All's well that ends well

[thecastle]

[ So you've wished the dead back to life, but there's still 2 wishes you have to make. Ultimately what happens from here is entirely in your hands, but for the first time in eight weeks everyone is alive and whole again (even that pesky merman). There is that corruption you should deal with, but surely you know what to do about that.

Once you've settled and wound down a bit, maybe you should relax a bit before going your separate ways. You've earned it.

Comments

[maddogs]

[ there is a dragon. that totally happened. and people are back??? thats exciting. but some of them might actually want to...talk to him, i guess, so here he is. ]

[originallutece]

[She takes her time in sitting next to him. And just as before, there's no hesitance in how she takes his hand, threading their fingers together.]

[maddogs]

[ he takes her hand, leans a little into her shoulder. ]

Guess I kept my promise after all, huh? An' ya get ta go see your Robert.

[originallutece]

The best of both worlds.

[She turns into him, her eyes closing for a moment, squeezing his hand.]

I'm glad. I don't know if you are, but I am. I . . . I would have accepted what you wanted, but I'm glad I don't have to.

[maddogs]

Hah! It's okay, Kiryu-chan and Saejima are the only people allowed ta kill me. 's like the universe even fuckin' knows.

[ considering how many times he tried to die??? ]

Ya should stop by Kamurocho sometime. Ya and Robert know how ta jump universes, right?

[originallutece]

Yes.

[A beat, and she chuckles as she opens her eyes.]

Promise to be nice at first.

[maddogs]

I dunno, I might wanna jump him we I see him. Does he fight?

[originallutece]

He's me, Majima. He doesn't fight. He'll be quite offended you want to try.

[Her smile sharpens, though.]

But I might be amiable to sharing him, once we've worn one another out. Perhaps.

[maddogs]

Aw, see, that's not as good.

[ he shrugs, roberts all yours ros although they could maybe just swing a big sex party at the rate theyre going i g ]

I mean it, though, I'm really happy for ya.

[ he also meant it in his letter about not wanting to be forgotten tho ]

[gyakusatsu]

[Speaking of people who want to talk to him.]

Majima.

[maddogs]

'sup, Misora-san?

[ theyre going to have this out one way or another ]

[gyakusatsu]

Don't speak to me so casually.

[Curt.]

You know I should be punching you for what you did.

[maddogs]

Go for it. I'm all yours.

[gyakusatsu]

[Woah there, hold your horses Majima!!]

I said should, not that I'm going to. There's nothing I could do to you that'd hurt more than what you did to yourself.

[maddogs]

[ she's exactly right, of course. he'll be hurting for a long time because of what happened. ]

You're a strong fighter, Misora-san. I almost thought ya might win.

[gyakusatsu]

I didn't speak to you because I wanted to exchange platitudes, Majima.

[A beat.]

I fought as hard as I did because I had people I cared for and people I wanted to see again. People who I knew would be hurt if it was my corpse they found in the morning. We both had that to motivate us. I'm not forgiving you for what you did to me and to them. But I do want to know -- why'd you pick me?

[maddogs]

I didn't. The Sage did, 'cause ya were so damn smart.

[pseudoregelia]

[Sheeeeee's going to wait a while after meeting up with everyone on her own terms before she approaches Majima.]

...Now that I can be candid. I would like to explain things a bit more clearly, if you would like to hear it.

[But hey if he doesn't wanna that's fine by her, this isn't her job anymore. Simply something she feels like doing as herself, that's all.]

[maddogs]

[ he's surprised, but he nods. ]

If there's somethin' ya wanna talk about, I'm listenin'.

[pseudoregelia]

[...Right. Well.]

Before I came here, I played the role of "Hiyono" at the request of a god.

That god wanted me to support Ayumu through various trials. To help him grow stronger to face his fate. And, inevitably, to become someone he relied on more than anyone else.

...

What I didn't realize until the very end was that my employer chose this role for me so that he could use me as a crutch. Ayumu leaned on me for support through everything. So, if I were to betray him... He would fall even harder than he would have had he been alone all that time.

I did it, because it was my job. But it disgusted me, and I'm lucky that Ayumu realized my purpose before even I did. As such, he was prepared for it even before he found out, and he was able to avoid falling into his brother's trap.

[A soft exhale. It's a lot to get through.]

The reason I spoke with you after everything with Masumi-san came out was because... I knew what it felt like, to be betrayed by someone - some god, or a want-to-be, anyway.

[And, well. Her hatred of gods in general.]

heavy yakuza 0 spoilers!

[maddogs]

[ he's quiet for a long moment. she wasn't kind to him, when she spoke to him after misora's death. even if she understood, she never acted like it. that even if she had betrayed someone she cared about, she acted like what he had done was infinitely worse. and maybe she did feel that way. but she also told him this for a reason. so he offers a story in kind: ]

I was asked ta kill a girl. A long time ago. I'd been kicked out of the Yakuza at that point, an' the man who was holdin' my leash told me if I killed her, I'd get back into the Yakuza. There was nothin' I wanted more at that point.

I couldn't do it -- ya know that already, we talked about it a couple weeks ago. Later, when I talked ta my boss, he told me he'd never intended me ta kill her. That he knew I was too soft, an' that instead I'd make her fall in love with me. So that when he was ready ta do what he wanted, he'd just ask me an' I'd make her do whatever it was.

I didn't even think she'd -- I'd never ... [ he shakes his head ] But I hadn't killed her, an' it made her vulnerable. Indebted ta me.

I'm glad that in your scenario Ayumu figured it out.

[pseudoregelia]

[She'd been furious herself, at the time. It's not so surprising the words hurt more than they could have helped.

She bows her head.]

I was extremely fortunate. I'm sorry it wasn't the same for you - in either cases.

[maddogs]

She made it out okay, but it wasn't thanks ta me.

[ he sounds like he's made peace with it at least. more or less. ]

An' we're goin' home, so.

[pseudoregelia]

[She looks up again, soft smile on her face.]

And this time, you can return with Nishitani-san, right?

I wish the best for the both of you, whatever might happen.

[And whatever crimes they decide to partake in sans murder, she supposes. Not like she has much moral high ground there.]

[maddogs]

That's right. He's been dead for a long time, but my family'll take him in. They won't be dumbasses about it or nothin'.