Crossed Fates (OLD)

Chapter 54: Disconnect

After a long while of walking around Città Rovesciata, Luke finally spots Tyler sitting down on a bench by himself. His beige cap is off of his head, and he's looking off into the sea.

Luke: "Tyler! There you are, buddy."

He sits down next to him.

Luke: "Tezuka and Jesse were pretty worried about you, you know."

Tyler: "..."

Luke raises his eyebrow.

Luke: "Tyler?"

Tyler: "Why'd you come looking for me?"

Luke: "Huh?"

Tyler: "I said... Why the hell did you come looking for me?"

He stands up, and he glares at Luke.

Luke: "W-Woah!"

He stands up as well.

Luke: "I was just worried about you myself! Why are you getting so snappy with me?"

Tyler: "..."

Luke shakes his head.

Luke: "You've been awfully weird since we came to Città. Awfully, awfully weird."

Tyler: "...Weird? Weird how?"

Luke: "Well, let's just begin with the random outburst of anger you had."

Tyler clenches his fist.

Tyler: "I..."

Luke: "Listen dude... I'm not judging. Everyone gets angry, but that was... Pretty out of character."

Tyler: "Out of character?! How?!"

Luke puts his finger on his chin.

Luke: "Well... Let's just recap for a moment."

Luke looks over to him.

Luke: "You had an anger outburst when we got to the entrance here. That was out of character. You also had another anger outburst when we signed into that inn..."

Tyler: "T-That's because they're taking so much of my fucking money! It just pissed me off, okay?!"

Luke: "...So why did you agree to keep Kaley?"

Tyler's eyes widen a little, and he starts looking lost in his thoughts.

Luke: "You yourself are angry with the way your money's being taken... So why were you so quick to defend Kaley?"

Tyler: "...I don't know."

Luke: "Come on. Sit back down, dude."

Tyler: "...I don't wanna."

Luke: "Leader's orders."

Tyler: "...Fuck you, man."

He sits down, and he crosses his arms and legs. Luke sits down with nothing crossed.

Luke: "You know me and Toby founded the Peeps, right?"

Tyler: "Yes. He told me."

Luke: "Well... When I met him, I didn't even realise he was a hybrid. His clothes were designed to hide everything about him."

Tyler: "Everything? I-Including the horns, and the arms?"

Luke: "Yeah... It was a little saddening. He called himself a monster when he fully revealed all those things to me."

Tyler: "...He's not a monster. He's a cool guy. Nobody should judge people based off of first impressions..."

He shakes his head.

Tyler: "That dickhead Matthew punched in prison... Heh, he beat me to the punch. I would have socked that stupid cunt in the face for saying that to Toby."

He shakes his head.

Tyler: "Wait, why are you even telling me that about Toby?"

Luke: "Because. You're like Toby in a way."

Tyler: "What..?"

Luke puts a hand on his shoulder.

Luke: "Your resolve's weakened lately. Hasn't it?"

Tyler: "Tch... Don't speak to me about my resolve, you bastard."

Luke shakes his head.

Luke: "It was a yes or no question, Tyler."

Tyler: "...Yes."

Luke: "So... You're struggling to accept yourself?"

Tyler: "I... I am who I am. I am Tyler Glenlamont."

Luke: "Well, that's your name, but can you accept that person under the name?"

Tyler looks over to Luke with furrowed eyebrows.

Tyler: "...What the hell..? Where the hell's this come from!?"

Luke: "As the leader... I want to make sure my team is doing alright physically, mentally, and also emotionally."

Tyler: "Well, I'm fine. I just had a sudden outburst, is all. I'm not fucking questioning myself over an outburst. I'm not bloody stupid."

Luke: "Maybe not, but something's troubling you."

Tyler: "And why should you care?"

Luke: "Because, you're not only my teammate, but you're my friend. You made sure that the rest of us were still training our elements and stuff when we were rebuilding Lusni. You're a great mentor."

Tyler doesn't respond to him.

Luke: "You constantly make sure everyone else is okay, you make sure everyone else is safe. Example A being Kaley, and Example B being us, when you fought Matthew for the first time."

Tyler: "..."

Luke: "You're quite a compassionate person, always caring about others."

He pats his shoulder.

Luke: "But-"

Tyler tears up.

Tyler: "S-Shut up with all this fucking bullshit! I'm just doing this because I was told to!"

He pushes Luke's hand off of his shoulder, and Luke looks at him with shock.

Tyler: "You seriously think I wanted to be a Peep? I'm doing this because Matthew told me to!"

