Chizuru Nishiooji
a.k.a. the Rueful Ex-DiplomatAlways be helpful, always smile through anything and everything; that is how the Ex-Diplomat decided to live his life. Despite his mild mannerism, he once desired the blood of the person who brought death to his beloved.
[Find him in Fallen London.] PERSONALITYDespite always doing his best to help people in need, he is still unable to help himself from the guilt gnawing on him. He despises violence and treacheries, yet his life has always been surrounded by them - something he tells himself to accept as a mean for survival.
|
PROFILE
Nickname: Cheese; Chi-chan (by Nagato); the Rueful Ex-Diplomat Addressed As: Sir; Citizen Age: 34 Birthday: September 21 Occupation: Teacher at Sinning Jenny's Finishing School. Closest To: Revolutionaries Species: Human Significant Other: Aleksei; Nagato Konoe (deceased) Family: He would rather not talk about his family back on the Surface, but he wishes to reconcile with a certain cousin. Physical Description: Chestnut eye. Black hair, always slicked back if a little unruly. Slightly taller than average, with a slim waist and broad shoulders. He always looks battered, unusual for a simple teacher. Voice: Gentle and melodic, a perceptive listener may hear the faint traces of melancholy or hesitation in it. Sexuality: Gay. Likes/Dislikes: He loves to help people, simply put - it fulfils him. On the other side, he hates how he has to resort to doing morally vile deeds at times, and especially how he has the aptitude for it. He used to draw his line on killing, but now his hands are.... Strength/Weakness: He cares for others, so much that he often forgets to care for his own self. He also would rather receive a beating than hurting his attacker, if he can't escape. Extra:
|
RELATIONSHIP
|
STORY
Chizuru had never wanted to be the head of the Nishiooji branch of the family. He had always been a pacifist at heart, especially compared to the rest of his family whose ways exhausted him. Yet everyone around him, even his own father, kept pressuring him into it. From his position, he could have asked for any rich or beauty from his family, yet they never let him have the quiet life he wanted more than anything else - his blood was more important than his spirit.
One night, when he and a certain relative had a heated argument about this particular matter, he finally snapped and killed the man in the spur of the moment. His hands stained with blood, he was at lost about what to do. He had never killed anyone before. He knew he can't be forgiven for this, but if he accepted the punishment, he might never be able to see his loved one ever again. When the elders offered to cover up the incident with the condition that he accepts the role prepared for him, he reluctantly agreed to it.
The only thing that kept him together was the support of his beloved Nagato - the cheery smile under the moonlight; the bright voice sparkling like fireflies; oh, everything he was. There was a gap between their status, but that didn't matter when no one expected two men to extend their relationship beyond friendship. Let them laugh, let them laugh.
We will be together, always.
One night, when he and a certain relative had a heated argument about this particular matter, he finally snapped and killed the man in the spur of the moment. His hands stained with blood, he was at lost about what to do. He had never killed anyone before. He knew he can't be forgiven for this, but if he accepted the punishment, he might never be able to see his loved one ever again. When the elders offered to cover up the incident with the condition that he accepts the role prepared for him, he reluctantly agreed to it.
The only thing that kept him together was the support of his beloved Nagato - the cheery smile under the moonlight; the bright voice sparkling like fireflies; oh, everything he was. There was a gap between their status, but that didn't matter when no one expected two men to extend their relationship beyond friendship. Let them laugh, let them laugh.
We will be together, always.
For the last few years, Chizuru had been traveling across Europe. It's to develop relationship with foreign powers, he said, and he was true to his words, but for him it was more than that. He wanted a time away from his family, away from the turmoil that had lasted for thirty years. He missed Nagato so, but he needed the time alone, and was he so glad of how understanding his beloved is.
Everything went well until he descended to London. There he came across someone in the crowd, someone he hadn't heard the whereabouts of for several years, someone he still felt guilt toward. Shiki had changed so much, but the child's resemblance to their mother was unmistakable.
"Leave! Leave! Never show your face in this city again!"
