magic isn&#x27;t real you idiot

Michio || Friendship and Unity || Outside > Arcade || ATTN: Haru

shslrapartist-blog

Upon hearing the response, Haru sat for a few moments of complete silence with a totally plain expression, just looking at Michio with his chin resting on his hands. He then quite suddenly stood up, and said in a neutral voice:

"…Do you mind if I run to my room and get something for a moment?"

He left before Michio could respond, and then returned a few moments later and plopped back down in the same spot, now armed with a small notebook and pen. Flipping open to a new page and scribbling Case Study: Michio Shibata, Haru began to rapidly talk with a new fervour.

"So your view is that fate controls our actions, and therefore our friends’ death should not be upsetting? Can you give me an example of a stimulus to which you would respond with a negative emotion - or do you feel that nothing can upset you? Would you say this is a natural process, or perhaps a deliberate suppression of emotional responses on your part? And how does that suggestion make you feel?”

Looking back up at Michio, Haru stopped talking abruptly, touched his hair, and laughed awkwardly, going back to his slow, calm pace.

"…I am so sorry. That was far too many questions at once, Shibata-san, and I did not respond in a conversational manner. My scientific curiosity got the better of me for a moment."

Despite his apology, he did not actually take back any of his questions, peering at the other boy with a keen, interested eye.

#ic #chapter 1 #haru thread 1

Michio didn't seem to be affected by Haru's response, nodding when he announced he had to get something and sitting patiently as he waited for him to come back. Haru began talking before Michio even had a chance to, but that didn't seem to bother him one bit either- nor did the notebook bother him, though he was curious about what it was. The rapid questions were no problem for him to answer, because really, he could talk forever.

"Well, I mean, like I said, it was tragic of course, so it was definitely a sad thing that happened, but...what's the point in being upset? Why be upset when you know it's for the best? I'm just trying to look on the bright sie here! Being upset isn't going to get me anywhere! Oh, I'm not sure what could make me upset...I'd like to believe that there's no situation without some kind of bright side! Well...okay..." His smile wavered for a moment as he recalled his conversation with Hisato earlier. "It's not like I'm immune to all negative emotions or something, but I just try to distract myself from them and not think about them! Negativity never got anyone anywhere, and it isn't going to start now! But to talk about something now that would cause that...well, that would be kind of counterproductive, don't you think? And I guess...the suggestion that it's suppressing emotions, that isn't really accurate! I'm not really suppressing anything, I'm just not feeling anything long enough to express it!"

Shrugging off the last bit of what Haru said, he laughed as well. "Don't worry about it! I love answering questions!"

Hisato || Perish Song || RE: Execution, Michio

'Something brought us both here…'

"…Two animatronic cats?"

It was literally all Hisato could think to reply with to Michio’s little ‘Call it what you will’ speech.

Despite their conversation so far, it was not something Hisato had expected to hear at all. Well. Kudos to Michio for being one of the few Hisato felt he couldn’t make decent predictions about.

At least the magician seemed to have bounced back. Oh, and now he had a plastic wand - of course he did - Hisato flinching a little despite it being a good distance from his face. His mutter of ‘don’t do that’ probably went unheard, the male recovering rather quickly albeit with a heavy sounding sigh.

"I’m pretty sure there was more to us arriving here than some abstract concept."

No, he couldn’t go into that again, both for his own sanity and the sake of keeping his end of their agreement. Michio had quickly - very quickly, actually, faster than Hisato expected - agreed to their deal of sorts; Hisato had to take that chance.

Oh, that was a mental note to add: Michio Shibata is surprisingly easy to bargain with.

"Let’s hope you don’t regret your choice in friend, then."

(It would be… rather strange, actually, having someone around a lot. At least, that was what Michio seemed to be implying: that he’d be around almost constantly. That was an unusual concept for someone who’d pretty much accepted his state of permanent isolation.)

"…I guess I have to appreciate the sentiments there. In trying not to be annoying, that is." Why was he always at a loss for words with this guy? There was a difference between choosing not to speak and not being able to think of anything at all, and Hisato was much more comfortable with the former. “…Don’t suppose you have any painkillers on you?”

