Past the Point of No Return.

"It's true that Kouta-san isn't here anymore...but that's why we have to be the heroes in his stead!" [ Independent RP blog for Kureshima Mitsuzane (Kamen Rider Gaim). Any AU, timeline, or universe. OC friendly. Open asks. M!A: None.Tracking #armoredryugen ]

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

[youngestmonkey]

For a brief moment, he wanted to take Micchi by the shoulders and shake him. Ask him how he could say that. Had he given up? Did he think that something had happened to Kouta? Why couldn’t he try and look positively at this? There was still a chance, was he going to jinx it all by seeing only the worst possible outcome? But he couldn’t do that. Of course he couldn’t do that. Because he already feared the worst had happened himself. How could he fake optimism when he didn’t feel any himself? He wasn’t that good of an actor to begin with. 

“If something’s happened to Kouta…” Four months was a long time. “I promise you I’ll get the ones responsible. Don’t get yourself involved in this. Not too much. This is really dangerous stuff, I think, and…” And you’re just a kid, he wanted to say. But that wouldn’t sound good. It would be patronizing and it would diminish the respect he did feel for Micchi. “…Kouta wouldn’t want you to endanger yourself too much.” He dared a small, fond but yet humorless laugh. “…Well, he wouldn’t want me to do it either, but… Someone has to.”

[armoredryugen-blog]

Hope and optimism were only pretty words at the end of the day. They were dangerous, and Micchi had to learn to be a realist rather quickly if he wanted to get anything done. If he wanted to achieve any of his goals, even if they were naive in nature.

Maintaining smiles and laughter. Childish, in a way, and yet Micchi wouldn’t have it any other way. He couldn’t imagine anything he wanted to keep so close to his heart.

They had to be ready for the worst case, and that was the only way everyone would stay safe. Didn’t Yuuya see that? Of course not, and Micchi resisted the urge to shake his head in some form of scorn.

He wasn’t able to stop the small scowl from appearing on his face.

“I got a belt in order to protect everyone,” He began slowly. “Isn’t that exactly what Kouta-san would approve of?” It was a little unfair of him to twist things to work in his favor, but it had to be done.

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

[youngestmonkey]

“Well, I guess, but…” Micchi had a point. But it wasn’t fair on the other members of Raid Wild to keep them guessing. From what he could tell, no one of them even knew Hase had transformed into a monster. Maybe they’d never know? Because after an attack such as that, it ought to be all over the news. And it wasn’t. A boy walked into Druper’s. Grew a monster arm and attacked another boy. Transformed fully into an Inves and disappeared. And yet, no news coverage at all. Someone had to be behind that. Yggdrasil. Probably. He supposed it was to keep the risk of a mass panic at a minimum, but… If it wasn’t that? If they were just trying to cover their own tracks? 

Yuuya’s soda remained untouched. 

He listened to Micchi, not quite hearing what he said at first. But something struck him. The boy was trying to keep his mood up, wasn’t he? He was trying to protect him! But that wasn’t something Micchi ought to concern himself with… It warmed, of course it did, but it was also worrisome. When had he become so unreliable that a teenager took it upon himself to show him support like this? Some leader he was.

Yuuya’s brain caught up with him. He turned Micchi’s words over and over, listening to what he really was saying. “We need to accept? Micchi, do you know something?”

[armoredryugen-blog]

Micchi allowed himself to let out a quiet breath of relief. Yuuya seemed mostly to be in agreement with him. “Only until we know more.” His voice remained soft, inserting just the right amount of imploring into it to sound as innocent as he appeared.

Hase’s...extermination would go unreported. He knew that. Yggdrasil had a hand in everything, and they had been pulling the strings this entire time. They were going to have to be more clever, and he was going to have to get more information before he could expose them properly.

(Even if that meant going against his brother. Especially if it meant that.)

Yuuya’s face wasn’t meant to fall in such a manner, which proved that Micchi was going to have to do better. And then he cursed himself for his mistake, the wrong choice in words. (His leader was more observant than he gave him credit for.)

“I don’t know any more than you do.” He blinked up at him. “I’m just saying that if we keep waiting for something...when there’s a chance he might not come back...”

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

[youngestmonkey]

Yuuya shook his head. “I have my suspicions, but… I don’t even know if he has a belt…” Why he was suspecting Sid of all people and not the Rider in White…? Well, he chalked it all up to a simple gut feeling. The same gut feeling told him that something more was going on with Micchi than the kid let on. But what? 

