[It's morning, and before the execution; Minato has been nowhere to be seen for the evening, but he finally makes an appearance...to go knock on Kohaku's door.
[ Kohaku's been... unsure. That's the best way to describe it. Yesterday started off miserable and then spiraled into incomprehensible, but maybe good? Maybe? So where he was originally planning to just hit a wall in frustration for a few hours, he ended up just going to sleep.
So he's awake when Minato knocks, opens the door pretty quickly... and instantly regrets it. ]
[ And he should probably apologize as well, but that's harder to say so he's going to stall on it. Kohaku steps aside to let Minato in and gestures towards the one chair in the room - it has a wobbly leg, otherwise it is a perfectly good chair. ]
[ ... yeah. He didn't. Kohaku thinks so as well. He acted to the best of his knowledge and used the trial as it was intended to be used. There was no mistake there.
And it still stings, it still feels wrong. Stupid. ]
I nearly got you killed, you're allowed to want to kick my ass for that, you know?
[ 'You weren't doing it maliciously' is a funny thing to say after a good three people jumped on Kohaku for torturing Akira needlessly. He huffs in dry amusement. ]
Don't get the wrong idea here. Most of all, I want to survive myself. Everyone else is secondary.
[ Kohaku isn't used to people saying nice things to him, about him. It just... feels like lying to let them stand uncommented, to accepted praise that isn't warranted. ]
And even in that goal, I still fucked up. It was everyone else who un-fucked this situation.
What's wrong with wanting to make sure that you yourself survive? I think that's normal.
[Minato is... kind of abnormal, but he knows and acknowledges this about himself. What Kohaku is doing isn't wrong, he thinks.]
... And yes, it went wrong. But...
Well, this entire situation isn't on just your shoulders, you know? [It took everyone else to unfuck it up, sure, but that's what they're here for, too. It's not just Kohaku who has to do everything on his own.]
... I can see now why Akira and you are friends. Or... whatever you are.
[ They'd been called boyfriends by someone else before and with the intensity of Akira's reactions, Kohaku is fully prepared to believe it, but... well, he doesn't know, nor care at the moment. ]
[ He knows he can do amazing things - he plays amazing music, he's amazingly good at weapons, he's caused amazing suffering. He doesn't need to hear it. ]
But now that you've been almost fully cleared, I don't mind working together.
[ There is still an almost here because of the whole 'walking Akira's path' bullshit - but after all of Akira's reactions, it seems nonsensical to assume that the path is that of mafia. Kohaku's got another idea about it. ]
I tentatively believe you. Cinque faking being dumb is one thing, Akira faking all of his breakdowns here... well, seems less likely.
[ He is never going to fully exclude a possibility ever again though. The Cinque reveal did hit him pretty hard - he hadn't been her friend, he had only been an ally of her ally, and yet... ]
I think I've got an idea of what he gave you anyway.
Honestly, my current goal is just to win the game and hope that's what our superiors want from us in this mission.
[ It's not a lot to do and certainly not innovative, Kohaku knows. It frustrates him that he can't come up with a better plan that doesn't look like it'll just send them to their deaths. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week 3, sunday
He's got a purpose here...!!
So.
Knock knock!]
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So he's awake when Minato knocks, opens the door pretty quickly... and instantly regrets it. ]
... oh. You.
[ What can he even say to him now? ]
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[HELLO, IT'S ME.
That is to say that Minato looks perfectly calm and unruffled right now, if a little tired and pale. He tilts his head slowly.]
Do you... mind if we talk for a minute?
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[ And he should probably apologize as well, but that's harder to say so he's going to stall on it. Kohaku steps aside to let Minato in and gestures towards the one chair in the room - it has a wobbly leg, otherwise it is a perfectly good chair. ]
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You don't owe me anything, Kohaku-san.
[but he will willingly take a seat in that chair, hands still tucked into his pockets, expression at ease.]
Because... you didn't do anything wrong.
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And it still stings, it still feels wrong. Stupid. ]
I nearly got you killed, you're allowed to want to kick my ass for that, you know?
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You weren't doing it maliciously. You were trying to find the monsters... to protect everyone else here. I know it... it's okay.
I guess... I just wanted to come tell you that I don't blame you for this. ...I hope you don't blame yourself, either.
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Don't get the wrong idea here. Most of all, I want to survive myself. Everyone else is secondary.
[ Kohaku isn't used to people saying nice things to him, about him. It just... feels like lying to let them stand uncommented, to accepted praise that isn't warranted. ]
And even in that goal, I still fucked up. It was everyone else who un-fucked this situation.
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[Softly, and peacefully:]
What's wrong with wanting to make sure that you yourself survive? I think that's normal.
[Minato is... kind of abnormal, but he knows and acknowledges this about himself. What Kohaku is doing isn't wrong, he thinks.]
... And yes, it went wrong. But...
Well, this entire situation isn't on just your shoulders, you know? [It took everyone else to unfuck it up, sure, but that's what they're here for, too. It's not just Kohaku who has to do everything on his own.]
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[ They'd been called boyfriends by someone else before and with the intensity of Akira's reactions, Kohaku is fully prepared to believe it, but... well, he doesn't know, nor care at the moment. ]
He seems just as stupidly idealistic.
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[They're sure, uh. Something. Not even Minato's sure what they are, but that's not the topic of this conversation.]
I guess it's true that we're both like that. I don't think it's too terribly idealistic, though.
[He tilts his head, a small smile on his face.]
I believe...that everyone here can pull off some pretty amazing things. That includes you too, Kohaku-san.
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Oh come on, don't get inspirational on me.
[ He knows he can do amazing things - he plays amazing music, he's amazingly good at weapons, he's caused amazing suffering. He doesn't need to hear it. ]
But now that you've been almost fully cleared, I don't mind working together.
[ There is still an almost here because of the whole 'walking Akira's path' bullshit - but after all of Akira's reactions, it seems nonsensical to assume that the path is that of mafia. Kohaku's got another idea about it. ]
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[Minato seems a little amused at that, though entirely unbothered by the "almost". He thinks for a moment, and then settles on:]
What Akira gave me... it's nothing that's a threat to anyone here. If it had been, he never would've given it to me.
[Akira cares too much about him for that.]
I can at least promise you that much.
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[ He is never going to fully exclude a possibility ever again though. The Cinque reveal did hit him pretty hard - he hadn't been her friend, he had only been an ally of her ally, and yet... ]
I think I've got an idea of what he gave you anyway.
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[Minato's literally incapable of talking about it anyway, so it's perhaps best left there.]
Either way... I'll be looking forward to working with you, Kohaku-san.
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Yeah, whatever. It's good to have someone established who isn't going to grow additional legs and suck the blood out of a person.
[ Since the spider is what's left to identify and all. ]
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I'm not sure what I can do right now, but... if there's ever anything I can help with, please let me know. I'd like to do what I can.
[Since he's still, you know, breathing. May as well make the most of it.]
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[ It's not a lot to do and certainly not innovative, Kohaku knows. It frustrates him that he can't come up with a better plan that doesn't look like it'll just send them to their deaths. ]
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I understand. I'll see what I can do to help, but if there's anything that comes up, you know where to find me.
[Minato figures there must be something he can do, now that everyone knows he's not part of the mafia group.]
... That's all, really. I just wanted to talk.