[Just as Kaz began to relax when no immediate ambush was forthcoming, he heard movement from one of the other rooms. As he turned to face the source of the sound, Hyoubu entered - naked, of course. Kaz's reaction was immediate: he lifted his gaze to the ceiling before he could really look, letting out a low, exasperated sigh]
Hey, I can't be a pervert, 'cuz I haven't even looked-
[And then, abruptly, Kaz felt his entire world flip on its head. He had only a split second to recognise the sickening vertigo as - aw, shit, no, not again! Not another memory share-
Kaz tried not look at the red smear at his feet - the only evidence that Amane's father even existed in this world. The air smelled so strongly of copper, though, and that gut-clenching, nausea inducing stink that Kaz was beginning to identify as spilled guts. He really shouldn't be able to identify that smell so easily, a part of him thought wearily.
Amane was trying not to look at the smear either, he noticed. Her eyes were staring right at Kaz, her face pale - there were blood flecks on her cheek, and a fading bruise around her neck when a Murmur had attempted to throttle her - but her expression just as calm as her gaze.
"The time's finally come," she said quietly, and Kaz felt his stomach turn for a reason other than the smell of disembowelment. He nodded stiffly, turning to face the alien looking instrument before him. It looked like an organ you'd find in a church, but there was something eerily sinister about it. With this, he'd be able to...
"Now, let us summon Babel," Amane finished. Kaz heard the scuff of feet, and didn't have to look when Atsuro and Yuzu's scent reached him, briefly banishing the unpleasant stink. Some of his nerves settled at the close proximity of his friends, and he breathed deep, closing his eyes, reaching out to that dark, heavy presence sitting in the back of his mind like a burning hot coal-
"You disappoint me, Kaz."
Naoya.
Kaz turned sharply, and he could barely see his cousin's approach past the wall his friends had made when they quickly closed ranks around him. Immediately, he could feel his heart flutter - his pulse spiked with something like apprehension. This wasn't going to be a pleasant confrontation, he realised dimly as he took in the mild expression on Naoya's face. He only ever looked like that when he was severely upset with Kaz, when he did something wrong or inordinately stupid.
'Come to me,' Naoya had ordered him before. Kaz had disobeyed him to forge this path instead. For the very first time. It still sent a thrill of both fear and independence whenever he thought about it.
"Naoya?" Atsuro sounded both flabberghasted and terribly uneasy. He knew how Naoya could get too, even better now that his friend's view on his cousin had dimmed after learning how Naoya was responsible for damning Tokyo to its demon infested state. "What're you-"
"I wouldn't have guessed you'd end up serving God," Naoya continued as if Atsuro hadn't even spoken - like he didn't even exist. His eyes were on Kaz, and Kaz felt like a frozen rabbit beneath that gaze. He didn't dare move. "You're hard to read, my brother."
That apprehension gave way to a very deep, unintelligible fear at hearing those words: "my brother". A distant memory of cattails reaching high, a sky painted red from a setting sun, flashed across his mind - a memory that was quickly squelched and smothered.
'Don't think of that.'
"Brother? I thought... you're both cousins, aren't you?" Atsuro glanced back briefly at him, must've seen something in Kaz's expression, before his friend looked back at Naoya sharply. "I've always wondered... just who are you Naoya?"
Kaz knew. Naoya knew Kaz knew.
"Heh," Naoya laughed, softly, "No, Kaz is my younger brother. It's been so since a long time ago."
Kaz stepped forwards, ignored Atsuro's soft, protesting noise at being gently pushed aside. He met Naoya's unsettling gaze head on. He remembered the command he disobeyed ('Come to me', even now it rattled in the back of his mind, a part of him wanting to bend his knee, bend his head, and murmur "yes, Naoya-nii" but.) and had to believe that it was the right thing to do. Disobeying Naoya was the right thing to do.
"Naoya," he said. The smell of blood and guts was so very strong. Kaz could easily imagine it as his own - he knew Naoya wouldn't hesitate again. It wouldn't be the first time his brother was responsible for him being disembowelled. Wouldn't be the first time at all. "I'm not your pawn anymore. This is my choice, and nothing you do is going to change it."
Naoya's expression was still mild, but his eyes betrayed the terrifying black rage that Kaz could sense in him. Empathy sucked just for that. Naoya's rage - it pounded against his skull like it was his own. Kaz himself, just felt nothing. Tired, really. He always knew this would happen - disobeying Naoya never did anything good. This was going to hurt. Naoya was going to rip him apart before this fight was over, even if Kaz won.
He understood this with grim acceptance. It wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to him anyway.
"I won't let you reach Babel in your current state," Naoya said very quietly. The air felt hot. Dry. Kaz knew what was coming. He braced himself - saw his friends brace for the attack to come. "It's unfortunate but, the game ends here for you, Kaz."
The memory ended there, and while Hyoubu enjoyed viewing one of Kaz's most unpleasant memories, the boy himself was leaning against the windowsill looking a little pale around the edges. The vertigo very nearly made him topple over, but he was a little experienced in dealing with these highly inconvenient episodes, and so managed to catch himself before he face-planted the floor and most likely threw up on it]
Fuck... sake.
