[Episode 11: Tongpu.]
OP 3: Sky Should Be High from Guilty Gear Xrd REVELATOR.
It starts with Kazuma in odd gear, with Koudari and Koudashi at his hips, walking alone in the wastelands between Hannouji and everywhere else. He's on his own, both swords gleaming. At the softer bit of the song, he's wandering from place to place, Kibonochi, ragged and torn, fluttering in the wind. At the end of it all, the sun makes the screen go white...
Subject K has been returned. Restarting Project Threadbare with new data to play with will be extremely enlightening. With Subject K, henceforth being known as Tongpu. With his rather fragile mental state due to Ms. Kiryuin's... rather provocative methods to get him vulnerable, these are the transcripts of the interviews.
Tongpu.
Doctor Renfrow.
The interrogation room was bright, too bright. The subject squints, his singular golden eye swiveling to look at Doctor Renfrow.
Dr. Renfrow: Good morning, Tongpu.
Tongpu: Is... that what they're calling me now?
Tongpu's golden eye widens, his hands gripping the arms of the chair, leaning forwards, his black and silver hair billowed slightly as he did that motion.
Tongpu: My name is Kazuma.
Dr. Renfrow: Is that what they called you outside?
T: Of course they did. Now, where's Ragyo? She's gotta be somewhere...
At this point, Tongpu started to get antsy. He seemed to desire to fight me.
Dr.: Now, now, my boy. I am not your enemy.
T: Then what's with the tranq? Are y' gonna put me to sleep?
He seemed excited about that. Judging by the bruises and bite marks marring his body, Ms. Kiryuin had damaged him during her... breaking.
Dr. R: So... does she damage you?
T: Damage me?! The hell? Are you living under a rock? Look at my face, my neck, my arms! Yes! Conclusive evidence that I'm a victim of the pain of rape!
Dr. Renfrow was a kind man in his forties with graying brown hair and a slender face and build. He had turned off the recorder and my gray fibers wheeled away from his neck.
I was dressed in the fatigues of a mental facility, with Koudashi and Koudari, along with Kibonochi nowhere in sight. Ragyo took them. The Gray Fibers were all over him, repairing him. They would tell me that.
"Kazuma, is there anything I can do?" he asked.
"Yeah, keep that bitch away from me," I snarled. I didn't exactly trust him. Hence the reason why my Gray Fibers were out and wheeling through the whole room. I didn't know if it was days or weeks since Osaka happened. I wondered what became of Satsuki. Of my friends. My sister is probably dead already, considering the whole fact that she was sentenced to die.
"How long has it been, Doc?" I asked slowly.
"Since Osaka?" he asked.
"Forget it, I don't care. All I want is out of this godforsaken hellhole so I can finish what my parents have started!" I snapped.
Dr. Renfrow smoothed his suit jacket, "I know of the challenges you face, Kazuma. I've known you since you were five. I saw the bright little man you were... looking at you now, I have to wonder, where has that light gone?" he asked.
"Isn't it obvious? The only person who'd ever make me feel safe enough to be that light again... is Satsuki," I sighed, closing my eyes and feeling her warm arms, tasting her lips and just... letting go. Falling into her arms... feeling safe. Feeling like I was loved and valued. Feeling like nothing could hurt me. I wondered how she felt...
I didn't know what happened to Kazuma, all I did know was that he and his sister were missing. Mother gave me no answers, and I never expected her to. Yet, she seemed to be coy about him, even playful. She feigned grief. I seethed, what right does she have to his property? Koudari and Koudashi were his blades, and Kibonochi was his Kamui, not hers.
She kept them locked in a glass case, on proud display like some sick trophy. I put my hand on the glass, checking around me for Mother or anyone else before I made my vow. If Junketsu is my wedding dress, then Kibonochi was Kazuma's suit. I closed my eyes.
"I swear, Kazuma... I will return your Kamui to you, and your blades will herald in a new future alongside mine..." I muttered, kissing the glass. I imagined his dopey grin and golden-eyed stare. I wanted to rend my mother to pieces, I wanted to save him, and I wanted a future with him. Now I was alone again. Hannouji wasn't the same when my Elites and I returned.
