Vague Familiarity (Rei no Kaado)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Night had fallen over the world, and a light frost had already set in. Despite the church's proximity to Void City, the sky was completely clear of smog, allowing the stars to shine brightly enough that the entire garden was illuminated. Far from here, the people of this dimension were celebrating New Years. Some had even come to this church to worship and bring in the new year.

For Abel it was just another day. The new year had long lost its significance to Abel, as had all other holidays. As the Messiah, he had attended some celebrations in Tokyo, but the emotions that had once stirred at these celebrations had long fallen silent. It became too hard to ignore the expressions he'd seen on the faces of those he'd once known.

He looked out at the garden he'd walked into. It had a slightly worn, ancient look about it, though it seemed someone had come through recently and trimmed the hedges a bit. He walked up to a large granite statue of an angel and stared up at it. He then pulled a COMP from his pocket and looked down at it. In his own world, these devices were illegal to all outside God's personal chosen. While the Shomonkai had merely altered the devices to allow them to summon demons, even the unaltered ones were confiscated. The risk was too great. Not that it mattered. He controlled Babel, and so long as he controlled Babel no demons could make their way to the human world.

Suddenly, the garden became rather warm, and glowed with an unnatural light. Abel whirled around to see a shield and spear wielding angel descend before him. He watched it with a kind of disinterest. The Power dropped into a bow before Abel.

"I did not summon you," Abel stated. The Power raised its head to look at Abel.

"No..." the Power said. It seemed quite nervous, particularly as it reached into a satchel by its side and pulled out a small device. It held the device out to Abel, who reached his hand out to it, only to immediately draw it back. The moment he'd touched it, he'd felt something like a jolt.

"What is this?!"

"A limiter, Lord Abel." The Power didn't seem to be affected by the device in the least. "After much consideration, our Lord has decided that you require a limiter to keep your demonic powers in check--"

"While my behavior earlier may have been out of line, our Lord was content with giving me a warning. Why would he suddenly change his mind?"

"..."

Abel scowled. He'd suspected it was something like this. "So the Seraphim once again think that they know better than our Lord, do they?" He slapped the Power's hand in order to knock the device away, and there was a sickening crack as the angel's wrist bent back in a way bones were not supposed to move. He'd used a bit too much force there. The angel bit back a scream, but Abel didn't give any indication that he cared. "I suppose you have come to tell me to permanently remove Cain as well, have you? Our lord chose to curse Cain for his own reasons; do you wish to infer that our lord was wrong to do so?"

The Power remained silent for a time. "Be as it may, you are still a demon... M-My Lord."

Abel scowled. "Get out of my face. And tell Michael that if he has any more issues with how I handle my mission, he can take it up with me himself!" The Power stepped away from the demon and disappeared in a flash of light, dropping a few downy feathers to the ground in the place where it had been. Abel turned back toward the angel statue and placed his COMP at the foot of it. He sighed.

"...Of course I'm the only one who still gives you a second chance, onii-san."

[mugenginga]

Seth had slipped out of the Shrine as the sun had begun to set, although the festivities were sure to continue well past midnight. The toshikoshisoba was set to be eaten at midnight, and stalls for distributing it had already begun to be set up when Seth left. Over half of the crowd had left once the Duel Monsters stalls had sold out - most of the people there hadn't been there for any reasons relating to Shinto, after all.

The Prince of Bel didn't know if Abel and Cain had remained, and it didn't matter. He didn't have to return home that night, and in a way it was a comfort. Or had been earlier... at least he could predict what Abel would have likely done in reaction to his earlier "transgressions".

Seth had wandered aimlessly for a while, occasionally checking his COMP to see if Cain had set one up. He'd stopped checking after he lost count how many times he'd done so. He'd mentioned before he had access to contracts without the COMP, and it didn't seem Abel had thought to bring it up - or pressed it, at least. He'd caught the tall building that was the church in his wanderings, and had paused staring at it until he realized people were staring at him for standing there. He'd pulled up the collar of his shirt in a self-conscious motion and hurried on, towards the Church. It was where he'd appeared, after all... and where else would the Messiah have to go on this Island?