“Hey… If you want to talk… You know I’m here, right? So is Mai and everyone else.” Sometimes, Micchi came off as so lonely. He hoped this was what the boy needed to hear right now. But he couldn’t know for sure.

“You… You haven’t heard from Kouta, have you?” Damn it. He hadn’t meant to even bring Kouta up. Why stress a wound not yet healed? That was stupid.

[armoredryugen-blog]

Micchi’s eyes slowly narrowed, not enjoying the way that Yuuya seemed to be trying to put the pieces together. Couldn’t he just be happy in blissful ignorance? Instead of putting himself in more danger? “Speculation isn’t what we need right now. I’m sure we’ll find out later. No use in worrying about it right now.”

The smile on his face fell as the other began to try to press further. “Of course, Yuuya-san.” His voice was genuinely gentle, and grateful. This was why he was so desperate to ensure everyone’s laughter--for reasons like this, no matter what kind of pain he would have to take on.

“I haven’t.” He shook his head. “I think...” The younger boy hesitated for a moment. “Perhaps Kouta-san hasn’t been able to contact us, and we need to accept that he won’t be able to for a while.” Referring to him in such a manner was dangerous, and those weren’t at all the words he meant to say. Hastily, he tried to amend them.

“I’ll find out more about Kouta-san, so you can take care of everything that’s happening right now. Like the team.”

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

[youngestmonkey]

“She did?” Well, trust his girlfriend to have his back when he failed to deliver. Not that he liked putting that kind of responsibility on her - far too young, why was she even going out with him, it was crazy - shoulders. “Okay, then you know that. The monster… The Inves that attacked Rat, it…” If Micchi wanted Yuuya to hurry up with what he was saying, he’d have to apply quite a bit of patience, it seemed.

Should he even tell him? He was just a kid, he shouldn’t have to deal with… But Hase had been someone they both knew. Shallowly, sure - hadn’t Kouta known him better, come to think of it? - but still, a fellow Beat Rider. And not all that much older than Micchi. 

“Well. It was Hase. He ate one of the strange fruits, me and Kaito couldn’t stop him. And he… Transformed. It was horrible.” To put it mildly. “So–someone must have… um. Dealt. With him.”

[armoredryugen-blog]

Micchi’s patience was running thin. Very, very thin, much quicker than it normally did. Perhaps it could have been attributed to the fact of all he had undergone that day, but he still found himself having to force his breathing to remain steady and calm.

He wasn’t sure he put the appropriate amount of surprise in his expression. Hopefully, it was enough for Yuuya to not pursue the problem any longer. “So you didn’t see who did it?”

That was...for the better, actually. Yuuya needed to be isolated from the problem before he learned anything. If Micchi could find out where his driver was, then maybe...

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

[youngestmonkey]

“…Uh-huh. Look, Micchi, it’s… It’s not fun.”

Yuuya inhaled slowly, trying to steady himself. He couldn’t think about Kouta. Shouldn’t think about Kouta. There was still a chance that Kouta was alive and well. He had to believe that. 

“You know that Rat’s hospitalized, right?” Oh. Oh, but what if Micchi didn’t know? It was so recent. And Micchi had been absent. Yuuya could have bitten his own tongue off.

[armoredryugen-blog]

Of course it wasn’t fun. Fun had been over quite a while ago, and yet Micchi bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying such remarks aloud. It was easier to focus on Yuuya’s questions, though.

“Mai-san texted me.” He nodded slowly, almost wanting to shake the other’s shoulders and tell him to hurry up with whatever he wanted to say, or to shout at him that he had to learn to deal with these things, because they had no more options anymore.

He did neither of those things. And most of the anger he felt was directed at himself, for not being there for his team when Rat was attacked, for not defending what was closest to him.

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

[youngestmonkey]

Yuuya gave a slow nod and walked over to get two plastic cups and the bottle from the fridge. There was even a little less in it than he remembered. Oh well, he wasn’t all that thirsty anyway - he was basically just making small talk for the hell of it, because what else could he say? ‘Hey, Micchi, do you think there’s a possibility Kouta might have turned into an Inves?’ No. He couldn’t say that. 

“Here you go.” Cup in front of Micchi, and he poured the soda pop. Sat down and repeated the procedure with his own cup. Half full. (Half empty? He supposed he was in a half-empty kind of mood.) 

“Hey. Did you hear about Hase-kun?”

[armoredryugen-blog]

Micchi watched the older boy pour the drink with minimal interest, more so of just observing him go through the actions. “Thanks.” His voice didn’t hold much expression, and he resisted the urge to sigh. There was a lot he had to do, a lot he had to process...

