though tired and battered from your earlier fight, you rush towards the city, as it continues to burn and flames dance in the night sky. the sound of screams has died down, but this fact only strikes fear into you—because silence only means that there is no one left alive to cry out.
smoke and ash fill your lungs, but you hardly take notice. you make your way through the destruction, past the corpses the litter the streets (faces you recognize, friends you chatted with just earlier, the people who were meant to be under your protection), looking for any survivors. then, you spot someone all too familiar lying on the ground, dread seizing your heart as you run over to her.
you gather tsuki—your faithful attendant of years—into your arms, even knowing that it's too late for her. she tells you of what happened here, how mugen and his forces set fire to the town, and with her last breaths, she implores you to save the country. that it can only be you, through kindness.
you don't feel very kind right now, unable to do more than leave her there when the crisis still burns around you. horror bubbles up in your throat, reality settling in as you take shaky steps away from the scene—until you cannot contain it any longer and you find yourself screaming in grief.
everyone is dead.
then, it washes away to be replaced by an emotion almost foreign to you: fury. you have never liked being angry, never felt like it was quite your own feelings, but you have no doubt this time that this is all your own.
Rin's never felt smoke choke his lungs like this, or smelled the stench of blood in the air. Seen bodies and loved ones laid to ruin.
Those images stay with him even as the memories, eyes wide and unable to move past the sight of Hikari's attendant and father; their home razed with flames at the hands of his... brother?
He takes a minute, just processing it all before he stumbles forward and throws his arms around Hikari's shoulders. ]
[hikari freezes up on instinct, before relaxing once he realizes what's going on—though he's still tense in the awkward way of someone who likely isn't used to getting hugged often, unsure how to handle the gesture.
his own arms remain by his side, as he takes a few moments for him to find his voice. once he does, softly—]
Why are you apologizing to me? You're the one that had to endure it.
[ IDIOT
He just squeezes Hikari vengefully. There will be time later to be embarrassed about his behaviour. Already he can start to feel relief that it wasn't— it isn't happening now. He doesn't have to keep seeing it.
But it's real for Hikari. It's the life he has to live with. ]
You've had to endure so much heartbreak, Hikari... Most people would've become full of hate.
[the tension gradually leaves him, as he grows accustomed to the hold—as strange as it still is, to a part of him.]
... Kindness is the virtue most worth pursuing—that is something my mother would tell me, when I was a child. Hate only begets more hate. Nothing lies at the end of it.
[even now, for all that hikari is furious, he doesn't know if he'd call what he feels towards his brother hate; at least, it doesn't seem to match the utter contempt mugen has held towards him all his life in turn. on hikari's own part, it's more of a grim recognition of everything that has led them here, an unyielding determination that mugen must be cut down no matter what to protect everyone else.]
I would rather have a world joined through compassion.
[ He draws back eventually, expression both soft and aching at hearing Hikari recount his mother's words, grateful that she gave her son strength to rely on, and sad again that he'd lost her.
He tucks his hands into his pockets, glancing off to the side with a furrow to his brow. ]
You're still admirable, Hikari. None of that is easy to keep believing in.
[it's a bittersweet ache for hikari as well, eternally grateful for the love his mother raised him with—the knowledge that if he has any qualities worth praising, it's because of her influence—and the grief that never fully leaves despite the years.
he's quiet for a few moments, and then cautiously, as though still trying to find the words—]
... It is simply what I must do. Everyone has their own struggles; it is all we can do to keep moving forward.
... I guess you don't have much of an option with so much riding on your shoulders.
[ The fate of an entire nation. Rin had crumbled under the expectations of his father's dream, he couldn't imagine the pressure of having to shoulder the hopes of an entire country.
He shakes his head. ]
You couldn't be any more different than your... brother? Why is he so hell bent on destroying everything?
[hikari falls silent again, mulling over his words. what to say, what not to say. he feels guilty for hiding anything from a friend, but there are details that he's always been reluctant to voice.]
... Our nation was built on warfare. For generations, Clan Ku has perpetuated that cycle—the belief that there is glory through bloodshed and sacrifice. Mugen... embodies all the worst qualities of our family, too strongly.
[his mouth presses into a line, before he shakes his head slowly.]