There was so much pain in his voice. Anger. Hatred. Sadness. Shiki would never forgive, and that child had every right for it.
Ah... nothing else to do but return to the Surface, to the land of the sun. He never looked forward to coming home, but when he remembered that his beloved will be waiting, that they will embrace each other and be together again, the thought of home became more bearable.
"I'm sorry, my Lord..."
Those were the first words he heard when he arrived home and asked about Nagato's wellbeing. No. No. Please no. No, no, no, no no no nonononono -
Was this what Shiki felt when he lost his father? Deep and dark and miserable, a black flame engulfing your very being. That was the last straw - he refused to stay as a puppet any longer.
He will find who did this and make them pay. He will. No one will stand in his way. He will go into the depth of the abyss if he has to, and into the abyss he went - to Fallen London, once again.
Everything went well until he descended to London. There he came across someone in the crowd, someone he hadn't heard the whereabouts of for several years, someone he still felt guilt toward. Shiki had changed so much, but the child's resemblance to their mother was unmistakable.
"Leave! Leave! Never show your face in this city again!"
There was so much pain in his voice. Anger. Hatred. Sadness. Shiki would never forgive, and that child had every right for it.
Ah... nothing else to do but return to the Surface, to the land of the sun. He never looked forward to coming home, but when he remembered that his beloved will be waiting, that they will embrace each other and be together again, the thought of home became more bearable.
"I'm sorry, my Lord..."
Those were the first words he heard when he arrived home and asked about Nagato's wellbeing. No. No. Please no. No, no, no, no no no nonononono -
Was this what Shiki felt when he lost his father? Deep and dark and miserable, a black flame engulfing your very being. That was the last straw - he refused to stay as a puppet any longer.
He will find who did this and make them pay. He will. No one will stand in his way. He will go into the depth of the abyss if he has to, and into the abyss he went - to Fallen London, once again.
[This section onwards contains major spoilers for the entirety of Ambition: Nemesis.]
Moving to London on short notice proves to be a difficult affair - there is only so much calling in old favours can do - but Chizuru won't back down. He refuses to back down. It will take time - it has to when the only clues he has are a name and rose petals. So begins his investigation of the trail left behind by Scathewick and adjusting to his new life.
As time passed, it soon grows apparent how between the investigation and his new life, the latter is the more difficult thing for Chizuru. He is used to travels, but not to doing everything by himself. He is used to have servants take care of the house. He is used to the safety net provided by his family. Most importantly, he is used to have someone comfort him at his lowest hours.
Ah, Nagato.
He turns to doing charity works in his spare time, partly to ease his conscience regarding his roots, partly to seek for a human connection akin to what he shared with Nagato. And he tries, again and again, but all comforts he finds are temporary. Perhaps he is not meant to bring change. Perhaps he is not meant to have another of such connection.
And his search for Scathewick continues. A Mumbling Bee-Keeper. A smirking deviless. The Chamber of the Heart. The Cage Garden. A Grand Sanatorium. The Permanent Surgeon. Scathewick is still not within sight.
As time passed, it soon grows apparent how between the investigation and his new life, the latter is the more difficult thing for Chizuru. He is used to travels, but not to doing everything by himself. He is used to have servants take care of the house. He is used to the safety net provided by his family. Most importantly, he is used to have someone comfort him at his lowest hours.
Ah, Nagato.
He turns to doing charity works in his spare time, partly to ease his conscience regarding his roots, partly to seek for a human connection akin to what he shared with Nagato. And he tries, again and again, but all comforts he finds are temporary. Perhaps he is not meant to bring change. Perhaps he is not meant to have another of such connection.
And his search for Scathewick continues. A Mumbling Bee-Keeper. A smirking deviless. The Chamber of the Heart. The Cage Garden. A Grand Sanatorium. The Permanent Surgeon. Scathewick is still not within sight.