If Michio said something about Hisato having to ride the pain out because it was ‘what fate wanted’ or something, he couldn’t make any promises about his reaction.

#ic #chapter 1 #hisato thread 2 #this really is becoming charlie the unicorn #[michio voice] we're looking for painkillers hisaaaaato

Oh, he was considering saying that. It was certainly something that he believed. But he wouldn't forget that quickly the promise that he had made, so we'll have to save that trainwreck of a conversation for another day. Not talking about fate...Michio thought he could do that. He could try, at least, if it was for a friend. He could definitely watch what he said to make sure it didn't come up as much, if not at all.

Now having completely recovered from before, and thankfully being able to erase the memory from his mind completely, Michio was back to enjoying the conversation he and Hisato were having. Even if Hisato most likely didn't feel the same. And you're correct, what Hisato said did go completely unnoticed by Michio, though fortunately, he slipped the wand back into his pocket anyways.

"I doubt that I'll regret it, no matter what happens! I know you must be a great person, even if you pretend like you don't care about anything! Now...painkillers...no, I don't have any of those. Do you want to look for some? Oh, we could go on an adventure to find them! Wouldn't that be fun? I promise I'd try veeeeery hard not to be annoying!"

Michio || Friendship and Unity || Outside > Arcade || ATTN: Haru

shslrapartist-blog

The smile that now lit up Michio’s face was startling, and Haru hesitated before answering.

"That’s right, my name is Haru Ikezawa. And I do believe the machines are in working order, if you were hoping for a game. That was my intent in coming here, but.."

He searched the blond’s face, before quickly sitting down on the floor with neatly folded knees and patting the spot next to him.

"I ask because I have to wonder what prompted your response to Shunsen-san’s death. I am by no means condemning you - it’s well known that in unbelievable or tragic situations, sometimes laughter bubbles up when it is least appropriate. But… are you really doing ‘great’, Shibata-san? There’s no shame in admitting you’re upset. We all are. Come, sit down and we’ll talk.”

Haru wrapped his fingers around his ponytail absent-mindedly, twisting and untwisting it as he considered Michio. What was hiding here? Why were this boy’s emotional responses so radically different from the expected? Inappropriate emotions were a common warning sign of schizophrenia, but if Michio had the disorder he had hid it well so far. So Michio was keen to make friends - Haru was happy to oblige, and observe.

#chapter 1 #ic #haru thread 1 #yes haru tell me #what exactly do you make of all that

So...apparently there wasn't going to be a game played yet. That was fine, Michio was definitely fine with sitting down and talking. Haru seemed like he would certainly be fun to talk to. After glancing quickly at one of the machines again, he took a seat next as prompted.

Oh, so that was what this was all about? Of course, Michio didn't expect Haru to understand- nobody ever really did, not until he explained it. He dismissed Haru's concern with the slight wave of his hand, laughing a bit as he responded.

"Of course I'm doing great! There's nothing to be upset about, after all! So, maybe that execution was just the slightest bit more than what he deserved, and maaaybe he didn't entirely deserve to die- he wasn't a murderer, not really. But it was just what was meant to happen! Just like Sasa Anai was meant to die as she did! It's fate, you see, controlling everything, making sure that the rest of us get the endings we're meant to have! Both of their deaths, they might have been sad at first, but those are just two things that had to happen in order to lead the rest of us closer to our happy ending!"

...So, Haru. What do you make of that?

Michio || Friendship and Unity || Outside > Arcade || ATTN: Haru

shslrapartist-blog

Haru left Midori and strolled towards the arcade deep in thought, even as the night grew blacker. Her assertion that nobody could be trusted no matter how hard he tried… would that really prove to be true?

In any case, he might try his hand at one of the retro games provided, even though he knew that bright artificial screen lights were not at all conducive to a good night’s rest - justifying it by thinking that at least these simple platform games were good brain exercises.

