Capsule 013 💊 | Audio; backdated to 12/01

[rassera]

Tetsuo's gone.

[It's the hardest thing Kaneda's ever been able to admit, and a large part of him didn't even want to make this broadcast. Something about how this was his business, or how it meant admitting defeat in his search for his best friend and family. His voice lacks the confidence it usually has, the undertone almost a soft squeak, as if he's trying to hold back tears.

That may explain why this is audio.]


You know.


For anyone that was looking, or whatever.


[There's an audible inhale and exhale, gloves covering his mouth as he thinks some things over.] So...I'll be taking over Neo Tokyo til I can kick his ass for ditching me with it. You know how to find me.

[No they don't.]

Comments

action;

[amadaman]

[Ken's arrival isn't immediate. Ken seeing the post isn't immediate either, because he was probably spending the earlier hours of the day with one Dipper Pines. Still, he can't just leave Kaneda alone in the middle of something like this, and when he checks the house and sees that he isn't there he walks right back out to the only other place he can be right now. It wouldn't be the café. For a moment he thought he wouldn't be at the very location he just identified in the post, but... no. He would want something closer to home.

Closer to Tetsuo, as much as he can be right now.

Ken's arrival at Neo Tokyo is quiet and unannounced, his small feet not making any noise against the floor as he crosses it. His eyes scan the garage and the figure inside it, wondering if he's only imagining that Kaneda's usually broad back looks strangely small and hunched over right now. It's probably not his imagination. He's not disillusioned by this image of frailness -- he'd always known how much Kaneda felt, deep inside.

He makes sure he isn't holding anything that could hurt either of them before he kicks the ground, covering the rest of that distance in one power-enhanced leap, arms outstretched.

His body collides with Kaneda's body with a dull smack, the impact pushing both of them forward but he immediately throws his arms around Kaneda's neck to hold on. Scrambling like a spider monkey he locks his knees at either side of the boy's body, taking a deep breath before saying, entirely redundantly since there's no way he doesn't have his attention now, with as much energy as he could,] Kaneda-san!

action;

[rassera]

[The garage seems a lot less lively than it usually is. Despite Kaneda being the one who upheld most of the colour and entertainment, his jukebox and pinball machine still standing there and his half of the walls spray painted with test patterns and stencils, everything seemed dull.

Kaneda most of all.

Even Capsule, dog bed underneath the desk doesn't seem to move, knowing full well that his master needed this time to himself. The golden retriever wasn't winning awards for being anything more than a dog, but he could certainly pick up the social cues of his master.

In fact, Capsule's tail only begins to wag when he sees Ken sneak in, watching him stalk Kaneda from behind. He could alert Kaneda to him, tell him that there was a 5' menace on his way to tackle him.

But this was Ken. Ken was a friend.

And when that boy springs onto Kaneda's back, Kaneda himself leaps up as if ready to fight for his life. That is...until he feels those small hands around his neck, those knees fit into the same area of his sides as when he carried him home from Minato's. He knew who it was immediately then.

Unfortunately, that doesn't stop him from yelping in undignified horror.]

Ken!!

audio;

[23wishes]

I know.

[She doesn't sound smug over that, though. Aerith instead just sounds tired. With her powers, she was the first to know. Here one second, then gone; quicker than a death with much less fanfare.]

I thought he'd be back by now. He's...

[She sighs heavily, trailing off.]

I'm sorry.

audio;

[rassera]

[He won't question how she knew. It'd only been half a day since he'd woken up and found himself free of Tetsuo's grip, half a day since his texts kept bouncing back saying there was no recipient found. Psychic bullshit probably, and that's not a thought he wants to cloud his head with.

Fingers scrub down his face, far more mentally exhausted than physically.]

Thought it'd be me who was gone first, honestly.


But I guess it's for the best it wasn't--now he's not alone.

voice

[prostheticbody]

[She didn't really know Tetsuo, but she knows the feeling. Probably not as intensely as he does since he's a teenager, but still.]

I know what it's like to lose friends here. Sorry, kid.

Re: voice

[rassera]

[The sentiment's a welcome one at this point, and Kaneda's not about to shrug off his feelings this time.

It hurts too much this time.]

Thanks. Just...never thought it'd happen unless it was both of us, you know?


I'm usually the one who leads.

Audio

[redshoerevenge]

Come have tea with me Kaneda, the hanbo will be here if you wish them.

Audio

[rassera]

I--

[I'm fine. is what he wants to say. But the words don't ever form at the edge of his lips.

Because he's not. For once in this stupid world, he's not. And maybe...just maybe tea sounds like one small thing that'll keep him going.]

I could go for some tea. Where're you at?

[resipiscent]

He --

[He doesn't even finish his sentence, or hang up his phone. Riku just gets up and goes, almost forgetting his coat in his haste to get through the portal. There's the distinct sound of the door opening, the strange wind in the Realm of Darkness, and then silence -- the ambient noise inside the garage.

He doesn't even say anything when he gets to Kaneda, just presses his shoulder into him wordlessly.]

