destinystrings | The Fate the Binds Us [Closed]

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The Fate the Binds Us [Closed]

Who: Hizumi Mizushiro, Ayumu Narumi, and Taro Watanabe [Closed]
Where: Abandoned warehouse; Sagittarius Ward
Summary: All things must come to an end... Especially when that thing is a potentially dangerous Devil.
Warnings: Talk of and attempted suicide. All of the Spiral spoilers ever if anyone actually cares.

Earlier in the day, Ayumu had received one of Hizumi's usual texts. However, this one gave a very odd set of directions; ones that would ultimately lead to an old warehouse in the Sagittarius ward that seemed to have been forgotten about entirely, leaving it to fall into disrepair. However, one of the doors had been propped open ever so slightly, and if one approached it from the right direction, particularly at night, the faint glimmer of a light could be seen inside...

It had taken Hizumi a while to find the place. Between his job and simply spending his time with festivities, seeking out a suitable location was difficult. It had to be out of the way, but also enclosed enough that there wasn't any worry of someone walking in on their conversation. After all, they were the only two involved in all of Hinoto-Ri, and if Hizumi had his way, they would be able to narrow it down to only one by the end of the night.

He has everything prepared. He'd been sure to leave Ayumu with a small "present" in the form of his own revolver bagged and hanging from Ayumu's doorknob. Inside were also a pair of gloves, guaranteed not to leave a single fingerprint. And if Ayumu insisted on leaving it at his apartment, that would be fine, too; Hizumi had brought the sword he had been gifted by a demon, and it lays at his side, the sheathe no longer attached to his belt as he usually carried it. There are a multitude of ways to kill someone, but he realizes that if he wants Ayumu to do it, the method will have to be quick and relatively painless.

Even now, he runs over the information in his mind. It will take all he has to convince Ayumu that Hizumi must die. He could tell right away that Ayumu was too kind to do such a thing, and the fact that they had hit it off so well... Hizumi has to curse his weakness, having let himself spend as much time with the other teen as he did. It will only make it all the more difficult for the both of them.

But at the same time... he has to. He can't let his curse go out of control, he can't allow himself to become the Devil. He can't allow himself to hate the faces he had grown so fond of, the city of people he had begun to find even a little bit endearing.

And more than anything else, he cannot be the one to bring it to its end.

With his fingers threaded tightly, anxiously together, he remains seated on the cold floor of the warehouse, knees drawn up to rest his elbows upon. And so he waits.

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[Not a whole lot of surprise... But then again, with all of the clues that had become available, Ayumu must have come to a similar conclusion on his own.]

More or less. Just as Yaiba was fated to become the Devil, and Kiyotaka, God...

You and I bear those same exact fates.

What does that change, though? [it was an unpleasant truth, and it made clear the reason behind things that had become the basic laws of Ayumu's life. But...] I'm my brother's clone, but that doesn't change who I am.

[Theoretically, he should be entirely different from his brother regardless. Genetics didn't make a personality, after all... talents, likes and dislikes didn't lie in the genes. But just like the Blade Children, something unnatural had been passed along, hadn't it?

But while he'd been robbed since birth of everything he ever wanted.... that wasn't something unique to him alone.

He had a feeling there was more to this, though. Hizumi wouldn't have given up so easily if there wasn't.]

You're forgetting an important fact.

Having the blood of your brother will change you, no matter how hard you fight it. Once you turn twenty, there's nothing you can do about it.

Even aside from Yaiba and Kiyotaka, the same change has been observed in the Blade Children. As if suddenly becoming another person to fulfill a predetermined fate...

[It's a fear Hizumi had never thought he would have to face, personally. But Hinoto-Ri had changed that.]

Is that really all?

[It still changed nothing from Kirie's explanation. It still changed nothing of what Ayumu had decided. It still felt incomplete, though. He smiles faintly, though there's no humor to it.]

I made the decision to try to find a way to save the Blade Children... and you. I still have time until that change takes place.

[Four years... he'd have to make the most of it.]

Do you really think it's that simple?

[He folds his hands tightly once more, even if his expression doesn't betray his agitation.]

Do you really think that someone like me, who never had an older brother to be my ideal, would have given up so easily?

[He admits to that much, his voice hollow. He, who once had everything with no need to compete for it, had lost it all. He can't live; he would only grow to destroy the things he had once cherished. Even if he found some way to connect with the others here, that, too, would be tainted by fear - a fear that he would turn that very friendship upon them once he had changed, for the sole purpose of wiping out humanity as his blood urged him on.

For all he wants, all is denied him. And with no way to endure it, he's been left beaten and crushed by the weight of despair.]

No, I don't. That's why I've been asking myself since we met what could do it. You should have been even more enthusiastic to find a solution than I am.... but you aren't.

[That strange lack of willpower. He'd have expected Hizumi to fight his fate, not give in to it. He'd known about it much longer than Ayumu had, after all. He'd had no obstacles to keep him from believing.