The fact that I don't hold such beliefs is one of the many reasons why he has always hated me. [tightly,] And why, I suppose, he would rather slaughter our own people than have me succeed the throne over him.
[ He really didn't see that coming, but it does give some helpful context to the memory with Rai Mei. It explains too why Hikari felt so strongly about his convictions, being raised in the chokehold of a nation raised on conquest.
He snorts, irritated. ]
Sounds like an asshole. And that's putting it lightly. [ Then- something occurs to him. ] If we get out of here, you'll go back to that war?
Yes. [simply.] He still rules over Ku, and he must be dethroned.
[a pause, and then in a moment of vulnerability, his next words slip out, quiet.]
... Had things been different, I would have no desire to fight him for the throne—I had no ambitions for it, before that night. [his eyes flicker away, before meeting rin's again.] It had always been a matter of course that it would be his. Only hours earlier was it that Father even told me otherwise.
[that he was suddenly naming hikari his successor instead, and even then, hikari had been prepared to reject it if his father didn't insist he think on it. and then, well, mugen FUCKIN KILLED EVERYONE and hikari had to go "nvm not you after all."]
But perhaps that was my complacency, as merely dreaming of peace does not make it happen. And so if we manage to return, then I will do what it takes to become king and sever Ku's cycle of war, once and for all.
[ mugen forcing hikari to be king by being the worst.
Somehow, that does surprise him though. Hikari seems so driven that Rin assumed he'd always wanted to be king to build the kind of world he wanted to see. ]
... I kind of hope it'll be easy for you when you return, but I get the feeling that won't be the case. [ It feels kind of bad to know your friend is going back to an environment so dangerous. ] But you'd be a good king.
hikari doesn't confirm rin's suspicions that it won't be easy. frankly, the path ahead is frightening even for hikari—not only because of mugen, but because of one more obstacle that he knows awaits him, even if it's one more thing he does not wish to put to words said out loud.]
... I'm honoured you think so. [at the last comment, he manages a faint smile.] If I don't give the impression of being a king, I will take that as a good thing. I would rather be a friend to the people first, and their ruler second.
[ NOOO what is going to happen to our Hikari... Save him. ]
You could have a kingly aura, but then you let Rang bully you so it dissipates a little bit. [ He gently pats Hikari's back. ] You're going to need everything in arsenal. Let's go to swim practice.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Haru is just... unstoppable. I don't know how to describe it. I don't know if I'll ever understand what goes through his head.
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[1/2]
Something to be treasured, certainly.
[
ME FEELING VERY BAD NOW SORRY FOR THE MEMORY THAT'S ABOUT TO HIT YOU RIN]
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though tired and battered from your earlier fight, you rush towards the city, as it continues to burn and flames dance in the night sky. the sound of screams has died down, but this fact only strikes fear into you—because silence only means that there is no one left alive to cry out.
smoke and ash fill your lungs, but you hardly take notice. you make your way through the destruction, past the corpses the litter the streets (faces you recognize, friends you chatted with just earlier, the people who were meant to be under your protection), looking for any survivors. then, you spot someone all too familiar lying on the ground, dread seizing your heart as you run over to her.
you gather tsuki—your faithful attendant of years—into your arms, even knowing that it's too late for her. she tells you of what happened here, how mugen and his forces set fire to the town, and with her last breaths, she implores you to save the country. that it can only be you, through kindness.
you don't feel very kind right now, unable to do more than leave her there when the crisis still burns around you. horror bubbles up in your throat, reality settling in as you take shaky steps away from the scene—until you cannot contain it any longer and you find yourself screaming in grief.
everyone is dead.
then, it washes away to be replaced by an emotion almost foreign to you: fury. you have never liked being angry, never felt like it was quite your own feelings, but you have no doubt this time that this is all your own.
you make your way to the castle. (you stop for another face on the verge of death; another who uses their dying words to beg you to save the land, before breathing their last.) but when you reach the throne room, once again you're too late (53:07 - 56:14).]
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Rin's never felt smoke choke his lungs like this, or smelled the stench of blood in the air. Seen bodies and loved ones laid to ruin.
Those images stay with him even as the memories, eyes wide and unable to move past the sight of Hikari's attendant and father; their home razed with flames at the hands of his... brother?
