The Stars Shine on You

"Was that supposed to hurt?"

*Of course he would be aware that for any other creature that'd be a death sentence but not for him. After all what Ludger had aimed for didn't exist in this body anymore, a heart. While addressing the aggressor and trying to remove the lance slowly as if to prove his point there was another objective also being completed at the same time.

The mass that was his other arm had a hold on the backpack however the purple fleshy mass was spreading past it and latching onto Elle herself like a persistent mold that didn't want to let go. It also helped that she had stopped struggling. It would be for the best after all.*

"What's with those looks? You both should be happy for her. Don't worry, the process looks worse than it actually is."

*As if in an attempt to ease the horror plastered on their faces Takumi made sure his body reverted back to normal although leaving a small mass behind. This would be the newly reformed Elle in mere moments but for now it was just a wriggling pile of flesh starting to take its form.

While he could have easily gone for Kieran he could be used as bait to bring more to him so the creature focused on the one that not only managed to temporarily blind him but also thrust a bladed weapon into his chest. It would be useful to have someone like that on his side.*

"You're wrong, Ludger!" A voice Ludger thought he'd never hear again speaks to him. "Takumi didn't hurt me-- I'm feeling better than ever!"

Lifting his head, the mound of flesh and spilled blood that killed his partner is gone. In its place stands someone who shouldn't be here. Not after the grave mistake he made. The Elle in front of him is a puppet meant to shatter his resolve and accept his death.

Ludger knows this, and yet...

"You won't leave me, right, Ludger? You just gotta through a little bit of a scary initiation first. But since you're my partner, I'll help make it better!" Elle extends a hand to her most precious person. "See, you can hold my hand the whole time. So when it gets scary, you know I'm here with you! So how about it?"

Ludger falls silent as he considers the offer he should have already vehemently rejected. And despite every part of him screaming to run, his hand begins to reach for Elle's--

--And yet when he finally grasps onto something, his hand touches a soft leather instead of skin. If his mind weren't already clouded, he'd foolishly believe the person at the other end was--

"Sorry we're late, little brother," Julius dons that same gentle face he used to whenever Ludger needed his pillar of support. "My big brother senses warned me you might need help, so we both came running. Just hold onto me-- Victor and I'll take care of this."

Appearing next to Kieran is a gothic man who surely had to be burning in all the black he insists on wearing. A mask hid his face along with his right eye, though if Kieran studied him long enough, he might recognize his unlikely savior's face...

He'll have plenty of time to ponder his questions as he's hoisted onto the gentleman's back.

Kazuya adjusted his headphones. Like he thought he could stall a little bit longer.

"Yeah." That word alone weighed twenty tons, escaping from his throat like a criminal on the run. There'd been moments where this admission almost surfaced. Where Kazuya'd stamped it down just enough to be, at most, slightly awkward. In retrospect, it was definitely strange to stress that much about treating a friend to a meal on his birthday.

"I might be the pickiest guy in the world," he tried to joke. "You know? Even if I'm not into girls, there's millions of other guys out there." It was almost funny, right? How high his standards must have been? How saying his 'standards were high' would've gotten Atsuro to remove himself from the running anyway?

"You're the only one I've ever..."

It's probably the most flattering thing Atsuro will ever hear about himself in his whole life.

--Besides being Naoya's best apprentice, of course.

"Hey man, you're talking a guy who zoned in on one girl despite her making it clear she had feelings for someone else since before she met me," Atsuro responds in kind, nudging Kaz's shoulder with his own. "If you're picky, I'm picky with a dash of hopeless. This is just another thing we share as buds, right?"

Now that the mood's lightened a little, he'll round back to the sappy and emotional part.

"Was that supposed to hurt?"

*Of course he would be aware that for any other creature that'd be a death sentence but not for him. After all what Ludger had aimed for didn't exist in this body anymore, a heart. While addressing the aggressor and trying to remove the lance slowly as if to prove his point there was another objective also being completed at the same time.

The mass that was his other arm had a hold on the backpack however the purple fleshy mass was spreading past it and latching onto Elle herself like a persistent mold that didn't want to let go. It also helped that she had stopped struggling. It would be for the best after all.*

The clock on the Chromatus reaches it end as Takumi casually removes the lance from his chest, causing both Ludger's armor and his lance to fizzle out in a ripple of shadow. Yet even as he's up close and exposed, he can only gawk and stare at the insanity he just witnessed.

Why didn't his last gambit do anything?! Even a Great Spirit would reel from a killing blow like that! Did he challenge a creature that can't die?

No... no, he can't think like that. This only proved Takumi couldn't be killed like a human. He could still be beaten another way. He just had to figure what that other way could be.

It's unfortunate he can't save everyone now, but withdrawing is their best option now--

"AAAAAAAAH! LUDGER!!"

Ludger snaps out of his daze to see Elle desperately clawing at the ground to try and escape the purple parasite spreading from across her back to swallow her whole. Ludger doesn't waste any time rushing over to her side, short swords in hand. His blades slice at the mass to cut her free, but the indents regenerate faster than he's making them.

"ELLE! ELLE, I WON'T LOSE YOU!" Whether Ludger is assuring Elle or himself, he can't say. He just keeps hacking away even as his arms tremble from exhaustion. Elle's cries for help continue to ring in his ears until they all just stop; all that's left in her place is that purple flesh on top of a puddle of blood.