So why? What sort of despair did he find, when he looked? What had defeated him so utterly that he'd given up? Ayumu had an idea, but it was too critical to simply guess. He needed to hear it.]

Tell me. What did you find?

...I found nothing.

I threw myself into my studies and entered college at the age of thirteen. I went into genetics, thinking I could find a way to stop it. That somehow, as the Devil's clone, I...

...was meant to stop the curse, and save the Blade Children.

[He gives a wry smile. It holds absolutely no cheer.

How stupid he had been.]

I was naive. No matter how hard I searched, there was nothing that could be done to save anyone. Although... even in that world, the scenario may have been slightly more peaceful than this one.

[.....So an answer didn't lie in genetics. Kirie had mentioned there seemed to be nothing in their DNA that made them unique besides Yaiba's heritage, but if even Hizumi couldn't find anything....]

...So there's no answer in genetics.

[He gives Hizumi a questioning look at his last comment. He would have thought this place offered more. More chances, more potential options....] What do you mean 'slightly more peaceful'?

Edited (wrong icon) 2013-11-05 20:07 (UTC)

We were meant to die before we could ever become "God" or the "Devil".

It's not that surprising. Even in experiments involving other mammals, it's common for the clone to develop problems and die at a young age. To try to clone an organism as complicated as a human... It's only natural that it wouldn't be perfect.

According to the scenario, it's most likely... you were intended to kill both myself and your brother, and then die of those complications before you could even turn twenty. After that, the Blade Children would have no one to protect them, and they would each be removed by the Hunters. All of us abnormal elements would be entirely wiped out.

[And so the board would be swept clean. Humanity would have nothing to fear.

...Or at least, that's how it should have been.]

Edited 2013-11-05 20:24 (UTC)

[So that's it.

His brother's scenario had always been missing visible pieces. Ayumu had guessed, after coming up with the clone theory, what that might mean for the future.... how that fit with his brother's scenario. It was such a critical piece, he needed confirmation. Hizumi had just provided that.

He'd be lying if he said the thought of dying didn't scare him, but instead of showing any fear or panic, he simply closes his eyes.] So that's the missing piece. In my brother's scenario, everything returns to zero.

But you say 'meant' and 'intended'. From how you're talking, I'm guessing that this world changed that somehow?

...Somehow, by coming here, the genetic mutation that should have killed us has been nullified. I ran the numbers over and over again - it shouldn't be possible, but...

[He holds his hand out in front of him, flexing it.]

I'm currently seventeen. I should be suffering from anemia at the very least, but I haven't had any problems. Even after getting tested, there were no issues detected. But even though that's the case... The curse definitely remains in tact.

[Ayumu isn't the only one that gun failed to kill.]

[Ayumu doesn't have to guess to know how Hizumi knows that. It's not the most pleasant thought, but if he's been asking Ayumu to kill him.... then...

He wouldn't admit it, of course, but hearing that for however long he was going to stay here he wouldn't be dying was a relief. He still had some time left.]

So this place is keeping us alive in it's own way. [For good or bad.] You thought you'd die before you became the 'Devil', and now you're afraid that you aren't.

[It's not a question.]

If you want to put it simply... Yes.

[Even though that faint smile has returned, he won't look Ayumu in the eye.]

...Hinoto-Ri is already crippled, and there isn't much for me to look forwards to in our world. It's more than likely I would choose to stay here even after the fact. I don't have to fear death here, after all.

And... unless I was stopped early, it wouldn't even take much to bring this city to its knees.

[He'd admittedly thought about it a few times, trying to predict the movements his future self might make. It wasn't all that difficult.

After all, if he were a Devil, wouldn't it be the most appropriate to side then with the demons?]

And that's why you want me to stop you now. [It made sense. Tucking his hands back into his pockets, he considers the situation. Hinoto-Ri was an easy target. Even with Persona users about, the population was so small, the area so little... with the right force manipulating people... and demons, it would fall. It was an easy outcome to predict.

...But it still wasn't enough for Ayumu.] Why now?

[Whether that's 'Why not when I first arrived?' or 'Why not later?', is vague.]

Edited 2013-11-06 10:53 (UTC)

I knew that unless I explained it to you, you wouldn't do it. You're too gentle.

[He's not that much of a fool.]

...But, if we wait for too long, you'll only hesitate when the time comes. And if you keep hesitating, you won't have time to stop me before there are casualties.

[--Because by then they will be fast friends, and that's just as dangerous.]

...So your reasoning is that? [Fear of living, and the belief that Ayumu would hesitate if they became friends.

....Ayumu was already growing fond of Hizumi. He couldn't deny that in his heart. The other thought on the same wavelength as he did, as bizarre as it was, and in spite of his goofy behavior... he wanted to spend time with him. But....]

....You underestimate me.

[If The 'Hizumi' he knew was gone, if this entire city was at risk.... he didn't have the option of hesitating.]

Am I?

[He's not entirely convinced.]

If I approached you, your friend of three years, and begged you not to kill me - you're sure you could pull the trigger anyway?

[Because there's no doubt in his mind that he would use that friendship to his advantage.]

