’t say that i’m the luminary of the stars if i don’t even know them here! ❞ he gasps like that’s the worst thing that could be happening right now, but perks back up pretty quickly.

█* ✦ STARTER FOR @lumnessence​

      ❛ Oh it’s you ❜

█* ✦ There wasn’t any sort of disdain in his voice or annoyance, just bordem as he looked over to the taller man. There was a thought in his head in some emotion stirring inside of him that he refused to let surface and he wasn’t going to give his own thought the time of day to be heard when he already knew what it would be. This moron couldn’t even follow a simple plan that was perfect, so that is why he is dead and in this hell too ! He got the others killed too, didn’t he ? Ugh, Kokichi always knew he was useless.

█* ✦ He couldn’t help but put his arms down and start waving them in a silly manner before lightly poking kaito with a smile on his face and a laugh escaping him

     ❛ Look at you ! You were so scared of ghosts and now you aaaare one ! I bet Harukawa would be so proud of you for growing a pair of balls and not being scared anymore ~ ❜

          There’s no mistaking that voice. kaito turns and his gaze casts downwards, eyes narrowed as a flurry of mixed emotions rises within the astronaut. up until their final moments ─ their  FINAL  test ─ kaito would have easily declared his detest for his ‘ classmate ’. now ?? while he’s no more thrilled to see kokichi than kokichi seems to be seeing him, it’s not as easy to say he totally hates the designated supreme leader. it may have been a mere glimpse, but their last moments were enough to prove to kaito that kokichi’s much more than he led on ─ whether kaito can stand him is another topic entirely. 

❝ oi - !! don’t say shit like that! ❞  he steps away from kokichi’s hand and grimaces, hating how the mention of ghosts twists his very core. one thing’s for sure ─ somehow, he’s very much alive. still, the topic has his face losing a bit of color and his heart rate increasing. damn him!  ❝ and don’t call her that, either. she doesn’t like it. ❞  he adds, more firmly than his earlier statement. it feels weird hearing that nickname come from someone else ─  especially  kokichi of all people.

Kanon has no idea what she was thinking, exploring even more when she can’t defend herself at all. For once, coming from a relatively ‘normal’ world put her at a huge disadvantage here, and she’s paying the price for it. She’s meek and tiny, and it’s not helping…!! However, she couldn’t do nothing, the mayor might need help! Maybe… hopefully not, but she needs to be sure. Hearing her voice in her mind was unnerving, to say the least…

The villagers (there were villagers here?) are going nuts over the airships, and she quickly looks around as she tries to find a plan of escape. She just got here, yes, but she’s very aware that this isn’t something she should do– it’s best to leave it to the ones who can fight… have powers? Something like that…

“W-What should I do, what should I do…”

Kanon mumbles under her breath, already tearing up and sniffling quietly. This is bad. The villagers only seem interested in the ships, but what if they try going after her? She has nothing, but it wouldn’t really shock her… which means she needs to hide, quickly. She tries finding somewhere to stay, and her attention is immediately grabbed by someone calling out to her.

“Eh?”

She looks over, and notices a very… purple man calling out to her. Is he trying to help? He doesn’t look evil, or part of those villagers… even if he was, she can’t take any chances. She almost lets out a squeak as he bumps his head, but she covers her mouth and quickly walks over to where he is. Her small height helps, and she squeezes in next to him behind the stacked crates. Her vision is off due to her tears, but she looks at her savior and nods hastily.

“T-Thank you, you really saved me out there…”

She whispers to him, trying to calm her nerves and emotions. She rubs her eyes, and sighs to herself… she really needs to learn self defense. At least using a weapon would help.

          he releases a breath once the girl has safely joined his makeshift, temporary shelter. he would have hated to witness her get hurt, being powerless to do anything. he hates to admit it, but when it comes to physical altercations, he really can’t do much. he can try, but his physical strength and stamina have never been anything but below average. he grins, rubbing his head with one hand but giving her a thumbs up with his other. 

