justonetruth | (no subject)

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[Toichi was not one to often seem like he was taken off guard. Even when he was, it was amazing how he kept most people from realizing it. This situation he's found himself in, however?

Well, even the great Kuroba Toichi has to have a bit of a 'bwuh' look at finding himself suddenly in a dining hall when he had been just walking into the kitchen. And quite the expansive dining hall at that with all the food prepared.

Sure, he could pull off a disappearing act, but he usually knew where he was going to end up.]

How...strange.

[Oh, and something to note? This Toichi looks...older then some people might know him as. At least eight years older than most Kaito's would remember him, in fact.]

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Can't and don't wan't to.

[He's not moving, though. And a person's position can be told from where their voice is most often heard from.]

((ooc: now I'm feeling real guilty...))

[Frowns.] Kaito, what's wrong?

[The voice is coming in front of him, but that's just him throwing his voice to mislead him, surely? However, he needed to find him because something was clearly wrong.

Too bad his search made him step right through Kaito, gasping at the sudden shock of cold.]

((OOC: I can't talk. I made him for the baw from Kaito's. >_> ))

[He was just about to try and figure out something to say, when-]

ACKK! YEEK, dad, watch where you're - I mean - oh, DAMN it, this is just so wrong...

[Steps back and now he's...quite confused. He just saw Kaito in the hall five minutes before he arrived in this place. And now...

It was something even beyond his own comphrension. At least what he knew so far.]

What's going on?

[For a moment? All quiet on the Kaito front.]

Heh ha... What's going on? I... guess I'm the first person you've met here, right?

[Break it to the man gently, Kuroba. You do NOT want to break Dad's brain.]

[There is no way to break it to him gently. Just like it was probably impossible to break it to Kaito gently.]

Yes. I was just about to go eat the dinner your mother lovingly prepared and I walked into this room.

Oh.

[Kaito knows that, sort of. But then again he also lives on a (rather unhealthy) dose of Poker Face and denial a day.]

I... well, this is lovely. [Aaand, there is sarcasm.]

You might or might not find this hard to believe, but we're in a... uh, mixing pot of realities. Lots of, uh, different versions of us.

[He's going slowly. And hopefully the next Kaito he meets will be alive, dammit.]

A mixing pot of reality? Hm, perhaps I shouldn't have angered that witch doctor.

[Ponders this a moment. And then a rather...grim thought enters his mind.]

How did you achieve the cold spot?

Yep. More or less. Um, witch doctor...?

. . .

I. Ah. Um. It's not exactly something I do on... purpose?

And different versions? So it's like a story, the kind with evil twins from parallel universe and all that?

You know, the one who was supposedly immortal. I told you about it. [It was a possible lead.]

...

Kaito...was that an impression? [And that was poker face because he doesn't want it to be true. More than anything, he doesn't want it to be true.]

Kind of like. I've seen two Aokos already, and neither of them're the one I know. I haven't met any evil twins yet, though.

...And no, I haven't heard about that. You. Uh. Cou- Didn't tell me.

no

Two Aoko-chan's? At least the evil twin cliche might be avoided then.

Of course I told you. You insist I tell you about all the heists you don't manage to sneak along for.

[And that? That would be a very stony look. The fact he doesn't know HOW to react may be testament to how much he wished Kaito had said yes.]

Well, neither of them seemed evil.

Dad, I. Where I'm from- [deeep unnecessary breath] -I never have to sneak. I... I'm the one who does, uh the heists. Did.

[Doesn't know how to deal with stony face. Knows just how much he wishes he could've said yes. He felt it the exact same way just after he died, and while he was explaining to Hakuba. And then to Aoko. And then to Shinichi. Every. Single. Time.]

[There's...too much he's already been told that he can't quite think about the implications of Kaito heisting. Really, that wasn't important. Not in light of this.]

...why can I hear you? [Because he never saw ghosts before and he's desperately hoping Kaito is being tactless with his joking.]

Apart from the fact that you're my dad and if anyone knew me so well it'd be you? This place. Everyone can apparently see everyone, no matter what the usual status quo.

