[Drabbles]
Four things that might have happened in Deadman Wonderland and one that did.
OR
Three things that might have happened in Deadman Wonderland and two that did.
OR
Three things that happened in Deadman Wonderland and two that might have.
1.
Being a nurse requires a gentle touch. Being a Yamato Nadeshiko also requires a gentle touch. But Deadman Wonderland has no need for either.
Karako quickly stops remembering how to place a gentle hand on the shoulder of the injured. Karako quickly stops remembering how to help people stand on their feet. Karako quickly stops remembering how to mend the open wounds of others. She quickly remembers the martial arts she practised as a child. She quickly remembers to stop helping when everyone around her is mad. She quickly remembers to lash out when attacked, and to close herself off when she's left alone. The Game Fowl strenthens her fists with blood, but at the end of the day, she can't tell if that's her blood or someone else's. Deadmen are alone here. There's no freedom in Deadman Wonderland.
But the Owl talks to her about freedom with such ridiculous naïvety, and she listens anyway, like a child listening to a tale woven by her parents. Karako wants to believe in Nagi's ideals, and even after when she realises they're held up by rotting planks of sanity, Karako wants to take hold of that fragile optimism and keep it so it never breaks.
It's something precious that needs a gentle touch to keep whole.
There's no place for a nurse in Deadman Wonderland, but there is a place for a Yamato Nadeshiko.
2.
Senji lost the fear of battle long before he stepped into the cage of the Carnival Corpse.
He isn't a fledgeling to battle, he's no baby chick quivering in its nest, he's the black Crow, Kiyomasa Senji! And Deadman Wonderland is great for a strong guy like him; when animals are trapped in a cage, the one who can still bare its fangs at the end wins. And Senji had been the last one standing in his self-imposed cage over and over again.
Senji's only disappointed there aren't more Carnivals that involved him. There's one guy he's dying to fight, bang! But even Senji can't fight someone who hasn't been seen for an age. It's driving him nuts! Knowing there's some guy everyone knows to be ridiculously powerful -- or so those Scar Chain guys say -- and being unable to fight him... Dammit! And matches aren't scheduled against the guy anymore either, so Senji can't even watch!
When he actually meets the Mockingbird, though, Senji decides he'll take a shower over fighting that.
3.
Nagi faintly recalls something about soldier training. When they're captured by the enemy and subjected to torture in order to reveal vital information, the soldiers are trained to repeat the same sentence over and over again to keep their sanity under pressure; it was easier than training them not to say anything. At least, that's what Nagi can remember. It's hard to focus when his vision is swimming and he can feel his mind slipping. He can barely make out Genkaku's words, just "join" and "the Undertakers", and can barely focus hard enough to talk in a mechanical wheeze.
「 We... Scar Chain will destroy DW... 」
And he repeats their goal, in his head, aloud, Nagi can't tell which is which anymore. He blinks, and it feels like an age passed while his eyes were closed -- did he pass out for a moment? -- and Genkaku's words are a little clearer now. Genkaku talks about the past as he sits back against his couch. Senseless, meaningless words. Lies.
He... he couldn't remember what he wanted to do. Wasn't he the leader of... something... some... some what? No, he couldn't be a leader. There's blood and bodies and an eyeball in his hand but aren't his hands tied? No, wait... he only has one hand right now. What happened to the other one...? Genkaku's lying! He still has a child, a precious child. Why could he hear screaming? Why can't he scream? No... that child isn't his. What child? Why is he still alive? Everything is... confusion. But Nagi knows one thing for sure, and repeated it like a mantra.
「 I'm sane. 」
4.
this place is crazy.
Ganta remembers having that thought, not so long ago. He can't recall when he first stepped foot into Deadman Wonderland anymore; he's given up counting the days spent in this prison, started counting the days he hadn't killed the Red Man yet. It's all that keeps him sane, when he's surrounded by people who'll fight and people who'll kill and people who'll call the screams of a poor loser entertainment.
Ganta isn't like these people.
But that's why Ganta's weak.
He couldn't even fight against the Undertakers, couldn't protect anyone. Is his resolve really that weak? What if he sees the Red Man again? Will he quake in fear and die when no one saves him? He doesn't want that, he can't afford to die here, he can learn not to die.
it's a deadman wonderland.
How do the others stay alive? How do the strong ones do it? How does Senji do it? Senji... he defeats -- no, kills -- before he's killed. Is that all he has to do to live in this place? It doesn't sound so bad. He... he can do that. Yeah... if that's all he has to do, he can live and fight and kill the Red Man. Deadman Wonderland isn't so bad; living here's pretty simple. He'll learn to kill, so he can kill the Red Man and smile.