(An unknown interlude)
Changing from azure to crimson, the board hails the king-
Changing from azure to crimson, the board hails the king-
They scream, they sob, they beg for your mercy
You are sorry, you said, yet you kept on going, rummaging
You listened to no one but yourself
That is fine, that is how you truly are, what I truly am
You are sorry, you said, yet you kept on going, rummaging
You listened to no one but yourself
That is fine, that is how you truly are, what I truly am
Life goes on even if his investigation isn't making the best progress. A return to the chessboard in desperate attempt to put bread on his table - his hands stained deep red by his empathy for the hatred toward the cycles of the Game. An old friend sent by his family to bring him back to the Surface - he took out one of his own eyes, as an example of what he would do to himself were he forced to go. His cousin knocking on his door to voice a hatred towards him - he can only bargain his life for time until he can finish the business that brought him to this city.
Does he still deserve to live now? A question that has haunted him for as long as he can remember. So powerless, so useless. His ideal is meaningless. The only thing that keeps him together now is his desire to avenge his beloved - the only kind of justice he may still be able to bring in this flawed world.
Another search for the whereabouts of Scathewick. Favours with the anarchists. A Dreaming Scholar. The three sisters. The Iron Republic. A stone tentacle-key and a portfolio of souls. At last, at last: Scathewick.
The meeting isn't what Chizuru imagined it to be. Here is Scathewick: dirty, emaciated, resigned to his fate - Chizuru almost feels a kinship with the ragged man. "Finally found me, then?" says Scathewick. "My contract complete at last. We have a little time to talk before... before business."
There is a mastermind behind the murder; a party who paid Scathewick to kill Nagato and six others. Chizuru expected as much, but who was it? Someone from his family, attempting to push him into a political marriage? A foreign power, desiring to throw one of the Empire's intelligence agents off-balance? That Scathewick doesn't know, for it was an anonymous transaction - drop boxes and urchins and couriers. He has written down all he remembers of the transaction, inside the envelope on the table between them. Beside the envelope, lies the knife that claimed seven lives.
Red droplets stain the envelope. The floor. The coat that Chizuru wears. His hands are gloved in red once more. A pair of devils outside the cell applauded. It is done. How long has Chizuru pursued him? Who has he become? Scathewick's expression in death is peaceful. His struggles are over. Chizuru's are not.
There is a mastermind behind the murder; a party who paid Scathewick to kill Nagato and six others. Chizuru expected as much, but who was it? Someone from his family, attempting to push him into a political marriage? A foreign power, desiring to throw one of the Empire's intelligence agents off-balance? That Scathewick doesn't know, for it was an anonymous transaction - drop boxes and urchins and couriers. He has written down all he remembers of the transaction, inside the envelope on the table between them. Beside the envelope, lies the knife that claimed seven lives.
Red droplets stain the envelope. The floor. The coat that Chizuru wears. His hands are gloved in red once more. A pair of devils outside the cell applauded. It is done. How long has Chizuru pursued him? Who has he become? Scathewick's expression in death is peaceful. His struggles are over. Chizuru's are not.
A return to London, a return to another series of investigations. No time to waste now. Cumberbold and Gloriana. The Mute and the Purveyor of Names. NEROFT and a crisp Echo. And finally, a crude attempt at Correspondence sigil: 'A thing which is empty, whose purpose is to be filled.'
The pieces fall into place. Chizuru takes a step back. A dozen of heartbeats pass. It wasn't an overzealous insider or an enemy of the Empire as he expected. No, his enemy is something else, closer, peculiar. He walks away from his desk to the window - the obsidian spires of the Bazaar glimmer with strange lights in the distance. His enemies, Mirrors and Cups, reside in those spires.
Chizuru dons his coat again and makes his way toward the Bazaar. He has learned from his anarchist contacts about the quirks of the seven doors of the Bazaar. The Copper Door opens to tales of blood and peril; he isn't short of such tales. In he goes, toward the perilous depths, to learn about his targets. That moment he learns that Mirrors and Cups are one and the same. That it has regular appointments with a certain 'Lilac'.
Creak. Click. Click. Click. Someone is coming. Leave, before they notice. He flees, but his heart isn't still. So close, his vengeance is so close now. Ah, should he gamble another go into the Bazaar? His hand trembles holding the knife he took from Scathewick. How he wishes to sink it into the flesh of the Master. How he-
"Chizuru-han," a voice calls to him, "please don't be reckless now."
