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[shoals]

This is a post for voice testing things. Everything will be terrible, don't look, senpai.

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Intermission: The Corrupted Gang Leader

[ballpoint]

[ This is the third time that the police have been called, during one of the "outings" of Blue Square. It's obvious, really, that they would be called when a group of boys is always seen around the area that gunshots often go off. It's annoying, though, that they don't understand. There's a reason that the injured people that are found at the scene are people who have generally been... less favourable, in society.

This is the first time that the chase has been so close. They haven't been caught, yet - Of course they haven't, because if they'd been caught there wouldn't be a this time - But this third time was extremely, extremely close. They've ducked into an alley, somewhere - A tiny wedge between two buildings that he's not quite sure he remembers what they house. ]

D- Did we lose them...?

Re: Intermission: The Corrupted Gang Leader

[shoals]

[Aoba's leaning against the wall, catching his breath and checking his phone for texts from other Blue Square members. They scattered, when the police came, everyone running in different directions. The only smart way, after all. He drags the scarf down from his face, sweating a little after the run and the close call.]

I think so. Ah, looks like everyone else made it too. Do you want to keep low for a little longer?

[ballpoint]

[ He's gotten better at aestheticism, with how often they're making getaways from... something or other. He's not quite as slow, as useless when it comes to anything physical... but, he's still Mikado, so he's still leaning on the adjacent wall and gasping for breath. ]

...That sounds like the the best plan, for now. That time was too close...

[shoals]

[It's because you're really going overboard. Is what Aoba doesn't say. He glances out from the alleyway to the street, keeping an eye out even while he's preoccupied with the person next to him. Honestly he wasn't sure how far Mikado would take things, even he's surprised by the lengths Mikado is going here, for the gang cleansing, for his own satisfaction.]

[Aoba can't tell himself how much further Mikado's willing to go, and the thought makes him both nervous and interested. In the game of getting the upper hand, he has the advantage of time, but Mikado isn't someone he can take lightly, like he used to believe. No, if Aoba himself is a monster, than Mikado might qualify as a demon.]

[Shaking off the thoughts he looks back at his senior.]

It's still pretty early in the evening, what should we do, Leader?

[ballpoint]

[ To do this right, he needs to go overboard. If the people that they're "purging" from the space of Dollars continue to exist... Then, they're not completely gone from the space that needs to be burnt to the ground and built up again. He'll burn himself down too, of course, in order to ensure that it's an ideal space... but as things stand now, he needs to exist to continue the ignition. ]

Did you have anything else planned, Aoba-kun?

[ ...That could mean anything. Did he have any more attacks planned, or did he simply want to do something like get something to eat? It's not clear which one Mikado means. ]

[shoals]

[Aoba's at least interested in the extremes Mikado's willing to go to. He taps his phone and passes it over, the screen open to a Dollars message with just a name and address. The address isn't far, the name is a target.]

It'd just be the two of us though, the others are still scattered. We can come back another time if you want.

[ballpoint]

...No. If we're going right to an address... Bringing a large group of people wouldn't work.

[ we don't need like eight teenage boys breaking into an apartment ]

[shoals]

[Kyaa senpai, so vicious. Aoba takes his phone back and checks the route.]

They're home, that's why the information was posted. We can get there in five minutes.

[Pocketing his phone Aoba gives Mikado a refreshing smile.]

Since it's Leader's decision, there's no reason to hesitate. Shall we?

[ballpoint]

[ the police were called too early into last time, and they didn't carry out what they went to do. ...he wants to get something done tonight, at least. ]

Right. Let's go.

[shoals]

Right right, follow me ♥

[Aoba stuffs his scarf into his pocket, hiding it as he heads out of the alleyway into the main streets. Better to blend in as high schoolers on their way to the place, so they won't stand out.]

[It really does only take about five minutes to read the apartment building.]

