so hard to reignite myself

[hachitaro]

Characters: Taro and you!
Setting: Various places around the Tower.
Format: Action, though I can roll with prose if you really want.
Summary: Taro's wandering more or less aimlessly, trying to run away from his own issues and failing badly.
Warnings: Depression, talk of death. I'll edit in things if they come up.


[Floor 4]
[He knows the legends, he's read and heard them again and again, but that doesn't stop him from rereading them. Taro sits in a chair, curled up with a book of Japanese myths. He's got it open to the chapter of the creation of Japan - even if the Izanagi he saw isn't the god from his world, if he ends up following similar patterns it's good for a refresher.]

[Still... if there are others with this kind of power aside from Yu and Jun... if the gods act like the ones distributing power in the Underground there's going to be trouble. He has no illusions that he can stand against a god, either here or at home.]

[But that doesn't mean he can’t try.]



[Floor 13]
[He's never been religious. There was really no need, when he was supernatural himself. Sure, he questioned where he came from or why he was there - but that was just what people did, not just humans.]

[Still, Taro sits on a pew near the back, knees pulled up to his chest. Sound doesn't travel as well here, and this place is usually pretty quiet... which is why it's okay here to just put his head down on his knees and cry.]

[Even if his world isn't gone, he is. There's no real getting around that. And while he's lived for almost a hundred and forty years, he didn't expect it to end so abruptly. Sure, he thought poking around might have been dangerous, and sure he was flippant until the end, but that didn't stop the fact that he had been truly terrified.]

[He's scared. He's scared for himself, because where is he going to even go? He's been good-hearted, but he hasn't been a good person, and he has no idea if that even matters in the end. He's scared for Toshiko - even if she tries to finish what he started, that doesn't mean she’ll succeed. He's scared for the whole Underground - he tried to keep the power struggles to a minimum, but with this kind of interference a lot of people could get hurt.]



[Floor 30]
[Taro stands in tanuki form, surrounded by mist and shivering. His fur is matted, and he looks thin - he doesn't have such a round belly anymore. He knows it's a monster in the mist, he knows he has to break free... but he's so tired. And he can hear her voice, even if it's just an illusion and a lie.]

'You idiot. Why did you have to go and die on me? Now I have to deal with this myself.'

… I know. I’m sorry. I never meant to leave you...

[He needs to get out of this, soon, but he just feels like he's going to fall asleep where he stands.]



[Floor 38]
[Taro is on one of the couches, curled up in human form. He looks all right, though he's tired, but there’s a thin trail of blood leading from the door to where he's lying down. It smells like blood, too.]

[He’s quiet, but if you approach him he'll turn to look at you.]

Comments

[hachitaro]

Grumbling vaguely, Taro just clings to him. Stupid... hurting a lot shoulder. What is coherency.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku shifted him until he was balanced properly and wouldn't fall and set off up the stairs. "Stay awake Taro."

[hachitaro]

"I'm trying." He holds on tightly, not trusting his grip at the moment. "Let's get going. I need somewhere to lie down that's more or less safe."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded, "I'm taking you to the infirmary." He continued up the stairs. He didn't trust the clear collared workers but he wasn't planning to leave Taro alone with them and he had to admit they knew much more about healing than he did.

He finally made it up to the top floor and into the elevator.

[hachitaro]

"Probably the better move..." He didn't trust them either, but he didn't have much of a choice right now. Taro reached out and poked the number on the elevator from atop Suzaku's shoulders.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded as the elevator started downwards. Once it stopped he climbed the stairs up to the infirmary. "Here we are."

[hachitaro]

"Thanks." He sighs, and shakes his head. "Sorry for the trouble."

[swordofzero]

"It is no trouble." He looked around for someone to tend to Taro.

[hachitaro]

One of the red-collared units came over to Taro and started disinfecting and wrapping his shoulder. Taro tried not to move too much, though he kept flinching while they worked.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku stayed near him, watching the workers carefully to make sure they did nothing to hurt Taro. "Are you alright?" He asked him after the fifth or sixth flinch.

[hachitaro]

"I'll be fine. I just hate doctors in general." The fear of dissection has an effect on that kind of thing and all.

[swordofzero]

"I dislike them also." Though that was mostly his own fault, still he had hated the looks they had given him whenever he had been hurt in battle, since those times were usually when he had caused most damage to others.

"But it seems like they are almost done."

[hachitaro]

"Yeah, I guess." After another minute or so, the worker withdrew, and Taro sighed, looking down.

"I feel kind of stupid, getting hurt like that."

[swordofzero]

"You shouldn't feel stupid, the monsters can take even fighters by surprise." He had been injured enough times by them, though he was getting better at learning their weaknesses.