While the news of his world's apparent fate hadn't been particularly upsetting ("Good riddance," he may or may not have thought), Takasugi could have done without the weird virtual reality stuff or... well, just about anything else. The whole point of destroying the world wasn't exactly to end up in another one afterward that wasn't all that different from the first. But you know. Details.
But all of that's behind him now—regardless of how he feels, what he likes or dislikes, this is apparently the reality of his current situation and the sooner he got used to it, the better. He had come a long way back home, he had gone too far to just end up in a place like this with absolutely nothing to show for it. It was kind of annoying, but apparently, his life wasn't over quite yet.
But that's why he's out now, wandering around and getting a feel for his new "home." He's not headed anywhere in particular, since it's all new to him, though he's probably been wandering for a while now. The thing that gets him to stop, though, is the sight of a familiar face—or, rather, a familiar head of hair. And while he knows that his presence is probably unwelcome (isn't it always), he can't help but smile and call out—]
Oi, long time no see! Kind of a bad time for a vacation, don't you think?
[The way he says it sounds like he's greeting an old friend, but it's not like that. It hasn't been like that for a long time, but he's absolutely talking to Katsura.
[ It's middle of the afternoon, and Zura is getting his duties done before he ends his shift shortly. One duty is taking out the trash, so that is precisely what he is up to right now in the Pleasure District. It hasn't been the best day for him, either, and he's mumbling to himself: ] —Aaaaah, it's a frappucchino! A frappucchino! Not iced, you bastard! Take some canned coffee and shove it up your ass or go back to school and learn something!
[ Katsura wasn't talking to anybody, but he sounded angry enough, didn't he? There is a clash of garbage as he plops the bag of garbage down by the dumpster and leans with his back against the side of the kissaten, arms crossing over his chest. He had on a pretty cute uniform he had to wear, which he didn't mind wearing every once in awhile.. but not everyday for his shift. Working was tough, but Katsura was respectable to his superiors... while he concocted a plan to thwart them and eventually take their establishment over.
—Or sometimes play harmless pranks on them.
A familiar voice is heard and it grabs his attention away from his thoughts. It's somebody he hadn't expected to see-- especially speaking to him. ]
Ta... Takasugi!?
[ Looks like he missed a piece of trash on his way out. ]
[This sort of thing is seriously bad for business...
Well, for Takasugi, seeing Katsura really isn't such a big surprise. He hasn't been here very long, so who's here and who isn't is something he's still working out, but if he ended up here, then it wasn't too strange that someone like Zura would be here, too. (Not that he has any feelings about this either way. While most would be relieved to spot a familiar face, Takasugi generally didn't have those kinds of feelings for... well. Just about anyone. Whether he was here or not really didn't matter to him.) He was far from his first choice of "people he wouldn't mind running into here," but he wasn't the worst possible person he could run into, either.
Who knows? Maybe it could even turn out to be fun.]
So it would seem. [The enthusiasm from his initial greeting isn't quite there anymore, and his tone reeks of condescension. ...in other words, there's nothing out of the ordinary here.] Is this where you've been hiding all this time, Zura? You've been missing out on a lot of fun.
[That fact that Katsura is obviously working doesn't escape him—it's clear that he's been here for a while, and that weird time shenanigans may be at work—but that's no reason not to be a dick about it.
There is never a reason not to be a dick about it.]
[ Katsura remains where he is. This is just too weird. They're appearing, one after another. It was that time again, wasn't it? For their "code" to be fixed and out of "corruption--" was that it?
Unfortunately, Takasugi will always be corrupted at this point. Just by a means that only Katsura and maybe a few others would actually understand. Anyway, he's a little on edge to even remember his catch phrase. ]
I have only been here for a few months. I'm sure once I get home, there will be another catch up special-- maybe a Welcome Home, Katsura-kun! celebration arc.
[ CERES, why did you decide to bring him here. No need to mention Gintoki is here. Probably for the best, the last Katsura remembers. But wow, he sounded pretty positive about "going back home", didn't he? ]
[That was too blunt! He was way too blunt about it!!
