route_1065 | Just got to chase the pain away

Just got to chase the pain away

Who: Makoto Naegi (

superordinary) and Kiyotaka Ishimaru (

ardent)
Where: Ice Path (and Blackthorn later)
When: February 13th and onward
Summary: Two dangans and a bloober versus a cave full of ice. This will end in idiocy.
Rating: PG at the most. Also, spoilers for DR may come up.
Log:

[ When Mondo left Johto, Ishimaru couldn't stay there in the Dangan house anymore. He had to leave. So Naegi decided to go with him — letting him wander off on his own would be one hell of a bad idea and Naegi was quick to suggest that the two of them should go to Blackthorn City. He's heard many great things about the city's famed hot springs and getting the chance to soak and relax in the water would do them both good, he thinks. They've definitely earned it.

Now, what stands between them and their destination is the Ice Path and as the name implies, it's full of ice and snow. The inside of the cave is practically one giant thick sleet of ice with frosted stones on the ground and icicles adorning the ceiling, sparkling in the sunlight coming in from outside. It's actually rather beautiful, if you don't mind the perpetual chill.

The slimy little bloober that's been in their company for a total of thirty minutes seems to mind, however. The poor thing's freezing but for some bizarre reason it seems insistent on braving the cold instead of turning back. ]

...Hey, uh. That thing is still...following us, Ishimaru-kun.

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Which is why it's best that this sort of thing is done by people who don't want others to get hurt - would you prefer that I take a mission, or the person who bombed Olivine?

You, of course. But...is this the right thing to do?

[Ishimaru actually falls quiet for a moment at that, though again, he still seems to be focused on the discussion as opposed to retreating back into his head.]

Naegi-kun, I...

[He hesitates; shakes his head a bit.]

I'm not abandoning my sense of morals, and I still think that if there's a lawful way for this to be done, it should be done that way.

But things...aren't that simple.

[It strikes him as wrong as soon as he's said it, though he's not going to try to amend it, either; he doesn't like this - he doesn't like having to justify some sort of moral departure like that, regardless of whether he admits it is or not, and the fact that he can justify it in any way isn't sitting well with him.]

I'm going to find a way to stop them; it's not really helping them if it's what brings them down in the end, and I'll make amends as soon as I've worked everything out. You know I will.

Ishimaru-kun...

[ Ugh, part of him wants to grab Ishimaru by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. This doesn't feel right at all. ]

I can't say I like it because I really don't, but...if you're sure you're willing to do this, then I won't try to stop you or anything. Just... be careful. I can't stress that enough.

[There's no denying that Ishimaru is incredibly tense, but he relaxes almost as soon as Naegi says that he's not going to stop him; he knows he's not exactly receiving Naegi's blessing for this or anything, but at the same time those words do go a long way.

Clearly, he still isn't the best at reading social cues.]

I will be - I promise you, I'll be careful.

To be perfectly honest with you, I think you should leave this to somebody who knows how to handle stuff like this.

[ ... ]

Don't do anything reckless, Ishimaru-kun.

Have you ever known me to do anything reckless, Naegi-kun?

N-no, of course not...! Look, I'm just worried about you, all right? I don't want you to start doing reckless things.

[Ishimaru about to respond with the usual - telling Naegi not to worry about him, telling him to just calm down and trust him because everything is going to be fine - but he stops before he can; they'd just discussed this recently, hadn't they? Worrying about each other is apparently just something friends do, and that's...

...well, it's kind of agitating, but it's nice.]

What...are you afraid is going to happen?

[The question is awkward, but it seems like something that might be more productive than just going in circles. Again.]

[ The silence that follows is just as awkward as Naegi gathers his thoughts, fiddling with his zipper as he tries to find the right way to respond. He's seen Ishimaru's dead body once. He's seen his hair matted with blood and his skin bruised where the hammer struck. He's touched the dead body of the person he's talking to right now.

Even when he knows Ishimaru can't die here, he can't help but worry. ]

...Nothing in particular, but...you just told me you're going to climb the ladder of a dangerous criminal organization so you can bring it down. That's plenty reason to worry, isn't it?

Edited 2014-02-22 00:38 (UTC)

...That's fair, yes.

[Fortunately enough, Ishimaru seems content with that particular line of reasoning and doesn't seem inclined to question much further; he'd noticed the silence, but...really, it's an awkward topic.]

I'll be all right, Naegi-kun - if it seems too dangerous I'll stop.