❝ hey, it’s no problem! that’s what any hero would do! ❞  or any decent person, really, but kaito still likes to think of himself as more than average,  ❝ you okay? you’re not hurt or anything, are ya’? ❞  he asks, tipping his head to the side. seeing the stranger in distress causes him worry, but he doesn’t let it show in his expression because he doesn’t want to stress her out even more. 

     Crimson eyes flick up as she looks over at her companion, sitting next to her on top of the bed; the hotel room isn’t what either of them are quite used to, but for the time being it’s enough. They’re together than their families shouldn’t be able to find them here. (yet still there’s that small voice that says they could still be found, but she wants to believe that they’re safe here, at least for now)

     Maki can see the concern that appears within her partner’s eyes, despite knowing that they’re both strong, it makes her feel…happy that he’s looking out for her, since they’ve left their families behind. The vampire but can’t but smile a little at how the werewolf frets over her - she knows that he cares for her.

     “I’m…doing the best that I can,” she states, looking off to the side a little (he’s like a puppy right now, she thinks to herself) “It really is though, finally away from everyone.” He has a point, she has to admit, and can’t help but chuckle just a little at his stomach growling; they probably should eat something soon even if she doesn’t really need food to survive. (She’ll worry about that later, she should be fine for now) Still she takes the offered hand and pulls herself up to stand face to face with him.”

     “Right, it would do us some good to figure out what this place is like, and nobody should know us. It’ll be…nice to be able to go out and not have to worry so much.”

          she’s smiling and chucking and it’s the happiest she’s looked in a while ;; it’s also the happiest kaito has felt in a while, since they’re now free from the pressures of their respective families and can finally be together without fear of the consequences of angered parents and family members. her positive affirmation the feeling of her hand in his own sends a burst of energy throughout him ─ suddenly, he feels as if he could run forever and take on the world. heck, he could march right back home and tell off the entirety of his family! 

. . . he won’t, of course, but the thought of it is fun enough to entertain. 

❝ woo - hoo! what’re we waitin’ for, then? let’s go! ❞  he winks and grins, pulling her along and leaving their little hotel room. proudly, he gives maki’s hand a small squeeze as they walk down the street. it’s not like he was ever ashamed of their relationship before, or anything. no ─ they’ve had to hide their feelings for quite some time because of their stupid families! wide eyes examine all that is around them, from the normal pedestrians who give them weird looks to the other creatures mulling about. he’s hit with a fresh wave of scents, ranging from people to food to halloween smells. his chest feels like it’s going to burst, adrenaline pumping from being out in public, holding maki’s hand and having people see them. he has to hold back a howl!

❝ harumaki, look! ❞  he gestures to their hands,  ❝ everyone’s lookin’ at us and they don’t care! i can finally hold your hand and no one’s judging us! ❞  his excitement is all too real, and suddenly he’s forgetting about the world around them.

   HE’S NEVER DRESSED UP FOR HALLOWEEN.It isn’t that it was too childish for him, but rather that he simply never had a reason to participate in the tradition. He’s never been to a normal school, never had the luxury of going to a Halloween party, or gone trick-or-treating with friends. Most of his life was spent ‘training,’ and his situation up until now definitely didn’t allow day long breaks to don costume for a holiday – but things are different in Koi.

   For the first time in his life, he’s been handed an excuse to dress up – and he wouldn’t exactly call him a friend ( more like an annoyance, ) but he does conveniently have someone to take along with him to a certain section of the city. Not out of a sense of companionship, but for the laughs, because he’s lived with him long enough to know that he’s very easily scared. 

   What better place to take him than the haunted houses in Hall-o-Ween ? Better yet, the scariest one they have. Of course, he doesn’t know that’s where they’re going.

    He’s been leading them to the section under the false pretense that they’re going to check out the various stalls, but as they get closer, he suddenly grabs his roommate by the arm in an iron grip and drags him off to the side, ignoring his protests with an amused smirk on his lips.

         ❝ Quit complaining already – we’re just taking a little detour before we check out the stalls. This haunted house is supposed to be real scary, so I wanna check it out. 