But seriously... Where does a person get all that optimism from? If it's even optimism at all. Maybe it's just denial. Either one would suit him, he thinks. After all, this was the same person who still thought of them as comrades after everything that had happened—something like that would take both a great amount of optimism and denial to accomplish.
(Though... Maybe in that situation, the one who was wrong wasn't Katsura. But Takasugi has barely been conscious long enough to even know how he feels about any of that right now— or if it would even matter, in the end.)
Well. Either way. He smirks as he continues—]
Besides, I bet you don't even know the first thing about getting home, do you?
[ You know, he's just that type of person with high ambitions for the better. Katsura isn't sure where he gets it himself, either.
He isn't sure how he was even willing to eventually treasure Edo into what it was-- and how he felt so strongly that he could lead a group that would peacefully change it for the better. Especially since he is a violent person who used to have very violent tendencies ( he still does, but it's a little different. )
He isn't sure how he can be so loyal to somebody who robbed him of his most important inspiration in his life, either. Maybe it has to do with him being able to see beauty in things that are tarnished. But here he is.
Katsura's posture is braced. He's not sure how Takasugi will react in this environment, but he'll expect the worst. ]
You don't get home by dying. [ He found that out. Katsura is working on it-- he really is. Though, it's a little embarrassing to let Takasugi know that his means of finding out more rely on destruction against the corporation at this point.
He knows his world is okay. It has to be. You would think with his old, extremist ways that he would throw in the towel and let it be-- but that's not it. The very few things he treasures there.. he treasures very much. His country he is soul-bonded to at this point and he believes he is its savior. He will revive Edo, and then change it. It's more work, but it-- and the people that matter-- they are worth it. ]
People disappear. Some speculate they are sent home.
[Ah, now he's just taunting him. But, really, he thinks that what Katsura says is... interesting.]
It's foolish to base your thinking on speculation alone, you know. If what they said is true, then our "home" is no more.
[Truthfully, he's not sure how much of what they were told he actually believes, either, so when he speaks, there might be some genuine curiosity about what Zura thinks about all of this. He didn't have too many issues accepting that their world might have been destroyed—it was really abrupt, but probably not impossible. But even if that was true, he wasn't sure how he felt about their fate being left in someone else's hands.
But regardless of which parts were truths and which parts were lies, Takasugi knew for sure that he didn't trust their supposed "saviors." Maybe it was because he couldn't just trust people who'd suddenly whisked them away and gave them a new life without their consent, or maybe it was because he couldn't stand the idea of having his life stolen from him like this, or maybe it was something else completely, but he knew that as much as he hated and despised where he came from, he didn't like being here any better.
Takasugi certainly didn't share Katsura's optimism, but the idea of being stuck here wasn't one that he liked very much, either.]
[ Sent home to what indeed. Seems like a very Shinsuke answer even if he was certain his home was okay. Katsura picks up the garbage bag and finally puts it in the dumpster. While he is doing that, he replies: ]
Haaaa, it's foolish of you to so easily believe them if you do. You don't know the first thing about these people, do you?
[ do you hear that.. he's using your lines. Katsura shuts the dumpster and finally turns to look at Takasugi again. ]
—Though I suppose you just want to believe that because that leaves less work for you. [ There is a crinkle in his nose at this statement. His tone of voice didn't seem pleasant at all. ]
[He snickers at that, an equally unpleasant sound. It probably shouldn't be amusing, but it is, even if he really wouldn't have expected anything less of Katsura. Of course he would think it was like that—he had never expected Katsura to understand. But even if his assumption is exactly what he would have expected it to be from the start, Takasugi still can't help but laugh about it.]
I didn't work this hard to just sit back and watch while someone else steals the show.
[He felt— unsatisfied. The idea that their world might be gone should be a good thing, and in a way, it was, but... he felt unsatisfied. And he could only assume it was because he wasn't directly responsible for it, because someone had once again stolen away one of the few things he really cared deeply about (even if it was in an entirely different way). Zura was just too— good to understand that sort of thing, though.]