Luke: "...Is that what you really think?"

Tyler: "Y-Yes! I would NEVER have accepted your offer if it wasn't for Matthew! I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING BE A PEEP!"

Luke looks at him with some surprise, and sadness. He closes his eyes and he stands up.

Luke: "Very well then. If you don't want to be a Peep... Then go."

Tyler: "...Huh?"

Luke: "You heard me. You never wanted to be a Peep. You clearly never wanted to be around, so you can go."

Tyler: "..."

Luke: "I'm sure Matthew would understand."

He smiles at Tyler.

Luke: "I remember when we first met you, actually... I'll admit, an Earth element dude sounded absolutely badass to have on the team. But you said you didn't want to join. You didn't want your trust betrayed again."

He sighs.

Luke: "I get you. Trust is something that needs to be earned for you, huh?"

Tyler: "..."

Luke: "Hanako told me a lot about you, you know."

Tyler: "..?"

Luke closes his eyes.

Luke: "You weren't always looking out for others as a kid. In fact, Hanako was the one always looking out for you."

He sits back down on the bench. After a while, Tyler sits down with him.

Tyler: "...I wasn't a normal kid, man."

Luke: "You weren't?"

Tyler: "No. I don't know if you know, but when I was born, I tore through my mother's body brutally, and she died."

Luke: "..."

Tyler: "M-My dad would always hit me... Blame me for her death... Blame me for being a disappointment to him... For ruining his life, his dreams..."

Luke: "Tyler..."

Tyler: "The reason I'm so weak to water... Is because it brings back those memories."

He tears up.

Tyler: "I... I couldn't even speak to him... Or else he would've gotten angry... H-He..."

He clenches his fist.

Tyler: "H-He even... D-Did it in front of his friends..."

Luke: "..."

Tyler: "I... I just learnt to be quiet. That nobody should care how I feel, because I was just... A piece of shit who ruined my dad's future dreams."

Luke: "Tyler...-"

Tyler: "No matter what the hell I did.. It was always the bottle or water element attacks."

He chuckles.

Tyler: "I was going to kill you and Luna back then."

Luke's eyes widen.

Tyler: "But... Something hit me. On my head."

Flashback...

Luna: "NO! PLEASE!!! MERCYYYY!"

Luna, from the pain, begins crying. A teardrop falls onto Tyler.

Tyler: "..!"

He drops Luna, and he falls to his knees.

Tyler: "(This... Feeling...)"

Luke: "Luna..? Are you..?"

Tyler: "(...It hurts.)"

He falls to his hands.

Tyler: "(Dad...)"

Luna: "I'm fine... is he?"

Tyler: "(...Did nothing I ever do ever give you happiness, Dad? Nothing?)"

He closes his eyes, and he recalls a memory.

Tyler: "...I-I-I made a rock statue of you, D-D-Daddy."

His Dad laughs.

Tyler's Dad: "It's shit. Just absolutely shit!"

He opens his palm, and he wraps Tyler around in water, restraining him in the air, causing the rock statue to break.

Tyler's Dad: "Everything you do just makes me hate you more, you know that? Tch... I can never be fucking happy knowing you're around. I can't kill you, or else I'd betray the promise I made with your mother."

He scoffs.

Tyler's Dad: "If I had known that you were coming out of her.. I would've gotten her to abort."

He makes the water throw him against the wall.

Tyler's Dad: "Out of my sight. When you're not around, I'm HAPPY."

Tyler quickly scampers away, crying.

He comes back to his senses.

Tyler: "(...Nothing ever did. Only when I left... Only when you discarded me like... Like dirt... Like trash...)"

He grits his teeth.

Tyler: "(...Just like... How they did.)"

He stops gritting his teeth.

Tyler: "Why... Why would they leave me... I-I did everything for them. So WHY!?"

He notices Luke and Luna staring at him with pity.

Tyler: "(I did so much to appeal to them...)"

He recalls another memory.

2 years ago... In Runcornia...

Larry: "Bizznezz!"

He picks up some gold from the floor.

Tyler: "Damn! That's at least 50,000 gold in that one pile! There's four of us, so how're we-"

Larry: "Well! Since I found it, I'll take 20,000. That fair?"

Tyler: "Fair enough."

Kiyel: "So the rest of us get 10,000? Haha! I'll take it! Money is money!"

Larry: "Hmm... No, because my pretty girlfriend deserves 20,000 gold too."

Klara: "Heehee! Thanks, Larry!"

Larry: "That's just Bizznezz, guys."