He takes a minute, just processing it all before he stumbles forward and throws his arms around Hikari's shoulders. ]
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Wh—
[hikari freezes up on instinct, before relaxing once he realizes what's going on—though he's still tense in the awkward way of someone who likely isn't used to getting hugged often, unsure how to handle the gesture.
his own arms remain by his side, as he takes a few moments for him to find his voice. once he does, softly—]
... I'm sorry you had to experience that.
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[ IDIOT
He just squeezes Hikari vengefully. There will be time later to be embarrassed about his behaviour. Already he can start to feel relief that it wasn't— it isn't happening now. He doesn't have to keep seeing it.
But it's real for Hikari. It's the life he has to live with. ]
You've had to endure so much heartbreak, Hikari... Most people would've become full of hate.
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... Kindness is the virtue most worth pursuing—that is something my mother would tell me, when I was a child. Hate only begets more hate. Nothing lies at the end of it.
[even now, for all that hikari is furious, he doesn't know if he'd call what he feels towards his brother hate; at least, it doesn't seem to match the utter contempt mugen has held towards him all his life in turn. on hikari's own part, it's more of a grim recognition of everything that has led them here, an unyielding determination that mugen must be cut down no matter what to protect everyone else.]
I would rather have a world joined through compassion.
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He tucks his hands into his pockets, glancing off to the side with a furrow to his brow. ]
You're still admirable, Hikari. None of that is easy to keep believing in.
[ Glances back at him. ]
Don't you ever get tired?
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he's quiet for a few moments, and then cautiously, as though still trying to find the words—]
... It is simply what I must do. Everyone has their own struggles; it is all we can do to keep moving forward.
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[ The fate of an entire nation. Rin had crumbled under the expectations of his father's dream, he couldn't imagine the pressure of having to shoulder the hopes of an entire country.
He shakes his head. ]
You couldn't be any more different than your... brother? Why is he so hell bent on destroying everything?
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... Our nation was built on warfare. For generations, Clan Ku has perpetuated that cycle—the belief that there is glory through bloodshed and sacrifice. Mugen... embodies all the worst qualities of our family, too strongly.
[his mouth presses into a line, before he shakes his head slowly.]
The fact that I don't hold such beliefs is one of the many reasons why he has always hated me. [tightly,] And why, I suppose, he would rather slaughter our own people than have me succeed the throne over him.
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He snorts, irritated. ]
Sounds like an asshole. And that's putting it lightly. [ Then- something occurs to him. ] If we get out of here, you'll go back to that war?
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[a pause, and then in a moment of vulnerability, his next words slip out, quiet.]
... Had things been different, I would have no desire to fight him for the throne—I had no ambitions for it, before that night. [his eyes flicker away, before meeting rin's again.] It had always been a matter of course that it would be his. Only hours earlier was it that Father even told me otherwise.
[that he was suddenly naming hikari his successor instead, and even then, hikari had been prepared to reject it if his father didn't insist he think on it. and then, well, mugen FUCKIN KILLED EVERYONE and hikari had to go "nvm not you after all."]
But perhaps that was my complacency, as merely dreaming of peace does not make it happen. And so if we manage to return, then I will do what it takes to become king and sever Ku's cycle of war, once and for all.
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Somehow, that does surprise him though. Hikari seems so driven that Rin assumed he'd always wanted to be king to build the kind of world he wanted to see. ]
... I kind of hope it'll be easy for you when you return, but I get the feeling that won't be the case. [ It feels kind of bad to know your friend is going back to an environment so dangerous. ] But you'd be a good king.
It's kind of crazy to think about.
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hikari doesn't confirm rin's suspicions that it won't be easy. frankly, the path ahead is frightening even for hikari—not only because of mugen, but because of one more obstacle that he knows awaits him, even if it's one more thing he does not wish to put to words said out loud.]
... I'm honoured you think so. [at the last comment, he manages a faint smile.] If I don't give the impression of being a king, I will take that as a good thing. I would rather be a friend to the people first, and their ruler second.
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You could have a kingly aura, but then you let Rang bully you so it dissipates a little bit. [ He gently pats Hikari's back. ] You're going to need everything in arsenal. Let's go to swim practice.
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[HELLO?
but he will slowly nod to swim practice.]