        You’re okay with that, right ? Great. Then, keep moving. ❞

@lumnessence

          when mercury ─ mercury, his roommate that doesn’t utterly despise him but still  BARELY  tolerates him ─ asked him to attend the halloween festivities, kaito should have known better. he should have seen the glint in his eyes, reminiscent of another person he knows that thrives on messing with others, signaling something more than wanting to enjoy some harmless, halloween fun. in fact, kaito doesn’t even like halloween !! but the astronaut had faint hope that maybe his roommate was finally trying to turn things around and make some attempt at friendship. 

he realizes the dire mistakes he’s made the moment mercury’s grabbed his arm and begins dragging him away from the innocent, fun booths and directly towards the haunted house. eyes widen as he drags his heels into the ground, but he knows he doesn’t have the strength to go against his roommate. seriously, the guy’s got as much strength as gonta! kaito considers just sitting down, but he’s pretty sure mercury could pick him up and easily carry him if he wanted to. much like a child refusing to go into a grocery store, kaito tries to tug his arm free.

@lumnessence !!

❝ Shit! ❞

As a string a expletives fall past sneering lips, one is shouted none too quietly, drawing the attention of those wandering the streets; multiple pairs of eyes watch, taking in the sight of a fleeing body while that same mouth flings even more poisonous words at them, cursing their nosy nature as she passes by and rounds the corner. The sound of quickening steps is growing in both volume and number. Another shout, and she’s cutting through a small crowd, pushing aside complaining citizens without much care.

It’s only midday, and already she’s found trouble — or maybe it has found her.

❛ Fuck this city of love! Is EVERYONE with someone else in this God forsaken place?! ❜ she thinks as she scans the area. Sure enough, pair after pair, even whole groups, stroll by, blissful and unaware to her plight. There’s a shout from somewhere behind, ordering the group to spread out, and there’s almost no time to act. Walking quickly, though not too fast to draw attention, she grabs a jacket from the back of chair outside a cafe as the owner is too busy complaining to an exasperated waitress and pulls it over her head, hood lifted to cover striking, violet hair. Without a beat, she turns and begins jogging towards a boy standing alone.

❝ Hey! Thanks for waiting! ❞ It’s the only warning given as Nicolette slides her arm into the crook of the stranger’s elbow, clearly shocking him from where he stood looking at his phone. Before questions can be asked she’s pulling him along in the direction she came, arm held hostage against her chest. She sneaks a glance at the group of policemen that continue running the other way and smiles brightly at her newfound friend, inwardly cringing at the negative reaction sure to come.

          it’s a totally, normal, average day for kaito. he’s enjoying the sun while it lasts, the dropping temperatures a sure - sign that fall has arrived and, soon, it will be too cold to enjoy long periods of time outside. they can probably say goodbye to the sun, as well. with no goal in mind, really, he ventures around the city, perhaps trying to find something he can do with maki or shuichi. mindlessly browsing his phone, he’s totally blind-sighted when someone nearly barrels into him and he feels dainty arms wrap around one of his own. 

❝ h - huh ?? what ? ❞  he exclaims, eyes wide as he nearly loses his phone as a stranger attaches herself to him unexpectedly,  ❝ waiting . . ? what are you ─ ❞  query goes unfinished as attention befalls the group of policemen hurrying by, muttering something along the lines of : ‘ quick, she went this way! ’. kaito’s brows furrow, and slowly, the pieces come together. mouth hangs agape as he gasps, looking down to the girl on his arm. he doesn’t make any moves to shove her away, though. no ─ that would be rude and he doesn’t know her so he can’t just go and do that ! but . . .

>> TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED! @lumnessence [ kny!empyrea pt. 2: the abandoned airships. ||)

it’d happened before– and it’d happened again. hadn’t it been the same with beaulieu islands? at least this time, the ships hadn’t disappeared completely, just looted of its treasure. 

and there was someone capable working on it! haha! what would the ultimate mechanic have thought? the mayor of the village and a capable technician. komaeda doesn’t quite know of their looks, but perhaps they could rival the ultimate princess’s? haha, he doubted such a thing. the ultimate princess was the ultimate princess, after all. and to be honest, even if the mayor proved to be drop dead gorgeous, the regal air of the princess was not something that could be scoffed at.

but perhaps souda-san would like someone that could talk about the mechanics of otherworldly machines with him?

an interesting thought process, to be sure. either way, komaeda supported the ultimate’s love life! subconciously, perhaps he just liked rooting for the underdog. maybe he just felt some sort of kindred spirits with souda, who was more often than not the butt of many jokes. at least he wasn’t a meme!

the airships defintely look worse for wear, the wood of the hull taken away and the skeletons slowly bared. death looked the same, at its core, weather it be item or human, and it was the same here. there was no going back for these ships.

it’s not the greatest idea, to be here in the first place, of course. it’s not as if there’s much use for him being here! infact, he might get in the way of the residents, or even the mayor, should he make big enough of a commotion. 

he’d seen many interesting people here, but the only one with power and talent was..

hmm. 

movement catches his eye, as he looks upon the people stripping the ship bare.

“It looks like you had the same idea as me. hahaha, are you planning to approach? it’s probably not a good idea.”

          coming here . . . was probably a mistake. if he had known he was going to be trapped on this new island and have to watch helplessly as savages loot what’s left of the ships ─ the only way to travel between islands, as far as he knows ─ perhaps kaito would have reconsidered his little trip to explore the new areas. exploring and discovering everything he can is simply nature at this point and he hadn’t expected the danger that is now present. 

okay, so maybe he’d say screw it !! and explore regardless, but that isn’t the point! he watches from a distance, considering his next move carefully. logically, he should turn back and hope no one sees him on his way out, but . . . he’s gotta admit, he’s a bit curious as to what’s so valuable on those ships and he can’t really bring himself to say he chickened out of exploring! 

kaito nearly jumps out of his skin when a voice catches his attention. he straightens out and turns to the source, scoffing and rubbing the back of his neck. 

❝ hey !! you say that, but i don’t see you turning around and bailing. ❞  he points out, never one to be shy while interacting with complete strangers. even when said stranger is ( understandably ) questioning his actions! he sighs, eyes diverting back to the ships. is he planning to approach?

       AN EYEBROW ARCHES AT HIS CAPTIVES scolding of his less than hospitable way of greeting him, slightly taken aback by his attitude. well, he’s got guts – mercury will give him that much. it wasn’t everyday he met someone brave enough to backtalk  while in what he would consider a compromised position. the assassin hums, pretending to mull over his words as he nonchalantly tightens his grip around his neck, careless for the hands that grasp at his arm. 

            ❝ i’ll have to keep that in mind the next time i have a guest over. thanks for the advice. ❞

he’s ready to knock him unconscious, to throw his body out onto whatever unfortunate passerby happened to be beneath their – his – window, when the other continues speaking. his eyes narrow at the mention of the people in charge, body tensing under the weight of his words. mercury isn’t AFRAID of whoever runs this city, but he’s extremely cautious of them. it was no easy feat to gather as many people as they had – strong ones such as himself included – in one place. to be able to accomplish that, they had to have some kind of power. he would rather not experience what it is firsthand.

he hates to admit it, but his new roomie has a point. those in charge probably wouldn’t be happy if he kicked him out. not that he was actually going to say so. it was difficult enough to admit when someone with some sense was right – let alone this guy, who just assumed mercury’s biggest problem with their predicament was that he wanted a specific room.

he’s beginning to wonder if this guy is brave, or just stupid. both, probably.

❝ the big deal is that i don’t want to be be stuck in a room with some idiot who doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. ❞

he glances towards the window, half-tempted to follow through with his threat regardless of the consequences, then growls in frustration and relinquishes his grip. it’s a bad idea, no matter how he spins it. he isn’t eager to invoke the wrath of whoever brought him here.

