[And sure enough, it's just about ten minutes until Gai comes striding up. He doesn't even have to look around for Shu-- he'd recognize that silly little hair stripe anywhere.
... he hasn't noticed the whole arm thing just yet, but given how perceptive he is, it's only a matter of time. Right now he's just glad to see Shu again.]
[For a moment Shu looked quite surprised to see Gai. How long had it been since he last saw the Gai he knew? After seeing the truth in his late father's diary, Shu couldn't help but feel differently towards Gai. He wasn't willing to talk about that or his arm. They were both topics that made him somewhat uncomfortable.]
[There's something different about Shu; Gai picks up on that much right away. He looks older, his eyes those of someone who had seen far more than they ever should.
Shu's eyes look like his own, and that fact alone makes him vaguely uncomfortable and even more concerned as to just what happened after his death.]
Don't look so surprised to see me. I'm not a ghost here, no matter what you might think.
[What happened after Gai's death isn't something he needed to know about right away. Shu planned on keeping it hidden from Gai for as long as possible.
His death tore Ayase up badly and she needed the courage to stand again. Funeral Parlor wasn't active without Gai's presence.
A torrent of emotions fell on him and he found himself speechless for a while. ]
It was my fault that happened to you.
[He insisted on placing the blame upon himself. In the end he was the one who delivered the final blow.]
[Gai quirks up an eyebrow for a moment, somehow unsurprised that Shu is blaming himself for that. Really, didn't he learn anything from getting his memories back? But this is still a subject that Gai isn't comfortable discussing, so his reaction is to smirk and lash out with words, the only way he really knows how to respond.]
That's an impressive ego you've got there, thinking it's your fault when I was the one who asked you to do it in the first place.
[He knew that much. All of that was to save Mana. So why was Gai so persistent on becoming the unsightly king in Ward 24? It made no sense to him and he couldn't bring himself to force those problems on Gai. The Gai in front of him was his best friend and above all else he cherished the friendship they had.
Regarding Shu's memories: On that day he choose to forget everything. Forget in order to shield his weaker self from the truth of the Lost Christmas. For him it was all in the past and he was never keen on looking back much. That would mean thinking about all the people who died for his own causes and ideals. The weight of everything was heavy.
In Roppongi Gai was still alive. If he hadn't stabbed him then maybe Gai would have lived. Maybe he could have gone back to Funeral Parlor with them.
I'm basically a dead man. Gai had said something along those lines. Shu thought that things should have ended differently. ]
...Gai.
[Would Gai treat this scenario differently if he were to talk about what happened after his death? It wouldn't hurt to mention Ayase or Tsugumi.]
[Gai regards Shu for several lengthy seconds, eyes steely and face impassive, before at last he turns his head away. He'd known it would-- would hurt all of them, no matter how much they all tried to pretend that they were prepared for something like that. But he'd been living on borrowed time for years and his death had been an inevitability he'd only been putting off; the treatments had been growing less and less effective, and had he lived through the events of Roppongi Fort, he would eventually have had to reveal his condition to the others. They would have been hurt either way, perhaps more to learn that he'd been slowly dying for years. At least this way his death had been on his own terms.]
She's a member of Funeral Parlor. Everyone has to be prepared to face death at any time, be it their own or their comrades'.
[Ayase even resolved herself enough to want to kill Gai in Odaiba after the the truth unfolded.
Instinctively, he clutched at what was left of his right hand. 'Be prepared to face death at anytime' wouldn't exactly be something Shu could say he was okay with if he had been asked that without knowing the truth. Things were different now. The burdens and amount of blood he split to achieve his own ideals made him feel somewhat less attached to his own life. It'd be easier for him to accept death with what he experienced. His expression darkened considerably after reminding himself that he didn't have much time left.
Shu already used the second Void Genome and he probably wouldn't get a second chance after that. His mother already warned him about the risks. ]
Even I have to accept it because I'm a member of Funeral Parlor as well.
[And then he notes Shu clutching at his hand, only there's something odd about it, something that makes him raise an eyebrow even though he can't put his finger on just what it is. Something just feels off to his finely-honed instincts.]
... Shu. What happened after I died?
[From his tone of voice, it's clear that he means "what happened to you?" rather than "what happened?" SOMETHING happened to change Shu this much, and he's pretty sure that his death alone wasn't enough to have that much of an impact.]
[Gai's death did change some things. After his own death Funeral Parlor disbanded, Shu became the president of Tennozu. He wasn't exactly fit to be a leader. Unlike Gai who's good at that sort of thing naturally, it was a much more difficult task for Shu. Despite that, he knew his weaknesses and tried to change them so he could lead everyone into prosperity. Hare's death took him down a bumpy road. That's where most of his change came from.
In spite of everything, he hadn't changed completely. Some part of him was still the Shu that Gai was familiar with. Shu valued his friendship with Gai and he didn't want to hurt Gai by telling the truth. All he could do was honestly tell Gai that he couldn't say it.]