[ballpoint]

[ and, thankfully, the place he lives in is also concealed by an alley... that already has it's fire exit down. it's easy enough to go up without making much noise, and crouch down under his kitchen window.

...he's asleep, it looks like. passed out in front of the tv after drinking too much, from what the pile of cans next to his chair shows. without taking his eyes off the sleeping man, mikado makes sure that his gloves are on right, covering his whole hands before slowly pushing the window up. ]

[shoals]

[While Mikado does that Aoba has his eyes on the surroundings, keeping the look out for anyone passing by or looking... But no one does. It's easy to slip into the apartment after Mikado has the window open, and he remains by the escape route, still looking outside for the most part.]

[But he keeps and eye on Mikado, because it's always interesting to watch his senior, now that he's grown into such an extremist.]

[ballpoint]

[ If he had much humanity left that wasn't burnt to the ground, yet to be rebuilt in the Utopia he's planning on crafting, Mikado might slip out of that swirling black cloud for long enough to remark at how simple it is to be fully consumed by it, enough so that he can barely tell what he's doing.

...At this point, he can't say that he understands Izaya's love of humans at all. They're too... fragile. There's nothing really interested or exciting in how simply that life can be taken from them. Not... so much anymore, really. At first, he'd stood there for what felt like ten years, hands trembling and corners of his mouth turned up at what he could do. At what he did.

Now, there's barely any note at all - Let alone emotion - in how swiftly he can drive a steak knife into a man's windpipe. ]

[concretejungles]

[This time it's definitely gone too far. Right from the start, this timeline was "off", and it's only spiraled out of control since.

He's not sure what he did to make it end up like this. How did he misstep to throw it all this far? He doesn't know, but he does know that he doesn't like the direction it's turned to. There's practically no possibility for a "good end" in a world where Mikado's hands have been so thoroughly bloodied. He's already counting this one as a fail -- but it's not over with yet, either, so he figures he may as well make a last-ditch effort to salvage it. It can't possibly make it any worse, right?

So after spending all this time trying to do something without a direct confrontation, he's going to put his foot down. It's a different day, later (when things have continued to slip), and as Mikado cuts through an alley he'll find his way blocked by a familiar form.]

[ballpoint]

[ there hasn't been another outting of blue square since the last - since they'd "purged" one person, and attempted another. it's too many at once, he thinks. if there are too many unexplained youth deaths that have no tie... they'll figure out a tie. he's getting rid of things that cast dollars into a bad light, not setting up another source of it.

he scouts them, though. spends almost no time at home, save to change out of his uniform on days that he ends up at school. he's almost always outside on the streets - knows of almost every nook and cranny and hiding spot and alley between buildings in the city.

...so, when he's taking what he's found to be the fastest (but not the safest) shortcut to his apartment to drop something off, he didn't expect to see him there. no... not just "there", outright confronting him. it makes his chest tighten and he needs to blink to make sure he's not seeing things from lack of sleep.

masaomi didn't talk to him. it's been months since he left without a word and gang scuffles were reported on the news the next day. mikado had figured that once masaomi had found out he was the leader of dollars, of a colour gang that had been so corrupt... he didn't want anything to do with him anymore, so he'd skipped town when things got bad. that was why he was doing this. that was why he'd allowed himself, encouraged himself to go this far.

he had to make dollars safe for masaomi and sonohara-san.

just like it's his first day in ikebukuro, mikado grips the strap of his back for security, furrowing his brow and taking a step backwards. ]

Masaomi-- Why are you...?

[concretejungles]

It's got to stop, Mikado.

[The crowbar in his hand is a familiar weight, but it feels much heavier tonight. For all the bodies he's left behind him in these timelines and all the bravery and skill he's attained in the process, there's nothing that can counter the cold weight in his gut now that he's facing Mikado.

This can't end well. He knows that. But he has to try. The only other option is to lie down and let the bad end come, and that could be a slow and agonizing death for the both of them. He tightens his grip, straightens his back, and meets Mikado's eyes despite the fear and the anticipation of pain that make him want to turn and run. It's necessary. If he's going to lose Mikado again anyway, he may as well do it on his own terms.]

