Sorry for the day-late update, everyone! Hope you enjoy~
It wasn't until early morning that Izaya spoke. The first rays of dawn were seeping through the windows, and he couldn't stand lying still there any longer in that dreadful quiet. "A-ya-kun," he began, "what, exactly, are you thinking?"
A-ya lifted his head from his arms, his eyes weary. He hadn't slept well either, it seemed. He never even removed himself from the chair. Suzuya shifted on the floor, rolling over to look at the informant. Izaya wasn't surprised to know that the others (barring Twelve) were awake as he was.
"What do you really expect to do now that Twelve is in this state?" Slowly, Izaya sat up. "For someone who's made a deal with a demon… who needs to 'thin out' the players, the move that you've just made doesn't really suit you!" Izaya's mouth twisted, his eyes shadowed. "Why keep Twelve alive now? He's survived being disemboweled, which is wonderful, sure… but he's right: he's lost a lot of blood, and there's no way we can perform a transfusion here. I want you tell me right now, A-ya-kun… Do you really intend to keep Twelve alive, knowing this?"
A-ya stared at him for some time. Suzuya's gaze had moved to the dark-clad boy. Eventually, A-ya answered steadily: "I do."
Izaya's smile waned, then dropped. "Then I suggest we grab some iron supplements; anything we can find. Fruits and vegetables; nuts and dairy products. Meat. He'll need as much as he can get once he wakes up, I can assure you."
A-ya blinked at him, vaguely surprised. It wasn't what he expected from Izaya, really, but on these words, he got to his feet. He felt admittedly strange without his cape. "Alright then… Izaya, you can get the vegetables and meat. How's that?"
Izaya smiled thinly. "My pleasure."
"I can get dairies and fruits, yeah?" suggested Suzuya, raising his hand.
A-ya nodded. "I'll find iron supplements and nuts. Twelve can choose what he wants when he gets up."
"We also need water," Izaya added.
"Of course," A-ya agreed. "Should—we keep someone near Twelve, actually…?"
Izaya shrugged, nonchalant. "Probably."
Nodding distractedly, he corrected, "Suzuya… stay with Twelve, instead. Izaya and I will split and gather things that he needs. If you want, you can try to find things that are in this store, but I don't want you leaving the building unless there is an imminent threat."
Suzuya blinked his wide eyes. "Oh, okay." The CCG officer watched the informant and the dark-clad boy leave the store with flat affect. He contemplated what sorts of things he might find in this store – maybe some of the supple-somethings. After they were gone and the glass doors closed behind them, the silence fell like snow. He looked idly to the sleeping Twelve, his breathing slightly shallow but otherwise even. The terrorist didn't exactly look healthy despite his easy rest, and the first rays of morning shining through the glass made him shine, his skin pallid.
Suzuya tilted his head, eyes narrowing in introspection. Mado was in this game, huh? She looked older. Takizawa, too, but he sure had changed. The albino thought back on his encounter with the orange-haired boy that had been taken down in hide-and-seek. He claimed that he was a CCG officer, too. Suzuya had to believe him, at least a little. After all, this boy had called him by his name.
The fallen carrot-head had squinted at him, confounded at first glance. "Ah… Suzuya? Suzuya, is that you?"
After Suzuya gave him a bewildered confirmation, the injured had laughed, breathless.
"I bet you're younger than I know, huh? You've got white hair 'n stuff; totally weird. I'm Shirazu, by the way. You don't meet me for a while yet. Nah, by the time I met you, you were a special class investigator. Can you believe that?"
Suzuya had tilted his head at him. "A special class investigator?" he repeated. He didn't know what to make of that. He'd never gone through the academy, and he wasn't exactly "warmly accepted" by the whole of CCG, by any means. If there was even such a thing as "warm acceptance." If there was, he'd never seen it.
"Yeah… A special class." Shirazu smiled weakly. "You're pretty… awesome, yeah. Why am I saying this? I dunno, really… But I've heard so many stories about how you used to be… such an underdog, y'know? And that was me, I guess… So I just wanted to say… like, you're gonna make it. You're gonna go far. I wanna say it now 'cause—I don't think I'll get the chance otherwise… I guess. You're really amazing. The leader who never leaves a teammate behind… I respect ya… That's all."
Suzuya really didn't know what to make of that. What was there to make of it? Was it truth, a lie? It was soon after that when Kaneki arrived. Suzuya recognized him from a few past events, but was unsure of whether he was supposed to kill him. Apparently Mado was on his side, though, so it was okay.
