towerofanimus | I started writing the ending... I said too much. And you just kept on pretending... for both of us.

Entry tags:

I started writing the ending... I said too much. And you just kept on pretending... for both of us.

Characters: Ganta Igarashi, Wretched Egg, Hagire Rinichiro
Setting: Floor One/Cafeteria for breakfast; Floor Ninety/Lagoon around noon; Floor Seventy-Four/Cavern [closed thread] around afternoon; then ANYWHERE after the incident on that floor
Format: Will start prose, but will also match.
Summary: The first two places, he will be all mopey and sadface at whoever approaches. Floor Seventy-Four shenanigans will ensure, then the last place will be for him ~~FREAKING THE HELL OUT~~ attempting to properly register what just happened. Good times.
Warnings: First Place: Sadness and anger--he might try to chase people off with apathetic words.
Second Place: Possibility of abrupt ending of thread. Spontaneous chest pain will have him trying to leave whoever he's talking to. Stubborn characters welcome.
Third Place: [CLOSED] There will be a great deal of violence/anger/mindfuckery in this one, possibly?
Fourth Place: Characters who get their feelings hurt easily should approach him with caution.
Also: Language.

[FLOOR ONE | CAFETERIA]

He can be seen sitting in the far corner, picking at his food. He doesn't look happy, to say the least. This past--wait how long has it been? A week? Two weeks? Month?... Whatever the case, now that he has no idea where (or how) Shiro is, he's definitely finding it difficult to really even care (to say the least). This place is bad enough, as it is. The black-haired teenager really has no desire to fight against this place, anymore. Not that he wishes to die, or anything--he simply has no desire to give a fuck about what the Tower does. Heck, he couldn't die in this place, even if he wanted... right?

Sighing, he plops his head down beside his plate, idly staring at the wall beside him. Huh. He's isn't hungry, after all.

With an empty expression on his face, he slides the fork around on the plate for a moment. After a couple of minutes, he slowly stands and gathers his things. After a moment's pause, he is carrying everything to the back. Forget it... He shouldn't have even bothered trying to eat, since it had turned into a waste of time. He pauses after setting his plate down, staring at the wall a moment--he is obviously deep in thought, for a good thirty seconds.

His movements are slow as he turns and begins leaving. Maybe he should just go back to his dorm room and sleep. Yeah, sleeping actually sounds like the best thing...

Even if it is still early in the day.

[FLOOR NINETY | LAGOON]

He stares up at the water fall, a blank stare resting on his face. He had decided against going back to bed, though he doesn't look too terribly happy about this decision. Suddenly, his expression tenses and he clenches his teeth, his hand shooting to his chest. He blinks as the pain vanished as quickly as it had shown up. What was that, just now? He hasn't felt that pain in... a while.

Shifting, slightly, he blinks as a head suddenly emerges from the water. Oh, right... this place has mermaids. Looking away, he leans back and begins staring up at the ceiling. Strange how easy it is to forget exactly where you are, when you enter a floor such as this one...

[FLOOR SEVENTY-FOUR | CAVERN]

His chest had finally stopped hurting, so he was back to distracting himself via exploration. He has never been on this floor, before... The cavernous floor is actually really cool, in his opinion. It does not take long, though, before he suddenly realizes something that sends a chill down his spine.

He is lost.

Looking around, his eyes widen drastically. It is dark, too, so that definitely does not help matters, at all. Just as he can hear a growl from somewhere within the cavern, the familiar and intense pain cuts into his chest. Eyes snapping shut, he drops to a knee and grips it with one hand--his other hand pressing against the wall, a pained sound escaping him. Damn it...

Why is it so much worse, this time?!

The black-haired teenager can hear what sound similar to footsteps. He's unable to tell where they're coming from, though, considering the way the sound is being carried. Slowly opening his eyes, he fights through the pain to stand. Someone (or... something?) is in here with him. Turning his body towards where he guesses the sound is coming from, he freezes. What if it's a monster? This place is dark...

Damn it, why did he even come here?!

[ANYWHERE]

He doesn't even know where he's going, or even that he's running. All he knows is that he has to go. Breathing heavily, it is obvious he has been running for quite some time. The tears have long stained his face, and he is looking similar to someone who just witnessed the murder of a loved one.

Really, that is how it feels, though... Like he just lost someone dear to him.

Suddenly, he is falling, without even the desire to catch his balance. He lands face-down on the floor, and does not even bother getting up, at first. He lays there, the visions of the incident, earlier, playing over and over in his mind. That... was all a dream... right? It wasn't real... right? He imagined it, didn't he? The Tower can do that! It can make you see things that aren't actually there! So... that has to be it.

"It's not... real," he whispers, but the next sentence is choked out as a whimpered sob manages to escape, "Why is this happening?!"

He curls into a ball, as though he does not even care that he is in the middle of the floor; and, really, he doesn't. He doesn't care who sees him. He just wants it all to go away. This is all too cruel to be any form of reality, and... just... The irony of it all! She had been his friend.

Ganta's voice returns to a whisper, but the whimpering sound remains. "Shiro...why...?!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The growing quickly turns into a roar. But just as suddenly, it turns into a pained squeal after a red flash of blood, spattering all over the wall, and onto Ganta's face. "G͢o̸͏ţ̕͡cha̵.͡ ̡̡✩̨" In seconds, the monster is eviscerated, as Mockingbird licks his own finger clean of the blood he used. "Aha, these monsters break too easily. Their flimsy bodies weren't made for lo-"

Oh? What's this? "Woodpecker? Is that you, over there? ✩" Hagire squints, and suddenly claps his hands. "Are you playing, too? Aha, what a surprise! I didn't know she'd want you to come, too!"

