< 05 . TEXT >

[dormition]

Hi. I'm awake again.

I keep missing class, but they still want me to apply for university. Is anyone else a senior this year?

What has everyone else been up to?

Riku, do you want to coordinate our costumes for the masquerade? We can get something from the store I work at.

Comments

[rassera]

[A quick check to see if he's busy. Off the feed: he looks up, only to see Capsule, who is busy chewing on one of Charlie's shoes.

...


....]

yeah im free ill be over in a minute.

[dormition]

Great.

action;

[rassera]

[De Chima 04 he seemed to have hardwired into his brain by now, because it certainly doesn't take him long to get there with the Porter's help, and the rest made by riding his bike.

Stepping off it, he snaps it back into the hammerspace it resides in, walking up to the house and giving two casual knocks on the door.

Funny...


What could Minato want to talk to him about?]

Re: action;

[dormition]

[Minato lets him in, one hand still in his opposite pocket. It really isn't anything important that he wants to discuss-- at least, it's not urgent. Important might not be quite right.

He just can't repress his desire to understand the bonds of those around him. And he knows Kaneda and Tetsuo are connected, but he doesn't know how. Normally he'd leave that be, to be revealed to him over time however that fell out, but if Ken is in at least peripheral danger from Tetsuo-san, he's pressed to be more proactive. His new resolution to look out for Ken less passively demands it.

At this exact second he just says,] Come in.

action;

[rassera]

[Kaneda walks in, hands stuffed in his pockets as he dodges his way past the house's rapidly growing number of cats. He could've sworn there were only three the last time he was here...]

Looks like the place didn't burn down while you were sleeping. Guess that's always good, right?


[Haha you're hilarious, Kaneda.]

[dormition]

[Minato doesn't ever seem to really notice the increasing number of cats. He just mutely feeds them and lets them lay on him and occasionally drags a ribbon around for them to play with.]

It's because Gogo-san knows not to let you in, [he shoots back, perfectly bland. If this house burned down, it probably would be because of Kaneda. Be real.]

[rassera]

[Minato you are either the chillest person in existence or we need to talk about your awareness to things around you.]

Like a door would really stop me.

[It's partially a joke back, because HAVE A LITTLE FAITH MINATO!!! GOSH!


Ok it's not an inaccurate assumption.]

[dormition]

[Nah, he's just the chillest person in existence.]

Sorry, I shouldn't have underestimated you.

[Minato lets the humor fade then, though, and becomes speculative.] Kaneda-san... Do you think Tetsuo-san is a danger to Ken-kun? [Straight and to the point, no beating around the bush.]

[rassera]

[Whoa, way to drop that bomb, Minato. Kaneda freezes on the spot, his shoulders hunching up immediately. If that didn't give some form of answer away, well...this next part will.]

Damn, can't even let a guy get through the door and you say that.

[Kaneda never hesitates. He always has an answer when he's sure of something.]

...Yeah.

Yeah.

[It hurts to say that more than he ever thought it would. He knows Tetsuo's a danger, he knows that Ken's IN danger being around him. He doesn't stop Ken, he doesn't stop Tetsuo. He can't stop Tetsuo. Never before has he felt so useless to either of them.

The most important person in his life is a threat to the secondmost important person. How do you stop that?

He hasn't stopped moving trying to prevent anything from happening. So why is he not GETTING anywhere?]

[dormition]

[That's Minato for you. What is easing into anything?

At least he doesn't seem in the least accusatory; if anything, his mild frown seems vaguely concerned, but that's about it. He doesn't blame Kaneda, or even Tetsuo, and he hadn't meant to drag out what seems like a painful answer.]

Ah. That's what I thought. But, I also think Ken-kun might be a good influence. He's strong, and he understands people pretty well.

I was just wondering if I should be keeping an eye on it.

[Even his small frown has faded away into calm acceptance. Minato has been assembling a small plate of snacks while talking, and places them now on the counter between him and Kaneda, half because he's hungry and half as a distraction. There's sliced apples, shortbread cookies, and Minato's ever-present rice crackers.]