[rassera]

[And somehow he knew Riku would come. Not because of anything the communicator would tell him, but because he knew Riku's kind heart. That he wouldn't just leave this to a communicator conversation. He doesn't hang up, though, as if it were some thin tether holding them together as Riku transports himself through the Realm of Darkness.

Listening to it die down when he arrives, and waiting for the touch that would come with it.

The shoulder touch was all he needed to show cracks in the armor, fingers gripping his own hair roughly as he exhales a staggered breath.]

Yeah.


He's gone.

Audio

[scrap_metal]

[ Genos never met Tetsuo, but it's not rocket science that it must have been someone close to Kaneda. He has no idea what other proper reaction is, other than offering polite condolences. ]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Audio

[rassera]

[It's a lot more than he expects from people--Tetsuo wasn't exactly known for his sparkling personality.

So his tone's grateful, uplifted a little, even.]

Thanks.


He was an asshole, but he was my best friend too, you know?

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ ...wow, Kaneda sounded like shit. Adachi was actually a little concerned. Just a little. It's not like he would be worried or anything. ]

Hey, some of us don't actually know how to find you, kid.

[Audio]

[rassera]

[The answer gets a small chuckle out of him--a more somber one than he's used to. You're right on the money, Adachi, he truly does sound like shit...and the worst part is, he knows it.]

Well you did just now, right?

[And now, for a more serious answer.]

I've got a garage in Nonah.

[text]

[thelimitdoesnotexist]

[Well hey, here comes an unexpected voice out of nowhere. Hearing Tetsuo was gone...he actually didn't expect to feel anything. It's like the plant you have in your room that suddenly dies.]

I didn't realize he left.

it was eventual. as much as it must hurt you.

[text]

[rassera]

[Mewtwo's message grips his heart in a strange way. It's not often that Kaneda bonded with a psychic (lies), but Mewtwo was one he could say he placed a lot of trust into when it came to Tetsuo.

It's slow, but he sends back a reply.]

yeah guess we all gotta leave sometime huh


just thought id be first

voice

[hypnotherapy]

I can take you flying, or something.

If you'd like. [ He'd liked Tetsuo. There was something endearing about his stubbornness, his unwillingness to back down from absolutely anything. He hadn't known him too well, to be honest, but it's something that hurts Kaneda very much. ] I can make you some food, too.

voice

[rassera]

I'll take a little of both.


Not at the same time though, unless you want to be cleaning up my puke. [He laughs over the feed, softly but audibly.]

Got an open kitchen? We can make something.

audio;

[rideme]

Yeah, I'm looking for you. You left a bunch of shit in the hallway.

Do I gotta come down there and kick your ass?

[Which is... bluster. All of it. And he's just hoping Kaneda can see it. To give him an out instead of just saying he needs a hand or something. His situation isn't nearly the same as Kaneda's and Tetsuo's. But... waking up one minute to find someone important to you is gone?]

[That sucks. That sucks ass.]

[The translation to all of this being: "I'm concerned. I'll come down there if you need me."]

audio;

[rassera]

Pfft.

[A half hearted attempt at a raspberry through the feed, although even that sounds less enthusiastic than usual. He knows Bull's trying to rile him up like usual, and it's more than appreciated, even if he doesn't necessarily show it right away.]

Like you even could.

[A challenge? Maybe. Or maybe he just wants something to keep the conversation going.]

action!

[khajidont]

[Somehow, sometime, Kaneda became one of Jaime's people. Sometimes it takes a little to get there - like being too young, too helpless for this place - but most of the time, it takes a lot. Bit by bit, Kaneda's made his way there, and if there's one thing that Jaime does, it's take care of his people, and he'll go to whatever lengths he thinks are necessary to get there.

Which means that the Blue Beetle took a nice little flight to a town that's not in the middle of Florida for some treats that you can't get in the Porter towns, some good old fashioned Japanese imPorts in grocery stores and marketplaces populated by immigrants alone. Jaime's not Japanese, but he's so familiar with those kinds of areas that he always feels at home there, at home enough to go up to strangers and ask them -- what should I buy someone who's far from home?

There's no telling if they're the sorts of things that Kaneda's used to, in his world, but they'll have to do. Plastic bags hanging on the crook of his arm, he gives the doorway of the garage two polite knocks. He's wearing his mechanic's uniform too, the grease-stained arms looped around his waist; he went to grab everything early, went straight to his shift, then came straight here.

He feels bad for Kaneda, but a guy's still gotta get food on the table.]

Hey. You said on the network that this is where we'd be able to find you.

[He steps in after that, not waiting for an invitation.]

[rassera]

[There's no reaction to Jaime when he walks in, not from Kaneda at least. Maybe he's too zoned out into what he's doing, or maybe the whole thing just has him less focused on everything that he should be. The whole thing left him in a daze, quite honestly, and accepting that your friend might be gone is one of the hardest things he's ever had to admit, mostly to himself.

