Open rp, post Zi-O, please interrupt him at the quarry or three hours later or whatever

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki stands in the quarry, delighted, exhausted, and bewildered. Amane-chan is safe. Zi-O has their powers. That should keep both Jokers sealed, and, well, if it doesn’t, he can deal with it then.

For now? For now, he has a chance to actually build a life for himself again. He doesn’t have to hold himself back from contacting his friends. He scribbles his cellphone number on a scrap of paper and tucks it into Hajime’s hand (imagine, being able to touch Hajime again) and begins to stroll off.

He needs to find a place to stay. He hasn't exactly been here long; hasn't had time. Some human food. Oh, and a shower. A shower would be magnificent.

Right now, he wants to let Hajime and Amane-chan reunite without his interference. He’s not leaving town again. He just doesn’t want to be in the way, and maybe to take a couple hours to stare at a wall and let the shock of it all wash over him.

It could've been so much worse.

Comments

[triggerhappytraitor]

It doesn't take too long after Zi-o and company have left before the very familiar sound of a motorcycle echoes across the exposed rock face. Seconds later, Red Rhombus is kicking up a dusty cloud of gravel as it skids to a halt, Tachibana all but vaulting off of it, yanking his helmet off his head.

He's not entirely sure what he's expecting to find. But when the Searcher had gone off, showing not only Chalice fighting, but Blade as well, in the same area...

He had sped out as fast as he could to where the signal had come from, hoping for the best, but dreading the worst.

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki turns at the sound of the bike. Oh, come on, whatever the hell this is, let Amane-chan and Hajime get back to Jacaranda, let him look after her, leave them alone! He folds his arms, feeling absurdly naked without his Buckle. He hasn't transformed for so long after he sealed his powers anyway. He should be able to cope with this, whatever it is.

His eyebrows go up, and he takes an involuntary step forward.

"Tachibana-san?"

[triggerhappytraitor]

"Kenzaki...!"

He was there. He was actually...!

Tachibana swiftly closes the gap between them, reaching out to grab his kohai by the shoulders. "I came as fast as I could, what--"

[kenzaki]

The hell-!

Kenzaki goes to smack the touch away reflexively, because it's been a hell of a fifteen years, but it's Tachibana. He makes himself relax into it, but his mouth is open and he's staring like a moron at the other man.

"Hajime transformed," he says at last, and it's amazing how easy it is to fall back into the pattern of responding to his senpai, to giving information. To reporting. "Amane-chan was in danger, and Hajime transformed, and I was... I was drawn to it."

[triggerhappytraitor]

"I saw both signals, you were both-- but you're fine??" This is the important question that... might seem obvious but he needed the reassurance. After all the lengths Kenzaki had gone through, keeping apart from all of them, that the one thing the had tried to avoid had happened...!

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki just stares at him for a moment, wondering if that's true. He claps a hand to his head as a wave of exhaustion runs through him, then nods. "Yeah."

...and smiles.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The new Rider was here, with his friends. I'm... I'm human again."

[triggerhappytraitor]

For such a short statement there was... a lot in those words. Tachibana's mouth moves soundlessly a moment before a single word escapes: "...Human...?"

For the first time in what feels like forever... there's hope in his voice. A fragile, delicate hope, but one that he's been trying to coax into existence for a long time.

"...Hajime as well...?"

[kenzaki]

"Hajime as well," Kenzaki says gently, his heart squeezing at the look on Tachibana's face. He doesn't know what it means. He doesn't know how the hell it's going to work for either of them. He still feels strange as hell inside. He hasn't been human for so long. But Hajime hasn't ever been truly human; how does he feel?!

...hell with it.

He wraps his arms around his senpai, giving him a tight hug.

[triggerhappytraitor]

Even if Tachibana weren't in a mild form of shock, the hug would have caught him a bit off guard. But it would have been his next instinct regardless, and he returns it, giving Kenzaki a relieved squeeze.

"It's finally over... isn't it?"

Almost twenty years since the Undead had been released and his world had been all but shattered...

It was finally over.

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki steps back, but not far, still close enough to touch his shoulder.

"Yeah," he says, marvelling at it. "Yeah, I think so. Zi-O took the Joker powers. I think... I think we're done."

[triggerhappytraitor]

There's a deep tension that is slowly starting to leach out of Tachibana's frame. "I'm glad."

Reaching out, he put a hand lightly on Kenzaki's shoulder. "You'll stay, right? Since you don't need to keep your distance any longer."

[kenzaki]

He looks so exhausted.