Ganta laughs, a thin wail of despair that becomes something happy near the end.
it's a wonderland, because we're all dead men here.
5.
Smoke trails in Deadman Wonderland aren't uncommon; they come and go with the bodies and the bloodstains. But there is one lingering, constant smoke trail he follows, stepping over fragments of skull and gristle.
-
Genkaku doesn't bother learning the names of Deadmen; he doesn't need to know names to pray for them. He doesn't watch the Carnival Corpse where they fight like birds in a cage, only these birds lose more than feathers. The losers don't always die, and Genkaku thinks, where's the beauty in that? But the Deadmen who try to run piss him off even more; bird shits trying to escape the cage stinking up the place with their fear. That just makes them easier to find and give them salvation.
Genkaku gives them their escape, the only true escape.
He gives a half-hearted yawn as the last Deadman gurgles and slumps at his feet. He tries to keep his hands bloodless or else he'll get his guitar strings sticky and his songs won't be sweet. There's no helping the blood on the fingertips of his right hand, but he'll wipe them clean later; the roaring of a thousand shouts for 'encore' have died and it's time for him to step off the stage and let the cleanup crew on. But he quickly turns at the sound of one lingering fan who should have left ten minutes ago.
Ahh, it's a brat, he thinks as the straggler makes an 'oops' accompanied a sheepish grin at being discovered. And Genkaku idly moves his cigarette around with his tongue and feels it roll across the crown of his teeth. Older than Hibana. Something told him this isn't a fly, just dressing in fly's clothing.
Genkaku takes his eyes off the kid for a moment to inspect his ax. One of the strings was broken, snapped -- how dare they hurt his Flying V -- and he crushes a Deadman's neck for good measure. He'll take the head of this one for Kannon to forgive, and puts his injured guitar in its case over his shoulder. He watches the kid hop and stumble around the bodies, keeping those clean clothes and white skin precious and unbloodied, and breathes out a long line of smoke. Awkward and gangly, kind of like a newborn kitten. Notable here in Deadman Wonderland, where people either move like dead men or like amputees. Reaching to pull the Deadman's head off -- skin and muscle and arteries tearing -- Genkaku strides up to the brat and breathes, blood dripping behind him and mouth pulled wide, "I can't wait for you to try and escape."
The kid looks up at him with wide eyes, bringing a finger to the corner of his mouth. The promise that comes out is like the sound of a kitten. "I won't run from you, monk."
Genkaku lets out a bark of laughter, short, sharp, harsh, and reaches to ruffle this kid's hair. Leaning down, he smirks, "I ain't no monk, kid. I'm a super monk," and his hand shoots out towards the kid's face. He sees a brief flicker of surprise behind that kiddish face -- and something feral -- and thinks if the kid's going to run, he'll fucking kill him. But the kid stands his ground, doesn't even close his eyes or turn his head away, and Genkaku rewards the brat by putting blood on his face. "Good boy."
Turning on his heel and a severed head dangling from his fingers, he leaves the kid with a bloody thumbprint on the center of his forehead.
-
Genkaku sees the kid every time he sniffs out rotting Deadmen alone. Genkaku doesn't mind him; the brat's smart enough to stay out of his way when he's on stage. It amuses him, having someone other than the Buddhas watching his gigs. It amuses him even more that the kid still has the bloodied thumbprint on his forehead like an imitation of the urna on his own. But it annoys him, just a little, at how fucking clean the brat is, prancing around the bodies and never getting bloodied.
Pisses him off a lot, actually.
Life is suffering, that's the first thing he learnt from Buddha. Blood is the greatest symbol of suffering, and Genkaku deigns to take on the suffering of Deadmen to give them salvation. But this brat laughs and dances like he's never known suffering, is clean like he's never been touched by suffering, except for the single bloody thumbprint on his forehead. Still, he likes the kid; the brat listens to his songs and cheers at the end. Genkaku would settle for just breaking those white legs.
When the brat steps close, Genkaku swings his guitar at him, and isn't completely surprised when the kid jumps back out of range in a movement too quick for a kid. Genkaku finishes his swing until his hands are on the trigger of his "Nirvana" and shoots and shoots and keeps on shooting. Again, he sees something feral, and can't help but feel validated. "Why are you running? You said you wouldn't!" he shouts out, mouth pulled up into a gleeful laugh. Filthy, lying, brat. "I'll tell you the truth! You can't run from suffering! But I'll save you; the dead don't suffer!"
When his vision clears, Genkaku is a little disappointed -- and a little relieved -- there's no sign of the kid.
-
The next day, the Mockingbird mimics the Super Monk's song and leaves his invite on the white walls, painted in Undertaker red.
