[It's a pose Akira knows - in his dreams, in his nightmares, in his passing thoughts.
Akechi won't be goaded to steal first move. Not by anything that Akira's actually willing to do. He knows this, as he knows he must be the one to strike first. He keeps circling. It would be smarter to strike from the back, the sides - but he won't do that, either.
It's not how he does things. Not how they do things.
Because they both know what this fight is for. They have no need to hide themselves behind anything anymore.]
I wouldn't have it any other way.
[He comes to a stop at the front of him. He has a basic guesstimation of what Akechi might use without his Personas now, but there was never anywhere else he'd come at him from.]
Because this is what we're meant for.
[This what I've waited for.
And I'll never lose it again.]
I'll never be weaker than when I stand before you.
[Together, they will fight.
Together, they will live and breathe. They will laugh and their mouths may meet.
Together, they will die.]
And I'll never be stronger anywhere else.
[At once, his gifted dagger is in his hand. He spins it only once.
I'll never lose you again.
His world narrows down to Akechi Goro, thoughts shutting down as others work faster than ever before. Hi feet launch him forward, heavier than the Metaverse but still true, and his blade is up and catching the light.
They're inherently inequal. The power of an unchecked god lies within that man's soul. Eden thrives under him, souls and lives held in the palm of his hand.
The only time Akechi has felled him is with his own two hands, with surprise assaults.
Akira moving forward with a blade in hand, eyes on him, only on him, staring down Akechi Goro in the dwindling sunlight is invigorating in the same way. It feels like winning before their bodies even clash.
And it's different with Kurusu.
They're inherently equal. Always toeing the line - Akechi's more experienced, stronger, faster.
Akira's adaptable, unpredictable and wild.
A chill crawls up his spine, hackles raise, heart beating fast because this is all he wanted, this is what he craved, this was his only regret in that disgusting cellar that holds the corpse of someone. Akechi killed Akira with his own hand - a smoking gun with an all too light trigger under his finger.
He wanted more.
He wanted this.
He wants to be
cut down
by a daring thief and he wants to-
rip Joker apart
When he mistakenly thinks victory is seized.
No persona. Doesn't matter. Akechi guards with a vile laugh, streaks of vivid blue crawling up his body - he could summon Robin Hood here. Akira knows. He could summon Loki here. Akira knows.
He doesn't. He makes an attempt to parry Akira's dagger and if successful, makes a downward swipe with his own towards his shoulder - Robin Hood at the cusp of his heart, ready to attack, ready to be summoned, resting on the tip of his tongue.] Don't tell me you made me wait all this time just to swipe at me with a pathetic little knife? Stop screwing around and show me that power you've been graced with. Take this opportunity to show off, Joker.
cw: blood, violence, stabbing; smacks ur face with a d1 til it does something
[Akechi's laugh, Akechi's words - they rattle through his bones with so much nostalgia that he thinks his vision blurs.
Akechi.
Blades catch and sing against one another, a symphony that his brain remembers the dance steps to.
I waited to see you for so long.
Blue flickers at his feet, flame ready to take, a soul remembering how to rebel.
I wanted this for so long.
It doesn't matter how much time passes between summoning his Persona, or how long it's been since he clashed with Akechi Goro completely unrestrained.
I buried it down so far, but it still... never changed how much I missed you.
It doesn't matter if the playing field is different. It doesn't matter if they're different, because one thing will always remain the same. Kurusu Akira will always, always
be trapped by the weakness of his own heart.]
Ghk-!
[The flame at his feet cuts off, and red paints the ground at their feet.
His hand goes up to staunch the blood rushing from the wound, but Akira knows it's deep. It burns as he holds it. It's my right side, too. Goddamn it.
He has to hurry, now. Akira has no way to heal, and that means he's on a time limit. Beneath his fingers, he can feel his life beating away.
He should be worried - and he is. He should feel his veins fill with adrenaline, fear, animal instinct - and they do.
But it's everything that he wants, and that's why he can grin, wild and manic and without a single chain holding him down. The one that stands before Akechi Goro is Joker.]
If you wanted to lose so quick, Crow- [The grin doesn't falter. The blue resparks and swirls.] -all you had to do was ask me nicely.
[A god has wiped him out of people's minds before. He's had to make a victory out of a complete and total defeat. Akira has made something out of nothing.
