Take a look, it's in a book

[erogappa]

Who: Gojyo and Chikusa
What: Fighting. What else do they do?
When: January 9th
Where: the Far Shore library
Warnings: See individual post headers



[ He needs to learn about shrines. What they're made of, what they do, where they need to go, and with what pieces. What not to do when making one. Their range. How to make them work stronger, feed their god more.

Because that's what it is. It's a god feeder, streaming magic life into the folks attached to them. As much as he hates being a shinki and every. fucking. piece. of being a shinki, at least he's not a god. At least he won't vanish if everyone forgets him.

So he's looking for books on shrines. But he's also looking for books on really really graphic ancient sex -- something inside him crawls up and died a little at the centerfold -- and coffee table books building boats and increasing his paleo index and music, popular artists of the last ten years, in heaven and in the mortal world, a cookbook snagged entirely at random, and volume six of the History of Discorporeal Places -- not incorporeal, the introduction hastened to add. Discorporeal. (It's kind of a fun word to say.)

And he thinks he's got what he needs. He thinks the books he's skimmed so far will have the information that he needs to set up Votelli's shrine, and he's got an idea where a goddess of trees's shrine would be best located (suburban garden centers, it's big box garden centers in the lawn-having parts of town, away from the evening noise)... now he just needs to get out of here before Chikusa shows up. What odds do you give him? ]

Comments

[erogappa]

[ Depends how fast he walks! Gojyo's not running or anything -- in fact, he's not even walking as fast as he could. Any second now there's going to be a borderline cast in front of him, because that's Chikusa's MO. Any second now he's going to walk right into it.

He's so sure of this that he's got his right hand held up a few inches in front of him as he storms for the front door. His back is straight, his stride even. But if Chikusa invisibly sneaks up in front of him, he'll see that Gojyo's expression doesn't match the rest of the package. 'Grief-stricken' is probably the best way to describe it: his gaze is down, his jaw tight, face pale.

When the inevitable borderline appears, or when Chikusa calls out some additional jab about his love life, he'll be able to shake it off and turn around, dry-eyed and angry again. But for just this moment, with the privacy of a turned back, his feelings are just to much to keep off his face. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[To the surprise of many, Chikusa can indeed approach proper walking speeds. Or, at least, his shuffle can almost hilariously go faster, when he doesn't want to bother with a full run.]

[Just catching up with Gojyo won't be enough. He'll have to cut him off, which means leaving the building before he does. As he passes by the older man, however, he spares a glance at him and takes note of that odd expression. What right does he have to be miserable, when it's him who's ruining things with Hakkai?]

[Whatever. Shaking his head silently, Chikusa hurries to the front door. He won't do anything extravagant. Just wait for him outside, back against the wall, and let his spell fall. When he hears those doors open...]

You forgot something.

[The book, held up in one hand, and Chikusa's eyes focused on Gojyo's over it.]

[erogappa]

[ It's really not his fault. He thought he'd left Chikusa behind -- he wasn't expecting anyone to be waiting for him outside.

As soon as Chikusa opens his mouth, Gojyo's moving on instinct, twisting around to smash Chikusa in the face with that big orange SAM splint. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[Well, it's a good thing he's already holding up a book in front of him.]

[His bones shake of the impact of cast hitting book, causing it to tumblr out of his hands. Hopefully that's all Gojyo plans to do, but- just in case. Chikusa steps away, staring at Gojyo dully.]

[He won't say anything.]

[erogappa]

[ That's definitely all Gojyo plans to do! Hitting somebody with a broken arm is rarely a good idea -- hitting somebody with a broken arm when the arm is in a soft cast and not a hard one? That's never going to end well.

He spins about, crumpling over his poor abused arm, swearing in fits and starts. It was finally healing, too! Two weeks, and it was finally not hurting when he got dressed in the morning, finally not screaming at him when he bumped it into something. Fuck.

His arm clutched tight to his chest, he snarls at Chikusa. ]

What part of fuck off don't you get?!

[kokuyoyo]

[He's not going to call Gojyo an idiot, because he's pretty sure the state of his arm should call him that enough. Instead, Chikusa leans down, fishing the book up to his hands again.]

I said you forgot something... Also, is that why you keep hurting him...? [Flashing the cover of the book at Gojyo, he raises an eyebrow.] Because you think he doesn't care enough to hurt...?

[erogappa]

[ Fuck. Of course Chikusa would pick the right book. Of course he fucking would.

Thankfully, his reactions are all messed up from the pain in his arm, which makes it easy to just snort at the book and focus on Chikusa's other (invasive, unnecessary, meddling) questions. ]

What kind of stupid logic is that? Come on, you can do better.

[kokuyoyo]

[He's not sure he can, actually, but like hell is he telling Gojyo that. Ken, and no one else, will get to know his insecurities... especially not the man in front of him.]

What kind of stupid logic is is to assume Hakkai doesn't care? [His eyes narrow minutely.] We've had to deal with his for months now... And I clearly can't rely on either of you.

[A rattled out sigh.]

Just make this easy...

[erogappa]

[ And that earns Chikusa a laugh, loud and mocking. ]

Why the hell would I try to make your life easier, asshole?

