destinystrings | [Gym log]

Entry tags:

[Gym log]

Who: Shura and open
Where: Libra apartments' gym
Summary: Shura goes to train at Libra and meets Yamato, among (maybe?) other people there.
Warnings: None so far
What do you do when your gym is full? Why, you go to the other gym, of course!

Which is why Shura is entering the Libra apartments' gym. After some warm-up, she heads straight for one of the treadmills and hops on. Since it's the same machine as in Pisces, she inputs her usual settings and begins jogging, a bit fast for a normal human starting his routine.

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He would probably feel even better about it if he knew Shura had been a regional tracks champion before even becoming a demon.

"Really? I'd swap with him if I could. It's not like my human and demon forms have much differences." Sure, it might just be aesthetic, but Shura felt much more comfortable now, all covered up, than she did when she only had the very sparse markings of her so called human form.

"I'm the Hitoshura, by the way. Call me Shura."

"..." Yamato's not into nicknames, but if he must...

"Yamato Hotsuin," he replied after a brief pause, glancing over at the woman to give her a once over. Indeed, she was now covered head to toe in her strange markings. He looked away, utterly disinterested. A very humanoid demon, wasn't she?

"I wasn't aware that demons enjoyed going to the gym."

It wasn't so much a nickname as something more namelike than the title she had been given. She figured it was easier, and shorter, for people.

"Yamato. Nice to meet you." She smiled a little.

"I don't think demons in general do, but I do. I gotta keep in shape if I want to be the strongest demon of all. 'Sides, I was training in tracks before I became a demon, and I still love running."

What?

"Became a demon...?"

Yamato had heard of it happening in the past, but it was usually due to a sort of assimilation - like what happened with Io and Lugh. The human assimilates the soul of the demon they were channelling, and became demonic after a long period of time... it very rarely happened though, as chances of death were extremely high.

"Ah." Oops. She spoke in a softer voice. "My world went through the Conception. It ended. To survive in the world in-between worlds, my body had to become a demon's."

Yamato was thoughtful, and for a few minutes, the only sound was the noise of their feet hitting the treadmill.

"The Conception sounds familiar. I believe the term is in one of the old scriptures in the Hotsuin's Archives. There are many ways the world can end, according to prophecies," Yamato's tone is slightly disdainful. He didn't really hold prophecies in any high regard. Normally they were metaphorical, not literal, and the literal ones hardly ever came to pass.

Besides, one's future is determined by their will, not a pre-determined path.

Shura nodded. "Well, the Conception triggered by one man method is true. It's what happened in my world. He wished for a world of stillness, with no passion, no emotions, no individuality. Just. Living in harmony with nature, never evolving."

"What a disgusting world," Yamato growled, revulsion clear in his expression. "Who could possibly wish for a world like that? Utterly stagnant and useless... I do hope you eliminated such a foolish man."

"I think he was a mystic. Not that it really matters. I did kill him. He died saying the stillness he wanted had come for him." It felt weird to tell someone of Hikawa's death. Of all the Reason bearers, she was the one she hated the less. Of course, he had destroyed the world, but he had always been straightforward with her, unlike oh, everyone else in that crazy world.

"Good," Yamato said darkly. "A fool such as that does not deserve to live."

His words were harsh, but his tone was cool and dismissive. He deemed the matter dropped, because why discuss a pathetic man like that? A world of stillness...it was worse than Kuriki's reason! At least the man wished for a world where humanity still held their emotions, even if they would squander it on, basically, a Communist regime.

"Reasons are all foolish like that, if you ask me..." Fuck, she couldn't wait to go home to stop Chiaki.

"Reasons?" What was this now?

"When the world end, its future is undecided, regardless of what whoever destroyed it thinks." She grabbed her towel to wipe her face quickly before resuming. "All the handful of remaining humans can conceive a Reason, a philosophy to base the next world on. Whoever survives to reach Kagutsuchi will see his or her world created as a reward. But... Reasons thought up by humans are selfish and stupid."

Yamato suddenly laughed. It was breathless due to exertion, but it was still rife with grand amusement.

"Is that so? Ahahaah...it, it sounds familiar to Polaris. Show the will of the species and all that rot. Then the circumstances surrounding both of our worlds are extremely familiar, although the cause of its end are vastly different."

Shura sighed heavily and shook her head. "Gods, they always find a way to fuck us all up with the end of the world. Especially YHVH."

