destinystrings | [Closed] Time For Closure!

Entry tags:

[Closed] Time For Closure!

Who: Yamato Hotsuin

drakenguard and Ideo Hazama

putonagoodshow
Where: Sagittarius Labs
When: Backdated to the 11th March
Summary: Yamato's Daddy Issues Conclusion! Cerberus Summoning! Hideousness of what happens when being raised by a star alien!
Warnings: Alcor is involved so expect lots of anger, bitterness and...anger. Also I tl;dr'd

Yamato was pretty certain that he had hit rock bottom at this point.

Before Animus, Yamato had a somewhat tight hold over his demons. After some initial hiccups here and there, he had found a stable position within this new life here - he had a job, he had routine, he knew where to sharpen his abilities on the wild demons during the 13th hour, he had...some people who he could converse with when he was in the mood to. It was not like being Chief of JP's, but it was better than rotting in the ground being dead, so he hadn't complained.

Then the Tower disrupted everything.

Nyarlythotep... even if Yamato told himself, logically, to disregard everything that came out of that creature's mouth, they still wormed into his brain. Intellectually, Yamato knew that his issues with Alcor were petty and childish. Rationally, Yamato knew that this was a grudge he shouldn't be clinging to anymore, something that he should release and move on from.

He knew all this, and yet...

Hah, well his actions these past few days proved how imbalanced he was by Nyarlthotep's words. If even Shijima noted how he was acting was embarrassing (although he didn't say that it was implied), then Yamato had a problem - if he was drinking himself stupid and ranting to Alcor before vomiting on him... he definitely had an issue.

So he needed to settle it.

Of course, Yamato needed some sort of anchoring system to ensure he wouldn't stray from the path he was going to set himself. He could ask his sister, but, she had not been with him these past months, and he felt a bit awkward asking her for help in this. She would, most likely not understand, and would be a bit too gungho in handing out physical punishment. No, he needed something he had security in controlling, but was firm enough to help him keep his own rules.

He needed Cerberus back.

However, summoning across alternative dimensions was new territory for him, and he had been intending on visiting Ideo to restart his working hours (obviously, upon return from Animus, he had pulled his untouched holiday weeks to just recover). A busy mind would help him stop dwelling, which was half of the problem whenever Alcor was involved. Overthinking and dwelling... it made him paranoid and irrational. So he left for Sagittarius labs in the morning - where everyone would still be asleep and only Ideo would get to see his less than stellar state.

Awesome.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's fine," Yamato said, lifting his shoulders in a brief shrug. And it was fine. He was mostly bemused, more than anything, although he had been given an interesting insight as to why Ideo was Ideo. It explained why he was so - self-critical, in any case, even if Yamato found it to be an irritating trait to have at times.

He was well aware of his inability to really sympathise though. He didn't feel sorry for Ideo, and neither did he feel any empathy. He had been manipulated by a demon, and ended up causing death and destruction to a building full of foolish students. It had been through Ideo's own fault, and he paid for that foolishness by the inevitable consequences that occurred. Pitying him would be an insult, and Yamato didn't really know how to sympathise with such a thing - even if he too had gone through something similar himself, although a lot less... traumatising, he supposed.

"It was insightful in any case - but it makes me curious as to why you would wish to summon that demon back to your side again."

An understandable curiosity, really, one that Ideo wasn't sure he knew how to answer. He didn't take as long to collect his feelings this time, but there was still a moment wherein he just let his arms drop.

"That demon kept me safe. Being 'Emperor' comes with demons being riled to dethrone you. He protected me from that, and did not take advantage of me directly. It was Makai itself that polluted my mind, feeding off my own anger." He frowned somewhat delicately. "That demon may be suffering in Makai for my behavior, while I sit here in relative safety. That isn't how one rewards loyalty."

"I see..."

Well, that made Yamato feel a little less foolish for his desire to summon Cerberus, at least. He, too, wished to summon him for the same feelings of safety - and mild worry. He didn't even know if the contract still held, due to his death in his own world, but, Cerberus would be left masterless in an Egalitarian world...

"I...understand that, at least."

