Henry (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cruelcurse) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
smashacademy2014-01-11 08:59 pm
cruelcurse) wrote in smashacademy2014-01-11 08:59 pm
003 ♦ [action]
[SOMEBODY'S HELLA SICK. Henry's avoiding his dorm to keep himself away from his roommate while he's sick. At first, he also tried his best to stay away from everyone else. But when the fever intensified, he forgot why he had to put in the effort.
It's because his magical talents tend to go a little haywire while he's ill.
He can be found stumbling about in a feverish daze while classes are supposed to be going on, but he's obviously not attending. When he's not doing that, he's asleep somewhere. Wandering around all the time exhausts him. While he's sleeping, he can be found sleeping in an appropriate spot, such as the sofa in the common room or leaning over a table in the corner of the library.
Uh... He can also be found sleeping in a completely inappropriate spot, like the middle of the floor. It happens.]
[WHAT THIS ALL MEANS is that Henry can accidentally curse some characters without meaning to. YOUR CHARACTER WON'T EVEN SEE IT COMING. Contact me here if you want somebody to get cursed. We can discuss details and your character can be appropriately upset.]
It's because his magical talents tend to go a little haywire while he's ill.
He can be found stumbling about in a feverish daze while classes are supposed to be going on, but he's obviously not attending. When he's not doing that, he's asleep somewhere. Wandering around all the time exhausts him. While he's sleeping, he can be found sleeping in an appropriate spot, such as the sofa in the common room or leaning over a table in the corner of the library.
Uh... He can also be found sleeping in a completely inappropriate spot, like the middle of the floor. It happens.]
[WHAT THIS ALL MEANS is that Henry can accidentally curse some characters without meaning to. YOUR CHARACTER WON'T EVEN SEE IT COMING. Contact me here if you want somebody to get cursed. We can discuss details and your character can be appropriately upset.]
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Bad enough that Henry had launched himself out of bed - but he'd apparently done the same yesterday as well, for the sake of this so-called vision... hmph.]
That's the most inane thing I've ever heard. It's called a fever dream, you moron.
[He motioned for Garuda to drag Henry back into bed.]
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[He was protesting that point, but he allowed Garuda to push him to his bed.]
I've had 'em before. I know my stuff. But I guess I can't argue that, since you're right here and all...
[And he was rather satisfied with that conclusion, if that's the way it was going to be. So instead of getting all pouty that Naoya didn't believe him, he just kept grinning.]
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Garuda, you stay here and make sure the fool gets his rest.
[The Avian was the perfect demon to babysit a sick sorcerer - its innate immunity to curses meant that even if Henry tried to use his powers, they'd have no effect. No more trying to follow him to chase that silly delusion of saving him, no more passing out.
Naoya draped a new damp cloth over Henry's head and turned to leave.]
I'll be back in a little while.
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He let Naoya leave and from his position in bed, he looked up straight at the demon. A real demon being left with him at Naoya's command...]
You have pretty wings~.
[He didn't move to do anything, however. No funny business. He continued talking to Garuda, but this time in a quieter voice than before.]
Naoya doesn't believe me... [Granted, he did say he'd never trust him. What a relationship they shared... He sighed.] I wonder what happened instead of that fate~.
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NAOYAAAAAAAAAA YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME]
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Naoya returned to campus with a much more sober air about him. The prickliness was gone, replaced by an unease that was both exciting and... perplexing.
Being able to observe the Powers of the Dead first-hand was definitely an opportunity that Naoya had relished. He rather hoped he'd be able to cross paths with Sissel one day and make a better acquaintance, perhaps study him. But aside from that one silver lining, Henry's prophecy had been right. That was a loathsome thought. He wasn't entirely sure what he felt about that - it was a useful skill, even if it wasn't entirely consistent, but it made Naoya somewhat uncomfortable to know that Henry could tap into something as intimate as being able to perceive his fate.
How was it that despite his efforts to guard himself, that dark mage continued to follow him?
