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Post by mugenginga on Sept 21, 2009 18:30:02 GMT -5
A silver haired man stood to the side of the apartments. The hair was horribly clumpy, but somehow lead to his "air" despite appearing poorly cared for. That air was one of arrogance, but somehow it seemed like the man deserved it. He also somehow managed to not stand out, despite the cloak that many have described as epic.
He'd actually arrived on the island early that morning. It hadn't taken long to get access to the information network of this "Dimension Island". It seemed he wasn't the only one that used it for this purpose. He'd quickly found information about his cousin and most of the teen's activities. It was through this that he'd learned of the encounter with Belphegor.
He stood up and looked to the side merely seconds before the teen known as Keiichi Kimura, or K1 to his friends, came into view. It wasn't out of the question to attribute it to supernatural senses, but the man known as Naoya had simply used his knowledge of his cousin in conjunction with how far he was from the Apartments to predict when he'd arrive.
A short teenager was next to K1, looking rather determined. Naoya grinned. The boy's name was Yuugi Mutou, and he had a Pharaoh sealed in the puzzle around his neck. Considering the history of man in relation to God, it was humorous to the dark minded man that K1 had become friends with one such as that. He confidently walked out of the alley, but made no effort to gesture to the pair. He knew his "brother" would be looking for him rather intensely.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 21, 2009 19:04:41 GMT -5
It had been another awkward walk to the apartments, and as they walked, K1 couldn't help wondering why he and Yuugi could never come to this place on good terms. Both times had been his own fault, though. He couldn't seem to keep his big mouth shut, and it always lead to this.
As he walked to the apartment complex, K1 scanned the area for Naoya, eventually spotting him walking out of an alley. He tensed, and then waved at Naoya. "Hey! Over here, Naoya!" Somewhere inside, he wondered why he was being so friendly to Naoya.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 21, 2009 19:20:29 GMT -5
Naoya grinned and walked towards the pair. It wasn't one of his open-mouthed grins. It was honestly better described as a smirk, really. Yuugi was midly frightened, it reminded him more of the other Bakura than he would have liked. He managed to keep his ground, but Atem noticed the man's smirk widen a bit at Yuugi's reaction. There was definently a level of observance to the man that matched his own... or, he forced himself to admit, surpassed it.
"I am glad to see my suspicions about Belphegor were correct. If he were to kill you as things are now, I am sure those angels would consider the lockdown a failure."
Aside from the small reaction towards Yuugi, he didn't seem to be acknowledging the teen's presence. Naoya was one whose head was nearly impossible to get into, so it was unclear as to why he wasn't doing so. It is assured, however, that as always he was plotting something.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 21, 2009 19:24:57 GMT -5
K1 looked to the side. He'd thought the lockdown was done by now... had the angels extended the deadline? It had been shortened quite a bit because he'd chosen to go with Naoya.
"...I guess the lockdown's not done yet, then..." K1 said. He looked over at Yuugi. "Stop looking so afraid; Naoya's not that scary, is he?"
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 21, 2009 19:33:00 GMT -5
Yuugi jumped as he looked over to K1, realizing he was being directly addressed. Naoya's expression didn't change, but he waited for Yuugi to make his reply.
"I'm fine..." he said. Atem had warned him against saying much more in front of Naoya. The man seemed to be analyzing Yuugi's every action, despite seeming to be focused on K1.
"Barely a moment has passed since you left. This world seems to cause time to fluctuate. This is in our favor, it allows you time to plan rather than rushing into a fight. I'm sure you're wondering why Belphegor here instead of involved in the War." Naoya stated.
Naoya knew he was right, but also knew it would be best to allow Keiichi time to speak now. Atem was regretting agreeing to stay in the Puzzle during this encounter. Yuugi was actually doing a remarkable job of looking confident, but he could tell Naoya was seeing right through him. He wasn't sure even his own poker face could trick the man.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 21, 2009 19:42:27 GMT -5
"Oh..." K1 said, and looked to the side. "...That would explain why Midori's not attacking me on the spot, then." He was having a hard time believing that himself. It was more likely she was just in denial.
He looked up. "Oh, yeah. Tell us about Belphegor."