            ❝ look, i don’t care if it pisses them off – you get in my space, or do anything to piss me off and i’ll make good on what i said. got it? ❞

          he feels almost compelled to reply to his captor’s sarcasm but the ever - tightening grip around his neck keeps his mouth shut. kaito may be bold and impulsive but he’s not that stupid so he keeps his mouth shut as his new roommate considers his words. he’s stopped struggling, knowing his own limits and strength ( or, lack of? ) and instead focusing on keeping himself upright. he considers trying to sit down, feeling his legs ache from standing with his legs slightly bent for so long, but somehow he feels doing that will worsen his current predicament. 

❝ well, technically, ❞  he heaves,  ❝ we’re  not stuck in one room together. it’s a whole apartment, so you have your own room. ❞  really, he’s not trying to be sarcastic, or anything, just pointing out the facts! alright, he probably could have worded it better but he’s never been one to consider his words before and he’s not about to start now. it’s not like he’s never been in life threatening situations before, anyway. he made it through the majority of a killing game, so a pissed roommate should be easy to deal with! kaito’s not sure how serious this guy is about his treats, but . . . well, he’s met some weird people before, so he’s not about to take any chances!

finally, as suddenly as he was forced into it, he’s free of the headlock. kaito exhales, immediatly stumbling backwards and stretching out his limbs. a hand rubs the back of his neck awkward, his gaze casting downwards. 

     It really only hits her after what she did. Yes, she’s an assassin. Yes, it’s her job to kill people. He knows this, considering she’d be outed against her will (thanks Ouma) but it’s the first time she’s truly killed someone in front of his eyes. Even if their was what happened in the hanger (it’s almost too much to think about, it hurts in a way she’s not sure she can explain) this is…different than what happened there.

     She had the intend to kill back then, but she didn’t go through with it (she hadn’t meant to get him involved she just wanted to save him and kill the mastermind) but now… She’d killed to protect, like she had said before she was unable to.

     It’s a relief in many ways as it is terrifying to realize what she’s just done. For the first time in a long time, Maki is equal parts relieved and horrified at what she’s done.

     It’s almost ironic isn’t it? An assassin who had no problems taking life before now does, even if the reason why she killed is different than so many times before. At the very least, she hasn’t given off any signs of her unease, a time she is thankful for her usual mask - a mask that she hasn’t had to rely on in a while it felt like, but one she was still thankful to have - because she didn’t need to let Momota know about this.

     She can barely resist the urge to roll her eyes at him, because yes, of course he had this under control. No need for her to step in at all no! …At the very least, it’s good to see that he hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the same idiot that she knows (and…no she can’t say that, because she’s not even sure how true her feelings are…but she knows she cares for him and wants to protect him…so what does that mean.)

     “Well I wasn’t just about to let you…you know. But you really need to pay more attention, I’m not always going to be around.” Still, it makes her…happy, or at least she thinks it’s that when she hears his words. She would never let him down, never ever.

     “Yeah…this is real, we’re both really here. I don’t know why we’re here but I’m…glad you’re here. I really never thought I’d be able to see you again…but here we are. It’s…good that you’re here.” The I miss you that she wants to say goes unspoken, unsure of how he’d react to hearing her say that. She’s never really had these feelings before…

          her demeanor is just so harumaki that kaito can’t help but grin even more. whatever forces brought him here, against all odds, he’s grateful for. at this point, he doesn’t care how impossible this entire thing is. he’s simply happy to see her again. slowly but surely, she seems to be revealing more emotion, too. kaito feels like he’s getting more and more glimpses of a harumaki that’s freer. if he can do that for her, then he’s satisfied. 

❝ okay, okay! i will, harumaki, promise! thanks for having my back! ❞  he assures her, not wanting to cause her more worry ─ but, oh, she’s actually worried and that’s so different than the closed off girl he met at the very start of the game. selfishly enough, kaito feels a whirlwind of emotions that cause his chest to flutter in ways he can’t quite pinpoint. it’s ridiculous, something he probably shouldn’t be happy over because, really, someone like her shouldn’t have to fret over someone like him. but, she is, and despite himself, kaito feels . . . moved by it. he’s happy, but at the same time . . .  ❝ so you don’t have to worry as much, okay? ❞  he adds after a few moments of silence, giving her a grin to affirm his words. he reaches forward and clasps her shoulder, giving a small and gentle squeeze. he can decide how selfish his thoughts are later. for now, he’s going to let himself and maki enjoy their reunion, as impossible of a reunion as it is. he doesn’t care that he shouldn’t be here right now. 