I don't like this place any more than the last one.
[Maybe it's not just their world that's shitty, but the entire universe. And other universes, too.]
[ mother of god??????? and everything holy you can't hate the entire universe how fucking selfish are you.... grow up get out of the fifth grade. stop drinking your stupid milk and move onto tea you toddler.
I mean, you think he wasn't upset over his passing? He was there too, you know. He was there for the entire thing. And Gintoki-- the one who should really be feeling the worse. It's no wonder he drowns himself in alcohol. It's no wonder he has nightmares.
But here he is, still defending and protecting what is still important... however small it may be. Just.. why does Takasugi have to be like this? It's like he's looking at another person than the classmate he knew. And because of that, he knows it is better to be too good to understand.
Katsura breaks eye contact with Takasugi. He has difficulty outright saying that he agrees with Takasugi, so it takes him awhile to think of something else to say. And actually, it isn't agreeing with him, par se— Katsura dislikes this place more than home. ]
You don't know anything of this place. I have examined it for weeks, now. [ There are a lot of people he has grown attached to here. He doesn't want to tell Takasugi that, either, but when he looks back at him-- maybe Takasugi would be able to see it in his eyes. ]
[Every universe is shitty. The entire multiverse is shitty. Deal with it!!
It's clear in Zura's expression alone that there is a sort of avoidance going on here, and his words only serve to emphasize it. He's not too surprised by this, either, really—Zura really was good at finding things to appreciate, somehow, no matter how terrible the apparent situation is. There's probably something admirable about that, but it's a feeling that Takasugi can't relate to at all.
But rather than just call Zura out on the feelings he's developed for this place, he sort of— plays along. It's not like there isn't truth to what he says, anyway.]
I suppose that's true. It's you that has the upper hand this time, isn't it?
[Gross. But it certainly meant he had some catching up to do... Or a lot.
And you're correct, he does. Takasugi is talking funny again, though. Now that he's here, it's just something else that Katsura will be stressed about. By the way Takasugi is talking, Zura can only assume the worst-- that he wants to bring some kind of destruction to his place too.
He'll never understand how heartless you can be. Even when he wanted the Shogun's head to fly at the festival, even he thought that was too much. Maybe it's just because it's an easier route-- it's easy to diminish people and things heartlessly. It's difficult to salvage things instead. ]
There isn't an upper hand unless you make an enemy out of me here. [ Sound like Takasugi wants to do just that, which is why he is stating what he said. ]
But I'm not your comrade, either. You won't find any help from me here. [ He finally approaches Takasugi, only so he can go past him and around the corner of the cafe. ]
I've been polishing my teeth long enough here in this place. They're nearly sharp enough. [ an interesting statement coming from somebody who proclaimed love and peace. ]
It would be a lie to say that he hasn't been taking the "easy" road in life. If the only thing he was good at was being a monster, then why should he try to be anything else? Maybe that's the reason, too, that he continues to treat Zura this way even when he knows something now that he had never understood before--it's just easier. Even with what he knew now, it didn't change anything. He was still a monster, and he always would be. Being "comrades" truly was a thing of the past.
Maybe it's for the best.
Takasugi had faith in his abilities, however. Even if he was alone now, it wouldn't remain that way. He should be able to find some likeminded souls, and hopefully he would do it without ever having to be involved with Katsura. It was annoying, having to start all over, but it wouldn't be the first time he had to do something from scratch.
Still, he turns to watch him pass, his words earning him another laugh, less subtle than before (but probably no less creepy).]
If I needed help, I'd sooner seek out a wolf than a puppy.
[Not that he's calling bullshit on his threat, because even though things might be different now, he still knew Katsura well enough to know that he would probably follow through. But...]
Someone who's been living his life here just like he would back home has nothing he can offer me.