Kenzaki nods slowly. It's strange as anything being back here. He's fought here before, right?

"I guess I don't, yeah. I'll find somewhere to stay. I've been working, here and there. How about you? I tried calling you all a few years back but I couldn't... couldn't do it."

[triggerhappytraitor]

There was a soft, sympathetic smile on Tachibana's face at that admittance. "I kept the same number, if you can believe it. Just in case you did try. Also kept your salary being paid out, like it should have been before hand. Karasuma and I made sure your name was always on the roster, just in case. Can finally get you that company dorm, like they didn't have room for when you first signed on, huh?" he joked lightly.

[chalicejoker]

Woah, woah, wait, what, WAIT WHAT. That's been a rough summary of Hajime's thoughts ever since his blood turned red, really. Joker's been sealed, Amane is there, Kenzaki is there, and everything seems to have wrapped up and he's still confused as hell on some level, and there's...a phone number being shoved into his hand and then Kenzaki's leaving again.

Kenzaki is not going to get very far at all before that phone rings. Hajime can still see him...and Amane seems to understand.

[kenzaki]

It won't be that bad, right?

He gave them space. He let them move on. He... he thinks it's not being arrogant, to assume that they genuinely did miss him, and it'd probably be insulting to act as though they didn't. But he also doesn't want to be so arrogant as to think they couldn't cope without him. He's just one person, after all.

(No matter how much he missed them.)

He grabs his phone out of his pocket, and stares at it blankly. He presses the button. "...hello?"

[chalicejoker]

"Turn around." Because yes, Hajime is just going to stand there on the phone and glare at Kenzaki from a distance.

[kenzaki]

He turns, and can’t not smile to see the pissed off scowl aimed his way. “Hajime.”

It still feels like a gift to even be able to say it. “I, uh, I wanted to give you two some time. Please look after Amane-chan first, okay?”

[chalicejoker]

Look, Hajime's got some emotions about all of this that he needs to process, and he would like to have two of his favorite people there at the same time to do that, thanks.

But the urge to protect Amane is also very strong, and so he goes with, "If you aren't at the Jacaranda in an hour, I will hunt you down." It probably matches the scowl, even if there's something...fond in that irritated tone.

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki wants to stick around him 24/7 right now and not get more than a foot away, but he also wants to run and run and run and not deal with what he can see in Hajime's eyes even from this distance.

He's smart enough to know he needs to do something in between. He's stupid enough to not know what the hell to say in response to that, though he catches the touch of fondness in the words. It's reassuring. Bolsters him. "I'll be there. Promise."

[chalicejoker]

"You better be." Hajime tells himself he's going to relax in that time, just fuss over Amane a bit, and, well, he's just going to be tense while doing all of this.

[kenzaki]

He's not pulled to the other man to fight, fight, fight, until one of them is victorious. He just... wants to see him. No matter how complicated this is going to get.

To his senses, Hajime feels like a normal person.

He doesn't respond verbally, just gives Hajime a small - sincere - salute.

An hour later he's standing outside of Jacaranda. Wondering if he should knock.

[chalicejoker]

Hajime, for his part, is kind of baffled by not feeling anything out of the ordinary. Things seem slower now--or is that just his nerves?--that he's just a normal human. He's not hyper aware of every little possible threat, every human in his vicinity. It's kind of nice, but weirdly quiet, in a way.

Kenzaki might see a moving figure inside the restaurant--Hajime's lost in thought, pacing, and some part of him is still thinking he's just going to sense Kenzaki approaching so he can just go open the door at the perfect moment.

[kenzaki]

Hajime has been a big red dot in his awareness for the last fifteen years. A smaller dot, the further away he's been, but always, always there. Kenzaki's always been aware of him, and moreso if Hajime was particularly upset or agitated over something. But now everything's different.

...ah. There he is. Kenzaki taps on the door apologetically. He could just go inside, right? It's a cafe, it's not like they don't get customers coming in off the street. But it feels like an intrusion.

[chalicejoker]

That door is going to fly open so fast, Kenzaki may very well be in danger of getting whacked by it if he's not fast enough.

And Hajime should...say something...but he's...hold on, let him process things now that Kenzaki's already there, hold on. He'll just...awkwardly stare. Yes.

Smooth.

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki yelps, sort of spasming back in a very elegant way, and doesn't quite get hit. He looks at Hajime, feeling just as awkward.

Then he relaxes into a laugh. Because this is all ridiculous, and he's suddenly so incredibly fond.

"Hi," he says, then he'll gently shove his way past Hajime if Hajime doesn't move his ass.