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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 10:36:37 GMT -5
K1 sat down at a chair, and looked around the room. This place didn't seem much like Naoya at all.
As it was, he couldn't decide whether to trust Naoya or Yuugi, though he was leaning toward Naoya, if only because he'd known him longer.
As it was, there was something that kept nagging at him.
"Hey, Naoya... how did your parents die?"
It was a question K1 had asked before. However he wanted to confirm something.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 10:43:13 GMT -5
Naoya replied without turning to Keiichi, but if the blue-haired teen caught a look at his face it would be as unreadable as always, "You know that. An error of the streetlights in Tokyo caused a pileup when they were on a trip. They were caught in it."
He kept his usual tone of voice, the same he always used, even when talking about his parents. Even as a kid he hadn't seemed to fazed by the events. The adults around him had passed it off as shock, and then later awed at how well the then teen had handled it. Despite his face being unreadable, he was wondering why Keiichi was asking the question.
It wasn't exactly common for the streetlights to glitch, but it wasn't completely out of the question, and it hadn't been the only malfunction that day. The best authorities had been able to figure was some wire had briefly lost a connection somewhere. It had been stormy, after all.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 10:49:13 GMT -5
K1 stared at the computer. "Oh... okay then. Just wondering."
As it was, K1 was wondering how long Naoya had been programming too. It was probably for a rather long time, since Naoya was Cain...
"Naoya, do you have anything to eat here?" K1 asked. Naoya had to at least have instant ramen; he did live by himself, after all.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 10:55:28 GMT -5
Naoya nodded and pointed towards a room with no door, "In the kitchen. I haven't had time to do much shopping, but I've got a few quick things" he smirked, "Do try to not burn yourself."
The man had fallen back into his usual method of harassing Keiichi. It would likely put the teen at a bit more ease than before, "If you're that exhausted, the bedroom's through that closed door."
He had gotten to his computer desk, but didn't sit down. The speed at which his fingers flew over the computer was almost blinding. Naoya could type at over 110 words per minute without errors. Even if Keiichi could have kept track of what was appearing on the screen, it was such a jumble of code that even Atsuro couldn't have quite followed it.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 11:00:29 GMT -5
K1 smiled and opened up a cabinet before pulling out some beef flavored instant ramen. "It's instant ramen. How can I burn myself?"
After a few minutes, his ramen was finished, and K1 sat down at the table to go ahead and eat. He glanced over a Naoya. Once again, he was writing some code. K1 sighed. He never could tell what he was doing.
But, there were more important matters. Like ramen. And then sleep.
But mostly the ramen.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 11:07:27 GMT -5
Yuugi handed the paperwork back to the manager who then spouted off the cost of deposit and the first month's rent. Minato had been right, the rates were pretty reasonable. Yuugi took a few minutes of running English numbers through his head before putting the money on the counter. At this rate he was going to be more used to the American dollar than yen.
"Here's the key. Apartment 3B, we just had someone move out of there. Don't worry, the place has been cleaned and is furnished."
Yuugi hadn't planned on worrying, but nodded to the man and left the room. He was grateful the place was furnished, he hadn't even thought about asking about that. He paused for a moment outside next to a payphone. He flipped through the phonebook and dialed a number. He needed to eat, and going out would take too much time.
-----
Naoya had sat down by this time, but his fingers stopped dancing across the keys and the computer went back into hibernation. He turned to Keiichi, allowing the chair to roll so his whole body could face the teen.
"You're more tired than usual, especially considering the events of the lockdown," he noted. It wasn't a direct question. He'd leave it up to his cousin if he wanted to volunteer the information. He knew it revealed there were things he didn't know. He did that on rare occasions around Keiichi. He'd seen it put the teen at ease before, almost as if revealing that he was indeed human helped.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 11:14:26 GMT -5
K1 yawned. "I didn't get much sleep last night... and a lot of crazy stuff happened this morning." He slurped up some noodles. After gulping them down, he turned to Naoya. "I met a couple guys from universes similar to ours, though. Apparently the demons of our world are these things called Personas in their world."
He wondered if it was okay to tell Naoya all of this before brushing the thought away. Of course it was okay to tell him.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 11:20:34 GMT -5
Naoya was more than aware Keiichi was fudging the facts, but he let it rest. He nodded, shifting his expression just enough that Keiichi would pick up on him knowing something wasn't being said. It was rather quick, and he turned back to his computer. Before Keiichi could really react to the nonverbal communication, he spoke again, "Don't make a mess," before seeming to be reabsorbed the program on the computer. He didn't intend on talking more, which was one of the few expressions he always let his cousin see.
