But see how deep the bullet lies [Open]

[boundbynaught]

Characters: boundbynaught/Caden, wayward_faith, and kingofsweets; also testosteroned and argent_crinis
Time: Monday May 23rd (forward-dated ever so slightly)
Style: Action, to keep the pace up
Status: Open

Sub-Threads
[ Morning: Camp Out At The Coral] for Ventus, Tsuzuki, etc. - starting just seconds before Rep returns
[ Afternoon: Gym Workout?] (Kanji?)
[ Evening: Street Wandering] for Zexion, etc.

Comments

[Afternoon]

[boundbynaught]

consider this a semi-pop quiz from senpai?

[pursueyourself]

[ Souji knows it's really not his place to talk to someone about their issues when he knows next to nothing about them, so he decided to just focus on helping Kanji help the person for now. ]

Kanji, stay calm. And... [ A small pause as he realizes he doesn't know what to call him. ] Mind telling him why you think that? It'll help him understand your reasons.

[ And with that he fishes some headphones and a mp3 player out of his bag. Not exactly his thing, but if that guy didn't want him to hear the answer, he could just move away from the two again and put them on. ]

yay senpai!

[boundbynaught]

[Rep mumbles a little.] It wasn't to prove anything. [Or so he believes, consciously.]

[He also wonders who this guy is to Kanji, but just pulls into himself. He doesn't expect them to get it - why he's better off just not feeling anything. Everything hurts too much.]

[testosteroned]

[ He makes a clicking sound with his tongue and shakes his head. As he turns away from Souji, he stares at Caden a little while longer before he crosses his arms. ]

Okay, then what was it for? You can't just go around tellin' people you didn't wanna come back from a fight alive for no good reason. So spill it.

[boundbynaught]

I already told you. [Just now, the last time they met...] And if you were there that night, you probably heard some things too.

If you can't get it from all that... [Yep, back to bratty aggressive tone. He's trying to cover up his embarrassment that Kanji featured heavily in his thoughts that night.]

[testosteroned]

[ Kanji just frowns and stares at him. After some time of pondering about it, Kanji understood a bit about what happened that night. Coupled with what he already knew about the kid...Needless to say, Kanji was a bit worried with his violent tendencies and his major identity crisis issues. It reminded him a lot about when he used that violent tendency to cover himself up -

- and he knew that wasn't the answer, based on experience. ]

Did that night make anythin' better, Caden?

[ He'll try it Senpai's way. It's the least he could do. ]

[boundbynaught]

[He isn't looking at Kanji as he says this - he wouldn't get half of it out if he was. He has to close his eyes on top of it all.]

It could have. If I hadn't come back. I'm not even supposed to be here in the first place. I disappeared into the darkness once, and then... wound up here by mistake. Now that I'm here, I can't even die right. Just one screw-up after another.

[testosteroned]

[ Kanji's had just about enough of his pity party. They're not as close as he and Souji were, but he feel sympathy for Caden. He wants for him to grow, just as Kanji did when Souji helped him out. And in some way, Kanji felt like he knew what Caden was going through - he wasn't the right kind of man, and he tried to prove that he was right by acting like a punk, beating up bikers and letting the rumors do the rest...

His frown turned into a deep grimace seemingly set into his face permanently, before he heaves a heavy sigh and walks away, back to his Senpai. He hoped his tactic was going to work. ]

Y'know what? Pull yourself together, because I've had enough of your bullshit. Tellin' yourself you're not s'posed to be here, windin' up here by mistake, dyin' right...? Idiot!

[ He looks back with a quiet turn of his head. ]

There ain't a wrong or right way of dying. You just do. You think that's gonna solve any of your problems? You think pickin' fights and tryin' to die is gonna give you what you want?

[ Kanji stares at his

[pursueyourself]

[ At first, Souji just stood there meticulously rearranging some extra towels in his bag, his face turned slightly away from the two. He could still see them from the corner of his eyes like that, which he felt was fine enough.

But as the conversation (or perhaps confrontation would be a better word here?) progressed, he slowly but surely dropped all pretenses of looking preoccupied and just watched. He watched as Kanji tried to reason with the young man using words that Souji could only guess that he sorely needed to hear. He knew well that sometimes, people needed to hear from other how their own actions made them feel, and to know that people cared enough about them to try. And after seeing Kanji do just that, he couldn't help but let his deliberately neutral expression change into a natural grin

1/2

[boundbynaught]

[Rep's fists ball as Kanji keeps speaking, a rage starting to boil up inside him. His face just keeps lowering as Kanji walks away. So many conflicting thoughts race through his mind.]

What if he's right? No, he's wrong, that's all there is to it, but Ryoji- forget him, he got what he wanted, but that won't work for me. There's no way Riku would- Actually, he's changed a lot, and who knows- It doesn't matter! I'm always going to have parts inside me that aren't mine! That's why- That's why...

