[closed] between the sinners and the saints

[heartshutter]

Who: Tatara and Izumo
When: Late September, after Izumo's return and celebratory dinner
Where: Minerva's Temple
What: A long-awaited discussion...
Warnings: Major wordiness (and probable spoilers for s2 of K)?

[ It’s twenty -- no, thirty -- minutes past time for Tatara’s afternoon nap by now, and where is he? In his own kitchen, making tea, loading and unloading dishes, dusting, reorganizing the solar-powered dancing plants on the nearby windowsill, anything to keep himself busy. Not awake, no -- busy.

Izumo is due over any time now, and needless to say, this is not one visit Tatara is looking forward to. He’s really, really bitten off more than he could chew this time, hasn’t he? One would think his last life would have taught him not to do that, but it appears as though history’s repeated itself here again. He’s been up since the mid-morning, and still he’s yet to flesh out how he’s going to explain himself -- explain the promise he made, to another king -- to Izumo, let alone rehearse it down to a quick and easy science.

In the hours he’s had to think on it, he’s already internally gone about it several ways: Maybe he’ll tell Izumo to separate Reisi Munakata from Scepter-4 and his title as Blue King; remind him that he has zero memory of everything that transpired before; say that he’s not an ill-intentioned person, merely lonely and lost and in need of some kind of support...

...but, can he truly defend a man who killed their king?

No doubt, before the day is through, he’ll have to, to some extent or another. And no doubt, before he’s finished with his arguments and objections, Izumo will have done his best to knock some sense into his fellow clansman. Literally. On that note, let him just throw another ice pack in the freezer real quick, and... there. Perfect. Now he’s definitely out of things to do.

Sighing heavily, he leans both elbows down on the breakfast bar, propping his chin up on a palm. Over the back of one of the chairs at the other side of the bar is a royal blue yukata that doesn’t seem to belong in a place filled with so much red. Tatara would have put it away, except... what would be the point? They’ll have to broach that topic sooner rather than later; and while the god hopes it isn’t the first thing his guest sets eyes on, perhaps it can be a good segue at some point in their conversation. Ease into things gently, you know? And everything will work out just fine.

Now, all that’s missing is a knock. Or for Izumo to barge in. Either way. ]

Comments

[toremainbehind]

[After Totsuka has (sort of) invited him over, the questions in Izumo's head can only grow, and none of them were good ones. It almost leaves a bad taste in his mouth, just wondering what could be so important that it has the younger man hesitating to tell him.

It's been bugging him enough that after he had left his newest shinki back at their temple, he's finally gone to see Totsuka.

He has the decency to knock at first, but enters anyway, eyes immediately searching for the younger god.]

Totsuka.

[heartshutter]

[ “Sort of” will have to count here -- Tatara isn’t going to give a more express invitation than the one Izumo got. ]

Kusanagi-san! Come in, come in!

[ As if he wasn’t already. Tatara half-waves, half-beckons from within the kitchen. ]

I’m making tea, did you want any?

[ Yes, let’s... just start there. That will be fine. ]

[toremainbehind]

[He's acting normal.

A little too normal, in fact. And while it's not out of the ordinary for Totsuka to make tea, it's...not something Izumo had expected either.

So, he makes his way to the kitchen.]

Would it be too much trouble to ask for coffee instead? [He stops in the entry to the kitchen, just watching Totsuka for a moment.]

[heartshutter]

[ Is he, really? Good! Consider this his best impersonation of someone who doesn't feel the weight of the world teetering on his narrow, waif shoulders.

Speaking of things unexpected, Tatara pauses for a moment at the request, brows lifted. ]

Hm?

[ It seems to take an extra second or two to process before he reacts, moving about to find the coffee... wherever he put it. ]

Aah, sure! Sorry, sorry -- I forgot, Kusanagi-san isn't much for tea, are you? Eheh.

[toremainbehind]

I've always preferred coffee more.

[Izumo quirks an eyebrow, having not missed how...he seems a bit jumpy. No, not jumpy, but jerky rather.]

You seem nervous.

[And Totsuka has always been someone who doesn't let such things show. Then again, Izumo has always been good at reading the younger man, even knowing about how close he's come to dying so many times in the past without even having to be there to witness it.

His eyes scan the area briefly before he notices something out of place.

Something that doesn't strike him as something Totsuka would wear.]

[heartshutter]

Do I?

[ He summons that wafer-thin smile from somewhere, even as he goes about making the coffee.

He'd just as soon double-down on his efforts to play it all off, but--

...welp. No doubt about it -- he's noticed it. Sure didn't take him long. Typical Izumo. ]

Well, we have some important things to discuss.

[toremainbehind]

....

[He stares at the yukata for a long moment, taking in the color and then he shifts his gaze to Totsuka.]

So it seems.

[There's a hint in his tone, demanding answers.] We can talk when the coffee is done. [Because he swears he might end up needing something stronger later on, depending on how this talk goes.]

[heartshutter]

...Eheh.

[ The sound is all-but-involuntary. Yes indeed, Tatara read that tone perfectly, and knows what's coming: A whole lot of explaining.

Oh boy. ]

While we wait, [ resting a palm down on the counter, he looks to Izumo with a relative calm about his features ] did you have a chance to talk to King?