-----
Yuugi opened the door to his new apartment, and there was a chance Keiichi heard it. Naoya did, but showed no indication of the fact. Somehow Yuugi had managed to get an apartment right next to Naoya's. The people on the phone had said the food would take half an hour. Yuugi closed the apartment door and sat down on the couch. It was actually in pretty good condition. He'd heard horror stories about prefurnished apartments. He yawned.
"Do you want me to take over? You seem pretty tired,"
"I'll be fine..." Yuugi forced through another yawn. He pulled out the card he'd gotten from the TV World and looked at the picture on it, "Hey, the other me... doesn't he look like your Persona?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 11:57:42 GMT -5
K1 was about to respond when he heard the door next door open. Though it was hard to hear over the typing, he could hear Yuugi talking a little bit. The walls in these apartments were paper thin, it seemed.
I wonder what Yuugi's doing next door? K1 mused, before finishing his ramen. He sat up and yawned. "I'm going to go sleep... 'Night, Naoya."
As he said this, K1 started walking off to the bedroom Naoya had pointed out earlier.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 13:18:51 GMT -5
(OOC: DISCLAIMER - Its a MAJOR wall of text. As in the Great Wall of Text. For those of you who know how I'm handling the split soul aspect of Yuugi and Atem, a lot of it is repetitive. So yeah... I apologize for the giantly explanatory convo here. XD)
Naoya kept typing as Keiichi went into the room, the only indication that he'd heard the teen was a quick glance sideways. Once his cousin closed the door behind him, however, he pulled his charcoal black COMP from a seemingly hidden pocket in his cloak. He knew the teen well enough to know that he was more exhausted than even he realized. He'd probably force himself to look at his COMP before going to bed, but he wouldn't be coming out.
The man flipped open his COMP and entered a few commands. A demon whose body was the same black as his COMP materialized. Naoya pointed to the wall and then to his ears, mouthing his command. The demon, who actually stood a good foot taller than Naoya, floated over to the wall. Naoya knew he couldn't see or hear the Pharaoh in Yuugi's Puzzle, but he had a suspicion demon's could. After hearing Yuugi speak, he knew the walls were thin enoug to allow some information gathering.
He kepts his attention on the door to his bedroom. He'd have time to call the demon known as Nyarlathotep back before Keiichi came out on the odd chance the teen acted differently than usual...
-----
Atem looked down at the card Yuugi was holding. He'd noted that back in the TV World. He turned to his Partner and nodded, "I think it's connected to K1-kun's theory about reincarnation. We haven't had a chance to talk about this, but I think he might be on the right track about things," Atem paused at Yuugi's confused look. He realized he'd have to start at the beginning, "How much do you know about the concept of soul in Ancient Egypt?"
Yuugi shook his head, "Nothing, really. Why?"
"Because I think you are, in a small way, my reincarnation. It explains a lot, such as the Puzzle accepting you and our apperances,"
Yuugi had one of he most confused possible looks, "Um... I'm guessing it was different than it is now then? Because you've said that you sealed part of your soul in the Puzzle... how could it reincarnate if it couldn't go to the afterlife?"
"The key part of that is 'part'. All right, you understand the modern concept of soul in Buddhism, Shinto, and even Chrisitianity, correct? A spirit, a metaphysical essence, correct?"
Yuugi nodded, not sure whre Atem was headed with this.
Atem shook his head, "Most of my people would have laughed at that concept. I never held much stock in the gods despite being considered the mortal incarnation of one myself. Even now, with the Three Phantom Gods, I view them more as powerful spirits than deities in the true sense of the word. But the point is, the 'soul' of Ancient Egypt was actually a very physical presence. There were six main pieces. Do you get where I'm headed?"
Yuugi thought for a moment and then nodded, "So you only sealed some of the pieces into the Puzzle? Wait... is that why you didn't have your memories?"
"Actually, not directly. But yes, I sealed only pieces of it. Basically, the soul has six parts. Three are the most important in regards to the afterlife. Those are the Akh, the Ka, and the Ba," Atem counted the three off on his fingers. Yuugi's eyes widened.
"Aren't those last two related to the monsters in Ancient Egypt? Isn't that how your priests summoned them?"
