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sakewanome:

Very easily!! We just gotta get him to come down for some drinks an’ I’m real good at encouraging him to drink more. It takes a few to get him goin’ but then we just gotta challenge him and he’ll be all for havin’ some good fun! Just don’t mention Master or he’ll start tryin’ to be responsible.

It’ll be a mongrel-free zone, I assure you.  

-It’s nightynight, bro, with Nihongou.  It’s onward to the Kuroda waterhole, then, to finish their quest forward.-

-Nature sure is amazing.-

The Kuroda leader?  I’ve overheard he uses a sizable sword–or, has in the past.  The mongrel has mentioned his “Atakigiri Osafune” on occasion.  

I have no idea if he utilizes a yari, though.  I would be surprised if he had no knowledge of the weapon.

He’s pretty big and strong as it is though, right? Like he’s well beyond the average size of most humans... I’m surprised he even bothers with any weapons.

Fuck, he could probably hit stuff with his fists just as good.

Understandable, and–

Ah.

I believe this is him.  I hope his nap has been pleasant.  Let’s take him.

-He’s the shortest of the now-trio.  But he’s just grabbing Nihongou up like it’s just fucking nothing.  He grabs his actual blade, too.  Given he was holding a wine bottle before, he just lets the sleeping long boy hold onto it.  It’s beautiful and he has a free drink if he regains consciousness.-

Sweet catch. He looks knocked the fuck out though.

[He watches Gilgamesh pick him up with a look at awe, less impressed by his show of strength and more impressed by how dead to the world Nihongou appears to be. The fact that he instinctively cradles the bottle of wine is most impressive. Nature is amazing.]

That’s the type they are.  They do choose to live underground to keep to their own business, as far as I know.  

And it helps–you would probably enjoy the company of my other self as well.  Perhaps Ozymandias?  We all drink together.  

…  Bring him with us to drink.  I feel, if we are truly alike, then he and Enkidu will probably be good friends.  We both likely need someone of a similar temperament around.  

But enough of that, let us drink in the moment rather than focus on what may be many nights from now.

The yari is a bonus!  If he’s there, it is like a good luck sign.  He’s of this clan, after all.  He can tell you more of these people than I could.   

I can respect that lifestyle. I’m not the kid I used to be. After all I put up with, I’m ready to gather all my valuables and keep to my damn self.

... Drinking buddies sound alright, y’know. That’s something guys my age should be doing probably. I’d definitely bring him. Once I have him back, I won’t be letting him out of my sight for a while at least. At least I’ve got something to look forward to--

[His voice trails off as he comes to a stop.]

[He turns slowly and looks over for a long moment then walks over to a pile of construction materials, mainly logs and supports laid out for possible future expansions to the the underground. He motions to, what appears to be, a sleeping long boy.]

I imagine that if you move a rock or two here, you could easily become acclimated within this group?  Or at least not bothered.  Then again, meeting the locals first before deciding is probably a good idea if you are to share the same territory.  There is a unified people here, ones under a similar work ethic with no pretenses or trappings of a bloated modern army.  It is no Uruk, but I appreciate the management taken.

-He can take a vampire hand to the back like a champion?  Doesn’t even flinch or get shot into space.  Perhaps they are good company because they’re both just assholes?  Absolutely likely.  He seems to know where to go first through the buildings, searching.-

Of course I am good to talk to.

There’s no need for pleading and toiling over land grown barren.  Why would I have any investment in watching you labor over something that brings you no relief.  You have thought it out.  Why would anyone tell you to think more.  

Strategy is for battles and politics, not for affairs of the heart.  Your heart has decided long ago, but the rationales of others lingered.  A king learns to listen to what is true, not what is saccharine and nostalgic.

–This way.  We may see that yari here.

I’ll get to know them. I don’t have great people skills, but I know how to work hard and earn respect at least.

It’s probably got something to do with surrounding myself with people who are far beneath me. I’ve never had someone to talk to that I was close to in my line of thinking. I lost a lot of my wild ways and I can’t help but think it’s made me weaker. Annoying... but it’s not irreversible. I’ll become someone who survives on instinct again in no time. I don’t want to have to rely on anyone ever again.

-He makes a slight sound, scoffing–but amused, perhaps even pleased.-

You don’t intend to die.  Don’t lie to me like that, we have been companions this whole time.  You intend to pursue happiness until you break.  I like that.