Casually stepping over the bits of meat that only vaguely resembles the monster it once was, Hagire approached Ganta, some of his blood trickling down the ripped seams near his wrists and forearms. "We play this game a lot, you know. But you've been keeping Shiro so busy that she couldn't find the time to show her love for me anymore. You've been really selfish, Ganta-kun! ✩"

The spray of blood doesn't even register in his mind, as his eyes are planted on the creature being... destroyed. He had not even noticed it, actually. The black-haired teenager's eyes widen at the familiar voice, and he is slowly lifting his eyes to the source of it.

"T-Toto-san?"

Hand still gripping his chest, he flinches for a moment, before looking up and watching the other Deadman approach him. Fortunately, the pain subsides for a moment, and he relaxes into the relief. Now, onto the mentioning of who he's assuming is Shiro...

"Wait," his eyes widen, "Shiro's here?!"

There's hope in his voice, no doubt. He hasn't seen her in... who knows how long... The days have begun to merge together, making it impossible for him to have any concept of time.

Edited 2013-09-18 01:58 (UTC)

"I'm a little disappointed, Woodpecker. After all that hype about you from the Carnival Corpse, I didn't think I'd have to save you like that. Oh, well, I guess Crow and Hummingbird weren't at the top of their game. ✩" After that taunt, he flicked some of the excess blood off of his sleeve. He was about to walk off, when Ganta mentioned Shiro.

"Shiro? She's--" Oh. Right. Ganta still doesn't know about that... well. This might just be fun after all. "Aha, she's expecting me to keep things competitive. There's no Carnival Corpse here, so this monster hunting game was the next best thing for her! She loves these kinds of games, you know. ✩"

At least, Wretched Egg does. "So, you playing, or not? I can't talk forever."

Ganta frowns at the taunt, before shifting slightly. He had fought those two because he had to. Still, though, those words creep under his skin. Woodpecker quickly finds himself irritated, mostly at his own weakness. He is so tired of being rescued...

"She loves these kinds of games...?" That doesn't sound too far off, yet something seems very off about that.

The question brings a slightly startled expression. Oh, that's right. Toto had mentioned hunting monsters, together, sometime. Also, Shiro's here...

Put that way, he really has no choice. He'd been worried about her, so seeing her would be nice. Also, something seems off with Toto's words in regards to his childhood friend, "Okay."

"She was in Deadman Wonderland, wasn't she?" Honestly, Ganta, haven't you ever stopped to ask yourself why she was there? Why she's been there so long that she knows the entire place like the back of her hand, including how to get into G-Block when more than half of the prison doesn't even know that place exists?

"There's a reason she survived as long as she did in Deadman Wonderland, you know. And that strength didn't come from eating nothing but candy. ✩"

Mockingbird froze after another step, holding out his hand, indicating that Ganta should freeze. "Aha, another monster! Three Mirelurks! ✩" The blood leaking from his forearms began swirling immediately.

"If you're playing, that means you're competing against me and Shiro. And she's probably killed half this floor already. Better hurry up!"

The blood near Mockingbird's arm began taking a coherent shape. "Br̕an̕ch of ̛Si͘n:́ ̨Lo̷v̸e L̵aby̨r̷i̢ńt̨h. " Hagire said, his voice getting just a bit crazier. And in a flash, that blood on his arm formed a very familiar shape; or at least, a shape that SHOULD be famiiar to Ganta, because there was now a blade sticking out of his arm that extended very quickly, and with a simple jerk of his arm, sheared one of the claws off one of the Mirelurks. And the rest were charging. ".͞. Cr҉ow ͝Claw. ✩"

Ganta is in denial about these things--perhaps his own subconscious refuses to connect the dots, simply due to the fact that ignorance is bliss. Unconsciously, he already knows the truth--so, it could simply be his own mind protecting him from the pain. The black-haired Deadman tenses his brow at the words about her surviving Deadman Wonderland for so long. Turning his head to the side, away from Toto, he appears to be thinking about the words. By the time he glances up, he is very lightly bumping into an outstretched hand.

"Huh, wh-...?"

Ganta is only able to stare. The creatures before them are huge! The teenager hasn't had very much experience with the monsters around the Tower, so this is definitely a shocker. By the time he snaps out of it, the other Deadman is taunting him.

He doesn't care about winning, really. The only reason he's participating is for the chance of happening upon his friend--nothing more, nothing less. Still, though...

Biting down on his thumb with enough force to pierce the skin, he bares down and tears a small chunk of flesh away. Blood rushed to the palm of his hand and he took aim. Within seconds, he manages to shoot one in the chest--of course, that barely does anything. They're still coming.

When his eyes land on the blade-shaped Branch of Sin, he freezes up a bit. That's... Senji's. His breath hitched within his throat, a sharp expression of surprise filling his face. This guy can use more than one Branch of Sin--not only that, though, but... other people's...

Eyes snapping forward, he realizes the creatures are gaining on him. Turning, he takes off running, blood rushing to the center of his hand, again. Looking back, he aimed for one of their--um...heads, and fires. Surprisingly, to him, he does manage to hit one right in what appears to be a sideways mouth.

