smapfic day 27! - we become light, chapter thirty-five
Title: We Become Light
Pairings: Nakai/Tsuyoshi, Kimura/Shingo/Goro
Rating: R for violence and swearing
Notes: Five men meet in a dystopian cyberpunk future to free their city from the Tower, with the help of motorcycle rebels, mysterious memories, and love.
Goro clung to the roof of the train as it crossed the city, keeping his body low. The numerous track lines crisscrossed through his mind; this one would take him close, but not quite close enough, to where he needed to go. Schedules blurred, comparing. The train he needed would pass in two minutes.
The train curved Inward, the Tower visible in its gloomy wreath of clouds. He'd gone back, to that room full of wires, to ask.
Are you human?
One minute. He spotted the track converging, the train drawing near. He rose from his crouch, racing across the tops of the cars, clearing the space between them in long strides. The approaching train pulled alongside, the track ahead already curving away-- Goro leaped, momentum carrying him across the gap.
Of course, she'd said. All this is just part of me.
He rolled the landing, fingernails digging into the metal to find purchase. Ahead, his destination wasn't far now. High walls, a vast compound surrounded by concrete. One corner jutted forbiddingly close to the track, only a short building separating the two-- it would be a window of but an instant.
He looked at his fingertips, looked at muscles enhanced with electronic grafts through eyes modified to a dozen spectrums. The other self, deep in his heart, was the only part of him the Tower had not been able to remake. He'd thought of himself as created by the Tower, an extension of it, fulfilled only in the ability to be wielded usefully. He had feared not death, but to be broken.
He had greater fears now, and with them-- love. He loved Kimura and Shingo, he loved Nakai and Tsuyoshi. The Tower had not given him that. The Tower might still take that away. But it had given him a way to fight, to protect what he loved, to whatever final end. That was his. That was him.
All of this is mine. He pulled himself up in a crouch, his fingers and his knees and his breath impossibly steady, calculating time and distance with a mind that only did so at his command. All of this is me.
It was time to use what the Tower had given him. He pushed himself up, and began to run.
Kimura led the way through a tight, twisting alley, the feeling of suspicious eyes on them growing with every step. His hand twitched near his switchblade, stayed only by Shingo's presence at his back.
At the far end of the alley was a door, heavy, steel, reinforced; in front of it was a man who looked paid to be there, all muscle and no expression like some kind of human patrol.
"Please let us see you master," Shingo told the bodyguard, raising his hands defenselessly. "It's urgent, we need to find the channel as soon as possible."
The bodyguard barely even blinked. It probably wasn't his judgement who passed or didn't.
"We're going to fight the Tower," Shingo tried again. "We need to send a message to the people of the city."
Kimura thought he caught the faintest huff of breath from within the building. Like disbelief, or a derisive laugh.
Shingo drew himself up. "We're here on behalf of the Five Stars." He stepped forward. "You owe them your allegiance, don't you?"
There was a moment of silence, everything still within the building. Then, the door swung open.
The bodyguard stepped aside as a man, nearly as old as Madame, emerged from the building. "The Five Stars are dead." He regarded them with piercing eyes, his face etched in wrinkles. "She sent you, didn't she?"
Kimura had done business with the merchant once or twice, long ago; the man no longer seemed to buy or sell these days, but he always showed up at the market. As if it were one of the few things he had left.
"Madame told us to look for you," Shingo replied, giving the man a reassuring smile. "But we really are here on the business of the Five Stars. We intend to finish what the First Rebellion started."
The man snorted. "Finish what? The Tower won. You think a rebellion now will do any good?" He shook his head. "The Tower's only gotten stronger. Better to get out while you can."
"I'm not going to leave this city." Shingo's voice took on an edge, his eyebrows knitting. "The Five Stars aren't dead, they're still trying to fight, that's why we have tell everyone--"
"So that they can join a massacre?" The man gave Shingo an almost disgusted look. "You've seen how they live out here, doctor. Surely you know how many of them would die."
Shingo recoiled slightly, stung. The merchant continued, his expression softening. "I've lived in this city all my life. And the Tower has taken everything, over and over." He smiles sadly, almost compassionately. "Let people live their lives in ignorance. This city is broken."
Before Shingo could find the words to speak, Kimura pushed past him, closing the short space between them and the merchant. He grabbed the man's collar, lifting him bodily from the ground. "Fuck you. You think this city is broken? You think people will survive if they keep their eyes shut?"
The bodyguard moved to intervene; Shingo dove in between, catching the guard around the middle. "Wait, he's not going to--"
"We've lived in this city all our lives, too," Kimura growled, his hands clenched tight, wanting to hit, hurt, take this anger and unfairness out on someone. "Who are you to tell us we should keep my eyes shut? Who are you to decide this city is beyond saving?" He threw the merchant away from him, fists tight at his sides, wanting to-- wanting to--
Kimura unclenched his hands. "If this city is broken, then we're going to fix it." He turned on his heel. "Shingo. Let's go."
Shingo disentangled from the bodyguard, glancing from Kimura to the merchant on the ground. He nodded, and held out a hand. Kimura took it without a second thought.
There was a shuffling as the merchant scrambled up. "How-- how can you still have that kind of hope?" He looked at them in disbelief. "After how much the Tower has taken..."
"We have to keep trying," Shingo said, holding Kimura's hand tightly. "The Five Stars still believe we can fight. We still believe we can fight. So we can't give up, no matter what."
The merchant crossed his arms, regarding them for a long moment. The pain and doubt he'd accumulated over the years was evident in every line of his face. Then, he motioned with his head for the bodyguard to stand down. "...All right. If you think you can bring hope back to this city, then-- I'll tell you."
