babermetrics | IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

...You seem similar enough to the real Kuwata. [ Not that Togami is the best judge of people's subtle personalities. But—Alter Ego was able to mimic those who were already dead... so that evaluation doesn't really mean much anyway. The important thing is: ] I may as well treat you as such until proven otherwise.

[ It's not a very reassuring or consoling way to express that sentiment, but at least he's agreed to do it. ]

Wait, you were doubtin' that?

[He hadn't picked up on Togami actually doubting he was himself, only assuming he was confused as to how this was all possible. Which Leon can't blame him for; he's still confused himself about that, and it doesn't help that he actively tries not to think about it most of the time.

But he's completely himself, hey! He makes a little face up at Togami in the dark, though he's not annoyed enough to raise his voice. Thankfully, considering that they're hiding.]

Whatever . . . nothin's gonna prove otherwise, 'cuz I'm the real deal! You're "similar" to the real Togami too . . . I guess.

[It's not like he'd known Togami well. His impression of him, though, seems to have been mostly accurate: kind of impressive, but standoffish and probably totally nerdy.

But that just raises the question as to what the hell Togami knows about him. That doesn't make any sense, does it?]

It ain't like we really knew each other, right?

[HE IS WONDERING EXACTLY THAT.]

What the hell . . . are you crazy? What about your hair? It's so long! I bet if you and me walked into a hundred elevators together, your hair would get stuck in the door way before it ever closed on my beard!

[This is the weirdest conversation to be having in a closet while hiding from alien nurses with syringes ever, and that situation was already weird enough.

On the other hand, Leon's hiccups are starting to wear off; it's been almost twenty minutes now, and they're coming few and far between. He's too caught up in the conversation to notice that just yet.]

Objection!

My hair would never betray me. How dare you even insinuate such an idea!

[ her hair is precious, okay... ]

[ Heung Soo really has to wonder why Leon denies things so fiercely - it's exactly what you have to do to make it seem like the opposite is true.. He's a tsundere too, man, he knows how this works. But he at least opts to not push the other too far on it. He doesn't deal well with emotions to begin with, and the last thing he wants is to open that can when Leon just seems to calm down a little.

.. in his own way, anyway. ]

Yeah, they always pull this on us. [ He sounds sort of used to it - a side effect of how long he's been here by now - but at least he sounds still annoyed by it. Of course he doesn't like this either. All he ever wanted was a normal life, why does he have to deal with this stuff.. ]

At least there's nothing that can really hurt us this time.

[ Yet.

He thinks it, but he doesn't say it out loud, since that's just like asking for some huge monster to appear out of nowhere. ]

[Kuzuryuu is polite enough not to call Leon out on the fact that he obviously had no idea that this is the right way. However, he is not so polite that he doesn't roll his eye once the other boy has turned his back.]

[He doesn't offer so much as a glance at his tiny, still near-tears doppleganger as he trudges up the stairs after Leon. But there's still one last tiny and feeble "You murdered them," all the same. But that's the last one it manages to get in, of course. Because he can't follow them up the stairs and back into the hospital.]

[It's only when they're both safely upstairs that Kuzuryuu finally looks back. Just at the doorway leading to the stairs to make sure there's nothing there.]

Finally. Fucking glad that's over with and we can get on with our lives. Watch your step from now on so you don't get stuck down there again. I dunno if it was the same for you but I fell through a trap door...

[ Kyouko's expression is flat, as she's doing her best to hide just how embarrassing this is for her. She likes to be in control, and having it taken away like this is humiliating. ]

It isn't you.

[Chihiro watches him retreat and now he feels really bad for asking when he notices the hurt in Leon's tone... he hangs his head down in shame.]

I... I'm sorry, Kuwata-kun... I didn't mean to upset you...

What makes you think my goatee would betray me--forget it, it's hair, it can't betray you! This is stupid!

[How did he get caught up in this?!

And how did he get so caught up in it that his voice is loud enough to attract attention from outside? Which it has; the thump of passing footsteps pauses outside the closet door riiiight after he bursts out with that.]

