[honestly? Akira doesn't expect an apology. he isn't sure he really needs one. he doesn't think of himself as a punching bag on which Akechi can release all of his pent up frustrations, but. . . he understands that Akechi is still harboring those tumultuous and violent feelings deep in his heart]
[it's sad, he thinks. and not for the first time since the events in the hull of Shido's ship. . . Akira wishes he could have done something]
[anything
[. . .]
It wasn't easy. [finally, the tension Akira was holding in his shoulders relaxes as he folds his warms and leans against the door] We changed Shido's heart to make him confess to his crimes. Then we had to change the hearts of the public to make them hold him accountable.
[. . .]
But we did it.
[. . .]
. . . it didn't feel right that you weren't there to do it with us, though.
["It wasn't easy." "It didn't feel right." Oh, please. This absolute idiot. He narrows his eyes at him, leveling him a look.]
Don't delude yourself. [Sharply.] Or have you already forgotten what I said to your teammate? I would've only kept getting in your way. Leaving me there was the best choice.
[Whatever!! He's ready to move on from this particular line of conversation.]
More importantly, what's this about changing the hearts of the public? Tell me everything that's happened since our last meeting.
[please Akechi!! Akira affixes him with a flat expression, but not before giving a very visible, very showy roll of his eyes]
. . . on that, we'll have to agree to disagree. The last thing any of us wanted to do was leave you there.
[and if Akechi tries to argue he'll push it more if he has to!! the events in that stupid ship still haunt him to this day, though. . . there isn't much to be done about it now. and this isn't about the niggling pang of guilt that worms its way into his brain in the depths of the night, either. this is about Akechi, and him, and all of the things that were never resolved between the two of them, and how they're supposed to go forward now that they're stuck in this stupid mansion]
[and Akechi changes the subject rather quickly, so with another exhale, Akira continues]
Shido won the election. But because we had changed his heart beforehand, he confessed to his crimes in his victory speech.
Despite this, the general public still wanted him to be prime minister. Their support of him in the wake of his confession was completely unnatural.
[a pause]
You remember Mementos, don't you? The public's Palace? We traveled into the Depths of Mementos in order to steal the public's treasure.
[Yeah, well... Akira can say whatever he wants, but it won't do anything to change Akechi's opinion of what transpired that day. Akira and his friends are still trash. Akechi is still dead. The two of them are still in this shitty, impossible mansion and Akechi is still glaring at him like he's nothing more than a idiot.
Once Akira begins to talk about Shido, however? That gets an immediate reaction out of him. It's not the fact his father won the elections, or even the change of heart. It's the fact that he confessed to his crimes, and nobody gave a damn. He tenses up, sucking in a sharp breath. When he exhales, it sounds more like an aborted attempt at a laugh than anything else.]
So even if I won, I still would have lost. That's— [So funny. Ha. Haha. He could have dragged his father's name to hell and back and society would have still accepted all of Shido's bullshit without batting an eye. How hilarious!
What a joke.]
... Go on. Get to the point. If you successfully stole the public's treasure as you claim, then you must already know what warped their cognition.
[a pause as Akira chooses his words carefully. debates on addressing the comment about losing even when winning. in the end, he lets it go. he really does need to get to the point]
The Holy Grail. That was their treasure.
And the Holy Grail was so powerful it became a god. A false god that imprisoned people's Shadows and controlled them into following popular opinion like sheep. A manifestation of their indolence.
[Despite being a hitman that crawls through a world of cognition to assassinate others, this is something that strikes him as just a little bit too unbelievable.
But, Akira has no reason to lie to him. Or, at least... There's no reason Akechi can come up with now, even as he spends a long moment staring at him, searching for something in his expression.]
... Is that so?
[Hm. Feels a little bit like rubbing salt in the wound, huh.]
Allow me to guess how the rest of your story goes, then. [Though there's not much left to tell.] You and your teammates fought this false god, and you won. This is why you're so certain you're alive.
[. . . well. that is the gist of it, isn't it? with some additions]
You asked me about the last thing I remember. The battle against Yaldabaoth occurred on December 24.