Oh, that is right. He can take his time to learn about his enemy now. After all, in this city there is no greater power than the Masters of the Bazaar. Cups is the mastermind behind this for sure. He doesn't have to give chase so desperately now. His target is across the board, within sight and within range. That is right....
The pieces fall into place. Chizuru takes a step back. A dozen of heartbeats pass. It wasn't an overzealous insider or an enemy of the Empire as he expected. No, his enemy is something else, closer, peculiar. He walks away from his desk to the window - the obsidian spires of the Bazaar glimmer with strange lights in the distance. His enemies, Mirrors and Cups, reside in those spires.
Chizuru dons his coat again and makes his way toward the Bazaar. He has learned from his anarchist contacts about the quirks of the seven doors of the Bazaar. The Copper Door opens to tales of blood and peril; he isn't short of such tales. In he goes, toward the perilous depths, to learn about his targets. That moment he learns that Mirrors and Cups are one and the same. That it has regular appointments with a certain 'Lilac'.
Creak. Click. Click. Click. Someone is coming. Leave, before they notice. He flees, but his heart isn't still. So close, his vengeance is so close now. Ah, should he gamble another go into the Bazaar? His hand trembles holding the knife he took from Scathewick. How he wishes to sink it into the flesh of the Master. How he-
"Chizuru-han," a voice calls to him, "please don't be reckless now."
Oh, that is right. He can take his time to learn about his enemy now. After all, in this city there is no greater power than the Masters of the Bazaar. Cups is the mastermind behind this for sure. He doesn't have to give chase so desperately now. His target is across the board, within sight and within range. That is right....
Months passes, and Chizuru hears nothing, sees nothing of his target. Time to take the initiative. But he can't simply walk into the Bazaar now, as they must have heightened their security since he left in a haste. He turns towards the other clue he learned: Lilac. It's not the right season now, but perhaps if he can collect enough love stories, it will attract her attention. He spends some time toward-
He awakes in an irrigo haze, with a gap in his memory and his tongue branded. D__n. Perhaps he should have listened to Aleksei - you can't trust anyone working with irrigo. Left with no other choice, he works toward recovering his lost memories, the way to reach Cups that he learned from Lilac...
At that moment he realises: he should chronicle his path so far, so somebody else may finish what he started should the worst happen to him. Of course, he intends to finish this with his own hands, but one cannot be too sure. For safety, his story will be cloaked in truths and lies, violant and irrigo, according to the tradition of the Mithridate Office. He will entrust the book to Aleksei, an old friend, aware of his bloody history.
Now, to gather the things needed to enact his revenge. The difficulty in finding information about the mirror shard turns out to be only the beginning, as he almost went bankrupt to find the shard itself - he doesn't want to look at another skyglass or ravenglass knife for a while. Much to his discomfort, he has to resort to sending his spiders to scout the Bazaar in his place and put the shard in place. Camellia don't seem to mind, but he knows that it slowed down their growth. But at last, a certain mirror is whole again, and his entryway into the Master's chamber is ready.
Finding a murder weapon is more complicated; as much as he would like to kill Cups with the knife that took Nagato's life, the Masters are notoriously difficult to kill with mundane methods - creativity is needed. He calls upon his contacts once again. Soon enough, he is contacted by February with a stern message to urge him to stop as killing one won't be enough. Well then. Sensible, but sensibility isn't in Chizuru's consideration right now. Thankfully the Blackwoods passed to him rumours from Mahogany Hall, of a midnight honey that can erase a person from existence - a complete disappearance, not merely a distinction of Is or Is Not. They gave him scraps of an address for a certain gathering. Not all of his anarchist contacts are useless after all.
The address he got leads him back to a familiar place: the Cage Garden. Not only that, he rccognises some familiar faces too this time - there sits a tomb colonist he chatted with at Venderbight, then the anarchist that told him about the Iron Republic, the auctioneer from whom he learned about the mirror shard....