Like I give a crap.

[No, he does. He is grateful that the knife that doppelganger had been holding hadn't been aimed at him. But having standards that low pisses him off, too; what kind of life do you have to be living when what you have to be grateful for is that you didn't get stabbed, just mentally tormented? And why's he been living it for god knows how long now? What the hell ever happened to his real life, huh?

He's childishly sour about it, and makes a face at his own tone of voice. Shit. So uncool . . . this guy's got to think the worst of him by now, even if he's totally blowing off the whole murder thing.

But if the alternative is Heung Soo's whole unaffected thing, Leon's not sure that's much better.]

How long've you even been here that you can talk about it like that, huh? I ain't gonna let that be me, no matter how long I'm here. That's just--giving up on carin' what people do to you! That's askin' to get walked all over! You're gonna go native, man, I'm tellin' you!

What the hell, there's trap doors?

[Maybe he should have lied and pretended that happened to him too. Too late now. But "let's get on with our lives" sounds fucking awesome. Yes good plan! Leon takes a few overly-long steps away from the doorway, as if making a point of putting it behind him; even though he'd been managing to tune all that crap out near the end there, there's still a palpable sense of relief when the doppelgangers are gone for good, strong enough that it surprises him a little.

He looks back at Kuzuryuu, not the door, mildly embarrassed.]

I went in 'cuz I was getting chased around by those freaky nurses with the needles . . . they got me once, I wasn't goin' through that again! I've seen the weird stuff they can do to people with those! So I got in there, figurin' I'd go upstairs, but then it led downstairs instead, and I just went with it.

[That makes him feel a little better . . . but he's not sure what to say to it, either. So she doesn't like being touched. He doesn't pick up on her humiliation, but he does figure she's got to be pretty uncomfortable right now if she's being forced to do something she hates.

It's a good thing he's never followed any of his urges along those lines before, then. And while that's kind of unfortunate and kind of embarrassing, it's also kind of less awkward a topic than asking someone why they don't like hugs, or whatever, plus they're stuck here for a while . . . and Leon's not good at silences.]

That's too bad . . . I mean, not that it ain't just me. It'd be too bad if it was just me too, y'know? It's too bad either way. 'Cuz I've been thinking for a while it'd be nice to hold you. Heh, I don't mean that in a creepy way or anythin', just so you know!

Well what'm I even supposed to say, huh? Yeah, you're right! I am, I should be!

[Goddammit. He doesn't want to be losing it right now. He can feel his emotions getting away from him, and while he's deeply bitter that now isn't the time to have them . . . it's just not. All he can do is try and bite them back some.

Which he's never been good at, but he makes an attempt, at least.]

--Whatever. Look, I dunno either, it ain't like anyone's sat me down and told me why the hell I went from there to here. But here I am, so . . . we've just gotta deal with it!

[Both of them do. Leon sighs, fussing with his hair again, half-visible in the dark.]

It's not like I ain't surprised to see you too.

. . . You afraid I'm gonna stab you or what?

[Ah, that's twisting the knife in his own chest, but he can't help it. It's out.]

[ yeah, she definitely hears that, and she takes a step behind leon. her hands on his shoulders, she quietly says- ]

Something's coming.

[ Finally the urge is gone, and she can let herself step away. She can't help but feel embarrassed—not because she hugged Leon, but because whatever that nurse gave her made her do it. At least it wasn't someone she'd just met. ]

...Is that so? [ She lets out a small sigh. ] I apologize. Whatever the nurse had in that syringe gave me an uncontrollable urge to hug you.

Yeah. Shit . . .

[His voice lowers automatically, now. Shit, why had he done that? That was so stupid! He starts to back them up, slowly, step by step, and stretches an arm out as if to shield Athena from whatever might burst in.

Like she couldn't totally kick his ass.]

[By now, Leon's hiccups have also faded; he'd been so caught up in the moment of Kirigiri hugging him that he hadn't even noticed. An isolated, stray hiccup pips out of his mouth after she steps away. If that last one hadn't happened, he might have forgotten the hiccups entirely . . .

