Brothers (Part 3)

Chapter 40 - Everything

Musashi: "Jyugo, oof-! And Jinx. I wasn't expecting you'd be here, kid."

Jinx: "Yeah..."

Musashi: "We haven't talked in the basement like this since the tournament, huh, Jyugo? Well, it's not over a transceiver this time, though."

Jyugo: "Ah... yeah... you're right..."

Musashi: "Anyways, have a seat. It might be kinda gloomy in here, but it's no problem once you get used to it."

Jyugo: "... Yeah. Uh- Jinx, where are you going?"

Jinx: "I... I'll just be over here. Don't worry. You two talk..."

I sat on the floor in the corner with my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on your arms.

Jinx: 'I'll be here where I can see you and keep you both safe...'

Jyugo: "...Okay..."

Musashi: "So? You said you wanted to talk about the man with the scar again?"

Jyugo got down on his hands and knees with his forehead to the floor.

Jyugo: "BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, PLEASE LET ME APOLOGIZE!"

Musashi: "Huh?!"

Jyugo: "I... I didn't listen to you properly back then. I didn't understand how you'd suffered, or how you hated those guys or anything else. But... I do now. I... I can't forgive them, either. And I can't forgive myself for being used by them this whole time. I hurt you back then. I remember now... about the day we met... and about how you save me... everything... If I had just listened to you back then- If I had just listened to what you were saying, then I'm sure things wouldn't have turned out that way... and yet, I forgot all about everything until now... I just unconsciously ran away from you. I don't want the same thing to happen again... It's why I'M SORRY!"

Musashi: "...Uhm y'know, I don't mean it the same way as I did back at the tournament, but... are you really the same Jyugo...?"

He put his head up.

Jyugo: "Huh?"

Musashi: "Nah, it's just that I was thinking that you've really changed a lot. You were more like a zombie before, y'know?"

Jyugo: "A zo-..."

Musashi: "When we first met, yeah. Well, I might've been too vague last time we had a chat down here, too. Plus it's not like I really thought you'd understand anyway, since you're an idiot. So there's not really any helping that one."

Jyugo: "Hmph."

Musashi: "You said something about 'being used' a second ago, too. So that means you've come to understand more about your own situation, right?"

Jyugo: "Yeah... I'll tell you the truth about that, too. Elf exists within me."

Musashi: "...!"

Jinx: 'I hate it when you say that, Jyugo... his being may be inside you, but you're still you... that's never going to change... I'll make sure of it...'

Jyugo: "I thought it was weird. Every now and again, I'd suddenly lose consciousness... and completely black out. But it would always happen right when I think 'I'm gonna die.' Whenever I gave up on life or sensed I was about to die, that guy would appear. The two of us are one and the same. Even if I've accepted death, that guy won't allow it. He'll try to survive using every method at his disposal... including me."

Musashi: "Is that why... I felt his presence coming from you back then? In other words, if you die, so will Elf. And Just before death, that guy will appear during the instant when the host goes unconscious and act independent of their will to get rid of whoever's in the way. Well, for the time being I guess you could call it a really troublesome defence mechanism."

Jyugo: "You... aren't surprised?"

Musashi: "I probably would've been way back when. But if you've figured out that much, then you've probably come up with your own solution for it too, right?"

Jyugo: "I dunno if I'd call it a 'solution' or not, but I've at lease kept it in check..."

Musashi: "Then there's no problem. If all you do is doubt yourself, you'll just end up troubled and lost. But if you know the answer and can come up with a solution, then you can handle anything that comes your way. You found an answer all on your own. Isn't that something to be proud of?"

Jyugo: "But... it wasn't on my own. I never could've come up with a way to avoid getting controlled by Elf if it was just me alone. I fought these two at building 5 a while back, Enki Gokuu and Noriko Sanzou... They knew that Elf existed within me, so they targeted me to bring him down. Enki was accused of killing an inmate, and Noriko was targeted by those guys for having superhuman power. They're... just like us."

Musashi: "They were test subjects- no, victims, huh?"

Jyugo: "It looked like they were gonna kill me, but... I think... they weren't seriously trying to. It's true that they might've hated me on some level, but they were strong and... upstanding people. Every time it looked like I was about to lose sight of myself, they'd say 'don't lose sight' and 'stay strong'. Even though they should've hated me, even though they were supposed to kill me, they still said they wanted me to look straight ahead and keep moving forward. That's why I decided that I wouldn't lose my way anymore, and that I'd try to grow stronger. To try and live while holding my head high and confronting my issues. I don't want to have any more regrets... I don't... want to lose anything else... I DON'T WANT THEM TO TAKE ANYTHING MORE FROM ME! If they show up to pick a fight or take something from you guys again, I WON'T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!"

Jinx: 'Jyugo...'

Jyugo: "A lot of people helped me to make it where I am now. So I want to be the one to help out this time. Even if I have to use everything I have, I'll definitely... I'll definitely try to save you guys, so... PLEASE TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THOSE GUYS!"

It'd been a while since I'd seen him so determined.

Musashi: "... I can tell, even without my sight. Those straight forward eyes of yours haven't changed a bit. Everything, huh? It might be alright to talk about it, seeing how you're here now. Okay, I'll tell you everything I know about those guys."