[Closed] Dynasty Decapitated

[theshowsover]

Who: Akira + various. If you'd like to do something, let me know by PM or at dandywonderous, though I'll probably be keeping this to established CR
What: Akira is back from the dead, and back to his full self.
Where: Around
When: June 27th and onwards
Warnings: Discussions of death?

[When he first came too, he was too confused to remember much, and that had been terrifying. Wandering a strange town, not knowing where he was, who he was, if any of the people he saw were safe to trust...

He ended up hunkering down in an abandoned building with some water he'd managed to gather, as the memories slowly filtered back to him. His life back home, his move to Tokyo (those memories didn't make him more willing to venture back into town), his arrival in Chroma, and so many things that happened after that. Not all the memories came in order, and he had to piece things together from his own spinning mind. His lack of features, his lack of color when he looked in the glass of a window, didn't help.

It made him feel sick.

It lasted a long time... two days, but he wasn't sure when it was finally over. When he was finally ready to face the town again.

That being, get back to his house. Someone might be worried by now.]

Comments

[swordfucker]

[For once, Guren is trying to rest. He has to, at this point. Being stabbed through the heart with only minor healing working for him means that he's without a shirt and covered in bandages, instead. He's downstairs on a couch, since he'd tried dinner and been unable to eat.

When the door opens, he almost doesn't open his eyes. It could be Fushimi, or Yata— but the footsteps are different, and so he shifts, wincing slightly when he does and dropping it when he realizes who it is.

Pushing past the pain and the risk of opening his wounds, he sits up quickly.]

Akira?

[theshowsover]

Guren-san...

[Akira freezes just beyond the doorway for a moment, not sure what to do. A part of him wants to run before he can be asked any questions, because that part of him doesn't want to talk about it. The other part... wants to run to Guren, and tell him everything.

So instead, he doesn't move at all.]

...Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.

[swordfucker]

I wasn't asleep.

[He pushes himself up shakily from the couch, moving closer, concern clear on his face. He hasn't seen anyone come back. He hadn't been sure if Akira was dead or alive, and now he's here, and so it must be the latter, right?] Where have you been?

[theshowsover]

[Where has he been...? Akira rubs at his forehead, thinking of how to answer that.]

I don't... know.

[From the way he says it, it's obvious he's lying, but not from malicious intent. He just doesn't know how to talk about this.]

I hid in an abandoned house for... I don't know. How long has it been?

[swordfucker]

Hiding...

[He's squinting a little at the lying, but since Akira just seems genuinely out of it, he doesn't want to push too hard. He reaches to place a hand at his shoulder.]

From the werewolves? It's been days. They're gone, you're okay. Did you get bit?

[messianic]

[Minato's been messaging Akira. Persistently, over and over, one after another, twice per day--asking about his status, if he's okay, asking him to please answer...

It was pretty plain after a few days that there was not going to be any answer.

It's a lot to cope with, and he's not sure what to make of it himself...if Akira's okay, if he's just disappeared for awhile, if something worse happened... A lot's happened all at once, and Minato's got his shoulders hunched, head down as he shoves his hands into his pockets and walks, and... he spies Akira by sheer accident, freezing in place--and then immediately running towards him, eyes wide.]

Akira-san--!

[theshowsover]

[Akira freezes, then turns just as Minato nears him. He looks... tired, but otherwise okay, at least physically.]

Minato...

[He's glad Minato looks alright too, but that's about the extent of what he can process right now. His brain is still foggy, confused, even with all his memories back. But he knows, at least, that Minato is not a threat.

So he relaxes a bit.]

[messianic]

Are... you okay?

[Akira looks okay physically, when Minato finally catches up to him and looks him over, but...the vacant look on his face, the way that he seems so out of it...

Something's wrong, isn't it? He can tell, frowning as he looks at Akira with plain concern.]

[theshowsover]

I... yes.

[He is, physically anyway. Though he's certainly out of it, and he knows he can't convincingly hide it.]

Something went wrong, but... I'm okay now.

[queenofminiskirts]

[It was habit now, to send a message to him after something happens. This time the first message was: akira i need you to know you absolutely cannot tell anyone i ate a mouse raw. this secret goes with us to the grave.