"Hmm, quite."

Yamato slowed the treadmill down to a brisk walk, having reached the end of his endurance to continue running whilst talking. He reached up to check that his hair was still tied back well enough, before grabbing the towel he'd brought with him to wipe at his face. He let it drape over his shoulders then, keeping up a brisk power walk.

"It was not a God that began the deletion of our world. It was, essentially, an alien. The North Star, to be specific."

Shura nearly missed a step on the treadmill at the news, because seriously, what.

"The North Star. Is an alien. Really?"

"In my world it is. Well, it is a bit more complicated than that," Yamato frowned. "I do not know if they are actually the stars themselves, or if the Septentrione claimed the names of them, but the extraterrestrial entity that sat on the Heavenly Throne was called Polaris."

"No matter the name, I guess he doesn't like human free will, right?"

Yamato laughed again, although this time it was edged with a sort of bitterness.

"You can say that," he muttered, his expression becoming pensive. "But not exactly. Polaris grew distasteful of how corrupted and irredeemable mankind had become, and planned to delete the world to remake it. It is similar to how one will do a full system restore to a computer. Polaris had direct access to the Akashic Records, so he had that power."

He suddenly laughed again. "Aahaha, but it is in man's nature to be corrupt and vile, no? So you can argue that Polaris did dislike humanity in general. We are a...dangerous species."

Shura snickered. "I didn't think I'd fall on a human who agrees with me here of all places. Humans can be so much worse than demons."

"At least demons are competent and loyal - when tied to a contract," Yamato agreed. "I have seen humans who are truly without honour, and rely solely on their wealth or connections to stay in positions that they do not belong in. It is a sickening state of affairs."

Shura suddenly fell silent. For some reason, this reminded her of Chiaki's talk about the world being full of useless things (and people)...

"So... what do you intend to do about it?" Don't say remake the world in my image...

"Nothing," Yamato responded. "I attempted to fix the broken world, and I failed. The rule was that those who lost were to step out of the competition, and so I did."

Although the tower sort of made sure he kept his word, what with it killing him and all.

"I am a man of my word."

Shura sighed in relief. Well, they might not agree on things, but a world somewhere was safe from rule by a whole new type of tyrant.

"Oh. Uh. I'm sorry."

"It is fine. It simply proved that I was not the one to lead such a world. I cannot champion an ideal based on merit if I am a failure."

It was clear, cold logic to him. Even if the Tsuutenkaku hadn't crushed him, Yamato would have kept his word. He lost to Kuriki, and even though he despised the very existence of the man's ideal, he would have dissolved JP's and bowed out of the competition as promised. He would not have joined them, but he wouldn't've opposed them either.

Heh, really...Yamato probably would have committed suicide if left on his own anyway. What point would there be in living such a stagnant world? After all, he could have gotten out of the way of the tower, but he chose not to because, well.

It no longer mattered.

Shura didn't mean to give you suicidal thoughts, Yamato D:

"I wish some people had been as true as you in their life choices..." It might have spared her some pain in the Vortex.

It's okay. Yamato wouldn't act on those thoughts - they're just rather morbidly amusing to think about in retrospect.

"...People do not like to admit their failings, or their mistakes," Yamato said after a pause. "It is difficult to be...'true'."

Shura sighs. This conversation is bringing back all sorts of terrible memories. "I'm sorry, it's just... if you uphold a Reason, I think you should have the courage to live according to it first and foremost. I knew only one such person."

"Tch, obviously. There is no point in pushing forth a world that you wouldn't even be able to live in," Yamato said flatly, looking faintly disapproving.

Which is why Yamato could grudgingly accept his loss to Kuriki. As aggravating and thick as the man was, he stuck to his ideal loyally, and fought for it with all of his might. Yamato could respect that.

Yamato tapped at the buttons of the treadmill, starting up a swift jog again.

"In the end, only those who are fully dedicated to their ideal, or 'Reason', will succeed. If there is the slightest of doubt or weakness, it will ruin them."

"I see," she says as she slows, then stops the treadmill. "I think you're right."

With that said, she left the gym, discreetly wiping her eyes. It still hurt inside everything she had had to do, to live through, because of the absolute determination of everyone else.

Yamato didn't pause, and only gave the retreating demon a glanced of confused curiosity before resuming his run.

Strange woman.

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[Gym log]

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