Kiryu Kyosuke ✦ 鬼柳京介 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
satisfiedsigner) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
capeandcowllogs2010-07-06 01:41 am
satisfiedsigner) wrote in capeandcowllogs2010-07-06 01:41 am
Their screams will not be silenced, as I stand accused
WHO: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
satisfiedsigner & Peruvian NPCs
WHERE: various places in Peru
WHEN: June 13-July 1/2
WARNINGS: /o\ Anyone Kiryu hallucinates/dreams up will be slightly ooc, just because of the nature of that whole...them being hallucinations thing. Also, the last segment gets a little violent.
SUMMARY: PERU TRIP CONTINUED. Kiryu gets progressively more emo and less emo, because that's what he does; attends a holiday celebrationonce I get to typing that up yay research; has really odd dreams; contemplates the meaning of life, the universe, and everything; camps out with some awesome rocks; and hallucinates some old friends because he's really not used to the altitude.
FORMAT: Self-log!
"It's because you're so pale."
Kiryu blinked and subconsciously tugged at his hair. He'd finally asked Becky about the weird stares he'd been getting since arriving in Peru. They'd died down for the most part in Lima and Nazca, because he'd been both places so frequently, but any time they visited somewhere new, there were new stares to follow him. It had been particularly bad when they'd gone to Cusco and Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas. Bakura got some of the same stares, but not nearly as many.
And they weren't the same stares Alastair got when he started going off in fluent Spanish and Quechua, or the same looks other gringos got, which were fleeting and hardly noticeable. Kiryu still got that weird look from the people working at the hotels he'd been staying in for the last couple weeks.
He hadn't thought it was because of his coloring. That was so normal to him, and he'd frequented enough places in the City where it was almost boring, that it hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Because I'm pale?" he repeated, sure he looked as bewildered as he felt.
Becky nodded and gestured at his face, thankfully free of markings for now. "Most gringos are dark in some way--dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes. They look different, but not different enough to warrant much more notice than being a tourist. Some can be very light--blond, blue-eyed, pale skin that burns easily. And they're noticed more, but there are people like that who live here anyway."
A faint smile formed on her lips and she cocked her head a bit to the side, eyes looking him over. "But you are almost white. You're not just blond and pale, you're something else entirely. And you don't burn or tan easily, do you?"
Kiryu shook his head, glancing thoughtfully down at his arm. He'd always been pale and dying certainly hadn't helped him get darker, but he hadn't even noticed he didn't burn. He thought he'd gotten a sunburn once, when he was eight or nine, but they were pretty uncommon in Satellite anyway.
"What about Bakura?" Kiryu asked. "We look like brothers."
Becky shrugged, but her smile got a little bigger. "You do. But he doesn't have a 'tattoo' of one of the Nasca lines on his arm, at least not in plain sight. That's what it really is. You look like something supernatural and you already had ties to Nazca. Some of them believe you might be an apu, or a god, or a messenger for them. Even those who don't think you're interesting and worth looking out for."
Then she laughed, briefly covering her mouth to try not to. "At least until you open your mouth and show you can't speak a word of Spanish or Quechua."
Kiryu frowned thoughtfully and lightly traced the lines of his mark. It tingled under his fingertips, power aching to be used again after three weeks of only letting it out for a few minutes at a time.
"A messenger of God, huh..."
Becky shifted her hand over to her cheek, eying him sympathetically. "You told me a little of what your...world...is like. It's not the same here. It's just superstition."
Kiryu shook his head, his hand tightening around his arm, covering the purple lines. "That's why I'm here, remember? To find out if it really is or not." He laughed, smirking cruelly at nothing in particular. "That's not exactly what I was at home. Not quite. But if they want to think of me that way...an apu, an messenger of God..."
~*~*~*~*~
Crow was gone. Kiryu was pretty sure of that. He'd wondered way back when he'd posted his suggestion of a vacation and Crow hadn't responded, even though he was sure he'd managed to put Crow on the filter. Lachesis kept messing with the filter settings, but he was sure he'd gotten it.
He'd thought at the time it was just Crow being an ass as usual--not responding just to tick Kiryu off and maybe because he was still nervous about talking to him anyway. Kiryu didn't think much off it other than feeling a little annoyed. He really had wanted Crow to come along.
But Crow hadn't responded to Yuusei either. Kiryu kept checking that post until he shut his comm off, but Crow never found it. And he doubted Crow could have missed it unless he had his comm off too. But he doubted any of them would turn their comms off for long. It was one of those things about being a Satellite and part of a well known team at that. New was important, no matter where it came from.
He was sure Crow would have responded to Yuusei if he were still there. Even if he'd just turned his comm off. he'd check back in eventually, even if it was just to see if Kiryu was still around and active. Crow could be more paranoid than he was sometimes, and he knew Crow was wary of him, as he should be.
So Crow was probably gone. Kiryu was tempted to turn his comm back on and message Crow just to check, but he didn't want to be disappointed again.
~*~*~*~*~
For much of the country, winter here meant the dry season. Dry and cold and sometimes windy, especially in the high mountains. For the coast, especially Lima, it meant foggy, muggy weather that drove off many of the tourists.
And sometimes, it rained. Which wasn't all that remarkable, really. It rained most places.
Kiryu wandered outside, hands outstretched. He didn't really like the rain and he tried to avoid being in it when he could--besides being cold and generally miserable, it held too many memories, too many bad memories.
"You betrayed me?! You...sold me out?!"
But here...for the first time, Yuusei's voice didn't immediately start shouting in his mind. He couldn't hear Jack and Crow yelling his and Yuusei's names. The only sirens were the unfamiliar wails of the local police half-heartedly patrolling their zone of the city. Here it was just rain. Rain in a town so much like his own but still plenty different.
He found himself missing the angry, worried shouts. The rain by itself was to quiet and calm.
"I don't fight to defeat you, but to save you from the Dark Signers."
Kiryu snorted softly as he remembered Yuusei's words. Even if Kiryu wanted to be saved, there wasn't anything Yuusei could do about it here. He'd still be a Dark Signer. He was sure only Lachesis could change that, and he wasn't about to suggest asking her or ask her himself. He wasn't going to mention the power she had over all of them either. Yuusei could find out what a fool he was all by himself.
And it wasn't like Kiryu did want to be "saved". The longer he was here, the more he was sure of that. He was a Dark Signer, whether he could hear his God or not.
It was just whether he still would be if he ever got sent home. Even if he forgot everything, would Ccapac Apu still know?
Kiryu made a slight face as he remembered that little quirk of their existence here. They wouldn't remember anything about their time here. Alastair was wrong; nothing here would make any difference back home. He could be--
He could leave Yuusei alone and maybe talk to him sometimes, but it wouldn't matter once he was sent home because they were still fighting there. At least, they were still fighting as far as he was concerned.
Yuusei was from the future were they weren't anymore...
Not that any of it mattered period because he wouldn't be going back there anyway.
He chuckled a little to himself. That was right. he wouldn't be going back, so he could do whatever he wanted. If he wanted a truce with Yuusei, there was nothing stopping him.
He still wasn't sure he'd ever want a truce with Yuusei, but...the possibility was there.
Something felt wrong.
He switched forms automatically, mark flashing purple under his thin shirt, and swung around, grabbing at whatever was there. His hand found a wrist and he squeezed and twisted, roughly dragging its owner around in front of him.
Just a kid. Of course it was. One staring up at him in shock and fear.
Kiryu just smiled and twisted the boy's wrist a little more. "Next time, pick a better target. It isn't smart to rob someone favored by God."
The boy obviously didn't understand him, and he didn't really expect it, but his tone was enough to terrify. Kiryu wondered vaguely if his eyes or the mark on his face were glowing, They seemed to be doing that recently. It was one reason he hadn't spent much time in this form while in Peru; he liked being able to talk to people without them trying to run away.
He let go of the boy, sneering at him.
But the boy didn't run away. He was obviously terrified, but instead, he whispered in English, "What are you? You are...tourist?"
"Kyosuke Kiryu. Servant of Ccapac Apu." He showed off his mark as he spoke. The boy's eyes widened at the last couple words and at the mark itself and he almost reached out to touch it, but a quick glance at Kiryu's hand reminded him of how good an idea that was.
"Kyosuke Kiryu..." He frowned suspiciously at Kiryu's hair. "...ImPort?"
Kiryu chuckled, though it came out as more of a giggle. He was surprised by how bold this kid was. It was endearing, like how he'd been at that age. Like how a lot of them had been, back in Satellite. More people didn't question him at all once they saw the mark on his arm.
Messenger of God indeed...
He nodded, adding, "My God is real. In my world."
The boy nodded back, although he didn't look like he'd quite understood that. Still, he didn't seem any less awed and terrified. Though not quite terrified enough to run away, it seemed.
The boy said something in Quechua and started digging through his pockets, face screwed up in determination. He pulled out a small coin and a couple coca leaves and held them out to Kiryu with another quick string of words he couldn't understand. It was clear enough that he wanted Kiryu to take this tiny offering without understand his speech anyway. Even though the boy had been trying to steal his wallet earlier.
