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(“Hyperparasitism is when a parasite takes a host who is also a parasite.”)
Tregear isn’t a typical Ultraman, to Kirisaki’s understanding.
He knows all about them, by now, after however long they’ve cohabited his body. They share a body, and partially, a mind. They take turns sharing what they know, indirectly and not.
His hand thumbs over some notes he’d taken back when he had a job. Back when he’d had a life.
He wonders if somehow Tregear knew he was a biologist before he chose him, or if it was just a sickening coincidence. They’re similar in a lot of ways, he’s learned.
“It’s interesting, isn’t it? …Life across the universe is so similar sometimes, despite the distance.” He hears his voice say. “I know carcinisation is often given as an example of convergent evolution, but I feel in a larger sense, things resembling Earth’s slugs are quite common.”
"They're quite simple to make, you know."
If Tregear ever left him, he’d be dead soon after. Living off of the diet he has for months, he knows that his only lifeline is the semi-immortality Tregear has achieved.
Similarly, he knows that Tregear isn’t really where his power comes from. Of course, he is an Ultraman, so he isn’t powerless. But he knows that the deep cold he feels in his entire body isn’t power sourced from the land of light.
Tregear, in a sense, has ruined his body. Kirisaki has watched his back contort, fingers twist, jaw unhinge, joints click- and felt no pain. He wonders if Tregear delights in his horror the same way he does that of onlookers. He hurt a lot more before this, ironically. He had headaches daily, with no answer as to why. It’s all numb now. The lack of nosebleeds is nice, too. It is intoxicating, he has to confess, knowing that he’s stronger than most everyone on the planet.
(“Brine shrimp that are infected with the parasitic cestodes survived contact with water tainted with arsenic at higher rates than those uninfected. When a host dies, the parasite dies with it. The longer the host stays alive…”)
Other than that Hiroyuki, of course, that stupid host to that stupid child-
Tregear bites down on one of his chips where it stabs the top of their mouth. Petty. This time, it hurts.
“He’s so warm, isn’t he?” He remarks, a singular hand placed over Taro’s timer.
“It’d be warmer, usually.” The other answers.
The low groaning of Grimdo and the wisps of darkness around him damper the experience, but it’s the best they have.
(“...Some species of Nudibranch have been observed self-amputating to remove parasites.”)
Kirisaki feels the last of both Tregear’s piercing cold and Taro’s warmth leave him. It hurts. More than anything. But he’s alive. Alone. Free. Alive. Alone. Alone. His head lays against asphalt. Scratched. His stomach growls ravenously. He’s…alive. The pain is evidence of that. They all think he’s dead, don’t they?
…Part of him is.
He’s not sure how much he can move. He sees Tregear’s mask on the ground next to him.
He should get up. Destroy it. Shouldn’t he?
His hand reaches out. Every atom of his body hurts like nothing he’s known before. His fingers brush over it, once, twice, and grip it.
Or sit here. Let himself die. He doesn’t have anything to go back to.
But Taro is still out there, isn’t he? Him and his whole land of light, still burning. He can't let that stand.
Kirisaki raises his mask to his face.
(Paratenic hosts are organisms that serve as hosts while a parasite is not fully developed. As opposed to dead-end hosts, a paratenic host can allow transmission to a final host, even though the paratenic host is not necessary to its development.)
