theoryandcalculation | [Inugami] IC Inbox

[Ah, crap, did he say too much? He didn't want to make Rei feel guilty about something they can't even be sure about yet, but... he would be lying if he said the possibility didn't cross his mind.]

It could've been. But there's no way to know for sure, and it doesn't matter, anyway. We can only try to stay safe now.

[Rei doesn't reply for another minute. It sounds like they don't know for sure, but if he did cause this, then that means he has to take responsibility. If there's even a chance he can stop the dog, can convince it to take him instead... it's a gambit he's willing to try.]

You do that, Rin-san.
I don't know if it matters now because I'm suspended, but I'd like to formally apologize in advance for missing practice tonight.

[He turns off his phone, and goes looking.]

[Rei, he caught the implication behind that "you do that" and he doesn't like it, don't think you can just leave it at that, you don't hang up on Rin Matsuoka, Rin Matsuoka hangs up on you!!]

No, /we/ do that. You're off practice for tonight, but we're still gonna meet up at the auditorium later and figure out what to do from there. Got it?

[He waits a while, gets no answer. Time for another text.]

Rei, you better answer me. We're still meeting up at the auditorium after dinner and you'd better be there. Got it?

[Ah. The nerd is rebelling out, huh? Too bad, Rin doesn't give up, so around practice time, here comes another message:]

Where the hell have you been, you idiot? No one has seen you all afternoon. Don't you dare disappear on us again!

[Aaaaand after practice is over, another one:]

Rei. I'm serious. If you're not at the cafeteria in ten minutes, I'm calling.

[Okay, dinner has been had, Rei still hasn't answered or been seen at all, and by now Rin is spewing profanities at this phone. Time for an angry Rinrin rin-ringing on your phone!]

Rei Ryugazaki, if you don't pick up this goddamn phone right now, I swear I'm going to hunt you down and drag you back, myself, do you fucking hear me?!

[He doesn't hear Rin because his phone is still off.

By now he's figured out that the monster only comes out after midnight, so he's lying in wait. Good luck playing hide and seek.]

[Fine!! If this is how he wants to play, then Rin is coming out to find him and forcibly drag this idiot back to the nerd herd so they can all figure out what to do for tonight.

The shark is hunting.]

[He's actually hiding out in an open broom closet not far from the auditorium. He wanted to stay close by where the others sleep, just in case the dog came for them at night.]

[If he were an actual shark, then maybe he could smell the blood in the water, and torpedo right at his prey. Alas, he's no shark, and thankfully there's no real blood to follow, although that means his search takes longer than he would have liked; cafeteria, then courtyard, then study hall, all thoroughly investigated, to no success.

So Rin has half a mind to give up and just head back to the auditorium, but decides to give one final look around, maybe try his luck-- and lo and behold, that's when he spots a familiar turf of blue hair sticking out of a broom closet. Now, a normal person would do the normal thing and call out to Rei, tell him he's been found, or even cut formalities and walk up straight to him, but no, not Rin Matsuoka. That would be too much like common sense.

Instead, he bangs on-- no, punches-- the side of the closet to announce his presence, and only then makes his way around it, stopping right in front of Rei. All red eyed stares and angry huffing, but no words.]

[Rei jumps when the punch bangs through the room, thinking this is it, the thing came for him early, and he knocks over a few brooms and kicks a bucket in his scramble to get on his feet. But it's not a demon dog monster staring him in the face. It's something arguably more dangerous.

He stares back at Rin, stunned, for a moment, then he narrows his eyes, finding his voice again.]

I was hoping none of you would come looking.

[Still without his own voice, Rin reaches forward to grab Rei by the collar and yank him out of the closet, rage emanating from his every pore. A little too much like the first time they talked one-on-one.]

What the hell do you think you're doing?! [He finally snaps, two files of serrated teeth biting the air coming out of Rei's nostrils.] Why haven't you answered your damn phone?!

[Rei lets himself be dragged out of the closet, though he doesn't cringe or flinch away. He's not ashamed of what he's done - it's for the best.]

I've had it off because I didn't want any of you trying to stop me.

[He does start to try and pull away from Rin now, if only to break free from his grip.]

I have to take responsibility for what I've started.

["I have to take responsibility for what I started."

The words reverberate inside his head for a second, just long enough to momentarily stun him. Was that... Was that because of Rin had said earlier? Back then, all he had wanted was to wake Rei up to the realization of how dangerous his actions could be, but he never meant to make him feel guilty for it, let alone try to take on the beast by himself.

And that last thought just has his rage flaring up again. Why is this idiot always so eager to play sacrificial lamb?]

The hell you do! [Another shake of his collar, and Rin's free hand punches the wall behind Rei, just barely missing his face.] I told you, there's no way to be sure-- and even if it had been your fault, what the hell do you think you could do now? Try to rationalize with a goddamn wolf beast?!

Edited 2015-08-18 01:34 (UTC)

[Rei does flinch at the punch, but he doesn't back down. Rin has to know, he has to understand, that Rei can't let this go. He's put them in danger before. To think he's done it again tears him up inside.]

I thought I could let it have me!

[He shouts out his plan (admittedly, not much of one), and it rings around the hallway, echoing off the walls and bouncing back to him. Saying it out loud makes it sound more stupid and unlikely than it had in his head, but he's not giving up. If there's even a chance he could sate the beast before it hurts anyone else, he'll gladly die a thousand deaths.]

They let it out because of me. What if I'm the one it wants, then? Isn't that the way it works in ghost stories? The offender is the one who has to face the monster.

[His voice grows bold again, as he looks Rin dead in the eyes.] So if I let it have me, it might stop. And then everyone will be safe.