Pushing open the door, however, he found the room already occupied. The comparatively small blond in the room looked quite the surreal sight as he turned to meet Haru’s eyes, enveloped in his starry cape, looking pale and ethereal in the darkness.

Haru raised a hand in greeting with a friendly smile to show he meant no harm.

"Hello there, Shibata-san. I hope I didn’t alarm you. Up for a spot of gaming before you sleep as well?"

He didn’t make mention of the awful thing they had recently witnessed that might be keeping a lot of them up - in part because after having witnessed Michio’s strange bark of laughter when Seigetsu died, Haru had no idea what might happen if he broached the topic. He then frowned, catching a look in the magician’s light eyes.

"…Is anything the matter?"

#ic #chapter 1 #haru thread 1

Michio turned immediately at the sound of someone approaching, a smile already on his face (though he very well knew it could have been an attacker, of course). It took him a moment to recognize who it was, trying to place a name to the face so that he could greet them back, but soon enough it came to him.

"Haru! You're Haru, right? That's what I remember from the trial before! Hello, yes, I'd love to play a game!" He looked at one of the machines curiously. "Do you think these work? I haven't tried any of them yet. Oh, I really hope they work! That would be so much fun!"

He froze at the next question he was asked, pausing for a moment in confusion before looking back at Haru. "No, I'm fine! Things might have gotten a liiiittle crazy before, but I'm doing great! Why do you ask?"

Hisato || Perish Song || RE: Execution, Michio

After so much talking, silence from Michio was… a little unnerving.

Hisato honestly wasn’t sure what to do, and that was a pretty alien feeling for someone who always preferred to have a plan set and ready. Not one he particularly liked, either. Then again, how could you plan for something like this? Yes, he’d been completely off the mark with his prediction for Michio’s reaction, but Michio had brought all this information up without any further prompting whatsoever. An off-hand example fuelled by curiosity had developed into something much bigger without warning, and Hisato was really, really stuck.

And also, admittedly, still not taking to Michio’s words at all.

"…Well. Can’t say I’ve particularly thought about a bigger picture. A little difficult to think about when you don’t know whether you’ll still be up and about in a few hours."

It seemed Michio was recovering somewhat, or at least starting to, which brought some relief for Hisato. While this probably signaled the return of the fate stuff that he was still not buying and probably wouldn’t ever… at least he would no longer be completely unknowing as to how to respond to and possibly help the magician.

(That sounded harsh, but Hisato was genuinely at a complete and utter loss. Not just because of the action in general, but the general sentiments behind it. How were you meant to respond to someone who’d clearly been attached to their mother when Hisato had never experienced that?)

(Had Michio’s mother actually… cared about him? That sort of thing was possible, right?)

Michio was insisting he was a friend again.

"Haa. Really not warding you away, am I."

Well. If you can’t outright beat them, pretend to join them.

"…Fine. I suppose the appropriate thing to say here is thanks." Hisato really needed to reevaluate his choices. How did he keep ending up in situations he had literally no plan nor idea for? Why was Michio still being so nice? “I won’t lie, though. I still won’t say I consider you close.”

If only for Michio’s own sake, really. Though… with the opinions and beliefs Hisato had heard from him today, would Michio really be so affected by Hisato finally leaving?

Of course. Don’t be an idiot. People don’t get close to you.

"…You keep your opinions on the fate bullsh- belief on the low and I will with mine. Agreed?”

Dear god. He was bargaining with a magician regarding fate. How did he even reach this point?

#ic #chapter 1 #IF ANYONE GETS THE REFERENCE I MADE I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER....#hisato thread 2

By the time Hisato had finished again, Michio had more or less recovered. Though most of the reason for it was forcing himself to think about absolutely anything else, as well as reminding himself that No, it wasn't all bad, it meant something, it definitely meant something, until he managed to stop himself from shaking so much, and he could smile as brightly and genuinely as before. No, his broken spirit wasn't permanent, not yet. And it would take more than just one conversation, a few words, to make it that way.

