(open) none of this shit's certain, none of it's certain

[invinciblemikey]

WHO: a younger manjiro sano and you, homie

WHERE: mirth & the harbors & the barrens

WHEN: december first till the end of the year.

WHAT: amusement park joy, eating his weight in sugar in a cafe, trying to move of the abandoned houses, and notice board thingies.

WARNINGS: i'll warn in the top-level. considering the canon, suicide, murder, violence, dissociation, mental health issues, death, drugs, yakuza, etc, all possible themes.

that who had once been a nearly-thirty-year-old, a yakuza president with white hair, thinner than he should be for his shorter stature, and large dark circles under his eyes along with a knack for partying... has turned into a blonde fifteen-year-old, leader of the tokyo manji biker gang. the emptiness in his eyes remains, although he laughs, smiles, runs and finds joy even if the same darkness that turned him miserable in the future still lives in his heart. he remembers, and he doesn't. come meet him for the first time, or all over again.

Comments

mirth - amusement park

[invinciblemikey]

(without truly understanding why, mikey's feet simply feel like they know their way around mirth. several times, he almost enters clubs, muscle memory rather than awareness - until he realizes that this is really not his scene, although a very confusing part of him would disagree.

instead, he finds the amusement park, and as time wobbles its way, it's most likely a few days he spends here, stuffing his face with sweets and taking naps in corners. one can easily find him like this, inside a restaurant deeply asleep in a booth - or simply resting against the first wall he finds.

alternatively, he can be sitted on top of a fence, watching the people below, near the haunted house. it's with cotton candy in his mouth that he gives the best piece of advice he has:)

I would not go there if I were you. Heard fuckers leave screaming.

[crybabyhero]

[There is something so bizarre and unsettling about feeling a part of you that isn't really even a part of you transform into something entirely new in real time. To add to the surreality of it all, Takemichi is trying to wash his hair when it hits him, so not only is his brain rearranging itself without his permission, it's doing so while his whole damn face is submerged under water. Neat. He whips his head out of the sink, sputters and stutters as he attempts to grasp what's happening.

Something is different.

The how evades him, but the why is inexplicably obvious.

Mikey is different.

He seems confused, jumbled, and yet... Whole? Intact in a why that feels foreign to Takemichi. So much so that he doesn't even feel like Mikey anymore.

Takemichi has to find him. He has to figure out what the hell is going on.

Anyone with half a brain would take this moment to just. Ask Mikey. They're soulmates, after all. Takemichi has a front row seat to Mikey's mental state, but Mikey has the same privilege. Unfortunately, Takemichi's single brain cell disqualifies him from this category.

He doesn't even dry his hair before rushing out the door. When he finally catches sight of Mikey three hours later and ten years younger, he staggers into the fence beneath Mikey and collapses on the ground.]

Y-You... You! [Give him a minute as he gasps for air.] What even are you?!

[invinciblemikey]

...

(and there's a bit of anxiety that both of them feel. how does he explain to takemitchy exactly what he is going through? the memories, dances of uncertainty and imperfection in his brain, the flood of feelings and thoughts non-belonging to him - even if it technically should be normal by now.

he just wanted to put his brain in place, but it seems like he won't have time for that. won't have time to find a way to keep them together, even if he's sure he's what brought them apart. if takemitchy is here, there is probably no hope for him in land, anyway.

jumping from the fence, he approaches the other boy, and at least takemitchy has always been close to him in height, makes it easier for him to comb the mess of a hairstyle easier.)

... Sorry, Takemitchy, I wanted to tell you guys after I had time to think-- why does your hair look like shit?

[crybabyhero]

I just washed it! [Takemichi protests instantly, hands flying up to finger comb the mess himself. Priorities.] But that's not...

[He trails off helplessly as he realizes he didn't know what to say from the start. All he can do is look up at Mikey's youthful face, soak in the transformation that he can't even remotely comprehend.]

You don't hafta apologize or anything.... I was just worried. I didn't know what happened.

[invinciblemikey]

I'm not sure myself.

(it's such an easy thing to do, to reach for takemitchy's hand to lead him to a place to sit, go through what has been done, what has been said.

once they're in a patch of grass, he finds himself a place, pulling the other to come with him.)

... I heard I was older. I don't remember very well, but, I do have to apologize, Takemitchy. If you're here, that means I failed to keep you, Baji and Kazutora safe. That's not what I wanted for the Manji. If you'll have me, I'll... I'll do better, this time.

(silco told him he can control it, but it's so new, that it's hard to keep his soulmates off his thoughts, his feelings. while his face is neutral, his heart begs, aches for a chance. he couldn't protect them in life, but he can do it here, where the danger is far greater.

