pokebox | LOCKED TO blazingspirit

LOCKED TO blazingspirit

[He doesn't remember much about his execution.

Oh sure, he remembers the lead-up to it; he remembers how the others looked on as he was led away and sure, he remembers Ishimaru's screams. He doesn't remember the death cage nor does he remember the sudden pain before it was all over.

It made waking up here incredibly confusing.

"Here" must be some sort of afterlife, but Mondo hasn't been able to figure out what it is, exactly. It's obviously not heaven (he's killed two people, he doesn't belong in heaven), but it doesn't seem to be hell either. Things are monotonous, yes, but they're not bad.

That leaves the option of purgatory, which Mondo is more or less fine with. It's better than spending an eternity suffering. It's probably not right for him to stay here instead of moving on to hell, but he doesn't know how or when that will happen. He's content to leave it at that for the time being.

This place is a rather large city - half of it is full of native English speakers, whom Mondo tends to avoid (his English is atrocious, after all), the other half is full of Japanese speakers. The city itself doesn't seem to be anywhere Mondo has ever seen, but it's large and spread out, with plenty to explore and do. Mondo hasn't seen everything there is to see though; he's only been here for a few weeks, and he knew if he wanted to make ends meet, he'd need a job first. Exploring could wait.

It's convenient that there's a carpenter's shop just down the road from the apartment Mondo woke up in. It might not technically be his, but he's been staying there until he can afford to properly rent it out. No one has complained so far, so he figures it's fine for the time being. The carpenter works him to the bone and he's never been so exhausted in his life when he comes home, but it's a good kind of exhaustion that means he's doing something productive. He can't make up for what he's done in the past, but he can help out here.

He's off work for the day, lounging around in what serves as the living room of his apartment, flipping through the newspaper. The dates here are all screwed up - it's almost winter here and he knows he'll have to put some money away toward buying proper winter clothes. That's only a minor concern though, because he has much bigger things to worry about.

In a city this large, it's possible that he's just missed seeing the others. He hasn't been looking very hard, admittedly. He's not sure what to say to them when he does see them. "Sorry" simply won't cut it for Fujisaki. He doesn't really want to see Kuwata, Enoshima, or Maizono either. He's sure it's only a matter of time before one of them finds him, or before someone else shows up here.

All he can do is hope that it won't be Ishimaru.]

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'Cause it means there's something wrong!

[Again, like this is obvious.

...He's starting to suspect that it isn't obvious...]

Or it just means you don't have anything to say and don't feel like shooting your mouth off about something stupid! You can spend time with people without talking to them, you know!

Well... well yeah, but it feels weird as hell not talking to 'em!

[...mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh.]

Well, what...what do you want to talk about?!

[That... is a very good question, isn't it...]

Fuck if I know! I just don't like fucking silence!

[He's so helpful, isn't he.]

Is there anything you want to know about?! Don't make me pick a debate subject or something, kyoudai!!

You know I suck at debate!!

[Well, actually he might not know that, huh.]

Tell me about... I dunno, what you're thinking of doing now that we're here! Are you gonna go back to school once you've saved up enough or something?

I...!

[......................]

...Okay, that was a fucking good question. Shit.

[Now just. let him think it over properly.]

...No. No, I'm not.

[That answer surprises him and Mondo stares at Ishida for a moment.]

Huh, really? I mean, I'd figured that Ishimaru would've wanted to go back to school, but I guess you're a combination of both of us or... something. Is there any reason why you don't wanna go back?

[...]

I mean, besides all the horrible shit we went through; that'd be enough to turn a person off of going back to school!

[His reaction is immediate, vehement.]

Why should I give a fuck what he would have wanted?! He was stupid enough to waste most of his life there, and look how far that got him!!

[...yikes...]

He's a part of you. Or... you're a part of him? Fuck if I know. Point is, you should care about him!

[Despite how different he is, Ishida is still Ishimaru and hearing him talk about himself like that is horrifying.]

Don't talk shit about him, alright!?

[WRONG ANSWER.]