Atem smiled and nodded, "It's also why Shion was killed when Exodia was destroyed. Exodia was the phsycial manifestation of his Ka. The closest translation would likely be life force. Ba is related to one's personality, but I don't think that's the aspect that connects to the Persona. It however, seems to be the one that most closely compares to the most common concept of soul as it exists today. The other one is likely most comparable to a ghost. It's more of what Shadi was and also the reason he lamented the mummies when they were dug up. It's not really important to the conversation at hand,"
"Moving on, there were three other aspects of the soul. The Ib, which is portrayed in both murals and modern interpertations as the heart that was weighed during the ceremony with Anubis. The Millenium Scale seemed to use it for its trials. The Ren is the name, and is one of the pieces I used to seal myself and Zorc. Its the reason why my name was lost to history. The final is known as the Sheut, and relates rather strongly to the situation at hand. Its translation is shadow."
"Wait, shadow? As in...?"
"Exactly. My people considered the shadow to be as much a part of a person as an arm or a leg. Effigy's were considered to carry a small part of the depicted person's soul. I don't know much about it, but I think aspects of other religion's depict this in their own fashion. But I don't think it alone comprises the Persona."
Yuugi took in a deep breath. He felt like his mind was overloading with information. Atem looked at him with concerned eyes but Yuugi shook his head, "I think it might make more sense if you just continue. How exactly does this connect to me being your reincarnation and our similar Personae?"
Atem nodded, "My point is that some of my soul was allowed to reincarnate. The Ib most importantly, but I think also the Sheut as well. With the similarities in our appearance, it seems to make sense. However, I kept my own Ka and Ba. You gained your own Ren from your grandfather, your Ka was formed merely from being alive, your Ba from your experiences, and even your Akh. In this case its the combined power of your Ka and Ba. However, that means that we're basically split from the same soul,"
"Doesn't that mean we're incomplete?"
The Pharaoh shook his head, "I don't believe so. I think we may have been at the time you solved the Puzzle. But I've regained the lost aspects of my soul thanks to the trial in the Millenium World. And you've gained your own simply from living your life. You see, we have the same Sheut. Or the same "shadow", however, I believe our Persona is more an aspect of our Ba. Our true personalities if you will. Since we grew up differently, we naturally manifest them different. But they have similarities based on coming from the same base. Does that make any sense?"
Yuugi thought for a few moments, and nodded, "Well... kind of. I do think my head hurts now," he glanced at the clock on the wall, "Its 4:30. With the Dark Hour coming up, we should probably get to bed. I hope K1-kun remembers to summon his demons before it begins..."
Atem stood up with Yuugi, "I'm sure he will. The bigger concern is which direction he's leaning towards. He understandably trusts Naoya more, and somehow I think the harder we try to convince him the further in that direction he'll go. We can only trust his soul to make the right choice..."
-----
Nyarlathotep floated away from the wall, but Naoya held up his finger. He wanted to wait a bit before the demon relayed the conversation to him. He had to make sure his cousin was asleep. The conversation had taken almost twenty minutes, but he knew the demon would remember it all for a while longer. Somehow he knew the knowledge would grant him leverage...
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 13:27:00 GMT -5
K1 had listed to parts of the conversation, but sleep overrode his want for information. He was very soon fast asleep, with his COMP next to him and his headphones on the bedside table.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 14:07:24 GMT -5
Naoya looked at the clock on his COMP and glanced towards his bedroom. Keiichi was sure to be asleep by now. He gestured towards Nyarlathotep, "I want it word for word."
It took less time for the conversation to be relayed to Naoya than it had for Atem and Yuugi to share it. It was the lack of pauses. Naoya was annoyed at the mention of the Dark Hour, and once Nyarlathotep was finished brought the demon back to his COMP. It was pretty obvious it was the piece of information Keiichi had left out when he mentioned why he was tired. Naoya, however, had his own theory and began typing at his computer.
-----
At 11:00 PM, Yuugi's COMP went off. He jerked up, practically flailing before realizing why the COMP was set for this hour. He yawned and glanced at the Puzzle on the headstand.
"The other me, I'll be back in about fifteen," Yuugi said.
"All right. I don't think we run much risk of anyone breaking in. I assume you're taking a shower?"