Could it be that they are here because of him? Will the same happen to everyone else around him? And what about himself? Will he join them too? No. There is no time to hesitate. He cannot fail now.
And acquire the midnight honey he did. He also received the antidote from the same address that led him to the Cage Garden. A few days later, he has trapped the local population of rats to test both the honey and antidote - it worked. It worked, but he still needs to be sure if it will work on a creature larger than a brick. His mind wanders, trying to come up with a suitable candidate for the experiment. He ingests the honey and antidote.
He awakes in an irrigo haze, with a gap in his memory and his tongue branded. D__n. Perhaps he should have listened to Aleksei - you can't trust anyone working with irrigo. Left with no other choice, he works toward recovering his lost memories, the way to reach Cups that he learned from Lilac...
At that moment he realises: he should chronicle his path so far, so somebody else may finish what he started should the worst happen to him. Of course, he intends to finish this with his own hands, but one cannot be too sure. For safety, his story will be cloaked in truths and lies, violant and irrigo, according to the tradition of the Mithridate Office. He will entrust the book to Aleksei, an old friend, aware of his bloody history.
Now, to gather the things needed to enact his revenge. The difficulty in finding information about the mirror shard turns out to be only the beginning, as he almost went bankrupt to find the shard itself - he doesn't want to look at another skyglass or ravenglass knife for a while. Much to his discomfort, he has to resort to sending his spiders to scout the Bazaar in his place and put the shard in place. Camellia don't seem to mind, but he knows that it slowed down their growth. But at last, a certain mirror is whole again, and his entryway into the Master's chamber is ready.
Finding a murder weapon is more complicated; as much as he would like to kill Cups with the knife that took Nagato's life, the Masters are notoriously difficult to kill with mundane methods - creativity is needed. He calls upon his contacts once again. Soon enough, he is contacted by February with a stern message to urge him to stop as killing one won't be enough. Well then. Sensible, but sensibility isn't in Chizuru's consideration right now. Thankfully the Blackwoods passed to him rumours from Mahogany Hall, of a midnight honey that can erase a person from existence - a complete disappearance, not merely a distinction of Is or Is Not. They gave him scraps of an address for a certain gathering. Not all of his anarchist contacts are useless after all.
The address he got leads him back to a familiar place: the Cage Garden. Not only that, he rccognises some familiar faces too this time - there sits a tomb colonist he chatted with at Venderbight, then the anarchist that told him about the Iron Republic, the auctioneer from whom he learned about the mirror shard....
Could it be that they are here because of him? Will the same happen to everyone else around him? And what about himself? Will he join them too? No. There is no time to hesitate. He cannot fail now.
And acquire the midnight honey he did. He also received the antidote from the same address that led him to the Cage Garden. A few days later, he has trapped the local population of rats to test both the honey and antidote - it worked. It worked, but he still needs to be sure if it will work on a creature larger than a brick. His mind wanders, trying to come up with a suitable candidate for the experiment. He ingests the honey and antidote.
(An unknown interlude)
Changing from azure to crimson, the board hails the king-
Changing from azure to crimson, the board hails the king-
They scream, they sob, they beg for your mercy
There is no time to listen, only to save yourself
This is what you could have been, what I should have been
Allecto, Megarea, Tisiphone
Our impulse keeps us awake, and now we shall carry theirs as well
There is no time to listen, only to save yourself
This is what you could have been, what I should have been
Allecto, Megarea, Tisiphone
Our impulse keeps us awake, and now we shall carry theirs as well
Once again, Chizuru wakes up in a daze. He feels like he just had a terrible dream of being buried alive, about being lost and trapped with those that rot. In that dream, he met the court of six revengers that came before him, whose hopes and dreams were stolen by Cups as well. He bargained for their assistance in escaping from the dreams of the dead, offering to finish what they couldn't, and here he is now. But has he always had such a crimson smile? It came to him so naturally - a discomforting thought.
He gets back on his feet to prepare for the next step. His vision sways. His body feels cold. There is a loud thud, someone calling his name, and his consciousness fades once more.