Kiryu frowned and eyed him for a moment. He wondered if there had ever been a time where he would have done the same thing. It was unheard of to give something up to a stranger back in Satellite. And he doubted this kid was much better off than he was.
He finally reached into his own pocket and pulled out a couple coins which he thought were worth more than the one he was being offered. He placed them both in the boy's hand and closed his hand around everything.
"Keep it. I don't need it," he muttered in English.
The boy stared at him in shock, arm still out like he wasn't sure he should really accept it. Kiryu pushed his hand back a little to help convince him it was okay. He didn't move for a long moment, still just staring.
Then he smiled and suddenly ran away, waving with his other hand.
Kiryu watched him until he turned a corner, smiling a little. He was a lot like the old crowd in Satellite when they were younger.
~*~*~*~*~
"Kiryu-san."
Kiryu whipped around, flailing to keep his towel up on his hips with the sharp movement. That voice...he thought he knew it, was sure he knew it, but if it was who he thought it was...well, he didn't really care if the man saw him naked--it wouldn't be the first time by a long shot--but he doubted it was him at all and it'd be awkward if anyone else walked in on him. He didn't even like being completely naked around Saitou. He always felt eyes on his back, on the scars there, even when he just had his shirt off.
Alastair...well, Alastair had seen everything, but Alastair didn't call him "Kiryu-san" either. Alastair actually called him the name he wanted.
And he turned around to have his eyes land on familiar brown skin and black robes with yellow highlights. And eyes that were always black, like his own used to be.
"Demak..."
He stood there just staring for what could have been hours. Shouldn't he have known if Demak had shown up?
But then, his comm was off and the only people who might recognize his teammate would never text or call him to tell him. Ruka would want to keep them as far apart and unaware of each other as possible, because she still had that ridiculous idea that he was out to get her. That he even cared about Rudger's plans. So she would want to keep him from trying to help Demak. That stupid dragon would want to keep them apart for the same reason, except Kiryu would actually help Demak when it came to that particular being. And Yuusei had that stupid idea that he could be "saved", which would never happen with Demak around.
Demak waited patiently for him to do something else, although it wasn't too long before he smiled and asked, "That's it?"
Kiryu grinned and ran over to hug him, abandoning the towel. Demak caught him almost before he got there to keep himself from being pushed over backwards but let him give as tight a hug as he wanted.
"Demak! Finally! Is it only you? Misty-chan was here for a while, and Carly's still here, I think... Do you know who she is? She's not a Dark Signer, but I think she used to be one--"
"Kiryu-san," Demak interrupted calmly, "I can only answer one question at a time."
Kiryu laughed and loosened his hug so he was more hanging from Deamk's neck than hugging him. Hanging from his neck and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Demak was here! He was really here and it wasn't a trick or a dream or Cavil screwing with his head again. He didn't usually dream about taking a shower.
"You're really here..."
Demak just smiled, a very small smile that never really told him anything except that he was a friend.
"Is it just you?" Kiryu asked. "I haven't had my comm on for a couple weeks. Are you from the future? You know about that, right? It doesn't look like you are..."
"The last thing I know from home is watching you ride out to challenge Fudou Yuusei. Misty-san was still in the city."
Kiryu had to grin and hug him again, even tighter than before. Finally, finally, someone who was from the same time he was. Almost. Only a few minutes difference.
"And I do know about what happens," Demak continued, gently pushing Kiryu off. He looked a little sad and maybe even ashamed, but it was hard to tell even that much. There was a reason Saitou reminded Kiryu of Demak. "It does not change anything. I will remain devoted to my God until the end, as I promised Him. I will continue to fight for him. Perhaps just knowing will change the outcome."
Kiryu looked away, propping his chin in a hand and his elbow against Demak's chest. Did he even want the outcome to change? More and more, the idea that Yuusei was his friend again was appealing. He still didn't know what had happened to cause it, other than his team losing (again), and he still felt like punching a wall and lighting the ground on fire when he thought of his old teammate, but it was appealing.
A hand touched his shoulder. He didn't look back up, but he relaxed a little and Demak gave his shoulder a small squeeze.
"Why are you here, Kiryu-san?" Demak asked. He moved further into the room and sat on the bed, eying the towel lying on the floor. Kiryu walked over, picked up the towel, and dropped it on Demak's head.
"How did you know where to find me?" he asked, flopping down onto the bed next to his friend.
"It isn't hard to learn where you're staying around here. I didn't even have to ask. I was just here to see what Peru was like in this world. Someone recognized my uniform."
Kiryu smiled and fell back so he was half-lying on the bed. "They think I'm an apu."
"I'm sure you haven't bothered to correct anyone."
"I wouldn't do any good! I haven't summoned a monster or been myself and they still think that."
Demak narrowed his eyes at him. "You haven't used your powers?"
"Not really. Not here. I use them all the time at home. Here I don't..." He trailed off, cutting off that train of thought before he had a chance to say something he'd regret.
"...Home...?"
Kiryu blinked up at him, wondering where the question was coming from. The he realized that it would sound odd to someone who hadn't been in this world for very long. He'd been thinking of the City as "home" for so long that it hadn't even occurred to him.
"The City." Kiryu shrugged and looked away up at the ceiling. "I've been here a long time. Over a year. Longer than a lot of people. Longer than everyone but little Ruka. It's felt more like home than anywhere in Satellite. Even headquarters." Even their old headquarters...
Kiryu frowned over at Demak, eying his uniform again. "Did you keep your powers too?"
Demak nodded. "I am the same as I was. Other than Cusillu..."
Kiryu laughed and flopped his arm over his eyes. "That's why I'm here. To find them. It's been just me in my head for long enough."
"What if you're not successful?"
Kiryu moved his arm so he could stare at Demak with at least one eye. Had Demak really...but he looked like he was only playing devil's advocate, not that he actually wanted that...
"You think I won't be?"
Demak chuckled and shook his head. "I think you can accomplish anything you put your mind to."
"Heh. Maybe~"
They both fell silent for a few minutes. Kiryu didn't really mind. He was just content to have one of his team here, and one he could tolerate at that. Misty had been sent home far too early. They hadn't even gotten a chance to properly meet up. But now Demak was here, and he was right here in front of him. He was happy to just hang out for a while. Demak had already said more than usual anyway.
"Are you going to get dressed?"
Kiryu stuck his tongue out and shifted to give Demak a better view. That answered the question well enough.
Demak let out a soft sound of disapproval but didn't move to grab anything to cover him. Kiryu had to smirk; if he really cared, he'd drop a pair of pants or a towel on him. He could reach both from where he was sitting.
"You're shameless."
"Only with you~"
Another soft snort. Then: "Fudou Yuusei is here."
Kiryu made a faint noise of irritation; why did every conversation have to go back to him?
"I'm surprised you haven't left to go finish him off."
Kiryu didn't respond to that for a long time, almost until he figured Demak had forgotten what he'd said in the first place. Except that it was Demak, so he never forgot things like that.
But finally, he muttered, "So am I."
He felt Demak shift next to him and briefly thought about getting up. He was starting to feel a little cold. This room wasn't heated very well.
"I don't know why I'm still here," Kiryu added, uncomfortable with the silence now. "I thought if Yuusei showed up again, I'd go to destroy him immediately. But I didn't. I just stayed here and sulked."
He sighed and turned over, propping his head up on his hands. Demak's fingers started lightly scratching up and down his back. Kiryu scowled to himself, but his eyes closed and he dropped his chin down to rest on his arms instead.
"What if I don't want to fight Yuusei anymore?"
Demak's fingers paused, brief enough that Kiryu almost didn't notice. He had to laugh. It did sound absurd. he never wanted to stop fighting once he had his heart set on something. It was why he was still here. Fighting Yuusei was why he was still here. If he didn't want that anymore...what purpose did his life have?
"I think you should do what you feel is best, Kiryu-san. I know what occurred between you. We all did. I asked Rudger-sama once why he wouldn't let you take your revenger earlier like you wanted. He was worried it might hurt you on some level."
Kiryu scoffed and glared back at him. "Since when did Rudger give two shits about me?"
Demak didn't look at him, but his face was honest enough. "Rudger-sama has always been concerned about all of us. Even you."
"He had a funny way of showing it."
"So do you."
Kiryu hissed and punched him in the back, just hard enough to hurt and get his point across.
"You are much more alike than you choose to acknowledge, Kiryu-san."
"Yeah. Right."
Demak didn't say anything else to that, probably figuring it would be a futile effort. Kiryu wasn't going to say anything either to make him think otherwise, so he just lay there, enjoying the attention Demak was still giving him. It had been far too long since they'd just sat together, talking about anything and everything. Kiryu knew exactly where Demak had come from and why he was a Dark Signer and the names of everyone in his family. Demak knew everything thing about Kiryu that he hadn't even shared with Saitou or Alastair yet.
"You don't care if I...I don't know. Stop fighting him?" Kiryu finally asked. He didn't really care what Rudger thought, but he felt closest to Demak and didn't want to run him off if he could help it. He didn't really think he would stop fighting Yuusei, but just in case...
