Day 3

[suppressthedark]

[It's not long before they're both up in Ichigo's room, which...still looks about as bog standard as any of the dorms here, beyond the notebook lying on his desk and the inordinate amount of writing supplies he's managed to scrounge up.

When they're both fully inside and he shuts the door behind them, he gestures towards the room.]

Feel free to take a seat anywhere - except my bed.

[Because his bed is HIS BED, and they're not close enough friends for him to allow Akira on it yet. As for himself? He's just going to grab a pillow and sit on the floor.]

Comments

[purrtagonist]

[. . . honestly, that seems reasonable. Akira actually plops onto the floor across from Ichigo, legs crossed, arms folded this is fine!!]

You've been taking notes.

[he nods at the notebook]

[suppressthedark]

Well, yeah. Thought it'd be be a good idea, since they talked about changing the rules whenever they wanted to - keep track of what they've changed and what they haven't on something that can't be easily tampered with.

[Because he makes sure to either keep his notebook on him or leave it in his room, after all!

And also maybe writes a few verses in it shhh]

You want anything to sit on? Floor can't be that comfortable.

[GONNA MAKE SURE HIS FRIENDS ARE COMFY IN HIS ROOM god he's a mother hen sometimes]

[purrtagonist]

[ULTIMATE POET]

[but that's smart, and Akira nods as he leans back on one hand]

No, it's fine. I don't mind.

[it's not uncomfortable per se, even if it isn't comfortable either]

[also? dang, where does he start?]

[suppressthedark]

[DON'T REMIND HIM

but yes, he nods and leans back a little.]

So you talked about being able to change the hearts of people, but - how do you do that?

[might as well start there, right?]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . right. okay. here goes]

The Metaverse.

[???]

A world created by the combined cognition of every human on Earth. It was a world that ran parallel to our own, extremely similar and yet completely different all at once.

[suppressthedark]

....So kind of like a collective unconsciousness.

[Ichigo, of course, takes it in stride - because why wouldn't he, he's no stranger to parallel worlds at this point - and just notes the name. Metaverse - A world referring to itself, or to humanity as a whole.

Seems fitting, honestly.]

And you can go to people's individual hearts through there?

[purrtagonist]

[. . . aha. so he knew some of the terminology already. Akira smiles]

Exactly like the collective unconscious.

["the," not "a." because as far as he knew, his world only had one]

We don't exactly go through people's individual hearts, no. But when a person has a very strong distortion, that distortion can fixate on a place in the real world. The Metaverse equivalent of that location then changes shape, becoming what we call a Palace.

Every Palace has a Treasure at its core. A crystallization of the distortion that created the Palace in the first place. To steal those distorted desires. . . we steal that treasure.

[suppressthedark]

[He listens quietly, taking it all in. So people's distortions could change the collective unconsciousness enough to make a literal palace appear in the Metaverse? He's not sure if he should be thankful or not that his world doesn't have something like that, since it would have been easier to change some people in his world, but at the same time...Someone like Aizen would undoubtedly use it to manipulate people.]

And when it's stolen, the palace disappears, and that person doesn't have those desires anymore?

[Wow. Yeah, that could easily be turned to the wrong uses.]

No wonder you said the police were after you.

[purrtagonist]

Exactly.

[his smile turns a bit wry, and something akin to mischief begins to dance in the gray of his irises]

As I said before, the power to change a heart is a dangerous thing.

[suppressthedark]

[He smiles himself - At this point, he knows Akira was doing the right thing and not abusing his power, or at least he's choosing to believe in the man in front of him.

Trust. Funny how he can start trusting someone so easily this early, but if he had to start trusting anyone, Akira was a good place to start.]

So - I'm guessing stealing the treasure isn't easy, and that's why you have Satan on your side?

[purrtagonist]

["isn't easy." Akira has to suppress a laugh at those words]

It isn't like a Palace master wants their treasure to be stolen, right? We have to make our way past security guards, puzzles, and all sorts of traps to reach it.

[he lifts a hand to his chin]

Plus, in the Metaverse? There are creatures known as "Shadows" who can be extremely hostile if you're not careful.

[suppressthedark]

Well, obviously.

[No one wants their desires stolen, even if they're twisted.

The mention of Shadows do make him perk up a little, at least.]

Shadows? Like Jung's whole thing?

[ICHIGO PAID ATTENTION IN CLASS, OKAY]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . HE SURE DID. and Akira is more than happy with this. it makes things easier]

That's it, exactly. You paid attention in class, didn't you?

[suppressthedark]

I had to - if I didn't get good grades, the faculty would get on my case.

[He says 'the faculty' as coldly as possible - there's obvious bad blood and history there.]

[purrtagonist]

[it's like Ichigo flipped a switch, or something. Akira's expression immediately darkens]

Just yours?

[suppressthedark]

I mean, they got on the case of everyone they considered a delinquent, even if they weren't actually one at all.

[Ichigo hasn't noticed Akira's expression, because he's currently too lost in his own thoughts and memories, his own expression becoming clearly bitter as he talks.]

It doesn't matter if your hair is actually naturally a different color, because to them, you're obviously dyeing it. It doesn't matter that you get bitched at by actual delinquents for 'copying their style', even though you didn't dye your hair and don't plan to. They don't care that those delinquents are the ones starting fights or bullying people, because if you don't turn a blind eye to it just like they do and try to stop them, you're a delinquent too.