There's a sudden flash of light, chains of blue hexagons appearing out of nowhere and slicing through air, rocks and monsters, indifferently. There are inhuman screams as the monsters collapse on the floor all around Ganta and a smug wicked laughter in the background. One Ganta will probably recognize immediately because there's no way one can forget a laughter like this one.

"Ksha~"

Alighted on top of a rock, partly hidden in shadows is a slim figure, definitely female. She's wearing a purple body suit and the upper half of her face is covered with the Red Man's mask. Ribbons of blood dance around her mittenless scarred hands.

"You've been stalling again, Mockingbird~"

And then only does she seem to notice Ganta. Her Branch of Sin subsides and she stands there for a moment, staring at him silently through the holes of her ragged mask. Before she starts chuckling again.

"Finally~"

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Ganta. Their shells are like armor, and you need to look for weak po-"

And suddenly, the monsters in front of both of them are quite literally ripped to shreds, exploding in clouds of red mist as if someone shoved them into woodchippers. The telltale blue hexagons reveal to him immediately who was behind it, causing Hagire to clap his hands, and laugh at the gruesome display of raw power.

"I think you can see I had a good reason," Mockingbird says cheerfully, turning to Ganta. "As if my love for you could be stalled by anyone or anything else. ✩"

Hagire leaped backwards, backflipping near the slim, masked figure. Ganta had certainly never seen Wretched Egg without her armor. "I thought you knew me better than that... Wretched Egg. ✩"

The monsters...

Before even another second is given to register, however, that laugh. The sickening feeling presses into his gut and his eyes are completely widened. Looking up, his entire body goes rigid. It's... Wretched Egg. Instinctively, his teeth clench together, a glare appearing on his face. His voice immediately rings out, angrily.

"You..."

His hand tenses and blood rapidly swirls towards the palm of his hand; although, that is right before he realizes something. Toto's words lurk in the back of his mind--those words that he's been somewhat taunted with, since his arrival here. Pushing them to the back, though, he glares--

--and fires.

Wretched Egg pretty much ignores Hagire's antics. She's used to them and her whole attention's on Ganta.

When he shoots, her eyes widen a bit. She truly should have been expecting that from Ganta. And yet, for some reason, she didn't. Well if it's how he wants it, she'll roll with it. It's been so long since they last got to play together after all.

She aims a new attack straight at Ganta's blood projectile. When the two attacks collide, there's an explosion of such intensity that it's bound to send them both flying into opposite directions. The flash of light that comes with it is blinding too. When it subsides, Wretched Egg seems to have disappeared.

Yet she's still here. Standing right behind Ganta and looking down at him with that grin still on her face.

"You know it's not what this game is about, right~? Or did Mockingbird forget to tell you about the rules?"

Edited 2013-09-18 19:34 (UTC)

Well, he saw this coming, from a mile away. He's a bit surprised that Ganta still hasn't quite realized this is Shiro, or even that it's clear that his 'Red Man' is actually female, but Ganta probably only saw the mask and the grin so far. "Careful, Ganta, you might--"

Wait. Wretched Egg's own attack was about to collide with Ganta's--

Hagire quickly throws up a copy of Yosuga's blood shield to brace for the incoming shockwave. He knew that Branch of Sin Sorae developed was specifically designed to counteract Wretched Egg's own raw, destructive power, and when they reacted like this, it was always violently. He's pushed back, and he feels his stitches strain with the effort.

"Of course I told him, come on, you knew he'd react like this. He doesn't understand our love. ✩"

His eyes widen the second she returns fire. The moment the explosion happens, he lets out a startled cry. Without even time to brace himself, Ganta is being flung backwards. The bright light forces his eyes shut, and he tenses against the following impact. His body slams hard against the wall of the cave, and he helplessly bounces off of it. Landing with a slight 'oof' on the floor, the teenager barely pauses to catch his breath. Naturally, the black-haired Deadman is automatically moving to his feet, soon after; and, eyes darting around the room, a worried expression appears. A certain someone is nowhere to be seen. Shit!

Quickly righting himself, he has a looming feeling of dread. Ganta's breath hitches in his throat, and he slowly turns his head. Just then, he hears the voice and his body goes rigid, yet again. Without a moment's pause, he stumbles away from the Wretched Egg, a faint gasp escaping him. How... did...?

It's not until then, that he really begins to notice something. Something is trying to click, but... no. It can't be. There's something wrong, here--he can feel it, but...

His heart begins to race, his breathing escalating. Toto's words sound muffled in the distance and time momentarily seemed to slow down. Staring wide-eyed at the person in front of him, there's a familiar feeling lurking between them. It feels like there's something missing--something obvious. Why is he so afraid to know what it is...?

He's abruptly snapped from the thoughts. Gripping his chest against the piercing pain, he gives a confused glare to the masked... woman. His voice escapes through gritted teeth, eyes narrowed in a pained way.

"Who are you?!"

Edited 2013-09-18 21:48 (UTC)

"I actually thought you'd managed to convince him to come play with us~ You know, by our rules~ But well, nevermind."

She stares back at Ganta, still smiling. Nothing in her expression betrays what she's thinking. And still contradictory feelings are bubbling inside of her. Anger, sadness, pain... And Shiro's love for Ganta. The reason why Wretched Egg could never hurt Ganta (or rather she could not kill him at least because she already did hurt him a lot if you think of it).