"If that is what you need to do...I can't say I wouldn't be disappointed, but I understand. You're still a Dark Signer."
Kiryu laughed. "If Ccapac Apu decides not to kill me. It won't matter back in Satellite anyway. We won't remember any of this."
"So it doesn't really matter now."
"No..." Kiryu frowned thoughtfully and shifted his head on his arms. "And I can still hate. Nothing's changed that. It's just not Yuusei that I hate so much anymore."
Demak's finger's twitched on his back. "Is there someone else instead?"
"Yeah. This robot bastard who can't keep his powers to himself. He's not from our world." His hands clenched into fists at the thought of that man. Cavil would probably be thrilled if he knew how much he still haunted Kiryu. Although Kiryu had a feeling he and Saitou had made lasting impressions of their own anyway. "He killed me twice."
Demak didn't say anything to that, but he didn't need to. Kiryu knew that would be hard information to process. Both the deaths and that he was still laying here despite them and the supposed lack of their Gods.
"You should go to bed soon, Kiryu-san," Demak said, voice quiet with the shock that hadn't quite worked itself out yet. "That was what I interrupted, wasn't it?"
"I wasn't in a hurry," Kiryu said, but he started getting up anyway. He could talk to Demak tomorrow. Or-- "Hey, do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?"
"Not yet. I sought you out first."
Kiryu grinned and stretched and moved to pull a pair of pajama pants on. Black with blue highlights, like most of his clothes. "You should stay here. I still have nightmares. It usually help to have someone around."
And really, he just wanted Demak to stay. he hadn't had a proper nightmare since arriving in Peru. But maybe if Demak was right there, he wouldn't randomly disappear in the middle of the night.
Demak smile, one of those stupid smiles that showed he knew exactly what Kiryu was thinking. "If you really want me to..."
"I'll work something out with the staff in the morning. I'm not staying here long anyway. And there's no point in renting two rooms if we don't need them."
"All right. I"ll stay."
Kiryu woke to an empty bed, empty room, and no sightings of Demak or where he might have wondered off to. In fact, it seemed no one had seen him at all. Period. Kiryu felt like punching a hole through the wall or lighting the street on fire or something destructive and noticeable.
Sometimes, he really loved the Porter. Most of the time, he had fairly amicable thoughts towards her.
Sometimes, he wished the damn thing had never been created.
~*~*~*~*~
Inti Raymi
~*~*~*~*~
"What are you doing here, Kiryu?"
Kiryu tensed and slowly looked around. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this man. Or rather, after the ceremony earlier, he was in a great mood and he didn't want it spoiled. He wouldn't have wanted to see Yuusei right now either, even if it was to destroy him. And he definitely didn't want to see this bastard so soon after Demak had disappeared. What the hell was Lachesis playing at?
"I'm on vacation, Rudger. Fuck off."
"In Peru?" Rudger walked around so Kiryu was looking right at him and couldn't look away without seeming vulnerable. "You could have gone anywhere else.
Kiryu sneered and went back to drying his hair (why did they always seem to find him right after he'd taken a shower?), hardly caring if he ended up jabbing Rudger in the eye with one of his elbows. "None of your business. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I make a point of checking in on my soldiers every once in a while."
Kiryu snorted and gave him a disgusted look from under the towel. "Your soldiers? I never worked for you."
"You worked for us."
Kiryu let out a noncommittal sound and shrugged along with it. He'd only ever worked for two beings back home--himself and Ccapac Apu. Never Rudger or the other Earthbound Gods. Although he wouldn't have turned any requests from Them down.
"But you're faltering now, aren't you?"
He threw his towel at the bastard. It flew past his shoulder. "Fuck off."
"I'm surprised you aren't happier to see me."
"Why would I be happy to see you? I was finally free of you!"
"And your obligations."
Kiryu laughed, slumping down on the bed. "What do you know. I bet you just got here. You don't even know I'm working for someone else now."
Rudger certainly didn't look happy to hear that. "Who?"
"It doesn't matter. Only that he's a better leader than you ever were."
"And better that you," Rudger said, "or you wouldn't follow him."
That was a raw nerve, especially with Yuusei around and Crow having been around not too long ago. Kiryu hissed and switched forms in warning. He'd been in a perfectly fine mood until Rudger had shown up and screwed it up.
"I was better than you too," he hissed. "We didn't just sit on our asses all day waiting. We went out and conquered."
"And that turned out so well," Rudger said with a pointed look at the mark on his cheek.
Kiryu thought his face might get stuck in one position after this little chat with how much he kept sneering.
"What do you want? If you're just here to 'check on me', you can leave. I'm fine. Go start a cult somewhere."
"I want to know why you're here. You never had any interest in Peru before."
Kiryu laughed a little. That was true... "You don't know that."
"I know that."
He sent his former leader a very dirty look. "Had your little pets spying on us then?" Of course, he already knew the answer to that. He'd always known.
Rudger sent him a look that said he was being stupid and he didn't need to ask that question. Kiryu just glared right back. A small part of him, the part that craved acceptance and needed people, was disappointed that all their conversations seemed to head this direction, even now. The rest of him wanted Rudger to just fuck off. He'd never liked Rudger anyway.
"Why haven't you gone to eliminate Yuusei yet?" Rudger demanded, trying to pick up the conversation again. "He's been here for three weeks."
Kiryu laughed again, more amused by that than anything else so far. "I'm waiting for the right moment. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
He just smirked when Rudger's mouth twisted like he'd suddenly swallowed a lemon.
"Now is not one of those times. It would be better to eliminate those Signers who are here before more show up. We aren't outnumbered yet."
"You mean like I wanted to?" Kiryu laid down and turned over so he didn't have to look at Rudger anymore. "Fuck off, Rudger. I'll take my revenge on Yuusei when I feel like it."
Rudger didn't say anything to that. Kiryu laid their in silence for what seemed like an hour, wondering if the man had just left, figuring he wouldn't be getting anything else out of Kiryu for now. The he heard something that sounded like the door closing. He almost cursed. Fuck Rudger and his creepy habits.
~*~*~*~*~
He's asked Becky early on about places he could visit that might have the answers he was looking for. Places like Nazca that were pre-Inca that might have a spiritual presence. One place she suggested was Markawasi, an area not too far from Lima. A half-day journey to a nearby town, acclimation for a day, another half-day trip up the mountain, then camping for a day or two while they explored the area.
Kiryu figured it'd be easier to head straight there from Cusco, since Cusco was also at a high altitude. It had been hard enough adjusting the first time; he didn't want to have to start over. And anyone he asked suggested the same thing, so it was probably a good plan. He'd never lived anywhere higher than sea-level, so if there was anything he could do to make the high elevation less of a problem, he was going to do it.
He was silent for most of the hike up into the mountains. It wasn't just because it was hard to breathe the thin air or because he was hot and a little sick from all the exercise at such a high altitude. No one else on this trip spoke Japanese; most of them were Americans, so most of them spoke English at least, but then, most of them could tell he was an imPort too, so they didn't try to make conversation.
He didn't need them to. He was distracted enough by the feel of the place. Not the thin air or the heat but...something else. Something that called to him on the same level as Ccapac Apu, something that made him want to switch forms more and more the closer they got because it just called to that part of him. He was too absorbed in just feeling to care about anyone else around him.
Whatever it was, is was inviting. He was sure he hadn't felt anything like it before starting on the hike up the trail, but now that they were here, it wanted them here. It wanted people to visit and learn, as many as possible from as many different places as possible.
He was almost too occupied to keep drinking as much water as he should. It was only the impending headache that reminded him.
They set up in a large open bowl called the Amphitheater, which Kiryu supposed looked like its namesake but it was a stretch. By the time they got there, the altitude was nailing a hole in the back of his head. He was able to get as far as helping a woman set up a small 3-person tent (after getting direction as to how and watching another group set up theirs). Then he had to sit down. The headache was making him nauseous, or maybe it was the altitude, and it was hard to breathe, and he was probably hungry under all of it.
He wanted to keep working, to keep pulling his own weight, but his body decided it wanted to stay put and feel miserable. He ended up snapping at one person who came to check on him, in Japanese of course, but she understood the tone well enough and left him alone.
A couple of the Americans looked like they weren't doing any better than he was though, and he caught a couple look from them like they couldn't believe an imPort was suffering so much. That made him feel a little better. At least he wasn't suffering alone. And Americans could be idiots sometimes, or maybe they just needed to pay better attention to the news.
Finally, one of the guides wandered over and knelt in front of him. Part native, part something else, the only one who spoke English as fluently as the Americans so he was the only one Kiryu had really spoken to. Kiryu thought he remembered his name was Miguel. He had a large collapsible cup in one hand, full of what Kiryu recognized by now as coca tea. He'd consumed enough of it in Cusco from Becky almost forcing it down his throat.
"Soroche?" Miguel asked, too harried to remember to translate. That was fine; that was one of the few words Kiryu had learned, because he heard it all the time.
