golden chevalier

Wombat: Look at them. They’ve got anxiety.

“I’ve been waiting for months,” he complained, his petulant tone wavering with emotion. “I’d almost given up hope about seeing you… That’s how long you made me wait!” His reddening eyes fixed on Kinshirou in an accusatory manner. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? And I had to do it alone!”

          He regained his composure once Akoya let go, taking a breath. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, no. However, now that I am here, I don’t plan on going anywhere. You may air your complaints directly to me, now. I will do my best to rectify any issues that I’m able to.” A pause. “...I’m glad you hadn’t given up hope on seeing me just yet. I truly am sorry about not being able to be here.”

“When didyou get here, Kinshirou?  This means we’re all here, doesn’t it?”

          “...I’m not sure what I would have done if I didn’t know whether or not you two were here. Although it may not be the best circumstances to be under, I’m sure it’ll be easier to handle now that we’re all here.”

[🎼]“There’s nothing to apologize for. We are remarkable similar, aren’t we?” Thick pink locks are pulled outwards in a display and allowed to fall gracefully. “It’s not just the hair, either. Our eyes… and even our personality to a degree. I’ve entertained the thought of us being twins. But that’s enough about us. You must be a friend of Akoya’s if you’re looking for him. It’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Megurine Luka.”

          Still recovering from the embarrassment of it all, he merely nodding in agreement to the ways they were similar. Aside from some... minor differences, he doubted he would have believed that she really wasn’t Akoya even when she said so herself. "Kinshiro Kusatsu. Where we had been previously, I was his senior at our school, in both age and status in the student council. He is also an important ally; it’s only natural I’d attempt to find him first. At least this conversation confirms he’s here.”

“No… I guess you wouldn’t. None of us would.” Hard to miss the edge of the cold shoulder there, but just walking away from a friend in a place like this was madness, so far as he was concerned. “You don’t think it’s another attempt from… them, do you?”

          He thinks for a moment. “It seems doubtful, though not completely impossible. They’ve never been the type for complete subtlety; a regular life in a city this way seems a bit on the boring side, especially for them.”

“You took too long to get here,” he sniveled, clinging to Kusatsu as if his life depended on it. “Isn’t it your job to look after me? I’m your underclassman!”

          “...You’re right. I apologize. If I had known you and Arima were waiting for me, I would have made more of an effort to be punctual.”

Without a moment of hesitation, he rushed towards his friend, tugging him close in a crushing embrace.

          The hug, being the second most surprising thing to happen to him today, left him frozen in place. Normally, under any other circumstances, he would have scolded Akoya and shaken him off. However, these weren’t normal circumstances, and this wasn’t something he would have expected Akoya to do. And he had to admit: it felt fairly relieving knowing the other had missed him enough to willingly hug him. Kusatsu awkwardly returned the hug, allowing himself to briefly smile.

“Kin-chan…? You’re here, too?”

          He stood in silence, momentarily forgetting he was in a public space. After the initial shock ended, he straightened himself out and cleared his throat. “...It would appear that way. I wouldn’t have expected to see you here, although I suppose I wouldn’t have expected to be here either.”

“I guess you have a basis for saying something like that, but I have one for saying it’s amazing that the perfect Student Council President would allow himself to be captured, too. Does that mean you’re no better than me?”

          “I’ve never claimed to be perfect. Just because we were both captured does not mean we’re the same; just because cats and lions both eat meat doesn’t mean there’s not an obvious power difference.”

“Kinshirou.”

          He wanted to say something about how relieved he was to see a familiar face, or at least, one he trusted. Maybe something about how he was suddenly worried about why the other was here, and what had happened. Instead, he merely glanced down to the hand on his shoulder, speaking after only a short moment. “...I trust you’ve been well in my absence. I’d expect nothing less of you, after all.”

[🎼] “I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong person.” Surprise.

          “...Ah. It seems I do. ...You have my apologies. I’ve only recently arrived, so I suppose it was more that I was hoping to see someone I knew, and only searched for those that look similar.”