"You mean you've forgotten meeting me before~?"

Edited 2013-09-18 23:18 (UTC)

"Ahh, that's right... you've never seen her without the armor, have you? I admit, it's not that flattering to her figure." Which was kind of the point, he knows. He turns to Wretched Egg, the blood shield starting to vanish as it turns back into liquid, sliding back into his veins.

He can tell Wretched Egg is a bit conflicted here. She always had been when it comes to Ganta, when she would kill virtually anyone except maybe Hagire himself without a second thought or any kind of hesitation whatsoever. Well... except for maybe Azami, but. That was an isolated incident.

"He said he was going to. I guess he changed his mind. ✩" A shrug from Mockingbird. "I'm at thirty-three," he continued, almost ignoring Ganta completely. "It's starting to get hard to find monsters. Don't tell me you cleared the place out already?"

His body is trembling just a bit. This is the same one--the one who killed all of his friends. He already knew that, but... he never realized it had been a woman. Toto's voice still sounds relatively muffled at first, but it gradually begins to come back--and he's talking about the stupid game! Clenching his teeth, Ganta's voice erupts.

"Shut up, already! Tell me what's going on!" He takes a step closer to the Wretched Egg, "Who the hell are you?!"

Ganta can definitely feel it--that something that he is missing. It's eating away at him, now. Who is this person, and why the hell does it feel like he should know them? They obviously know him, but not simply for the reason that they killed his friends. Why did they kill his friends?! They could have just as easily killed him, as well; but, they didn't! They left him alive, to be sent to a prison... where...

Suddenly breathing felt a little more difficult than usual. All those things that happened added up way too easily as something planned. No. That's too much! All of it is just way too much. Why the hell would anyone want to do something like that to someone?!

"You sure you're ready for that answer~?"

Without warning Wretched Egg closes the distance between them again. She stretches out one arm and presses her palm flat against Ganta's chest, right above his heart. But she's not attacking him. She's mimicking a gesture Shiro did back then, when he arrived in Deadman Wonderland.

"What's your heart telling you?"

Her tone is flat but there's not that mocking edge to it anymore. She's serious. And her free hand is already reaching for her mask. Not taking it off yet but she will, if that's what he wants.

There's the Ganta he knows. This is going somewhat differently than he did the first time he found out Wretched Egg's true identity, when he shot off her mask when she was able to narrowly dodge a shot from his Ganbare Gun; probably because she didn't want to die quite yet, not until Ganta knew the truth about her.

But this is dreadfully boring. Where's the fighting? He knew Ganta was hesitating, now that he's starting to go into denial mode. "What is this, a bad Aceman reboot?" Hagire spat, crossing his arms in disgust.

"She's who she always was. Always had been. The hero that came for her when the one she wanted left when she needed him the most. I've loved her ever since. ✩"

Ganta blinks at the sudden close of space, his eyes widening the moment she puts a hand to his chest. He clenches his teeth at her words, before his eyes closely move to the next one speaking. Toto's words make it worse. Is this what the other Deadman had been teasing him about? He'd been implying that it's her...? Just... it can't be. It's too cruel, illogical, and... ironic... Ganta takes a step away from masked figure.

No, no, no, no, no!!!

It's a lie! They're... playing some sort of sick joke!

"You're lying! Both of you! Stop messing around!" His hands clench into fists in a way that appears he is inwardly screaming 'prove it!'.

He is suffering. Ganta... He has never been able to face hardships... until Wretched Egg made sure he came to Deadman Wonderland. And even when he was brought there, Wretched Egg still had to shake him out of his torpor.

She looks at him for the longest time, glaring a bit at Hagire when he speaks up. Because he speaking the truth, and truth hurts as they say.

"You wouldn't be so upset if you truly thought we were lying."

She turns her back to Ganta so that he can't see her face anymore. Then she throws her mask behind her, like a newly wed throws her bouquet behind her for single women to catch it. Unless Ganta would avoid it, it'd fall right into his hands.

"But it takes courage to face the truth. So... are you strong enough?"

It's a dare. Plain and obvious. Come Ganta. Come face her. Accept the truth. She's been giving you enough hints already.

So this was her big plan. He was about to start taunting Ganta some more, when Wretched Egg turned away, and took off the mask. Well, that figures. Ganta ruined his fun with her once again, only this time, it was for an entirely different reason, and by an entirely different means of doing so.

Love always was irrational.

When the Wretched Egg clearly issued her challenge to Ganta, Hagire just shrugs. "Guess that means the game is on hold," he complained, his voice barely above a whine. "Go on, then, Ganta. Take it from me, my beloved doesn't take disappointment very well. ✩"

The mask lands, perfectly, in his hands and he can only stare down at it. The words rang loudly in his mind, for a moment. She had called him on his lie. He exhaled somewhat shakily, before looking up at the now mask-less figure. The Deadman behind him speaks and he turns at his name being spoken. Giving Toto a long stare he furrows his brow.

... He knows the answer, before he even turns and takes the first step forward.

It takes him a moment to take the second step. His chest hurt--but it wasn't for the usual reason. No, this time it was from something entirely different. When gray eyes finally land on the familiar face, they don't actually widen. Instead he momentarily just stares. Seeing it is entirely different from simply knowing it. Seeing it feels more-or-less like a punch to his very heart.