He nodded and reached out for the cup almost before Miguel handed it to him. He'd been an idiot and hadn't thought to bring anything to make coca tea with him. Thank the gods for guides who dealt with this stuff all the time.
"Thanks," he muttered as Miguel headed off to help one of the Americans. At least the plan was to stay here for the rest of the day to acclimate and not start exploring until tomorrow. He just wanted to take a nap.
~*~*~*~*~
He was back in Satellite.
Immediately, he cursed and started looking around for Security. He was sure he was still wanted, even if his records probably had him listed as deceased; Security's stupid markers never stopped working, after all. And he hadn't taken the most lawful route out of prison after meeting Ccapac Apu.
Then he realized he was still standing and in control of his body. His arm was glowing, so he was in his proper form, but he hadn't been possessed or killed upon arrival.
And he still remembered everything.
He started laughing, out of relief and shock and a little fear. He wasn't going to die. His God still wasn't around.
And it was raining. Of course it was raining. it always rained.
"Where are you?! Kiryu!"
Kiryu blood ran cold. He knew that shout. That voice. One of the voice that haunted him whenever it rained. Whenever something reminded him of that damn night.
Jack ran around the corner just as Kiryu turned to look for him. The blond paused for a moment when he saw Kiryu before running toward him even faster, panicked and furious.
"Kiryu! What are you doing?! Keep--"
He finally got close enough Kiryu properly and stopped dead in his tracks. Kiryu just smirked to cover his own shock. He almost felt sorry for Jack; this one wouldn't be expecting it at all.
"Kiryu...what happened to you? What the hell are you wearing?" Jack glanced at Kiryu's face, at his eyes and his marker, as if he wanted to ask about those too but just couldn't do it. Kiryu laughed and crossed his arms--the awkward way that better showed off his mark. Jack's gaze dropped to it immediately.
"You can ask about my eyes, too, you know. I don't mind. And about why I have a mark like yours." Kiryu took a couple steps forward, bringing him close enough to Jack to set his own mark off. Jack winced and grabbed his arm, staring at the red glow through his fingers like it was some sort of disease. Kiryu wondered that his brain wasn't completely shattered yet.
"Kiryu..." Then Jack looked up and past Kiryu, blood draining from his face. "Yuusei!"
That was all the warning he got. Kiryu whipped around, but it wasn't fast enough. I knife slid into his back, dragging sideways as he moved. Then another knife, on the other side. Kiryu fell to his knees and bit back a scream. And another when Yuusei pulled both blade out of his back. He tried to get up to fight back, but a foot came out of nowhere and slammed into his head, stunning him enough to keep him down.
Jack had disappeared. Kiryu looked up to see Yuusei standing over him, impassive as ever, bloody knives in both hands. His arm wasn't glowing. Kiryu glance down at himself again. He was back in his old clothes from Team Satisfaction. He couldn't use his powers to defend himself.
"Yuusei..." Kiryu coughed and spat out blood. His throat was so scratchy... "Why...?"
"I'm trying to save you," Yuusei said, but it wasn't his voice. it was a girl's, though Kiryu couldn't place it right away. "You have to be stopped. Don't you see what you're doing? i want to save you."
"You killed me!" Kiryu shouted before coughing again. It was get hard to breathe with all the blood in his throat.
"Not yet."
Yuusei leaned down again, arm raised high, ready to stab him. Kiryu screamed in rage but he couldn't move fast enough to get out of danger.
The air around Yuusei suddenly burst into flames.
Kiryu stared in shock for a moment, watching the flames grow, not quite realizing what was happening. Yuusei was burning up. The flames of his rage were going to consume him.
"No!"
Kiryu couldn't quite scramble to help him, but he tried, reaching out as if that would help, as if he could harness his powers in this stupid form and turn the flames off.
And they disappeared as though they'd never been there. But standing in Yuusei's place was someone else, someone Kiryu had only ever wanted to see again if it was to tear him in half. Then he collapsed to the ground and couldn't move except to look around.
"So sorry for the inconvenience, Kiryu," Cavil said, in that tone that made his blood boil because it was so condescending. The bastard was as far from sorry as he could be. Kiryu wanted to strangle him.
"Fuck off. What the hell do you want?"
Cavil laughed, though there was no real humor behind it. "I want you to experience what you put me through. And this time, our samurai friend won't have anything to find."
A shiny cleaver appeared in his hand a split second before his arm swung down. Kiryu couldn't stop his screams that time. It hurt and he could feel his veins straining to stay open without blood to keep them that way and Saitou would kick his ass even more now and gods something else was gone it was that arm Ccapac Apu would have every right to get rid of him after this fuck fuck fuck...
Cavil struck again. He hardly felt it. His soul was in pain; his God was gone. Nothing else could hurt more.
Another strike. Kiryu could hear himself screaming, but it wasn't him, it couldn't be him, it had to be someone else. Someone else was watching and screaming. Yuusei had come back. Or Jack.
He felt his eyes roll back into his head.
Kiryu woke screaming for the first time since arriving in Peru and he slammed his hands over his mouth to muffle it. Every other night he'd either had mostly pleasant dreams or none at all. Never completely pleasant--he doubted he'd know what that was like--but never the nightmares he'd been having before. He'd actually been getting a few more hours of quality sleep than usual.
Of course he had to have a nightmare here, around these random people who had no reason to help him more than they already had.
"Kyosuke! Kysouke, you need to breathe!"
He only vaguely registered the barely familiar voice calling his name or the hand roughly shaking his shoulder. He was watching Yuusei disappear in a wall of fire again. He hadn't screamed. He hadn't made any noise at all.
Then Cavil stepping out of the flames...
"Kyosuke!"
He heard the crack more than he felt the hand across his cheek, but it woke him up enough. The guide from before was leaning over him, eyes wide and panicked. The one that spoke English. Miguel.
"Would you breathe already?"
That was another reminded he'd needed. Kiryu took in a deep breath, then another, and another, coughing after he started hyperventilating because the air was so thin here how was he supposed to breathe...
He finally got his breathing under control, though it wasn't without several worried looks from Miguel. And half the other tourists who he was sure he'd woken up. He cursed to himself once he could look around and make sense of things. It was bad enough Saitou and Alastair had to suffer through his nightmares.
"Kyosuke, are you all right?" Miguel asked, still in English so there was some possibility of Kiryu understanding him. "Do you need anything? There's still some tea left from earlier; I could heat it up--"
"I'm fine," Kiryu muttered. He sat up and pushed himself to his feet, avoiding looking at anyone. The only person he'd want near him right now was thousands of miles away. "I'm...sorry. I hadn't...I'm sorry. Go back to sleep."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Miguel asked. Kiryu wanted to sneer at how shaken he still looked, but he'd already been so nice to all of them...
"I'm fine. Thank you for caring..."
He headed away from the group, not too far since even the near-full moon above wasn't quite bright enough to see every threat, but far enough that he wouldn't have to deal with any of them. And he wouldn't get anyone trying to lean over his shoulder.
As soon as he was far enough, he pulled his comm out of his pocket and turned it on. If that dream was somehow a warning and Cavil was back in town, he wanted to know. He didn't want Saitou to have to deal with that bastard alone again. He still felt guilty about what had happened in January.
But there weren't any new posts that struck Kiryu as being from Cavil. He wasn't to check very far back, certainly not as far and Cavil's last post, and Cavil could have locked it from him, but he figured someone would warn him if that was the case. It didn't look like he was back.
A small part of him was severally disappointed. He wanted another chance to destroy that bastard and make it stick. He'd gotten impatient last time and it wasn't nearly as satisfying as he'd hoped it would be.
Alastair had posted a couple times. Kiryu scanned through both posts, pausing when he reached Yuusei's thread. And he had to snicker at it. Yuusei would be worried about him being in Peru and around the Nazca lines. And he should be, since Kiryu was there for the very reason he was sure Yuusei had in mind. The war might have been over for Yuusei, but it was far from over as far as Kiryu was concerned. Not yet.
Not until...
Yuusei's face appeared in his mind's eye again, impassive except for a small amount of concern and sorrow. Yuusei with a knife in his hands. Kiryu scowled and stuffed his comm into his pocket again. That dream wasn't hard to interpret. Fucking Yuusei stabbing him in the back. With Ruka's voice coming out of his throat.
Of course, every time he spoke to Yuusei, either here or at home, Yuusei insisted that there had been a mistake, that Kiryu had made a mistake. That he wasn't really a traitor.
And the dream had him curious. He tried not to think about that night much; besides pissing him off, it still hurt to remember how his supposed best friends, close enough to be family, had betrayed him so easily. He'd given everything for them and they'd sold him out. Yuusei had sold him out.
He could feel his mark trying to draw on his anger to let him transform. He clamped down on that and stayed the way he was. The Americans gave him enough odd looks without him proving he really was an imPort.
Yuusei said he wasn't a traitor. Kiryu didn't believe him, of course, but he wanted to know why Yuusei was so insistent. Yuusei didn't usually lie about anything. And if he'd made a mistake...
