generalflirt | ~♥TWENTY-NINE♥~

~♥TWENTY-NINE♥~

[Masaomi has been dreadfully ill since, well... since about Nagisa's party and going to look for a starfish the night before. Since then, well... he passed out there, barely made it home, and had been nursed ever since. He was slightly delirious though all this, and he relied on Saki to get him through things while working on autopilot. He wasn't able to really move much himself until about the 29th or so. After that you might have seen him going in and out of the kitchen. But had he not seen Saki as much somehow...?

This pattern lasts until he wakes up about three PM on the 3rd. He's finally feeling better, and is able to pick up the journal, flip through things, and then go check on Saki and... she's not there. He searches the apartment, is it just him or is it more empty. Finally, he goes to make a filtered message to her to see if she's around...

And. She's not. The filter breaks.

She's gone.

Gone.

He got back his cell phone a while ago - he hasn't opened it, really, but after Fray gave it back to him the only thing he used it for was that thing with the texts and "Tanaka Taro." But. He flips it open to see Saki's picture in there. His grip tightens. They never even talked and she's gone.. completely gone. He begins to shake. The rage lasts a while and he tries to calm down enough to make a little post saying she's gone. and finally... two hours later, he thinks he is]

[Voice]

Everyone. Ah, I - I... [...No, he can't do it. He can't be calm]

Son of bitch! No! [And then he throws the cell phone clean across the room. It hits the wall with a loud sound - it's not broke, not quite, but the battery pops out of the back and the screen cracks. But who cares. Now, now? His voice is pained beyond anything people have heard in Luceti since about when Mikado was sent home, but this pain is different - Mikado's was cold fury, this one is erratic fury and sorrow and... well yeah]

Why now?! [Voice break] Why- dammit, [He grits his teeth] Dammit!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Middle school is... eleven, twelve, and thirteen, right?

No, more like twelve, thirteen, fourteen. Most of this was when I was thirteen.

[A short nod.] Okay.

We fought, a lot. ...The origins of it aren't really important, I guess. Not in the long run. I thought it was just for fun - well no... not fun. I thought it was just a thing you did in the city. I moved to Ikebukuro after my parents split when I was like eleven. It all happened so fast. We thought we were doing okay for a while but...

[He says this casually. Not aware of anything odd with this story. He pauses here though. Not sure if he wants to bring up Izaya or Saki here. Izaya, at least, is vitally important to understand... bu he is not sure he wants to bring him up]

[...he thought it was for fun. Her brows come together at that, but it sounds to her like it's just - stupid. Stupid innocence. Just the result of not really knowing life and death and all the things that she grew up with as a matter of course. And with his parents split - he'd said he was better off, once, when he was an orphan in Luceti Valley.]

But then things got serious?

Ah. Not as serious as they did, but the leader of the Squares, Izumii. He was a bastard. We ended up outnumbered, and they brought weapons and... well, we kept getting in bad situations. Around then... I met- well. ...Well, things changed.

[...Can he tell this without mentioning Izaya? He hesitates. he's clearly holding something important back]

Edited 2012-01-05 00:25 (UTC)

[Izumii. She recognizes that name. He was the one who kidnapped Saki.]

...how did things change?

[There is a distinct pause of reluctance. But then... solidly. Without fear or other emotions and with a :| face]

Izaya Orihara.

Edited 2012-01-05 00:35 (UTC)

[That's another name she recognizes.]

I remember. You warned me about him once.

Yeah. [He hands clench into fists] ...The warning stands if he ever shows up.

[This is so hard to say... guh.]

...He helps us out.

[Her gaze flicker down to his fists and then back up to his face.]

...I'm guessing his "help" didn't turn out the way you thought.

I didn't trust him at first. He's a seedy guy - his name, the way he talks, the way he looks and acts. He doesn't feel right. Or he didn't to me, I don't know but... he gave us good information. He told us where and how to fight. And Saki said he was legit...

[He bites his lip. No, he shouldn't have said that. He sighs]

...You need to get it. This was a war. Not like the ones here - our war wasn't like that, but it was more than we'd done before. When the Scarves were fewer in number we had a lot "rival" gangs. We got in fights. Always just fists, usually until someone ran off or the cops showed up. This was different. the Squares hospitalized us. We... we had to do the same back. Izaya helped us do it.

[He begins to shake. ...With rage. Frustration? Guilt?]

Edited 2012-01-05 01:11 (UTC)

[Saki said he was legit... Hmm...

She notes his shaking but... doesn't know what to do about it just yet.]

...and you were responsible for them. So you felt like you had to listen. Because what he said was working.

...Yes. They were mine. My - ...comrades.

[Probably the closest thing he had to friends other than Saki or Mikado]

[She nods. She can understand that.]

So you kept fighting.

Yeah. We did. Over and over...

[ ... ]

And eventually... Izumii took Saki.

[...she. doesn't really know what to say to that. He'd told her what happened and it had been hard enough the first time. She doesn't want to make him go through that again.]

Oh.

[What does she say?]

Yeah. That's... That's the story of the Squares and the Scarves. That's it. After she was hurt, I left the Scarves, and Izumii went to jail. That ended the Squares. Both the leaders were gone then. That... that ended it. I was fourteen then. Mikado showed up a year later.

[But there is much left unsaid here. In fact, he mutters "I didn't do nothing" under his breath. As if he meant to say something but then thought better of it]

[She still doesn't know what to say. She just ends up reaching out and tentatively touching his shoulder.

There are some possibilities, some questions she has to ask, but... but first she'll see if he'll have anything else to say. Because. She did catch that muttered undertone.]

[...No. He just breaths in and out. He still needs to explain Dollars, but Dollars is totally different than this. the only way it connects is ... deeply personal. he doesn't know if he can say it]

[He doesn't say anything. She doesn't take her hand off his shoulder just yet either. But she's been thinking, and she's made a few connections already.]

Masaomi. If Izaya was helping you, why are you so set on keeping me away from him?

[He goes rigid. How can he... He...]

[He starts to speak. Then stops. He hangs his head deeper and then-] I... I was an idiot.

Edited 2012-01-05 03:04 (UTC)

[This next voice is very small. Very pained. Very... ashamed]

...When Saki was taken, I called him. Over and over. I called him waiting for his advice. He... he never answered.

[She swallows, sensing she's on a very important precipice. She doesn't want to push too much, but... she thinks this is important for him to say too.]

You weren't an idiot for calling someone for help who was supposed to be helping you.

...but he wasn't really helping you, was he.

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