Wretched Egg waits quietly. She's said all she had to say. The rest is up to Ganta. But deep down, she kinda knows he has it in him. If he really wants to.

When he makes that first step, she hears and her breath catches in her throat. But she doesn't move. Her instincts tell her that she's not protecting 'Shiro' by doing that. Quite the opposite. She's exposing her as much as she possibly could.

But she can't hide it any longer. She glances at Ganta as he takes that second step. She finds him staring back at her, calmly, as if he were sleepwalking. She averts her gaze and the corners of her mouth turn down bitterly. She hates what she's become. She hates herself so much right then.

"Your Shiro has changed a lot since you left her, hasn't she?"

She sounds a bit sarcastic as she says that, as if she was mocking both Ganta and herself. Though what she's truly meant to say is 'See? It's me. It's been me the whole time. ...But you wouldn't see me. You think you're hurting right now but you have no idea how this felt for me'.

"Aha, it's poetic! ✩" Hagire exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Poor little Woodpecker. He doesn't realize just how much of the forest he's destroyed." He pauses, and sings. "He touched his friends and they all died... ✩"

He playfully skips towards Shiro, almost dancing as he does. "Shiro waited so long for Aceman to come save her, and he never did. So she became the Aceman she needed. So much death... I loved each and every irrational moment of it." He hopped up on a rock, pushing aside some monster guts to do so. He sat down, his legs swinging childishly, that psychotic grin never leaving his face. "And now, we're here. Our world destroyed, everyone we loved gone. With Shiro only having me to take care of her, just like old times. And here, nobody can die. Not me, not you, and not Shiro. Why not enjoy it?"

Hagire picked up one of the bones nearby, twirling it between a few fingers. "You never asked yourself why the Wretched Egg let you live? Or me, for that matter? Most people aren't that lucky. Deep underneath all that anger and rage was just a poor, sad, scared, lonely girl you left behind, while all those mean, scary monsters experimented on her to bring out her power. So what do you do when the hero doesn't show up? You become an even scarier, bigger monster and eat all the others. I knew from then on that I loved her. Understand now, Woodpecker? ✩"

The mocking definitely doesn't help. Gray eyes widen, before darting back to the green-haired man--and his words...

... they actually cause Ganta's expression to turn a bit, well, horrified could be the right word. The teenager blinks a couple of times, appearing to come out of whatever daze he had been in. He does understand. It's... his fault. It's all his fault, isn't it? He did this to Shiro. To that, Ganta's expression tenses into an angry one--and to accompany this anger? Well, tears, of course. He's angry. Not at Toto. Not at Shi-... Wretched Egg. At himself.

He's pissed off at himself for letting it come to something like this--... for a moment, anyway.

The anger slowly builds upwards and towards the two standing in front of him. Well, the anger is more towards Toto--and it is more-so that he is hurt by the other--by the one he used to only know as Shiro. Whether the hurt can be justified, or not, is something he does not care to get into. It doesn't matter if it's right. It just is. It just hurts, and he's feeling rather... bitter, because of just how much. He allows one of the last words to stand out at him, to be repeated. The tone of his voice is shaky, almost as though he is trying very hard not to scream.

"Love...?"

Somehow it doesn't sound, at all, like love this guy's feeling. Obsession, maybe? Whatever, it doesn't matter. For the moment, he can't find his voice to say anything more. Maybe he's still processing. Or maybe... he's too busy not firing his Ganta Gun directly at that stupid fucking smile on Toto's face. For now, at least.

Darres was always a busy body, always doing something or another to keep him preoccupied in the tower. Ishtar had been acting peculiar and secretive, something he hasn't done for awhile. Normally Darres would be okay with this--to some extent, but given the nature of this tower, he wasn't so sure. Perhaps he should consider being around her more just in case she was up to no good. The feeling was almost...nostalgic, really.

On the way to his next destination, the knight stumbled upon a boy curled up on the floor. Naturally Darres felt compelled to help him to the best of his ability. He rushed over to the other knelt down beside him, his arms hovered not sure if he should touch him. It was unwise to touch someone who might be in shock after all.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?" When he got a better look, he noticed it was Ganta, the boy he had met previously several days ago. "Ganta?"

Ishtar wasn't tat far behind Darres. She was taking her rounds about the Tower and found him wandering. She followed him there, with a brief smile on her face. She knew she was behaving strangely but it was better that he didn't know. She wasn't planning anything particularly amazing or bad. It was out of good intention and with the help she received, she wanted to do what she could to make the best thing ever for Darres.

She then caught him running towards a fallen boy and Ishtar herself broke out into a run as soon as Darres made the move.

"Darres!" she called to him as she ran towards him. When she got to the scene where Darres was trying not to touch Ganta and her recognizing who the boy curled on the ground was she fell to her knees.

"Ganta?!"

She pushed her hands forward, "Hey, hey stay with me okay!?"

Because she's not sure what to expect from his position. She was going to at least attempt to heal his wounds if she could and if he had any to begin with. When she saw him like that, she thought he was hurt without second guessing herself.

Gray eyes snapped open at the voice and a glare was sent straight towards Darres. He started to open his mouth, tell him to get the hell away. He was angry... hurt... betrayed. AGAIN, he had trusted someone, and...just...

Who needed friends?!

Then, he heard another familiar voice. Immediately his expression softened a bit, and he turned his head a bit to the woman from the video. He tensed at her gesturing her hands towards him. What the hell was going on? He slowly moved to get up, flinching a tiny bit. Only once he was in an upright position, did he completely tense and move a hand to his chest. It was still hurting a bit...