[toremainbehind]

...I'm not sure if a punch will count as a 'talk'.

[Because yes, he's punched Mikoto.

He takes out a cigarette and lights it, already feeling a need to calm his nerves.]

[heartshutter]

[ Wait a second -- Mikoto punched Izumo?!

...no, that's not possible. Which means-- ]

Kusanagi-san... [ It's almost a gasp, as Tatara's left momentarily gape-mouthed. ]

Did he say anything?

[toremainbehind]

[Izumo just arches an eyebrow at him, looking bemused.]

Do you think he said anything?

[In other words, "no".]

[heartshutter]

[ Tatara chuckles. ]

So much for wishful thinking!

[ For a moment after that, the only sound in the area is the rumble and burble of the coffee pot. Hazel eyes watch it brew, almost despondently. ]

...King hasn't been himself in a while now, has he?

[toremainbehind]

[....

Izumo takes a drag.]

No. [And it's taken Izumo a bit of time to try and figure out why. Mikoto has always been something of an enigma, always closing himself off and after coming back, he's seen something happen to the temple of Ra.

A crack through the sign, resembling a crack on his Sword.]

Has he pushed you away, too? [Because it would explain some things about everything in general, about what's happened when Izumo disappeared.]

[heartshutter]

[ Times and talks like this, Tatara almost wishes he took the same comfort in cigarettes that most of his companions do. But, alas. ]

He has. [ And if he dwells on it, it aches.

So he doesn't. Simple, isn't it? Before he realizes it, he's pulling a mug from the cabinet and the pot from the warmer, pouring a glass for Izumo. ]

It started that night where he called everyone to his temple.

[ Not just that, either, but so much started that night. ]

[toremainbehind]

He's an idiot.

[But with the coffee done, he takes out the cigarette and looks over at him, eyebrow raised as if asking where he can put it out - safely.]

He's been pushing people away.

[heartshutter]

[ Tatara motions to the sink. If he snuffs it there, the butt can go in the trash. (Sorry, Izumo, but Tatara's yet to acquire an ashtray, of all things.)

Smiling wanly: ]

King is King, for better or worse.

[ This meaning to say that he understands, and simultaneously, is also completely baffled. ]

He's never been this determined about it before, though. And never this... explosive.

[toremainbehind]

[He moves over to the sink, snuffing it out before he tosses it into the trash.

For a moment, he says nothing because as the two people who's been by Mikoto's side, they've been through it all with him in the beginning. However, it was never this bad; not once has Mikoto ever done anything like bluntly push them away before.

It makes him want to punch him again.

Izumo sighs, shaking his head.]

Let's leave that topic alone for now. [He walks back over, giving him a pointed look.] There's another thing that we need to talk about first.

[heartshutter]

[ For a moment, Tatara thinks that maybe he might just be able to push aside That Whole Reisi Thing -- even temporarily! -- until...

That look.

The one that makes the younger god shrink, if perhaps not visibly.

That well-intended, sheepish smile makes its return. ]

Oh? Is there?

[ Yep. And no dodgy language is going to get him out of it. Time to lay this out on the table, just as plainly as it's already laid out over the back of that chair. ]

[toremainbehind]

Totsuka.

[Nope, there is definitely no escaping.

So, talk.]

[heartshutter]

[ He knows that tone.

A pause, and a deep breath. ]

I know what you're thinking, Kusanagi-san. And you're right -- it's not mine.

[ The yukata, he means. ]

I helped pick it out, but it doesn't belong to me. Or to my shinki.

[toremainbehind]

[Izumo politely keeps quiet, but only because he knows that Totsuka is still stalling.

He hasn't gotten to the point yet.

So, he arches an eyebrow at him, patiently waiting for him to finally get to the point because he has his suspicions and some of the things Totsuka has asked before is beginning to connect in his head.

Not in a good way either.]

[heartshutter]

[ Oh... oh jeeze. He's still waiting. Like the disapproving parent confronting the child that knows they got caught red-handed to simply confess their crimes or face even greater punishment, Izumo is waiting.

Much like that child, Tatara averts his gaze for just a moment in order to steel himself, thin facade of a smile still withstanding. ]

About why I asked you if you knew for sure who killed King -- well... [ he clears his throat discreetly. ]

...It's because that yukata belongs to Reisi Munakata.

[toremainbehind]

......

[A slow blink as he processes the information, taking a sip of his coffee.

Then, he places the cup down and proceeds to give the younger man a Look.]

Totsuka.

[heartshutter]

[ Both hands come up, palms forward in a 'please, don't shoot' type of fashion. ]

Sorry, sorry! [ This... looks bad. Really bad. Tatara fully understands that. Still, he lets those hands fall back to his sides. ]

But before you pass judgment, remember that he doesn't recall anything about what happened before. He doesn't know who he was, or what he did.

...And, neither did I, until you told me.

1/2

[toremainbehind]

[Izumo is understanding of this plight. He really is.

In all honesty, he doesn't have anything against the Blue King, and as a shinki, he and Munakata even got along to some level. There was no animosity then just as there wasn't now. Not once has he blamed him for having to kill Mikoto because if anyone could do it, it was him.

Izumo could have never done it.

He lacked the particular resolve that Seri had to kill her king.

But still]