He'd made a mistake with Alastair, after all.
Kiryu pulled out his comm again and pressed the buttons needed to send a private message to Yuusei. He needed to find out.
He needed to see a Yuusei that wasn't just in his dreams.
satisfiedsigner & Peruvian NPCs
WHERE: various places in Peru
WHEN: June 13-July 1/2
WARNINGS: /o\ Anyone Kiryu hallucinates/dreams up will be slightly ooc, just because of the nature of that whole...them being hallucinations thing. Also, the last segment gets a little violent.
SUMMARY: PERU TRIP CONTINUED. Kiryu gets progressively more emo and less emo, because that's what he does; attends a holiday celebration
FORMAT: Self-log!
"It's because you're so pale."
Kiryu blinked and subconsciously tugged at his hair. He'd finally asked Becky about the weird stares he'd been getting since arriving in Peru. They'd died down for the most part in Lima and Nazca, because he'd been both places so frequently, but any time they visited somewhere new, there were new stares to follow him. It had been particularly bad when they'd gone to Cusco and Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas. Bakura got some of the same stares, but not nearly as many.
And they weren't the same stares Alastair got when he started going off in fluent Spanish and Quechua, or the same looks other gringos got, which were fleeting and hardly noticeable. Kiryu still got that weird look from the people working at the hotels he'd been staying in for the last couple weeks.
He hadn't thought it was because of his coloring. That was so normal to him, and he'd frequented enough places in the City where it was almost boring, that it hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Because I'm pale?" he repeated, sure he looked as bewildered as he felt.
Becky nodded and gestured at his face, thankfully free of markings for now. "Most gringos are dark in some way--dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes. They look different, but not different enough to warrant much more notice than being a tourist. Some can be very light--blond, blue-eyed, pale skin that burns easily. And they're noticed more, but there are people like that who live here anyway."
A faint smile formed on her lips and she cocked her head a bit to the side, eyes looking him over. "But you are almost white. You're not just blond and pale, you're something else entirely. And you don't burn or tan easily, do you?"
Kiryu shook his head, glancing thoughtfully down at his arm. He'd always been pale and dying certainly hadn't helped him get darker, but he hadn't even noticed he didn't burn. He thought he'd gotten a sunburn once, when he was eight or nine, but they were pretty uncommon in Satellite anyway.
"What about Bakura?" Kiryu asked. "We look like brothers."
Becky shrugged, but her smile got a little bigger. "You do. But he doesn't have a 'tattoo' of one of the Nasca lines on his arm, at least not in plain sight. That's what it really is. You look like something supernatural and you already had ties to Nazca. Some of them believe you might be an apu, or a god, or a messenger for them. Even those who don't think you're interesting and worth looking out for."
Then she laughed, briefly covering her mouth to try not to. "At least until you open your mouth and show you can't speak a word of Spanish or Quechua."
Kiryu frowned thoughtfully and lightly traced the lines of his mark. It tingled under his fingertips, power aching to be used again after three weeks of only letting it out for a few minutes at a time.
"A messenger of God, huh..."
Becky shifted her hand over to her cheek, eying him sympathetically. "You told me a little of what your...world...is like. It's not the same here. It's just superstition."
Kiryu shook his head, his hand tightening around his arm, covering the purple lines. "That's why I'm here, remember? To find out if it really is or not." He laughed, smirking cruelly at nothing in particular. "That's not exactly what I was at home. Not quite. But if they want to think of me that way...an apu, an messenger of God..."
~*~*~*~*~
Crow was gone. Kiryu was pretty sure of that. He'd wondered way back when he'd posted his suggestion of a vacation and Crow hadn't responded, even though he was sure he'd managed to put Crow on the filter. Lachesis kept messing with the filter settings, but he was sure he'd gotten it.
He'd thought at the time it was just Crow being an ass as usual--not responding just to tick Kiryu off and maybe because he was still nervous about talking to him anyway. Kiryu didn't think much off it other than feeling a little annoyed. He really had wanted Crow to come along.
But Crow hadn't responded to Yuusei either. Kiryu kept checking that post until he shut his comm off, but Crow never found it. And he doubted Crow could have missed it unless he had his comm off too. But he doubted any of them would turn their comms off for long. It was one of those things about being a Satellite and part of a well known team at that. New was important, no matter where it came from.
He was sure Crow would have responded to Yuusei if he were still there. Even if he'd just turned his comm off. he'd check back in eventually, even if it was just to see if Kiryu was still around and active. Crow could be more paranoid than he was sometimes, and he knew Crow was wary of him, as he should be.
So Crow was probably gone. Kiryu was tempted to turn his comm back on and message Crow just to check, but he didn't want to be disappointed again.
~*~*~*~*~
For much of the country, winter here meant the dry season. Dry and cold and sometimes windy, especially in the high mountains. For the coast, especially Lima, it meant foggy, muggy weather that drove off many of the tourists.
And sometimes, it rained. Which wasn't all that remarkable, really. It rained most places.
Kiryu wandered outside, hands outstretched. He didn't really like the rain and he tried to avoid being in it when he could--besides being cold and generally miserable, it held too many memories, too many bad memories.
"You betrayed me?! You...sold me out?!"
But here...for the first time, Yuusei's voice didn't immediately start shouting in his mind. He couldn't hear Jack and Crow yelling his and Yuusei's names. The only sirens were the unfamiliar wails of the local police half-heartedly patrolling their zone of the city. Here it was just rain. Rain in a town so much like his own but still plenty different.
He found himself missing the angry, worried shouts. The rain by itself was to quiet and calm.
"I don't fight to defeat you, but to save you from the Dark Signers."
Kiryu snorted softly as he remembered Yuusei's words. Even if Kiryu wanted to be saved, there wasn't anything Yuusei could do about it here. He'd still be a Dark Signer. He was sure only Lachesis could change that, and he wasn't about to suggest asking her or ask her himself. He wasn't going to mention the power she had over all of them either. Yuusei could find out what a fool he was all by himself.
And it wasn't like Kiryu did want to be "saved". The longer he was here, the more he was sure of that. He was a Dark Signer, whether he could hear his God or not.
It was just whether he still would be if he ever got sent home. Even if he forgot everything, would Ccapac Apu still know?
Kiryu made a slight face as he remembered that little quirk of their existence here. They wouldn't remember anything about their time here. Alastair was wrong; nothing here would make any difference back home. He could be--
He could leave Yuusei alone and maybe talk to him sometimes, but it wouldn't matter once he was sent home because they were still fighting there. At least, they were still fighting as far as he was concerned.
Yuusei was from the future were they weren't anymore...
Not that any of it mattered period because he wouldn't be going back there anyway.
He chuckled a little to himself. That was right. he wouldn't be going back, so he could do whatever he wanted. If he wanted a truce with Yuusei, there was nothing stopping him.
He still wasn't sure he'd ever want a truce with Yuusei, but...the possibility was there.
Something felt wrong.
He switched forms automatically, mark flashing purple under his thin shirt, and swung around, grabbing at whatever was there. His hand found a wrist and he squeezed and twisted, roughly dragging its owner around in front of him.
Just a kid. Of course it was. One staring up at him in shock and fear.
Kiryu just smiled and twisted the boy's wrist a little more. "Next time, pick a better target. It isn't smart to rob someone favored by God."
The boy obviously didn't understand him, and he didn't really expect it, but his tone was enough to terrify. Kiryu wondered vaguely if his eyes or the mark on his face were glowing, They seemed to be doing that recently. It was one reason he hadn't spent much time in this form while in Peru; he liked being able to talk to people without them trying to run away.
He let go of the boy, sneering at him.
But the boy didn't run away. He was obviously terrified, but instead, he whispered in English, "What are you? You are...tourist?"
"Kyosuke Kiryu. Servant of Ccapac Apu." He showed off his mark as he spoke. The boy's eyes widened at the last couple words and at the mark itself and he almost reached out to touch it, but a quick glance at Kiryu's hand reminded him of how good an idea that was.
"Kyosuke Kiryu..." He frowned suspiciously at Kiryu's hair. "...ImPort?"
Kiryu chuckled, though it came out as more of a giggle. He was surprised by how bold this kid was. It was endearing, like how he'd been at that age. Like how a lot of them had been, back in Satellite. More people didn't question him at all once they saw the mark on his arm.
Messenger of God indeed...
He nodded, adding, "My God is real. In my world."
The boy nodded back, although he didn't look like he'd quite understood that. Still, he didn't seem any less awed and terrified. Though not quite terrified enough to run away, it seemed.
The boy said something in Quechua and started digging through his pockets, face screwed up in determination. He pulled out a small coin and a couple coca leaves and held them out to Kiryu with another quick string of words he couldn't understand. It was clear enough that he wanted Kiryu to take this tiny offering without understand his speech anyway. Even though the boy had been trying to steal his wallet earlier.
Kiryu frowned and eyed him for a moment. He wondered if there had ever been a time where he would have done the same thing. It was unheard of to give something up to a stranger back in Satellite. And he doubted this kid was much better off than he was.