Now Suzuya was still trying to piece together that carrot-head's words. To call him a leader? A leader who never leaves a teammate behind, at that… Well, think, he thought to himself. Does it sound like a lie, or a truth? Pausing, Suzuya got to his feet. "It sounds like a truth, I guess," he commented thoughtfully. "But I dunno how to believe him." He stared down at the ashen visage of Twelve at rest. Gently, he put his hand to the resting one's forehead, brushing back the bangs plastered there. He was warm. Suzuya didn't know what to make of this. "…You'll be up soon. Sleep well." Turning on his heel, he skipped off through the shopping isles. "Iron supple-somethings, here I come~"
In a building just down the street, A-ya stood with a bag of pistachios in one hand and a bag of cashews in the other, deeply contemplating which would be the best thing to bring back for Twelve. With a shrug he came to the conclusion that he'd just bring both back. As he shifted the packages to one arm, he took pause as he coughed. Looking into his palm to find droplets of deep red, he wiped distractedly at his mouth and continued on his search for fruit, disregarding the evidence for his injury.
Loner, pay mind to your physical well-being,thought the demon sourly. Surely you've noticed the deal dealt you by that annoying orange one.
I really didn't, actually, A-ya admitted. I don't feel it at all…
That's very inconvenient.
Yeah, well…
How did the action feel, by the way? he inquired, regaining that tone of cold amusement. After all, I let you do the job, Loner… That kill was all yours.
Why ask? You know how I feel, don't you? Before Kuroha could answer, A-ya added, Actually, I'd like to just have a conversation with you. Can we do that?
The demon was silent for a moment. …What do you mean? he asked eventually.
I have a question for you.
Yes? His tone had lowered; A-ya felt the demon's annoyance churning inside himself. He could imagine the tail of a serpent waving back and forth in impatience.
I love urban legends, Kuroha. I love the occult. I've gone over that with you, as strange as it is in this situation. But if I didn't, I wouldn't have said yes to that deal of yours. You know that.
Your point?
What's your legend, Kuroha? I have you dwelling inside me, using my body as a vessel… You know, the whole package. So, exactly who is it inside me? What's the story of the Clearing Eyes Snake?
At first only silence met his mental inquiry, though A-ya was unfazed by it. The dark-clad boy only continued gathering fruits – he figured berries were good, right? Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries…? He grabbed them all, wondering vaguely why they were still somehow fresh despite probably being out in the open since day one of the games.
Eventually, the serpent answered him. Why do you feel the need to know?
I told you I wanted to get to know you. I'm curious. Humans are curious creatures.
A-ya heard his laughter echoing in his head. Right you are, Loner. What surprises me more is that you still persist in learning more about me even now.
He shrugged. I don't know what to tell you. You're a demon, not a human. You've got different values anyway, so it's not like any of what concerns me matters to you. I already knew that. I told you that I enjoy the occult, that I enjoy urban legends. What's conspired in this game hasn't changed that.
Chuckling with that icy mirth, Kuroha answered, Alright, then, Loner… I've been around for centuries, you know.
Start from the beginning. I want to know where you come from.
A-ya got the sense that he had, perhaps, stroked the demon's pride just a little in asking him about himself. He almost found it funny. My origins lie with my first master, you see. Have you heard the stories of a monster called 'medusa'?
I have.
She is the one true Medusa… from my realm, in any case. Born at the beginning of time, she wandered the earth for a long, long while… This Medusa, this monster… My, she was a funny one! I'd been with her for as long as I… well, I had been with her for longer, far longer than she seemed to realize. I would speak, of course, but my words were incapable of finding purchase in her thoughts… Oh, for an eternity I waited for her – my master… All that time right within her, but she never did seem to notice me… No, that's right. I couldn't tell you how long it was I spent there, alone, anticipating the moment she would hear me for the first time…!
My, it was a lovely thing, when she met me in the dark. In a pleasant, warm dream. Neither she nor I were alone; it was perfect. No, it did not last long, but it was the beginning. At last she had produced desire: a wish. An outlandish thing it was indeed, that! Imagine, this monster had fallen in love with a human! It was a path bound for tragedy – it was of utmost importance that I intervene, of course. So I gave her the solution to her problems. Together, we two would create an eternal world where time did not pass and she could keep her family together without fear of their inevitable deaths. Humans are so dreadfully mortal. Not my master. Not her.
