capeandcowllogs | our past, where we used to think we were all alone,

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our past, where we used to think we were all alone,

WHO: Yuma Tsukumo and YOU?
WHERE: The City
WHEN: Backdated to Friday, 3/9 because I am the worst at timeliness.
WARNINGS: Yuma...
WHAT: A kid returns to the City, immediately gets lost, and in a stupid costume to boot.
WORDS: Tagger's choice

The tugging that came with interdimensional travel was not one Yuma was used to feeling. Even if it were, he would have reacted the same. In the middle of a frantic getaway through Heartland City, Yuma arrived in the City with a run, tripping immediately over his feet, and with a "Woah-woah-woah--!!" of pinwheeled arms and unsteady balance immediately toppled to the floor. He took the fall hard onto one arm, the elbow well-prepared for it, but within a moment he was already sitting up with a panic.

"Kotori! Koto--huh?!"

His friend was nowhere to be seen, and that psycho that was chasing them was gone, too. Panic came first -- what if that girl's cannon blasts had hit Kotori?! -- but it ebbed just slightly as he checked out his surroundings. "What the heck..."

Rolling back and leaping to his feet was no more difficult in a cape than without, and wasting little more time Yuma left the Porter Tower, more confused than ever as he exited. He was pretty sure he recognized these buildings, but this definitely wasn't any part of Heartland City he'd ever been to. He couldn't dawdle here! He had to collect another three Heart Pieces to advance to the finals! Oh, and make sure Kotori hadn't been hurt by that crazy girl with the bazooka. That too! Now... "Which way is Heartland?"

And so, in the best disguise ever, Yuma ran the City streets, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that he wouldn't be getting back home any time soon.

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Goku was in a now familiar predicament. He was down to the last of his money for the week, and out of supplies. He was walking down the streets with his last $5 looking for a place to eat that would give the most food for that little.

"I'm hungry," he complained loudly to no one in particular. He looked across the street for immediate options and instead saw..

"Yuma!" he called out, and started to run after him. That other guy said he was gone, but he was right there! He still hadn't gotten the hang of using the crosswalk and so several car horns announced his trek across the street. "Yuma!"

The sound of horns caught Yuma's attention first, as the threat of getting run over was always a great risk in Heartland City. The cape swung around him in a motion far too cool to be the Yuma we all know and love, and so it was immediately ruined with a sudden gust of wind flipping the whole mess of blue fabric right over his head. With flailing arms he tried to pull himself free, only spurred on by an unexpected voice calling out his name.

By the time he got untangled, his company had already arrived. "Eh? What is it?"

[Shinji was on his way home from a trip to the store, bag of groceries in hand, hoping Astral didn't lock him out of the house when he came upon some weirdo running around with-

wait, he knows that stupid hair.]

Yuma?!

[But our mysterious masked vigilante in broad fucking daylight, way to go, is still running. He takes a hard corner, and his cape flaps noisily behind him as he vanishes from sight.]

[Shinji stares as he turns the corner, in a mixture of disbelief and aggravation that Yuma is actually going to make him run.

He sighs, tightens his grip on his groceries, and chases after him.]

[Unfortunately for everyone who isn't Yuma, running is just a thing he does. Anywhere he goes, he goes by running, and being a bit of an agile backflippy jackass means bring-it-to-'em frog-vaulting over mail boxes rather than do the logical thing like run around it.

If it weren't so obvious that he's completely oblivious to the attention he's getting or the guy chasing after him, it might seem like Yuma is intentionally avoiding Shinji.]

Steve didn't have the best reflexes of any human who was out and about for certain, and it was especially true when it came to fast-moving others racing on through. He'd hardly had chance to stop and wonder what that loud, approaching panting even was before he was plowed into.

He was hardly one to take a hit like a rock, either.

"Dwoh-=yowh!!"