She'd left it at that, knowing that it wouldn't be weird for him not to answer for a few hours if he was out and about. But when half a day went by it was followed up by: have you gone on a journey of self-discovery or something? go home and check your messages already.

After leaving that message she went to sleep and woke up to...nothing. And that wasn't right. Why didn't he go home yet? After that it was a constant stream of messages sometimes hours apart, sometimes only minutes, flip-flopping from things like, did you get spiritually kidnapped again? to i'm seriously freaking out now, akira. where the hell are you? to seriously akira, if you come back later and act all cool and nonchalant about how you were sucked up by a mirror or whisked away into the forest by a werewolf i'm going to punch you to finally, just message me back when you can. please?

(Even though by the end a pit of dread had settled in her gut, as if she didn't even believe he'd be back. She ignored it. It was a baseless fear. It wasn't any kind of esper intuition. Just because Shiho couldn't find him anywhere didn't necessarily mean he wasn't ever going to come back either.)]

[theshowsover]

[It's almost a full five days before he finally messages her back.

He hates that he made her worry, but after he first came back, answering messages was... difficult. He could barely focus at all - he wanted to sleep, for at least awhile, which turned into hours.

Finally, though, he gets on, reads through the messages that have been sent to him. Kaoru sent a lot, and he grins just a little at some of them, but mostly he just feels terrible that she was so worried.

He wishes he had better news to give her.

But finally, she'll get a simple reply in her inbox.]

Sorry. I'm back.

[queenofminiskirts]

[Any news was better than no news, really.]

where did you go?

[Then immediately after:]

nevermind. i'm coming over.

[Because she wasn't going to be reassured until she sees him. And well, he has to be home if he's sending messages, right?]

[theshowsover]

[If she's coming over, all he does is send back a simple, "k," and nothing else.

He's in his room, and he'll just wait for her to come on up when she arrives. He's exhausted, and feeling out of sorts, and he doesn't really want to walk all the way to the door. It's a bone-deep lethargy.

Besides, what if there's someone outside the door who tries to-

Well, it's just Kaoru coming over. She's safe.]

[bufudyne]

[The whole everything has been quite a mess, and difficult to keep all sorted. Yusuke's been torn this way and that, trying to keep an eye on friends (several of whom slipped his sight at one point or another) and trying to search for a cure, trying to do what he can for the town.

Of course, he notices when Akira is gone.

He hasn't had much rest throughout it all, despite some pointed pushing. He tried, naturally, but the worries piled up. It's why he's moving through the town as Fox, light-footed on rooftops he has rapidly gotten used to.]

...!

Akira!

[And down he goes when he notices him, dropping quickly to street level.]

[theshowsover]

[Akira looks up from the ground when he hears him, only mildly startled. But it's Yusuke, and his guard instantly lowers.]

Fox...

[He's okay, or at least looks okay. Akira moves closer, looking him up and down.]

Are you alright? [He sounds shaky, but relieved.]

[bufudyne]

Of course.

[His voice is tight with worry and he shifts closer as well, to offer a shoulder to him if need be. Or just to provide moral support.]

And you? I had been looking for you...

[theshowsover]

...Right.

[Of course Yusuke was looking for him - he was probably worried, when Akira didn't turn up after the werewolf attacks calmed down. Normally, after something like that, he'd go looking for his team...

He should have anyway, color or no. But too late now.]

Sorry, I... I was bit, by a werewolf. After that... [He trails off. It's hard to say it, even to Yusuke.]

I'M HERE!!

[heartsteals]

[ Lupin's in a better state than Akira is by virtue of not having died. That said, it's not much better. There are three bullets in him, and, even worse, the knowledge that he scared and hurt a lot of people he only wants to protect.

Ironically, Akira is included among those - but he doesn't remember a thing about that. Word of Akira's death (or, at least, his disappearance) makes its way to him eventually, but he's in no position to get up and look for him, as much as he wants to. So he resorts to text. Whenever he makes it back to his computer, he'll find a series of messages. Surprisingly worried messages, for someone who doesn't know him that well and supposedly doubts his claims. ]

FROM: #B91600
Subject: Your Wellbeing

Monsieur Akira,

I fear something terrible may have happened to you, based on what I have heard and experienced myself these past few days. There are even rumors of your demise. Surely this is not true. Please write to me when you are able.