The last date I remember is March 20-- three months later. [AFTER LIKE TWO MONTHS IN JAIL but who is counting] My probation was over, so the rest of the thieves were taking me home.
... This is pretty saccharin, though, isn't it? A happy ending, all for Akira. He succeeded where Akechi failed. He defeated a god. He got to the end of his probation without any further incident as far as he's aware... And now? He gets to go home, surrounded by his dear, precious friends who cling to him like remora. How sweet!
He hates him so fucking much.
Whatever.]
I anticipated there would be discrepancies in our timelines, but to think it's been three months already... [He expected a week at most... Oh, well. At least he doesn't have to think about his corpse rotting in Shido's palace if the palace just straight up doesn't exist anymore.
But more importantly—
A beat.]
I've been dead for three months from your perspective and the first thing you thought to say was that ridiculous pun?
[Akira can't read minds, but he can imagine what's going through Akechi's head at the moment. he sets his jaw tightly, stomach once again curling with the guilt he doesn't verbalize. you should have been there]
[not for the road trip. for that he should've been in jail. but for taking down Shido, for fighting Yaldabaoth, for stealing the hearts of the public-- Akechi should've been there]
[. . .]
[anyway, Akira's response to Akechi's next comment is a bit wry]
There's no such thing as a manual on "how to greet someone you thought was super dead," you know.
[HE JUST SAID THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MIND HE'S SORRY]
. . . and yeah; there isn't. [the strangeness surrounding Akechi's circumstances aside] It's so weird that it could barely even be called a "normal" kidnapping.
Barely? [More like, at all.] At first, I thought it was a poor attempt at a joke. A dinner to die for.
[Since, you know, he's dead. A dinner you literally have to die before participating in.]
Thanks to you, that's no longer plausible. Operating under the assumption that it isn't just hyperbole, however... I can only think of a new, even worse possibility.
[Well.
Your friendly neighborhood hitman is obviously going to think of murder right away.]
... Haha, you never fail to surprise me. Even after facing the wishes of the masses you tried so hard to save, you continue to cling to your sense of "justice."
[You can almost hear the quotation marks...]
Let's make another deal, then. You won't say no, will you?
[apparently he'd just bounce back because SOME PEOPLE HAVE TRIED THAT]
[anyway, a flicker of surprise crosses Akira's expression, because he actually didn't expect Akechi to be the one of them to make that offer. doing so was on the tip of Akira's tongue from the very moment they entered this room together, so. . . it doesn't take much for him to agree]
. . .
Huh.
[but now without a slight curve of his lips, and a knowing quirk of his brow]
So you have changed.
[even if it's just a little bit]
[anyway, in response? he steps forward and offers Akechi his hand, so they can shake on it]
[and Akira wouldn't lie to himself by thinking otherwise. but Akechi coming to him with this proposal, even for his own convenience and selfishness, is still. . . something. a step up. a very tiny, very minuscule, step up]
[especially considering the last time they really worked together Akechi was actually plotting on murdering him]
[there's no part of Akira that changes his mind, so the handshake he gives his firm and pointed]
And I'm only agreeing because it's convenient for me.
[not. . . a lie. . . all Confidants are built upon an equal exchange]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
SHHH YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE THAT
[it's sad, he thinks. and not for the first time since the events in the hull of Shido's ship. . . Akira wishes he could have done something]
[anything
[. . .]
It wasn't easy. [finally, the tension Akira was holding in his shoulders relaxes as he folds his warms and leans against the door] We changed Shido's heart to make him confess to his crimes. Then we had to change the hearts of the public to make them hold him accountable.
[. . .]
But we did it.
[. . .]
. . . it didn't feel right that you weren't there to do it with us, though.
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Don't delude yourself. [Sharply.] Or have you already forgotten what I said to your teammate? I would've only kept getting in your way. Leaving me there was the best choice.
[Whatever!! He's ready to move on from this particular line of conversation.]
More importantly, what's this about changing the hearts of the public? Tell me everything that's happened since our last meeting.