He finally reached into his own pocket and pulled out a couple coins which he thought were worth more than the one he was being offered. He placed them both in the boy's hand and closed his hand around everything.
"Keep it. I don't need it," he muttered in English.
The boy stared at him in shock, arm still out like he wasn't sure he should really accept it. Kiryu pushed his hand back a little to help convince him it was okay. He didn't move for a long moment, still just staring.
Then he smiled and suddenly ran away, waving with his other hand.
Kiryu watched him until he turned a corner, smiling a little. He was a lot like the old crowd in Satellite when they were younger.
~*~*~*~*~
"Kiryu-san."
Kiryu whipped around, flailing to keep his towel up on his hips with the sharp movement. That voice...he thought he knew it, was sure he knew it, but if it was who he thought it was...well, he didn't really care if the man saw him naked--it wouldn't be the first time by a long shot--but he doubted it was him at all and it'd be awkward if anyone else walked in on him. He didn't even like being completely naked around Saitou. He always felt eyes on his back, on the scars there, even when he just had his shirt off.
Alastair...well, Alastair had seen everything, but Alastair didn't call him "Kiryu-san" either. Alastair actually called him the name he wanted.
And he turned around to have his eyes land on familiar brown skin and black robes with yellow highlights. And eyes that were always black, like his own used to be.
"Demak..."
He stood there just staring for what could have been hours. Shouldn't he have known if Demak had shown up?
But then, his comm was off and the only people who might recognize his teammate would never text or call him to tell him. Ruka would want to keep them as far apart and unaware of each other as possible, because she still had that ridiculous idea that he was out to get her. That he even cared about Rudger's plans. So she would want to keep him from trying to help Demak. That stupid dragon would want to keep them apart for the same reason, except Kiryu would actually help Demak when it came to that particular being. And Yuusei had that stupid idea that he could be "saved", which would never happen with Demak around.
Demak waited patiently for him to do something else, although it wasn't too long before he smiled and asked, "That's it?"
Kiryu grinned and ran over to hug him, abandoning the towel. Demak caught him almost before he got there to keep himself from being pushed over backwards but let him give as tight a hug as he wanted.
"Demak! Finally! Is it only you? Misty-chan was here for a while, and Carly's still here, I think... Do you know who she is? She's not a Dark Signer, but I think she used to be one--"
"Kiryu-san," Demak interrupted calmly, "I can only answer one question at a time."
Kiryu laughed and loosened his hug so he was more hanging from Deamk's neck than hugging him. Hanging from his neck and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Demak was here! He was really here and it wasn't a trick or a dream or Cavil screwing with his head again. He didn't usually dream about taking a shower.
"You're really here..."
Demak just smiled, a very small smile that never really told him anything except that he was a friend.
"Is it just you?" Kiryu asked. "I haven't had my comm on for a couple weeks. Are you from the future? You know about that, right? It doesn't look like you are..."
"The last thing I know from home is watching you ride out to challenge Fudou Yuusei. Misty-san was still in the city."
Kiryu had to grin and hug him again, even tighter than before. Finally, finally, someone who was from the same time he was. Almost. Only a few minutes difference.
"And I do know about what happens," Demak continued, gently pushing Kiryu off. He looked a little sad and maybe even ashamed, but it was hard to tell even that much. There was a reason Saitou reminded Kiryu of Demak. "It does not change anything. I will remain devoted to my God until the end, as I promised Him. I will continue to fight for him. Perhaps just knowing will change the outcome."
Kiryu looked away, propping his chin in a hand and his elbow against Demak's chest. Did he even want the outcome to change? More and more, the idea that Yuusei was his friend again was appealing. He still didn't know what had happened to cause it, other than his team losing (again), and he still felt like punching a wall and lighting the ground on fire when he thought of his old teammate, but it was appealing.
A hand touched his shoulder. He didn't look back up, but he relaxed a little and Demak gave his shoulder a small squeeze.
"Why are you here, Kiryu-san?" Demak asked. He moved further into the room and sat on the bed, eying the towel lying on the floor. Kiryu walked over, picked up the towel, and dropped it on Demak's head.
"How did you know where to find me?" he asked, flopping down onto the bed next to his friend.
"It isn't hard to learn where you're staying around here. I didn't even have to ask. I was just here to see what Peru was like in this world. Someone recognized my uniform."
Kiryu smiled and fell back so he was half-lying on the bed. "They think I'm an apu."
"I'm sure you haven't bothered to correct anyone."
"I wouldn't do any good! I haven't summoned a monster or been myself and they still think that."
Demak narrowed his eyes at him. "You haven't used your powers?"
"Not really. Not here. I use them all the time at home. Here I don't..." He trailed off, cutting off that train of thought before he had a chance to say something he'd regret.
"...Home...?"
Kiryu blinked up at him, wondering where the question was coming from. The he realized that it would sound odd to someone who hadn't been in this world for very long. He'd been thinking of the City as "home" for so long that it hadn't even occurred to him.
"The City." Kiryu shrugged and looked away up at the ceiling. "I've been here a long time. Over a year. Longer than a lot of people. Longer than everyone but little Ruka. It's felt more like home than anywhere in Satellite. Even headquarters." Even their old headquarters...
Kiryu frowned over at Demak, eying his uniform again. "Did you keep your powers too?"
Demak nodded. "I am the same as I was. Other than Cusillu..."
Kiryu laughed and flopped his arm over his eyes. "That's why I'm here. To find them. It's been just me in my head for long enough."
"What if you're not successful?"
Kiryu moved his arm so he could stare at Demak with at least one eye. Had Demak really...but he looked like he was only playing devil's advocate, not that he actually wanted that...
"You think I won't be?"
Demak chuckled and shook his head. "I think you can accomplish anything you put your mind to."
"Heh. Maybe~"
They both fell silent for a few minutes. Kiryu didn't really mind. He was just content to have one of his team here, and one he could tolerate at that. Misty had been sent home far too early. They hadn't even gotten a chance to properly meet up. But now Demak was here, and he was right here in front of him. He was happy to just hang out for a while. Demak had already said more than usual anyway.
"Are you going to get dressed?"
Kiryu stuck his tongue out and shifted to give Demak a better view. That answered the question well enough.
Demak let out a soft sound of disapproval but didn't move to grab anything to cover him. Kiryu had to smirk; if he really cared, he'd drop a pair of pants or a towel on him. He could reach both from where he was sitting.
"You're shameless."
"Only with you~"
Another soft snort. Then: "Fudou Yuusei is here."
Kiryu made a faint noise of irritation; why did every conversation have to go back to him?
"I'm surprised you haven't left to go finish him off."
Kiryu didn't respond to that for a long time, almost until he figured Demak had forgotten what he'd said in the first place. Except that it was Demak, so he never forgot things like that.
But finally, he muttered, "So am I."
He felt Demak shift next to him and briefly thought about getting up. He was starting to feel a little cold. This room wasn't heated very well.
"I don't know why I'm still here," Kiryu added, uncomfortable with the silence now. "I thought if Yuusei showed up again, I'd go to destroy him immediately. But I didn't. I just stayed here and sulked."
He sighed and turned over, propping his head up on his hands. Demak's fingers started lightly scratching up and down his back. Kiryu scowled to himself, but his eyes closed and he dropped his chin down to rest on his arms instead.
"What if I don't want to fight Yuusei anymore?"
Demak's fingers paused, brief enough that Kiryu almost didn't notice. He had to laugh. It did sound absurd. he never wanted to stop fighting once he had his heart set on something. It was why he was still here. Fighting Yuusei was why he was still here. If he didn't want that anymore...what purpose did his life have?
"I think you should do what you feel is best, Kiryu-san. I know what occurred between you. We all did. I asked Rudger-sama once why he wouldn't let you take your revenger earlier like you wanted. He was worried it might hurt you on some level."
Kiryu scoffed and glared back at him. "Since when did Rudger give two shits about me?"
Demak didn't look at him, but his face was honest enough. "Rudger-sama has always been concerned about all of us. Even you."
"He had a funny way of showing it."
"So do you."
Kiryu hissed and punched him in the back, just hard enough to hurt and get his point across.
"You are much more alike than you choose to acknowledge, Kiryu-san."
"Yeah. Right."
Demak didn't say anything else to that, probably figuring it would be a futile effort. Kiryu wasn't going to say anything either to make him think otherwise, so he just lay there, enjoying the attention Demak was still giving him. It had been far too long since they'd just sat together, talking about anything and everything. Kiryu knew exactly where Demak had come from and why he was a Dark Signer and the names of everyone in his family. Demak knew everything thing about Kiryu that he hadn't even shared with Saitou or Alastair yet.
"You don't care if I...I don't know. Stop fighting him?" Kiryu finally asked. He didn't really care what Rudger thought, but he felt closest to Demak and didn't want to run him off if he could help it. He didn't really think he would stop fighting Yuusei, but just in case...
"If that is what you need to do...I can't say I wouldn't be disappointed, but I understand. You're still a Dark Signer."