No matter what Michio said, Hisato didn't seem to change his opinions- and for the first time since they'd met, Michio considered the fact that maybe that was alright. For the moment, at least. Oh, no, he wouldn't stop trying to get him to believe in magic. That much was never going to happen. But agreeing to not talk about fate as much, for the sake of another? He could manage that. He could definitely manage that.

"Agreed! But if I could just say one more thing on the subject and let that be the end of it? When we first spoke, you asked why I decided to spend time talking to you. At the time I said I liked your hair, which was definitely true, but there was another reason.." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a plastic wand, then proceeding to take a step back and point it directly at Hisato's face. "You might not believe it, but something brought us both here. Call it what you will, Hisato- fate, destiny, but something, definitely something."

He paused for a moment, and then, with a small laugh, pretended to tap Hisato on the head with the wand- careful not to actually let it touch him, figuring that he was the sort of person he wouldn't appreciate that. "So I have made the decision to trust you, and to be your friend!"

He pulled the wand back towards him, holding it in front of him with both ends in each of his hands. "So no, there's really no way to ward me off! You're just going to have to put up with it! Don't worry though, I'll try not to annoy you too much, I'll really, really try!"

#ic #chapter 1 #haru thread 1

Michio || Friendship and Unity || Outside > Arcade || ATTN: Haru

Well, now that all that was over and done with, Michio figured it was about time he did a bit more exploring. No matter how much he looked around, it would never feel like enough- there was still so much to find out, so many things to see! So once his rather…unpleasant…conversation with Hisato ended, he was off, bounding in no particular direction with two goals in mind- first and most obviously, explore! And second…try to get his mind off of the conversation he’d just had.

Which really didn’t prove to be too difficult at all, once he really tried. The area that he’d ended up in, what was it, the arcade? It was easy to get his mind off of things in there. He spent quite some time just looking around, with no real goal in mind. Just looking around was enough for him. The events of before had been more or less forgotten, for the moment, at least. However, immersed as he was in looking around the arcade, there was no way he would fail to notice someone entering the room. That is, if anyone did…

Hisato || Perish Song || RE: Execution, Michio

To an outsider of the conversation, watching from a distance perhaps, Hisato must have looked like an absolute asshole.

After all. The other male was standing before him trembling and shaking, practically crying despite the smile that Michio seemed to be desperately trying to hold as he forced out words, and Hisato… Hisato was standing there doing nothing.

The pain from the trial was still present, Hisato’s otherwise extremely neutral appearance only marred by the arm still folded over his stomach as though in defense, but it had dulled to a point where his deadpan expression was no longer as frequently shaken by winces. Yes, the male would appear totally and utterly uncaring towards Michio’s pain at that moment, dully watching the magician as he laid out exactly what the problem was.

For a good time, Hisato’s only reaction was to drop that ever-present eye contact. The silence that was only continuing to thicken around the two probably wasn’t helping Michio any.

"…Apologies."

…How exactly were you meant to comfort people, anyway? It wasn’t something Hisato had ever experienced, on both sides of that type of interaction. He had never found nor put himself in the position of needing to calm someone down… and he hadn’t ever been comforted himself either.

(He could probably have done with some comfort many a time. Not anymore, though. He didn’t have people. He couldn’t.)

"To answer your question. No, I haven’t." His next words took their sweet time to come out too, Hisato looking back up as he answered. "Ever found myself in that position, that is."

Hisato was still at a complete loss of what to do, though of course, it wasn’t obvious. So he just stood there, watching Michio continue to struggle before him without doing a single thing except speaking.

"So you’re not of the opinion that fate can be changed, then. Everything’s already set." A blunt statement rather than a question. Very helpful. "…Just because you think that doesn’t mean you can’t be angry or sad at it, you know." He gave that low, harsh sounding laugh of his. "JFC. I mean, look at me. I’ve accepted that I’m one hundred percent likely to die and, well. You heard me earlier."

That was a lie. Hisato hadn’t accepted that at all. But Michio didn’t need to know any more vulnerable details about him.

