dinohouse | for Joe

yellowlion posting in

I yawn, and turn the page. It's not that late, really. I shouldn't be tired. But the house is unusually quiet and I'm finding it incredibly hard to focus on these reports.

Oh, well. I sip my coffee, then pick up my red pen again and make myself concentrate.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

gibken

The problem is, since Basco's body showed up, since Sid-sempai became miraculously not dead but very much sleeping with Marvelous... things are happening. Memories are coming back. And I'm getting less scared.

I'm starting to get angry.

I've been playing with the little blue and black figurine from Marvelous for at least an hour now. Flipping it open to examine the silvery key shape, flipping it shut again to look at the suit.

It's too much. It's not fair.

I head downstairs, with every intent of simply leaving the house. But Jou is sitting at the table with a pile of reports, and I have to know something right then, while I have him and the memories are clear.

"Who's Gou?"

From:

yellowlion

I mark my place with a finger and look up at Joe absently. "Mm? -oh, Gou? Omura Gou?"

Why's he asking about Gou?

From:

gibken

The name sounds familiar. Right, I remember thinking it was odd that his name was so similar to Jou's.

I probably wasn't supposed to overhear Tetsuya's conversation, but it's too late now.

"Yeah. You... you've never mentioned him before. But he's a friend of yours, right?" My fingers tighten around the little Key in my hand. "From then. When you were Livemen. Properly, I mean. Before these happened." I hold the Key up, and I know Jou has one too, somewhere in the house. Yuusuke and Megumi too. I've seen Junichi and Tetsuya show theirs to Gai. Another thing Jou never told me.

From:

yellowlion

"Haven't I mentioned him?" I ask blankly, but I can believe it. We've told the kids bits and pieces, especially when it was relevant such as when Kemp kidnapped poor Katsumi. But we've never sat them down to tell them everything.

He's holding his key, and he looks incredibly tense. "Before, during, and after, yeah," I say tentatively. "Joe, is everything okay? What's this about?"

From:

gibken

"I'm starting to remember some things." My voice sounds weird. Painful and tight, like my throat doesn't want me to be speaking at all.

"Like when we met before." I tighten my fingers around the Key again. "About how your friends... your friends all died. Like Sid-sempai had to die."

From:

yellowlion

"They didn't all die, though," I say worriedly. I wish I could remember that conversation properly but I only have wisps of it back. "Kemp. Mazenda. Ashura. Vega Baby. A few others," I sigh. "But not Gou, no?"

From:

gibken

That's what I figured. My throat tenses again, but I don't care. I'm sick of feeling helpless.

"No." I think I might be shaking, I'm not sure. "But you didn't tell me that. You were telling me that I couldn't save my friend instead."

From:

yellowlion

"That was a completely different situation," I near snap, getting to my feet. I put the pen down and force myself to straighten the papers before I turn to look at him. My voice is level, because I'm doing my damnedest to stay in control. I've been extra ratty lately, not sleeping great, and I don't want to take it out on him unfairly. However. I don't like being accused. "Joe. Is there something you want to say to me?"

From:

gibken

"How?" I demand. "How was it different. How do you know? How do you know I couldn't save Sid-sempai? I killed him, you know that? I did it, by myself."

He's mad too. I don't care. I want answers, and no one will give them to me. "What about these?" I hold the Key up again. "You have one too, I know you do. Why'd you never tell me about them? Not even after I got this." I shake the little blue one at him, the one that I know is mine, or at least is supposed to be. "Why won't anyone tell me anything, Jou?"

From:

yellowlion

"Because Gou's transformation wasn't stable. He kept reverting back by himself, and he was able to decide to come back to our side emotionally by himself." My fists are clenched. I want to hit something -- not Joe -- or hug Joe, especially at the pain in his voice. But I doubt either would be well received right now.

"I don't -- I don't remember everything about your friend, Joe. I don't remember everything I did. But I remember the results. Too much of him was gone."

I blink at his key. "How exactly is not telling you about that, the same as not telling you anything? You know I can transform. You've seen me!"

From:

gibken

I frown at him, my own fists are clenched, and the angles of the Key in my hand are digging into my palm and fingers.

"How do you know? How did you know anything about him at all? Some schematics on a piece of alien technology you might not have even understood completely?"

I turn away, hanging my head, trying to breathe. "I meant the Key. You need one of these to do it, don't you? You didn't used to, but you do now, and it has something to do with my past, my real past. And I didn't know. I know nothing."

From:

yellowlion

"I don't... don't remember," I admit, hating it, but I'm not about to lie to him about this. "But I wouldn't've told you something I didn't believe! Come ON, Joe, you know me better than that!"

I take a step to him, and lift a hand to put it on his shoulder. But I don't quite connect. I don't think he'd appreciate it right now. "I didn't even remember until recently. You know that. My memories aren't clear. Up till not that long ago I still thought you'd come to us from a foster agency. Joe... don't you trust me at all?"

From:

gibken

"No one seems to remember anything." I growl.

He comes up behind me, too quickly, and I spin around with an arm up to block a strike that I never should have even conceived of happening. Why am I acting this way?

Doesn't matter. I thought he was going to hit me, so I reacted. I knock his arm away and stare into his eyes.

"I don't know who I'm supposed to trust anymore. My parents, whose memories are no better than mine? My supposed pirate crew who want to take me away? Who should I trust, Jou? Who knows anything anymore?"

for Joe

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