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. . . on that, we'll have to agree to disagree. The last thing any of us wanted to do was leave you there.
[and if Akechi tries to argue he'll push it more if he has to!! the events in that stupid ship still haunt him to this day, though. . . there isn't much to be done about it now. and this isn't about the niggling pang of guilt that worms its way into his brain in the depths of the night, either. this is about Akechi, and him, and all of the things that were never resolved between the two of them, and how they're supposed to go forward now that they're stuck in this stupid mansion]
[and Akechi changes the subject rather quickly, so with another exhale, Akira continues]
Shido won the election. But because we had changed his heart beforehand, he confessed to his crimes in his victory speech.
Despite this, the general public still wanted him to be prime minister. Their support of him in the wake of his confession was completely unnatural.
[a pause]
You remember Mementos, don't you? The public's Palace? We traveled into the Depths of Mementos in order to steal the public's treasure.
no subject
Once Akira begins to talk about Shido, however? That gets an immediate reaction out of him. It's not the fact his father won the elections, or even the change of heart. It's the fact that he confessed to his crimes, and nobody gave a damn. He tenses up, sucking in a sharp breath. When he exhales, it sounds more like an aborted attempt at a laugh than anything else.]
So even if I won, I still would have lost. That's— [So funny. Ha. Haha. He could have dragged his father's name to hell and back and society would have still accepted all of Shido's bullshit without batting an eye. How hilarious!
What a joke.]
... Go on. Get to the point. If you successfully stole the public's treasure as you claim, then you must already know what warped their cognition.
no subject
[a pause as Akira chooses his words carefully. debates on addressing the comment about losing even when winning. in the end, he lets it go. he really does need to get to the point]
The Holy Grail. That was their treasure.
And the Holy Grail was so powerful it became a god. A false god that imprisoned people's Shadows and controlled them into following popular opinion like sheep. A manifestation of their indolence.
[. . .]
Yaldabaoth was its name.
no subject
But, Akira has no reason to lie to him. Or, at least... There's no reason Akechi can come up with now, even as he spends a long moment staring at him, searching for something in his expression.]
... Is that so?
[Hm. Feels a little bit like rubbing salt in the wound, huh.]
Allow me to guess how the rest of your story goes, then. [Though there's not much left to tell.] You and your teammates fought this false god, and you won. This is why you're so certain you're alive.
no subject
You asked me about the last thing I remember. The battle against Yaldabaoth occurred on December 24.
The last date I remember is March 20-- three months later. [AFTER LIKE TWO MONTHS IN JAIL but who is counting] My probation was over, so the rest of the thieves were taking me home.
[well]
[not straight home]
[they were totally going on a road trip :T]
no subject
... This is pretty saccharin, though, isn't it? A happy ending, all for Akira. He succeeded where Akechi failed. He defeated a god. He got to the end of his probation without any further incident as far as he's aware... And now? He gets to go home, surrounded by his dear, precious friends who cling to him like remora. How sweet!
He hates him so fucking much.
Whatever.]
I anticipated there would be discrepancies in our timelines, but to think it's been three months already... [He expected a week at most... Oh, well. At least he doesn't have to think about his corpse rotting in Shido's palace if the palace just straight up doesn't exist anymore.
But more importantly—
A beat.]
I've been dead for three months from your perspective and the first thing you thought to say was that ridiculous pun?
[RUDE AS FUCK?]
no subject
[Akira can't read minds, but he can imagine what's going through Akechi's head at the moment. he sets his jaw tightly, stomach once again curling with the guilt he doesn't verbalize. you should have been there]
[not for the road trip. for that he should've been in jail. but for taking down Shido, for fighting Yaldabaoth, for stealing the hearts of the public-- Akechi should've been there]
[. . .]
[anyway, Akira's response to Akechi's next comment is a bit wry]
There's no such thing as a manual on "how to greet someone you thought was super dead," you know.
[HE JUST SAID THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MIND HE'S SORRY]
no subject
Anyone with common sense would have known not to resort to that. I should be offended.