With those uncertain feelings circling his head, Naoya marched himself to the kitchen. He'd purchased a few cans of broth as well, which he proceeded to heat up (though at this point, he needed to stand on a box to do anything over the counter comfortably). With some seasoning, vegetables and noodles he scrounged up, the little programmer made a relatively simple chicken noodle soup.
Bowl of soup in one hand and medicine in the other, he made his way back to Henry's dorm, where he trusted Garuda would be guarding him. He fumbled with the doorknob with his ten year old fingers, and let himself in.]
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So when Naoya returned, he didn't throw himself all over him again. He thought that whole thing was a done deal. Instead, he sat patiently in his bed where he was told to stay, but he drew his attention away from the demon he liked and watched the programmer as he stepped into his room.]
Welcome back~.
[His voice indicated that he'd possibly dozed off for a short amount of time while Naoya was out and about, but he'd definitely calmed down compared to earlier. He took a moment to collect his fuzzy thoughts.]
Where did you go, anyway?
[Buuuut he totally expected Naoya to give him some cryptic answer, maybe because it wasn't his business? He grew to like that about him, actually.]
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I bought some medicine for you, from the store.
[But before that, he handed Henry the bowl of soup. Probably better for him to have something in his stomach before taking the medication.]
Eat this first.
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Food, though? Henry hadn't expected anybody to bring him something to eat. Then again, he also hadn't eaten in about two days... If he lost track of eating, it wouldn't be the first time.]
Thanks! Ahaha, I didn't think anybody would bring me food...
[It was just an idle comment, but he wondered if he could learn something from Naoya. He wasn't very good at taking care of sick people, including himself. It was probably a necessary thing to learn when dealing with other people.
He took a spoonful of the soup experimentally. He wasn't even sure he'd regained an appetite, but he'd try. It would probably help him heal up quicker, and that's what Naoya wanted. Like Brown, he needed him to get better so that he could release him of the curse.]
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He deigned to watch Henry eat, and stared down at the box of pills in his hand with a contemplative air instead. Even when he spoke, his normally critical words were a bit half-hearted.]
Ha. You really are pathetic. For all your power, if I wasn't here to take care of you, that flu probably would've bested you.
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I get sick a lot, but I always manage to pull through. Being sick's no fun. My head hurts.
[He watched Naoya with intrigue. He was much smaller than normal, and his voice was much different. More kid-like. Even the way he sat was different, but maybe that was because his legs didn't reach the floor. This was the way Naoya looked when he was younger, but he could definitely see it.
He was sorry he did that to Naoya when he didn't want it. It wasn't deliberate, but he still did it.]
I never learned what I was supposed to do with sick people.
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[Still a little snide, but Naoya could afford to be. Thinking on it though, it probably meant Henry wasn't well versed in having to save anyone, either - at least, apart from potentially killing anyone who posed a threat.
The feeling of his bones breaking and his organs being split open beneath tire treads was still too fresh. He turned his face away from the other mage's range of sight to hide the pained, involuntary twitch in his eyes as the memory surfaced. The smell of roses and concrete, hot rubber tires and blood. All phantom pains, nothing he hadn't gone through before. File it away, with the rest.
All the same, he unconsciously hugged his torso - just to remind himself he was still whole.
Without really thinking, Naoya asked:]
...What would you have done if I did die?
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[At first, Henry wasn't aware of the context. But his thoughts quickly returned to his divination.]
You mean, if you were hit by a bus the way you were in my vision?
[For a moment, he almost said I don't know. But he remembered that he did know. He could feel it, and he'd done it before.]
I'd kill whoever did it~ Absolutely. Everyone involved~ Except... I don't think that would work this time, 'cause in my vision, there was this huuuge explosion. Nobody around would have lived through that. So I guess if I couldn't kill the people who caused your death...
[He sighed. If there wasn't anybody to enact revenge upon, what would he do? It stumped him. So he took another approach to Naoya's question: if he'd already gotten revenge or if Naoya died naturally, what would he do?]
...I'd wait until I could meet you again.
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I'm sorry to say, but you'd never be able to enact your vengeance on anyone who killed me, no matter what the method.