And, erm...

[Slowly, ever so slowly, at first faint but getting less so, he fades into the visual spectrum. Not. Saying. A Word.]

[And that? That was a definite crack as Toichi looked at Kaito and the pain and sadness showed. His son was a ghost. The evidence didn't lie and good Kaito may be, he couldn't pull off something like this.

Which meant his son...was dead.]

I... [Match cracked Poker Face for cracked Poker Face. They're like mirrors at the moment.]

If it's any consolation, I think I'm the only me like, um. This. I haven't heard of any.. other.. [He trails off as he realises he's Not Helping.]

Just one...is enough. [A parent never wants to see their child dead. And so young just hurt all the more. Especially when he had just seen Kaito alive and well, even if he was fuming about 'annoying mop wielding demons.']

Y-yeah. I agree. More than enough.

[A shuddering breath, more for his feeling like he needed it than actually.. needing it.]

What happened? [He needed to know. Whatever it was...he just needed to know what happened to him.]

I... [Attempting to get some semblance of Poker Face back together again in front of dad isn't as easy as he'd wish it was. But he needs it, just to talk about this with him at all.

And then he remembers he doesn't have to say anything, and it's going to hurt this time, but at least it's going to be a good, clean sort of hurt, rather than the long, drawn out sort. Right? He hopes.

A dramatic snap of the fingers later, and he's Kid. And, like always, a tiny bit more distanced from things. Not by much, but enough.]

While I was like this. The rules got broken. There was no one else, but this was far more than enough.

[The first thought he thought he actually went with the doppleganger idea. Which would be fun, having two or maybe even three Kid's around if Jii was up to it, but...

This was something more. He could tell. There was a seriousness about the rules that Kaito had here that he didn't have at home.

A deeper understanding. One he might have gotten later, but he had a feeling that it might not be the case.]

...you weren't assisting me, were you? You were center stage.

...Bingo. Got it in one. I- [Even Kid's Poker Face has to fail sometimes, even if it's only the slightest crack - and Kaito has been switching between only the two sets of clothes so long among people that knew him so well that it's easier than it should be.] -was the Kaitou Kid for around two years. Give or take. [A white-gloved hand motions to illustrate that point.]

[And with Kaito's apparent age....]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave that burden on you.

[And there are just some things poker face can do very little. It kept him from breaking down, but the pain was obvious. His son, dead because of his own failure.]

[And the hat's off, one of Kaito's hands trawling through it, frustration letting itself show by an act voluntary instead of not.]

NO. Don't - don't be like that. I - it was my choice to make.

[He's far too used to how he thinks to not recognise the opposite of survivor's guilt - the guilt of those who had left everyone else behind. He didn't need to breathe, but the motions were human and kept him feeling as though he had a place among the ones he existed among.]

I... [But he doesn't quite know what else to say. He shrugs, and purposefully puts Kid's hat down onto a clear space on the table before claiming the adjacent seat.

For a few moments, he's simply still there, letting himself calm down and compose himself and think, something that doesn't have anything really to do with Poker Face but all to do with himself and all that he's learnt since then. When he's done, he looks up with an openly somewhat brittle smile.]

If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that for me especially more than anyone else, I've got to focus on what's in front of me. If I didn't, I'd be damn useless to everyone back home who ... who's counting on me. The ones who know me like this. And right now, I...

[Another deep breath, and he stands up again properly. Head tilted to one side with that brittle smile still on his face, and it's real. For maybe the first time right now, it's real.]

I'd ... if you don't mind - I'd like to get to know you. How things were different. Anything.

[There's a sort of desperation in his eyes. Poker Face didn't shatter... it was taken off momentarily by hand. He's learnt the hard way that it's sometimes the best way.]

keywords apply TT_TT

Poor Kaito.

Re: Poor Kaito.

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...there are no icons for what he's feeling.

And this icon here is not really adequate.

There really are no icons for them in this scenario.

And yet my keywords fit so well.

That they do.

I meant metaphorically, not just literally.

Always good to get both.

Re: Always good to get both.

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Just like the icon.

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