Yuma, being the exuberant and careless type as he was, took his obstacles head-on -- be they the metaphoric or the literal. In this case, he hit Steve with a full body slam, and in his short stature and less impressive figure ricocheted back. His arms pinwheeled, but it was too late to prevent him from falling ass to pavement. His hands fall to fabric, and he's already shouting before he's standing -- or even looking up. "Oi, watch where you're going!"

"Oh, I'm--I'm very sorry!" Steve wheezed, unexpectedly propped up by the wall of a building. Ouch! Pain was definitely the least likable aspect of being human as far as he was concerned; he was working so hard to avoid it best he could, but it seemed rather futile at times...

He rubbed the back of his head, wincing a little, and looked over to see if he'd harmed the other.

And then he gawked.

And then beamed.

"Oh, Mister Yuma!" he exclaimed, delighted. "It's you!"

No amount of odd clothing could hide that distinctive hair.

Rolling onto his back and flipping up to his feet, Yuma miraculously avoided landing on the hem of the cape, and so actually managed to stay on his feet this time. His angry expression behind the mask swapped over to shock, and then surprised recognition. As if he'd never run the guy over or yelled at him in the first place, Yuma beamed. "Heya, Steve! What're you doing here?"

Forgiven and forgotten without a second thought on Steve's part, their combined lack of care for the collision left only random passers-by with the responsibility of even remembering it ever happened. At least they'd have something interested to talk about at the office.

Steve pushed off the wall and onto his feet, reaching over to give Yuma's hands a shake, congratulatory and welcoming – he couldn't really decide which was more appropriate.

"It's so good to see you again!" he said, head nodding in time with the pair of hand shakes. He let go, still leaned in to close the height gap and peer at him curiously. "I thought you were gone for good. Have you been back very long?"

"Long? Uhhh..." He was never going to get used to this ritual of shaking hands, was he? His arm wobbled in Steve's grip, but at least he didn't go for the arm with his duel disk still strapped to the wrist. He scratched at his hair with some nervous hesitation, taking another glance around their surroundings. "Not really... hey, wait a sec!"

The adrenaline of the World Duel Carnival and escaping death was wearing off, and so came to him instead a crawling dread about his current situation. Oh no. "How long have I been gone?!"

"Well..."

Now, Steve was still delighted to be human overall. Overall. However, there were still things lacking he wasn't quite used to lacking – his databanks, for instance, were a lot sharper than plain old human memory. And though he was still pretty sharp with calculations when he needed to be, he was...well, easily distracted.

Hence the hesitation as he tried to recall the passage of days. He'd been very, very distracted.

"Well, it's...it has been a few days!" he concluded, albeit sheepishly. It was hardly the precision he was used to having. "I'm afraid I've been terrible at keeping track. Perhaps if I were to cross-reference with Astral -- he noticed your absence before I did, after all..."

[feferi likes to take walks. if she has to be aboveground most of the time, she doesn't like to be cooped up, and even if the air in the city is polluted and awful it's better than sitting in a small box all the time where you can't even move in three dimensions.

which is what she's doing now: wandering aimlessly down a main street, people watching, letting the bustle wash over her; it couldn't be called peaceful by definition, but it was oddly relax--

wait--

that one lunatic in the silly headgear, he looked like--]

Yuma?! [YES FINALLY]

[okay, it may have only been a few days since he left the City, both in City time and in Heartland time, but he has absolutely forgotten its unique geography. the streets are all so similar, and the blocks very similar length, the buildings of similar face...

in summary, he was totally lost!

the stares and weird calls from strangers are irritating, but the focus is more on his disguise. he'd take it off, but carrying that much fabric just seems like such a hassle, and--

a voice?

that lunatic spun, cape flapping with too much drama for the sunny, pedestrian afternoon -- the dignified heroic billow was sewn right in -- as he searched for the source of his name.]

... Feferi?

[it is yuma! nobody else would have hair like that.]