“Carving” you say?  My, has the mole life influenced you already?  Perhaps a fortress enclosed in darkness, away from the sun would suit you.

-He motions with his bottle as they continue forward.  From here, it should be obvious what has been built up with the Kuroda territory thus far–it’s definitely not a place where poor-quality liquor would be.-

But it is high time you actually moved–that you acted and clawed your way forward, is it not.  

I’ve decided that we are drinking to the only death of yours you will have tonight–the death of whatever hesitance you hold now.  

I’d have to try pretty hard to get myself killed at this point. I’ve had people try to kill me but I think it only made me stronger.

I’d live in a place like this. The surface world kind of sucks and I think a place underground and a little closer to Hell is for the best. I mean, who the fuck would bother me down here? The fact we’ve hardly seen anyone here is great.

[He looks at Gilgamesh and grins, suddenly giving him a solid slap on the back. He laughs a bit, perhaps a more genuinely than he has in a while.]

You’re alright, you know. I should move on. I didn’t think you would really be someone that great for talking stuff, but you really are. If I tried to talk to anybody else, they would have held me back with some kind of weak argument or did something to stall me and try to make me think it out.

Performance anxiety gets the better of people sometimes.

-He continues down the pathway, laughing at his own joke.  He holds up the bottle of wine to the underground lights; he doesn’t look to Jotaro as he speaks.  But there’s a slight smile that twitches onto his face at what the other man says–what he explicitly leaves out with the phrasing he uses.- 

One’s best friend…  

Does it matter what comes after that?  You will have had taken action and discovered what you wish to about him–about his circumstances and about what to do from here.  I had clawed my way through Hell for my only friend, and would do it again and again even if they were content for their divine retribution.  Besides, have you ever seen him leave?

You’ve survived this long acting as you do best, have you not?  For forty-some years of undeath.

This you as you are now–you are shackled in a way.  You are not the man you know you can be–you are not embracing the ideals you hold.  You’re a beast of a man, one who has clawed, torn, devoured his way to the top.  Your complacent home life has driven you to meander from your goals.  You’ve realized this by now, I’m sure.

Do as you would before with the knowledge you have now.  Compose yourself as the king you made yourself in Egypt, disregard the gods, disregard the false trappings of another’s definition of humanity, and do as you wish.

You're right. I guess I don't really care what comes after that. It doesn't matter if I die on the journey, have to do it all over again, or really only get peace for a little while. If I can at least see him or even talk to him, that's worth it.

Fuck it. I’ll worry about the after when I get there. What am I even doing worrying?

I don’t really know what happened to me, not that it really matters. There’s nothing to really lose in the long run; the only thing I ever worried about losing was lost and the fight to get it back is all I can really be troubled over. I can’t lie to myself. He’s the only reason I ever kept on going anyways. I wanted something better not only for me, but for us.

-He throws back the wine bottle for a moment as he walks–stepping a few more paces not toward their target, but to where the underground will eventually expand.  He motions Passione-wards.-

Exactly.

I would recommend keeping an eye on it at this stage.  While the mongrels here toil and have sound construction, what is that to someone such as ourselves.  I’d advise against anything particularly structurally damning that would turn the moles against you, but use that information as you may.

-He turns to actually continue to the underground settlement proper.-

Which begs the question: what are you going to do?

[He pauses to look towards the unfinished work that will eventually lead him on his own. It doesn’t look like much at the moment, but it certainly is a ticket to getting closer to his objective. He sighs as he turns to leave it, following Gilgamesh.]

I don’t got anything against these guys, so I wouldn’t do anything to upset them. There’s only one real person I want dead and I honestly don’t think it’s possible for me to kill him. Not right now anyways.

What the hell am I going to do? Sure I can use this path to pull some sneaky shit and get my best friend back, but I’m not all that sure what comes after that. Would DIO give a shit enough to stop me or come take him again? I mean fuck, I’m in no place to fight him and I’m probably capable of holding me own but I don’t know if I’m at a point I could defending myself and Kakyoin...

-Once he’s got Jotaro’s attention, he’s leading him down to the basement, then through to the underground’s proper corridors.  He’s opening the bottle of wine he brought with them, just drinking straight from the bottle.  Any comments made on obliterating one’s liver are pretty much automatically null here.-

I want to be entertained.  Of course, I, the King, have a good grasp of what’s got interesting development.  Not that you are boring–anything but…

I know you have goals in mind–and this is an unprecedented opportunity.  