The same electric air that permeated the school now died and the clouds of doubt surged forth. Many of the No-Star students that appreciated Kazuma's reforms of school government, like letting No-Stars have a say in meetings, came forward with their condolences.
"We heard he died, L-lady Satsuki," Genki, the boy Kazuma saved upon his first day here, said.
"No, he's not dead. He's somewhere... just not here," I sighed.
"You care about him a lot, Lady Satsuki?" he asked.
"Of course, Genki, he always did put himself before any foe. He... he loved this school more than anything because he knew his family was here, can you keep a secret, Genki?" I asked.
Genki nodded, "I was the one that hid all the investigation stuff for you to find! He left specific instructions for me to follow, I'm Genki Narohoudou: The Flea of the Sworn Brothers!" he revealed.
"Why 'The Flea'?" I asked.
"Fleas are small! And no one ever suspects small guys like me funneling information and stuff! That, and Monkey was taken!" He proudly puffed out his chest and winked, causing me to smirk a little.
[Genki Narohoudou: The Flea of the Four (Five?) Sworn Brothers.]
"So, if y' need me to get anything for ya, I'm your man!" he said.
"How about a very important set of swords? Oh, and a Kamui, can you get those?" I asked.
"Depends," Genki snarled.
I rolled my eyes, "What do you need?" I asked.
Genki smiled, "Well... it depends on what you're... offering," he awkwardly said.
"Do you want my six-inch heel up your ass?" I asked.
"That's not what I meant!" he snapped.
"What do you mean?" I snarled.
"I meant... what's the danger?" he wondered. I took a deep breath.
"My mother guards the case herself, she's nigh unstoppable, but if we open a window..." I segued.
"You're going to sacrifice me to your omnicidal mom?" he asked.
"No, I'm going to use you as a distraction, and Inumuta too... how many spy gadgets do you have?" I inquired.
"Uhm... about as many as ya want, but about the payment..." He sighed.
"What? Is it something as low-brow as panty shots? Maybe even a pass? Or maybe... you want me before Kazuma gets to fuck my brains out?" I teased, making Genki go beet red and raise his hands.
"No! Not at all, Lady Satsuki! That's like asking me to bang my sister! Ira, Uzu, Kaneo, and I all took an oath of brotherhood with Kazuma! If you want to pay me, do it in cash or... or chocolate! Lots of it! My lil' sis doesn't get much!" he squeaked. I smirked and nodded.
"Chocolate it is, then,"
We shook on it.
Tongpu's abilities with the Gray Fibers expand day by day, they're an adaptational creature. They react to Kazuma's emotions and subconsciously protect him. I have taken to be his therapist. Maybe we can find a way to control his anger and paranoia... if not destroy it completely.
Dr. Renfrow: Now, what do you remember of Ragyo before she... went insane?
T: Insane? Insane? She's always been that way. Whatever happened to her, I could give less of a fuck about...
Dr. Renfrow: I see...
T: I do remember one time where she wasn't insane... more than one time. Once... she... she hugged me. It felt so... right.
Dr. Renfrow: In what way did it feel right?
T: It was when my dad was still alive, and my mom hadn't abandoned me... back before Nui was born. I got pretty beat up, and Satsuki helped me back to her house... Ragyo treated me with care and love, she... was like my second mom... before...
At this point, Tongpu's sadness came through.
T: Before all these stupid Life Fibers! Satsuki and I were kids, truly kids! Able to laugh and smile, to play as kids should... Now? I reach out for the bygone days, only to take the hand of the woman I know is still there, is still my Auntie Ragyo... Then I realize...
Dr. Renfrow: Realize what, Tongpu?
T: I realize that's just wishful thinking. I realize that she'd burned out her humanity long ago... Ragyo isn't human, doctor. Not anymore.
Dr. Renfrow: Do you count yourself as human?
T: Hardly! Sometimes I think that I'll start going crazy, too... but hey, maybe I already am. I talk to my clothes, I talk to the strings, and I fell in love with the daughter of my abuser... Am I sane? Am I whole? You tell me, doctor.