He won't lose now, even if he has to drag his body mangled and bleeding across the ground to land the final blow.]
Come, Arséne!
[And there, at his back, he's here.
His soul is here, a laugh echoing whispers of dragging the enemy down to their demise. Akira hasn't been parted from him as long as he was before, but it still feels like a puzzle piece clicking back into place. And just in time, because they have no choice but to give it their all if they're going to survive.
The timer starts now.]
cw: blanket its a fight thread so fight things happening roll
This is his Kurusu Akira - the one who ignites with the same fierce determination in the midst of challenge. The one that exists in his peripheral vision, in all parts of life, beyond death. Kurusu Akira is here and he's the one that makes the first brutal clash.
And it's Kurusu Akira who bleeds. It's Kurusu Akira that reels from the vicious attack that paints everything, drowns everything, leaves pinprick splatters on his shirt. It's Kurusu Akira that mirrors the same manic glee Akechi can feel pulling at the edge of his lips, every word tugging, teasing, shredding the veneer of perfection between them.
Akechi Goro was meant to be perfect. Born to be perfect. Tore himself free of rot to be perfect and-
Akechi Kurusu was meant to be perfect. Born to be great. Tore himself from the chains that bound him down. Didn't. Wasn't. Stands tall - reckless, wild, and-
Free.
And Akechi Goro is a reflection of it. Akechi Goro is free with the flowing red taking over Akira's body, Akechi's own vision. In a mark left by him, one that will remain, one he'll rip open again and again as a reminder of the vast difference between them that exists - a gap formed from Akira's mercy and Akechi's cruelty.
Arséne
is Joker.
Robin Hood
is Crow.
Loki
is
The Akechi Goro he wants this Kurusu Akira to see. The only match for Arséne. The only clash of will that matters.]
Manifest, Loki!
[He's free. Completely free. A heart running wild, beating beating beating. A heart unchained, unbound and all he can think about-
Is ripping the carbon copy in front of him to shreds. Tearing his skin with clawed armor Akechi no longer has access too, but the knife clutched in his grip will do. And he's sure Akira will smile. He thinks Akira will smile. Akechi doesn't give a shit if Akira smiles - hopes he can see it twist with every slice of his blade, watch joy turn to agony, know that Maruki will have to pick up the pieces of Kurusu Akira in this fucking field.
Attack Master ignites his heart. Body poised to lurch forward at the smallest opening-
At any opening-
Now with a too light push against the ground, with his blade tossed between his hands, from right to left, and ready to arc down on an already gaping wound. Laevateinn as the follow up, whether Akira dodges or not.]
You won't survive this time - I'll make sure of it. With my own two hands, I'll crush you until there's nothing left! I'll massacre you!
these are gonna help Future Yama when she has to bank a single proof for three lines of cws (d19 <3)
[He can feel it breathing down his neck. Akechi's killing intent.
Before, he did this, too. Going in to crush when defenses were low, when guards weren't up. Akira recognizes it. He knows he has to dodge correctly, or his life will be forfeit.
His heart beats against his chest, at his pulse points, where he holds his own blood back from flowing. His breath is both quiet and loud, distracting and centering. Focus. Focus.
There is nothing else he needs to think about but Akechi Goro and Loki.
He waits, waits, waits. Waits right up until the moment the blows will be struck. The blades come down, Laevateinn tears at the earth, and Akira is
already up in the air, backflipping to MISS the attack that's coming.
Christ, it's so much harder to jump like this with the normal rules of gravity. He can feel the pull, the strain, the ache where he's injured and even where he is not.
Akira lands, eyeballing the shattered earth that now lies between them.
He makes two decisions in rapid succession. The first - he must bind the wound on his shoulder. He can't fight at full capacity if he holds it down the entire time. He tears part of his sleeve apart, starts talking to occupy Akechi while he tries to make quick work of it all.]
Looks like you missed a little bit. [His tone could almost be bored, if it weren't for the clear hunger and excitement hanging beneath it all.] But that's alright. I'll give you another shot soon.
[Goading, because he has to, because Akechi won't be stalled by idle small talk - and because he wants to. He loves talking to Akechi like this. He loves seeing Akechi like this. He loves being this way, both of them, completely unrestrained.