You don't know that. The way I live my life is nothing of your concern anymore. [ Katsura says this as he makes his way back towards the door of his kissaten. Sure, it looked like the same ole life-- maybe even more simple with him settling in and having a job-- two jobs, actually. He liked to be busy.
But his life was much different here than it was back home. Even with as many friends as he had here, it seemed so empty.
He was going to do anything and everything he can to revive his land. ]
Enjoy your stay here. [ opens the door and shuts it before he can even respond. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action; sometime in the near future—
While the news of his world's apparent fate hadn't been particularly upsetting ("Good riddance," he may or may not have thought), Takasugi could have done without the weird virtual reality stuff or... well, just about anything else. The whole point of destroying the world wasn't exactly to end up in another one afterward that wasn't all that different from the first. But you know. Details.
But all of that's behind him now—regardless of how he feels, what he likes or dislikes, this is apparently the reality of his current situation and the sooner he got used to it, the better. He had come a long way back home, he had gone too far to just end up in a place like this with absolutely nothing to show for it. It was kind of annoying, but apparently, his life wasn't over quite yet.
But that's why he's out now, wandering around and getting a feel for his new "home." He's not headed anywhere in particular, since it's all new to him, though he's probably been wandering for a while now. The thing that gets him to stop, though, is the sight of a familiar face—or, rather, a familiar head of hair. And while he knows that his presence is probably unwelcome (isn't it always), he can't help but smile and call out—]
Oi, long time no see! Kind of a bad time for a vacation, don't you think?
[The way he says it sounds like he's greeting an old friend, but it's not like that. It hasn't been like that for a long time, but he's absolutely talking to Katsura.
—and what does he mean by "vacation?!"]
[ ACTION ]
—Aaaaah, it's a frappucchino! A frappucchino! Not iced, you bastard! Take some canned coffee and shove it up your ass or go back to school and learn something!
[ Katsura wasn't talking to anybody, but he sounded angry enough, didn't he?
There is a clash of garbage as he plops the bag of garbage down by the dumpster and leans with his back against the side of the kissaten, arms crossing over his chest.
He had on a pretty cute uniform he had to wear, which he didn't mind wearing every once in awhile.. but not everyday for his shift. Working was tough, but Katsura was respectable to his superiors... while he concocted a plan to thwart them and eventually take their establishment over.
—Or sometimes play harmless pranks on them.
A familiar voice is heard and it grabs his attention away from his thoughts. It's somebody he hadn't expected to see-- especially speaking to him. ]
Ta... Takasugi!?
[ Looks like he missed a piece of trash on his way out. ]
[ ACTION ]
Well, for Takasugi, seeing Katsura really isn't such a big surprise. He hasn't been here very long, so who's here and who isn't is something he's still working out, but if he ended up here, then it wasn't too strange that someone like Zura would be here, too. (Not that he has any feelings about this either way. While most would be relieved to spot a familiar face, Takasugi generally didn't have those kinds of feelings for... well. Just about anyone. Whether he was here or not really didn't matter to him.) He was far from his first choice of "people he wouldn't mind running into here," but he wasn't the worst possible person he could run into, either.
Who knows? Maybe it could even turn out to be fun.]
So it would seem. [The enthusiasm from his initial greeting isn't quite there anymore, and his tone reeks of condescension. ...in other words, there's nothing out of the ordinary here.] Is this where you've been hiding all this time, Zura? You've been missing out on a lot of fun.
[That fact that Katsura is obviously working doesn't escape him—it's clear that he's been here for a while, and that weird time shenanigans may be at work—but that's no reason not to be a dick about it.
There is never a reason not to be a dick about it.]
[ ACTION ]
Unfortunately, Takasugi will always be corrupted at this point.
Just by a means that only Katsura and maybe a few others would actually understand.
Anyway, he's a little on edge to even remember his catch phrase. ]
I have only been here for a few months.
I'm sure once I get home, there will be another catch up special-- maybe a Welcome Home, Katsura-kun! celebration arc.
[ CERES, why did you decide to bring him here.