For a moment, he almost stiffened. “No, I didn’t.” He swallowed, forcing himself to calm down. He knew exactly what happened, and who...took care of the problem. (Just like Kouta-san. The thought made him ill, and yet he refused to show it.) “Why? Did something happen?”

It was frustrating to have to play this role, like he was a clueless child, instead of being the protector he wanted to be.

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

[youngestmonkey]

“Oh? Test coming up?”

Micchi smiled… He smiled, but he held himself a little too stiff. Why? Maybe school was troublesome right now. And of course, he missed Kouta too. Yuuya thought of Kouta as his best friend, but he was fairly certain little Micchi thought the same. (Or was it admiration? He didn’t know the younger boy well enough to be certain, truth to be told.) 

“Hey, I saw half a bottle of cola in the fridge. Want to help me finish it before it gets flat?”

[armoredryugen-blog]

He hummed in acknowledgment. Nobody seemed too interested in calling him out on his sometimes erratic behavior--or perhaps he had been wearing his mask for so long that he had not noticed the way it had infused with his skin.

Maybe he was a far better liar than he thought. Then again, Micchi and Yuuya had never been particularly close--not to say he didn’t count his leader as a friend, but it was no secret he had been closer to Kouta.

(That hardly mattered anymore.)

“Ah, sure.” Slowly, he crossed the garage to take a seat on the couch, hands folded in his lap. He hadn’t planned on staying, but now escape seemed more difficult than originally planned.

[youngestmonkey]

AU: An Orange by Another Name

That’s four months.

Yuuya stared at the calendar, at the tiny numbers that lined up there, one after another. Four months. Sixteen weeks. 120 days. And no word from Kouta. Nothing. Yuuya had called Akira. Had helped her go to the police, had tried to stick by her side as much as he could. As Team Gaim’s leader, as Kouta’s childhood friend, as Armored Rider Gaim, he felt that was his responsibility. 

The not knowing was the worst part. 

That, and now with the recent events concerning Hase Ryoji… Yuuya didn’t like where that was heading. Didn’t like it at all. He didn’t know just how Hase had been killed, but as the monster attack had seized, he was fairly certain he had  been. Yuuya (Gaim) had been more concerned with getting people to safety than to deal with Hase the monster personally, but they were quite a few Riders in Zawame by now. One of them might have… 

It was horrible, of course, that something like this had to happen, but Yuuya himself could only do so much to help out. Had it been Kouta, maybe things had been different. Maybe Kouta would have tried to reach out to the monster Hase had become. That was the kind of person he was. Yuuya wanted to be, in a way, but he had to put the public’s immediate safety first. That had been the plan. And then go back and deal with Hase. But someone had already beat him to it. 

Still. This whole ordeal got him to think about Kouta. What… What if…

The door to Gaim’s garage opened and Yuuya looked up, pulled from his thoughts. “Oh, Micchi. Where have you been?”

[armoredryugen-blog]

There was an inexplicable tightness in his chest. Actually, that wasn’t true. It was entirely explained, and his mind was still whirring with all the information that had been revealed to him. Sneaking into his brother’s workplace wasn’t exactly considered appropriate behavior for someone of his stature, but in these moments he didn’t care.

Then Kouta-san was...

Micchi closed his eyes for a moment, his hand clenching into a fist. This just proved that nothing had been a game this entire time, and he felt a bitter laugh on the tip of his tongue. He warned everyone, and yet they didn’t listen to him.

Perhaps it was time to begin doing things on his own. If it was for the good of everyone else, then it wasn’t selfish, right? He knew that he was clever--perhaps not the strongest, but brains mattered more than brawn ever would. Kouta’s death was crushing, but he couldn’t remain trapped in the past.

The present was what mattered. Even if the tears that threatened to rise in his eyes were becoming more deadly a threat than anticipated. “Y-Yuuya-san.” He did a double take, before quickly regaining his composure and sending the other a fake smile. “I was busy with schoolwork.”

The lie fell off his tongue easily.

[wordsnquotes]

I’m only afraid of what I want.

Veronica Roth, Divergent (via wordsnquotes)

[armoredryugen-blog]

"Um...hello. It's nice to meet you. My name's Miyake and I'm here for a delivery pickup?"

He didn’t expect to see a stranger upon opening the door, and he stared at her, trying to determine if she was simply a figure he didn’t recognize. But no, her words only confirmed her anonymity.

"I don’t recall needing…" Micchi’s words trailed off. "Ah, perhaps my brother." He opened the door wider. "You can wait in the foyer while I look around, if you like."