... if they'll have him.)

mirth - cafe crazy

[invinciblemikey]

(even if bouncers called him by name for SOME reason and mentioned the change in hair, demeanour, and well, AGE, manjiro strolled past them without giving it much thought other than a piercing gaze.

instead, he finds himself in a cafe, behind a mountain of desserts, cakes, milkshakes, parfaits, and his stomach isn't even big enough for all the sweets he's about to shove into his face.

bless his heart.)

[windsongs]

[ Staying true to how she was in life, Hibiki finds herself picking up part-time work at a cute little cafe in Mirth. It feels a little bit like coming home from her, splitting the difference between her time waitressing and working at the bakery.

She didn't mean to pick up a shift today, but they were so short-staffed that when she walked in for a cup of coffee, they practically shoved an apron in her hands. Covering for one of the wait staff as they took their break, the small blonde makes her way over toward a table filled to the brim with sweets. What in the diabetes... who would even--

Wait... ]

M... Mikey-san?

[ Nah, this guy's gotta be his brother, or just someone who happens to look like a much younger version. Man, this is eerie. ]

Ah--sorry, totally zoning out. You doing okay over here, sir?

[invinciblemikey]

(the name is accurate, and he tilts his head to the side a little bit, blinking in his sheer confusion. it's a familiar face-- who's this again... his eyebrows frown as his brain works, still not finding a thread without more information, so he does go for it.)

That's me. I think I know you-- what's your name?

[windsongs]

[ Hibiki takes a deep breath, clinging to the smile on her face. Not because she's upset that he forgot her (#justmikeythings), but that he looks maybe half the age that he did before and she doesn't understand why. ]

Hibiki. Fujiwara Hibiki.

[ She expects that name to go right over his head. ]

mirth - notice board

[invinciblemikey]

(he craves warmth and he lives to be comfy, so, he would never complain about a nice crystal to hug in his sleep. there was still the matter of getting that heat into the crystal.

the first poor person who steps near him gets their hand taken into his, a gentle pull to call their attention.)

Hey, help me for a second? Put your hand on the crystal.

Re: mirth - notice board

[pissoffbook]

[Kainé has approached the notice board to see what's been updated. It's how she's been making her money. She's glancing over the jobs when suddenly her hand is grabbed.]

What the fuck?

[Her first thought is to punch whoever just grabbed her hand, but the teen quickly speaks out that he needs help. She doesn't recognize him, even though they've met before.]

Fine, fine. What the hell's this about anyway?

[invinciblemikey]

If we both hold this while holding hands, it gets warm, we get paid, it's a good deal. Come on, don't be sour.

(and he recognizes that he knows her, just a tiny bit - but can't place. whatever, he's coming to the conclusion that it matters very little.)

Put your other hand on the crystal. I'll do that too.

[pissoffbook]

[Okay, so they're gonna get money for that. No punching necessary.]

Sure.

[She places her other hand over their joined ones. It's warming, and actually kind of comforting. Strange... she has a sense of deja vu where she's felt this way before. But if that's so, why doesn't she recognize him?]

Have we... met?

mirth - house hunting

[invinciblemikey]

(he's seen his phone, okay. he knows his people are here, and he's not particularly happy. it does, however, mean that he has to protect them, keep them close and united as he has always done.

so, he needs a house. one to welcome all of them, here and to come, that preferrably isn't covered in debris and empty bottles and wrappers.

except -- with the inconsistency of time, hard to tell whether the time scheduled with the landlord is going to pan out, and in his case, it definitely haven't. an annoyed, loud, boyish voice echoes the streets of mirth as he knocks on the door of a house.)

Hey!! I know you're in there!!

(they: are not.)

[pyojeol]

[Sooyoung usually doesn't stick her nose in other people's business.

Well.

She hasn't this past week? A side-effect of being jailed last month and then cursed after is that she's trying to lay low -- or at least not involve herself in whatever the hell made her get cursed in the first place. Which means being a stalwart citizen, in that she doesn't start as many fights or pick as many pockets as usual. The yell snags her attention though, and she abandons her latest attempt to be good in favor of approaching -- squinting at this apparently tiny teenage boy hammering away at the door.]

You could always try a rock.

[She mimes throwing one.]

[invinciblemikey]

(for a second, he thinks it's the owner, and he sighs when he turns around, fully prepared to go into business mode, but it just isn't. instead, it's a girl, with a great plan.

she probably means to throw a rock at a window, to call their attention, but you know what's more effective? a kick. his own have always been extremely strong, so it doesn't take much effort to kick the door down with a single swing.)

... Sneaking through a window's dangerous, dude. It can cut you and everything. This is faster.

(and he gestures with a head. you coming or not?)

[pyojeol]

[this is a terrible idea. why did she stop. why did she say something. she pulls her face into an expression of 'ughhhHHhhhH ffffiiinnneeeeee' as she moseys on over,]

I thought you were trying to catch this guy's attention.