Unrestrained, so he lets it slip out, too.]
I like seeing you this way. Wild and free. Nothing holding you back, the way it should be. [A firm tie.] This is the way you're meant to be when you're across from me like this. [A secure knot.] So don't leave me disappointed!
[His body goes low to the ground, dagger flashing behind his back. Ready to kick off, as Arséne winds up.
His second decision.
He's already hurt, clock already ticking - so hurting himself more is a worthy trade. A One-shot Kill will even the playing field, unless Akechi is quick enough to dodge it.]
listen sometimes the (cws) are the (friends) we made along the way. d3 lol
[A gunshot rings in the back of his mind, his final memory of Joker-
Not silent and still in the empty room - Akechi almost wonders how he fell for that shit in the first place.
It's the one that stood tall in the midst of a world meant for the two of them alone. Gravestones with no names as a backdrop, a distorted disgusting world manifesting from the rot in both of their hearts.
And in this moment-
It feels like this world was meant for the two of them.
To meet.
To be free.
Akira no longer surrounded by his gaggle of simpering idiots. Joker no longer backed up by a group he doesn't need. Akechi toys with the thought of asking him, once more, to abandon his little group - trap him in a contract forged from a violent clash.
Doesn't. Because he couldn't stand if Kurusu Akira said yes.
The words reach Akechi as he's preparing to attack - as he keeps the dagger pointed forward, eyes boring into Joker and only Joker because it's only ever Joker that speaks in a way that makes his heart burst with the same undeniable frenzied joy that spawned Call of Chaos into existence.
'I like seeing you this way.'
'This is the way you're meant to be when you're across from me like this.'
'So don't leave me disappointed!'
It takes a moment for Akechi to realize those own words didn't leave his lips. That it was Kurusu Akira talking and Akechi Goro listening. His lips feel dry anyway.]
What do you know? You who forgot everything! You don't know me - stop acting like it! [And Akechi knows Kurusu. Akechi knows Akira. Akechi knows Joker. Akechi knows everything.] You always do this shit - you try to act like you know everyone- [And he does. And he does. And he does.] Try to get everyone on your side. Try to be something more than that disgusting attic trash you are - I'm not fooled. Not for a moment. Look at you, Kurusu Akira. You're nothing. You're worthless!
[He's rotten. Rottenrottenrotten and Akechi-
Wants to see more.
A calculated error occurs when he does - maybe not one at all. He doesn't give a shit if he's hit. Doesn't care as long as his eyes stay fixated and set on the man in front of him. One Shot Kill hits. Strikes him. A piercing light crushing his chest in a single blow - something cracks and breaks because of it. A rib, maybe two. The Metaverse isn't here to buffer their blows and-
It hurts and he's happy. It hurts and he wants to see more. He can't breathe and he thrives. He can't breathe, so he charges forward with blade ready, Riot Gun to stun or block his companion in.]
He watches Akechi, and Akira smiles, fragile and fleeting.]
You're right.
[It's a smile that's terribly sad. If Akechi focused enough to look, perhaps he'd see how mournful it is.]
I have been worthless.
[Basking in the warmth of his friends. Smiling and laughing over the hole in his heart.]
If you'd seen me, living my life the days before I got here - I think you'd see it. I think you'd know. You've always been able to see right through me, so you'd see the emptiness I covered with so many masks.
[Akechi is charging, furious as a predator defending itself from harm. Full of defensive vitriol, and Akira doesn't intend to rise to the bait, just as he didn't before.
Except that...]
I've been worthless without you, because no one will ever know me the way you do. Just as I'll know you better than anyone else. Because Kurusu Akira and Akechi Goro will be like this, in every life we ever live. [He's close now. Almost close enough. Akira's entire body tenses, and for the first time - something close to anger twists his face.] I forgot? I'm putting an act? You're smarter than that, so act like it. If you're going to be on the other side of an argument with me, do it with something that isn't complete and total bullshit!
[The moment Akechi's close enough, Akira slips to the side and kicks him where he's injured, hard. He lets the momentum push him back and away; even if he doesn't go down, Akechi should at least be off balance for a few seconds.]
The other Akira knew you better. I envy him for a lot, but that's one of the greatest things of all. [His voice is calm again. Placid.] But you still fight the same way. You're reckless with your body when you're injured.