[rideraurauniverse-archives-blog]

She nodded, smiling up at him before walking in. “Very well…thank you for your hospitality.” She removed her shoes before stepping into the foyer, stretching a bit. “I have to admit I was a little nervous coming here. I heard Zawame was still in restoration.”

[armoredryugen-blog]

He wasn't entirely sure where to look for a package if it wasn't left lying out, but the line was thought was interrupted by the other's words. "Ah..." Micchi made a small sound of acknowledgment.

"The city is...better now." He would know, if only for the fact that he had wandered enough times to see its progress. "Does that mean you don't usually work in Zawame?"

[armoredryugen-blog]

Some Other You~

Send me “Some Other You” and I’ll introduce you to an AU version of my character!

High school AU.

Kureshima was a name throughout the school, and because of that Mitsuzane had garnered more respect before he even step foot in the classroom than most students got throughout all their years.

It was a bit boring, and a little lonely. All the other students turned their noses upward at him. Whispering behind his back. Calling him the elite, a snob, as though it was his fault his entire future was planned out for him.

It hardly mattered. Mitsuzane had come to accept his fate a long time ago, but perhaps he should have been paying more attention as he went down the hallway at the final bell.

His shoulder collided with someone else, practically toppling them over. “Are you okay?” The boy turned around and his voice sounded like it was forcibly polite.

He didn’t want to talk with anyone at this cursed place.

[thedragonimagin]

armoredryugen:

[armoredryugen-blog]

To be truthful, he just used it as an escape. Besides, Kiske didn’t seem to mind too much—if anything she seemed to be rather excited about the prospect, for reasons that were still unknown to him.

Although being away from the rest of the students eased the tension in his body. Micchi didn’t care what the others whispered, but prying eyes would always unsettle him to a certain extent.

Micchi dragged a chair in the cleared area, dropping his bag beside a desk and taking a seat. “So I just sit here?”

It seemed that the boy relaxed a bit. His body posture and face changed, even if just a little, as if some tension left him. If that got something to do with being away from the rest of the school, Kiske understood him very well. "Mhm, just make yourself comfortable. I’ll try not to take long, ne?" She sat facing Micchi, and gave him a warm smile. Then she picked a pencil up and started sketching his face.

Micchi had expected it to be more uncomfortable than it actually was, to have someone scrutinizing each of his features, and yet it was nothing of the sort. Peaceful, somehow.

"I was being serious when I said I didn't recognize you." His voice was soft, afraid of breaking the stillness. "It's strange how I never noticed you."

[armoredryugen-blog]

...*boop!*

Mitsuzane jumps as the finger pokes into his side. “What are you doing?” He spins around and blinks when he realizes he doesn’t recognize the face. “Do you…need something?”

[thedragonimagin]

armoredryugen:

[armoredryugen-blog]

"You think so?" Micchi blinked at the other for a moment before watching the other team finish their dance routine. "They used to be at the top of the rankings."

Through Inves and the amount of lockseeds they had possessed, it wasn’t hard to see why. The drivers gave the teams an edge to overcome that, though along the way it had become a competition of strength.

"Your clothes look like fun and free style, their uniforms look like serious business. And just look at the way they dance. How they move and bring attention to hips for example - that’s sensual. Even the music is- Actually, maybe I should shut up now. I don’t think you want to hear about that." Kiske chuckled.

"Who is at the top now then? Do the rankings take only dancing into account or the Inves games too?"

(Uwah, hi there~ what a nice surprise, I missed that~)

Micchi glanced down at his bright hoodie, never really considering how it added to his image. Once upon a time, surely, but now it felt like a second skin to him so he hadn't bothered to pause and think about the public opinion past the ratings.

"It's fine." He laughed quietly. "I don't always get to hear people's opinions outside of the beat riders." He didn't spare a second glance towards Baron.

"Gaim is at the top, currently." Probably thanks to Kouta-san, he credited in his mind. "Mostly it's a competition of who has the most lockseeds." He couldn't keep all the bitterness from his voice.

[armoredryugen-blog]

H-Hello?

Micchi blinked once, trying to determine where the voice had come from, his hands in his pockets as he turned on his heel, scouring the area. “Were you speaking to me?”

He certainly didn’t recognize the figure, and his eyes narrowed a little bit, trying to determine the kind of person she was from appearance only.