"Ah.... aaah....!"

Ludger falls to his knees, a choked scream caught in his throat.

Kazuya sighed, expression downcast. "I'm not like that," he said. Atsuro's confidence didn't threaten him. He didn't feel less-than just because someone else was good at something he didn't completely understand. He didn't need to knock his best friend down to feel taller; He might as well have been a tower already.

"I think you're cool," he stressed, repeating the original question's sentiment. "All my friends are cool. Obviously." There was still a coolest friend, though. The one who never left his side. Not even when it got difficult.

Breathe. Stay on topic.

"I'm... glad the cool club's not a private club for only the elite of elite friends..." Atsuro tries to force his goofy best friend side out, but it's not working. "And, uh, it's nice you thought I was smart enough not to fail the free space at bingo and stuff..."

--You know what? He's not gonna let this awkward atmosphere go on. The band-aid's coming off, no matter how much it'll sting in the moment.

"Look, I'll just address the elephant in the room. Kaz, do you... feel a certain way about me that's above us being plain friends? A way I'm only noticing now cuz it's been overtly spelt out for me in more ways than one...?"

Between the quiz, his talk with Ludger, and the fact Kaz avoiding addressing Yuzu's unsubtle advances, his mind's finally coming to a conclusion. Whether or not it's right... he'd rather not guess for eternity.

*Takumi was going to clarify that the place wasn't his him but to not only be hit with a goodbye but the flash of light too? It was a bit much in his opinion. It did confirm that it had been organised though, it's not like they were the first to try something when word got out about what he was or what people assumed him to be.

While one 'arm' had extended to where he had last seen Elle in an attempt to latch onto her the second would have been raised in a position to attack or defend. After all his eyes had yet to fully recover from their performance.*

"...I am seeing reason...this is the only way no one has to worry about dying anymore. Besides it doesn't hurt and once it's done it'll be like joining one big family. There really isn't any reason to stop this. Besides, you'll find I'm not exactly easy to kill."

Once Elle and Kieran are safe, he'll--

"AHH-- LET GO!" Elle screamed as she tugged in vain to free her precious backpack from Takumi's grip. "THIS IS FROM MY DADDY! I CAN'T LOSE THIS!"

Damn it, why didn't Kieran--?! Ludger orders Elle to let the backpack go, however his throat won't produce a single sound. Panic at what to do that'll save Elle, get their answers, AND avoid becoming the person his brother feared again all at once clutter his mind, rendering him unable to decide on a way forward.

...Unless...

...I'm sorry, Brother. This is the only way.

Ludger tunes out the world around him as he blinks out of sight. His target wouldn't finish another breath before he's appeared before it, thrusting his lance directly into its heart. He doesn't mince words or relish in his soon-to-be kill-- he simply waits for a sign it's perished so he can safely remove the weapon.

"...!" Elle, watching this all unfold, ceases to struggle as she slams her eyes shut to block out the image before her. Memories of her Daddy's death threaten to resurface if she has to watch Takumi fall down in a barely living hump.

"I--" Had a reason to answer. Damn it all. "--am not going to take that choice away from my little brother."

Yes, it was entertaining. It was funny. He also couldn't do anything without first steamrolling over everyone else's decisions in the process. Atsuro chose not to confess to Yuzu. Kazuya chose not to confess to Atsuro. Yuzu... was apparently still stuck in the outdated mindset that the girl was the one who needed to be confessed to.

Kazuya already knew about her affections, anyway. He'd picked up on that without anyone's help. And he'd chosen to ignore it completely, rather than do anything about it.

"I see... It probably won't mean much from me, but I think your approach is rather respectful towards everyone involved," He offers his genuine kudos. "And hey, I think progress might finally be coming! Even if it took a friend trivia quiz to get Atsuro's mental hamster wheel rolling."

"I mean. It used to be JRPGs. And then, you know, the war."

How does he approach the question he wants to ask so bad without looking super conceited if he's off-base? ...Maybe he'll just note it for when he's feeling a bit more confident.

"Hmph." At least he scored high on being an Atsuro-hater--something that's both normal to want and possible to achieve.

"Of course I wouldn't bother retaining too much information about you of all people. But there are some things I can't forget or forgive."

Like that bird... That stupid bird...

Oh, Victor's still here. Well... as long as he plays it cool and Niao doesn't pop out, he'll probably be fine. ᴹᵃʸᵇᵉ

"Hah, yeah, I figured the demon question would've been your easy freebie besides the AT-LOW one. Though, uh, don't worry-- m-my COMP's at home."

"I'm more of a dog person, my wife likes reptiles so she would be the one to own a lizard but other than that a perfect score. You really have paid attention to me, thank you."

"As I recall, you were thinking about sacrificing me to summon ugly Takumi of all things. What should had I paid attention to anything you did? Worthless trash, just like the rest of humanity. All you are doing is proving my point in the end. Besides, I was in your walls, not your COMP. There's a difference".

"Just like my screen name, you're recalling wrong. I was thinking of fusing Cerberus away, and then I saw the entry for Ouroboros. But when I saw you were the fusion material? I didn't go through with it knowing you'd get pissed off until you MADE me do it! I get it: you're mad cuz you want to be taken seriously. But I'm never going to if you won't take me seriously first!"