Yuugi nodded as he walked off. He was actually done a few minutes before he said he would be, and he made a point of switching outfits before returning to the room. He tossed the ones he'd been wearing that day into a corner of the bathroom, hanging his jacket and shirt on the door. He'd have to sew those before washing them so the holes woldn't get larger. As it was now, he had on a navy sleeveless shirt, the light grey vest, and he'd been forced to rewear the jeans.
The first thing he grabbed as he walked into the bedroom was the Puzzle. His hair was still a bit damp, so he carefully reached for the Duel Monsters cards before pausing and grabbing the Arcana card that held his Persona. He looked at it for a moment, "I don't even know your name, do I?"
His eyes widened as a voice entered his head. Right, if the shadow could talk it only made sense his Persona could. Apparently its name was Nefertum. he pocketed it in his upper right vest pocket before grabbing his deck and putting it in his upper left. The cards wouldn't be useful during the Dark Hour, but he wasn't about to leave them there.
"What do you plan on doing, Partner?"
"I'm going to wait out in the hall. I can't really bust in on K1-kun with it being Naoya's apartment, but I want to be nearby."
Atem nodded as Yuugi pushed open the front door.
-----
Yuugi had barely missed Naoya leaving the apartment. As it was he was standing on the stairs between the 2nd and 3rd floors of the complex. He had left a note for Keiichi describing that something had come up. He'd done some research after Nyarlathotep had relayed the conversation to him. It seemed logical, especially after hearing Yuugi's COMP go off, that the Dark Hour was somehow connected to the "Witching Hour" of many superstitions. Which meant it occured at midnight. Standing/floating next to Naoya were the multi-headed Cobra demon Ananta and Nyarlathotep from before.
He was actually rather pleased Yuugi had chosen to mention that the demons had to be summoned before the Dark Hour. While he wanted Keiichi to take the Throne of Bel, he still despised being behind his "brother" in terms of abilities. His seeming support for Keiichi's ability with the Cathedral of Shadows was more because he needed it to get powerful demons for the War. He scowled rather deeply as the memories of his first life flitted across his mind. It had been rage at Abel's ability to please God's desire for blood sacrifices where he could not that had resulted in his younger brother's death. He looked down at the COMP. There was still a while to wait, it seemed...
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 14:18:43 GMT -5
About 11:00, a rather loud and obnoxious alarm went off on K1's COMP. He groggily sat up and looked at the COMP. That's right, he'd set the alarm before he went to bed. He let out a final yawn before pulling his sweater and headphones back on and climbing out of bed. There was the sound of a shower from next door... sounded like Yuugi was taking one.
As K1 walked out into the main room of the apartment, he noted the absense of the sound of typing. Naoya wasn't there. Attached to the screen of his computer was a note, which K1 ripped off.
"'Something's come up?'" K1 read off of the paper. "Wonder what..."
He still had some time before the Dark Hour. Now would be a good time to have another cup of ramen.
----------------
A few minutes later, K1 walked outside. He noticed Yuugi waiting outside, and glanced at the teen's hair. ...It's wet and it's still standing up straight?
However, the fact that Yuugi seemed to have been waiting for him was a bit of a strange occurance.
"Hey," K1 said. "Did you see Naoya pass by here?"
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 22, 2009 14:23:46 GMT -5
Yuugi looked towards K1 and saw the note in his hand, quickly putting the situation together. He was actually a bit surprised at his ability to do so, usually only his other self was able to piece things together like that. He shook his head before responding.
"No," he paused, "But I'm sure he'll be okay. I don't think the shadows can attack people turned to coffins."
He'd decided after waking up that he just needed to support K1's relationship with Naoya. He didn't agree with it, but his doubts earlier had seemed to cause issues. And with his other self pointing out that Naoya seemed to be aware of this and attempting a kind of tug of war over K1...
-----
Naoya came out of his scowl when he heard the voices of the two teens in the hall. He didn't want to be seen just yet. He headed down the stairs, his demons following directly behind him. He'd always been good at only being seen when it suited him, his many appearances during the lockdown had proven that.
He glanced at the COMP. Just under 30 minutes left.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 22, 2009 14:31:23 GMT -5
K1 looked a little relieved at this. "That's a good point. He should be alright then."
He sighed. "What are we going to do during the Dark Hour, though? I don't think I can deal with getting attacked every night... I've gotta sleep sometime." He wished that he could just turn into a coffin at night like everyone else. He didn't need the Dark Hour on top of everything else.
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