[There was a long, heavy silence as Naoya mulled on the sorcerer's second option. He wondered if Henry really understood how possible it was, in a literal sense. Yet the smallest of smiles crept across his face, despite this utterly idealist notion.]
Waiting... I didn't take you for a romantic.
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Romantic? Hee hee, nah... I'm gonna die someday, too, and when that happens, I'll...
[Henry cut himself short. Of course he couldn't get revenge. Maybe Naoya was completely immortal!
The dark mage already made these wild guesses about the nature of Naoya's curse before with what little he knew. At this point, his guess was this: Naoya is immortal, and his body doesn't seem to age. Nobody could have a curse like that and still be so young, and he said he knew God somehow. (There was still something else to his curse that he didn't know about, though. It had to be set on him by God, he assumed, but Naoya said he suffered. So it was punishment, but how?)
That's all he knew. And his vision wasn't real, Naoya said. So he couldn't have died there... It really was his fever making him stupid, wasn't it? Henry successfully tied himself in knots over this in a matter of five seconds. His visions were usually so accurate! What was all of this about? Why did Naoya die in his vision, only to walk into his room alive?
Naoya had to be immortal. Maybe the fates favored him and protected him from the vision he saw. That was Henry's guess, so of course he couldn't get revenge on Naoya's killer. Because there couldn't be one, right?]
...Whoops. I can't see you when I die, can I...? You're immortal, aren't you?
[FEVERS, MAN. He didn't even remember that they were speaking hypothetically about Naoya's death. Things just weren't making sense anymore.]
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No, Henry. I won't be there when you die. But not for the reasons you think.
[He glanced away again, this time staring forward with his mind wandering in a distant place. Naoya wasn't sure why he was speaking, but... he hoped the words would fade from Henry's memory once sleep came for him. Disguised as a fever dream, or like his vision - just a slipped moment of truth that lingered at the very edge of knowing and being forgotten.
In the dead tongue of ancient Akkadian, Naoya spoke the words: One cursed with eternity. Then, in a low murmur, he continued:] I live, I die, and I am reborn in a new incarnation. My body is different each time, but my soul never changes. It never forgets.
That was the punishment given to me by God. Do you understand now? I'll have no rest, no peace or damnation... only the eternal memory of my sin.
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[Henry had to take a moment to make sense of what Naoya told him. Naoya was right to assume that his mind was a frazzled mess when he was feverish. It was that much harder to try to remember what information Naoya clarified to him.
He set the bowl of soup aside and, luckily, wasn't out of it enough to miss the bedside table- he'd eaten some of it, but not all.]
So your body dies... But not you. ...
[Naoya's body could die, but he'd be- what did he say, reborn? And he never forgot his past lives. Immortal, in a sense. But not in the way he thought. Henry truly wished he wasn't so sick so that he could keep track of all this and ask the questions he wanted to ask, but he couldn't be bothered to keep track of his own questions. He much preferred to cling to what Naoya had to say. What bittersweet luck he had.]
No wonder I had such a vision... 'cause you can die~...
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Oh, I've died plenty. At the very least, I'll admit God did me one favour for this eternity of humiliation: whoever kills me, vengeance will be taken on them sevenfold.
[He slowly opened his eyes again to watch Henry from the corner of his vision.]
So you see... There'd be no one left for you to kill.
[In other words, there was nothing more Henry could do for him. Forget that romantic notion of meeting again in the afterlife, or even the satisfaction of revenge. Naoya's existence simply meant that he would persist until the end of time, with Henry lingering on long after death as a memory to him that would never fade.]
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The thought actually made Henry uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. He fantasized about death. That's how he was raised, was with the dream to die. The pain he'd been through was what drove him to such fantasies. He always had the comfort that it'd be over someday.
Naoya would be able to witness Henry, unable to control his expression for a number of reasons, make perhaps the most raw face of distress he'd been able to make in a long time. How do you live? would be a question he'd ask, but the answer was simple: Naoya had no other choice. It was more painful to know that Naoya couldn't die at all than it was to know that he'd died in that vision of his. This was definitely worse.]
I could help you get rid of that curse...