He'd stopped in the courtyard outside the church, and gave a casual seeming glance behind himself to see if anyone was coming or going before allowing himself to pause again and look up at the building, towards where the bell had once been housed at the top. It was in a a state of slight disrepair - no different than when he'd arrived on the Island what felt like a life time ago. In a way, it was... he shook his head and lowered it, walk towards the front doors.

But he stopped in front of them, not going in. His hand was halfway lifted towards the door, and frozen there. He frowned at himself. It wasn't fear, but he couldn't call it respect either. He'd lost the latter at the hands of Belphegor. He curled his hand into a fist and rapped four times on the outside. If the one Cain referred to as "Messiah" was there, he'd hear.

Seth pulled back his arm and took a step back, his lips straight and tight in a serious expression. He closed his eyes and replayed the orders through his head for a moment, and let memories flash across his mind. By the time anyone answered the door, Seth wouldn't look the confident years beyond his age that was his norm since Cain's death. He'd look a little frightened, a little worried, and about as confident as he'd been in the time between Belphegor's torture and his murder of his eldest brother.

Cain never gave him enough credit for his memories.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

A few loud knocks at the church doors shook Abel out of his thoughts. He swiftly pocketed the COMP and briskly walked toward the doors. He stopped just before opening the door. Who would knock at the doors to a church? It didn't seem like the kind of thing one would typically do. After all, the buildings were open to everyone. After a moment more's hesitation, he pushed the doors open, and found himself facing a mirror.

They weren't exact copies of the other; there were too many little differences to call this person that, but the similarities were far too many at the same time. He stood there in a state of shock for a few moments before reaching for his blade. He had halfway unsheathed it before deciding against killing him. No, he still had too many questions.

"...Who are you?" That was the biggest question. He'd asked his Lord, and all he'd gotten was a general answer he could apply to anyone in that other Abel's group. It didn't answer who this third duplicate was. The worst part was, it didn't feel like a demon. He couldn't pass it off as being some kind of demon taking the other Abel's form. And again, too many small differences.

[mugenginga]

Seth took a startled step backwards as the doors pushed open, almost tripping over his other leg and stumbling backwards down the steps leading up to the doors. His eyes widened in what appeared to be worried panicked as Abel put his hand on his sword, and this time Seth's attempt at fleeing did cause him to trip over his back leg. Not enough to fall, but enough that the stumble pulled him to the bottom of the steps. His arms were out and at the steps due to him catching himself before a total fall, and he gave a hard swallow as Abel asked his question. His pulse had increased to accompany his outward display of panicked fear.

"I-I just want to talk!" Seth stuttered out, his eyes flicking over to Abel's sword in worry. He quickly glanced behind himself. No one coming or going. He jerked his head back toward's Abel.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

If anything was able to throw Abel off-guard, it was the absolutely panicked reaction Seth had. A demon wouldn't react like that... so he was a normal human? It almost seemed like too perfect of a panicked reaction... He still didn't know who this man was. He was human, looked like him, and worked with the King of Bel. That was all he knew.

"To talk?" Abel asked. He resisted the urge to try to help the human up. He still didn't know the full situation. Particularly in a case like this. There was another possible solution, of course. This man was yet another him, from a universe where he didn't become King of Bel. But that felt unlikely. Why would he join the King of Bel in this case?

"You work for the King of Bel. We're on opposite sides. To come to just talk...?"

[mugenginga]

Seth swallowed again and nodded as Abel asked his initial question. He kept his eyes on the Messiah, but away from his eyes, and slowly pushed himself up, brushing a bit of chipped gravel of himself. The stairs were in as much disrepair as the church. He looked startled as Abel presented a mostly neutral challenge to his words, and grimaced. He looked away and pulled at the top of his shirt. The action would likely draw Abel's attention to the scarring that rose up from under it, as well as the cross shaped scars upon his hands and the ones reaching out from under the edge of his sleeves. He'd done it on purpose. He wanted Abel to see them.

