[It's an unfair question. They both know it's an unfair question. It's not the kind of thing you ask someone you care about; someone who's your best friend.
Baji takes a breath and doesn't break eye contact. Knows better than that. Steady, steady, so the tiger doesn't think you'll dart.]
Didn't I already?
[It wasn't a satisfying answer. He knew that.
The truth was, he never wanted to leave Mikey. Mikey was his oldest friend, maybe his strongest bond. They shared that knowledge of one another that even Draken couldn't hold a candle to, those earliest of childhood memories before they'd fully formed, while they were still becoming. English nicknames, sparring, playing with action figures, bellies to the floor, grinning, fighting, hating one another, making up.
...but Kazutora was alone, and Mikey had so much love around him. So many people who'd do right by him. Baji hadn't done right by Kazutora when he'd failed to convince him not to steal the bike. He hadn't done right by him when he'd gotten caught by Shinichiro, leaving the burden of that fateful attack to someone too young to understand its consequences.
He was there that night. So he'd always be there. He'd promised.
Kazutora would never have to go it alone. So...]
...Yeah. I would.
[But it'd hurt him.
So the question was-- was Kazutora gonna stab him again to make himself feel better?]
no subject
[It's an unfair question. They both know it's an unfair question. It's not the kind of thing you ask someone you care about; someone who's your best friend.
Baji takes a breath and doesn't break eye contact. Knows better than that. Steady, steady, so the tiger doesn't think you'll dart.]
Didn't I already?
[It wasn't a satisfying answer. He knew that.
The truth was, he never wanted to leave Mikey. Mikey was his oldest friend, maybe his strongest bond. They shared that knowledge of one another that even Draken couldn't hold a candle to, those earliest of childhood memories before they'd fully formed, while they were still becoming. English nicknames, sparring, playing with action figures, bellies to the floor, grinning, fighting, hating one another, making up.
...but Kazutora was alone, and Mikey had so much love around him. So many people who'd do right by him. Baji hadn't done right by Kazutora when he'd failed to convince him not to steal the bike. He hadn't done right by him when he'd gotten caught by Shinichiro, leaving the burden of that fateful attack to someone too young to understand its consequences.
He was there that night. So he'd always be there. He'd promised.
Kazutora would never have to go it alone. So...]
...Yeah. I would.
[But it'd hurt him.
So the question was-- was Kazutora gonna stab him again to make himself feel better?]