GRAVEYARD

[foundationmods]

[On the instant of your death, you're suddenly outside of your body - probably staring down at the remains it's become.

Yet, you're not alone. For all of you (except Szayel), a young man appears from behind you, his face set into a firm, yet sad, scowl. His shaggy strawberry blonde hair is pretty eye-catching, along with the black and white Shihakusho he wears and the large sword on his back, even as he gently tries to lead you back into the lobby and away from what was once your body. You can still clearly hear and see the living, if you want to try - but they can't see or hear you.

'Welcome to the world of the dead in this Resort,' he says, quietly. 'Looks like you're stuck here with the rest of us.'

He hands you a tablet, just like the one you had before. "You'll need this if you want to keep talking to them,' he explains, looking sad.

It looks like you've passed on, and yet...You still feel like you have a role to play in all of this.]

Comments

[relentlesslyonwards]

[Oh. In retrospect, it's only been two weeks or so, but it feels like it's been a long time since he's heard her voice. His shoulders stiffen noticeably before they slump and he straightens up in his seat, arms no longer obscuring his face. He looks tired; that in and of itself is nothing new, but there's a weight to it now, which becomes plenty apparent when he forces himself to meet her eyes.

It's guilt.]

Inaba, I...

[dereban]

You— [ She sees that expression and she immediately tenses up because the meaning behind them shows everything. Her hands grip tightly at the hem of her shirt, fingers trembling slightly. Even her lips are quivering and while it's really tempting to run away right now, she keeps herself still. It's. He- ] You. . . remember everything. . . don't you? How? [ Her voice is shaking and she can't even look at him straight in the eyes as she speaks because she doesn't know what else to say to this. ]

[relentlesslyonwards]

[He sees her tensing, sees that change in posture and he interprets it as something else entirely. So he ducks his head slightly, averting his gaze and letting his bangs obscure at least part of his face.

Fear's only natural when faced with a monster, after all.]

It's... it's because it wasn't possession, not really; it's more like I thought I was the Jorogumo itself, and I forgot myself.

[dereban]

So everything that you said, was. . . it was all you? The way you acted for the most part. It was- [ It was actually Rean's personality the whole time? The tremble doesn't leave her voice at all in the slightest bit, but she thinks she understands what he's saying in its entirety, but that makes things even more fucked up in her mind. It makes her question a single thing: was the reasoning all just a lie in the end? At this point, she's too terrified to even ask. ]

[relentlesslyonwards]

[The words bind him in place far more effectively than any chains ever would, and he can't help but stiffen, almost feeling the weight of shackles on his wrists. But he forces himself to relax, although he keeps his hands balled in fists, with nails digging into his palms.]

I... yeah. ...That was all me.

[And here, he forces himself to stand up and he raises his head, meeting her eyes with his own.]

I'm not asking for your forgiveness, but please... let me apologize.

I'm so sorry, Inaba. For everything.

[dereban]

[ She didn't expect this answer at all. And it's probably because of it that her heart is twisting in pain like this, because she's so conflicted about what to say or even do. . . there's just so many feelings on the matter that she doesn't know how to deal with that she just ends up getting close to clamping them all shut before she remembers what she just talked about yesterday ー

And instead her expression twists into one of anger, frustration, and mixed with a sadness that shows even more as her eyes wet with tears as she goes in for the proverbial second kill, taking a few steps forward as she goes right to slapping him across the face. ]

That's for being an idiot and thinking that I wouldn't forgive you, of all people. You said that you remember everything, don't you? Shouldn't you realize by now that I didn'tー I never hated you. . .?

[relentlesslyonwards]

[His head turns with the force of the slap, with a hand slowly going to his cheek. He knows he's messed up, because Inaba looks like she's on the verge of crying. That doesn't tell him what to do though, so he just stands there like he's frozen on the spot, not looking at her.]

I... [It feels like a lump's stuck in his throat, and he swallows, trying to clear it so he can say something.] Still, that doesn't change what I did. As if killing you wasn't enough, I--

[He covers his mouth and lets out a shaky exhale, squeezing his eyes shut.]

[dereban]

[ She has to force herself to wipe her eyes as she almost feels her heart still. It hurts, it hurts, it hurtsー She wants it to stop, she wants him to stop talking like that because it's painful. Her mouth opens, as if words are about to come out, but they're caught in her throat. She can't manage to say a single word after that, not immediately at least. He knows what he's going to say. She doesn't even have to predict it. Words aren't enough to convey her feelings right now. Even as conflicted as she is, even if she wants to run away, she promised Yoshi that she'd try, right? She was. . . stubborn, after all. And steadfast, when it came to herself and her feelings. So she tries to pull herself together, pressing her lips together and looking athim seriously before stepping forward towards him and just. She just wraps her arms around him. ]

[relentlesslyonwards]

[...! His eyes fly open the moment she makes contact and his whole body tenses up in response to her arms, stock still as he tries to process what's happening. This isn't what he expected. Hell, he doesn't even really know what he expected, but being pulled into a hug wasn't one of the options -- far from it. That's why he can't really do much more than continue to stand there awkwardly, making no attempt to pull away or reciprocate.]

I-Inaba!? What are you--?

[dereban]

Just shut up for a bit and listen to me, okay? [ Her voice is a little bit forceful as she tightens her grip on the hug a little bit. She still can't entirely wrap her mind around what she's feeling right now, but there are so many things that she isn't sure about. But there are some things that she is, however, certain about as she manages to let out a heavy sigh, steadying her voice. ] If you're blaming yourself for what you did-- for killing me, for what you said-- it's not your fault. Even if it wasn't possession, your perception of things was still warped, wasn't it? So don't beat yourself up or hate yourself for it. I've already seen enough of that, and I'm fucking tired of it. [ She's seen it worn on so many people the last couple of weeks and it never ceases to make her heart twist because of it. ] Because I. . . I get it, okay? I get what it's like to have an out of body experience, to not have entire control over your own body. [...] Sorry. It's a lot, isn't it? For me to do, or say right now, after everything.

[relentlesslyonwards]

[He dutifully stays quiet as she speaks. Ultimately, he does understand what she's trying to get at -- that he wouldn't have done any of those things if he was in his right mind. But understanding something is different from actually accepting it, which leaves him at a standstill as far as how he feels about the whole thing.

Nevertheless. It's clear how painful this has been for Inaba, and he's not keen on adding to it. So while he doesn't fully reciprocate or lean into the hug, he does place a hand on her back.]

No, it's fine, really. I honestly do appreciate what you're saying, and it's not as if I don't think what you're saying makes sense. It's just... I think it's something I have to sort out for myself, in the end.

Thank you, though. For telling me all this.

[dereban]

. . . [ She's quiet on her part as she listens to his reply, letting out a heavy breath and forcing herself to pull away from the hug in its entirety, managing to put on a rather weary smile, shaking her head. ] That's fine by me. I mean, for that sort of thing-- it's going to take some time. Getting forced into a different mindset, as fucked up as it is. . . it's hard to deal with being something that isn't yourself? That kind of thing is pretty scary. I'd know. [ She knows it all too well, and it's kind of crazy. ] So, if you ever want to talk about it? Or anything else, really, I'll listen.