There have been talks of the underground’s expansion–into the territories of Italy.  The mongrel’s brother intends to follow her soon into the nature of being a vampire–he has reportedly been keen on asking for a suitable underground network to do his business within.

Which means ridiculously easy access into his household.

[He follows a few paces behind him, quietly glancing around at the structure of the underground. While maybe not the most aesthetically pleasing, the structure does look pretty solid and seems to expand forever. It’s a wonder they aren’t already lost.]

That so...?

So, what you’re telling me is, there’s going to be literally a backdoor underground tunnel that goes directly from here right into the Italy fuckhouse? You’re kidding. That’s...

I’ll pay if you get up–probably fund those mongrel’s next tunnel or something.  You’d be surprised at what a place has been carved out–and your guess is more or less right.  They did produce that one yari.

-He waits for a few beats before he’s heading toward the door.-

What more secure place is there than an entire underground city for you to drink in?  

Beside that, there is something to show you there that might clear your eyes for once.  I heard something amusing.  You might feel something other the urge to put your liver into a continuous destruction and rebirth cycle.

Oh yeah, the drunk yari that’s always with Memeko... isn’t she also supposed to marry the guy that dug out this place or something? 

[He didn’t seem all that excited beyond his usual self, so the mention of something more certainly has his attention.]

-After that conversation with that girl of the moon he’s feeling a bit more talkative than usual.  And given his usual, hidden company in his room, he’s giving a kick to an exposed pair of feet before grabbing a bottle of wine off the floor.  Unopened?  Perfect.-

I feel like walking and talking–and those underground dwellers have good booze.  

[There’s a low grumble and after a moment he starts to emerge, rubbing at his red eyes as he looks over.]

Underground dwellers, huh? Didn’t think they’d have shit for drinks, but I guess if you’re stuck underground what the hell else are you gonna do?

[Stretching his arms out he gets to his feet and yawns, looking about as alive as he’s going to be after waking up.]

And you could’ve told me that you wanted to get out for a while, and I would’ve been okay, man, take your time, maybe find us a place we can crash once training’s done? 

…

Why do you talk about yourself like that?

Jotaro, we’ve been through this before–you tell me to leave and be with Noriaki, because you don’t think you’re as important to me as him, I start crying, we fight, and we get nowhere. We push it down and don’t talk about it until the next time it comes up.

[He sighs, too, crossing over to reach out for his hand. He takes it, squeezing his palm firmly.]

We can be happy together, Jotaro, I know we can. We need to learn how to talk when shit crops up, though, so you don’t have to get your dick smashed by some stranger before we can get that done. I…

I want you to be able to talk to me when you feel bad. I want to be able to help.

Whether or not you think you deserve it, I want to.

[He sighs, averting his gaze momentarily. He doesn’t move his hand away completely, but doesn’t really acknowledge it.]

No crying. I don’t want this to end up like one of those conversations. I’m not in the mood for dealing with that bullshit, I’m... I’m going through some things. Alone. I just want more time to think to myself..

Haven’t I told you before not to worry about me so much? Worry about yourself first. You only have so much in your life and you’ve got better ways to be spending it than around me constantly. I’ll be around, you don’t need to freak out if I’m not right fucking there next to you.

… I’m not gonna force you to do anything. I just…

[He can’t just mutter and cry like he always does–he has to prove to Jotaro that he’s not just some snot-nosed kid who’s tailing him just because he thinks he’s cool.]

I’m sorry if… I’m the one who made you run away like that.

I’m pretty much done with my training anyway, at this point… we can move back to the mainland. We could find our own place, maybe, and… work something out.

I love you, Jotaro. You know that… and I’m not just some stupid kid anymore, I wanna make things right if I fuck up.

You can stop right there.

Look it’s not your fault I left or anything... I didn’t like being there and wanted to get away for a bit to get my thoughts together. I don’t know why you came looking for me in the first place. You could have just called or something. Why are you worrying about me so much?

[He sighs, shaking his head.]

You’re by yourself too... Go back. I don’t know where the hell Noriaki is, but go stick with him. He’s way more important to you than I am. I know you love me. You always have.

… Jotaro…

[He says it quietly, trying to keep an even tone. But his voice does end up shaking a little, sounding watery in spite of his best efforts.]

......

[A pause. His attention is slowly coming back now that the threat has left his immediate area and he is left to deal with his twin. He reluctantly turns his gaze to him, knowing well that tone means.]