No need to mention Gintoki is here. Probably for the best, the last Katsura remembers.
But wow, he sounded pretty positive about "going back home", didn't he? ]
[ ACTION ]
[That was too blunt! He was way too blunt about it!!
But seriously... Where does a person get all that optimism from? If it's even optimism at all. Maybe it's just denial. Either one would suit him, he thinks. After all, this was the same person who still thought of them as comrades after everything that had happened—something like that would take both a great amount of optimism and denial to accomplish.
(Though... Maybe in that situation, the one who was wrong wasn't Katsura. But Takasugi has barely been conscious long enough to even know how he feels about any of that right now— or if it would even matter, in the end.)
Well. Either way. He smirks as he continues—]
Besides, I bet you don't even know the first thing about getting home, do you?
[ ACTION ]
He isn't sure how he was even willing to eventually treasure Edo into what it was-- and how he felt so strongly that he could lead a group that would peacefully change it for the better. Especially since he is a violent person who used to have very violent tendencies ( he still does, but it's a little different. )
He isn't sure how he can be so loyal to somebody who robbed him of his most important inspiration in his life, either.
Maybe it has to do with him being able to see beauty in things that are tarnished.
But here he is.
Katsura's posture is braced. He's not sure how Takasugi will react in this environment, but he'll expect the worst. ]
You don't get home by dying.
[ He found that out.
Katsura is working on it-- he really is. Though, it's a little embarrassing to let Takasugi know that his means of finding out more rely on destruction against the corporation at this point.
He knows his world is okay. It has to be. You would think with his old, extremist ways that he would throw in the towel and let it be-- but that's not it. The very few things he treasures there.. he treasures very much. His country he is soul-bonded to at this point and he believes he is its savior. He will revive Edo, and then change it. It's more work, but it-- and the people that matter-- they are worth it. ]
People disappear. Some speculate they are sent home.
[ ACTION ]
[Ah, now he's just taunting him. But, really, he thinks that what Katsura says is... interesting.]
It's foolish to base your thinking on speculation alone, you know. If what they said is true, then our "home" is no more.
[Truthfully, he's not sure how much of what they were told he actually believes, either, so when he speaks, there might be some genuine curiosity about what Zura thinks about all of this. He didn't have too many issues accepting that their world might have been destroyed—it was really abrupt, but probably not impossible. But even if that was true, he wasn't sure how he felt about their fate being left in someone else's hands.
But regardless of which parts were truths and which parts were lies, Takasugi knew for sure that he didn't trust their supposed "saviors." Maybe it was because he couldn't just trust people who'd suddenly whisked them away and gave them a new life without their consent, or maybe it was because he couldn't stand the idea of having his life stolen from him like this, or maybe it was something else completely, but he knew that as much as he hated and despised where he came from, he didn't like being here any better.
Takasugi certainly didn't share Katsura's optimism, but the idea of being stuck here wasn't one that he liked very much, either.]
[ ACTION ]
Katsura picks up the garbage bag and finally puts it in the dumpster. While he is doing that, he replies: ]
Haaaa, it's foolish of you to so easily believe them if you do.
You don't know the first thing about these people, do you?
[ do you hear that.. he's using your lines. Katsura shuts the dumpster and finally turns to look at Takasugi again. ]
—Though I suppose you just want to believe that because that leaves less work for you.
[ There is a crinkle in his nose at this statement. His tone of voice didn't seem pleasant at all. ]
[ ACTION ]
I didn't work this hard to just sit back and watch while someone else steals the show.
[He felt— unsatisfied. The idea that their world might be gone should be a good thing, and in a way, it was, but... he felt unsatisfied. And he could only assume it was because he wasn't directly responsible for it, because someone had once again stolen away one of the few things he really cared deeply about (even if it was in an entirely different way). Zura was just too— good to understand that sort of thing, though.]
I don't like this place any more than the last one.
[Maybe it's not just their world that's shitty, but the entire universe. And other universes, too.]