#ic #chapter 1 #hisato thread 2 #michio is trying he really is

Really, it didn't matter what Hisato did in terms of comfort- Michio simply couldn't be helped at this point, no matter what. He wouldn't have responded well to anything Hisato could have done, it was really nothing personal that he continued to remain in exactly the same state. For once, he couldn't seem to be able to say anything- forcing himself explain himself before, that had worn him out, and he knew that if he tried to speak again he would only break down. And he wasn't going to let that happen. So he was silent, completely silent, both while Hisato spoke and for a good few minutes afterwards.

Finally, he was able to respond. "There's nothing to be angry or sad about. It all means something, Hisato, it's all working towards some bigger picture. Every event, every life, every death, it all means something. Not a single person in this world lives or dies without a purpose. So there's not a reason for any negative feelings. Not any reason at all." Sure. That's why you're practically falling to pieces right in front of him.

That small smile of his grew just slightly and he took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down enough to stop shaking. "You might not want any friends, and I guess that I can't do anything about that, but I want to be your friend. I really do. I wouldn't even talk about fate stuff that much if it annoys you, promise! So even though you might not want a friend now...whenever you do, if it ever happens, I'll be around! And I'm sorry that you've been told you're going to die- even though I still don't believe it's true- but remember that no matter what happens, your life means something in the end!"

Hisato || Perish Song || RE: Execution, Michio

If you told Michio at this point in time that Hisato Fukuyama was not often the giver of verbal beatdowns, he might be surprised.

But it was true. Hisato didn’t particularly need nor want to give them out. Why was it necessary? Sure, the opportunity had often presented itself in the past. Other players trying to goad him into a response, acting (or sometimes genuinely being, it seemed) overly cocky to try and unnerve him. Why so quiet, Fukuyama? Scared you’re finally going to lose? It’s only a matter of time before someone finally pushes you aside and I hope everyone’s watching because that’s going to be now-

Yes, Hisato found simply staying in his natural quiet state much more effective then responding to the large amounts of trashtalk sent his way. Often a lot more satisfying when he won, too. Silence, acting without drawing a lot of attention, was very effective.

Yet here he was, Michio clearly starting to falter even more before him with every word that left Hisato’s mouth. Yes, Hisato knew that his general tone often made it unclear as to whether he was being sarcastic or genuine, curious or accusing, but this… this sort of reaction was not common at all. It was a strange thought, one that felt alien every rare time it occurred, but Hisato’s prediction had been completely wrong. He’d figured that, no matter whether Michio took his tone to be, he’d respond in the same cheerful, fate-based way. ‘Then I’ll accept that, because that’s clearly how I’m meant to go!’ or something like that, fuck he could hear the magician’s voice in his head saying that, and yet…

It seemed he’d hit something of a nerve.

(It had never really been the case that Hisato wanted to push people down verbally, as before, he’d never really felt the need to. He knew he was naturally blunt and sarcastic; that didn’t work well together. But he’d often had the thought hey, maybe it’s better to hurt them briefly now and keep them away rather than let them get closer and hurt them a lot more later…)

"…I see."

It was all Hisato could think- no, felt the need to say. There was really no going back on what he’d intended as nothing more than a curious question now, it seemed; not by the way that Michio’s cheerful appearance had dropped like a stone, he’d focused on only one of the possible death methods, even brought a family member into the picture.

Michio Shibata appears to have a wariness towards guns.

"…Listen. Michio. I’ve accepted my fate, but clearly not in the way you want me to. I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one." That was an understatement for sure, but it summed it all up well enough for Hisato. "Perhaps it’s best if we don’t mention this again. You keep your attitude and I’ll keep mine. They’ve both got us this far, Maybe both work."

Well. Hisato was on something of a countdown already. He gave a sigh, pinching his eyes briefly in something of an exasperated way.

”Look. Two people died today. One of them right before our eyes. Personally I consider it a miracle that you’ve remained so cheerful and that I’ve managed to remain standing during this whole conversation. How about we don’t run it into the ground anymore for now?”

