*10; video [open comment log]
[The light pointing directly at the camera blinds at first, the screen fading between white and odd shapes, but then slowly came into view as the camera adjusted itself.
Deadpan bleepings were almost painfully obvious to some. A heart monitor. The view was complicated but the sign could be read if their communicator was flipped around. It read;
“ ( Read more... )
Deadpan bleepings were almost painfully obvious to some. A heart monitor. The view was complicated but the sign could be read if their communicator was flipped around. It read;
“ ( Read more... )
He wasn't sure what to think whenever these attacks happened. It wasn't like before, there was no blood and nothing to choke on. It was constriction. A grip around his throat that wouldn't let go unless that clear mask was over his mouth and nose, giving him pure oxygen.
And while Genesis hid it all too well, that didn't deceit those twenty some years of friendship that he had learned. The feeling was off, the atmosphere a little thick for what it was with he and Genesis in this world and the last. Angeal didn't mention it. If Genesis wanted to talk about it -which Angeal assumed would be when hell freezes over-, he would openly talk to him. But he took in a last chuckling breath of oxygen from the mask, smiling nonetheless, and removed it leaving the First with a raspy voice;]
Is it working? I think I've been going a pretty good job up until now. [He chuckled just a little, taking it easy on himself.]
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What he could hide easily from Sephiroth was all too clear for Angeal to see. And it was during times like this, when he was at his weakest, grasping on his last thread - that was unraveling at an alarming rate - that he preferred Sephiroth's company over Angeal's. Funnily enough, shadows seemed to grow deeper when the General was around, giving the redhead some relief - a place to hide. Not only from haunting greens of emerald but from himself too.
But with Angeal... It was a different story, entirely.
Beneath the unforgiving fluorescent lighting of the hospital ward, there was no hiding the flicker of doubt that crossed that azure gaze. Despite the nonchalance, something within him continued to fall away slowly - with the hush of summer rain and the softness of a feather's caress. Strange, that the falling apart of a SOLDIER - one that possessed a fountain of rage and madness - would be graceful as a flower gently blossoming.
A bare finger moved down to trace over the bruising. The pressure, petal soft. The thoughts behind such an action, rising from a past memory and into the present. They were here, they were both alive. Why did he feel like letting go so quickly? What else was there for him?
Nothing.
And yet...his stubbornness remained, fixing him coldly in place.]
Yes, and frighteningly well. [His tone was playful as ever, not betraying a single thing.] You can stop now. I shall never leave.
[Maybe not in body, but...]
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He didn't flinch at Genesis' movements at his bad eye. Angeal sat docile. He liked to think he knew his friend; his intentions. At least in general. It was all these new complexities that had him confused and seeking questions that ended in unfinished and suddenly dropped conversations. It hurt him, like it hurt Genesis when he couldn't do something for Angeal, probably just as much if not a tad more.]
I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut. [And it was a tone not uttered by Angeal on a regular basis. It was saddened, and grief stricken. Woeful fit the title well.]
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And it was guilt that seeped into his actions. His words were soothing, matching his fingers as they continued to ghost over Angeal's skin. Light enough to not cause any discomfort yet, firm enough to offer some shred of warmth and compassion. When he spoke, his voice was lightly scolding.]
Now, now. That's now what I asked of you.
[Then something seemed to emerge. Perhaps a touch of his older self. The smile that settled on his lips was far more genuine. And when he spoke, there was a hint of something. A certain childishness in his voice, a fragment of happier days gone by that had suddenly resurfaced from deep within.]
If you don't get better, then who else shall pick me Banora Whites when we get back home? You always seemed to pick the sweetest ones. I won't accept them from anyone else.
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Then how am I-- [The words had shot themselves at Angeal, triggering memories of their youth in Banora. The sounds, the fragrances, the people, the comfort. It was a complete 360 from where they were now. It made him chuckle. He looked to Genesis, nostalgic of what was.]
... you think they'll have grown back by then?
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[Yes, it was a much wiser move to have Angeal thinking about other things instead of having him dwell on present matters. And what was more of an effective distraction than their youth? Lazy, summer days spent under the Banora White trees, dreaming of fame and glory... Things had been so much simpler back then. Personally, Genesis found it to be pointless thought. After all, it's not as though time could be rewound. And even if they should ever find their way back to that place...their scars would remain. An ugly reminder of what had touched them both.
However, those memories were something that seemed to give Angeal a renewed sense of hope. And who was Genesis to deny him of that? And so, he kept it all under the surface, only letting the sun slip through while keeping dark, cloudy words at bay.]
I'm counting on you to make apple pies for dessert.
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And perhaps the one thing he was overly hopeful about was getting his friends to what they were. Before the Wutai War, before the trouble at ShinRa, even before they started to slowly drift. He knew they were still there, somewhere deep inside. After all; they didn't shun him when he came to this world. They still showed signs of being who they were. And they could be. All he had to do was stick to his guns about being there for them. Showing them what it was to be like, back at SOLDIER. Maybe even give them one of his famous lectures if they needed it. They were his friends. He wasn't going to lose them in anyway. Not if he could help it.]