"Please don't die. Return safely. Don't hurt yourself anymore, Chizuru-han."
Desperate words spoken in Chizuru's mother tongue. Chizuru pretended not to look, but he knew, the man sitting beside his bed has fallen in love with him. Aleksei could have left after calling the doctor for him, but chose to stay instead, risking missing the ship scheduled for the Cumaean Canal - the ticking clock which decides Aleksei's life and death. That wasn't the response of a mere friend. And Chizuru, despite desiring this connection, doesn't know how to response to it now.
The truth is Chizuru has thought of following Nagato beyond the river after finishing his business with Cups. His cousin desires for it too, and it would only be deserved. After staying in the Neath for this long, sunlight would be the surest way to die for him, and Aleksei's duty to bring him back to his family would be a good cover to make it appear natural. Aleksei, despite everything, is an agent who brings results for his master.
He thought he wouldn't hear that plea from Aleksei. No, he wished that he wouldn't. Things would have been simpler if he didn't.
Spies should not be defined by a relationship outside of their respective roles. He thought he had learned that from what happened to Nagato, but now he finds himself with the thought of accepting Aleksei into his life as he did for Nagato. Is his heart trembling from fear or happiness? Chizuru can't tell.
"You're beautiful when you're desperately chasing something, I love that about you. But you oughta care for yourself too! You deserve to be happy too, Chi-chan."
Is this really fine, Nagato? To have another chance?
Desperate words spoken in Chizuru's mother tongue. Chizuru pretended not to look, but he knew, the man sitting beside his bed has fallen in love with him. Aleksei could have left after calling the doctor for him, but chose to stay instead, risking missing the ship scheduled for the Cumaean Canal - the ticking clock which decides Aleksei's life and death. That wasn't the response of a mere friend. And Chizuru, despite desiring this connection, doesn't know how to response to it now.
The truth is Chizuru has thought of following Nagato beyond the river after finishing his business with Cups. His cousin desires for it too, and it would only be deserved. After staying in the Neath for this long, sunlight would be the surest way to die for him, and Aleksei's duty to bring him back to his family would be a good cover to make it appear natural. Aleksei, despite everything, is an agent who brings results for his master.
He thought he wouldn't hear that plea from Aleksei. No, he wished that he wouldn't. Things would have been simpler if he didn't.
Spies should not be defined by a relationship outside of their respective roles. He thought he had learned that from what happened to Nagato, but now he finds himself with the thought of accepting Aleksei into his life as he did for Nagato. Is his heart trembling from fear or happiness? Chizuru can't tell.
"You're beautiful when you're desperately chasing something, I love that about you. But you oughta care for yourself too! You deserve to be happy too, Chi-chan."
Is this really fine, Nagato? To have another chance?
The board is set; it's time for Chizuru to return to the Bazaar, but this time, he will take a detour through Parabola. Along the Writhing River, beyond the jungles, into a starlit moor... if he can get through this moor, he will be able to find the Grave of Mirrors, where his door into Cups' chamber lies - that is what a certain tiny serpent told him.
He bargained, he nearly lost his memories of his lost beloved, he persisted. He circled around the moor, and at last only Mr Mirrors - spiteful and miserable - stands between him and the Grave.
Now, he had thought that Mirrors and Cups were one and the same, but evidently he was slightly mistaken. They weren't always so, and he doesn't know which of them hatched the plan to kill Nagato and six others. The creature has nothing to say to him about the matter. Inconclusive. Perhaps they were even both complicit. It is a good thing that he had the foresight to prepare the midnight honey in several vials.
It was too easy, like plucking a withering leaf. With its death, the starlit moor too lost its form, and the wilderness of Parabola rushed in to take its place. The Claiming Wind raged, but he barely managed to escape it - it can't follow him into the Grave of Mirrors.
There are hundreds, no, perhaps thousands or even millions of mirrors here. He almost thought he wouldn't find the correct mirror, that everything was in vain, but there he found it, dark as ravenglass. Wasting no more time, he steps through it.