Tyler: "You kiddin' me? That isn't fair! You always split it unfairly!"

Larry: "No. I make the rules here. I'm the leader. You shut your mouth. You can have 1,000. Kiyel gets 9,000, the rest of it."

Tyler: "O-Okay."

Larry: "Good boy. Here you go, Kiyel. 9,000 gold."

Kiyel: "Score! More than last time!"

Tyler: "..."

He goes back to reality.

His hands are shaking on the floor.

Luna: "Are you okay... Uh..?"

Tyler: "(These... People...)"

He opens up his eyes.

Tyler: "(...Oh, What the hell... This cave is going to collapse anyways... They'll just leave me here to die... I did attack them, after all... I deserve it...)"

He opens his mouth.

Tyler: "Tyler... Call me Tyler."

Luna: "You're strong."

Tyler: "I... I won't be for long."

Luke: "What do you mean, dude?"

Tyler: "(...I.. need to tell them... I-I can't let them... die... I... need to atone for just attacking them...)"

Back to the present...

Luke: "So... You only really told us your names because you expected us to leave you in that cave after you attacked us?"

Tyler: "Yeah..."

Luke: "...I think I understand you, Tyler."

Tyler: "Huh?"

Luke: "From such a young age... You were treated like nothing. You eventually grew up to feel like you didn't belong. You tried to make people happy, yet they only ever treated you like shit. Your dad... Those... Old friends of yours..."

He shakes his head.

Luke: "You bottled up how you truly felt, so you wouldn't make them upset or angry."

He looks over to Tyler.

Luke: "...You've really reached your limit, haven't you?"

Tyler: "C-Can you fucking blame me!?"

He begins crying.

Tyler: "E-Ever since I met you... I-I've had so much shit on my fucking plate... I-I got infected with Primalurge... I-I had to be strong for Tezuka when she told me everything about her... I-I watched my home town get fucking destroyed, I watched someone I thought as the strongest be entirely fucking helpless, I-I have another fucking person living inside me along with Rin, I watched an alternate version of Tezuka die, and... I got fucking arrested for no reason!"

Luke wraps his arms around Tyler.

Luke: "..."

Tyler: "It's... It's just so unfair!"

Tyler cries for a while, and he eventually wipes his tears.

Luke: "How do you feel..?"

Tyler: "Uck...I don't like crying."

Luke: "...Does it hurt?"

Tyler: "...Of course it does."

Luke shakes his head.

Luke: "I'm sorry, Tyler... I have no idea how that must feel-"

Tyler: "...Thank you, Luke."

Luke: "...Huh?"

Tyler: "It's been a while since somebody has let me do that. Cry, I mean."

Luke: "No problem, man."

Tyler: "...All that shit I said before about leaving the Peeps? Not wanting to be one anymore? Disregard that shit. I'm Sorry."

Luke: "Don't be."

Tyler: "I was... Just so damn frustrated with all this shit happening... It just really got to me."

Luke: "I know... You know, I think you're a very emotional person."

Tyler: "You... You think?"

Luke: "Yeah, but you're held back by bottling everything up. That's your one weakness."

Tyler: "I... Just need to express myself more..."

Luke: "Yeah, exactly. You've got it, man."

Tyler: "...You're one weird dude."

Luke: "What?"

Tyler chuckles.

Tyler: "You always manage to surprise me in some way, Luke. You always do."

Luke: "Is that a good or a bad thing?"

Tyler: "Interpret it your own way."

Luke: "I'll see it as a good thing, then."

Tyler: "You know... Neo's got the power to search through many universes and timelines... Yet, he's never been able to find you in any of them."

Luke: "...Huh."

Tyler: "I-I'm sure it's nothing."

He shakes his head, and he puts his beige cap back on his head.

Luke: "Well... Uh, do you want to tell me anything else?"

Tyler: "...I wish I could've met my real mother."

Luke nods.

Luke: "I don't blame you."

Tyler: "I only see her in pictures."

He pulls out a locket shaped like a sphere, and he opens it. There's a picture of a woman. She's got blonde hair, blue eyes, and she's just overall pretty. There's also a picture of a baby that's probably Tyler.

Luke: "Is that her?"

Tyler: "...Yeah. That's my Mom."

Tyler looks down at his locket.

Tyler: "...Your family. How are they? Have you spoke to them since you started off your journey?"

Luke looks down.

Luke: "My family? E-Err, no. Not at all."

Tyler: "Why not? Are they not nice to you?"