[No, he's totally offended.]
... But, I'll let it go so we may focus on the real problem at hand. It goes without saying, but there's nothing ordinary about our current situation.
1/2
[CALLED OUT]
And it was a damn good pun, too.
[GIVE HIM CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE]
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[an exhale]
. . . and yeah; there isn't. [the strangeness surrounding Akechi's circumstances aside] It's so weird that it could barely even be called a "normal" kidnapping.
no subject
Barely? [More like, at all.] At first, I thought it was a poor attempt at a joke. A dinner to die for.
[Since, you know, he's dead. A dinner you literally have to die before participating in.]
Thanks to you, that's no longer plausible. Operating under the assumption that it isn't just hyperbole, however... I can only think of a new, even worse possibility.
[Well.
Your friendly neighborhood hitman is obviously going to think of murder right away.]
no subject
[Akira opens his mouth]
[closes it again]
[his expression grows slack]
You think we were all brought here to be killed?
no subject
[Oh. RIP to Akira, but he's different.]
The "toy" we've been gifted would drive the point home.
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I hadn't. . . [thought about it. but he trails off, because now that he does think about it. . .]
[he curses, hands balling into fists]
Fuck that.
[sharp and defiant and determined all in one]
If this Master Blue thinks I'm just going to sit around and let them hurt people, then they've got another thing coming.
[typical Akira response, tbh]
no subject
... Haha, you never fail to surprise me. Even after facing the wishes of the masses you tried so hard to save, you continue to cling to your sense of "justice."
[You can almost hear the quotation marks...]
Let's make another deal, then. You won't say no, will you?
no subject
[that same justice got him arrested on false charges of assault, but hey, whatever, right???]
[. . .]
[he also affixes Akechi with a scrutinizing look, but-- despite the history between them, his answer comes without hesitation]
No. I won't.
[HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS??]
no subject
What if Akechi plans to ask him to throw himself off the balcony.
What if.]
We both want to get to the bottom of this. As long as we share that same goal, it will be far more efficient if we work together to solve this.
[But, no. It's a reasonable request instead. Shocking.]
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[anyway, a flicker of surprise crosses Akira's expression, because he actually didn't expect Akechi to be the one of them to make that offer. doing so was on the tip of Akira's tongue from the very moment they entered this room together, so. . . it doesn't take much for him to agree]
. . .
Huh.
[but now without a slight curve of his lips, and a knowing quirk of his brow]
So you have changed.
[even if it's just a little bit]
[anyway, in response? he steps forward and offers Akechi his hand, so they can shake on it]
no subject
With a look of mild disgust:]
Don't misunderstand. I'm only offering an alliance because it's convenient for me.
[People don't change so easily. In the end, he can only ever be himself. To think otherwise is to delude themselves.
But as long as Akira doesn't totally change his mind right here and now, fine. They can shake on it.]
no subject
[and Akira wouldn't lie to himself by thinking otherwise. but Akechi coming to him with this proposal, even for his own convenience and selfishness, is still. . . something. a step up. a very tiny, very minuscule, step up]
[especially considering the last time they really worked together Akechi was actually plotting on murdering him]
[there's no part of Akira that changes his mind, so the handshake he gives his firm and pointed]
And I'm only agreeing because it's convenient for me.
[not. . . a lie. . . all Confidants are built upon an equal exchange]
no subject
As long as we have an understanding.
[Smiling! Not very pleasantly.
But, hey. This is at least a step up from ranking up while someone is pointing a gun at your head, Akira..........]
no subject
We do.
[. . . . . . .]
[and, while their hands are clasped, Akira's gonna sneak in]
. . . I'm glad-- relieved-- to see you're alive.
[TAKE SOME OF HIS SENTIMENTALITY AND SHOVE IT DOWN UR THROAT, AKECHI]
no subject
He's taking his hand back, thank you.]
You shouldn't be.
[Point blank. Like the bullet he shot at Akira's cognitive double, whoopsies!]
Is there another matter you'd like to discuss? If not, I suggest we get to work.
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