Ooooh, child, things are gonna get easier

[erogappa]

Who: Gojyo and Sharak and Hakkai and guns and the rooster
What: Reunion shenanigans
When: /shrug
Where: Temple Aditi
Warnings: Violence, threats, poor life choices, probably graphic descriptions of amputation


Mind made up, Gojyo finds a temple and transports himself back to heaven.

It's been a chaotic couple of days, that's for damn sure. He holds his right arm -- or what's left of it -- carefully against his side. The end of the stump has been professional sutured and heavily bandaged, but he's still cautious about anything or anyone touching it. It hurts. A lot. The doc had tried to give him pain killers -- fat white pills in mismatched bottles, at least one of which had had a horse silhouette on the label -- but he'd refused. He needed to be sober while dealing with the mess in Japan, and he sure as hell wants to be sober when dealing with the mess here.

There's no goddamn way he's going to be loopy when facing Sharak.

Rounding the bend in the road, the temple slowly comes into view, and something in his chest eases. He'd called this place home back a thousand years ago, and it's still true. Home is where you go when you've got nowhere else to turn, home is where they yell at you because they care for you. Home is where your responsibilities lie.

His step gets lighter -- it's the middle of the night, he's exhausted and in pain, but things are about to get better -- and he mentally begins rehearsing what he'll tell Sharak. Assuming she lets him get a word in edgewise, he mentally chuckles. She might just chew him out, and that'll be fine. He deserves it. But once she's done being mad, he can't wait to talk to her about his new plan. About his new path.

They have the ability to make life better for so many people out in the living world, and not just in the way heaven wants them to. Ayakashi are bad, sure, but so are so many humans -- they can really make a difference, if they want to. And he wants to. He'll tell her about the kids he met, and the men who were making their living forcing the kids to steal and fight and worse things. Those men are dead now, but there's thousands of men like them still out there. Together, they can fix that.

Things are going to be okay.

Comments

[bussounoshima]

[She's seen Shizuo's injuries. Now she's thinking he got off lucky. Sharak storms down the hill to meet Gojyo and get a better look at him- yeah, that's definitely no joke.]

... Get inside. Has anyone looked at that for you? [Or did he just wrap it up and walk around like an idiot for however many days? She wouldn't be shocked, at this point.]

Did you get her name? Do you know if she's a god or a shinki?

[Shizuo attracts trouble and she doesn't plan on involving herself in every brawl that erupts in heaven, but it looks like that may be necessary after all.]

[erogappa]

[ He nods yes to that first question as he heads towards the temple entrance. Of course somebody has looked at it, he's not that stupid.

Maybe their first mission together now that he's back can be to track down and kill chainsaw lady? ...Assuming he can still turn into a weapon for her.

Shit. What if losing his arm means that his sword form can't rend ayakashi anymore? ]

It's not like we sat down for tea first. I was heading back out to look for Hakkai and she just came out of nowhere cacklin' like the villain from a cartoon and attacked me.

[bussounoshima]

[She has to check. Who knows what his dumb macho pride might make him do. Sharak follows Gojyo, watching his steps and balance. God damn it.]

Shizuo might know more. I'll find her.

[And Sort This Out. Taking care of chainsaw lady won't do shit for Gojyo's arm, but they can't just let someone run around like this.]

... Hakkai didn't get tangled up in it too, did he? [They still don't know who it was he was in trouble from.]

[erogappa]

[ His arm isn't the only damage he got from that fight, no. He's definitely favoring his right leg, but his speech is clear and he's making as much sense as he ever does. The arm seems to be the worst of it.

He pauses just before the entrance to the temple, and scowls over his shoulder. ]

No. I don't expect to ever see that asshole again.

[bussounoshima]

[Arm seems to be the worst of it but she's not pleased about that leg either. Gojyo seems to have taken care of his immediate medical needs though. Her eyes briefly slide past him to the curtain leading to his room.]

... Well, why would you?

[Sharak steps forward, puts her hand on the back of his neck and guides him through the entrance into the main room.]

You're still upset about what he told you of his past. I thought you might be distracted from that.

[What with. The missing hand.]

[erogappa]

[ He doesn't flinch under her hand, but he does stiffen. Just briefly, though -- a heartbeat later and he ducks his head obediently and lets her lead him into the main room of the temple. ]

He killed kids, Sharak. [ He keeps his voice quiet, in case Celty -- or any of the other orphans Sharak seems to attract -- are sleeping. There's steel in there, though. This isn't something he's going to be swayed on easily. ] That's not the kind of thing you forgive a guy for, not even if he's dead.

[bussounoshima]

[She doesn't keep her hand there for long, just enough to guide him into the room. Make sure he doesn't run off to bed just yet. Sharak drops her hand from Gojyo's neck and walks ahead of him to take a seat on the floor, under the bright stars.]

