[[ @automatonn ]]
Tanaka Gundham, the Forbidden One. Overlord of Ice, the unholy offspring of an angel and a devil, a union that should never have been - for all his short life, he has conquered and crosses voids like which the universe has barely ever seen. He is unshakable, unmovable in spirit and body.
...And now, he has risen from the dead.
His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, mind trying to wrap around the sheer impossibility of such a feat. It was...unnatural. Against the laws of the world, the order by which the planet spun and the sun rose, the laws of death and new life.
He had risen from the dead.
It was all by the hand of one Hinata Hajime, a fact that did not surprise him in the least. His virtual avatar had chosen to keep all the memories, despair and the killing game both, and for that he was thankful. The knowledge clawed at his insides like a feral beast; penance, for all that he had done.
If anyone could twist fate and the laws of the universe, it was Hajime. And Gundham would lay his life down at Hinata’s feet, if he were asked.
A chattering caught his attention from within his scarf, one of his Devas descendants coming up to nibble his ear and pull him from the thoughts that threatened to drown him. He flashed a calm smile and nuzzled the hamster, eyes casting out to the waves of the beach he stood on, truly seeing them once more.
In, out. In, out. Like a pulsing heartbeat the waves slid along the shore, their rhythmic sound soothing the confusion and agony in his heart.
He had risen from the dead - but was he truly worthy of such a miracle...?
San-D stood to attention, chirping loudly to alert her Master to an intruder. Gundham cast a glance to the side and momentarily froze as the familiar palette of pink and yellow stood out before him-
On his knees, before the one he desired. Rejection that stung as much as the boot connecting to his face, euphoric in ways that only Despair could provide. More, more, let me know how hated I am.
The memory was shoved to the side, Gundham’s face carefully curated to neutral as he faced the Ultimate Mechanic. There was no way of knowing what Souda remembered - after a brief tearful reunion, Hajime had ushered the other survivors out to further monitor Gundham and ensure he got space.
...In a way, he knew he would be found here. And perhaps the soft edge to his eyes betrayed that, only a little bit.
“Souda-kun.”