"Is that why you wish to summon a demon, as well?" Ideo tilted his head, smiling and standing from his chair. It was only a few steps over to the fusion chamber. "We may not have the space down here, but there's not much more upstairs, either...I took up a good chunk of the gym when I created my circle."

If they could pull this off, then there'd be untold benefits- and concerns that Ideo would have to begin safeguarding against.

"Mn..." Yamato scanned the room, sizing it up. Yes, there wasn't much space here - perhaps if it wasn't filled with all of this equipment, they could squeeze it in, but - well, perhaps they could use a smaller summoning circle? It would be more difficult to yield, but Yamato had experience in it, even if he found the bigger, more stabilised versions easier on himself.

"We could get away with using a smaller circle," he began thoughtfully, "But it holds a higher chance of failure and backlash."

"You're more experienced than I, even with my research since I've come here." Ideo sure didn't have any problem putting down his experiences, though that might have made a lot more sense now. "You know your demon and have experience, but I have my pact still on my flesh- which one of us would have an easier time? If we can at least draw one here, then we could calculate the differences through the COMP's frequency and draw the other here with technology."

Yamato had to weigh that for a moment, and finally conceded that a pact of flesh held a more stable contract than Yamato's. It was known that Ideo's contract was still active, whereas Yamato didn't know if his own was broken when he died. Ideo's would be the logical choice.

"Yours," he said, rubbing his mouth in thought. "Although the name isn't known, the pact on your skin serves as a solid anchor, whereas my contract is more... verbal, than official."

Ideo nodded, even though nervous butterflies bloomed up at that response. He'd had a feeling, but that didn't make him any less nervous. The last time Ideo tried anything of this sort, after all...

No, he'd have help this time. Right? Ideo took a deep breath, and tried to feign a smile. "If that's the case, then we should set up the circle. It should be good practice, at any rate."

Yamato scrutinised Ideo for a moment. He seemed nervous - understandable, if the last time he summoned a demon ended up with him becoming possessed. It would make anyone's confidence shaky, but that was dangerous. If one had even the slightest bit of weakness in their resolve, the results were ugly.

"...yes, we should. But, if you want," he paused before continuing, "I can handle the bulk of the summoning. I would just need to use you as a focusing point of the circle."

"A focusing point?" Ideo seemed surprised at that suggestion, shifting awkwardly. "I didn't know you could use living things as foci. What would I have to do, exactly?"

For some reason, he seemed less concerned and more curious at this. He wasn't going to have to be bait, was he? That'd be pretty damn ironic.

"Nothing, really. I'll just need to maintain physical contact with you as I summon," Yamato said, turning away from Ideo and looking down at the floor as he started to walk slowly. It seemed he was trying to mark how much room they had. Oh, hm, they had more than he thought. "Do you have any chalk?"

Okay, that didn't sound so bad. Ideo nodded and went back to his desk, coming out with two small cloth bags. "I have charcoal and chalk, whichever you prefer."

Other than handing off the bags, Ideo simply stood off to the side and let Yamato do his thing.

Good, because it was time for Yamato to roll up his sleeves (literally), and do demon summoning the old fashioned way. He did it with chalk, because that's what he was more familiar with using, and he swiftly drew the circle on the ground with precise yet quick movements. The circle was small, with only a metre long radius, and the designs within it, strange little sigils and markings, were cramped yet not messily so.

And it only took him about one minute to do all that too.

He straightened up when he was done, taking a step back to admire his work. He was a bit rusty but, not a line out of place. Perfect. He looked over his shoulder at Ideo and motioned him over.

...wow. That was nothing compared to what Ideo had set up- it'd taken him almost all of the morning to set his up, and he'd broke in early to start.

Wary of where he stepped, Ideo came to stand directly at Yamato's side, holding out his pact-arm out of pure instinct. It didn't occur to him to actually roll up his own sleeves, remove his labcoat, or even take his glove off.

That's okay, Yamato will just do it for you. He turned towards Ideo slightly, gripping his wrist as his other hand worked off the other's glove, and tucked it into his pocket for safe keeping as he started to remove his own glove. Physical contact was required for this - as in, skin on skin.