Oh, dear, just thinking of it now fills me with such sweet mirth! How much she had changed over all those years! What an idiot… His tone dropped off into bitter amusement. A-ya found it intriguing that his manner of speaking shifted quite noticeably as he got deeper into his tale. From that point on, though, I could speak, if only in the realm of dreams. My realm. My world. I convinced her that her family would live better without her, and she left them for that eternal dream we'd made together. From then on, it was only her and us, the snakes. None of them thought. None of them had real ambition or consciousness. I was different. My, how I mocked her after the decision was made… Now we'd be trapped there forever, and it was all her fault!
She always watched the 'real world,' though, ironically. As if the world she'd created wasn't exactly what she'd wished for. Admittedly, I was also dissatisfied… I could speak to her whenever I liked, now, but what was the point when she was so consumed by her despair? Fool that she was, she allowed herself to fall in love, and that tore her apart. Now we belonged in unreality, where nothing was tangible…
Well, it wasn't until centuries more passed and her daughter and granddaughter reached their death sentence that she made a move, drawing their cadavers into our endless dream out of desperation. Another desire was born; she had another wish for me, and of course I was ever so willing to oblige to my little master! It was impossible to revive them both… but using one as a sacrifice, we could make an arrangement for one of them to survive.
I warned her that this decision meant her relinquishing the power of every one of us. I told her that she would no longer have any of the abilities of the snakes; I told her that we would no longer be bound to her command. She insisted upon my action; anything to save at least one of them.
Thus, I sent the queen snake back into the real world with our master's granddaughter as her vessel. She would grow to the full extent of her life, unaware of the serpent planted in her. The queen snake kept the quarter-medusa alive, but she was not conscious as I am. Using this set-up, we serpents were drawn back into the real world one by one… by people who died in pairs, harboring wishes that we could grant. All of my brethren were anxious to return to their queen, upset by the separation. To say it was easy to convince them to return to the real world would be an understatement. All of them… and myself… were gradually reintegrated into reality, being drawn together to once again reunite with the queen… Two of these siblings of mine are on the playing field right now, in fact. The Recording Eyes Snake and the Awakening Eyes Snake are both amongst us.
Your previous vessel… and the guy in the red jersey, right?
Correct.
A-ya thought on this for some time.
I wonder, do you know the meaning of the word 'loneliness'?
Kuroha paused. …I don't, though it was a feeling that brought my old master to me for the first time. His tone was vaguely annoyed.
I see. Okay. A-ya let it go. But what was it, then, that you strived for? Existence, right? I know resetting your realm has something to do with the tale; you've brought it up before. In the end, it was to live longer… is that right?
…Yes, you could say that, Kuroha admitted.
A-ya smiled and answered aloud, "Alright, then. Thank you very much for the story."
Are you satisfied, then?
"In fact, I am," the dark-clad boy beamed slyly. "If ever I make it home, I'll have to tell the others about that. That makes two, now! The tale of Deus ex Machina, the god that resides in imagination… and of the Clearing Eyes Snake, the demonic entity that was born in the realm of dreams! Think about it; granting dead kid's wishes and bringing them back to life? How cool is that? Definitely a story I'd want to hear!"
…You're not making it home, kid.
"So?" he answered contentedly. "It's a great thought. I like that thought, even if it isn't real. Kuroha, I have something to ask of you."
What's that? A-ya imagined his serpentine eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"When we reset, I want you to find me, and I want you to tell me that story again. Every time, so that there will eventually come a loop where I don't forget it. Okay? Because legends never die – you'll exist forever, no matter what happens."
That's not exactly what I mean when I say—
"Hey, Kuroha?"
What?
"I can feel what you feel right now… Is the reverse true? Can you feel what I do?"
No, I cannot, Kuroha immediately answered, and A-ya laughed freely as he approached the building where Twelve and Suzuya should be waiting for him. He kicked open the glass doors, his arms stocked with items for Twelve's replenishment. The first thing that struck him was Suzuya, looking down at the fallen terrorist in utter bewilderment. When A-ya looked at the floor where Twelve lay, he was then hit with the vibrant red coloring the cape that he'd taken from his own shoulders to warm the fallen one.
"It's red again," A-ya commented quietly, just as lost as Suzuya looked. As he approached Twelve, the terrorist began to stir.
Brown eyes fluttering and flickering open, Twelve looked blearily from the ceiling to Suzuya to A-ya. He smiled weakly.
"Good morning. I have iron supple-somethings," Suzuya offered immediately, shoving the bottles at Twelve before he could even process what he'd said.
He laughed feebly, trying to sit up and failing to do so. "Supple…somethings. My favorite."
A-ya quickly set down his items and helped him prop himself up. "I brought some food that might help."