Dr. Renfrow: I think you're a very articulate and cool-headed young man who is in desperate need of help.
T: Be blessed that you have never seen me angered.
Keeping the cloaking shield up, Genki infiltrated. I tensed, here comes the hard part. I was half-expecting Ragyo to wake up and just dogpile him, but... she was actively asleep. Genki crept towards the case, gently opening it and sliding his hand in, Koudari came out first, followed by Koudashi. He checked behind him. Ragyo was a heavy sleeper, however, the same cannot be said for Hoomaru.
She shifted and Genki froze, waiting before the smaller woman settled down. He reached in for Kibonochi, looping his hands around him. Genki carefully picked up Kibonochi, gently cradling it to his chest. He was good, I'll give him that. Kazuma trusted him. Of course, he trusted someone like Takarada, so he's not exactly perfect. That's what I loved about him. Well, Genki was making his way out, holding Kazuma's stuff.
I couldn't help but feel something was wrong. Inumuta, Nonon, and I were in the getaway car, but Genki seemed to be after something else, too. He went into Ragyo's design lab, seeing something shining on the somewhat blurry screen. All of us gawked at the thing. It was white and red, shining like Ragyo's hair, it looked like a Kamui, and Junketsu shivered.
"That's the father of Kazuma... What he's become..."
Genki ran, his legs pumping and the camera went wild. He soon slammed into the car and I stepped on it, pealing off into the night. It seemed that Junketsu knew more about what that was.
"Kazuma warned me about that thing..." Genki gasped, holding Kibonochi and the swords.
"What is it?" Inumuta asked.
"That was the ultimate Kamui..." I gasped, not believing that I felt the power of it even through the screen. If Ragyo wore that... she'd be unstoppable. I clenched my hands into fists, white-knuckling the steering wheel. I closed my eyes, realizing that it was now or never.
"Inumuta, activate the Last Gambit Contingency..." I muttered.
"Just in case?" he asked.
"Yes," I agreed. The Last Gambit was the signal to prepare for the Grand Sports and Culture Festival. The final phases of Ragyo's plan and the beginning of the end of mine were coming. All I needed was Kazuma...
My Gray Fibers started to writhe. I stood on my own, my Gray Fibers formed into various blades and other weapons, I went through my stances, fighting false COVERS and other opponents, my eye tracked them, I dodged and weaved, trying to keep my record going. I liked my actual blades better, they were less clumsy and much more durable.
"What do you want to be?"
I want to be a hero.
"A hero? That doesn't sound like you,"
You don't know me anymore. I've changed. I realize that I need to rise and become the hero I aspire to be. I have someone to fight for! Satsuki's waiting for me! I bashed one of the COVERS out of my way and shooting into a crowd of them, skewering some of them brutally. I had no words to give. No more. No more bowing and scraping.
When I see that woman's face again, I'll lop her head off and use it as a speed bump! No, that's too good for Ragyo... No... no... Ruin her dreams and leave her alive so she can live in a world where no one remembers or cares about her? No, a life with her is not a life at all. If I'm to die. I'll do it by my hand, by my own volition. I'll be at peace.
"What about me?"
Of course, my conscience would take the form of Satsuki. She was ninety-nine percent of my impulse control. She stood in front of me, her long black hair billowing slightly in an absent breeze. Her azure eyes stared into my single golden one. I wanted her back. I wanted to be with her. She was my other half. My eye closed, feeling her warm arms around me.
We were stronger together rather than apart. She was the tactician. I was the swordsman. She was the one who motivated me to keep on going down my path, carving it out with tons of pain and sweat, dying over and over just to fight on. One without the other was almost unheard of. My Gray Fibers could transform into many weapons.
Spears, swords, and even guns. Nothing could beat that. My regenerative factor was slow but strong enough to fully repair torn tissue and ligaments. Leaving behind a mesh-like black material before it fell away to reveal new skin. I didn't want to know what they could do to lost limbs, but I'd find out soon enough I guess. Doc and I kept talking.
Dr. Renfrow: How are you, Tongpu? Getting used to your new abilities I imagine?
T: Yeah, yeah, I am. I'm getting used to them swimmingly!