[Ayumu hadn't even had a friendship that long. The longest standing bonds he'd held with someone else were his brother and Madoka, and they weren't 'friends'. His only long time friend up until now was a certain annoying newspaper reporter, so thinking in such a long term was difficult to grasp.

But he'd shot Madoka to save Kanone Hilbert. He'd accepted that there might be distasteful actions in his future, things that were painful.... things he didn't want to do.

But who was he to be selfish, after all?]

If there were no other options.....

...But you still have those. [And if Hizumi really did change here, in spite of everything Hinoto-Ri offered.... what would that mean for the Blade Children?]

What makes you think they exist?

[In a way, he had a feeling Ayumu would do this. To insist on looking for any possible solution.

But there's an edge to Hizumi's voice nonetheless. Because he knows - there isn't any solution, there isn't a happy ending. There's nothing to be found, and by fruitlessly searching for it despite that, Ayumu would only drive himself to the very same despair Hizumi had found.]

Because you still have three years left. [And Ayumu still had four. He'd resolved himself to find a solution to this situation, one where everyone survived. This place gave him more to work with, too.

More time. More potential for options. It was, as difficult to grasp as it was for Ayumu, somehow outside his brother's scenario. It was impossible to believe, but logically, there was no way Kiyotaka could know of this place, unless he'd met Philemon himself. It threw more variables into the scenario than he even could begin to know yet, but he planned to find them.]

Because if I kill you now, I won't be able to bring any kind of hope to the Blade Children.

[He closes his eyes, breaking his gaze away from Hizumi's.] I can't just give up on someone else's happiness. Your's or their's. I'll keep fighting fate until the end.

[Damn it Ayumu, don't say those things. You don't know what you're getting into.]

No matter how long you look for it, there isn't any hope to be found. It would be better just to end it now.

[It's not only a sincere warning, but almost a plea. He's been through this before already. There isn't any need to repeat the same mistake.

His hands tighten into fists in an attempt to keep them from trembling.]

--Don't make me endure another three years of this. Just-

Just do it already-!

[He presses his forehead into his hands, his shoulders shaking. He doesn't want to do this anymore. He doesn't want to live knowing that he would only later lose himself and be killed.

As regretful as it may be to force Ayumu's hand only to leave him behind, Hizumi is just too worn and beaten to go on.]

Edited 2013-11-06 16:34 (UTC)

I won't.

[Seeing Hizumi like this hurt, but he didn't let it show aside from the barest tension on his face. He really had grown closer to he other teen than he'd thought. But there was still no doubt in his mind. He couldn't do what Hizumi was asking him to do. And..]

....Why did you wait a month for this?

[He was willing to bet, somewhere in there..... some part of Hizumi still wanted to live. It was weighed down by despair, but somewhere inside, Hizumi didn't want to die. He was scared to live.]

[It's a while before Hizumi responds, not raising his face. Even his voice is shaky at this point, only barely controlled.]

...I was weak.

[Ayumu had surely noticed as well. It was only a month, but all of the time he'd spent with Ayumu, finally having someone who could know and understand...

It was most likely best time of his life.]

Even though I swore to myself-- I couldn't help it.

[Even though he knew it would just hurt them both all the more.]

If you lose yourself eventually, I'll stop you. Everyone lives with the fear of losing themselves, either to death or otherwise. But they choose to live because life has things they want.

[He'd noticed. He'd felt it as well, though it was too bizarre to put into words. He'd never had something like that. Was this how his brother had felt, too......?

But regardless, a part of Hizumi wanted to live. Either this part had always existed, or Hinoto-Ri had given it back to him. But it existed.]

You're alive now. Hinoto-Ri is outside of our world's scenario, I think. There's still a chance you can live and survive, without hurting anyone else.

[...It's almost funny. He, the Devil, should have been the one tempting Ayumu. And yet, somehow, the situation has been reversed.

But he has to remain adamant. As much as he'd like to give in, to continue to live on happily...

He can't.

He looks up again, his gaze not meeting Ayumu's. It isn't that difficult to see that he's been crying.]

Only "if I lose myself"--

What a cruel thing to say.

[Not even given the dignity of a human death. He just can't agree with that.]

But, you know... even this world is affected by it. There are people here who were dead in their own worlds - coming here miraculously healed isn't so strange.

But death... should still be permanent.

[His hands close into fists once again, but only for a second. It's then that slowly, he begins to move, pushing up the sleeve on his left arm and exposing his flesh to the cold air of the warehouse.

But once that is achieved, his movements quicken. He reaches for the blade at his right side, unsheathing it and discarding the case. The blade itself is soon placed near vertically against his skin, hovering just over the artery, and before he can hesitate--

He draws the blade over it, slicing deep into his own arm. Even though his teeth were gritted at the time, a sound of pain escapes his mouth, and almost instantly the sword falls from his right hand as it moves to grasp the shoulder of his newly injured left.

Forget ten minutes - a wound of this size should kill him long before then if left to bleed out.]

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