[He waits this time, to see what Akechi does. If Akira lets him... will he just tear himself apart?]
What does he know? How can he know? How could he think he knows and-
No one will ever know me the way you do and-
noonenoenenoonenoone because he's special Akechi is special he's a mirror to a boy with an unbound heart and no one knows and no one will ever know and-
In every life we live Akechi will be there. Akechi will kill him. Akechi will kill him.
I'll know you better than anyone else.
The ground bleeds when his body slams into it. Akira's strong. This one is strong. His Akira will always be strong and in any reality where they interact they will always be strong. They've fought one on one - Akechi knows better than to underestimate him. Didn't. May have. No longer does now that a wild, vibrant man consumes his vision.
He's up in a second - moves a step back after two. Loki appears with a laevateinn, but not even the smack of that violent blade can muffle the laughter from Akechi's lips.
Of course it's Akira. Of course it's Akira. Of course Akira would say that. Of course. Of course. Of course.
And he'll rip himself apart to prove that undying, otherworldly bond.
And he'll move forward to attack behind Loki's blade with his own risen high as if he's one using laevateinn in its stead.
In that moment, I am thou, thou art I doesn't feel like it belongs to Loki.
It's with Akira. It's between them. Those wild dark eyes are a mirror he wants to shatter. An image he wants to rip. They're the same, so he hates him. They're the same, so he'll understand why Akechi will never stop. He'll destroy that air of calm. He'll free Akira from that mask. He wants to see-
Something that isn't complete
and total bullshit]
And you still do this shit! All this talk, all your delusions about what you think you know - I don't give a damn what you say!
[Call of chaos consumes. Devours. And he wants to consume and devour and he sees Akira before him and thinks nothing about making him easy prey.]
But I'm happy to oblige - I'll rip your body apart until there are no masks left! Allow me to do the dirty work and your corpse will be payment for it!
d**20**???????????? i can't believe akechi goro is freakin dead in february
[ You won't get away from this, Akechi sounds like salvation. A chime of bells outside of Eden and Akira's voice leads the choir enticing him in.
And of course he'll walk through those doors and of course he'll walk along the velvetine carpet and of course he'll look into the eyes of an executioner hiding among lambs and of course he'll lean into the noose and of course-
It rings and rings and rings and beckons and makes him feel something, makes him feel anything, creates a hellfire that explodes through body and mind. He wants more. He wants more.
And even as he watches Akira falter and hopes for his fall because he should fall and Akechi wants to drag him down, all the way down, completely and utterly coated in muck and grime until there's nothing left of Kurusu Akira and there's nothing left of Akechi Goro and there's nothing left for the world to take from either of them.
Splintered bone scrapes the inside of his chest when he forces himself back up and-
He can only get an inch, two, three off the ground before his lungs constrict and he gets another inch, two, three off the ground before his skull splits, it must be splitting, it's never felt this agonizing and his own hollow laughter continues through the blood coated spittle covering his lips.
He watches Akira and Akira isn't collapsed on the ground so Akechi must get up.
It feels like
joy.
It feels like
joy.
He thinks he feels joy.
And he chases that high by pushing up, up, up and getting nowhere. He can't get up. His back hits the ground instead of his chest and he can't get up. ]
You really are remarkable. After all this time, I still can't win. Even so-
[ It hurts to speak, so he continues. It's not death. He won't die. Kurusu said as much and that thrill of being alive is foreign. He's grasping at it with every exhausted, wheezing breath. ]
It's never been in my nature to give up. Against you of all people - no, I will never stop!
[ And from the ground, Akechi pulls a gun from his hip. A gift. More fitting than ever. A guiding light in his increasingly desperate attempt to stay focused. His aim is lacking, but all he needs to do is hit a body. It will hurt.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stares up at it til i go blind
Akechi won't be goaded to steal first move. Not by anything that Akira's actually willing to do. He knows this, as he knows he must be the one to strike first. He keeps circling. It would be smarter to strike from the back, the sides - but he won't do that, either.
It's not how he does things. Not how they do things.
Because they both know what this fight is for. They have no need to hide themselves behind anything anymore.]
I wouldn't have it any other way.