Kiryu laughed. "If Ccapac Apu decides not to kill me. It won't matter back in Satellite anyway. We won't remember any of this."
"So it doesn't really matter now."
"No..." Kiryu frowned thoughtfully and shifted his head on his arms. "And I can still hate. Nothing's changed that. It's just not Yuusei that I hate so much anymore."
Demak's finger's twitched on his back. "Is there someone else instead?"
"Yeah. This robot bastard who can't keep his powers to himself. He's not from our world." His hands clenched into fists at the thought of that man. Cavil would probably be thrilled if he knew how much he still haunted Kiryu. Although Kiryu had a feeling he and Saitou had made lasting impressions of their own anyway. "He killed me twice."
Demak didn't say anything to that, but he didn't need to. Kiryu knew that would be hard information to process. Both the deaths and that he was still laying here despite them and the supposed lack of their Gods.
"You should go to bed soon, Kiryu-san," Demak said, voice quiet with the shock that hadn't quite worked itself out yet. "That was what I interrupted, wasn't it?"
"I wasn't in a hurry," Kiryu said, but he started getting up anyway. He could talk to Demak tomorrow. Or-- "Hey, do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?"
"Not yet. I sought you out first."
Kiryu grinned and stretched and moved to pull a pair of pajama pants on. Black with blue highlights, like most of his clothes. "You should stay here. I still have nightmares. It usually help to have someone around."
And really, he just wanted Demak to stay. he hadn't had a proper nightmare since arriving in Peru. But maybe if Demak was right there, he wouldn't randomly disappear in the middle of the night.
Demak smile, one of those stupid smiles that showed he knew exactly what Kiryu was thinking. "If you really want me to..."
"I'll work something out with the staff in the morning. I'm not staying here long anyway. And there's no point in renting two rooms if we don't need them."
"All right. I"ll stay."
Kiryu woke to an empty bed, empty room, and no sightings of Demak or where he might have wondered off to. In fact, it seemed no one had seen him at all. Period. Kiryu felt like punching a hole through the wall or lighting the street on fire or something destructive and noticeable.
Sometimes, he really loved the Porter. Most of the time, he had fairly amicable thoughts towards her.
Sometimes, he wished the damn thing had never been created.
~*~*~*~*~
Inti Raymi
~*~*~*~*~
"What are you doing here, Kiryu?"
Kiryu tensed and slowly looked around. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this man. Or rather, after the ceremony earlier, he was in a great mood and he didn't want it spoiled. He wouldn't have wanted to see Yuusei right now either, even if it was to destroy him. And he definitely didn't want to see this bastard so soon after Demak had disappeared. What the hell was Lachesis playing at?
"I'm on vacation, Rudger. Fuck off."
"In Peru?" Rudger walked around so Kiryu was looking right at him and couldn't look away without seeming vulnerable. "You could have gone anywhere else.
Kiryu sneered and went back to drying his hair (why did they always seem to find him right after he'd taken a shower?), hardly caring if he ended up jabbing Rudger in the eye with one of his elbows. "None of your business. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I make a point of checking in on my soldiers every once in a while."
Kiryu snorted and gave him a disgusted look from under the towel. "Your soldiers? I never worked for you."
"You worked for us."
Kiryu let out a noncommittal sound and shrugged along with it. He'd only ever worked for two beings back home--himself and Ccapac Apu. Never Rudger or the other Earthbound Gods. Although he wouldn't have turned any requests from Them down.
"But you're faltering now, aren't you?"
He threw his towel at the bastard. It flew past his shoulder. "Fuck off."
"I'm surprised you aren't happier to see me."
"Why would I be happy to see you? I was finally free of you!"
"And your obligations."
Kiryu laughed, slumping down on the bed. "What do you know. I bet you just got here. You don't even know I'm working for someone else now."
Rudger certainly didn't look happy to hear that. "Who?"
"It doesn't matter. Only that he's a better leader than you ever were."
"And better that you," Rudger said, "or you wouldn't follow him."
That was a raw nerve, especially with Yuusei around and Crow having been around not too long ago. Kiryu hissed and switched forms in warning. He'd been in a perfectly fine mood until Rudger had shown up and screwed it up.
"I was better than you too," he hissed. "We didn't just sit on our asses all day waiting. We went out and conquered."
"And that turned out so well," Rudger said with a pointed look at the mark on his cheek.
Kiryu thought his face might get stuck in one position after this little chat with how much he kept sneering.
"What do you want? If you're just here to 'check on me', you can leave. I'm fine. Go start a cult somewhere."
"I want to know why you're here. You never had any interest in Peru before."
Kiryu laughed a little. That was true... "You don't know that."
"I know that."
He sent his former leader a very dirty look. "Had your little pets spying on us then?" Of course, he already knew the answer to that. He'd always known.
Rudger sent him a look that said he was being stupid and he didn't need to ask that question. Kiryu just glared right back. A small part of him, the part that craved acceptance and needed people, was disappointed that all their conversations seemed to head this direction, even now. The rest of him wanted Rudger to just fuck off. He'd never liked Rudger anyway.
"Why haven't you gone to eliminate Yuusei yet?" Rudger demanded, trying to pick up the conversation again. "He's been here for three weeks."
Kiryu laughed again, more amused by that than anything else so far. "I'm waiting for the right moment. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
He just smirked when Rudger's mouth twisted like he'd suddenly swallowed a lemon.
"Now is not one of those times. It would be better to eliminate those Signers who are here before more show up. We aren't outnumbered yet."
"You mean like I wanted to?" Kiryu laid down and turned over so he didn't have to look at Rudger anymore. "Fuck off, Rudger. I'll take my revenge on Yuusei when I feel like it."
Rudger didn't say anything to that. Kiryu laid their in silence for what seemed like an hour, wondering if the man had just left, figuring he wouldn't be getting anything else out of Kiryu for now. The he heard something that sounded like the door closing. He almost cursed. Fuck Rudger and his creepy habits.
~*~*~*~*~
He's asked Becky early on about places he could visit that might have the answers he was looking for. Places like Nazca that were pre-Inca that might have a spiritual presence. One place she suggested was Markawasi, an area not too far from Lima. A half-day journey to a nearby town, acclimation for a day, another half-day trip up the mountain, then camping for a day or two while they explored the area.
Kiryu figured it'd be easier to head straight there from Cusco, since Cusco was also at a high altitude. It had been hard enough adjusting the first time; he didn't want to have to start over. And anyone he asked suggested the same thing, so it was probably a good plan. He'd never lived anywhere higher than sea-level, so if there was anything he could do to make the high elevation less of a problem, he was going to do it.
He was silent for most of the hike up into the mountains. It wasn't just because it was hard to breathe the thin air or because he was hot and a little sick from all the exercise at such a high altitude. No one else on this trip spoke Japanese; most of them were Americans, so most of them spoke English at least, but then, most of them could tell he was an imPort too, so they didn't try to make conversation.
He didn't need them to. He was distracted enough by the feel of the place. Not the thin air or the heat but...something else. Something that called to him on the same level as Ccapac Apu, something that made him want to switch forms more and more the closer they got because it just called to that part of him. He was too absorbed in just feeling to care about anyone else around him.
Whatever it was, is was inviting. He was sure he hadn't felt anything like it before starting on the hike up the trail, but now that they were here, it wanted them here. It wanted people to visit and learn, as many as possible from as many different places as possible.
He was almost too occupied to keep drinking as much water as he should. It was only the impending headache that reminded him.
They set up in a large open bowl called the Amphitheater, which Kiryu supposed looked like its namesake but it was a stretch. By the time they got there, the altitude was nailing a hole in the back of his head. He was able to get as far as helping a woman set up a small 3-person tent (after getting direction as to how and watching another group set up theirs). Then he had to sit down. The headache was making him nauseous, or maybe it was the altitude, and it was hard to breathe, and he was probably hungry under all of it.
He wanted to keep working, to keep pulling his own weight, but his body decided it wanted to stay put and feel miserable. He ended up snapping at one person who came to check on him, in Japanese of course, but she understood the tone well enough and left him alone.
A couple of the Americans looked like they weren't doing any better than he was though, and he caught a couple look from them like they couldn't believe an imPort was suffering so much. That made him feel a little better. At least he wasn't suffering alone. And Americans could be idiots sometimes, or maybe they just needed to pay better attention to the news.
Finally, one of the guides wandered over and knelt in front of him. Part native, part something else, the only one who spoke English as fluently as the Americans so he was the only one Kiryu had really spoken to. Kiryu thought he remembered his name was Miguel. He had a large collapsible cup in one hand, full of what Kiryu recognized by now as coca tea. He'd consumed enough of it in Cusco from Becky almost forcing it down his throat.
"Soroche?" Miguel asked, too harried to remember to translate. That was fine; that was one of the few words Kiryu had learned, because he heard it all the time.
He nodded and reached out for the cup almost before Miguel handed it to him. He'd been an idiot and hadn't thought to bring anything to make coca tea with him. Thank the gods for guides who dealt with this stuff all the time.
