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Progress is many things, but the both of them at the photo studio in the light of day is somewhere in there. Tsukasa is admittedly still tired from the fight, yesterday, which is what had caused them to end up here in the first place.
It was… it was nice to fight with Daiki again, for once. Even if it had been hard. And… well, they’d bumped into each other a few times, trying to overprotect. That was probably because… because…
Well, Tsukasa doesn’t want to go there when it’s more interesting to watch Daiki mess with his newest treasure. Some sort of henshin device. Not for a Rider, this world has different heroes…
“How many of your junk have you actually used?” Tsukasa asks, not sure why the words leave his mouth. Daiki looks up at him and blinks.
“Oh right,” he says. “You’re here.”
Tsukasa hmms.
“ We’re here,” he says. “We’re here .”
Daiki laughs, slightly less if something hurting and more of something relieved than Tsukasa has heard in… years. A long forgotten sound.
“Right right,” Daiki says. “Yeah.”
His face falls. Tsukasa watches where his eyes go and sees a photo of Daiki and… and them.
“He died before,” Daiki says. “So did you. Why… why can’t we bring them back?”
Tsukasa pulls himself to sitting. This is… this is…
“I almost tried,” he says. “I almost tried to use…”
He shakes his head. He can’t say the rest. It had been a desperate move, and he’d felt so alone , And he’d thought “they deserve life more than me.”
Violent Emotion was something horrible and strange nestled under his skin that brought things to sharp focus as he fought. That terrified him in retrospect because he could easily have let himself be swept up in it until he was himself destroyed.
(But then, wouldn’t that only be speeding up a process he can already see slowly tearing apart his soul?)
He also remembers knowing he could fix things when it came to an end.
But he couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t accept a return to nonexistence if they came back with the guilt of his actions. Doesn’t want to think of how many people will suffer as he springs it all back in place. Violent Emotion doesn’t let him stop fighting, and the World of Heroes is forever holding together by a miracle.
And this isn’t the only thing he’d thought of. He’d thought of the powers of the Amadam but that had been turned to something rotten inside of Yuusuke corpse. That Natsumi was less than human. Options, some that would even cost him his own life.
“You know,” he says. “They’re too tied to me. I can’t even reach them through time.”
Daiki huffs.
“Wish I could have tried that but the veils only seem to work like that for you, now,” he says. “Would have been worth getting caught up with some sect of the time police again, but… Tsukasa…”
Tsukasa tilts his head, just slightly. Daiki knows it for the question it is. Daiki had been…
Well, he’d known Tsukasa through it all.
“That attack was headed for me,” Daiki says. “I was aiming a shot, and he caught me, and Yuusuke…”
…Kuuga had taken that horrible, sickly attack right as Yuusuke had taken an AttackRide. Oh.
“That why you did what you did, the other day?” Tsukasa asks. Daiki looks away. It’s answer enough.
The silence has gone from comforting to heavy in a moment. This might be where their egos clash, perhaps where Natsumi or Yuusuke needed to step in. Or perhaps where they would fight until they were out of words to say.
Instead, silence reigns.
(It really is progress.)
“There’s a lot of treasures in the Worlds, you know,” Daiki says. “How much of my “junk” would even matter, if it were for getting back the greatest treasures of all?”
“I’m here to get in your way,” Tsukasa responds simply. It’s a joke, and Daiki does laugh at that, but there’s an element of truth that Tsukasa isn’t fully prepared to address.
But Daiki is Daiki, he’ll always be a thief. Tsukasa understands. Tsukasa will always be a Rider and a traveler.
“I wouldn’t stop you,” Tsukasa finally settles on, words too small for the concept. “I don’t see your thievery as worth my attention. Or, generally, that much of a problem.”
Daiki shakes his head.
“I bear my heart to you and this is what I get, of course,” he says. “You know sometimes, Tsukasa, you can effortlessly be a total asshole.”
Tsukasa… is silent, after that one. He’s never been particularly skilled at outright apology. Or comfortable with it.
“How safe do you think a treasure like that could be made?” He asks, instead. “You aren’t the type to run towards danger.”
“And you aren’t the type to care,” Daiki snarks back. “There are a lot of worlds out there that I haven’t ransacked and you haven’t saved.”
They’re at an impasse in this, Tsukasa supposes, despite both wanting the same thing.
“I would be happy to revive them,” he finally says. “But, like I said, I…” I miss you. “I couldn’t lose you too.”
(He doesn’t say how much, doesn’t say it would likely kill him, but he doesn’t not think of that small fact, either.)
Daiki huffs.
“Guess that’s enough for me, somehow,” he says, but he’s smiling, just slightly. Moving to standing, he adds “I’ll be going, then. See you around.”
Tsukasa looks up, not quite ready to go, himself.
“Be careful, Kaitou,” he says.
“I didn’t get this far any other way,” Daiki replies. Tsukasa smiles, just a little.
It could be better, of course it could. But the Worlds are not that kind.
He’ll take this progress, for now. And maybe he’ll let himself hope, let himself believe in Daiki.
Maybe things will get better.