[He forgot that he'd already offered when they first met, only to be turned down. The difference was that he knew what Naoya's curse was now, and that he had a fever to make his memory less reliable.]
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Lifetimes would pass Cain by without anyone to divulge in or share his lot, save for perhaps the company of a trickster god who delighted in toying with him. But for all their mutual interest, Cain's heart was still that of a human's - anyone else he held dear, it only hurt more to lose.]
I sincerely doubt you could. God's far too strong for you. And besides...
[There was a keenness in his eyes again, like a dark, sheathed blade. The promise of its vengeance was the focal point that kept Naoya's mind honed and sharp.
His voice was so tired, but if he didn't have his hate, he would've gone truly mad a long, long time ago.]
I need it. All this knowledge I've gathered, all this waiting... it's all to use against Him.
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[Henry felt like there was some great injustice when dealing with gods. They were so temperamental from what he knew, but people everywhere looked up to them. What comfort did they find in worshiping an entity who could curse a person to suffer through eternity without release? And why?
He wasn't even sure there had to be a reason. Gods never needed reasons, as far as he was concerned. They did nothing but bring pain. Suffering under the watch of God was entirely why he didn't believe in them. And talking to Naoya about it made his feelings on the matter dip strongly in his favor. Embitterment rooted itself stronger within him, as Henry was the sort easily influenced by the beliefs of his close company.
Thinking about gods was a dizzying topic for him like this. For the moment, his conclusion in his head could be simple: he didn't like what God did to Naoya. He didn't know why he did it, but he didn't like the thought of it.]
What do you get from it...? When you defeat God... Do you get to die?
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Satisfaction.
[Whether he'd actually die or not was unknowable. To Naoya at least, the concept was almost a novelty. He didn't particularly care for fantasizing about his end either - so long as God suffered, Cain's soul would happily accept any fate that followed after.
That was all Henry needed to know for now - perhaps at a later time, if the fever passed and he retained enough of this conversation, the sorcerer would continue to shower him in questions. What he learned just now was already more than enough to occupy him. It wasn't a subject that Naoya relished speaking about anyway, that much should've been obvious.
For that Henry was a pest though, there was one quality that made Naoya appreciate the younger man - his potential to be moulded. It was useful, in a pawn. He would do what Naoya wanted, he would be what Naoya needed. If he nurtured a hate for God in him, the cursed programmer was certain it would take root.
Just use him, he reminded himself. That's all.
He opened the box of medication and punched out two pills. They'd help ease the symptoms, and the drowsiness would hopefully put Henry back to sleep. Extending his skinny, ten year old arm out to the mage, Naoya told him:] Swallow these with some water. It'll help with the fever.
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His head was throbbing. It was hard to stick with that line of conversation, and besides, he wanted to hold onto it all. Naoya wanted to keep his curse to get back at God for satisfaction... The final thing he didn't know was what Naoya did to deserve his curse. But that wasn't something he was feeling up to asking right now. It felt like such a heavy questions to ask, and he was lightheaded and wanted to set his head down. But he didn't.
If he wasn't going to ask about Naoya's curse-stuff, then there was something else that suddenly occurred to him. Without thinking it over much, he decided to say it.]
Do you... do this for your little brother?
[His smile was back, but it was gentler than before. He lost the energy to keep up a false face, so his smile was a mixture between his genuine feeling of contentment with Naoya being here with him and that practiced smile he usually wore.]
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Kazuya...
Kazuya was many things. But he wasn't Henry's business. And, so long as he was back home in Tokyo, what Kazuya wanted to do with his life was none of Naoya's, either.
They could've walked down that path to wage war with God together, but he chose otherwise. His little brother turned away from all that potential, and the possibility of truly understanding how he felt.
Looking back at it retroactively, maybe their childhood together was nothing more than a delusion. Naoya had simply lost himself to the illusion of being a family again.
So he didn't answer. He turned towards the door and walked. What was there to say about his relationship with the young man who housed Abel's essence?
He loved his little brother. He killed him. He made him soup when he was sick. He used him.]
...That's none of your concern.
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