"I'm fine, okay? Just... leave me alone."

He didn't sound especially harsh. In fact, he sounded sort of pathetic, in his own opinion. They'd both been so nice. Of course, that was the reason he wanted them to just go. He didn't want to hurt their feelings, but the way he felt, right now...

Abruptly, he moved to stand, but... it was no good. His body refused to listen, and he was glaring as he plopped back onto the floor.

"Damn it..."

He glimpsed at Ishtar when he heard his name. "Ishtar." No titles, just her name. It took him quite awhile to cut the habit, but really it meant nothing here and their relationship was also different. They were more like equals too than anything.

The piercing glare only served to stop the beat of his heart momentarily, outwardly, Darres showed no signs of being bothered by it. Considering the fact that Ganta was acting radical in comparison to the last time he saw him. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe the tower had something to do with it. The knight exchanged another glance at Ishtar who possibly had the same thought as he did.

"Do you want to tell us what's wrong?" His voice was soft yet stern. It was clear it was still able to hold a sense of power in his town.

"Hey Darres," she gave him a weak smile for his comment. She was used to it and she preferred that he called her just Ishtar. It made her feel more comfortable knowing that.

Ishtar caught his brief look and gave Darres a questionable look for that expression. At least, when he heard her he calmed down. Hell, she was worried he might have lashed out on his defense. It seemed like something happened and neither Darres nor Ishtar knew what and they needed to find out. She frowned at him when he said that. She didn't move from her spot.

"You are not fine and no I'm not leaving a boy on his own out here, especially when that boy might be injured for all I know. Darres agrees with me on that. Talk to us. We're not going to hurt you, Ganta."

Ishtar spoke firmly following Darres' lead. She didn't have to ask Darres for his reply because she knew he felt the same way. She knew how he was and she was worried that they might not be able to do much for this poor boy.

"See you're injured. Lay still so I can heal you."

She firmly responded and began to recite her incantations, allowing them to roll off her tongue as if it were natural.

He gave them each a stubborn frown, before looking away. It wasn't any of their business, was it? Why the hell did they care, anyway? They didn't know him. It's not like they were friends. Even if they were, it wouldn't matter, right?

It'd only be a matter of time before something would happen, "It's... nothing, okay?"

He held that expression until he heard the part about Ishtar healing him. His brow furrowed at that; and, at the chanting, his eyes widened. Snapping his head towards Ishtar, he immediately propped up on his elbows, giving her a look of sheer confusion... and even a bit of fear.

"W-wait, what are you doing?"

Darres wasn't quite sure what it was that happened, but he felt as if the boy was trying to push them away. Rather than pressing for answers, he thought it would be best they chose a more subtle route. "It doesn't matter what happened." Not in the context that Ganta should feel like he should get over it, but rather, Darres and Ishtar didn't need to know what happened. It. Didn't. Matter.

What did matter though, was his safety. His peace of mind. A sense of security. None of that was present and that's what they worried about the most. "Whatever happened was probably beyond our control. Ishtar--" No that's not right. "We want to make sure you're okay." It was plain and simple. It was just details and Ganta was still the same Ganta he remembered meeting back in the aquarium.

Ishtar didn't respond for a while, since she went out o commission to heal Ganta's injuries. Eventually, no matter how shocked and scared Ganta was, his injuries or whatever was hurting him, stopped. Ishtar pulled back her hands to finally answer what Darres was saying about his situation. She would very much like to know what was going one because she was worried about a little boy sprawled across the floor somewhere in the tower.

Since Darres beat her to the punch and already said his lines, she didn't have much of a choice but to play along with it, even if she didn't like it. She replied though giving him a small smile.

"It's called healing. People from my world can use magic to heal others and it does wonders when you're in a severely life threatening situation. Sorry to surprise you. I should have warned you ahead of time," she replied nodding her head, "The important thing is that you're okay. That's what matters right now. You don't have to tell me exactly what happened, but don't tell me everything's okay because it's not."

She could see right through him at this point. Ishtar learned to pick up a few details here and there because of her terrible lifestyle for the past four and half years or more.

He wanted to say something in response to Darres, but he had suddenly realized something... and it was causing his eyes to widen, a bit. The pain was just... vanishing. Looking down at himself, he patted at his midsection and chest--almost as though in a slight state of shock over his own body. He sat up, then blinked at Ishtar. Magic? Oh, right... there were people there that claimed to know magic--real magic.

When she made it known she knew he was not fine, he sighed. Looking down, he reached up to scratch the back of his head. After a couple of seconds, he spoke. He knew which one of them would know what he was talking about--or rather, somewhat know...

"Shiro..." His shoulder shook a bit, and he put a hand to his forehead, "It wasn't her, though. It wasn't... it was someone else. A monster that... It was all that monster's fault that I was put there. But it was her..."

Shirou was the girl he spoke of from his world. Darres had a vague idea of her, but only by those details. Ganta hadn't exactly been generous with information. He wasn't quite sure what the boy was referring to but he was building a rough idea.

"What is this monster at fault for?"

He was at least relieved to see that Ishtar's healing magic had full effect.

Ishtar only offered him a small reassuring smile for his surprise. She wanted him to trust her after all. She didn't want to think she was some scary person, or out to get him. Ishtar wasn't trying to add salt to his wounds but it was better to let it out than keep it all in. She knew that. She had started to hide things, bottle things where it hurts every time she thought about it.

