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[usarinpa]

you know what to do.

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akushon tiem

[parasaito]

[When she gets there, he's crouched down over the cat's body, as though expecting her to arrive before his last furry victim's life extinguishes.]

Ah, good. You made it just in time.

[Picking the animal's paw between his fingers, he moves it in a slow wave towards the girl.]

Thank you for coming for meow sake... but it's too late to save mew... be seeing you, Mewzuki...

[Of course, this is also spoken in the same taunting tone as before. Judging by the cat's shallow and slowed breathing, it's obvious there's no saving it anymore, even if she rushed to the best cleric in Aldrip.]

[usarinpa]

[ God, she can literally feel her blood boiling. All that anger is making it hard to breathe, and she feels like she has to channel it somehow. In that moment, she can think of a million ways she can break his bones, pulverize him, and toss him in the ocean for the fish, but she tries to tell herself to take pity on the fish.

The only thing that ends up happening is that one moment, Saito blinks, and the next moment, Mizuki's used all her energy to close the distance between them. For all the wind that is kicked up in the process, she is somehow gentle, taking the dying cat into her arms. She can feel a wetness at her eyes. Angry tears, perhaps. Total bullshit.

...She stomps on his foot for good measure as she straightens herself, already regretting that she didn't do a LOT worse. ]

Shut up! I told you stop talking like that, now why did you drag me out here?

[1/2]

[parasaito]

[Saito recoils from the assault on his foot with a tch, a wince successfully surfacing through the smug grin as he regains his footing. The fact that he can still put some of his weight onto that foot probably means there aren't any broken bones.]

Still, it's a bitter reminder that she likes to get physical not only when she's expressing affection, but also dissatisfaction.]

[2/2]

[parasaito]

To talk.

[It isn't entirely true. But not entirely a lie, either. At the very least, he didn't call her out here to get an excuse to pay Aldrip's clerics a visit over a broken toe or foot. It was because getting under her skin in person is a lot more rewarding; she can't hide her reactions or ignore him as easily.

He makes a small gesture with a hand at the remainders of his other young feline victims before continuing.]

They weren't the only ones waiting for you.

[usarinpa]

[ It's too late. It's not your fault. There's nothing you can do for them now. Mizuki's hands and her breathing start to appear shaky as she steps back, trying desperately to keep her wits about her and believe what she's saying.

She remains standing. She can't relax around him. ]

About what?

[parasaito]

[Saito releases a long, pensive hum under his breath, feigning hesitation for a short moment.]

Nothing in particular. Just wanted to talk, like we used to during our family bonding times. Remember that time you even fell asleep on my lap? [Cue the sneering snort.] I could have killed you right there. But, much to my own surprise, I managed to hold back somehow.

[Maybe part of him misses having someone around to bicker with — the closest thing he can ever have that resembles a normal relationship. Or maybe he misses getting under her skin and making her life utterly miserable.

Who knows.]

[usarinpa]

[ Yeah, he would bring that up, wouldn't he. Mizuki can feel her skin crawling, and she feels like she needs several showers. Even thinking about doing that with the real Date. She doesn't explode like he probably wants, but he will see her fingers tense as they slowly clench into fists and then release.

He wants to talk. Just let him talk. ]

Congratulations. [ Flattest tone she can manage. ] Want a gold star?

[parasaito]

You're the one who deserves a gold star, really.

[Needless to say, he doesn't mean it literally. Or in any serious sense, at all.]

Back when you choked me unconscious... why didn't you take the opportunity to avenge your parents, and kill me? According to your parchment, you're already a mass murderer anyway, so what is just one more life taken to you?

[He'll even gesture towards the cat in her arms for added effect.

Considering how she was averse to taking a life with her how hands, whether be it the preys they hunted for money, or even him; it's likely the crime she's accused of is bullshit. He knows that, but he also knows bringing up the subject of her crime is an effective way to keep getting a raise out of her.]

[usarinpa]

[ ...Why didn't she, indeed? Mizuki is loathe to admit that it's actually a pretty good question. She remembers wanting to. She remembers thinking how she is better than that, better than him, but what does it matter when the people she's upholding those values for are all stuck back home with a fate that's up in the air?

Something something Schrodinger's cat. Ota would probably know all about it. Fucking nerd. ]

I don't actually enjoy killing like some people. Besides, you shouldn't believe everything you read.