[He comes to a stop at the front of him. He has a basic guesstimation of what Akechi might use without his Personas now, but there was never anywhere else he'd come at him from.]
Because this is what we're meant for.
[This what I've waited for.
And I'll never lose it again.]
I'll never be weaker than when I stand before you.
[Together, they will fight.
Together, they will live and breathe. They will laugh and their mouths may meet.
And I'll never be stronger anywhere else.
[At once, his gifted dagger is in his hand. He spins it only once.
His world narrows down to Akechi Goro, thoughts shutting down as others work faster than ever before. Hi feet launch him forward, heavier than the Metaverse but still true, and his blade is up and catching the light.
rolled d17
They're inherently inequal. The power of an unchecked god lies within that man's soul. Eden thrives under him, souls and lives held in the palm of his hand.
Akira moving forward with a blade in hand, eyes on him, only on him, staring down Akechi Goro in the dwindling sunlight is invigorating in the same way. It feels like winning before their bodies even clash.The only time Akechi has felled him is with his own two hands, with surprise assaults.
And it's different with Kurusu.
They're inherently equal. Always toeing the line - Akechi's more experienced, stronger, faster.
Akira's adaptable, unpredictable and wild.
A chill crawls up his spine, hackles raise, heart beating fast because this is all he wanted, this is what he craved, this was his only regret in that disgusting cellar that holds the corpse of someone. Akechi killed Akira with his own hand - a smoking gun with an all too light trigger under his finger.
He wanted more.
He wanted this.
He wants to be
No persona. Doesn't matter. Akechi guards with a vile laugh, streaks of vivid blue crawling up his body - he could summon Robin Hood here. Akira knows. He could summon Loki here. Akira knows.
He doesn't. He makes an attempt to parry Akira's dagger and if successful, makes a downward swipe with his own towards his shoulder - Robin Hood at the cusp of his heart, ready to attack, ready to be summoned, resting on the tip of his tongue.] Don't tell me you made me wait all this time just to swipe at me with a pathetic little knife? Stop screwing around and show me that power you've been graced with. Take this opportunity to show off, Joker.
cw: blood, violence, stabbing; smacks ur face with a d1 til it does something
Blades catch and sing against one another, a symphony that his brain remembers the dance steps to.
Blue flickers at his feet, flame ready to take, a soul remembering how to rebel.
It doesn't matter how much time passes between summoning his Persona, or how long it's been since he clashed with Akechi Goro completely unrestrained.
It doesn't matter if the playing field is different. It doesn't matter if they're different, because one thing will always remain the same. Kurusu Akira will always, always
Ghk-!
[The flame at his feet cuts off, and red paints the ground at their feet.
His hand goes up to staunch the blood rushing from the wound, but Akira knows it's deep. It burns as he holds it. It's my right side, too. Goddamn it.
He has to hurry, now. Akira has no way to heal, and that means he's on a time limit. Beneath his fingers, he can feel his life beating away.
He should be worried - and he is. He should feel his veins fill with adrenaline, fear, animal instinct - and they do.
But it's everything that he wants, and that's why he can grin, wild and manic and without a single chain holding him down. The one that stands before Akechi Goro is Joker.]
If you wanted to lose so quick, Crow- [The grin doesn't falter. The blue resparks and swirls.] -all you had to do was ask me nicely.
[A god has wiped him out of people's minds before. He's had to make a victory out of a complete and total defeat. Akira has made something out of nothing.
He won't lose now, even if he has to drag his body mangled and bleeding across the ground to land the final blow.]
Come, Arséne!
[And there, at his back, he's here.
His soul is here, a laugh echoing whispers of dragging the enemy down to their demise. Akira hasn't been parted from him as long as he was before, but it still feels like a puzzle piece clicking back into place. And just in time, because they have no choice but to give it their all if they're going to survive.
The timer starts now.]
cw: blanket its a fight thread so fight things happening roll
This is his Kurusu Akira - the one who ignites with the same fierce determination in the midst of challenge. The one that exists in his peripheral vision, in all parts of life, beyond death. Kurusu Akira is here and he's the one that makes the first brutal clash.
And it's Kurusu Akira who bleeds. It's Kurusu Akira that reels from the vicious attack that paints everything, drowns everything, leaves pinprick splatters on his shirt. It's Kurusu Akira that mirrors the same manic glee Akechi can feel pulling at the edge of his lips, every word tugging, teasing, shredding the veneer of perfection between them.