Pairings: Nakai/Tsuyoshi, Kimura/Shingo/Goro
Rating: R for violence and swearing
Notes: Five men meet in a dystopian cyberpunk future to free their city from the Tower, with the help of motorcycle rebels, mysterious memories, and love.
Goro clung to the roof of the train as it crossed the city, keeping his body low. The numerous track lines crisscrossed through his mind; this one would take him close, but not quite close enough, to where he needed to go. Schedules blurred, comparing. The train he needed would pass in two minutes.
The train curved Inward, the Tower visible in its gloomy wreath of clouds. He'd gone back, to that room full of wires, to ask.
Are you human?
One minute. He spotted the track converging, the train drawing near. He rose from his crouch, racing across the tops of the cars, clearing the space between them in long strides. The approaching train pulled alongside, the track ahead already curving away-- Goro leaped, momentum carrying him across the gap.
Of course, she'd said. All this is just part of me.
He rolled the landing, fingernails digging into the metal to find purchase. Ahead, his destination wasn't far now. High walls, a vast compound surrounded by concrete. One corner jutted forbiddingly close to the track, only a short building separating the two-- it would be a window of but an instant.
He looked at his fingertips, looked at muscles enhanced with electronic grafts through eyes modified to a dozen spectrums. The other self, deep in his heart, was the only part of him the Tower had not been able to remake. He'd thought of himself as created by the Tower, an extension of it, fulfilled only in the ability to be wielded usefully. He had feared not death, but to be broken.
He had greater fears now, and with them-- love. He loved Kimura and Shingo, he loved Nakai and Tsuyoshi. The Tower had not given him that. The Tower might still take that away. But it had given him a way to fight, to protect what he loved, to whatever final end. That was his. That was him.
All of this is mine. He pulled himself up in a crouch, his fingers and his knees and his breath impossibly steady, calculating time and distance with a mind that only did so at his command. All of this is me.
It was time to use what the Tower had given him. He pushed himself up, and began to run.
Kimura led the way through a tight, twisting alley, the feeling of suspicious eyes on them growing with every step. His hand twitched near his switchblade, stayed only by Shingo's presence at his back.
At the far end of the alley was a door, heavy, steel, reinforced; in front of it was a man who looked paid to be there, all muscle and no expression like some kind of human patrol.
"Please let us see you master," Shingo told the bodyguard, raising his hands defenselessly. "It's urgent, we need to find the channel as soon as possible."
The bodyguard barely even blinked. It probably wasn't his judgement who passed or didn't.
"We're going to fight the Tower," Shingo tried again. "We need to send a message to the people of the city."
Kimura thought he caught the faintest huff of breath from within the building. Like disbelief, or a derisive laugh.
Shingo drew himself up. "We're here on behalf of the Five Stars." He stepped forward. "You owe them your allegiance, don't you?"
There was a moment of silence, everything still within the building. Then, the door swung open.
The bodyguard stepped aside as a man, nearly as old as Madame, emerged from the building. "The Five Stars are dead." He regarded them with piercing eyes, his face etched in wrinkles. "She sent you, didn't she?"
Kimura had done business with the merchant once or twice, long ago; the man no longer seemed to buy or sell these days, but he always showed up at the market. As if it were one of the few things he had left.
"Madame told us to look for you," Shingo replied, giving the man a reassuring smile. "But we really are here on the business of the Five Stars. We intend to finish what the First Rebellion started."
The man snorted. "Finish what? The Tower won. You think a rebellion now will do any good?" He shook his head. "The Tower's only gotten stronger. Better to get out while you can."
"I'm not going to leave this city." Shingo's voice took on an edge, his eyebrows knitting. "The Five Stars aren't dead, they're still trying to fight, that's why we have tell everyone--"
"So that they can join a massacre?" The man gave Shingo an almost disgusted look. "You've seen how they live out here, doctor. Surely you know how many of them would die."
Shingo recoiled slightly, stung. The merchant continued, his expression softening. "I've lived in this city all my life. And the Tower has taken everything, over and over." He smiles sadly, almost compassionately. "Let people live their lives in ignorance. This city is broken."
Before Shingo could find the words to speak, Kimura pushed past him, closing the short space between them and the merchant. He grabbed the man's collar, lifting him bodily from the ground. "Fuck you. You think this city is broken? You think people will survive if they keep their eyes shut?"
The bodyguard moved to intervene; Shingo dove in between, catching the guard around the middle. "Wait, he's not going to--"
"We've lived in this city all our lives, too," Kimura growled, his hands clenched tight, wanting to hit, hurt, take this anger and unfairness out on someone. "Who are you to tell us we should keep my eyes shut? Who are you to decide this city is beyond saving?" He threw the merchant away from him, fists tight at his sides, wanting to-- wanting to--
Kimura unclenched his hands. "If this city is broken, then we're going to fix it." He turned on his heel. "Shingo. Let's go."
Shingo disentangled from the bodyguard, glancing from Kimura to the merchant on the ground. He nodded, and held out a hand. Kimura took it without a second thought.
There was a shuffling as the merchant scrambled up. "How-- how can you still have that kind of hope?" He looked at them in disbelief. "After how much the Tower has taken..."
"We have to keep trying," Shingo said, holding Kimura's hand tightly. "The Five Stars still believe we can fight. We still believe we can fight. So we can't give up, no matter what."
The merchant crossed his arms, regarding them for a long moment. The pain and doubt he'd accumulated over the years was evident in every line of his face. Then, he motioned with his head for the bodyguard to stand down. "...All right. If you think you can bring hope back to this city, then-- I'll tell you."