"Not by choice..." he said. Internally he was wondering how smooth this was going, but only for a moment. If the man before him was his brother from another reality... he didn't try to hold back the shudder at Abel's... his Abel's initial reactions in regards to protecting him. The shudder would only serve to aid his facade. He moved his eyes to the other side, pausing for a moment as if he intended to look at Abel, but suddenly deciding otherwise, "I'm taking a risk just being here..."

He shook his head, closing his eyes tight and clenching his fists. He shouted as if he was having to use every bit of willpower to get the words out, "If you don't want to talk, just say so! The longer I'm gone the more likely he'll know I'm missing!"

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel narrowed his eyes at the sight of the scars. Though he'd only been able to get a small glimpse of them, he'd been able to see enough. Those weren't battle scars. They were too numerous, too deliberate. And those cross shaped scars on his hands... Abel had the very distinct feeling this person had been tortured.

He clenched his fists in anger. Seth's words together with those scars... together they gave Abel a strong feeling that the King of Bel had tortured this man until he would join the court. walked down the stairs so that he was standing on the same level as Seth. Even their heights were identical. Despite the nagging feeling in the back of his head, he continued to speak with Seth.

"Then why come here? What do you want from me?" Abel asked.

[mugenginga]

Seth tensed up as Abel came down the steps towards him. Slow for a demon, fast for a human. He wondered to himself for a moment if this Abel had forgotten how to move as a human. It had come up when got locked in the other man's gaze for a moment. Those eyes - they reminded him more of Cain than the King of Bel. An aged calm that Abel didn't often sport, but they seemed the usual for him.

He realized he'd been standing there staring the other man in the eyes for more than a few seconds and quickly turned his eyes away. Maybe they didn't match the King he knew, but they were close enough to send a chill down his spine over maintaining that kind of contact. He loosened his fists and and his frown deepened. Now it was almost sad.

"You really... don't know me?" Seth slowly lifted his head, staring fixedly at Abel's upper chest to avoid returning eye contact, "Maybe I shouldn't have come..."

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel noted the way the man tensed when he walked down the stairs. A common reaction for humans to have, but not one he expected from someone who was in a demon's army... Was he a recent recruit? He didn't seem quite numb to the horrors of battle yet. Really, the only thing that told him otherwise was the look of age in the man's eyes.

The man finally broke eye contact, and it was only then that Abel realized they'd been holding eye contact for so long. There was a kind of deference to the man's actions, but at the same a kind of sadness.

"I'm sorry. If you existed in my dimension, then we never met," Abel said, attempting to give a neutral response. He repeated his first question. "Who are you?"

[mugenginga]

Seth paused for a moment at the question, quickly retracing where he'd expected the conversation to go and adjusting for the difference. He'd thought this Abel would at the very least tell him not to. It wasn't identical to reading his King, there was a distinct lack of direct malice that Seth was fairly certain he hadn't met... ever? Certainly not since his twin had ascended the throne.

His twin. Focus. He lifted his head and let himself look in Abel's eyes again, looking contemplative and uncertain. As if he was trying to read him and coming up empty. He pened his mouth once, closed it, looked away, and then returned his gaze, holding up his spread hand to his chest.

"Kimura Keiji," Seth replied. He paused after speaking, almost wincing and with a slight grimace. It was clear he was trying to read Abel for a reaction and was ready to flee if it came to it.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

"Kimura Keiji."

Abel's eyes widened, and he took an instinctive step back. It couldn't be what he was thinking. Kimura was an incredibly common name. Maybe he was just someone who shared that name with him. But his first name, that was... way too similar to his own. Keiichi. Keiji. One and two.

Their human appearances were nearly identical, too. The only difference was in the headphones and scars. Again he thought of how those had to have been inflicted.

How was this even...?

"How cruel..."