He'd assumed as much, though, about the syringe, and nods.]

Yeah, I figured. What kinda messed up medicine do they keep around this place if it's all like this? What're they tryin' to get outta this, huh?

[But his tone isn't nearly as angry as it usually is about CERES's crap, and he's still kind of smiling, too.]

Aaaanyway, it's definitely not like that's somethin' you need to apologize for. I wasn't kiddin' about what I said.

[ she whispers as quietly as possible— ] We should just keep quiet. Maybe it won't notice us.

... sorry... I'm very sorry for everything, Kuwata-kun... [And he really doesn't know what he should say but keep apologizing... since he also feels partly responsible for Leon's death.]

Eh? No! It's nothing like that, Kuwata-kun! I don't think you're a bad person and you were kind of forced into doing... that. I just... well... [Now this is a little embarrassing.] I was just afraid you might be a... z-zombie or a ghost... I-I can't really see you in here but is, well, you're not all bloodied up and broken, are you?

We knew each other for two years. [ Hmmm. But, it makes sense that from Kuwata's perspective, they barely knew each other... Well, they still didn't know each other very well during their years as classmates, but definitely far better than they knew each other during their brief time in the Mutual Killing.

So he clarifies, in a rare, considerate moment of volunteering information. Just because he knows he'd have to in a minute anyway. ] My memories have been restored.

[ At first he doesn't seem to reply. Even as Leon is talking on, he doesn't give much of a sign that he's preparing himself to talk back at the other. But then he keeps going on, and there's something about the words that just directly hits something in him. Even though he usually keeps most of his feelings and frustrations cropped up, there's something about the words that releases them. ]

I'm the strange one? [ Not that he thinks Leon is strange - well, not in the way he reacted to all this, anyway, let's not talk about the murder thing - but.. ] Have you looked at most other people brought to this place?! They make plans all over to celebrate Valentine's Day as if there's nothing happening in this place! As if we don't almost die every other week!

[ .. okay, yeah, at least that sure is emotion. His eyes widening, his hands forming fists-- it's just all coming out at once. ]

They're the ones who don't care what happens!

[ She lets out a sigh, glancing at him sideways. While she does wonder what he means by saying it'd be nice to hold her, she's not going to push it unless he does. ]

Still, I appreciate that you listened to me. I'm grateful it was you rather than someone I don't know.

[He just nods, giving her a look in the dark; it's hard to see like this, but he's frozen and wide-eyed, trying to keep his eyes on Athena and the door at the same time. It works about as well as you'd expect.

Those are definitely footsteps scuffling around outside.]

[Leon grits his teeth, at first. Hearing that--you were kind of forced into doing that-- brings up a sick feeling that he doesn't quite understand yet, or know how to address. It feels wrong and stupid to be upset by something like that; isn't that backwards? Why? But he can't even begin to work out what to say. Fujisaki keeps talking, and that last question, that's a completely different kind of sick.]

No!!

[He says that a little too loud for two people hiding in a closet from the outside. (And then he hiccups for good measure. Dammit!)]

Shit--c'mon, we gotta get outta here, this is gonna drive me crazy! I'm normal! What about you, huh?!

[After all, while he knows zero of the details, he does know Fujisaki wasn't a survivor any more than he was. He hadn't meant to ask like that, but . . . ]

--Oh. Wait, really? Why you and not the others?

[It's a weird moment; it's never occurred to Leon that someone could show up and actually remember all of it, ever since he found out from Naegi that no one here did. He's almost gotten used to the whole "we all lost two years of our lives thing and that sucks" state of affairs. Why's Togami get to be special, huh?

He's not sure how he feels about it, either. He's at a disadvantage in a big way if Togami has two years' worth of memories of Leon doing things he has no idea he did.]

I guess now ain't really the time to ask about what you remember about me. I dunno how much I wanna anyway.

[He does, though, some.]

IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

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