"Blood loss sucks," Suzuya contributed with a nod, and Twelve gave another soft laugh.
"Y'thought… you could, get rid of me…? Heh."
"It's alright," A-ya assured without expression. "We'll get your strength back up."
"Good idea…"
"Hey, A-ya," said Suzuya, his brow furrowed. "Where's Izaya, though?"
"Hm," the dark-clad boy frowned, "I'm not too sure, but…" He shrugged. "He'll be back."
"Probably," Suzuya agreed noncommittally. "Oh, there he is now." They looked to the doors as the informant strode through them and approached, expression rather serious.
"Get Twelve to his feet," he commanded, and Suzuya immediately questioned him:
"Why?"
"I have a solution, trust me," said Izaya, smiling thinly. "Come now, Suzu-chan… Have a little faith."
Twelve did his best to help as A-ya lifted him as gently as he could. Suzuya went to his other side, and they stood with Twelve's arms wrapped around either's shoulders. Izaya snickered; they were both shorter than the terrorist. Poor Twelve couldn't lend much help to them, as much as he tried. The adrenaline from beforehand was gone; his fatigue was thick, pungent grey. Heavy weights, liquid. He was moving through cement. "Cold," he remarked, unsure whether he'd said it aloud or not. It must have been aloud, because Izaya took the red cape on the ground and draped it distractedly over the terrorist's bare shoulders.
"What are we doing?" asked Suzuya, and Izaya answered with a, "Follow me."
As Izaya led them from the building – he even held the door, how nice – he began to better explicate his plan. Knowing he was going to once they were moving was the only reason A-ya had agreed in the first place. "Twelve has just survived a pretty nasty injury," he began, leading them down the empty street slowly but surely. "Typically, people shouldn't survive something like disembowelment in this game… The fact that he's survived, though, is only one miracle. I know how the game masters work. Twelve is handicapped right now – just look at him! In that state, he can't do much at all. He'll bring the game masters disinterest if he's stuck this way for too much longer. If we don't do something, he's bound to die. However, the fact that he's made it this far means that the game masters have, of course, given him some way to properly recover. Where else would they hide it but at a special items module?"
"You're saying that the fact they've let him live this long means there has to be a way to make him better," said Suzuya. "Right?"
"Because otherwise, he'd just be an obstacle to them," agreed A-ya. "He'd bring stagnancy."
"Jeez," Twelve chuckled breathlessly.
"I've found one on this end here," Izaya said, and directed them into a pharmacy, holding the door for the three once again. There it was, at the help desk: a pillar emanating that familiar purple glow.
It flickered to life as they approached, the silhouette of the Voice appearing with its arms spread. "One group at a time, please," they smiled, and A-ya looked at Izaya.
"Here, you take this side of him. I'll back up." They switched up, and the dark-clad boy nodded to the informant in acknowledgment. "It was a good thought, Izaya. Thank you."
Izaya only smirked at him before turning to face the silhouette. "Thank you kindly. Your choices are as presented." Without another word, they disappeared with an eerie smile.
The blue touch-screen was projected to them, and as they stepped forward, A-ya could feel his own apprehension building.
What will you do if healing him is not an option?
He didn't grace Kuroha with an answer this time. He merely watched, thinking to himself that it would just be too good to be true for Twelve to be just fine after this.
Izaya, Twelve, and Suzuya all looked into the options: five in all, one of which was Celty. Two of the buttons were flashing cerulean, drawing their eyes to both options instantly. They were throbbing with the necessity of selection. One of the flashing options was, in fact, for Twelve: Recovery. The other…
"It's for that Yato guy," commented Suzuya bemusedly. "What's a Blessed—"
"It doesn't matter," Izaya spoke quickly, flatly, as he pressed the button for Twelve's healing. He was enveloped in that all-too-bright light, and they all closed their eyes in answer. As the light died, the informant added drily, "…I won't do that to him."
Suzuya wanted to ask who he meant, but decided he'd ask some other time.
Twelve slowly lowered his arms from Izaya and Suzuya's shoulders, looking down to inspect himself.
"Do you feel any better?" asked A-ya tentatively, gripping one of his arms with his opposite hand. He was still suspicious of too positive a result.
"I feel great," Twelve corrected, turning quickly on his heel in glee. "And look at this cool scar I've got!" To make his point, he gestured to the stitch-like scar on his gut where he'd been patched up.
Suzuya laughed. A-ya sighed lightly, smiling. Relief.
"It's certainly got a story for it," Izaya remarked, patting him on his bare back.
"No kidding," he beamed. "No kidding."
