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[Knock knock motherfuckers. Or more like pound pound. Someone's aggressively knock-punching at your door. It's been a long day for you, and it's about to get even longer.]

YO! Open up!

[ While Hinata has had a long day, it isn't as if he was doing anything too important. Plus, he knows that voice when he hears, thanks to having the same talent as Mioda. But when he does, he looks at Sakakura with stern eyes, as he says only a few curt words. ]

Get to the point. [ Even if he already has an inkling as to what he wants. ]

Hajime, you remember what manners are, don't you? [Komaeda's voice comes from further in the house. He appears just behind Hinata and lays a hand on his arm. His voice drops low and drags out, in a familiar but soothing tone.]'The point' can wait for a moment. Right?

[He has an idea what this talk is going to be about and having it on the doorstep is not going to help anyone. He walks away, gesturing for them to follow.] Sakakura-san, I don't have booze in this house but I do have coffee. If you want anything while you're 'visiting' us.

[Ugh. Ugh! Juzo grimaces at the both of them, and if he weren't being invited in, he'd be forcing his way in. He still enters as if he is, pushing off the doorframe and into the room with an aggressive shove of his arms.

Not one aimed at anyone, though, yet.

The air around him can't decide what it wants to do; he brings with him a cold wet humidity, a whiff of ozone, and the occasional blue or white crackle of static spark from his shoulders and arms. But nothing more for now.]

I liked his version better.

[He nods at Hinata. For once he's on that side. He'd rather get to the fucking point here.]

Show me. I heard you put on a little memory show at court earlier. Show me!

Oi...

[ Even though normally Hinata is polite, he knows when to be a little more direct with people. Nevertheless, he finds himself sighing as he relaxes his shoulders, keeping the rest of his emotions in check as he whips out the memory petal and just shows it. ]

[He isn't prepared for it. The sounds hit his ears and he forces himself to watch. Hinata as Kamukura hadn't done much. He'd watched. But he, Komaeda had killed and urged others to kill. The screams had become background noise and that had been just another reason to despair.

He watches until the end despite the sickness and rage threatening to tear its way up out of him. The walls rattle as something snarls in the dark. He shuts his eyes.]

She was the second of us to fall to the video. We went looking for Tsumiki-san and ran across that place beneath the school. Yukizome-sensei rescued us or Nanami and I would have been next. We went back there to rescue her. I doubt I need to fill in what came next.

Edited 2017-03-14 05:12 (UTC)

[That sure is getting right to the point.

He wasn't prepared. It's not the gore, of course. He's seen and heard worse over the years, in his line of work, and he's gotten good at compartmentalizing it and forcing it aside in everything but his nightmares. He can feel himself doing it now, without even having to trigger it consciously.

But he can't set everything aside.

It's Chisa. Even though what's happening to her in the memory is less extreme than what's happening in the video she's being forced to watch, that makes it personal. He'd come in here expecting to dispute the validity of the memory, ask Komaeda whether they could be fabricated, because he can't believe, can't even begin to comprehend that this could have actually happened to his best friend—but watching the thing kills that need dead. No one makes up memories like this. Not even a Despair, or ex-Despair. It's vivid and sick and disgustingly personal. It's everything Enoshima Junko would do. He knows that himself.

Still, he watches all of it, with an expression of open horror he doesn't even bother trying to keep in check. That's not where his mind is right now. His mind feels like it isn't much of anywhere, in fact; he's watching the video and also watching himself watch the video and also watching the entire past several years with Chisa unfold like a tapestry, threads pulling loose, until the whole thing unravels into a heap of string.

When it's over, he "hears" Komaeda in the same way he might overhear someone on the phone through a closed door, but he turns towards him anyway, throat bobbing in a hard swallow. God, his mouth tastes disgusting right now.

All of the emotional effects he'd brought with him when he came in pause. The tension is still there, and building. The air feels tight with it. But they're waiting, for just a moment.]

E . . . Enoshima. She . . . that's how . . . ? And she—Yukizome—Chisa? Enoshima—?

Yes. [Snow falls to coat the wood at their feet as he breaks the silence. He doesn't look away from Sakakura's eyes. It feels disrespect to how deeply personal this is to all parties. His grief mutes all other sounds but their voices. Out of all of them in the room, only he has the experiences that are being asked about. It feels a bit like taking out his medical file and holding it up. He still doesn't look away. His voice doesn't waver.]

...it isn't like we were different people after the video. Our personalities were intact. But our motivations became the same as Enoshima's. Seek our own despair.

...Sensei urged us to follow our dreams after we were all Despairs. [He folds his arms over his chest. He doesn't want to look at anyone. This is territory he would rather not dwell on. Even if things turned out alright in the end. It doesn't change who died and what they did. He finally looks back at his work desk.]

I feel dwelling on this won't do any of us any good. We need a way to mend Sensei's mind. ....and I know a possible way. It has been used on terminal illness. Curses.

But the requirements are the problem in this case.

Edited 2017-03-14 07:58 (UTC)

[ To be honest, it's here where he would almost interject with the fact that he didn't watch the video himself, but that's because he was watching the live feed from where he was hiding. Not that the video would have any effect on him as he were at the time. ]

... You're saying to use a crystal on Yukizome-sensei? [ Is that what Komaeda is implying? ] I don't mind it myself, even if the method I had been thinking of is different when I had spoken to the court.

[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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3/15, evening, action:

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cw: suicide, eye horror, murder/violence, torture (in the video link only) + dr3 spoilers

dr: udg and dr3 spoilers

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