OR
Three things that might have happened in Deadman Wonderland and two that did.
OR
Three things that happened in Deadman Wonderland and two that might have.
1.
Being a nurse requires a gentle touch. Being a Yamato Nadeshiko also requires a gentle touch. But Deadman Wonderland has no need for either.
Karako quickly stops remembering how to place a gentle hand on the shoulder of the injured. Karako quickly stops remembering how to help people stand on their feet. Karako quickly stops remembering how to mend the open wounds of others. She quickly remembers the martial arts she practised as a child. She quickly remembers to stop helping when everyone around her is mad. She quickly remembers to lash out when attacked, and to close herself off when she's left alone. The Game Fowl strenthens her fists with blood, but at the end of the day, she can't tell if that's her blood or someone else's. Deadmen are alone here. There's no freedom in Deadman Wonderland.
But the Owl talks to her about freedom with such ridiculous naïvety, and she listens anyway, like a child listening to a tale woven by her parents. Karako wants to believe in Nagi's ideals, and even after when she realises they're held up by rotting planks of sanity, Karako wants to take hold of that fragile optimism and keep it so it never breaks.
It's something precious that needs a gentle touch to keep whole.
There's no place for a nurse in Deadman Wonderland, but there is a place for a Yamato Nadeshiko.
2.
Senji lost the fear of battle long before he stepped into the cage of the Carnival Corpse.
He isn't a fledgeling to battle, he's no baby chick quivering in its nest, he's the black Crow, Kiyomasa Senji! And Deadman Wonderland is great for a strong guy like him; when animals are trapped in a cage, the one who can still bare its fangs at the end wins. And Senji had been the last one standing in his self-imposed cage over and over again.
Senji's only disappointed there aren't more Carnivals that involved him. There's one guy he's dying to fight, bang! But even Senji can't fight someone who hasn't been seen for an age. It's driving him nuts! Knowing there's some guy everyone knows to be ridiculously powerful -- or so those Scar Chain guys say -- and being unable to fight him... Dammit! And matches aren't scheduled against the guy anymore either, so Senji can't even watch!
When he actually meets the Mockingbird, though, Senji decides he'll take a shower over fighting that.
3.
Nagi faintly recalls something about soldier training. When they're captured by the enemy and subjected to torture in order to reveal vital information, the soldiers are trained to repeat the same sentence over and over again to keep their sanity under pressure; it was easier than training them not to say anything. At least, that's what Nagi can remember. It's hard to focus when his vision is swimming and he can feel his mind slipping. He can barely make out Genkaku's words, just "join" and "the Undertakers", and can barely focus hard enough to talk in a mechanical wheeze.
「 We... Scar Chain will destroy DW... 」
And he repeats their goal, in his head, aloud, Nagi can't tell which is which anymore. He blinks, and it feels like an age passed while his eyes were closed -- did he pass out for a moment? -- and Genkaku's words are a little clearer now. Genkaku talks about the past as he sits back against his couch. Senseless, meaningless words. Lies.
He... he couldn't remember what he wanted to do. Wasn't he the leader of... something... some... some what? No, he couldn't be a leader. There's blood and bodies and an eyeball in his hand but aren't his hands tied? No, wait... he only has one hand right now. What happened to the other one...? Genkaku's lying! He still has a child, a precious child. Why could he hear screaming? Why can't he scream? No... that child isn't his. What child? Why is he still alive? Everything is... confusion. But Nagi knows one thing for sure, and repeated it like a mantra.
「 I'm sane. 」
4.
this place is crazy.
Ganta remembers having that thought, not so long ago. He can't recall when he first stepped foot into Deadman Wonderland anymore; he's given up counting the days spent in this prison, started counting the days he hadn't killed the Red Man yet. It's all that keeps him sane, when he's surrounded by people who'll fight and people who'll kill and people who'll call the screams of a poor loser entertainment.
Ganta isn't like these people.
But that's why Ganta's weak.
He couldn't even fight against the Undertakers, couldn't protect anyone. Is his resolve really that weak? What if he sees the Red Man again? Will he quake in fear and die when no one saves him? He doesn't want that, he can't afford to die here, he can learn not to die.
it's a deadman wonderland.
How do the others stay alive? How do the strong ones do it? How does Senji do it? Senji... he defeats -- no, kills -- before he's killed. Is that all he has to do to live in this place? It doesn't sound so bad. He... he can do that. Yeah... if that's all he has to do, he can live and fight and kill the Red Man. Deadman Wonderland isn't so bad; living here's pretty simple. He'll learn to kill, so he can kill the Red Man and smile.