He seemed rather shocked.

[mugenginga]

Seth mirrored Abel's action, a quick step back as if unsure about the coming reaction. And unlike most of his actions in the past few moments, it was at least partly genuine. It unsettled him that he couldn't predict this Abel's actions, although he was already beginning to form assumptions. He could take more risks here if the need arose.

Seth swallowed and regained his outward composure. Instead of stepping forward to regain his former footing, he pulled his forward leg back. He grimaced at Abel's comment, and looked down at the left hand, his eyes trailing down to his wrist. The scars were lighter there, it wasn't like his back which might as well have been hills and valleys, but the action was about drawing Abel's hands to his scars again, not truly examining them like he'd done dozens of nights before.

"I thought... I thought you'd know... You're the Messiah, I just..." Seth said in a low voice. He looked backwards over his shoulders into the darkness, "He's going to notice I"m missing..." He shook his head, "I should go. I wasted your time."

He'd have to stop him now, especially as he took a step backwards and away from the Church. If he didn't stop him now he'd misjudged the similarity between this Abel and his own. He'd have to figure out a time to get on the COMP to deliver that message. It didn't look like he'd be leaving this Abel anytime soon... unless he'd misjudged. Was his age preventing him from the overproctive tendencies his King had shown? Even as he looked behind him Seth tried to figure out where to go with this if Abel didn't try to stop him.

He'd been supposed to do more then simply blow the man's mind, after all, and while he'd exaggerated his King's tendencies in his misdirection, he hadn't outright lied about them. He wasn't going back this empty handed.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel's eyes moved in accordance with Seth's own, looking down at the scars on Seth's hands. He moved from there to the scars on Seth's wrists, which Seth had meant to draw his attention toward in the first place.

His eyes widened as he realized Seth was trying to leave. He couldn't just let him leave now, not after he'd dropped that bombshell on him. He rushed forward and grabbed Seth by the wrist.

"Wait! I... who are you?! Are you my brother?" He decided to ask the question pertaining to the most prominent thought on his mind. He looked away guiltily. "I mean... such worldly connections aren't proper for a Messiah, but..."

He wanted to know who Keiji was. Everything about him. Why he'd joined the King of Bel, and how much he'd been tortured for it. Most importantly, why he'd never learned about him.

[mugenginga]

Seth turned to go after his last comment. His thoughts had been going somewhere, considering the angle he could continue this from, when he heard Abel move. He had about enough time to get out about half a thought about finally before his wrist was clenched and he was yanked forward. His eyes widened in surprised pain at both the speed (which he should have expected) and the pain (which he certainly had not).

Some of the blood left Seth's face and his mouth opened in a surprised expression of pain as Abel rambled on. He grimaced, hissing under his breath in an attempt to divert his attention from the pain of a wrist he was pretty sure was now broken as Abel spoke. As he trailed off he took his free wrist and lifted it up, hesitating for only a moment before puttig it on Abel's hand.

"My wrist..." Seth said, pushing the pained sound in his voice and looking at Abel with a mix of fear, worry, and pain. He tried to pull it back and allowed himself to gasp at the expected pain.

Abel had definitely broken it with his grip. He didn't know enough about anatomy to know how badly, to know that Abel had forced the two main bones together. He didn't think he'd be using his wrist at all until hit healed... was there a way to continue hiding his accelerated rate? At least it wasn't a sword in the gut, he thought drly, his expression and pulse not changing.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel drew his hand back in a kind of shock, and looked from his hand to Seth's injured wrist. He'd done it again, hadn't he? He couldn't remember doing anything like this since he was very young. That was very definitely broken, judging by how stiff the wrist was and Seth's obviously pained expression.

A white colored glow appeared around Abel's hand, and he held it out toward Seth's wrist. The Diarahan spell began to pull the bones apart, repairing the torn muscle and joints. Abel rather disliked healing wrists, honestly. Too many bones in those areas.

"I fixed it," Abel said simply. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to be so rough."