Akechi Goro was meant to be perfect. Born to be perfect. Tore himself free of rot to be perfect and-
Akechi Kurusu was meant to be perfect. Born to be great. Tore himself from the chains that bound him down. Didn't. Wasn't. Stands tall - reckless, wild, and-
And Akechi Goro is a reflection of it. Akechi Goro is free with the flowing red taking over Akira's body, Akechi's own vision. In a mark left by him, one that will remain, one he'll rip open again and again as a reminder of the vast difference between them that exists - a gap formed from Akira's mercy and Akechi's cruelty.
Arséne
Robin Hood
Loki
The Akechi Goro he wants this Kurusu Akira to see. The only match for Arséne. The only clash of will that matters.]
Manifest, Loki!
[He's free. Completely free. A heart running wild, beating beating beating. A heart unchained, unbound and all he can think about-
Is ripping the carbon copy in front of him to shreds. Tearing his skin with clawed armor Akechi no longer has access too, but the knife clutched in his grip will do. And he's sure Akira will smile. He thinks Akira will smile. Akechi doesn't give a shit if Akira smiles - hopes he can see it twist with every slice of his blade, watch joy turn to agony, know that Maruki will have to pick up the pieces of Kurusu Akira in this fucking field.
Attack Master ignites his heart. Body poised to lurch forward at the smallest opening-
At any opening-
Now with a too light push against the ground, with his blade tossed between his hands, from right to left, and ready to arc down on an already gaping wound. Laevateinn as the follow up, whether Akira dodges or not.]
You won't survive this time - I'll make sure of it. With my own two hands, I'll crush you until there's nothing left! I'll massacre you!
these are gonna help Future Yama when she has to bank a single proof for three lines of cws (d19 <3)
Before, he did this, too. Going in to crush when defenses were low, when guards weren't up. Akira recognizes it. He knows he has to dodge correctly, or his life will be forfeit.
His heart beats against his chest, at his pulse points, where he holds his own blood back from flowing. His breath is both quiet and loud, distracting and centering. Focus. Focus.
He waits, waits, waits. Waits right up until the moment the blows will be struck. The blades come down, Laevateinn tears at the earth, and Akira is
Christ, it's so much harder to jump like this with the normal rules of gravity. He can feel the pull, the strain, the ache where he's injured and even where he is not.
Akira lands, eyeballing the shattered earth that now lies between them.
He makes two decisions in rapid succession. The first - he must bind the wound on his shoulder. He can't fight at full capacity if he holds it down the entire time. He tears part of his sleeve apart, starts talking to occupy Akechi while he tries to make quick work of it all.]
Looks like you missed a little bit. [His tone could almost be bored, if it weren't for the clear hunger and excitement hanging beneath it all.] But that's alright. I'll give you another shot soon.
[Goading, because he has to, because Akechi won't be stalled by idle small talk - and because he wants to. He loves talking to Akechi like this. He loves seeing Akechi like this. He loves being this way, both of them, completely unrestrained.
Unrestrained, so he lets it slip out, too.]
I like seeing you this way. Wild and free. Nothing holding you back, the way it should be. [A firm tie.] This is the way you're meant to be when you're across from me like this. [A secure knot.] So don't leave me disappointed!
[His body goes low to the ground, dagger flashing behind his back. Ready to kick off, as Arséne winds up.
His second decision.
He's already hurt, clock already ticking - so hurting himself more is a worthy trade. A One-shot Kill will even the playing field, unless Akechi is quick enough to dodge it.]
listen sometimes the (cws) are the (friends) we made along the way. d3 lol
[A gunshot rings in the back of his mind, his final memory of Joker-
And in this moment-Not silent and still in the empty room - Akechi almost wonders how he fell for that shit in the first place.
It's the one that stood tall in the midst of a world meant for the two of them alone. Gravestones with no names as a backdrop, a distorted disgusting world manifesting from the rot in both of their hearts.
To be free.
Akira no longer surrounded by his gaggle of simpering idiots. Joker no longer backed up by a group he doesn't need. Akechi toys with the thought of asking him, once more, to abandon his little group - trap him in a contract forged from a violent clash.