"Right," Yamato said, suddenly taking Ideo's bare hand in his own and turning back towards the circle. "As you're the one with the pact, the demon will probably only respond to your energy. We will have to sync, so just remain relaxed and calm for this to proceed as smoothly as possible."

O-oh, how forward was that. Ideo watched with dizzy attention as Yamato removed his glove, swallowing down any awkward feelings with a simple nod.

Those were the sorts of things he needed to for sure NOT be expressing at the moment- for how demons fed on emotions, he didn't need to be a beacon. That would just invite trouble. Carefully, Ideo closed his eyes and began to focus.

...

It wouldn't take Yamato long to realize that he spiritually, despite being pretty strong, lacked a great deal of 'presence'. If he'd had it before, it had probably been ripped out by the 'Demon Emperor' business.

No, Yamato realised that Ideo lacked a lot of substance, despite his power. He very nearly overran him the moment he began to allow their spiritual energy to come into contact. Hotsuins were bred to be very aggressive spiritually - very much like the dragon they commanded. Anything that tried to possess them were normally overwhelmed and devoured, or simply crushed.

Syncing with Miyako was easy because of this. Both aggressive, both strong - their spirits were the same, one soul in two bodies. Ideo... Ideo felt like millimetre thin glass. Very fragile and barely there, and Yamato found himself having to clamp down tightly on, well, himself.

Yamato was not delicate or precise, spiritually, but slowly, very slowly, he managed to creep into Ideo's energy without smothering him or snapping the thin, breakable presence in half, even if he felt as clumsy as a tiger trying to climb onto a small dog.

...oh.

That was the only thought in Ideo's mind for quite some time when he felt that- he didn't know how to word it, or explain it. It was like that overwhelming, drowning feeling from when he'd been overcome by Makai, but there was a careful thread to this. Ideo had always felt empty and small in his life, so being filled spiritually like this was...

He drew a shaky breath, and managed to keep his focus despite the nestling feelings of awe. If Yamato had presence and strength, then Ideo had a certain sort of fortitude. He could hold all of this, and sustain it- he'd had to, in order to survive his ordeal back at school.

The pact on his arm gave a sudden burning sensation, and he hissed his second breath. It was harder to keep steady with the symbol reacting like that, but he didn't falter. It wasn't something he could budge on.

There we go.

Yamato felt the syncing snap into perfect place with a rush of relief. Any longer, and he was worried he might have thought them too incompatible to sync properly, and he would have had to have Ideo use an unfamiliar summoning circle on his own. There was a sudden rush of heat, a phantom pain on his wrist where Ideo had his pact mark, but rolled with it.

With his free hand, Yamato lifted it up and made the proper gestures, muttering the summmoning incantations swiftly. It was easier in Demonic - if anything, it made the demons curious enough to check it out, than someone speaking in Latin or Hebrew.

He was rewarded with a sudden spike of energy, and he tightened his grip on Ideo's hand. Ah, something had answered their call.

With Yamato helping, the process seemed to be so effortless. Everything was going off without a hitch, aside from the fire in his wrist. It was so unlike his first demon summoning that he almost wanted it to last longer, so he could hope to gleam some insight from the situation. Maybe if it was prolonged, he could understand better. But when Yamato began to utter in demonic, Ideo had to wince at the backlash he got from that. It wasn't that the demon was angry, just- there was an emotion tied to the pact, and in a moment of clarity, Ideo could recall that the bond included sharing their pain.

Ideo's eyes fluttered open as he felt the pull, gripping Yamato's hand back just as tight. Amon pulled itself upward from the small circle, growling and thrashing as it dragged itself upwards from the ground. When it was properly pulled forth, the demon seemed to fluff it's feathers and lash it's tail, hissing lowly through the teeth in it's beak.

"Mᴀᴊɪɴō...!"

Yamato let out a huffing noise, admittedly winded from the summoning - considering his less than stellar physical condition at the time, he thought he did rather well - and lifted his arm to rub the back of his neck as the demon before them growled from within the circle.

