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[Seek our own despair . . .

She was one of them. This whole time, she'd been one of them. They were all the same. If it wasn't Chisa's fault, it wasn't Komaeda's fault, or anyone's but Enoshima's. If it was Komaeda's fault, it was Chisa's fault too. For fuck's sake, she's dating Kyosuke.

The space around him in the room is doing strange things; the damp air begins to dry up and sparkle with dangerous snaps of static spark, brighter blue still, and finally, finally he just wheels around and slams his fist hard into the door they'd closed behind him, his entire body flashing with sparkling blue light.]

Fuck . . . !

[One punch isn't enough for something like this. Juzo slams his other fist into the door, and then again, back and forth. Each hit hurts more, and each shock of pain only makes him punch harder the next time, as if he could just break himself and everything else here would go away for good.]

Fuck!

[But actually, the door gives out first, finally splintering. Both the wreck of it and his knuckles are dripping with blood. Only then does he drop his hands and his gaze, his whole body shuddering, and take a deep breath. The sparks finally fade again, as if damped out by the cold humidity sweeping back in. The wetness in the air is enough to condense and run down the back of his neck, pale and chilly.]

. . . Crystal . . . ?

[He's finally ready to rejoin the conversation.]

You need a crystal? Just take mine. Just—I'll do anything. Got it? I'll do anything. I don't care if it kills me, you can have mine!

[ . . . He doesn't realize they mean a completed crystal, which his is not.]

[An orange glow suffuses the air beside Juzo and takes the shape of a large cat like being. Warm gold light gathers around it and Komaeda comes forward to his other side. He sinks down to his knees and reaches for Sakakura's hands. Gold threads of light gather around his hands and wrap around his wrists.]

We're talking about a completed crystal.

[The cat-like spyrite circles around to sit on top of the remains of the door. Komaeda accepts the spirit's healing magic and pulls it in to add to his own. The warm river of power is transferred to the damaged hands as he breathes out.]

No one has to die to fix the problem, Sakakura-san. As I said there is a problem with the method. I can mend the damage, but to fully push off the reprogramming, Yukizome has to fight back herself.

...Hajime what method were you suggesting? I have a completed crystal. The one I finished after I returned.

[If he weren't so out of it, he wouldn't allow this healing thing to happen. As it is, it's not until Komaeda's half done with it that he even realizes what he's doing; the sting begins to fade, unwanted, and his head snaps down to finally take in the scene. He'd been staring blankly, his mind too full of the unseen to engage with the real world in that moment.

He shakes his head briskly, his lips turning down into an awkward scowl like he's not sure that's actually the expression he wants on his face.]

—Just tell me what I can do, dammit. Like I said . . . anything. For her, I don't care what it is.

Brain surgery.

[ Straight to the point, even as he says those two words calmly. ]

Ikusaba messed with certain parts of her brain, so I can fix it by utilizing my talents. Of course, we can also utilize the crystals, too. And if you don't trust us, we'd be willing to let you watch in case anything goes wrong. It shouldn't, however.

[He glances at Raijin briefly and back at Hajime. His eyes say they'll discuss what flash of insight he just had later. Without taking his eyes off of him, he says.]

I think that would be the best. You're too untrained to borrow some of your magical energy to help. But you can be there for her recovery.

[He shuts his eyes, climbing back to his feet. There's not much else they can do right now.]

I'll give a complete copy of what to expect. She isn't going to seem like herself at first, the mind has to wake up after being trapped for so long. She will likely recover faster than I did.

[His had been worse by the very nature of suddenly being able to feel entirely across the spectrum in full color and volume. Komaeda briefly touches Hinata's hand as he walks past to pull out a drawer on his research desk.]

[Juzo scowls down at his own hands, lifting and flexing them, looking over the newly unblemished skin. Weird. He can't say he's entirely grateful for the healing, so he doesn't thank Komaeda for it—but he also can't say it wasn't probably for the best, so rather than kick up a fuss over it, he just says nothing.

He catches the hand touch, too. Well, he'd figured by now. He's been calling him Hajime. They live together. It's pretty obvious at this point. Juzo has to look away, crossing his arms with a scowl.]

Of course I'm gonna be there. You two couldn't stop me if you tried, so good thing you're not bothering.

. . . You people—you knew all this, didn't you? You know everything? Everything about the killing game. More than we do. Am I right?

[ Hinata... isn't going to argue on that front, because he would have a very long explanation on how they could definitely stop him and even potentially put him in the hospital.

But he doesn't say that. ]

For us. . . the killing game is already over.

[He removes a pair of journals from the drawer. Papers rustle as he sorts through the medical data he had recorded for Jude to adapt. It feels like so long ago.]

In my defense I did try to warn Munakata-san months ago. I only came to a great deal of this recently. It was just pieces before. Like looking at a shattered window.

[He had used every chance. If anyone called it being manipulative, he had to disagree. It isn't like he pulled their strings and ran them around in circles like he could have.] It wasn't us. We only took the blame so the world could keep recovering.

[Juzo lifts his hand and makes a slicing motion through the air: stop talking.]

I've got no idea what you're talking about right now.

[It's not that he doesn't want to know. Information like who the mastermind was is important, though despite everything, he's not sure he can just trust it at face value yet. That's a complicated question at a time when he's not equipped for complicated. Maybe later.

There's something more important first.]

Just—tell me. . . . Did Munakata make it out alive?

[ Hinata knows that things like that at the moment... aren't exactly important right now. Hence why he's being a little blunt and straightforward as he speaks only one word: ]

Yes.

[Komaeda falls silent. He can sense where this is going. Hinata has gone to one word answers and Sakakura has a point. What needs said will be said and that's it.]

I can also confirm that.

[Thank fuck. Juzo lets out a long sigh. He doesn't quite smile, but something eases and warms in his expression, and the air itself dries and warms a little too.

It doesn't make the situation with Chisa any better, but it's still a huge weight off his shoulders.

The rest is almost, but not quite, an afterthought:]

Me?

[He shakes his head and pulls the full crystal out of the small pouch he'd put it in.] You didn't. But you're responsible for the killing game ending.

[He had protected what he swore to protect. Komaeda doesn't say it. This time he recognizes less words is better. But he tries to soften the blow none he less.]

[Ha. He'd had a feeling—about the dying part, that is. Not so much the rest. In that sense, this is much better news than he'd expected; he hadn't died a useless failure. After what'd happened with Kizakura . . . he'd wondered.

So, while the little snort he bursts out with isn't exactly happy, it isn't exactly unhappy, either, and he shows no negative emotional impact on the room this time.]

Trying to make me feel better.

[Kyousuke survived.]

Whatever. So when are you doing this magical brain surgery?

The 19th or the 20th, whenever I can get the cooperation of the hospital for. [He is after all, an apprentice healer that's learning more and more about the body and herbal medicines. It's just not something he openly talks about. Komaeda tips his head slightly to the side.]

I doubt it will be any sort of problem. They know me quite well.

Edited 2017-03-20 04:03 (UTC)

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