Somewhere inside K1, there was a little voice telling him that he shouldn't be with Naoya. A little feeling saying this was a bad idea.
Like usual, he ignored it.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 21, 2009 19:52:03 GMT -5
Naoya's expression remained the same, "Apparently, he pissed off the wrong demons and they ganged up on him. I suspect he's been sealed between worlds for a very long time. He is reported to be second only to Babel himself," he smiled, this time showing teeth. Yuugi's eyes widened, the comparison to the other Bakura increasing, "However, he's known for taking his time to plan, even seeming to avoid the War at times. This is something you can use."
You might not say he's a bad person, K1-kun, but this is his surface personality... he's as terrible as Bakura-kun's past life after he lost his village...
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 21, 2009 20:04:41 GMT -5
K1 sighed. "W...Will I get the Throne of Bel if I defeat him, though?" he asked. There was a hint of hesitation in his voice, something that Atem, or possibly Yuugi, could easily pick up on. "Or will I still have to defeat Babel too?"
He was having those nagging doubts again. Normally, he could ignore them, bury them away, since, after all, Naoya was his cousin. Naoya wouldn't do anything to hurt him, not on purpose. They were closer than brothers, after all. Sure, he didn't agree with a lot of what Naoya was planning, but if humanity would finally be safe from any more of those trials, then he could do it. For some reason, though, he couldn't ignore those nagging thoughts. He glanced back at Yuugi.
Was it because Yuugi was there? Atem had gotten on him for listening to Naoya before... and Yuugi had followed along. While it was clear Yuugi was the one in control, it was possible Atem was passing instructions on what to do to Yuugi.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 21, 2009 20:17:19 GMT -5
Yuugi gave him a supportive smile, wrenching his focus away from Naoya to do so. Naoya's expression went back to his usual slight smirk. It had been to his advantage when the girl his "brother" had liked had left him. It had pushed him further into his control. The presence of Yuugi was creating some issues. And as for the Pharaoh... Naoya couldn't claim to know much Yuugiou canon, but he suspected Atem was staying inside to avoid appearing before him. He knew attempts to drive the other presence out would end in failure.
"No," Naoya stated flatly, "But his power is too great to ignore. It is likely Babel would refuse to accept to accept your claim to the Throne if he remained alive. I'm not the only one that learned of his presence here, the other demons have as well."
Atem had indeed notice K1's hesitation, and was worried because of it. If he couldn't go into the situation with his mind fully made up, the darkness would reach for him more easily. Perhaps not in the form of Naoya. In fact, it would likely be in the form of temptation for power. He wasn't sure if K1 was questioning listening to Naoya or the Throne itself. He'd seen Belphegor, and had heard his comments. The demon would eat K1 alive if he wasn't fully clear in his goals.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 21, 2009 20:28:44 GMT -5
K1 stayed silent for a couple moments before responding to Naoya. "Oh, okay. I should probably..." He yawned. "...rest up before I try to go fight Belphegor then." The encounter with Belphegor earlier had left K1 even more tired than before. He had just met Naoya again, though, and didn't want to have to leave him quite yet.
"Oh... there's a dinner bar here, if you're hungry," K1 offered.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 21, 2009 20:39:47 GMT -5
"If you need a place to stay, I have an apartment," Naoya replied, well aware that Keiichi seemed to be hesitating over having to leave.
Yuugi's eyes widened, and he turned to K1, "Oh, right! I need to get an apartment still!"
He showed no signs of moving, however, until K1 did. His other self wasn't sure he wanted to leave K1 alone with Naoya, but he had a feeling saying something like that would cause issues. Even if Naoya wasn't there. And K1 had a point. The Dark Hour occured late at night, and it wouldn't do good for any of the group's members to be tired. As it was, Yuugi was the only one who could summon a Persona without some tool they didn't have.
Which lead right into why Yuugi didn't want to leave until he knew K1's plans for sure. If he was going to be at Naoya's place, Yuugi would need to head there just before midnight. Naoya also appeared to be waiting for a response, although with him it was hard to tell.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 2:24:48 GMT -5
"Huh? Oh, right," K1 said. He turned to Yuugi. "How about you go get an apartment then? I'll be at Naoya's place."