Sorry, I can't tell you.
[That apology came with a small smile that told Gai that he shouldn't worry about it. So much for that.]
[Even with all of the evident changes in Shu's demeanor, some things haven't changed at all. It's obvious to Gai that whatever happened is something that would make Gai worry, so Shu is trying to protect him by not telling him, which in turn only serves to make him more concerned. Really, what did Shu expect the outcome to be when he refused to explain? Gai is not pleased.]
Shu.
[There's a very clear warning to his tone now: "tell me or else I'll force it out of you." Because as much as he cares about Shu, he's still a fighter first and foremost, and he still lives by that code even here. Unlike Shu, there's no smile on his face.]
[His resolve is set. Making his voice as firm as possible. How could he possibly tell Gai that he came back from the dead? There's no way he could.]
Gai.
Whatever happened there doesn't matter here. Let's just move on already. [Shu hoped that would encourage Gai into dropping the topic, but he knew that Gai was persistent about these things. Figured he'd try it anyways.]
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voice; day 93
[Shu are you forgetting that he went to work with the Apocalypse Virus? Gosh. Just be a good boy and stay there so he can come take you back home.]
I'll be there in a few minutes-- don't go anywhere.
voice; day 93
I'll stay still and behave until you come.
[Hanging up now but yes he's keeping his word this time.]
action; day 93
... he hasn't noticed the whole arm thing just yet, but given how perceptive he is, it's only a matter of time. Right now he's just glad to see Shu again.]
action; day 93
Gai.
action; day 93
Shu's eyes look like his own, and that fact alone makes him vaguely uncomfortable and even more concerned as to just what happened after his death.]
Don't look so surprised to see me. I'm not a ghost here, no matter what you might think.
action; day 93
His death tore Ayase up badly and she needed the courage to stand again. Funeral Parlor wasn't active without Gai's presence.
A torrent of emotions fell on him and he found himself speechless for a while. ]
It was my fault that happened to you.
[He insisted on placing the blame upon himself. In the end he was the one who delivered the final blow.]
action; day 93
That's an impressive ego you've got there, thinking it's your fault when I was the one who asked you to do it in the first place.
action; day 93
Regarding Shu's memories: On that day he choose to forget everything. Forget in order to shield his weaker self from the truth of the Lost Christmas. For him it was all in the past and he was never keen on looking back much. That would mean thinking about all the people who died for his own causes and ideals. The weight of everything was heavy.
In Roppongi Gai was still alive. If he hadn't stabbed him then maybe Gai would have lived. Maybe he could have gone back to Funeral Parlor with them.
I'm basically a dead man. Gai had said something along those lines. Shu thought that things should have ended differently. ]
...Gai.
[Would Gai treat this scenario differently if he were to talk about what happened after his death? It wouldn't hurt to mention Ayase or Tsugumi.]
Your death hurt Ayase badly.
action; day 93
She's a member of Funeral Parlor. Everyone has to be prepared to face death at any time, be it their own or their comrades'.
action; day 93
Instinctively, he clutched at what was left of his right hand. 'Be prepared to face death at anytime' wouldn't exactly be something Shu could say he was okay with if he had been asked that without knowing the truth. Things were different now. The burdens and amount of blood he split to achieve his own ideals made him feel somewhat less attached to his own life. It'd be easier for him to accept death with what he experienced. His expression darkened considerably after reminding himself that he didn't have much time left.
Shu already used the second Void Genome and he probably wouldn't get a second chance after that. His mother already warned him about the risks. ]
Even I have to accept it because I'm a member of Funeral Parlor as well.
action; day 93
[And then he notes Shu clutching at his hand, only there's something odd about it, something that makes him raise an eyebrow even though he can't put his finger on just what it is. Something just feels off to his finely-honed instincts.]
... Shu. What happened after I died?
[From his tone of voice, it's clear that he means "what happened to you?" rather than "what happened?" SOMETHING happened to change Shu this much, and he's pretty sure that his death alone wasn't enough to have that much of an impact.]
action; day 93
In spite of everything, he hadn't changed completely. Some part of him was still the Shu that Gai was familiar with. Shu valued his friendship with Gai and he didn't want to hurt Gai by telling the truth. All he could do was honestly tell Gai that he couldn't say it.]
Sorry, I can't tell you.
[That apology came with a small smile that told Gai that he shouldn't worry about it. So much for that.]
action; day 93
Shu.
[There's a very clear warning to his tone now: "tell me or else I'll force it out of you." Because as much as he cares about Shu, he's still a fighter first and foremost, and he still lives by that code even here. Unlike Shu, there's no smile on his face.]
action; day 93
[His resolve is set. Making his voice as firm as possible. How could he possibly tell Gai that he came back from the dead? There's no way he could.]
Gai.
Whatever happened there doesn't matter here. Let's just move on already. [Shu hoped that would encourage Gai into dropping the topic, but he knew that Gai was persistent about these things. Figured he'd try it anyways.]