Doc: Good, good... now, you seem a bit down, why is that?
T goes silent.
T: I want to go. I want to see Satsuki again...
Doc: There is still work to be done, Tongpu.
T: Every second I stay here, we lose another life to the COVERS. Every second I stay here, the more Satsuki is in danger. Without me, she tends to make rash decisions...
Doc: What kind of decisions?
T: One time I left with Uzu and Ira to Hokkaido to watch the Sumo matches, y' know? I get back, and Satsuki tackles me! Freakin' gets a running start and full-speed tackles me! Of course, it didn't help that Nonon and Ira set a literal bet to see which of us made the first move... and I did. I think? Then there was that one time with the vending machine getting Satsuki's snack stuck, so she took out Bakuzan and slashed it open!
Doc: It seems like she represses her anger.
T: I just hope she doesn't do anything that'll get herself hurt...
The bed was cold. Colder than ever. I laid there, my eyes closed, wishing that Kazuma would be on the other side of the door. Wishing that he'd come in, ditching his Kamui on the floor and falling into bed, dragging himself into my arms. So I could hold him and we can finally sleep. I held Kibonochi in his stead, the shining red and gold eyes looking up at me.
"I don't understand you, but... I hope you know how much I love him..." I sighed, burying my face into the silky fabric. It warmed and I realized that's what Kibonochi would use to comfort Kazuma. I smiled and he seemed to comfort me by rubbing his sleeves on my back. I was being hugged by his coat.
I missed him terribly, and I realized that he was ninety-nine percent of my rage control... the main evidence was the training room, where the bots were massacred, and all of them were on the highest settings. All of them were broken, shattered, smashed to bits. All from the ire that I held in. There were many times when I wanted to murder my mother where she stood.
All because of Kazuma's calming influence, I held back. I held back because of him. Now I just feel like I need him to calm me down. Kibonochi was warm and looking up at me. He was like a warm fabric puppy, rubbing my back and my cheeks, making me feel better. I held him tighter, closing my eyes and surrendering myself to the silver seas of sleep, still wanting Kazuma by my side.
The dream started with somewhere familiar. My mother's office. The view to the outside was obscured by the relentlessly lashing rain. It was pounding on the window, but I remember this day because of one thing. This was the day my father left. If only I looked between the lines a bit harder... then maybe I'd be better off. The rain lashed at the windows harshly, flashes of lightning illuminated the room, and there, sitting in the chair...
Was me. Older, noble faced and imperiously looking down at myself. My hair was remarkably similar to Ragyo's.
"Why're you so attached to that fool?" she asked.
"Because I love him. He's more human than most people," I informed. The other me smiled widely, picking up a chain and dragging a bloodied and beaten Kazuma from behind the desk. He was shaking, looking up at the other me and huddling against her, whimpering like a dog.
"He'll die... you'll fail, and mother will destroy you two," she predicted.
I felt a white-hot bolt of anger pierce my chest. How... how dare she decide the future? It's not set in stone and never will be! Every day we journey after the same end, but I wanted Kazuma back with me. I wanted and needed him despite his faults and trauma getting in the way. He's using the coming apocalypse as an excuse to run away from his problems.
Yet, I see it in his eye, I see the pain he holds so tightly. I see that forced smile and the drawled 'I'm okay.' I want to hug him tightly and tell him that he's not alone, never alone. I'm here and I love you enough to die to see your real smile again. I saw the sadness running through him. I wanted to save him... I wanted to save just him.
"Foolish little girl..." the other me sighed.
"I just want him! I want him to live a good life with me!" I yelled back.
"And there it is! That foolish motive!' the other me snarled. The storm moaned against the windows, the wind sounding like the younger Kazuma's chorus of moans from the tapes.
"You'll be like your mother... why do you think he's not raring to come back?" the other me asked.
"Because... every time he looks at you, he sees her. He sees Ragyo. He sees the woman who ruined his life... how could he love you?" she asked.
"No, he doesn't see her... he sees me, he sees the woman he loves enough to push her away..." I sighed.
I woke up with tears in my eyes.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to hide.
I was a fool to run...
From the other me inside.