❝ alright! you say so, so i believe it! i’m not sure how reliable stuff like fate and destiny are, but . . . ❞  he feigns deep thought,  ❝ i guess somethin’s gotta be on our side to bring us back together, yeah? ❞  he nods, finally releasing her shoulder, nearly forgetting they were making contact in the first place. it feels so . . . natural. he opens his mouth to say more, ask more about what she knows and how she got here, but sharp hearing catches the sound of footsteps in the distance. sure, it’s possible that there’s others from the city, but on the off chance that the soldier who had cornered him had friends...

kaito reaches forward and grabs maki’s hand. he tugs her along down the street, eyes searching for a place to hide. he doesn’t want to have to rely on her, or make her go through any more killings. not again. she doesn’t deserve that and he knows she would if she felt she had to, so he’s going to make sure it doesn’t happen again. finally, he spots a small, abandoned building off the main street,  ❝ there! ❞.

he tugs maki in after him, a bit out of breath. he forgets to release her hand as he peers out a small window. 

█ ▌♡ The confusion was evident on his face, as his heels clicked against the floor of this facility. He has found countless papers with, what he would describe as nonsense on them and it has left him confused. Kingdoms always had messy and unknown history and many things that happened behind closed doors, he knew this all too well, but this project that was conducted is strange, and the testing labs he had peeked into before taken his leave. It seems like there was something very dark hidden here, something that they shouldn’t know about.

█ ▌♡ He knew there must be more rooms, more hallways, more secrets somewhere in this place, so It was a given that he continued to explore, though the lights continued to dim the further he went in (though to be fair they weren’t that bright, to begin with …), so he tried to stay as alert as possible as he walked. One of the doors he opened lead to a squeal, and hands being shoved out in front of him, causing a small surprised gasp from him as he blinked a few times to process the situation in front of him. 

█ ▌♡ Well, it seems he startled someone quite a bit. He shouldn’t laugh but he couldn’t help it, he did try to stifle it but it seemed the laughter still was able to find it’s way out as he brought one of his hands up to his mouth to cover it in a gesture of mannerisms.

     ❛ Oh my, I certainly startled you quite a bit, didn’t I ? ❜ He was teasing the other despite the situation they were in, perhaps this wasn’t the best time to be playful. ❛ Don’t worry yourself, I’m not feeling the peckish right now ❜ He trailed off for a moment before smiling ❛ I’m kidding ~ I don’t eat people ! But I won’t ask how you know you don’t taste good, For someone so nervous, it’s strange you are so deep into this dark, possibly dangerous, place ❜

          he’s laughing !! laughing! alright, to be fair, kaito might laugh, too, if he were in the other’s position. maybe. his grimaces and the expression remains as the stranger explains himself, assuring him that he’s not about to devour kaito whole. kaito’s not sure whether he can believe the stranger, or not. after all, what creature comes out and tells someone before they eat them? but, it’s true he’s not attacked, and this is the only human face he’s seen around thus far. kaito decides to believe him.

❝ i’m not nervous! ❞  he immediately snaps back, a bit forcefully, probably not helping his cause,  ❝ and i only assume i can’t taste good ‘cause, well, humans don’t taste good! that’s just a general thing! ❞  he persists, again not considering that his frantic responses aren’t backing up his words. regardless! he places his hands on his hips and pouts slightly, averting his eyes. 

❝ well, i came here since lots of other people were. i can’t sit on my ass while everyone else works hard to investigate, ya’ know? that’s not what a hero does ─ that’s the opposite of what a hero does! ❞  yeah, he goes with the whole hero facade. it eases just the right amount of stress, enough for him to regain some amount of composure.