Luke looks up at Tyler, who's also looked at him.

Luke: "What?! They are nice to me.. I just... Haven't had the chance to speak to them."

Tyler: "Do you not have their contacts on your phone?"

Luke: "...No."

Tyler grins.

Tyler: "Oh. A rebellious kid, are we? Don't want to be seen with your family's contacts on your phone?"

He looks down at his locket again.

Tyler: "...I think you should visit them when you get the chance. Family's important."

He frowns.

Tyler: "I must admit... I'm a little envious..."

Luke: "Well, that just makes you human."

Tyler looks up at Luke.

Tyler: "Yeah... I guess it does."

Luke: "...Hey."

He puts his hand on Tyler's shoulder.

Luke: "There's nothing more stronger than letting your emotions show, alright? Don't be disconnected from what your true nature is."

Tyler: "...Right."

He stands up, and Luke follows him.

Luke: "Wanna go back to the inn?"

Tyler: "Nah, not right now... Let's stop somewhere first."

Luke: "Huh? Okay."

Tyler begins walking, and Luke follows him. They eventually reach a music store.

Luke: "...We going in?"

Tyler: "Yeah."

5 minutes later...

Luke and Tyler leave the music store. Luke's currently holding a keyboard.

Luke: "You didn't have to get me this.

Tyler: "It's a thank you present."

Luke: "Sorry if this sounds rude, but why a keyboard in particular? Is there any reason?"

Tyler smiles.

Tyler: "It just suits your whole style. You're a paladin, after all."

Luke: "Maybe, but I meant why particularly a musical instrument?"

Tyler: "Well... Truth be told, I have a dream."

Luke: "Hm?"

Tyler: "...Can I trust you to help me fulfil my dream?"

Luke: "Of course. I'd love to help you out with your dream. You can trust me, dude."

Tyler: "...Good. Okay, so you know how I'm a DJ?"

Luke: "Yeah. You're TMC, why?"

Tyler: "Well, I've always loved being a DJ, but... I had a dream to start a band."

He looks down.

Tyler: "As much as I longed for one, nobody was really interested. They all said it was a stupid idea, that I'd never make it big."

He looks up at Luke.

Tyler: "What do you think?"

Luke: "I think we could make it work someday."

Tyler: "...You really think so?"

Luke: "Hell yeah, dude... I'm just envisioning it now. Toby would definitely suit the drums. 4 hands? That's insane."

Tyler: "Y-You..."

Luke: "Luna would honestly rock that guitar. She'd be amazing at it."

Tyler: "..."

Luke: "Oh, and Liv would be amazing at the trumpet."

Tyler smiles happily.

Tyler: "I... play the bass guitar."

Luke: "Really? I was just thinking you suited the bass guitar. Tezuka would be our singer."

Tyler: "She does have a really good singing voice..."

Luke: "Jesse could play funk guitar."

Tyler: "Funk guitar? Dude... You really are serious about this, aren't you?"

Luke: "Of course I am. You know what? Why don't we just have a day of just playing instruments sometime in the future?"

Tyler: "...Yes. We should. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut not right now."

Luke: "What makes you say that?"

Tyler: "You have a job to do. Protecting this town, taking down the mafia."

He sighs.

Tyler: "I know I said I wasn't fully going to help... But that's just because... Y-You know."

Luke: "I understand you, man."

Tyler: "But if there's anything I can do... Don't hesitate to let me help out, alright? I'm always itching for a brawl."

Luke grins.

Luke: "Hah. You got it, man. But it'll probably just be those guys at the bar and me and Jesse."

Tyler: "Fair enough."

Luke: "Alright... Time to take this keyboard back to the inn..."

Tyler: "One second..."

He runs back into the music store, and 1 minute later, he comes back out with an electric guitar.

Tyler: "Ta-daaa!"

Luke: "Dude! That must've been expensive!"

Tyler: "You won't believe it... I was the 10,000th customer, so I got it for free! Luna better like this."

Luke: "Must be a sign, eh?"

Tyler: "Yeah! That's pure luck, that is! The Peeps are going to take the musical world by storm! Haha!"

He sighs.

Tyler: "Thank you for today Luke. Seriously. I'm gonna try and become a better person. Even if my resolve has weakened... I'll forge my own path, right by your side!"

He beams with a huge smile.

Tyler: "Not only because you're my leader, but because... You're my best friend too. Nothing'll change that. Ya dig?"

Luke: "Tyler..."

Luke nods happily, and together they walk back to the inn, talking about their upcoming future as a potential band someday.