Yours,
Arsène Lupin

FROM: #B91600
Subject: RE: Your Wellbeing

It has been a day and I have yet to hear from you. Do you intend to make an injured man search for you? Don't doubt that I will do it.

Lupin

FROM: #B91600
Subject: RE: RE: Your Wellbeing

If you have transformed and you feel ashamed about it, please don't hide. You can talk to me. The same thing happened to me. Your old man is worried about you.

Lupin

[theshowsover]

[The barrage of messages honestly make him feel bad, that he couldn't reassure Lupin sooner. Really, he should have come home, featureless face be damned, just to let everyone know he was okay... but no going back now. It's too late.

He also wishes he could say the rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated, but, well...

He's also... a bit confused. Does Lupin not remember biting him? Akira remembers most things, from when he was a werewolf.

That's a bit scary. What if he bit someone too, and forgot about it?

It takes him a bit after he gets back, but he finally replies late that day:]

I'm back. Sorry. I wasn't trying to worry you.

I did transform, but I'm better now. You said you were injured. Are you alright?

[heartsteals]

[ a wave of relief passes through him when he sees that message. Maybe it's silly to be this worried about him. Lupin wouldn't call him one of his closest companions in the town. Akira still has no way of proving the ancestor story, either. Even so - there's no denying the connection he feels to him, and the little moments spent coaching him on this or that - thievery, dancing, whatever - only make him feel it more intensely. He'd be happy if Akira really was his great-great-grandson, he thinks.

He's never really had family before. The idea of losing it suddenly when he's possibly found it is more than a little frightening. ]

You scared the Devil out of me! But it does my heart well to hear from you - I should have known a Phantom Thief wouldn't go down so easily. I transformed, as well, but a few well-placed shots put me in my place. For the moment, I am better; simply recovering a little while. Thanks to Maya's magic, it shouldn't be much longer.

What happened to you?

[theshowsover]

[Wouldn't go down so easily... but he did, didn't he? Two shots of Akechi's gun and he was dead. He even had the advantage, in speed, in power... why didn't he just run away?

Akira takes a deep breath and pushes those thoughts away. It shouldn't really be embarrassing, right? He shouldn't feel ashamed that someone might find out...

Anyway, there are more concerning things here.]

You were shot? By who?

[Akechi...? They do live in the same house, after all...]

I transformed and roamed the town for awhile. [He hesitates, then forces out the next bit.] I was also shot, but it's okay now.

forum... shows up incredibly late

[courted]

[ She had heard - in disparate fashion - that something had happened. Something. Her imagination clamps down, dulling against the worst possibilities. Removing her from the situation had drawn out her coping with Kunikazu's death. Now, Akira has - something - and - and -

She ought to face him, she thinks, but if he hasn't sought her out by now... Maybe he doesn't want her to. Like any true millennial, she would be considerably more comfortable texting and wishes she has her phone. She doesn't! She has an axe. It won't help her here.

About eighteen hours after the werewolf clamour dies down, she sends him a private message.

From #ED2939: ]

Kurusu?

[ Haru is typically a formal person, but there's something different about it now. ]

I wanted to check in after everything that happened over the last few days. Are you alright?

[theshowsover]

[He doesn't answer for several days. He's not even alive again by the time Haru's message comes in, and he waits out the days while his appearance slowly filters back in. Once he's back to normal, he makes his way home, and then, slowly, through the messages he's received.

He feels bad when he sees Haru's. At the very least, he should have let her and Yusuke know what was happening, especially after all Haru has been through. He answers it back quickly.]

Sorry, Haru.

I'm okay now. I'm back at home. How are you? Make it through okay?

[courted]

[ The few days are definitely concerning! However, Haru knows enough about how life can sneak up on you that she doesn't hold it against him or get overly fraught with nerves. The best thing she can do for him right now is be calm and reliable, even as not knowing fills her stomach with writhing snakes. ]

Yes, I'm fine. Thank you.

Kitagawa-kun and I looked out for one another as much as we were able to.

[theshowsover]

[Good. That's good. He doesn't want any of them go to through what he did.

He feels better, just knowing that much.]

That's good. Sorry I wasn't there to help. I was bit, so I had to stay away.