[rassera]

[You gotta give him a tutorial about your lack of tact, okay.]

…

I’ve got it.

[Although, he doesn’t want to shove Minato away, either. Ken’s technically under his guardianship, no matter what house he lived in. But Tetsuo was Kaneda’s responsibility, and that fell under his duty to look out for Ken on Tetsuo’s behalf.

Things were so much less complicated when it was just HIM in danger.]

…

[He picks up one of those snacks out of habit.]

But if you see something…

[dormition]

[This counts as giving a tutorial on it. Right? Kaneda's prepared for the future now.]

How about 'we've both got it'? [Minato asks mildly, leaning forward onto the counter and setting his chin on his hand. He idly toys with a rice cracker with his off hand, but doesn't move to eat it yet.]

We don't have to be so separate in our efforts. We both care about Ken-kun, and I understand that Tetsuo-san is very important to you. I'd like things to work out okay.

[rassera]

[Kaneda leans on the counter, his legs moving back ever so slightly to rest his chest by his elbows as they fold on each other, playing with the plastic wrapping.]

What do you think about Tetsuo?


[Only then would he give his answer.]

[dormition]

[His eyes unfocus into the distance as Minato thinks over his assessment of Tetsuo. It's a bit different, for Minato: he knows that he's violent and irrational and easily led around by his nose if you hit his emotions the right way.

But Minato has also been friends with a lot of people who were more than they seemed. Much more. And anyone who's the Tower is more than just destruction. He thinks of Mutatsu-san, and what was beneath his gruff, amoral exterior.]

I think... he must be very lonely.

[rassera]

[Kaneda waits, expecting the silence that followed the question. It was a little hard--testing that patience of his as he tries not to urge the question on. Because the longer he doesn't get an answer, the worse the situation seems to be.

But when he answers, finally, those dark eyes flick up to meet the blue ones of Minato.]

We've always been together.


[It's soft, and really not a response to what Minato said, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.]

[dormition]

[He doesn't think it's unrelated at all. The angles of his face soften with empathy.]

Then... you're both struggling with that. I don't know what happened to pull you apart, but it doesn't really matter... with that pain. You both feel it anyway. Don't you?

[rassera]

...

[He doesn't answer, but the lack of an answer is telling enough to what it is--It's definitely hurting Kaneda on the inside, no matter how tough of an exterior he gives both physically and emotionally.

He's tired.

He's exhausted, really. And the worst part is, he's forgotten how to stop. Either that, or he can't afford to.]

...Yeah. But you keep going anyway.

[dormition]

Of course.

Someone just said to me earlier... "the past is always running away". We're not the type to run away, are we? So we have to keep going forward.

[Minato sounds musing and thoughtful, not bogged down by the inherent tragedy and exhaustion in both of their stories. You have to be willful to meet your fate at all gracefully.]

At least we're not alone, [he says as a gentle reminder.]

[rassera]

Guess unless we start to move, we're going nowhere fast.

[There's something to be said for your resolve, Minato. You always feel like you have such a grasp on everything in that calm, collected manner.]

...

[A bite of that piece of food he was fiddling with.]

We can't be in a place like this, yeah?

[dormition]

[The secret, of course, is that he's as lost as anyone else, just in very different, unusual ways. How to accept attachment and truly feel it, how to understand the subtleties and nuances of social interaction... how to be looked after instead of being the responsible one... even just how to articulate his own thoughts, and feeling safe enough to voice them. All things Minato has no clue how to do.

But dealing with tragedy and moving forward, that he has down pat. He finds a lot of solace in being the stable grounding point for his friends.]

Well... we could, if we shut everyone out... it's possible. [He's done it himself, if before Iwatodai.] But there's no reason to. As long as we're going somewhere together, it's better than staying in one place, alone. It's funny... that for a long time, I didn't realize that.