[ The ache isn't fading at all, but he can't stay here forward. Cautiously, he straightens up, but he keeps his arm tight to his chest. ]

Are you gonna keep chasin' me if I walk off again?

[kokuyoyo]

Yes.

[...He might not, actually, but that's what he means by 'easier'. Clearly he has to put some effort into this.... because, if he doesn't, Gojyo just keeps running free, hurting people that matter.]

[Goku has said that he's usually good.. but, looking at him now, Chikusa can't see it.]

As long as you keep hurting Hakkai... and he keeps letting you.

cw: basically a suicidal comment

[erogappa]

[ Well. He can't be mad about that kind of loyalty.

...That's a lie, he's mad as hell, but it doesn't change the fact that Hakkai's inspired this kind of faithfulness. If he wasn't just barely more put together than a soulless, if he had a working brain instead of an overworking heart, he might be able to see Hakkai in the same light.

But he can only work with what he's been given. ]

Fine.

[ He faces Chikusa straight on, and holds his uninjured arm out to the side, a display of just how unarmed he is. How defenseless. ]

I hurt him just by bein' alive and wearin' this face. You gonna do something about that?

[kokuyoyo]

If it were only that easy...

[He has no emotions tied to killing Gojyo. As far as he's concerned, Gojyo is just another human being in a wold filled to the brim with him. He offers Chikusa nothing on his own merit. If anything, he's a detriment to the life Chikusa has gotten here in the Far Shore: the one where he and Ken can wake up in somewhere solid, somewhere stationary, and curl around a table while Hakkai cooks something warm and sweet in the kitchen. Christmas and Befana both were good, without Gojyo's presence around to ruin it. At least, that's what Chikusa thinks.]

[Maybe killing Gojyo would be good. It could stop the constant on-off cycle of him hurting Hakkai. It would still hurt Hakkai, of course, but... maybe it could hurt him only for a little while. It could hurt, and then heal, because Gojyo wouldn't be there anymore to keep peeling the wound open again and again.]

[But Gojyo could always come back. Hakkai could learn about it and, at the very least, never want to see Chikusa again. That sort of outcome... It's one Chikusa has realized he can't deal with. It would hurt him and, worse, Ken.]

[So he won't.]

Still... That's convenient for you, isn't it...? That you hurt him so passively.

[erogappa]

[ So it's true -- Hakkai really did tell the little shit not to kill him.

How about that. ]

It's the best. [ He's never had much of a poker face, but there's no time like the present to practice, right? ] My favorite's when he drops the smile and gets that look like somebody just ate a puppy.

[kokuyoyo]

[That poker face would have a slightly better chance of working if not for something he'd heard recently, and Chikusa tilts his chin up.]

Funny... Because I heard that one of the reasons he loves you is because you're so caring.

[erogappa]

[ His jaw clenches at that, but the smirk doesn't waver. Maybe if he can convince Chikusa that he's the monster Chikusa thinks he is -- which shouldn't take much convincing at all, really -- then the kid will leave him alone.

Or kill him. Either way. ]

Then you heard wrong. when have you even known me to be caring?

[kokuyoyo]

[...]

Votelli.

[erogappa]

[ His expression stiffens, and he only barely manages to catch himself before he flicks a glance at the book Chikusa's holding. ]

That's not caring, dumbass. You know what I could do to this place if I had the great rebel god in my corner?

[kokuyoyo]

[God. God. Gojyo is so stupid. Chikusa's gaze goes a little distant in a way that's different than the usual, and it's only his lack of energy that has him not drag his hands down his face.]

No. [Paper wishes it could be this flat.] What would you do.

[erogappa]

Stick around, [ he leers with a wink. Look what a good bad guy he is! A total threat. Very dangerous. ]

Maybe you'll get to find out.

[kokuyoyo]

...You didn't think this far ahead, did you.

[Heaving out a sigh, Chikusa reaches up to adjust his glasses.]

[erogappa]

[ Is he annoyed enough to let Gojyo leave? Let's find out. ]

If that's what you need to tell yourself, [ he shrugs, and turns to go. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[So the perfect target for a throwable object. Hey, Gojyo, how thick was that book you picked out- ]

[erogappa]

[ The flat of the book smacks Gojyo square in the back of the head, hard enough that he stumbles forward a step or two.

That's it. That's fucking it. He's tried walking away, tried getting Chikusa to start the fight, but nothing's working. So he'll try the big guns.

He turns... and pulls out his phone. Ring ring, Hakkai. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[Honestly, he didn't want to seriously injure Gojyo so much as just hurt him a little, or piss him off... so this all works out. He makes direct eye contact, even as Gojyo pulls out his phone. There are only too people he could be calling right now...]

[...And, when clearly the called party doesn't pick up, Chikusa can pretty much guess who it is. As Gojyo is forced to devolve into typing with one hand, Chikusa starts to slink forward. He's not overtly smug, but it's still there.]

Is he not answering?

[erogappa]

[ For a minute, he thinks Chikusa might be right. Maybe Hakkai's not going to answer him. Maybe he's going to end up standing here like an idiot, staring at a blank phone screen, while his own personal tormenter mocks him.

But then the phone lights up, and Gojyo sighs with relief. He can't spare the fingers to flip Chikusa off while he's typing, but he can ignore him completely, which is almost as good. ]