Doesn't. Because he couldn't stand if Kurusu Akira said yes.
The words reach Akechi as he's preparing to attack - as he keeps the dagger pointed forward, eyes boring into Joker and only Joker because it's only ever Joker that speaks in a way that makes his heart burst with the same undeniable frenzied joy that spawned Call of Chaos into existence.
'I like seeing you this way.'
'So don't leave me disappointed!'
What do you know? You who forgot everything! You don't know me - stop acting like it! [And Akechi knows Kurusu. Akechi knows Akira. Akechi knows Joker. Akechi knows everything.] You always do this shit - you try to act like you know everyone- [And he does. And he does. And he does.] Try to get everyone on your side. Try to be something more than that disgusting attic trash you are - I'm not fooled. Not for a moment. Look at you, Kurusu Akira. You're nothing. You're worthless!It takes a moment for Akechi to realize those own words didn't leave his lips. That it was Kurusu Akira talking and Akechi Goro listening. His lips feel dry anyway.]
[He's rotten. Rottenrottenrotten and Akechi-
Wants to see more.
A calculated error occurs when he does - maybe not one at all. He doesn't give a shit if he's hit. Doesn't care as long as his eyes stay fixated and set on the man in front of him. One Shot Kill hits. Strikes him. A piercing light crushing his chest in a single blow - something cracks and breaks because of it. A rib, maybe two. The Metaverse isn't here to buffer their blows and-
It hurts and he's happy. It hurts and he wants to see more. He can't breathe and he thrives. He can't breathe, so he charges forward with blade ready, Riot Gun to stun or block his companion in.]
So die, die, die, die, die, DIE ALREADY!
when nobody else got us, the cws got us (d17)
He watches Akechi, and Akira smiles, fragile and fleeting.]
You're right.
[It's a smile that's terribly sad. If Akechi focused enough to look, perhaps he'd see how mournful it is.]
I have been worthless.
[Basking in the warmth of his friends. Smiling and laughing over the hole in his heart.]
If you'd seen me, living my life the days before I got here - I think you'd see it. I think you'd know. You've always been able to see right through me, so you'd see the emptiness I covered with so many masks.
[Akechi is charging, furious as a predator defending itself from harm. Full of defensive vitriol, and Akira doesn't intend to rise to the bait, just as he didn't before.
Except that...]
I've been worthless without you, because no one will ever know me the way you do. Just as I'll know you better than anyone else. Because Kurusu Akira and Akechi Goro will be like this, in every life we ever live. [He's close now. Almost close enough. Akira's entire body tenses, and for the first time - something close to anger twists his face.] I forgot? I'm putting an act? You're smarter than that, so act like it. If you're going to be on the other side of an argument with me, do it with something that isn't complete and total bullshit!
[The moment Akechi's close enough, Akira slips to the side and kicks him where he's injured, hard. He lets the momentum push him back and away; even if he doesn't go down, Akechi should at least be off balance for a few seconds.]
The other Akira knew you better. I envy him for a lot, but that's one of the greatest things of all. [His voice is calm again. Placid.] But you still fight the same way. You're reckless with your body when you're injured.
[He waits this time, to see what Akechi does. If Akira lets him... will he just tear himself apart?]
OHHHHHHHH THE D2 OF IT ALL cw: continued 4ever
I envy him
So worthless.
You're right.
EmptinessHe's right. Always right. Akira's right.
What does he know? How can he know? How could he think he knows and-
noonenoenenoonenoone because he's special Akechi is special he's a mirror to a boy with an unbound heart and no one knows and no one will ever know and-
In every life we live
Akechi will be there. Akechi will kill him. Akechi will kill him.
The ground bleeds when his body slams into it. Akira's strong. This one is strong. His Akira will always be strong and in any reality where they interact they will always be strong. They've fought one on one - Akechi knows better than to underestimate him. Didn't. May have. No longer does now that a wild, vibrant man consumes his vision.
and total bullshit]
He's up in a second - moves a step back after two. Loki appears with a laevateinn, but not even the smack of that violent blade can muffle the laughter from Akechi's lips.
Of course it's Akira. Of course it's Akira. Of course Akira would say that. Of course. Of course. Of course.
And he'll rip himself apart to prove that undying, otherworldly bond.