So the only thing you can do to keep them from hassling you every single day you're there is keep your grades up and your head down, and act polite towards the people who're just waiting for you to slip up so they can nail you to the wall.

[purrtagonist]

[jesus fucking christ. it's just like Shujin. just like Ryuji. just like Akira himself]

[he sets his jaw tightly, soaking up Ichigo's bitterness as though it were his own. hell. he knew he and Ichigo were going to get along, but he had no idea they had so much in common]

[. . . he continues when his fellow captive finishes, voice quiet, but stern]

. . . so you keep your head down. You stay polite to those who don't deserve it, and blend in with the crowds so nobody notices you're there.

And every day, you feel like you're drowning.

[suppressthedark]

[Ichigo's jolted out of his bitterness by that, because - well, by all appearances, Akira doesn't look like someone who would be in that kind of trouble. But then again - didn't he hate when people judged him by the way he looked, instead of getting to know him?

It seemed like even he did the same things he hated other people doing, sometimes.

When he speaks again, he's smiling - but incredibly sadly, and for a moment, it's like Akira's actually getting a glimpse of the person behind the spiky mask.]

...Hah. Yeah. Except in my case, you can't blend in. Everyone notices you, so...it just becomes easier to go along with whatever they say you are. That way, they're not really going after you - just the image of you they've built up in their heads.

[And, unspoken - 'that way, they can't actually hurt you.']

[purrtagonist]

[jesus christ, that's so accurate to Akira's life experiences it isn't even funny. he gets it. he gets it so much, and it's a perfectly serendipitous moment where their aesthetics are in complete alignment. and if he hadn't trusted Ichigo before. . . well]

[he sure has hell trusts him now]

[he mirrors that smile, wry as it is. but there isn't any sadness in it. only dark humor]

And they can tear that down all they want, because in the end? It keeps them from reaching your heart.

[suppressthedark]

[The feeling is mutual - Akira gets it, in a way very few people do. Even with his friends back home, none of them got as close to the issues plaguing him - except maybe Chad, but while Chad stuck out, he was also quiet enough to blend in.

Ichigo never could, and he envied him a little for it.

So when Akira says that last line, he laughs - tinged with that same dark humor in his fellow captive's smile.]

Yeah. Exactly.

[This got, uh. deeper to his actual issues than he ever thought it would, honestly.]

...So...if you don't mind me asking, why were they doing that to you?

[Because, uh. His whole deal is pretty obvious if you just look at him.]

[purrtagonist]

[Akira gives a light shrug, launching into what he says next with little hesitation, little fear. after all, the reason for his own ostracization by his fellow classmates is gone now. his record's been wiped clean, even if the damage caused by the false charge isn't]

Criminal record.

[welp]

I was arrested, charged and convicted of assault. Expelled from my first school, then shipped to Tokyo to transfer to another. Everyone there already knew about my record before I even arrived.

[and, you know. rumors spread]

[suppressthedark]

[OH, THAT'S

Not really what he expected to hear, but with his trust in Akira? There's no way he believes that the person in front of him was actually did the crime he was convicted for.]

Someone set you up, didn't they?

[About the crime charge, he means.

Akira's getting a taste of just how doggedly loyal Ichigo can be when someone's gained his trust, and his eyes are already showing his anger at akira's situation back home.]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . oh. . .]

[no one had ever assumed he was set up before. even his closest friends had all waited to hear the full story before making any judgments, before getting angry on Akira's behalf over the unjust system he had been dragged into]

[he can't help it. he laughs, pressing a hand against his face and shaking his head]

And what if I had actually been guilty? That's a dangerous assumption to make.

[suppressthedark]

[When you manage to break past his spiky exterior, and show him that you're someone worth trusting in? Ichigo will believe and trust in you with all of his heart. It's both one of his greatest strengths and his greatest weaknesses, because while it allows him to greatly deepen his bonds with other people, it also leaves him vulnerable to those same people stabbing him in the back.

So even when Akira laughs, Ichigo's face remains serious, eyes focused on his friend, showing the depths of his conviction.]

So? I believe in you. If you were really guilty of something like that, you wouldn't have told me, because I don't know anything about where you come from. It would've been easier to lie about it, or just tell me that you didn't want to talk about it.

That, and I'm not the kind of scummy guy who doesn't believe in his friends.

[purrtagonist]

[whaaaaaat the fuck]

[. . . Akira's suddenly and vividly reminded of Ryuji, of all people. his best friend. the first person to reach out to him after his move to Tokyo. the bright light of aggressive caring and support that pulled him from the dark place he had been swallowed up in back then. it's. . .]

[well]

[it's a warm feeling]

[another laugh, and he ducks his head, tugging at his bangs a bit sheepishly]

You're right. [but the warmth fades as the memories return, and his expression dims] I was set up. I tried to stop a man from assaulting a woman. He was drunk. I touched his shoulder, and he tripped and injured himself.

He threatened the woman to lie to the police, and she told them I had attacked him for no reason. The police believed the two of them over me-- of course they did, because they were deep in that man's political pockets-- and arrested me.

[lifts his head again, meeting Ichigo's gaze with an even, yet peaceful, expression]

He used his political ties to have me convicted, expelled, and sent away. But-- [waves a hand] That was a long time ago. My record's since been wiped clean.