He noticed that Yuugi wasn't moving a step, despite the fact he needed to go get an apartment. For some reason, this cemented his suspicions about Yuugi. K1 didn't voice his suspicions, though. He didn't need Yuugi running off too.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 8:58:49 GMT -5
Yuugi looked up and nodded. K1 seemed to be upset about something. Yuugi wondered if it was something he had done. While he did have a tendency to make problems his fault when they weren't, he was actually partially right this time. He glanced towards Naoya and then back towards K1, "I'll see you later then!"
He smiled towards K1, his nervousness towards the teen's cousin making it seem less sincere than he meant it before walking off. He hoped K1 would feel better soon. He was really worried. It didn't occur to him that his concern would be taken wrong...
Naoya watched Yuugi leave for a moment before turning back to K1 and gesturing towards one of the large complexes, "My apartment is this way. It seems your friend has doubts about the situation, however."
Naoya waited to see how Keiichi would react, but the instant he saw that he'd be turning and heading towards his apartment. He expected K1 to follow him, but his situational awareness would let him know if the teen wasn't. He knew that Yuugi knew the full situation relating to Cain and Abel and that was part of why Yuugi was acting odd. Naoya found it humorous, but didn't change his expression.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 9:39:07 GMT -5
K1 followed after Naoya. "Yeah... can we... not talk about this at the moment? I just kind of want to go eat right now..." K1 seemed more than a bit down over something. He looked to the side again, and found himself, once again, assessing his opinion of his cousin.
Naoya was always there for him. He was smart, he had been programming since he was young... he was also the person who murdered him in the past.
K1 didn't know the whole story about Cain and Abel. He'd never been inclined to read the Bible. All he knew was what others had told him.
But Naoya genuinely seemed like a good person. But now, he wasn't sure anymore...
The two of them walked into the food court as K1 thought to himself. Why had Naoya showed up now. How had he shown up anyways?
Was Naoya why he was here, anyways? It seemed likely... But he couldn't remember much from directly before he got onto the island.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 10:14:43 GMT -5
Naoya didn't respond to the positive or the negative, but he didn't say anything either. He'd hit a sore spot, right now all he could do was let Keiichi sort through it in his head. For the first time since Keiichi had agreed to pursue the Throne of Bel, however, he wasn't sure what the final decision was going to be. He felt that perhaps he was losing some of the grip on the teen he'd fought so hard to obtain... and his expression twitched ever so slightly, but he was turned away from Keiichi and it was unlikely he'd see it.
There was silence as Naoya made his way up the stairs. Rather intentional by Naoya, Keiichi was one to stew over things and make emotional decisions. It caused snap decisions when things got tense, actually. He pulled out a key from his pants pocket and unlocked the door, gesturing for Keiichi to go first.
The apartment was pretty sparsely furnished. The only thing that didn't look like it belonged in the building was a computer off to the side of the living room area. The table was immaculate, as was normal for Naoya, and the computer itself looked to be an older model. Anyone that knew Naoya's programming skills, however, would realize it could likely outperform top of the line systems used by the government. It appeared to be in hibernation mode.
-----
"Partner..."
"What is it, the other me?" Yuugi asked, but he had a feeling he knew what Atem was going to say.
"I don't know if you noticed, but K1-kun is on a narrow edge. At this point he could go either way, but he's trying to decide if he trusts us or his cousin more. I'm pretty sure Naoya senses it as well. If he's as tactically inclined as I think he is, he'll be playing it safe for a while. We have to step carefully as well, or we might lose K1-kun,"
Yuugi sighed as he walked up to the front desk at the Apartment office, "I know..." he muttered.
"You know what?"
Yuugi jerked as the manager who hadn't been there two seconds before addressed him. He shook his head, "Sorry! I was talking to myself! Um, I was wondering if I could get an apartment?"
The manager sighed. What was it with the influx of teens lately? He sighed and pulled out a piece of paper, placing it on a clipboard and handing it and a pen to Yuugi. The only reason he allowed it was he knew the Island made no preference as to age when they yanked people from their worlds. And they needed someplace to stay.
"Fill that out and bring it up when you're done."
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