[ballpoint]

[ outside of blue square, there isn't anyone who he's so much as implied he'd done anything outside of made new friends to. he's not even sure that izaya-san knows that the person killing "bad people" is him. ...so, how could masaomi had figured him out? he's the last person in the world that he wanted to find out that things had lead to this. ]

...I don't know what you're talking about.

[ it's a lie, and his hands flex absentmindedly at his sides. in the corner of his vision, he notices the crowbar. ...masaomi isn't the only one that's armed. mikado's taken to keeping the gun they'd acquired with him, at all times. they're extremely illegal in japan, so things would go bad quickly if it was found in his house. ]

[concretejungles]

Don't lie to me.

[He tries to make it cold, but it comes out with a painful, ragged edge. He knows all about this. He's seen it in all its forms, from the least involved to this, the ugliest and most out of control. Dollars is a word that Kida hates like he hates almost nothing else. It's something he wishes he could erase from space-time entirely, even if it meant erasing the "Mikado" that Dollars created.]

It's going to stop, now. You just get to choose why.

[ballpoint]

[ he knows. he knows and is way too serious to continue the charade of pretending nothing's happened, of that he isn't doing anything that could classify as bad. ...in mikado's mind, though, it barely registers that is he is. yes, he's killing people. yes, that's usually something that is classified as bad. but, he's doing it for good. he's doing it to get rid of people who also classify as "bad".

...it's why he isn't going to stop, even when confronted like this. ]

...No, Masaomi. It's my responsibility as the leader of Dollars to do this.

[concretejungles]

I don't want to hear why you're doing it, and I didn't say "no" was an option.

[It hurts. Having to face down Mikado like this feels like he's being stabbed in the chest. The watch in his pocket is like a lead weight -- he fancies he can feel it ticking, counting down an increasingly short number of seconds until it stops and rewinds yet again.]

You're either going to stop because you chose to, or because I made you.

[ballpoint]

[ his hand finds the zipper of his coat, idly fumbling with it. it could simply look like he was playing with it to do something with his hands out of nervousness, as he used to grasp the strap of his schoolbag... but in reality, he's preparing to open his jacket to get out his gun, if needed.

...it's never, ever something he wanted it it to come to, but with the weight of Masaomi's words... it seems like it's going to be needed. ]

I won't chose to stop. This... needs to be done.

[concretejungles]

It doesn't. Those people have their own stories, you know. They have their own motivations, and people who'll miss them when they're gone. People who relied on them, maybe, have you thought about that?

[His hand tightens on his crowbar, one foot sliding to the side a bit as his widens his stance in preparation for a fight. It's obvious he's decided to make it physical if he has to. It's also obvious in the way he stands that this is nothing new to him. He's strong, as far as fighting's concerned. He knows what he's doing, and the only thing that keeps him from being easy and casual is the fact that it's Mikado.]

[ballpoint]

[ he doesn't respond, because masaomi has already made it clear how he plans to end this.

if it's masaomi, he won't win. not because he has weakness of the heart towards him, but because he's always been on a different level. stronger, faster. he could never get out of headlocks, could never win tickle fights. should he turn the crowbar on him, it's the end of him. ...the end of dollars, before it's fixed.

silently, he pulls the gun out and with a straightened, pointed arm, clicks off the safety. ]

[concretejungles]

[Now that's startling. Even in this situation, he didn't expect Mikado to just pull a gun on him. He can't quite hide the surprise on his face (or the look of betrayal that goes with it), but he clamps down on it and replaces it with raw frustration as fast as he can.]

I was just going to break your leg, but fine! I guess I'm just another "bad person" now, huh?

[ballpoint]

The same thing could be said to you, Masaomi. I never implied that I was going to shoot anywhere vital. It's out of self-defence.