The garage was open, and Capsule's ears perk up from his position underneath Kaneda's desk on his side of the garage, watching as Jaime comes in. He makes no movement other than a tailwag, silently trying to alert his master of the new visitor. Jaime wasn't an enemy in Capsule's eyes, at least, but he still wanted Kaneda to at least notice.

Thankfully, Jaime speaking up does the job for him.

The voice is familiar, and that alone gets Kaneda to turn around on his stool, looking far worse for the wear.]

Hey.

[His shoulders slump a little, hand reaching up to rub the area just behind his neck.]

Didn't even have to give you directions.

permatext

[deadtective]

Yeah, I kind of figured when he just stopped bugging me all of a sudden.

[for someone who specialized in holding grudges to simply halt his petty assault without a word...no, there had to be some outside force acting here. she'd never admit that she feared another Neverland, but it's the truth. it would almost be a relief to hear this news if it weren't just as painful.

I'm going to ruin this some day. she'd told him that over and over, no matter how defensive it had made him. and, in the end, she'd been right. Hazel had finally pushed him over the edge into real anger - and he'd vanished while still in its grip.

his fragile ego and inability to acknowledge the nature of their bond had caused that 'fight', but no matter how hard she tries Hazel can only be angry at herself. this was inevitably what she did to friendships...but Tetsuo was one of the people that she'd most desperately hoped would avoid that fate. it was all her fault for being this way.

her fingers hover over the keys uncertainly. she almost wants to ask Kaneda if he'd let her have back everything she's ever given his brother, especially the picture. maybe if she could just remove herself from Tetsuo's life he'd come back, like a body rejuvenating itself after being freed from a tumor.

it doesn't work like that. but she can't help wishing.]

You better move fast when he gets back, 'cause I'm probably gonna break his neck.

[will he come back? she thinks so. not for her, because Hazel never receives blessings like that, but for the other people who cherished him. he had too many people who loved him here not to return.

and...she'd made a promise, to that otherworldly boy he'd become some day. even if this was likely the end of their friendship, she still had a promise to keep. Tetsuo wasn't finished in this world.]

permatext

[rassera]

[It was only a matter of time before Hazel would see this post, and Kaneda knew that it'd hit her the hardest. He would hesitate to call them friends, it was a little too complicated to put such a simple term to the relationship, but there was a sort of fondness on both ends for each other.

Sort of. Complicated, like he said.

So when he gets that text, he can't help but feel slightly like reaching out to her in a way he doesn't the others.]

i believe it i know that icy cold grip of yours firsthand

Voice

[unbreaker]

That bastard.

[The words fall short of sounding genuinely insulting, Josuke's tone more sympathetic than it is angry. He and Tetsuo never had the opportunity to get very close, but they weren't enemies any more and that was something.

Enough, at least, that Josuke will miss Tetsuo's stupidly large forehead and big mouth.]

You uh...you need help with anything, Kaneda, just let me know, yeah?

[It's an invitation left open on purpose. Could be help with Neo Tokyo, could be a limit-breaking race to blow off steam, whatever helps.]

Voice

[rassera]

[A tone he'd found himself using quite a bit, actually, and one he can relate to. He didn't really know the extent of their relationship (then again, that was more Tetsuo refusing to acknowledge he had any friends), but from the sound of it, he'd made a pretty good one in Josuke.]

Yeah.

[An open invitation he takes, although he's not sure for what. Help seemed like something he could ask for, but not specify on. What could he or ANYONE do to fix this? You couldn't. Your heart would have to heal just like all the other times]

Thanks. I know it's not the best news to hear, but...all we can do is keep moving, yeah?

Who knows, maybe he'll be back, and we both can dunk his head in the koi pond I've got at my place.

[Action; sorta - a few days later]

[dirtyredneck]

A small package is left at Neo Tokyo overnight. It's in a box no bigger than 4x4x4 and easily opened with a simple pulled string. Inside is a small cluster of fresh flowers - kinmokusei - that look like they'd been plucked right off the branch not even two minutes before he got them. In beside them was a note in very formal Japanese:

If you are ever in need of help, please crush these. I will come. Even if you do not think of me as family, you are family of my family and I will do all that is in my power to help you.

Daryl Dixon

If Tetsuo keeps the flowers, he'll notice that they stay forever preserved as if freshly picked no matter what. And as long as they aren't intentionally crushed, they will stay that way.

[rassera]

[It doesn't take long for Kaneda to find the flowers, and the moment he reads the note (he had to double take there--what nerd taught this old man to write?), his eyes soften far more than he'd ever admit to them being. Family was a sensitive topic with this boy as it is.

But even he can't deny the level of security he feels when he reads the note. A hand held out while he felt like he was sinking in cold water.


He doesn't respond, but he does move the box somewhere else--somewhere it belonged. The box sits under Tetsuo's chair, a secret compartment he'd made when they were revamping the garage. Somewhere safe that only he knew about.


Tetsuo would keep this secret for him. And after all, Daryl had adopted Tetsuo.]