[ Mizuki lingers for a moment before moving suddenly without warning to a grassy area off the path. She kneels down grabs handful of grass, hesitating for a moment, but then...starts violently digging a grave, taking out all of her anger. With the dead cat still in her hand, she does this one-handed like it's nothing at all. ]

[parasaito]

[Saito follows her, observing her actions with a hint of curiosity. Why does she care about some stray cat's life — what about it makes it worth mourning for? Did she form an attachment to it out of a misplaced sense of guilt or what?]

Well, I'm sure you would put your superhuman strength to much better use if you had a brain like mine. You wouldn't be bothering with giving that cat a proper grave, either. Speaking of which...

[He gives a nod at the direction of the maimed little ones back in the alley before continuing.]

The others might hold a grudge and haunt you if you don't give them the same treatment.

[usarinpa]

[ Don't think I won't, Mizuki snarls, though it ultimately goes unsaid. Were she in better spirits, she would probably think about how there are worse fates than being haunted by a few cute ghost-cats.

He's tainted that now. She largely focuses on the physical, digging, to try to keep giving him the reaction he wants. ]

Oh, we know all about your brain. Doesn't give you an excuse. [ Doesn't make his actions any less abhorrent or illegal, either. ]

b-set tweets my beloved

[parasaito]

Heh. Of course you'd say that. You have no idea what it feels like—

[While she's busy with her hands, he takes the opportunity to invade her personal space (the one method with the highest likelihood of successfully getting her attention — he noticed). Catching the sides of her head between his hands, he tilts her head upwards, to make her look away from her tedious task and back at him.]

To have your own mind poison you.

[Rude. She should at least look at people when they're talking!]

[usarinpa]

[ Mizuki straightens nervously, her wrist visibly twitching from the effort she exudes not to just deck him. The grave is forgotten as she listens, because for all that she hates that voice now, it is also smooth. She can see how he can use it to manipulate people so easily, even without the benefit of another body at his disposal.

After reflecting on that for some seconds, she clicks her tongue, lifting her arm with annoyance to brush his hand away, more gently than he deserves. ]

Fine. I don't. [ What'd they call it? 'Oxytocin' or something? ] Are you about to tell me?

[1/2]

[parasaito]

Tell you?

[He coos, echoing her word choice mockingly.]

I created a whole spectacle for you, and you still don't get it? Even after claiming you know all about my brain? Some investigator you were, if you can't even figure this out. Even Date could do better than that.

[2/2]

[parasaito]

[The hand she just tried to brush away is stubbornly back, encircling her slim neck loosely with the help of his other hand; as Saito crouches down closer to her height.]

I was born with a brain disorder, in which my damaged pituitary gland doesn't secrete oxytocin properly. To put it in simple words even you can understand, I can't experience things like love and intimacy the same way most people do. On the flip side, my brain rewards me with large amounts of dopamine and endorphins when I take a life.

[There's not a single shadow of dissatisfaction or regret in his tone during the explanation, as though he's talking about something trivial, such as the weather. In fact, there's even a short laugh from him before he sums up the explanation in even fewer words.]

In case you can't connect the dots even now, I'll spell it out for you. I only feel "happiness" when I'm killing something.

[usarinpa]

[ What a pretty little speech. She always knew he liked hearing himself talk. She won't interrupt, but he'll be able to see her knuckles tighten through out, shaking like they ache to pummel him. She doesn't take insults easily, but for now, she'll break away from his gaze.

...She thinks about just ignoring him and going back to giving these kittens what they deserve, but she finds herself drawn to his gaze once more in a glare. ]

Just because I know all that doesn't mean I know what it feels like! To have your own mind betray you... You call it poison, so obviously you know how messed up it is.

Why not do something about it? What about an antidote?

[parasaito]

[That combination of glare and shaking fists would likely make the knees of those who know of her physical prowess tremble in fear. Still, Saito remains unfazed, even in the face of her threatening aura.]

Think about it this way: would you bother going out of your way to stop something you enjoy with every fiber of your being just because it's considered messed up?

[The pair of hands linger around her neck, more mockingly than threateningly.]

There was no antidote, as far as I knew. No Aiba to supply me with oxytocin and provide temporary relief to dissuade me from giving in to the violent urges. Date was really lucky to have such a reliable partner and caring people around him during the time he was in my body.

[Such is the sardonic conclusion he arrives at; the byproduct of months of piecing information he gained from this very girl, together with fragments of memories that were left in his brain by its previous habitant.]

[usarinpa]

[ Yeah? she wants to answer, with every fiber of her being. Because I am not messed up? Because— Because I know how to care about people?

