akira

[preordain]

Comments

[tearduct]

[He puts his arm over his eyes as if that will somehow make Ryo Not See.]

How...?

[preordain]

No idea. It's odd, since so much of the evidence does point to her, and yet...

[ he is so stumped. it's annoying. ]

We must have missed something rather big.

[tearduct]

She said she was there.

[He doesn't understand, and not because he's stumped. He's just dumb. His arm pulls away from his face.]

I don't get it.

[preordain]

We were played. And we probably should have closely examined the kigurumis.

[ ryo of all people knows how easy it is to not look at vital evidence ]

... we'll see. Maybe the others might out whoever it was, if Kon knows who it is.

[tearduct]

[He frowns at the sky, expression partially broken.]

I was so sure... [THE CONFIDENCE.] Did someone have... something like the perfume...? But she had burns...

[preordain]

No, I'm pretty sure that she was actually there. But there was also probably a third person who was actually behind the kill.

[ he looks down at him. ]

Some kind of manipulation? Tuuri was the one who did the blow, possibly, but maybe someone had used an item on her? And that could be why she wasn't guilty, because she might have been considered just a tool instead of the killer.

[tearduct]

[He turns his head a bit to glance at Ryo, still frowning.]

Do you think it was Zel, or someone else...? Who would kill Kon, then blame Tuuri...?

[preordain]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't Zelgadis. I believe him that he cares about her, and it would be stupid to risk getting voted for by pretending to be the concerned boyfriend.

[ ... ]

I do have to think it was on purpose, since it's too well thought out to be an accidental kill. So, someone who doesn't care about either of them?

[tearduct]

[He sighs heavily and looks at the sky again.]

Someone who fit a bigger outfit...?

[preordain]

Probably, yeah.

[ he rubs his temple. ]

I should have just voted for Itto.

[tearduct]

Ryo.

[It's supposed to be scolding, but there's no venom behind it.]

I must have missed something or someone when checking. Unless they didn't have anything.

[preordain]

Akira, we can spend all day trying to figure out what we missed. That's the thing about missing someone-- we don't know what direction we're supposed to look at.

[ he points at himself. ]

I questioned her, and I didn't think to examine the holes in the story more carefully. Because I thought she did it. So, I also missed something. We really can go all day like this.

[tearduct]

[He turns his head a bit in the opposite direction, lips thinning.]

I was just so sure... But we were wrong.

[preordain]

[ ...

he will reach over to place a hand on akira's arm and give it a squeeze. it's very quick and he returns his hand to his own side right after. like two seconds. ]

We'll just have to live with being wrong, Akira.

[tearduct]

[The touch makes him look back at Ryo slowly, look over Ryo's face. He opens his mouth... but shuts it after.

He glances down at his arm, then up at the sky again.]

We stole her chance from her. She won't get it.

[preordain]

We didn't steal anything, Akira. The person who was actually behind it did.

[ and he really doubts that was an accident. ]

But I guess just hearing that won't make you feel any differently about it.

[ apparently, guilt is an emotion that is hard to get rid of. ]

[tearduct]

[Ryo is right, and he knows Ryo is right, but he hates not accepting some of the blame when he voted the way he did. When he's been voting for the people they find all along because he's too worried about voting for someone else.

And this was maybe why, even if they all had assumed.]

I wish I could be like you, Ryo, [he says absently.] I'm tired of feeling everything.

[preordain]

No you don't.

[ he turns his gaze to the horizon. ]

You would hate being like me.

[tearduct]

Maybe I'd be able to understand.

[But this is all he says.]

[preordain]

[ he just shakes his head. ]

I wouldn't want you to be like me.

[tearduct]

[He glances at Ryo without moving his head. He just watches Ryo watch the horizon...]

Why not?

[preordain]

Because then you wouldn't be you, obviously.

[ there is a lot of things about akira that frustrates ryo so very terribly, but. he didn't press that button, all those weeks ago. ryo wouldn't want to ruin him so entirely that there's nothing of akira left. ]

What use is there for there being someone else like me?

[tearduct]

[Well, he didn't push the button for similar reasons. So this much he understands.]

You wouldn't be alone? Maybe... if I'm you, then you could be me.

[Like, hypothetical fantasy here. If they switched.]

[preordain]

Why are you getting the worse deal here...?

[ help.

he goes to stand up. he's not like... leaving, but he does rock on his heels a bit. ]

I don't know. Maybe if that happens, things would be okay.

[tearduct]

Am I...?

[???

He sits up almost out of reflex, but then... that's as far as he goes. He watches Ryo.]

Are you leaving?