[He steps through a Corridor to stand right in front of Kanji, head still bowed. He's not thinking anymore. All of the pain and sadness and frustration is too much for him to hold in anymore.]

2/2

[boundbynaught]

[Ignoring Souji completely, Rep raises his head and pulls back his arm. He hauls off and punches Kanji in the face, crying out as he does so. When Kanji stumbles, Rep doesn't move. His shoulders heave as he gasps for the breath to tear into Kanji. ]

JUST SHUT UP! WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CALLING ME A LOSER?

WHO TOLD ME NOT TO LET PEOPLE CALL ME NAMES I DIDN'T LIKE? EVEN THOUGH I SAY CADEN, CADEN ALL THE TIME TO PEOPLE - DO YOU KNOW WHAT I STILL HEAR IN MY HEAD?

[He lowers his head again, barely holding on to coherent speech.]

RIKU. AND I HATE IT!

But it won't stop happening... Everyone calls out 'Caden' and I don't even answer right away! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO? With one name I want but can't accept, and the other I can't throw away?

1/3

[testosteroned]

[ Kanji feels a swell of pride indeed; he grins and rubs his nose, and even blushes when Souji's words hit him - that was awesome? Hell yeah it was awesome! It felt good to give somebody a piece of his mind for once. As Souji ruffled his hair, he laughed and rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. ]

Q-Quit doin' that, will you? Jeez...

[ He fixes up his hair and moves to tackle Souji with a headlock, until of course Caden had to go in and ruin the moment. He didn't have any time to react as the Corridor appeared out of nowhere. Kanji only turned his head in surprise, and felt the pain in his jaw connect immediately. He took two steps back, glancing at Caden and back at Souji. ]

[testosteroned]

[ ....He hit him.

The little bastard hit him.

Kanji's head is filled with red, Caden's words barely registering. But he knows he's in pain - it's in his voice, in his eyes, in his very being. He knows what he has to do. Kanji wipes the side of his mouth, stance tensing and eyes focused. By now, Caden's rant was getting to him. That's why he's so frustrated and angry; he has yet to accept who he really is.

Yes. Kanji definitely knows what he has to do. Sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes, you needed to take action. ]

...

[ Kanji takes a deep breath and glances towards Souji, cracking his knuckles with his hands as quietly as possible. ]

Hey, Senpai? Don't interrupt. Not until you really gotta, okay?

[ He's only going to aim a few at him. It wasn't going to turn out into a full brawl, and Kanji knows he can trust Souji with that boundary. ]

[testosteroned]

[ With that out of the way, Kanji looks ready to kill. He stares at Caden menacingly. ]

You finished yapping your trap off?

[ He doesn't even give him any time to answer. Kanji immediately lands a blow to Caden's cheek with his heavier hand, giving it power with the momentum from his shoulder down to the crook of his elbow. If it was any other normal person, they would have gotten knocked out already. But this guy was special - a shadow, some kind of magic supernatural thing...He could take it. ]

[ After the first blow, Kanji moves forward again and grabs him by the collar, hoisting the smaller boy up to eye level and growling at his face. ]

You really want an ass-whopping? Fine. Let's go, right here, right now!

[ Kanji throws Caden with force down to the ground, raising his fists up to his face

[boundbynaught]

[When Kanji stares him down, Rep glares right back. This is familiar. This he knows how to deal with. He doesn't have time or energy to snipe back with words - he focuses on the combat at hand, not even caring or thinking about what it might possibly mean for his relationship with these two guys.

Kanji hit hard, there was no mistake about that, and Rep reeled when he was struck, but he didn't even bat an eye when Kanji lifted him up. When he gets thrown down, he grunts a little.

Then Kanji pauses - and Rep exploits the opening. Kanji may have more power behind him, but Rep's fast.]

YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION!

[He pushes up on both hands, kicking up at Kanji's chin in arc. He lets the momentum carry him until he's upright again, and doesn't wait another second before aiming a kick high - meaning around Kanji's gut and chest. It would've sent a heartless flying, but not Kanji.

Rep can't control the purple, indigo, and black wisps emanating from his fists just now and eyes dark with pain.]

How do you change what you were

[pursueyourself]

...I won't.

[ Souji certainly wouldn't have been happy if someone interrupted his fight with Yosuke. Same concept applies here, even if it's an entirely different situation. So he willingly steps back. For now. He's not exactly going to stay out of the way if they seriously injure each other, even if he has to throw himself into the fight to.

And now that he thinks about it, this whole situation feels rather similar to the team fighting someone's Shadow. The confrontation that always eventually leads to a battle... Of course it would lead to some deja vu.

For a moment, Souji starts to answer the young man's question, but quickly stops himself. Kanji told him not to interrupt unless it's really needed, and he'll hold himself to that. ]