But the same way she can't fathom enjoying such a thing, maybe he also can't fathom it. But she also thinks he is just a selfish prick. He goes on before she can settle on a witty enough answer that she's happy with. ]

There was no cure for cancer either. That's what they told Iris. [ Now look at her. Though he wouldn't know that, would he? ] You could've at least tried. It's not like you didn't have your dad's money to throw around.

[parasaito]

[As far as Saito's concerned, his dear half sister is dead. That being the first thought to cross his mind, he opens his mouth to make a likewise sassy remark matching hers... Until the mention of his dad's wealth, that is.

There's a mirthless snicker, as though implying there's something fundamentally wrong or missing in Mizuki's argument.]

Ah, yes. I did have my dad's money to throw around, as you put it. But then again, I never saw any problems with killing, not even after I took Manaka's life. My dad probably didn't either, since he only used his money to cover up my crimes to protect his own image. Maybe he did see some value in keeping me around, when I came up with a plan to make us even richer... but saw the perfect opportunity to get rid of me when I went missing after becoming a parasite in Rohan's body.

[A large line of teeth flashes between his lips. As though to further test the extent of her patience, his grip tightens ever so slightly as he finishes his monologue response with the question:]

You know very well how it feels to be discarded by your own mom and dad, don't you?

1/2

[usarinpa]

[ The fact that he never saw the problem happens to be a huge part of the problem. Not that she expects the child of So fucking Sejima to understand. She wants to call him out on this, but when he gets to monologuing, he really gets to monologuing. Her fist tightens.

Is he saying what she thinks he's saying? That they're actually similar?

No matter how ridiculous that seems on the surface, she hates that she can see it. Even more here, on Expiation, where she is alone, rather than their home world. ]

That's not going to work on me again. I am nothing like you! But...

[usarinpa]

[ Mizuki stops abruptly. In another timeline, perhaps, things are different, and he isn't such a murderous asshole. And Mizuki... Mizuki is normal girl, without her traumatic childhood that gave her powers. With a mom and dad who loved her and took her to Bloom Park, like it should've been.

There's a pause, and her voice softens when she continues. ]

You know, we could've been friends.

[parasaito]

[At first, Saito merely blinks in disbelief. Is this brat serious? From the pause and fluctuation of her voice, he deducts that, yes, she is being very serious about the idea. Whether it's the change of subject or the fact she remains impassive in the face of his attempts to rile her up, his hands drop from her neck.]

Technically, we were friends. In the parallel world I came from.

[There's a condescending stress on the expression. She was (is?) one of Iris' best friends, so she likely knows of the theory that lived rent-free in his half-sister's mind.]

During the short time I was a parasite in Iris' body.

[She's free to infer what that last part means... or not.]

[usarinpa]

[ The release of the hold on her neck gives her more relief than she'd care to admit, though she reminds herself he could overpower him easily. She takes a few easy breaths ruminating on his words as she falls back on her heels a little, eventually making herself comfortable in the dirt.

Parallel worlds. ]

I meant actually friends, where you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not.

And... just what is that supposed to mean, anyway?

[parasaito]

[Telling someone to stop pretending to be someone they're not is one of those things in life that is a lot easier said than done. How many people would accept or try to help, let alone want to befriend, a sociopath addicted to taking lives? It's more trouble than it's worth.

Easier to just erase or ban monsters like him from society entirely.]

That's a funny definition of friend. Is that why you snapped when you saw my name on Date's parchment?

[He didn't even do anything too outrageous (by his standards) during the time he was impersonating the other man, to receive that kind of reaction!]

What do you mean, it means exactly what I said, word by word. From your reaction, I take it you never saw it happening? Ah, then again, you did complain about the Sagans accepting Date's decision to wear a mask of my face... [Pfft.] To you, Iris and Hitomi are still alive, aren't they. Iris' "personality" didn't die in your dad's body, and Hitomi's body never blew up. Interesting turn of events.

[usarinpa]

[ Of-fucking-course that was why!! He knows that's why!! But fine, he wants it to be a rhetorical question, so she'll begrudgingly let him speak uninterrupted. She's basically waiting for him to start making sense, but when she closes her eyes, all she can remember is him, and her metal pipe, wailing on him over and over and over and over.

Intrusive thoughts. Wishful thinking... call it whatever.

Iris...?

Hitomi, blown up?

Mizuki shakes her head. ]

Of course... Of course they're alive! In the only world I know, the only one who blew up is you. You should've never been brought here...

Your sentencing is done. You don't deserve another chance.