"Shiro? Is she someone you know?"

She looked over at him and then towards Darres who seemed to know what was minourly going on. She was grateful that Darres knew something about his situation. It would help him in a long run if someone knew.

"That monster killed all my friends!" He nearly screamed the words, before tears began streaming down his face, "It's that monster's fault that I ended up in that horrible place!"

He leaned forward so that his face was buried against his knees, his voice suddenly sounding almost completely drained, "That's why it's a lie. It has to be a lie. Her... of all people?"

He then seemed to realize Ishtar had asked who Shiro is. Sitting up, his face now stained with additional tears, he gives her an almost blank expression. There's a strange... empty feeling creeping into his chest. The sadness is somehow finding itself being replaced by this feeling of apathy--what's the point, now? Shiro is... that monster. She's the one who had him sent to prison. She murdered everyone...

"Shiro and I grew up together. She was my only friend when I first arrived here. She... disappeared for a little while, but now..."

He flinches and looks down. Ganta realizes he isn't making much sense, but he's conflicted. There's no way he wants them to know what he is--after all, besides the healing, they both seem... relatively normal. Normal people would be terrified of his ability, right?

It was a very strange circumstance, and Darres quiet honestly wasn't sure how to digest this information. He still didn't know who Shiro was outside of what Ganta has already mentioned to him. It was unsettling that he was confused as to how to help the boy, but he wasn't about to give up because he didn't know how. The knight rested a gloved palm on the top of Ganta's head as if to try and sooth him. His touch was gentle and even his expression had considerably softened.

"We'll figure something out, Ganta. Don't give in just yet."

Perhaps he should make the effort to hunt down this Shiro and speak to her directly.

"I'm sorry, Ganta."

Ishtar's voice came out as a low whisper, listening to the boy speak about his friends being killed. This was the kind of thing she wanted to avoid with children. She didn't want them to suffer because they had no other choice. She didn't want them to have this kind of life.

"That's awful...really awful. I wish I could do something to help."

She replied finally giving in and pulling the boy towards him after Darres' initial reaction to the hand on his head. Even if he told her was abnormal, it wouldn't change her opinion of him. She was the same, abnormal, and having abilities that other people don't have.

The hand on his head caused him to blink, before slightly lifting his head to look up at Darres. Of course, there wasn't much time for him to process the kind action, before another one was taking place--this time by the woman. It was a little unwelcome, at first, considering... well, he doesn't know her all that well.

Of course, he was too tired to so much as think, much less shove away from Ishtar. His expression softened and he closed his eyes, resting his head on her shoulder. Yeah, he was... drained. There was no getting around that fact. Still, he managed to find his voice enough to mutter under his breath.

"There's nothing either of you can do..."

Actually, those words brought back a twinge of anger. His own words reminded him of something--something that was a slap to his face. Slowly pulling away from Ishtar, he tensed and looked down.

"It's my fault, anyway. I forgot about her. Because I was stupid enough to forget about my best friend... I got turned int-..."

His body stiffened a bit and he looked to the side a moment. Maybe he wanted them to know, after all. What's the point in hiding it in a place like that, anyway?

Sigh. Whelp, here goes nothing.

"I was turned into... something, the day my friends were killed. Now... I'm just like the very monster that killed all 21 of my friends." He didn't look up, instead opting for staring at the wall next to him, "If you don't want to help me, anymore, I understand. But I can't continue... letting you be nice to me, without knowing what you're helping."

Suddenly he bit down incredibly hard on his thumb, flinching ever-so-slightly as he ripped the skin. Holding his hand up so that they could see the fresh injury, the very blood seeping from the tear began to swirl into a spherical shape into the palm of his hand. Soon after, he let the shape fall onto his hand; and, suddenly, the blood suddenly appeared... quite normal, as it dripped onto the floor.

"That's what... the monster also did to me, ...on that day--turned me into a Deadman."

Turning to give them each a look of 'still wanna be my friend?', his expression appeared just a bit nervous. He liked these two... actually...

It wasn't until right then and there, that he realized he might actually be a little hurt if they turned and ran--not that he would be surprised, or anything

Darres listened to what Ganta had to say, and watched diligently when he was being explained to. Darres certainly wasn't familiar with this, of course it was foreign to him and his world.

"I don't think it matters what you are? Deadman or human?" People will always be different. That was part of what made living, here especially, Darres was open-minded and would easily accept anyone regardless of their background or origin. Something so trivial had little meaning to him.

"That doesn't change who you are as a person." He paused. "We won't abandon you over something like that."

"That doesn't mean we can't try," Ishtar replied to him, and trying to give him a brief smile for that comment. She knew what he meant and she understood it but it was better to think that they can try to get past this somehow, rather than assuming that there was nothing they can do, even if he's certain, Ishtar's not willing to believe it.

"Shit happens with friends. All you gotta do is apologize sincerely and try to make up for it in any way you can. If they're your friends, they'll forgive you, eventually. Even if it takes forever."

Ishtar didn't like hearing that, especially from a little boy no less. She didn't want him to suffer because he wasn't human anymore. She kept a firm grip on him still and tried what she could to at least reassure him that she wasn't the type of person to abandon people.