He bargained, he nearly lost his memories of his lost beloved, he persisted. He circled around the moor, and at last only Mr Mirrors - spiteful and miserable - stands between him and the Grave.
Now, he had thought that Mirrors and Cups were one and the same, but evidently he was slightly mistaken. They weren't always so, and he doesn't know which of them hatched the plan to kill Nagato and six others. The creature has nothing to say to him about the matter. Inconclusive. Perhaps they were even both complicit. It is a good thing that he had the foresight to prepare the midnight honey in several vials.
It was too easy, like plucking a withering leaf. With its death, the starlit moor too lost its form, and the wilderness of Parabola rushed in to take its place. The Claiming Wind raged, but he barely managed to escape it - it can't follow him into the Grave of Mirrors.
There are hundreds, no, perhaps thousands or even millions of mirrors here. He almost thought he wouldn't find the correct mirror, that everything was in vain, but there he found it, dark as ravenglass. Wasting no more time, he steps through it.
"I will not render you the disrespect of an apology."
Cups grovels at his feet now, blinking in and out of existence, scarred by vengeful ghosts and ridden by grave-worms. Chizuru gave it a drop of antidote to keep it anchored in this world for a little longer, and this is what he got? It was the right thing for it to say. Cups, perhaps, had a point. His impulse - his desire for revenge has kept him going for this long, after all. And now Cups has reaped what it sowed. Does it feel remorse? No, it said. Filth.
"Spare me. I can bring them back." It chokes on a lungful of earth. "The one you lost - I can bring them back!"
Time stops at that moment for Chizuru as an image fills his mind: Nagato, under a gentle moonlight, inviting him to escape from their families, their life, everything. He didn't have the courage to take that invitation then - does he now?
No, remember what you came here for. Cups doesn't deserve to life. Remember that Nagato wasn't the only life it took. Remember the hatred of those you met in the dreams of the dead. Remember your hatred.
What would Nagato think of him now? His hands are drenched red in blood and hatred. He can't meet Nagato again like this. He is no longer the same 'Chi-chan' that Nagato loved.
Time moves once more as Chizuru pours the antidote just out of the Master's reach. Cups wails, struggles, but too late, too late. The six revengers will have a grand time with it now.
As for the seventh revenger, it's time for him to make his escape. He takes one of the robes from the wall - too big for him, but it will do. The robe is rimmed with eternal frost, and now it has caught the blood and grave-earth from the floor where its previous owner was too. For one last time, he looks into the now empty room, and with a crimson smile he whispers: farewell, Mr Cups.
Cups grovels at his feet now, blinking in and out of existence, scarred by vengeful ghosts and ridden by grave-worms. Chizuru gave it a drop of antidote to keep it anchored in this world for a little longer, and this is what he got? It was the right thing for it to say. Cups, perhaps, had a point. His impulse - his desire for revenge has kept him going for this long, after all. And now Cups has reaped what it sowed. Does it feel remorse? No, it said. Filth.
"Spare me. I can bring them back." It chokes on a lungful of earth. "The one you lost - I can bring them back!"
Time stops at that moment for Chizuru as an image fills his mind: Nagato, under a gentle moonlight, inviting him to escape from their families, their life, everything. He didn't have the courage to take that invitation then - does he now?
No, remember what you came here for. Cups doesn't deserve to life. Remember that Nagato wasn't the only life it took. Remember the hatred of those you met in the dreams of the dead. Remember your hatred.
What would Nagato think of him now? His hands are drenched red in blood and hatred. He can't meet Nagato again like this. He is no longer the same 'Chi-chan' that Nagato loved.
Time moves once more as Chizuru pours the antidote just out of the Master's reach. Cups wails, struggles, but too late, too late. The six revengers will have a grand time with it now.
As for the seventh revenger, it's time for him to make his escape. He takes one of the robes from the wall - too big for him, but it will do. The robe is rimmed with eternal frost, and now it has caught the blood and grave-earth from the floor where its previous owner was too. For one last time, he looks into the now empty room, and with a crimson smile he whispers: farewell, Mr Cups.