And he'll move forward to attack behind Loki's blade with his own risen high as if he's one using laevateinn in its stead.
In that moment, I am thou, thou art I doesn't feel like it belongs to Loki.
It's with Akira. It's between them. Those wild dark eyes are a mirror he wants to shatter. An image he wants to rip. They're the same, so he hates him. They're the same, so he'll understand why Akechi will never stop. He'll destroy that air of calm. He'll free Akira from that mask. He wants to see-
Something that isn't complete
[Call of chaos consumes. Devours. And he wants to consume and devour and he sees Akira before him and thinks nothing about making him easy prey.]
But I'm happy to oblige - I'll rip your body apart until there are no masks left! Allow me to do the dirty work and your corpse will be payment for it!
d**20**???????????? i can't believe akechi goro is freakin dead in february
and he knows
Akira looks
and he knows
He's seen this happen before. He knows what it looks like, when that look is in Akechi's eyes.
It's what he looked like in the belly of a ship that had its course charted to hell, full of life before he had none left.
Akira doesn't run this time. Won't. Can't. He charges straight forward, into the rampage heading his way.
Because I've already decided...]
If you're going to rip me apart, til there are no masks left- then so be it.
[He forces his body to roll one last time, past Loki, Arséne hot on his heels-
Weaponsn are parried. It hurts. It burns. It bleeds, even through that makeshift bandage. But Akira doesn't back down, and neither does Arséne.]
You're the only one I can let do that.
[They can't hold this forever, not against the might of both Akechi and Loki, but if Akira can buy just enough time...]
But there's still one thing I can't allow.
[I've already decided the reason I was able to wake up here, and nothing anyone in this reality says will ever change it.]
I can't afford to be killed by you yet. [A smile dropped, a voice as serious as a blade.] And I won't let you be killed, either.
[Akira still has the most important thing left to do. He will not die here.]
...Arséne.
[It's a risk - but nothing that Akira does in a fight is without it. He'll only have mere moments.
Arséne shoves away from Loki, even though it leaves Akira's back exposed. It would only take seconds for Akechi or Persona to tear Akira apart.
But that's the bait he's counting on.]
You won't get away from this, Akechi.
[At Arséne's hands, Riot Gun will form, and hit everything in a cone before him.
The recoil of a Gun attack will incapacitate Akira almost completely.
And unless he thinks of something... Akechi should finally fall.]
D3 stands for D(3)AD cw: gun!
And of course he'll walk through those doors and of course he'll walk along the velvetine carpet and of course he'll look into the eyes of an executioner hiding among lambs and of course he'll lean into the noose and of course-
It rings and rings and rings and beckons and makes him feel something, makes him feel anything, creates a hellfire that explodes through body and mind. He wants more. He wants more.
And even as he watches Akira falter and hopes for his fall because he should fall and Akechi wants to drag him down, all the way down, completely and utterly coated in muck and grime until there's nothing left of Kurusu Akira and there's nothing left of Akechi Goro and there's nothing left for the world to take from either of them.
Splintered bone scrapes the inside of his chest when he forces himself back up and-
He can only get an inch, two, three off the ground before his lungs constrict and he gets another inch, two, three off the ground before his skull splits, it must be splitting, it's never felt this agonizing and his own hollow laughter continues through the blood coated spittle covering his lips.
He watches Akira and Akira isn't collapsed on the ground so Akechi must get up.
It feels like
joy.
It feels likejoy.
He thinks he feels joy.And he chases that high by pushing up, up, up and getting nowhere. He can't get up. His back hits the ground instead of his chest and he can't get up. ]
You really are remarkable. After all this time, I still can't win. Even so-
[ It hurts to speak, so he continues. It's not death. He won't die. Kurusu said as much and that thrill of being alive is foreign. He's grasping at it with every exhausted, wheezing breath. ]
It's never been in my nature to give up. Against you of all people - no, I will never stop!
[ And from the ground, Akechi pulls a gun from his hip. A gift. More fitting than ever. A guiding light in his increasingly desperate attempt to stay focused. His aim is lacking, but all he needs to do is hit a body. It will hurt.
Akira will feel alive.
Among the wolves.
And Akira will hurt.
Akechi wants him to hurt. ]
Why can't you just stay dead!!
[ And he shoots. ]