Is it our place to forgive him or to hold a grudge? [He didn't kill either of them. He didn't even kill anyone they knew.] But you're right that dying isn't enough for something like that. Only living would be enough.

[What a funny choice of words though, considering. She might laugh, if it was at all appropriate.]

[erogappa]

[ He follows a pace behind, sitting down in front of her and shrugging out of his shirt. ]

I guess we’re talking about this. [ That’s okay, though. It needs to be talked about. His shirt comes off slowly as he eases the material over the wad of bandages on his stump. ] Okay, you know he’s insane, right? I mean, you’d have to be insane to kill that many people, to kill kids, but he’s really just... I don’t even know what he is. He nearly strangled himself with his goddamn hand just sitting there in front of me. What kind of a person does that?

[ Bare chested, he holds up his wounded arm so Sharak can see the clearly professionally applied bandages. There’s bruising on the upper part of his arm, but no dangerous red lines or any other signs of infection. ]

You want me to keep going?

[ Does she need to see his sutures, to be satisfied? ]

[bussounoshima]

Who among us can say that they're completely sane? [The kind of light tone that doesn't expect a response, as Sharak takes hold of Gojyo's arm to bring it closer for examination.] But, if I had to guess, I'd say the kind of person who wants to die. At least a part of him.

[These bandages are professionally done and the rest of his arm looks about as good as anyone could hope, under the circumstances. Sharak is quiet for a moment before shaking her head.]

No, not tonight. We can check underneath tomorrow, when there's light. [Or they could just. Turn the fucking lights on. Look, it's two a.m, they don't need to do this right now.]

[erogappa]

[ They really don’t. It can wait until the sun’s up… or ideally a few hours after that, since sunrise is going to be in, what, three hours? Four? Gojyo nods, and tugs his shirt back on. They can reconvene around noon, how’s that? Or maybe sunset. With how wiped he feels, he might just sleep until tomorrow. ]

I think if I’d done the things he’s done, I’d want to die too. [ He pauses, although whether it’s because he’s thinking or his arm is getting tangled in the sleeve is anybody’s guess. ] And if I’d done things like the things he’s done and didn’t remember it, I’d hope somebody I trusted would do me a favor and put me out of my misery.

[ Hint hint. ]

[bussounoshima]

Dying is for the lazy. [Don't try to escape your responsibilities through death, Gojyo.] ... And don't give me that shit, you're fine.

[Take your hints and shove them up your ass. Sharak is annoyed, though she's still just barely going through the motions of being calm and reasonable. Then, as Gojyo untangles himself from his sleeve, her hand snaps out and grabs Gojyo by the hair so she can tug him closer.]

Until we're both completely confident in your ability to fight one-handed, I want you to stay out of trouble, understood? [He knew a lecture was coming. She tightens her grip for a second before letting go.] I'm not letting you copy that idiot.

[erogappa]

[ What? Hey, ow! ]

Okay, okay, I got it, geez! [ Why couldn’t it be a lecture with less hair pulling, though? He’s had a rough week, have pity on the man with the sawed off arm! ] Don’t worry, I’m modelin’ my life on doin’ the opposite of everything that asshole does.

[bussounoshima]

[The sawed off arm is why she doesn't just haul off and hit him. For now.]

Good. [Sharak leans back and starts to angrily go through the process of getting a cigarette out and lighting it.]I don't want you doing anything riskier than serving a drink before I give the okay.

[Clearly Gojyo can't be trusted to judge his ability on his own. She's been giving him some leeway, since he wasn't one of her men, but apparently that wasn't the right course after all.]

If you get yourself killed, it'll be a pain in the ass.

[erogappa]

[ She yanked a bunch of his hair out of his top knot, man. Does she not even understand how hard it is to put your hair up in a ponytail with only one hand? Frustrated, he yanks at the elastic, working it free of the mess his hair’s become. ]

I’m not gonna get myself killed. [ Geez, mom. ] Give me a little credit.

[ He tugs on the elastic some more, and a couple hairs rip free, but the band is stuck fast in that mess. He curses under his breath, counts to three silently, and gives in. ]

Can you give me a hand?

[bussounoshima]

[Sharak is just going to sit here and let Gojyo prove her point for her. Credit. Sure.]

... You really are going to end up bald. [She takes a drag from her cigarette, waits a moment to let Gojyo suffer there... Then she stands up, walks behind him and sits down again.]

Here. Stay still. [Sharak works on the tangles out of Gojyo's hair with her long nails, gradually getting the elastic free from it's prison.] I suppose I should be grateful you've managed to dress yourself.