"Thanks," he muttered as Miguel headed off to help one of the Americans. At least the plan was to stay here for the rest of the day to acclimate and not start exploring until tomorrow. He just wanted to take a nap.
~*~*~*~*~
He was back in Satellite.
Immediately, he cursed and started looking around for Security. He was sure he was still wanted, even if his records probably had him listed as deceased; Security's stupid markers never stopped working, after all. And he hadn't taken the most lawful route out of prison after meeting Ccapac Apu.
Then he realized he was still standing and in control of his body. His arm was glowing, so he was in his proper form, but he hadn't been possessed or killed upon arrival.
And he still remembered everything.
He started laughing, out of relief and shock and a little fear. He wasn't going to die. His God still wasn't around.
And it was raining. Of course it was raining. it always rained.
"Where are you?! Kiryu!"
Kiryu blood ran cold. He knew that shout. That voice. One of the voice that haunted him whenever it rained. Whenever something reminded him of that damn night.
Jack ran around the corner just as Kiryu turned to look for him. The blond paused for a moment when he saw Kiryu before running toward him even faster, panicked and furious.
"Kiryu! What are you doing?! Keep--"
He finally got close enough Kiryu properly and stopped dead in his tracks. Kiryu just smirked to cover his own shock. He almost felt sorry for Jack; this one wouldn't be expecting it at all.
"Kiryu...what happened to you? What the hell are you wearing?" Jack glanced at Kiryu's face, at his eyes and his marker, as if he wanted to ask about those too but just couldn't do it. Kiryu laughed and crossed his arms--the awkward way that better showed off his mark. Jack's gaze dropped to it immediately.
"You can ask about my eyes, too, you know. I don't mind. And about why I have a mark like yours." Kiryu took a couple steps forward, bringing him close enough to Jack to set his own mark off. Jack winced and grabbed his arm, staring at the red glow through his fingers like it was some sort of disease. Kiryu wondered that his brain wasn't completely shattered yet.
"Kiryu..." Then Jack looked up and past Kiryu, blood draining from his face. "Yuusei!"
That was all the warning he got. Kiryu whipped around, but it wasn't fast enough. I knife slid into his back, dragging sideways as he moved. Then another knife, on the other side. Kiryu fell to his knees and bit back a scream. And another when Yuusei pulled both blade out of his back. He tried to get up to fight back, but a foot came out of nowhere and slammed into his head, stunning him enough to keep him down.
Jack had disappeared. Kiryu looked up to see Yuusei standing over him, impassive as ever, bloody knives in both hands. His arm wasn't glowing. Kiryu glance down at himself again. He was back in his old clothes from Team Satisfaction. He couldn't use his powers to defend himself.
"Yuusei..." Kiryu coughed and spat out blood. His throat was so scratchy... "Why...?"
"I'm trying to save you," Yuusei said, but it wasn't his voice. it was a girl's, though Kiryu couldn't place it right away. "You have to be stopped. Don't you see what you're doing? i want to save you."
"You killed me!" Kiryu shouted before coughing again. It was get hard to breathe with all the blood in his throat.
"Not yet."
Yuusei leaned down again, arm raised high, ready to stab him. Kiryu screamed in rage but he couldn't move fast enough to get out of danger.
The air around Yuusei suddenly burst into flames.
Kiryu stared in shock for a moment, watching the flames grow, not quite realizing what was happening. Yuusei was burning up. The flames of his rage were going to consume him.
"No!"
Kiryu couldn't quite scramble to help him, but he tried, reaching out as if that would help, as if he could harness his powers in this stupid form and turn the flames off.
And they disappeared as though they'd never been there. But standing in Yuusei's place was someone else, someone Kiryu had only ever wanted to see again if it was to tear him in half. Then he collapsed to the ground and couldn't move except to look around.
"So sorry for the inconvenience, Kiryu," Cavil said, in that tone that made his blood boil because it was so condescending. The bastard was as far from sorry as he could be. Kiryu wanted to strangle him.
"Fuck off. What the hell do you want?"
Cavil laughed, though there was no real humor behind it. "I want you to experience what you put me through. And this time, our samurai friend won't have anything to find."
A shiny cleaver appeared in his hand a split second before his arm swung down. Kiryu couldn't stop his screams that time. It hurt and he could feel his veins straining to stay open without blood to keep them that way and Saitou would kick his ass even more now and gods something else was gone it was that arm Ccapac Apu would have every right to get rid of him after this fuck fuck fuck...
Cavil struck again. He hardly felt it. His soul was in pain; his God was gone. Nothing else could hurt more.
Another strike. Kiryu could hear himself screaming, but it wasn't him, it couldn't be him, it had to be someone else. Someone else was watching and screaming. Yuusei had come back. Or Jack.
He felt his eyes roll back into his head.
Kiryu woke screaming for the first time since arriving in Peru and he slammed his hands over his mouth to muffle it. Every other night he'd either had mostly pleasant dreams or none at all. Never completely pleasant--he doubted he'd know what that was like--but never the nightmares he'd been having before. He'd actually been getting a few more hours of quality sleep than usual.
Of course he had to have a nightmare here, around these random people who had no reason to help him more than they already had.
"Kyosuke! Kysouke, you need to breathe!"
He only vaguely registered the barely familiar voice calling his name or the hand roughly shaking his shoulder. He was watching Yuusei disappear in a wall of fire again. He hadn't screamed. He hadn't made any noise at all.
Then Cavil stepping out of the flames...
"Kyosuke!"
He heard the crack more than he felt the hand across his cheek, but it woke him up enough. The guide from before was leaning over him, eyes wide and panicked. The one that spoke English. Miguel.
"Would you breathe already?"
That was another reminded he'd needed. Kiryu took in a deep breath, then another, and another, coughing after he started hyperventilating because the air was so thin here how was he supposed to breathe...
He finally got his breathing under control, though it wasn't without several worried looks from Miguel. And half the other tourists who he was sure he'd woken up. He cursed to himself once he could look around and make sense of things. It was bad enough Saitou and Alastair had to suffer through his nightmares.
"Kyosuke, are you all right?" Miguel asked, still in English so there was some possibility of Kiryu understanding him. "Do you need anything? There's still some tea left from earlier; I could heat it up--"
"I'm fine," Kiryu muttered. He sat up and pushed himself to his feet, avoiding looking at anyone. The only person he'd want near him right now was thousands of miles away. "I'm...sorry. I hadn't...I'm sorry. Go back to sleep."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Miguel asked. Kiryu wanted to sneer at how shaken he still looked, but he'd already been so nice to all of them...
"I'm fine. Thank you for caring..."
He headed away from the group, not too far since even the near-full moon above wasn't quite bright enough to see every threat, but far enough that he wouldn't have to deal with any of them. And he wouldn't get anyone trying to lean over his shoulder.
As soon as he was far enough, he pulled his comm out of his pocket and turned it on. If that dream was somehow a warning and Cavil was back in town, he wanted to know. He didn't want Saitou to have to deal with that bastard alone again. He still felt guilty about what had happened in January.
But there weren't any new posts that struck Kiryu as being from Cavil. He wasn't to check very far back, certainly not as far and Cavil's last post, and Cavil could have locked it from him, but he figured someone would warn him if that was the case. It didn't look like he was back.
A small part of him was severally disappointed. He wanted another chance to destroy that bastard and make it stick. He'd gotten impatient last time and it wasn't nearly as satisfying as he'd hoped it would be.
Alastair had posted a couple times. Kiryu scanned through both posts, pausing when he reached Yuusei's thread. And he had to snicker at it. Yuusei would be worried about him being in Peru and around the Nazca lines. And he should be, since Kiryu was there for the very reason he was sure Yuusei had in mind. The war might have been over for Yuusei, but it was far from over as far as Kiryu was concerned. Not yet.
Not until...
Yuusei's face appeared in his mind's eye again, impassive except for a small amount of concern and sorrow. Yuusei with a knife in his hands. Kiryu scowled and stuffed his comm into his pocket again. That dream wasn't hard to interpret. Fucking Yuusei stabbing him in the back. With Ruka's voice coming out of his throat.
Of course, every time he spoke to Yuusei, either here or at home, Yuusei insisted that there had been a mistake, that Kiryu had made a mistake. That he wasn't really a traitor.
And the dream had him curious. He tried not to think about that night much; besides pissing him off, it still hurt to remember how his supposed best friends, close enough to be family, had betrayed him so easily. He'd given everything for them and they'd sold him out. Yuusei had sold him out.
He could feel his mark trying to draw on his anger to let him transform. He clamped down on that and stayed the way he was. The Americans gave him enough odd looks without him proving he really was an imPort.
Yuusei said he wasn't a traitor. Kiryu didn't believe him, of course, but he wanted to know why Yuusei was so insistent. Yuusei didn't usually lie about anything. And if he'd made a mistake...
He'd made a mistake with Alastair, after all.
Kiryu pulled out his comm again and pressed the buttons needed to send a private message to Yuusei. He needed to find out.
He needed to see a Yuusei that wasn't just in his dreams.
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