[armoredryugen-blog]

rispba:

[armoredryugen-blog]

Just curious…

He cleared his throat and averted his gaze for a brief moment. It was ridiculous to get so defensive, wasn’t it? He doubted she meant any harm. “Sorry.” He apologized briefly. “Are you familiar with the beat riders?” Being able to recognize one at a brief glance when he wasn’t even in uniform was rather impressive.

Yeah, I follow them…followed them is a better term.

Micchi's hands remained in his pocket, and he seemed to pause in thought. "Some of them still dance. Although the rankings and separate teams don't really exist anymore. If you're a fan you'd have a more enjoyable time talking to them."

[armoredryugen-blog]

Slender arms quietly go around his waist from behind, without a word. He would know who it was~ (;05)

Micchi nearly leapt three feet in the air from the sudden contact, before realizing who it was. “Nee-san,” His voice was a little huff, although he wasn’t irritated. “You startled me.”

[spiritmuseinc-blog]

armoredryugen:

[armoredryugen-blog]

Micchi ducked his hand, a small smile on his lips, barely visible. “Mm.” He hummed in agreement, not quite brave enough to say the words aloud. He wasn’t ever so direct, after all. He allowed himself to be turned around without any resistance. “Are you alright?” His brow furrowed slightly with worry.

"I am." She smiled.  "My shoulder hasn’t been acting up as much as it was.  And our efforts to rebuild and protect Zawame are on-going.  A number of interesting people have visited the Tower recently, and by extension the town."  She paused for a moment.  "And we have some new faces, too."

It was hard to not smile when his sister was obviously so pleased, and his small smile grew into something far more visible. "It's...nice, to see Zawame beginning to get back to how it used to be."

Even if the scars would never entirely heal. Upon the pause, Micchi felt himself fidget a bit, and laughed nervously. "New faces?" He had a feeling he knew exactly who his sister was talking about, but he would feign innocence for now.

[armoredryugen-blog]

Night Horrors

[spiritmuseinc-blog]

armoredryugen:

[armoredryugen-blog]

The silence was perhaps more frightening than if he had received an answer. Well, her heavy breathing filled the room, but not at all in a way that was reassuring. “Nee-san?”

Finally, Micchi’s hand found the lamp, and he turned it on, immediately turning his head to check on the state of his sister. Hesitantly, he walked towards the mattress, taking a seat next to her, not wanting to speak until she felt comfortable to do so.

Her head turned to look at him, the hair obscuring most of her face…some of her face looked tear stained, her hand never leaving her shoulder.  finally, she spoke, in a low croak, “Mitsuzane?”

She didn't seem completely withdrawn, and Micchi slowly released a quiet, relieved breath. "Yeah, it's me." He shifted a little closer on the bed, though not quite touching her.

"Are you okay?" A dumb question, definitely, but he didn't know what else to do. Sometimes the siblings had problems when it came to reaching out to each other.

[spiritmuseinc-blog]

armoredryugen:

[armoredryugen-blog]

Luna? For unknown reasons, he had expected a name more…extravagant, or complicated, and yet the name seemed to suit her well. 

The compliment did slightly embarrass him, and he clenched his jaw to ignore the way the tips of his ears were heating up. “Micchi.” Was all he replied with. “I thought you would have known that, though.”

"I didn’t." She said softly.  "Thank you for telling me, however." The girl slowly stepped closer, first one step, and then two.  "I suppose I should tell you, that since I have no true form, I instead possess a Driver like yours, with a special Lockseed."

Micchi's posture did tense slightly, but it wasn't present except for the tension in his shoulders and the slight twitch of his finger. He refused to take a step back, and instead only continued to stare.

"You have a Sengoku driver?" His jaw clenched slightly, and he turned his body only enough to face Luna directly. "...how?" She was nothing short of extraordinary, that was certain.

[spiritmuseinc-blog]

armoredryugen:

[armoredryugen-blog]

This mysterious figure sounded other-worldly, and it wasn’t difficult to see why. She had some sort of ethereal presence about her, as well as a human-like beauty. “Admirer?”

Micchi wasn’t sure why it provoked such a reaction out of him. Confusion was definitely at the top of the list. “Who are you?” He wanted some direct answers, not whatever this…vague explanation was.

"Atashi wa, Luna." She spoke.  "I am what your kind would call an Overlord, but I have no true form.  And you?  Who is the handsome person I’m speaking to?"

Luna? For unknown reasons, he had expected a name more...extravagant, or complicated, and yet the name seemed to suit her well. 

The compliment did slightly embarrass him, and he clenched his jaw to ignore the way the tips of his ears were heating up. "Micchi." Was all he replied with. "I thought you would have known that, though."