[Now to wait and see what Hyoubu saw - and find out what Kaz forgot. Last time he totally blanked on where he lived, who knows what he'll lose this time]
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no subject
And you call me a pervert.
[ The fox he doesn't see, as it runs between his legs, brushing up against his skin. ]
1/3
Hey, I can't be a pervert, 'cuz I haven't even looked-
2/3
Amane was trying not to look at the smear either, he noticed. Her eyes were staring right at Kaz, her face pale - there were blood flecks on her cheek, and a fading bruise around her neck when a Murmur had attempted to throttle her - but her expression just as calm as her gaze.
"The time's finally come," she said quietly, and Kaz felt his stomach turn for a reason other than the smell of disembowelment. He nodded stiffly, turning to face the alien looking instrument before him. It looked like an organ you'd find in a church, but there was something eerily sinister about it. With this, he'd be able to...
"Now, let us summon Babel," Amane finished. Kaz heard the scuff of feet, and didn't have to look when Atsuro and Yuzu's scent reached him, briefly banishing the unpleasant stink. Some of his nerves settled at the close proximity of his friends, and he breathed deep, closing his eyes, reaching out to that dark, heavy presence sitting in the back of his mind like a burning hot coal-
"You disappoint me, Kaz."
Naoya.
Kaz turned sharply, and he could barely see his cousin's approach past the wall his friends had made when they quickly closed ranks around him. Immediately, he could feel his heart flutter - his pulse spiked with something like apprehension. This wasn't going to be a pleasant confrontation, he realised dimly as he took in the mild expression on Naoya's face. He only ever looked like that when he was severely upset with Kaz, when he did something wrong or inordinately stupid.
'Come to me,' Naoya had ordered him before. Kaz had disobeyed him to forge this path instead. For the very first time. It still sent a thrill of both fear and independence whenever he thought about it.
"Naoya?" Atsuro sounded both flabberghasted and terribly uneasy. He knew how Naoya could get too, even better now that his friend's view on his cousin had dimmed after learning how Naoya was responsible for damning Tokyo to its demon infested state. "What're you-"
"I wouldn't have guessed you'd end up serving God," Naoya continued as if Atsuro hadn't even spoken - like he didn't even exist. His eyes were on Kaz, and Kaz felt like a frozen rabbit beneath that gaze. He didn't dare move. "You're hard to read, my brother."
That apprehension gave way to a very deep, unintelligible fear at hearing those words: "my brother". A distant memory of cattails reaching high, a sky painted red from a setting sun, flashed across his mind - a memory that was quickly squelched and smothered.
'Don't think of that.'
"Brother? I thought... you're both cousins, aren't you?" Atsuro glanced back briefly at him, must've seen something in Kaz's expression, before his friend looked back at Naoya sharply. "I've always wondered... just who are you Naoya?"
Kaz knew. Naoya knew Kaz knew.
"Heh," Naoya laughed, softly, "No, Kaz is my younger brother. It's been so since a long time ago."
Kaz stepped forwards, ignored Atsuro's soft, protesting noise at being gently pushed aside. He met Naoya's unsettling gaze head on. He remembered the command he disobeyed ('Come to me', even now it rattled in the back of his mind, a part of him wanting to bend his knee, bend his head, and murmur "yes, Naoya-nii" but.) and had to believe that it was the right thing to do. Disobeying Naoya was the right thing to do.
"Naoya," he said. The smell of blood and guts was so very strong. Kaz could easily imagine it as his own - he knew Naoya wouldn't hesitate again. It wouldn't be the first time his brother was responsible for him being disembowelled. Wouldn't be the first time at all. "I'm not your pawn anymore. This is my choice, and nothing you do is going to change it."
Naoya's expression was still mild, but his eyes betrayed the terrifying black rage that Kaz could sense in him. Empathy sucked just for that. Naoya's rage - it pounded against his skull like it was his own. Kaz himself, just felt nothing. Tired, really. He always knew this would happen - disobeying Naoya never did anything good. This was going to hurt. Naoya was going to rip him apart before this fight was over, even if Kaz won.
He understood this with grim acceptance. It wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to him anyway.
"I won't let you reach Babel in your current state," Naoya said very quietly. The air felt hot. Dry. Kaz knew what was coming. He braced himself - saw his friends brace for the attack to come. "It's unfortunate but, the game ends here for you, Kaz."
And then-]
3/3
The memory ended there, and while Hyoubu enjoyed viewing one of Kaz's most unpleasant memories, the boy himself was leaning against the windowsill looking a little pale around the edges. The vertigo very nearly made him topple over, but he was a little experienced in dealing with these highly inconvenient episodes, and so managed to catch himself before he face-planted the floor and most likely threw up on it]
Fuck... sake.
[Now to wait and see what Hyoubu saw - and find out what Kaz forgot. Last time he totally blanked on where he lived, who knows what he'll lose this time]