#ic #chapter 1 #hisato thread 2 #enjoy #enjoy what u have done hisato

Congratulations, Hisato. You've successfully managed to break his spirit, at least for this conversation. Tearing down his beliefs wasn't enough for you? You just had to bring up the guns? Thanks Hisato. Thanks. Yes, Michio's joy was gone again, only this time it didn't seem like it was coming back right away like it had before. No, he was past that now. All he was doing anymore was trying to focus on anything but those words, again and again.

What must Hisato think of him now? Without a doubt, it was something insulting. He must be thinking now more than ever that Michio is crazy, Michio is an idiot, what's Michio doing now? He owed an explanation. And as long as his mind was stuck on this damn event, he was going to give one. Whether Hisato cared or not.

"Before today, had you ever watched someone die, Hisato? Had you ever had someone die right in front of you, so close that it easily could have been you?" More than just his hands were shaking now, his entire body trembling slightly as he forced himself to continue. "Because I have. I have, and it's something part of me still wishes had never happened. But it was fate. That's what it must have been. Why else would it have happened?" All he could do was stare at Hisato as he spoke, no smile coming to him as much as he tried. "We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's what people said. Everything that happened, it was just an accident. A stray bullet that happened to be shot just as we passed by- if one thing had happened a second earlier or later, it all could have been avoided. But that wasn't how it was supposed to happen. It was supposed to happen exactly as it did- my mother was shot. And she was killed. And that was that. It was unfair, and I didn't like it at first, but..." He finally managed a small smile. "It was meant to be, right? She didn't die for nothing. It meant something. Her death meant something."

please free michio shibata

#burn michio 2k14 #magic isnt real

nah

Hisato || Perish Song || RE: Execution, Michio

Oh, couldn’t he just… walk away?

No, Michio would probably follow, continuing to talk to boot, and attract much more attention than Hisato wanted to this situation.

How was this the second time he’d allowed Michio to trap him in a conversation?

"I’m not going to argue because I can see when something’s futile. But you can’t expect me to sit back when you’re basically telling me to pin everything that’s happened to, simply, ‘fate isn’t fair’."

If fate, destiny, however you wanted to put it, was a genuine concept - which, as many may easily guess should they hear this conversation, Hisato did not believe - then that knowledge would actually have the opposite effect on him to the magician. At least this way, there wouldn’t be the strong belief that the universe was just picking on him in particular. No matter how much Michio apologised for fate being so unfair.

It posed the sort of question that a younger Hisato had, admittedly, asked of himself many times: why me?

He didn’t want to believe that the universe itself wanted to isolate him.

Michio seemed to be faltering. Had Hisato really worn him down that much? The other male looked… empty, for a moment or two, that was the only way Hisato could think to describe. He himself had managed to return to his natural deadpan expression, though there was still that strong desire to flee just for the sake of getting his hands on some goddamn painkillers already.

"Glad you’re able to have that much trust in people. Even here." At the word that Michio wouldn’t tell anyone else of this, Hisato merely responded with a curt nod. "There really isn’t any way I can ward you off me, is there?"

There was a reason Hisato didn’t allow himself to make friends; one that wasn’t just an extension of his just naturally reserved personality. But like hell was he going to go into that with Michio. It wouldn’t change anything, would it? Fact was, Michio was insistent that the two were friends, and from what Hisato knew of the other male, there wasn’t anything he could do to change that. Perhaps the best tactic, then, was to change from trying to push Michio away to working out merely how to keep him at arm’s length.

He knew way too much about him already.

People got attached like that.

"…With my other point. Is this part of your fate thing too? Trusting everyone and everything? You’re in a city playing host to a kill or be killed scenario. Anyone here could try and poison you, stab you, set a trap for you under a friendly guise, shoot you in the head… you’re still going to maintain that?"

If Michio could make out any tone to Hisato’s words, it would be one of curiosity rather than accusation. Makes a change.