Oh my god! [as she bounds up to him she tries very hard to sound angry, but it is completely ruined by how obviously happy she is] There you are! We were worried you'd been ported out forever, you big stupid. What took you so long?

H-Hey! It wasn't my fault at all! [true, part of him was glad to see her again, but like Yuma was gonna take that kind of attitude meekly! he crosses his arms, stupid cape settling back to drown him in sky-blue. and yes, still wearing the dumb mask. Yuma...] Besides, I had things to do!

I can see you did! [she really fails at hiding her giggle there]

Yuma, what are you even wearing? [god he looks silly! she reaches out to grab his mask; she can't even believe that's a thing.]

[there's no elastic hooks or anything, so the mask comes right off his face. the familiar, thin scars around the interior corners of his eyes are still there, trailing up and their ends hidden by his hair.

one of his arms shifts under the cloak.] This? It's a disguise!

[she attempts to try the mask on herself and only succeeds in looking really goofy. she keeps it on nonetheless, and pushes it up her forehead instead, which just looks even more goofy.]

I thought disguises were supposed to make you inconspicuous! So does everyone from your world dress like that? [remind her never to go]

Heck no! It's from a haction show. [Fiction... he doesn't seem to mind Feferi borrowing the mask, though, and is instead just huffily crossing and uncrossing his arms, eventually flailing.] Esper Robin is a tv hero! And I didn't pick it out, anyway, it was Kotori's idea!

[just laughing at him again jeez yuma you are so fun to tease] Why would you need to disguise as a TV show character?

And--who's Kotori? Is she your friend?

[He nods twice, casually quick.] Yeah, she's my best friend. We were being chased by this weird person with a cannon... [and so things get even more strange...]

She is? I don't think you've ever mentioned her before. Is she not in the City? [cannons are irrelevant right now!!!!]

I don't think so... she wasn't when I left, anyway!

[a sympathetic pout] Aww, that blows. I'm lucky to have a lot of people from my world here, but there's still a couple of people missing. I miss them too. [well sollux more than equius but hey

but then suddenly she reaches out to grab him by his shoulders!] That reminds me! You should get home. Astral's been really worried about you, too! [in his astral way.]

[the grab takes him by surprise -- not the fact she's touching him, because let's face it Yuma's friends back home grab at him all the time, but just the suddenness of it. he made no effort to throw her off, anyway.]

That's where I was going! But... [sigh!] This stupid place is so hard to aligate... [wait wait back up.] He's been worried?

Ali-what? Speak Alternian, Yuma!

[she releases his shoulders, though, but only to clap her hands together.] Yeah, he totally was. He wanted to tell me in person and everything! It was really sweet! He'll be so happy you're back.

Huh? How am I supposed to talk with an onion in my mouth?

[she pauses and stares at him. what?]

What?

What?

[why is she staring at him...]

Who said anything about onions?

You did!

I didn't say anything about--

[oh, wait.]

Alternia's my home planet, stupid!

Hey, how'm I supposed to know something like that, huh?

I thought I told you!

[pause]

But if I didn't, then that is what my home planet is called.

You totally didn't! I've never heard of it. [he pulls the mask off her forehead, putting it back on his face.]

What's it like?

[she pouts at him. the mask looked better on her, she bets!!!!

then she thinks for a moment, getting oddly quiet.]

It was really violent. I do miss it sometimes, but it wasn't really a very nice place to live. Especially for soft little humans like you! [she pinches his arm, hoping she can distract him into a topic change.]

[spoilers, it totally did!!

and that does get a reaction out of him, jumping a bit and arms wriggling.]

Huh-hey! What's that supposed to mean, huh?! You're pretty little, too!

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our past, where we used to think we were all alone,

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OH MY GOD REPLIES TO THIS FINALLY

RUNS TOWARDS, ARMS OUTSTRETCHED, THROUGH A MEADOW OF FLOWERS

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC SWELLS IN THE BACKGROUND

LADIES TO THE SIDE CRY INTO HANDKERCHIEFS

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