[erogappa]

Ha ha. [ --he deadpans, leaning back and staring up at the gently waving material of the ceiling. Putting his hair up is just one of the thousand little things he’s found suddenly challenging, along with tying his shoes, opening bottles, carrying anything bigger than a grapefruit. He’ll adapt – Sha Gojyo is resilient, he’s learned that one already – but it’s going to be a long, slow process. And in the meantime, he’s going to have to ask for a lot of help.

He really doesn’t like asking for help. ]

The world’s so messed up, Sharak. [ He laughs quietly, under his breath. ] I met a ten year old who’s nearly as badass as you. [ He rubs his shin ruefully. ] And twice as violent.

[ He turns, half-looking at her over his shoulder. ]

They’ve got kids running drugs over there, and worse. And nobody’s doin’ anything about it.

[bussounoshima]

[Sharak keeps combing Gojyo's hair with her fingers, untangling the knots silently. He'll need help, but that's something Sharak can be there for. So long as he can bring himself to ask.]

Sounds like I'm being shown up. [Rather than putting his hair back in a bun, Sharak starts to braid it. Harder for him to do himself, but easier to undo without getting tangled again.] I'll have to work harder.

[Ah, but she's starting to get an idea of what's kept Gojyo busy these past few days. He hasn't just been recovering from his injuries then.]

That's not the kind of situation you can just barge into and fix. How much information did you get?

[erogappa]

[ Just a single braid, right? Not a french braid or pigtails or anything like that? ]

Not much. Even after I killed a bunch of the low-level guys running things, the kids still didn’t want to talk. [ With a deep breath, he closes his eyes, letting himself enjoy the more-or-less gentle tugging on his hair. ] Not that I blame ‘em. The yakuza have their fingers in everything.

[ And that’s where his grand idea comes in. ]

Wanna help me wipe ‘em out?

[bussounoshima]

[Does she look like the kind of woman who knows how to do a french braid? Honestly, this single braid is kind of wonky. She regrets her decision already, but now she has no choice but to finish what she started.]

They might think they have no where else to go. And I doubt they have much reason to trust adults. [Any kid living like that is probably smart enough to know they can't trust their mob handlers, but they've also probably been burnt by supposedly trustworthy adults before too.

Sharak gives the half-finished braid a sharp tug.] What did I just say about staying out of trouble? [She's not saying no, exactly, but still...]

[erogappa]

Ow! [ It didn’t actually hurt – it’s just the principle of the thing. ] You said nothin’ without gettin’ your okay, so I’m askin’ for your okay. And your help.

[ It’s kids, Sharak. Even without his memories, he’ll forever have a soft spot for kids in trouble. ]

A one-armed shinki just cleared out a neighborhood on his own. Imagine what a god and a shinki together could do!

[bussounoshima]

... I'll look into it. [She's got a soft spot for kids too.] If we rush in, guns blazing, it won't just be us that gets hurt.

[They need to carefully research the situation, examine all possible solutions, and then go shoot everyone who ever hurt these kids in the head. Like responsible vigilantes.]

At least you've been keeping yourself busy.

[Sharak finishes off the braid, puts the elastic back in place. There. It doesn't even look completely terrible.]

[erogappa]

[ He's doing this whether she joins him or not. Whether she authorizes it or not. He won't get very far on his own, but he's not going to let a little thing like that stop him.

He's pretty sure she's going to come with him, though. Call it a hunch. ]

Thanks.

[ For the help with his hair. And, you know. All the rest. He shifts around so he's facing her, and stifles a yawn. ]

Never a dull moment! Not like here.

[bussounoshima]

[He won't get very far because Sharak will hunt him down. But his hunch isn't bad. Sharak is quiet for a moment before leaning back, taking a drag from her cigarette and blowing smoke up at the sky.]

... We had our own concerns, while you were gone.

[erogappa]

[ Another yawn works its way free, and belatedly Gojyo claps a hand over his mouth. ]

Sorry.

[ Not too sorry, though. It's late! And he's finally home, finally somewhere that he can relax, and the past week is catching up to him fast. ]

Anything I need to know about?

[ Was it politics as usual from the higher ups, another party where everyone turned into small fuzzy animals, another god or shinki that he'd met once or twice who vanished? Maybe an ayakashi attack that wrecked some of the neighboring temples? ]

[bussounoshima]

[She's not too fussed about his manners. It's late, they're both tired, and she's been reminded of more concerning things again. Sharak watches Gojyo for a moment, trying to judge if this is something he should know about but... Well, he'll hear about it eventually. Everyone else knows. And even if he doesn't remember their past, he has a right to know about the person he cares about.

Perhaps it'll do him some good.]

... About a week ago, Cho Hakkai died. [Simply put.] His shinki couldn't find him anywhere and it took a few days for him to turn up. After that, we were able to piece a few things together but we still don't know what happened.

[And then Sharak braces herself for whatever Gojyo's response is to that.]