I'm nothing like what my mother was, Genesis.
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[He kept the lighthearted banter up, ignoring the heavy pit of dread within. There were certain questions he wanted to ask. About Kadaj, the rescue, the situation... Everything that had happened. every ounce of pain dealt, so he could deliver it back to the one responsible - tenfold. The damage done inside would undoubtedly be far greater than what appeared to be outside and it was that, which Genesis was more concerned about. The last thing he wanted was for Angeal to withdraw into himself. They would have to talk about it sooner or later. However, the longer he left it, the longer Angeal would have to keep the pain inside. It was certainly not a healthy way to live.
Which was rather hypocritical on Genesis' part. After all, wasn't he doing the very same thing?
He brushed that aside and tried, nonetheless. His tone was quiet and gentle. His calm gaze fixed carefully on Angeal's face, ready to catch any lie that may fall from the other's lips.]
Angeal... Do you want to tell me what happened?
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For the very first time in a great long while, he didn't. He wanted to ignore it and forget it even happened. Live and let live. Sa La Vie. He wanted to be what he was. A shot of anger went though him and stuck around as long as it was shot in. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked away. He talked with a normal -if not slightly wounded- tone.]
What is there to talk about? I was captured, tortured and released, Genesis.
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[His answer was softly spoken but one could hear the obvious displeasure in it. His gaze grew a little cooler, pinning Angeal to the bed with its frosty stare - a look normally reserved for someone like Fair. There was a great amount of difference between how they had each suffered. There wasn't anything to be done about Genesis' own pain but he liked to believe that Angeal's could be healed. If only the other wasn't being so stubborn about it...
The redhead crossed his arms elegantly, taking a moment or two to ponder before leaning towards Angeal, his voice lowering to almost a whisper.]
There is no peace is to be obtained while demons rage within.
[There was a certain...allure to those words, something seductive and dark. Something, no doubt, Sephiroth would have found wry amusement in. Tch.]
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No. No there is not. While the wheels turned in his mind, the voice in the back of his head just muttered 'it won't work, he won't want to talk about it; it. Won't. Work.' But he had to try. Genesis was his friend and he very well couldn't just give up.
His tone wasn't superior, it wasn't weak. It did however have a twang to it. Just like when he was telling someone something, or in this case...]
You want to know what happened so badly? So do I. [making a deal.
Of course he was worried Genesis was going to dismay it all and just walk out of the room, just like he did on one of their earlier conversations. But it was a risk he was very willing to take. Genesis was his friend. His best friend, in fact Angeal just couldn't leave him behind like he did before.] I will tell you anything you want to know, granted, I receive a little something in return. You don't have to spill everything, that's not how you are and I know that, but give something I can believe. Preferably something truthful.
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[He wasn't surprised in the least, for he knew Angeal would jump at the chance. And sure enough he did. One of the most frustrating things about Genesis was that he could lead someone in circles over an answer so desperately sought. And more often than not, that is exactly what he did, though usually, it was more out of amusement than anything else. However, this was not the case where Angeal was concerned, especially with his present...condition.
Well, an exchange seemed fair.
Angeal should have considered himself fortunate to receive the little information that he did.]
I can't have peace....
[The words were left to linger, as a pair of sickeningly amused azures swept over Angeal's features, anticipating his reaction with interest. Genesis' tone was hushed, head tilted a fraction to the side as one confession out of hundreds slipped past smirking lips.]
Not when I've become so fond of my demons.
[A pause before - ]
Your turn.
[No question that time, more of a demand. Angeal had wanted a "little something" and Genesis had given it to him. And it had been something true, something Genesis wouldn't have normally admitted. And now, Angeal was expected to honour his end of the deal.]
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Angeal did not frown nor did he smile at the information. There wasn't much movement when he was told what was what save for a quick, genuinely concerned and worried glance.
He looked back at the bed at a loss. That look he had when his sword broke and it 'scraped' Genesis' shoulder in the training room. He sat himself up more before he went to talk.]
I was cut. I got stabbed. I was lectured, physically and mentally smacked around and dragged out in the rain numerous times to a new location. [There was a pause. Nothing serious, just a blank thousand-yard stare. With a breath he started again.] Then I was left in the snow with that blanket that I intend to return. [A hand pointed to an old and recently washed olive drab blanket.]
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I see.
[Well, he knew what to do to Kadaj when he finally got his hands on him. However, first the chip would need to be removed. A chill crept through him at the prospect of having a doctor or heaven forbid, a scientist loom over him, scalpel in hand. Mentally shaking away the unpleasant thought, Genesis gazed at Angeal with something akin to regret. A hand reached out, gently resting on Angeal's shoulder. A fleeting gesture, not without a touch of comfort and warmth.
Genesis turned around, crossing his arms over his chest, unable to face Angeal for a moment longer. Some SOLDIER to have let his best friend get taken away and tortured like that. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely audible - and the only way Angeal would have caught his next words was if he had been listening very carefully. After all, it was not everyday that Genesis Rhapsodos admitted to such things.]
...I'm sorry for failing to protect you in your time of need.
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