[His eyebrows arch upwards at the revelation, shocked (at the sheer idiocy of this plan) for all of a second of two. But then he's seeing red again, and there's a snarl coming through his gritted teeth; if Rei is truly that eager to sacrifice himself, maybe a different beast would take him first.]

Idiot!

[Both hands now on Rei's collar, he slams the other boy against the wall, brooms knocked over from the impact. He has a temper, he knows, and this is maybe going well beyond his usual allowance, but he's just too damn mad-- at himself for having spoken too much in a time of anger, at Rei for refusing to come to his senses and realize there's no solid connection between his actions and the dangers they're facing, and above all, at this school for continuously pitting them against each other, for making them forget hard-learned lessons from the past.

For making them think even for a minute that their friends would just give up on them like that.]

Idiot! Nevermind how stupid that idea is, so what if it did work?! So what if it did keep everyone safe?! Do you really think I'd just sit by and let you sacrifice yourself like that?!

[Rei grunts in pain as he's slammed against the wall. But if anything, the pain only fuels his anger, persuading him to fight back even more. He's not the one being irrational here.]

That's why I turned off my phone!

[Of course he knows they never would have agreed to this, not Rin and not any of them. That's why he didn't go back, why he didn't talk to them about it. They would have tried to stop him, but he can't be stopped this time. He needs to try all he can.]

I didn't want any of you following me! I wanted you to think I just disappeared... maybe that I went home.

[He didn't mean to give that much away, but he feels like it's all so obvious. He's not looking to be a hero, one who everyone knows sacrificed himself. He just wanted to slip away, so they'd all be safe with no one the wiser.]

You have disappeared before! Every night since you got detention-- how do you think that made everyone feel?!

[Idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot. It's the only word flashing through Rin's mind right now, like a feral chanting driving him to act upon a single instinct: to keep hurting him, until the pain maybe made him see the truth. His hands grip higher on Rei's collar, tighter, not enough to cut off blood flow, but maybe enough to leave a mark on his neck later, if this keeps up for long.

But despite this primal fury, he knows he doesn't want to hurt his friend-- on the contrary, he's trying to protect him. It's just really hard to do when he insists on throwing himself in harm's way.]

You've told me this before, remember?

[He takes half a step back, takes a deep breath, releases Rei from his vice grip, though only with one hand. He has to make this last attempt, a final chance to appeal to Rei's rationality.]

When that thing had possessed me, and I hurt friends... You reached out to me. Despite everything I did, you told me no one would give up on me. So why can't you accept that it's the same for you?

[Rei takes a deeper, shuddering breath when he's partially released, reaching up to rub at his sore neck above his collar.

He knows what he said to Rin then, and he still believes it. But this, this is different.]

That wasn't your fault, though. If this is my fault... I can't just do nothing. I can't sit idly by and put everyone in danger, put you in danger!

[He drops his hand, and his fists clench tightly.] This isn't about giving up on me, Rin-san. This is about me facing the consequences of my actions. I can't put everyone in danger again, I can't-

[He can't face that.]

[Rin doesn't miss a beat, doesn't miss the secrecy and the implication in Rei's word, but his only reaction is a pair of thin, red slits; they'll have time to get back to this later.]

This is as much your fault as it was mine, back then.

[Because no matter how much the others told him otherwise, Rin still knew that he had his share of responsibility for the ordeal, that he hadn't been strong enough to reel in his temper and all the physical aggression that came with it. But he had also learned that this was inconsequential to everyone else, that they wanted him with them, regardless; now he just needs to make Rei see that privilege extends to him, too.]

Even if you could prove that your actions were linked to what's going on in the school right now, it wouldn't matter. Even if that beast would stop hunting if it could have you, it wouldn't make a difference. No one would be willing to just watch you go like that; I sure as hell won't.

[Another deep breath, another half step away. Red still locked on purple.]

I'm going back to the auditorium now. Are you coming with me?

[Rei stares back into Rin's eyes. He hears what Rin is saying, but it's not the same situation at all. Whether they want him back or not is inconsequential. He has to do what he has to do to stop this, not just for them but for every innocent person he's put at risk with his actions.

He shakes his head at Rin.]

I wish I could, Rin-san. But we don't always get what we want.

[He knows it will hurt them, when he goes. But if his plan works? Then it's worth it. As long as they just think he was killed in an accident, as long as they don't know he went looking for this, they'll move on eventually.

Except Rin might tell them. Well. He supposes that depends on how cruel Rin wants to be.]

[Well. There was an attempt.]

Wrong. I always do.

[... an attempt at letting Rei come out unscathed from this whole argument, that is. Because Rin wasn't lying before, he absolutely refuses to leave Rei behind to sacrifice himself, for a moot cause, no less. So when his hand dashes forward again, it's not aiming for the collar; rather, his whole arm coils around Rei's neck and gruffly yanks him out of the closet, the other reaching for his pocket. He might have to call for back-up.]

You are getting out of there and coming back with me right fucking now!

[As a matter of fact, he knows he's going to be needing some help with this stupid nerd. Brb, calling the only person in the group he can trust to be responsible. Sort of. Overexerted shoulders not included.]

Rin-san, what are you- let me go!

[Rei starts to thrash around in Rin's hold, desperate to get out. Rin's got a pretty good grip on him, but Rei is pretty sure he can get away, if he just keeps this up. He's strong too, after all.]

Rin-san, stop! Just let me see this through!

[And other such protests, yadda yadda etc etc]

[Too bad for Rei, Rin has about five pounds worth of extra biceps on him, he can keep his hold for a good while. At least until back-up arrives, he's sure. Strugglebug all you want, butterfly.]

Like hell I will! If you're that hellbent on getting murdered, then I'll gladly do it myself, but that thing is not getting anywhere near you!

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1/??? who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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AUDIO AND DONE;

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ACTION!!!

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