Ganta laughs, a thin wail of despair that becomes something happy near the end.
it's a wonderland, because we're all dead men here.
5.
Smoke trails in Deadman Wonderland aren't uncommon; they come and go with the bodies and the bloodstains. But there is one lingering, constant smoke trail he follows, stepping over fragments of skull and gristle.
-
Genkaku doesn't bother learning the names of Deadmen; he doesn't need to know names to pray for them. He doesn't watch the Carnival Corpse where they fight like birds in a cage, only these birds lose more than feathers. The losers don't always die, and Genkaku thinks, where's the beauty in that? But the Deadmen who try to run piss him off even more; bird shits trying to escape the cage stinking up the place with their fear. That just makes them easier to find and give them salvation.
Genkaku gives them their escape, the only true escape.
He gives a half-hearted yawn as the last Deadman gurgles and slumps at his feet. He tries to keep his hands bloodless or else he'll get his guitar strings sticky and his songs won't be sweet. There's no helping the blood on the fingertips of his right hand, but he'll wipe them clean later; the roaring of a thousand shouts for 'encore' have died and it's time for him to step off the stage and let the cleanup crew on. But he quickly turns at the sound of one lingering fan who should have left ten minutes ago.
Ahh, it's a brat, he thinks as the straggler makes an 'oops' accompanied a sheepish grin at being discovered. And Genkaku idly moves his cigarette around with his tongue and feels it roll across the crown of his teeth. Older than Hibana. Something told him this isn't a fly, just dressing in fly's clothing.
Genkaku takes his eyes off the kid for a moment to inspect his ax. One of the strings was broken, snapped -- how dare they hurt his Flying V -- and he crushes a Deadman's neck for good measure. He'll take the head of this one for Kannon to forgive, and puts his injured guitar in its case over his shoulder. He watches the kid hop and stumble around the bodies, keeping those clean clothes and white skin precious and unbloodied, and breathes out a long line of smoke. Awkward and gangly, kind of like a newborn kitten. Notable here in Deadman Wonderland, where people either move like dead men or like amputees. Reaching to pull the Deadman's head off -- skin and muscle and arteries tearing -- Genkaku strides up to the brat and breathes, blood dripping behind him and mouth pulled wide, "I can't wait for you to try and escape."
The kid looks up at him with wide eyes, bringing a finger to the corner of his mouth. The promise that comes out is like the sound of a kitten. "I won't run from you, monk."
Genkaku lets out a bark of laughter, short, sharp, harsh, and reaches to ruffle this kid's hair. Leaning down, he smirks, "I ain't no monk, kid. I'm a super monk," and his hand shoots out towards the kid's face. He sees a brief flicker of surprise behind that kiddish face -- and something feral -- and thinks if the kid's going to run, he'll fucking kill him. But the kid stands his ground, doesn't even close his eyes or turn his head away, and Genkaku rewards the brat by putting blood on his face. "Good boy."
Turning on his heel and a severed head dangling from his fingers, he leaves the kid with a bloody thumbprint on the center of his forehead.
-
Genkaku sees the kid every time he sniffs out rotting Deadmen alone. Genkaku doesn't mind him; the brat's smart enough to stay out of his way when he's on stage. It amuses him, having someone other than the Buddhas watching his gigs. It amuses him even more that the kid still has the bloodied thumbprint on his forehead like an imitation of the urna on his own. But it annoys him, just a little, at how fucking clean the brat is, prancing around the bodies and never getting bloodied.
Pisses him off a lot, actually.
Life is suffering, that's the first thing he learnt from Buddha. Blood is the greatest symbol of suffering, and Genkaku deigns to take on the suffering of Deadmen to give them salvation. But this brat laughs and dances like he's never known suffering, is clean like he's never been touched by suffering, except for the single bloody thumbprint on his forehead. Still, he likes the kid; the brat listens to his songs and cheers at the end. Genkaku would settle for just breaking those white legs.
When the brat steps close, Genkaku swings his guitar at him, and isn't completely surprised when the kid jumps back out of range in a movement too quick for a kid. Genkaku finishes his swing until his hands are on the trigger of his "Nirvana" and shoots and shoots and keeps on shooting. Again, he sees something feral, and can't help but feel validated. "Why are you running? You said you wouldn't!" he shouts out, mouth pulled up into a gleeful laugh. Filthy, lying, brat. "I'll tell you the truth! You can't run from suffering! But I'll save you; the dead don't suffer!"
When his vision clears, Genkaku is a little disappointed -- and a little relieved -- there's no sign of the kid.
-
The next day, the Mockingbird mimics the Super Monk's song and leaves his invite on the white walls, painted in Undertaker red.