Asgard: IC Inbox

[realmenknitplushies]

Yo, guys: you've reached Kanji Tatsumi. Leave me a message.

Comments

[windbreak]

Mm, close enough.

[He shoots a glance across the water, and shrugs.]

That time, inside the mirror... It told me, if I didn't want to be left behind, I had to change. It didn't tell me anything about how, or when... What if everything I'm trying is just taking me further and further away from where I want to be? What happens if I don't try? On my own, I don't know.

Then I thought, if I can beat you... Well, not just you. But if I could show you I know exactly what makes you tick, make you depend on that, then - I already know you're doing good, see? So that must mean I'm doing better than good... in some way.

[With his own self-deprecating smile, he shakes his head.] In the end, I'm not like that. I think there's only one person who could be, and it turns out he's not like that either. That's... Anyway, that's what went through my head. Just a bunch of crap, huh?

[realmenknitplushies]

[That last comment - huh? Even when he's coherent, Yosuke's still not entirely making sense. Kanji looks a bit puzzled, to say the least.]

Kinda.

[He pauses for a moment.]

Sure, I'm doing okay here. [Quietly for a moment-]...Probably better than at home, huh. But you ain't gotta prove shit to me. I know you can be better than just some asshole - so being an asshole isn't gonna make you the better man.

[windbreak]

Man, sugarcoat it a little more, could ya? [Yosuke shoots him a look.] No, I'm through with that... I think. I know it's easy to just say. ...Besides, next time you'd just pile-drive me into a wall. [His grin doesn't come as easily as it normally does, but it's there.

Still, it flickers, just briefly.] But, you know, that kind of thing - it doesn't bother you at all? Not knowing how you measure up.

[realmenknitplushies]

Sure it bothers me sometimes.

[After all, hadn't that been part of the dream - well, so to speak - during the tournament? To prove himself?]

But if I'm doing whatever I do the best I can do it, what else'm I meant to do? I've spent too damn long worryin' about how I compare to other people.

[windbreak]

Doing whatever you do, huh? Yeah, I guess you'd already know.

[On impulse, he reaches over to very lightly punch Kanji in the shoulder. Actually, it's best described as a nudge. The lake doesn't sound much more appealing to him right now than a wall would be.] Turns out you're a super-dependable guy after all. Who would've thought?

[realmenknitplushies]

[Kanji glares briefly at Yosuke's tap - but laughs slightly, looks away.]

I've got people who give a damn about me now, and about what I do. It's worth it. I ain't gonna let anyone else down.

[windbreak]

When it's you saying it's that simple, I gotta believe it... [He winks.] Maybe I should fight you for reals one of these days, whaddya say? Last time I trained with Souji, he found a cat up there and literally dropped everything to go say hi.

[realmenknitplushies]

Eh, I'm probably making it sound easier than it is. Not like I did it overnight.

...Wait, he did what? [Damn, and he thought he was bad with the cute things...]

[windbreak]

Didn't think he was the type, right? I didn't used to think so either...

[All of a sudden, he quirks an eyebrow.] Unless... Come to think, you might not be an improvement there, huh?

[realmenknitplushies]

...hey, come on, there's a lot I'll do for cute shit, but I ain't done that before...!

[windbreak]

Oh, I dunno. [Yosuke raises his hand to his chin and shoots Kanji a mock-pensive look.] I can see it happening with the right timing. You and Ted, sometimes...

[realmenknitplushies]

[And that gets a bit of an exasperated laugh.]

Aw, dude...!

[windbreak]

[Now he jokingly raises his hand in self-defense.] Hey, you can't just punch a guy over the horizon right after he goes and bares his heart to you like this, can you!? Anyway, the cat gambit would only be Payback Plan A...