Day 49: Noon - Tasty Burger

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

Once she'd found she wasn't in any danger whatsoever of hopping aboard the Pukemobile, Yuffie had gotten kinda peckish. She'd ditched the bagged breakfast ages ago, way back on the bus, and, haha, like hell was she trekking back over that way to get it. Too much to see in a town without a lot in it.

So, here she was. Sitting at a plastic table in a plastic chair, in the almost completely plastic 'Tasty Burger', with fries, chicken strips, and a banana shake to wash it down with. Yuffie wrinkled her nose, more put off by the Eastern-style 'meal' than the reproachful stares of the staff and patrons. The latter she was way, way more than used to. Came with the job description. All of the job descriptions.

"Should've gone to the Twin Pine," Yuffie muttered around the (plastic!) straw, slumping forward onto her damp, denim-clad elbows. Taking a long pull of vaguely banana-flavored gloop, she cast a deft, if bored, eye around the establishment. As always, she'd gone for the most strategic seat; one that let her see as much as possible, without cutting off her access to at least one viable escape route. Not that she wanted to look at the place. Eurgh.

It was still hard to reconcile how this place should have looked with how it did look. Quick repair jobs were one thing, but something about the set-up rubbed Yuffie the wrong way. It was the same the whole town over. Chips, here and there, cracks in windows and doodles on walls. But no scorch marks, no sign that there'd been a no-holds-barred battle tearing up the place from top to bottom. The residents were pissy and suspicious, but not in that way—not in a way that'd suggest they remembered what they'd done, what they'd turned into, and what the patients had done in return.

[Cloud and Nanaki~.]

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[stringless-doll.livejournal.com]

Nataku's shoulders sagged almost imperceptibly. He wanted to say that Homura would never become like the other gods, because whatever he chose, Nataku would be of some use to someone he cared about. That, however, would be lying to Homura and himself. While it was true that Homura would never do to him what the other gods had done, Nataku's reasons weren't so selfless.

He had stolen little bits of freedom all his life, and now everything he had known was reversed. He lived in some parody of freedom and stole little bits of servitude. How pathetic was that? He'd promised to work towards change and he was trying to cheat through the difficulties by putting his problems in Homura's lap.

I'll tell you what my true goal is. Nataku looked up, his attention immediately snatched away from his own thoughts. He nodded without hesitation, eyebrows knitted in mute confusion. Though he disliked them, he understood the need for secrets, but why Homura's goal should be one...

Nataku was still silent for long moments after Homura spoke. In a way, it wasn't surprising. Neither of them had much of anything to return to. Homura deserved what happiness he could have, even if it came at a high cost. After all, the opposite was also true. The destruction of this place would take away his second chance - most likely his last and only chance.

In the end, they all had to peruse their own ambitions. It was what Homura had been telling him all along.

"You're right," Nataku replied, quiet but steady. "Your purpose can't be mine. Maybe one day we'll even be on opposite sides."

"But I won't betray your secrets." He met Homura's eyes. "And you'll always be my friend. Always."

[screwthegods]

Had Homura hoped that Nataku would join him? Of course. He knew better than many the skill of his predecessor as Toushin Taishi. Nataku's ability would be invaluable, should Homura be able to use it. Yet he was able to smile even at the refusal, because it was a vital step toward Nataku's freedom. He didn't automatically adopt Homura's purpose as his own, despite being so desperate for one. It seemed he had started to truly understand that only he could decide what his own ambition would be--and that only he should.

"Always." The agreement was easy to make: Homura knew well just how affection crossed lines on the battlefield. He wouldn't throw away the bond he shared with his fellow heresy simply because of different goals. "But if we do cross swords I won't hold back, and you shouldn't either. We're both Toushin Taishi, and I think you'll find that title something to be proud of when you fight for yourself." Certainly Homura had.

He didn't ask what Nataku planned to do next. Instead, he motioned toward their meals, largely ignored up until this point. "We should eat. Whether we'll be here or back at the Institute, we're likely in for a long night. It wouldn't do for you to be weak, Nataku."