There were safeguards, obviously, in case something went wrong. Although the circle had been drawn in mere chalk, the magic ensured that the beast within it did not smear or ruin any of the lines. The few sigils in there were for Protection and Containment. Not all demons were happy to be brought over, and although Hotsuins normally ensured their obedience by crushing them in battle, sometimes one had to be sly about ensuring their aid - hence the 'demon trap' included in the circle's design.

Ah, after eight hundred years, the Hotsuins were masters at efficient and safe summoning rituals.

"I can't speak for you," he murmured lowly, leaning over to Ideo to whisper this directly into his ear. "I can only maintain the circle. I'm not included in this pact."

Ideo nodded and squeezed Yamato's hand, stepping forward only a half step to face the demon. It didn't seem very enthused at his attempts to be bold, but cocked it's head intrigued as he straightened and spoke.

"You have my title. Now, give me yours."
"I ᴀᴍ Mᴀʀǫᴜɪs Aᴍᴏɴ. Yᴏᴜ ᴡʜᴏ sᴜᴍᴍᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ, ᴋɴᴏᴡ I ᴀᴍ ʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴅɪᴠɪɴᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ, ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴛʀᴇᴅ. Wʜʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ғᴏʀᴛʜ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ?"

Ideo seemed surprised, but forged on anyway. "Our pact still stands. I cannot simply abandon you-"
"Yᴏᴜ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴏғғᴇʀ ᴍᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ? Fᴏᴏʟɪsʜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ, sᴜᴄʜ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ."

Yamato watched carefully, half of his attention on maintaining the circle while still also remaining sync'd to Ideo's (suddenly nervous) spiritual energy. He was used to juggling multiple things though, it was almost a requirement when summoning was involved, and he subtly strengthened the 'Containment' part of the circle. Only a fraction, as he could only tweak it spiritually as opposed to putting a stronger sigil in the circle.

It seemed that Amon was not so receptive to Ideo's summons though, which was peculiar. If he still kept up the pact, then shouldn't the demon still be interested in it?

"You still have a pact with him," Yamato spoke up, his tone neutral. Some demons were receptive to others gently butting into negotiations, and others were not. Yamato had never really tag-teamed a demon before in negotiations, so he was a bit guarded when doing so.

"A ᴘᴀᴄᴛ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ʏᴇs. I ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ." The demon growled, but it seemed to simply be a quirk of it's speech, not genuine dissatisfaction. Amon turned it's head back to Ideo, who was trying to calm his anxiousness. "Yᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ғɪʟʟᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇsɪʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ, Mᴀᴊɪɴō, ʏᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛɪʟʟ ʀᴏᴜsᴇ ᴍᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴍʏ sʟᴜᴍʙᴇʀ? A ғᴏᴏʟɪsʜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ɪɴᴅᴇᴇᴅ...ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘs I ᴡᴀs ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴘᴀᴄᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏɴᴇ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ."

Amon chuckled, a dark sort of noise, before bowing it's head down, brushing it's feathers against the floor. "Iғ ʏᴏᴜ sᴡᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴏ sʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ POWER ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴇɴ I ᴡɪʟʟ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ. Tʜɪs ɪs ᴀʟʟ I ᴀsᴋ."

Even with the ominous phrasing and altogether sense of foreboding, Ideo nodded his head with a surprising amount of confidence. "Serve me, and I will show you my strength. I've grown since you last knew me, and I will continue to do so."
"Sᴜᴄʜ ᴄᴏɴғɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴡᴇʟʟs ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴍᴀɴ..."

And yet, the demon simply righted itself and nodded as well.

Yamato relaxed when the rest of the negotiations went more smoothly, subtly shifting back half a step to let Ideo have full centre stage - even if their hands were still tightly clasped. He loosened up the tight control he had of the circle, and the glow of the lines dimmed considerably.

Although, admittedly, Yamato was slowly easing off on maintaining the summoning circle because he could feel it starting to put a bit of a strain on himself. Amon was a powerful demon, the circle was small, and thus unstable despite the Hotsuin efficiency, and Yamato had to do another summoning after this as well. At least they proved that demons could be pulled from alternative worlds - Cerberus's summoning should be easy.

So he gave Ideo's hand a warning squeeze, signalling that he should hurry this up a bit.

[Closed] Time For Closure!

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