[ ACTION ]
I mean, you think he wasn't upset over his passing? He was there too, you know. He was there for the entire thing.
And Gintoki-- the one who should really be feeling the worse. It's no wonder he drowns himself in alcohol. It's no wonder he has nightmares.
But here he is, still defending and protecting what is still important... however small it may be.
Just.. why does Takasugi have to be like this?
It's like he's looking at another person than the classmate he knew.
And because of that, he knows it is better to be too good to understand.
Katsura breaks eye contact with Takasugi. He has difficulty outright saying that he agrees with Takasugi, so it takes him awhile to think of something else to say. And actually, it isn't agreeing with him, par se— Katsura dislikes this place more than home. ]
You don't know anything of this place.
I have examined it for weeks, now.
[ There are a lot of people he has grown attached to here.
He doesn't want to tell Takasugi that, either, but when he looks back at him-- maybe Takasugi would be able to see it in his eyes. ]
[ ACTION ]
It's clear in Zura's expression alone that there is a sort of avoidance going on here, and his words only serve to emphasize it. He's not too surprised by this, either, really—Zura really was good at finding things to appreciate, somehow, no matter how terrible the apparent situation is. There's probably something admirable about that, but it's a feeling that Takasugi can't relate to at all.
But rather than just call Zura out on the feelings he's developed for this place, he sort of— plays along. It's not like there isn't truth to what he says, anyway.]
I suppose that's true. It's you that has the upper hand this time, isn't it?
[Gross. But it certainly meant he had some catching up to do... Or a lot.
A hell of a lot.]
[ ACTION ]
And you're correct, he does. Takasugi is talking funny again, though. Now that he's here, it's just something else that Katsura will be stressed about. By the way Takasugi is talking, Zura can only assume the worst-- that he wants to bring some kind of destruction to his place too.
He'll never understand how heartless you can be. Even when he wanted the Shogun's head to fly at the festival, even he thought that was too much. Maybe it's just because it's an easier route-- it's easy to diminish people and things heartlessly.
It's difficult to salvage things instead. ]
There isn't an upper hand unless you make an enemy out of me here.
[ Sound like Takasugi wants to do just that, which is why he is stating what he said. ]
But I'm not your comrade, either. You won't find any help from me here.
[ He finally approaches Takasugi, only so he can go past him and around the corner of the cafe. ]
I've been polishing my teeth long enough here in this place. They're nearly sharp enough.
[ an interesting statement coming from somebody who proclaimed love and peace. ]
[ ACTION ]
It would be a lie to say that he hasn't been taking the "easy" road in life. If the only thing he was good at was being a monster, then why should he try to be anything else? Maybe that's the reason, too, that he continues to treat Zura this way even when he knows something now that he had never understood before--it's just easier. Even with what he knew now, it didn't change anything. He was still a monster, and he always would be. Being "comrades" truly was a thing of the past.
Maybe it's for the best.
Takasugi had faith in his abilities, however. Even if he was alone now, it wouldn't remain that way. He should be able to find some likeminded souls, and hopefully he would do it without ever having to be involved with Katsura. It was annoying, having to start all over, but it wouldn't be the first time he had to do something from scratch.
Still, he turns to watch him pass, his words earning him another laugh, less subtle than before (but probably no less creepy).]
If I needed help, I'd sooner seek out a wolf than a puppy.
[Not that he's calling bullshit on his threat, because even though things might be different now, he still knew Katsura well enough to know that he would probably follow through. But...]
Someone who's been living his life here just like he would back home has nothing he can offer me.
[ ACTION ]
[ Katsura says this as he makes his way back towards the door of his kissaten. Sure, it looked like the same ole life-- maybe even more simple with him settling in and having a job-- two jobs, actually. He liked to be busy.
But his life was much different here than it was back home. Even with as many friends as he had here, it seemed so empty.
He was going to do anything and everything he can to revive his land. ]
Enjoy your stay here.
[ opens the door and shuts it before he can even respond. ]