That's good to know.

[ He still feels uneasy about this, but Ishimaru's words made things just a little bit better. ]

...Was that all, or is there anything else you want to talk about?

[Look, it could be worse - you could be finding out about this after something's already gone hideously wrong.]

I think that's all for now - we should probably keep moving.

[ ...This is true. :|b ]

Yeah.

[ His butt is starting to feel cold so that sounds like a really good idea tbh. ]

By the way, do you think Isshiki is a good name for this guy here?

[Just...let him look at the blob there for a moment.]

It's as good as any!

Then we'll call him Isshiki from now on.

[ Naegi's not sure why, but the name seems...familiar somehow. That said, however, he slowly rises to his feet and then brushes the snow off his butt. ]

[It takes Ishimaru a moment to push himself up, his body resisting the movement; it's a combination of the cold and the fact that he hasn't been this physically active in well over a month. But he manages eventually, and even though he stumbles forward a little he manages to catch himself before he falls; as little as he's looking forward to it, he wants to get those ice puzzles over with, especially since he doesn't know how many are in here.

...As it turns out, he seriously underestimated how many ice puzzles are in here. We're talking like a week's worth of sliding around here, while carrying a Bloober in a towel and realizing that Naegi-kun, we have made a huge mistake. It's likely no surprise that after that week spent wandering around (most of which was spent wondering which of his ancestors pissed off a wizard and cursed his family line, and/or just sort of questioning exactly where his life went so wrong), Ishimaru is incredibly happy to see Blackthorn City; he is going to spend approximately the next damn year in the shower once they get to that inn, you have no idea.

At the very least, there were chocolates that found them eventually, courtesy of Parker and Kirigiri. Small blessings.]

[ Ice Path? More like Ice Hell. There are no words in any language that can accurate describe the misery inflected upon them both in the form of ice puzzles. None. Zilch. Zero. Nada. By the time they finally reach Blackthorn, Naegi's pretty sure every cell in his body must have frozen solid at some point. He feels like an icicle encased in an iceberg right in the middle of Antarctica.

They waste no time and immediately head toward the inn as fast as their legs can carry them; Naegi disposes of the towel they've been carrying the Bloober with and then proceeds to spend a long time in the shower to scrub every inch of his body clean from goo and dirt. Never has a shower felt so refreshing before. He's pretty sure the sheer amount of goo is going to end up clogging the drain but he's run out of fucks to give.

Next up is the hot spring they endured Ice Hell for - Naegi still almost can't believe they're there. The fact that he's actually entered the facility, paid his and Ishimaru's admission fee and then gotten undressed feels...surreal, somehow. They're finally there, dammit. ]

We made it, Ishimaru-kun.

[ They're both standing there naked after rinsing their bodies and the great hot spring of happiness is before their very eyes. Because after that last week, a hot spring is the definition of eternal happiness. ]

[And for once, when Ishimaru smiles it doesn't seem tired, nor is there that slight delay that implies that the gesture is forced; he actually seems happy for the first time in a while.]

Of course we did - even if it seemed like we might not, for a while!

[Because Ice Path.]

I'm glad you're here with me, Naegi-kun.

And I'm glad you're here with me, Ishimaru-kun. We've definitely earned this.

[ Okay, time to actually enter the water and enjoy its eternal happiness. Naegi carefully steps into the hot spring, letting out a content sigh when he feels the hot water around his ankles. ]

[Entering the water really does make the entire last week completely worthwhile; the Ice Path had been more than enough to convince him that he may very well never be warm again, but the heat from the spring spreads quickly through him and it takes...roughly that long to convince him that they are not leaving this place for quite some time.]

I would want to do something like this with you eventually; it's one of the best ways to get to know someone, after all!

Um, you think so? Hot springs are really nice, but I'm not sure I would call this the best way to get to know someone...

[ He makes his way over to the deeper end of the hot spring before slowly sitting down in the water, luxuriating in its warmth. This is pure, unadulterated bliss and he never wants to leave. ]

[Likewise, dear lord.]

Seeing someone naked will let you know whether you can trust them or not.

...Er, I'm not sure that's true.

[ Ishimaru........... ]

[...you know how sometimes Ishimaru will just get that look

not the one where he's not sure if you're messing with him, but the one where he's trying to figure out if you're being stupid on purpose

because yeah]

I've always found it to work perfectly well, anyway!

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