[she'd placed 'trying to commit a crime' a solid second after her first assumption. does it count as being an accomplice if all she's doing is following this teenager inside?]

Who robs a place in broad daylight?

the harbours - who u gonna call

[invinciblemikey]

(there are flashes of the murders happening, the reminder of the stench of blood and the stickiness of it in his face, his hair. manjiro doesn't remember much else.

paying final respects sounds overrated for people he hasn't met, he has never shook hands with, nor been inspired or repulsed by. what does it mean to die when you have already done that in the first place? so, he's just watching, silent as the archers prepare their arrows, the fire, and manjiro bites into a treat.

is that what would happen to him?)

the barrens - spoopy

[invinciblemikey]

(curiosity, a sense of adventure, teenage stupidity, you name it, is the catalyst for mikey to step into the barrens to help deal with whatever horrid thing is resting in the barrens.

he isn't very fond of sweating, though. so, after approximately 15 minutes of using all his absurd strength to break the stone, he throws the pickaxe away, sighing loudly, almost too dramatically.)

Fuck this. I'm gonna rest for a bit.

[zangetsu]

Gimme that.

（ it's said less in a 'hand me the pickaxe' sort of way and more in the 'i'm going to pick it up and continue' sort of way. he hefts it, and eyes the slab of stone — one good getsuga tenshō would probably crack it open, but he hasn't exactly been waving tensa zangetsu around for all and sundry and isn't going to start now.

a little hard work never killed anyone.

(narrator voice: that is determined to be a lie.)

but as he hefts the pickaxe over one shoulder, he gives his companion a sideways look. he'd caught up with him at the meeting board, promptly just assumed it was somehow the kid brother of the guy he'd met, and has just been running off that assumption ever since.

does it matter to him that mikey only mentioned a sister, not a brother? literally not at all. ）

So what's your name again?

（ he's about to make a clown fool of himself if he's not careful. ）

[invinciblemikey]

(knock yourself the fuck out. he's good at leadership, pep talks, love, fixing machinery, and kicking a bitch twice his size down with a single kick. this is definitely not for him.

he's found a little spot for him to rest his back, closing eyes and it was almost too easy to be drifted to sleep-- or it would have been, if he wasn't being spoken to.)

Manjiro Sano. Mikey.

(a yawn comes out with the last name, a stretch of his arms above.)

[zangetsu]

（ wait, really. even the worst parents he knows wouldn't give their kids the same name and then the same nickname to boot. ichigo pauses mid-swing of that pick-axe, and then he gives the kid a sideways glance. what the hell, he's younger than him, even. ）

What, are you cursed or something?

（ look, he's seen curses do weird shit. maybe his curse is being magically de-aged? ）

closed to mitsuya

[invinciblemikey]

(manjiro's been-- well, apparently older. bitter. he's heard quite a bit about his time here, time he doesn't remember proper, buried even deeper than his own memory issues - fragmented, a strange sense of dejavu of two lives. one he has lived, and one here, where he has been dead. strange, but manjiro's manjiro. if it shakes him, it won't ever be seen in his face, in his eyes.

instead, what can be seen is joy before he truly processes what it means to see mitsuya here. he hasn't ran this fast towards a person's arms here yet, and he jumps with all his might as he wraps arms around the other's neck. they might fall like this, but it's okay. there's a touch of lips as they go down, his hug tighter.)

Hey! You're here too!

(that smile, so bright it could blind once he distances.)

[rightdragon]

[ he's...disoriented, still, to be perfectly honest. it was a lot to take in, nevermind the whirlwind of emotions that struck him like a hurricane once he had shaken off the shock. he had taken a whole day inside his shitty facsimile of his room, overgrown and dusty with carved familiar faces standing on the desk, trying to sort his thoughts out amidst the grief.

and now here he is, just wandering about the streets of stygia, staring up at the sky as if it'll offer him some more answers. so lost he is, circles dark under his eyes, that he doesn't register the patter of feet until he's being leapt on and he catches out of reflex-

there's arms around his neck, a brush of lips against his own, and a voice against his ear that shouldn't sound so happy. the soft ache in his skull from hitting the floor is practically nonexistant as he stares in complete silence, tongue feeling thick and fuzzy as he stares at the other's face.

young. happy. smiling. like nothing happened. ]

...Mikey?

[ mitsuya chokes on the name. his head is throbbing, but not from pain. ]

[invinciblemikey]

(a chill runs down his spine. something's wrong, and he can't quite understand what is it with the way mitsuya is looking at him. like he's seen a ghost, someone he shouldn't have seen. it has not yet clicked where they are, so thus far, all this whole thing does is make mikey sit up, frowning as he looks down at the boy under him.

what is that expression...)

... Do you have another blond president who kisses you on sight, motherfucker?

(perhaps not the latter, but mikey doesn't know that bit.)