#ic #chapter 1 #hisato thread 2 #u done fucked up now

For once, Michio thought it was best to stay silent until Hisato had completely finished speaking. Nothing that he was saying made any sense at all, and most of it only came closer and closer to crushing Michio's spirit completely. So, he figured that if he waited until the other was done, he would be able to really think over how he should respond in a way that would result in the least amount of hostility coming back at him. He listended carefully, not taking his focus off of Hisato's words for even a moment, and finally-

Wait.

...What did he just say?

"...Huh? Anyone could..."

Anyone could...what...?

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Wasn't that what he always told himself? Don't think about it. Don't ever think about it again. He fought to ignore that slight wave of dizziness that came over him as he tried to process exactly what those words had been, what those words had meant, what they meant to him. Again, his hands were shaking, and his smile didn't even stand a chance of remaining in place no matter how hard he tried. Why was it that even now, just the idea, just the words, affected him like they did?

"Yes," he said, trying his best to keep his voice cheerful even though his face clearly said otherwise. "Yes, of course. Whatever happens happens. If I die, if I get shot in the head-" His voice nearly broke has he tried to get the words out himself, but he managed to keep it more or less together. "Then I won't fight it. I won't have a choice. Because fate stops for no one. It didn't stop for my mother and it certainly won't stop for me. It doesn't matter who I trust. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen." After a short pause, his smile returned, though it seemed to be just slightly forced. "I just try to make the best of it all."

since im not on skype today, im bored out of my mind with pretty much nothing to do, so i decided to put a playlist on michio's blog. half of these songs are jokes. enjoy.

#magic isnt real #im proud of myself for figuring out how to do it tho ngl

Hisato || Perish Song || RE: Execution, Michio

To his credit, Hisato didn’t seem unnerved by Michio’s closeness. He was only the slightest bit taller than the magician, meaning the two were pretty much face to face. Yet Hisato didn’t flinch back nor did he step away, not in the slightest bit unnerved by something many might find more than a little creepy.

Nah. He was just pissed.

"Why would I argue that it’s fair?"

The volume of his voice matched Michio’s and was as close to Hisato’s normal monotone as he could manage in his current state, that being in pain and pissed off.

"No. It’s not how I wanted to live and I’m not going to argue that it’s fair. I’m not going to argue that it’s fair that by the time I actually managed to fucking speak up about this, I was already deemed a lost cause. Not going to say the neglect that caused that is fair. Nor the fact that I found this out just, just as I was starting to think that maybe, I could actually find a place for myself with what I actually had.”

Hisato stopped talking there, a harsh laugh being heard even as he put his face in his hands for a moment. Was he really standing here having this conversation? Was he really telling Michio all of this? Was Michio really still smiling?

"You’re right. I do think you’re crazy and I do think you’re an idiot. If I had to make a prediction for how you’ll fare in this city prison of ours, I can’t say it ends favorably."

Brutal honesty there, perhaps, but it was Hisato’s honest belief. He would have elaborated, in a test of Michio’s blind faith perhaps (though truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he would want to see the results), had the other male not started speaking again. Wait, were his hands shaking? Hisato was pretty sure they were- it was a pretty common thing for him to pick up, actually, as a sign that perhaps his opponent wasn’t particularly confident any more. This was, of course, a wildly different scenario, but it put one possible conclusion into Hisato’s mind:

Michio Shibata might not be as blindly optimistic as I first thought.

The probability of him dying here for a stupid reason also just increased. But Hisato didn’t touch on that topic again.

"I have," A brief pause, filled by a wince from Hisato. "Genuinely no idea why you consider me a friend. If I gave any indication that we are or that I wanted to be…"

He shook his head in disbelief, before changing tack. Best not to get onto the topic of friends or lack therefore, lest he end up with another speech like that.

"Listen. Michio. You are the only one here who knows this shit, or at least its full extent. Don’t take that as a sign of friendship or some shit like that. I told you so you wouldn’t keep nagging me about what was wrong. Don’t tell the others. Especially if you have some crazy scheme in mind to try force me to enjoy what life I have. Understand?”