And why the fuck shouldn't I?! If you'd seen him for the last few days before I showed up, you'd know he deserves anything I might have to say about him!!

[Mondo flinches at that. Ishimaru was like that because of what he'd done. He almost points that out, but ultimately decides against it. Ishida seems to think that everything is Ishimaru's fault anyway, he doubts he'll change his mind.]

Leave him alone.

[There's an edge to his voice and his tone is a bit louder than normal, but Mondo isn't shouting anymore.]

He's my friend - my brother - and I won't have anyone talking shit about him. You got that?

He's weak, kyoudai. You should forget about him.

[The sudden drop in volume hasn't escaped Ishida's attention; he's cut his own to match it, though his words are venomous.]

Besides, you have me now.

[Needless to say, Mondo has no idea what to do with those words. They're terrifying on some level simply because Ishida is in control now, and if he truly feels that way about Ishimaru, he might just stay this way forever. It's a scary thought, and one Mondo has no idea what to do with.]

He's my brother. I'm not going to forget about him or... or anything like that! That'd... that'd be like asking me to forget Daiya!

[Ishida just shrugs at that.]

Suit yourself. But he's not of any use anymore.

Not to you, not to me. Not to anyone.

[Somehow or other, that's the most chilling thing Ishida's said. He's not of use anymore. Maybe that means he really won't be coming back. Mondo represses the urge to shudder, and suddenly it seems a lot colder out here.]

I'm not gonna change your mind and you're not gonna change mine, so let's just drop it.

[For a moment Ishida looks tempted to bitch at him again; ultimately, he bites it back. Barely.]

...If that's what you want, kyoudai.

Yeah, that's what I want.

[He's not sure what other topic to bring up that won't involve more landmines like this one, but he really can't stand the silence either. It feels like he's said something wrong and Ishida's ignoring him; whether that's true or not he can't really tell, but he does know that getting into this argument was probably a bad idea in the first place.

Still, it wasn't like he could just let Ishida talk shit about Ishimaru.]

...I'm thinking of getting a bike. With the money I'm saving. I've really missed riding.

[It's less that he's ignoring him and more that he simply doesn't know what to say; Mondo isn't the only one who feels like he's said something wrong, like there's no way to really know what else to say that won't also be wrong.

The topic change surprises him, though; he looks up at Mondo, expression a bit curious despite himself.]

...It's kind of a freedom thing for you, right? Being able to do that?

[The questions are probably a bit stupid, but at least they're likely safe.]

Yeah, exactly! I like being able to just... leave whenever I want, y'know? I hate being trapped anywhere, even if it's just in the neighborhood. I like knowing that I can ditch everything and just... go. 'Course it'll take awhile to save up enough for a bike, but it's at least something to work towards!

[And just like that he's relaxed again, as though the previous conversation never happened. It's easier to brush things off than to deal with them, so that's what he'll do!]

[Ishida pauses, taking all that in for perhaps a second too long before he reacts; when he finally does, however, it's clear that that's calmed him down a good amount, and he reaches out to shove Mondo lightly, the gesture playful.]

Well, I'm definitely paying you back for earlier then, asshole!

Good! I mean, I don't have much saved up so far, but every little bit helps!

[He'll just lightly return that shove then, grinning. At least things seem to have settled down again?]

[He laughs at that, nudging Mondo a bit before settling again; at least he's a lot more relaxed than before.

...that said, man, either we're going to need to just come up with a list of shit to talk about or you're going to have to get used to the quiet once in a while.]

[Shit, no, not the silence!! Mondo tries to find something to say, which really just results in him looking frustrated. In some ways, talking to Ishimaru was easier. Sure, Ishimaru's social skills weren't much better than Ishida's, but Ishimaru at least didn't let the conversation end so quickly!

It takes him a few minutes to actually come up with something to say, and when he finally speaks he still sounds kind of frustrated.]

...Doesn't seem to be much this way, huh?

[It's mostly a residential area, so no, there really doesn't seem to be much here.]

LOCKED TO blazingspirit

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