"Darres is right. It doesn't matter what you are or where you came from. Hell, your past doesn't even matter. You're here now, regretting and wanting to fix things. It's not something I would abandon someone for. Human or not, you're still living and breathing like everyone else."

She saw what he did to his thumb and what came out of it. She watched carefully and quietly, but it didn't faze her. She was used to it, people using multiple different types of abilities. She only pressed her hand on the thumb to heal it after a few minutes.

There was a brief look of disbelief at their reactions--what the hell was up with these two?

Maybe they weren't as normal as he had thought, maybe they really were just... that understanding and open-minded. Ganta felt stupid for judging them, out of fear of being judged. What a hypocrite, he'd been. When Ishtar healed him, he could feel the tears stinging his eyes. Again, with the tears. He really was just a fourteen-year-old boy.

He gave in and was leaning forward into the firm grip Ishtar had managed to keep on him. Really, he was relieved to have found these two--he couldn't deny that. As much as his mind screamed 'no, don't get comfortable', he actually needed it. He needed a friend, and here he had two. After the hell of Deadman Wonderland, followed by the hell of the tower, ... followed by the hell of finding out the truth about Shiro...

... He was just too exhausted to fight it. So he let himself cry, a little, promising himself it'd be the last time he looked that weak. When he spoke, it was a whisper--though, it should have been loudly enough for the both of them to hear.

"...Thank you."

The knight managed a soft smile. He acted as a child should act and even in the tower there was no changing that. Darres knew the harsh environment of the the tower and that the shock of something he didn't know from home became known to him here. It must have been hard on him.

"If you ever need help...we're here." They won't always have an idea of what to do, or if they could do anything at all, but they would support him to their fullest. "You're never alone." Not as long as they're around.

Ishtar stifled a small laugh at his disbelief. She assumed that he was not used to people like her or Darres for the matter. She didn't hold anything against him. She kept her smile at him as she waited patiently for his response. Ishtar hugged him tighter when she felt his tears and she could see it in his eyes. She did what anyone would do, hug and comfort, while hiding his face so he didn't have to feel to shameful about it. She knew how men and their prides were.

"You're always welcome. I might not be able to offer much either, but what little I can offer, I promise it will be meaningful. Darres too, of course."

She knew that Darres was always the way she was on certain things. Hell, Darres was even more caring than she could ever be, "Yeah, he's right. We'll make sure you're not alone."

Never alone...

It was a comforting thought, honestly. He tried not to hold onto those words--those promises he was being granted. He didn't say anything for a moment. When he was done crying, he wiped his face; and, leaning back, he let a sniffle escape. That was the last time, he silently promised himself. No more being pitiful...

And, really, why was he always so pitiful? He looked from Darres to Ishtar, then let out a sigh. He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned just a tiny bit.

"I appreciate that. Really, I do; but... you can't promise something like that, in a place like this. We... None of us know how long we'll be here. Or what could happen, period. But..."

He managed a smile, "But, I still feel the same way you do. As long as I'm here, I'm going to fight hard. So, thank you."

His expression turned firm, "I'll do whatever I can to help you guys, too. I'm done being weak! This place is too tough for anyone to lay around crying about everything! So I'm through acting like a little kid!"

Edited (just because I fail) 2013-10-19 04:16 (UTC)

"For long term, no. I can't promise anything. It's beyond my control." He would never purposely promise something he knows he can't keep. And so his vow of never letting Ishtar have reasons to cry could also never be kept here, but he had other promises, like being there for her to lean one when she was crying. The knight has compromised greatly since his arrival.

"We're here for you in the present." Always the present. It was the one place where promises had a chance of sticking.

"As long as we're here, you can come to us."

Just to clarify that he was being realistic with what he was trying to convey. Darres did enjoy the enthusiasm Ganta had. It meant the kid still had fight in him.

"You're not as weak as you think."

Ishtar wanted to make it a promise. She didn't want to break it. She didn't want to leave a child on his own. If she could help it, she'd rather he leave instead of her. Then he wouldn't be left alone. She was fairly okay with being left alone, and being left behind. Everyone she knew left, and she knew it was not by choice. Ishtar held him until he felt well enough to move away from her. She gave him a warm smile, watching.

"I'll keep it for as long as I can. Out of everyone I've known, I've always outstayed them. I can at least promise that."

Ishtar replied after a moment of silence. She didn't know how much longer she could push her luck, but right now it was fine to say that, because she wanted to believe in it.

"That's the spirit Ganta. Don't give up before the fight has started and thank you. I'm happy to know that you have my back as well."

She ruffled his hair now, because it was fitting and because Ishtar was just the type of person to do embarrassing things to people. She was glad that he was a lot better, that he seemed content. That was all she asked for really. She didn't want to give him false hope, but what little she had done for him so far, she would keep trying to do.

"Darres is right, you know? You're a hell of a lot stronger than I'll ever be at your age. I admire that about you," she chuckled, "Now, let's get you washed up. You look like a mess kiddo."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I started writing the ending... I said too much. And you just kept on pretending... for both of us.

Seventy Four

Re: Seventy Four

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Here she comes~

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Nice icon matching, Wretched Egg. <3

Thankies <3 How about this one~?

/stares at both

.../was likely way too amused by that

I think we all feel the same way about this XD We're mean muns, let's face it XD

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Sorry this is late ^^;

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/hides face at slowness

GOING WITH ANYWHERE

JUMPING THIS SHIP

I... am SO sorry for that, Darres.

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